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IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer.

Ielts academic and gt essay/ writing task 2 sample.

IELTS Writing Task 2 ( also known as IELTS Essay Writing ) is the second task of your IELTS Writing test. Here, you will be presented with an essay topic and you will be scored based on your ability to respond to the topic.

You need to write at least 250 words and justify your opinion with arguments, discussion, examples, problem outlining, proposing possible solutions and supporting your position. You will have approximately 40 minutes to finish your Essay Writing. IELTS Writing Task 2 carries more weights than Writing Task 1.

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IELTS Band 9 sample essay

Band 9 Sample answers are useful as study guides for IELTS preparation for the IELTS Writing Task 2 essay – especially for a band 9 IELTS essay. Having access to previously completed work that you can have confidence in will show you what you are missing!

Take a look at these sample task 2 essay questions to help you prepare for your exam.

Use the following IELTS sample essay and its explanations to see how close you are to a band 9 in your IELTS writing essay!

Evaluation Criteria

Get your IELTS essay evaluated online (free)

Examples of Band 9 Essays

IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Sample Question and Answer(1)

Why is this IELTS Essay a Band 9?

5 Tips for a Band 9 IELTS Essay

Sample IELTS Writing Task 2 Question and Answer(2)

Sample IELTS Writing Task 2 Question and Answer (3)

Useful Definitions of Advanced Vocabulary Used

Video: Band 9 EX-IELTS Examiner Essay Review

Sample 19 IELTS Essays and 240 Task 2 Essay Questions Ebook

Video: Useful IELTS Essay Writing Tip

Audio Resources

Additional IELTS Resources

IELTS essay task 2: evaluation criteria

IELTS writing tests are evaluated across 4 areas when your band score is calculated:

  • Task achievement  – To what extent does the examinee address all parts of the task with a fully developed position, inclusive of fully extended and well supported ideas?
  • Coherence and cohesion  – Does the candidate logically organise the information and ideas? Is the entire essay cohesive with a logical progression of ideas?
  • Lexical resource  – To what extent does the examinee use a wide range of vocabulary with accuracy? Do they demonstrate sophistication regarding the use of lexical items?
  • Grammatical range and accuracy  – Does the examinee use a range of grammatical structures accurately? Examples of these can be the use of complex sentences with sophisticated clauses instead of simple sentences with a repetitive structure:

Example : Students cannot use phones. They affect development > students are not allowed to use mobile phones in class due to possible distractions.

The British Council (the administrator of the IELTS) outlines 9 different bands of performance for each of the above dimensions here. Your scores in each of these dimensions are averaged to determine your overall band for your essay.

Let's take a look at an example essay that scored as band 9 and then we'll dig into each of these four areas to see why it received that score. It's very important to understand what the IELTS examiner is looking for.

These four criteria are used in our new online essay checker that gives you an estimated band score (free).

IELTS essay sample question (1)

Doing an enjoyable activity with a child can develop better skills and more creativity than reading. To what extent do you agree? Use reasons and specific examples to explain your answer.

IELTS sample essay answer (1)

Parents throughout the world place spend time reading with their offspring to prepare them for school where their literacy skills are further developed; however, recent research suggests that focusing on reading at an early age can be detrimental, and participating in fun activities would be far more beneficial. I am a strong advocate of this approach, and the benefits of it will be covered in this essay.

A fundamental reason for this is that there is no biological age for reading, and pushing infants to acquire this skill before they are ready could have repercussions. For example, in the UK, many boys are reluctant readers, possibly because of being forced to read, and this turned them off reading. By focusing on other activities and developing other skills such as creativity and imagination, when they are ready to read, they usually acquire this skill rapidly.

In addition, the importance of encouraging creativity and developing a child's imagination must be acknowledged. Through play, youngsters develop social and cognitive skills, for example, they are more likely to learn vocabulary through context rather than learning it from a book.

Furthermore, play allows youngsters to mature emotionally, and gain self-confidence. There is no scientific research which suggests reading at a young age is essential for a child's development, moreover, evidence suggests the reverse is true. In Finland, early years' education focuses on playing.

Reading is only encouraged if a child shows an interest in developing this skill. This self-directed approach certainly does not result in Finnish school leavers falling behind their foreign counterparts. In fact, Finland was ranked the sixth-best in the world in terms of reading.

Despite being a supporter of this non-reading approach, I strongly recommend incorporating bedtime stories into a child's daily routine. However, reading as a regular daytime activity should be swapped for something which allows the child to develop other skills.

Why is this essay a band 9?

Task achievement.

According to the IELTS Writing Band Descriptors, an essay is Band 9 for Task Achievement if it:

  • Fully addresses  all parts of the task
  • Presents a  fully developed  position in answer to the question with relevant, fully extended and well supported ideas.

In order to score well on Task Achievement, the most important thing is  to make sure you respond to what is being asked of you . Is the prompt asking for an opinion, a discussion of a problem, a solution to a problem, or some combination of these? If you provide an opinion and not a solution when you're being asked for a solution, you're not going to score well in this area. Read the question carefully!

The prompt for this essay asks:  “To what extent do you agree [with the previous statement]? Use reasons and specific examples to explain your answer.”  It wants an opinion – with support!

This essay addresses all parts of this task. The opinion is included in the introduction to make the writer's position clear, and then the following paragraphs support the writer's position with examples and justifications. Overall, the response is full and relevant and each of the points is detailed and connected to the thesis.

Coherence and cohesion

Think of this as “How well does the essay flow? Is it easy to follow and does it all tie together?” The exact characteristics for a Band 9 C&C score are that an essay:

  • Uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention
  • Skilfully manages paragraphing

Note the specific wording “it attracts no attention.” The goal here is for things to sound natural and not forced. How do you connect your ideas (ensure cohesion) without it sounding forced? I think there are 2 possible ways:

  • Explain your ideas in a logical order so that you don't need many linking words . This is probably what you do when writing in your own language.
  • Use easy linking words like and, but, also, firstly, secondly, finally, for example. These are so common that they attract almost no attention.

This IELTS Sample essay does a good job of this – you'll notice that each paragraph naturally (logically) follows the one prior, providing additional support for the original opinion, and some simple linking words –  in addition, furthermore  (both paragraph 2) and  moreover  (paragraph 3) – are used throughout. These are all good discourse markers that show what is coming next adds to the argument and are slightly more sophisticated than firstly, secondly, and thirdly but don't come across as being forced.

The other aspect to scoring high in C&C is ensuring an essay is well-structured. What do I mean by that? A well-structured essay has a good introduction, body paragraphs that are easy to follow and connect with one another, and a good conclusion. Each body paragraph should also have its own topic sentence and support and then smoothly transition to the next paragraph.

Our sample IELTS essay has a “simple but good” introduction in which it shows that the examinee has knowledge of the topic and clearly states the writer's position to set up the rest of the essay. The paragraphs all have topic sentences, which are then supported by examples, and are easy to follow. The main body and conclusion relate back to the thesis in the introduction.

A note on conclusions…  there are two schools of thought when it comes to how to conclude an IELTS essay. One is to conclude with one simple sentence so that you spend more time perfecting your main body paragraphs. The other is to wrap up with two sentences, once which includes a small prediction (ie, how you think things might turn out) as a way to show the examiner that you know how to correctly use another tense (which will help boost your GR&A score – more on that in a minute). Either is fine, just don't forget your conclusion!

Taking time to plan out and organise your response  before  you start writing is an extremely important step in scoring well in Coherence and Cohesion for your IELTS essay – make sure you do so to ensure your essay is well structured and reads cohesively when you're done!

Lexical resource

Scoring well in the  Lexical Resource  dimension is all about (correctly) showing off your vocabulary. The description for a Band 9 here is:

  • Uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features, rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips'

Collocations,  topic-specific  vocabulary  and  phrasal  verbs  are the name of the game here. To score well, an examinee needs to show that they have a wide-ranging vocabulary and they know how to use it.

Our sample essay does a solid job of showing off a  range of vocabulary  – you'll notice that while the essay frequently refers to children, the writer employs different vocabulary ( infants, youngsters, offspring, counterparts ) to do so.

Note : it is highly likely that you will need to refer to people/children in your IELTS Writing task 2 , so make sure that you have lots of different words to use to refer to them.

IELTS examiners do not like to see the words  “people,” “children”  over and over again! The same goes for the word “ important ” – make sure you have plenty of alternative phrases ( essential  and  vital  are both used in our sample essay).

Other examples of a  wide-ranging vocabulary  in our essay include using  rapidly  in place of  quickly ,  mature  instead of develop,  repercussions  to indicate a negative result, and  acquire  in place of learn.

Our sample essay also does a good job of using  collocations  – some examples include  “fundamental reason,” “reluctant readers” “social and cognitive skills,” “learn vocabulary through context,”  and  “strongly recommend.”

The correct use of  phrasal  verbs  also demonstrates one's grasp of English – because of the semantics involved, they are sometimes one of the most difficult things for English language learners to master. Our essay writer correctly uses a few of these including “ turned them off”  and  “falling behind .”

One note here: students preparing for the IELTS  often ask if they should use  idioms  (like “you're barking up the wrong tree”) in their essays to further demonstrate their grasp of the language. In my opinion, no, you shouldn't. Idioms are informal by nature and not appropriate for a written essay of this type. Stick with demonstrating your range of vocabulary and your ability to use phrasal  verbs  correctly!

Grammatical range and accuracy

The final scoring dimension is related to grammar and grammatical structures – do you know them and can you correctly use them?

The Band 9 description for grammatical range and accuracy :

  • Uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as slips

Note that there is nothing in the scoring criteria about including specific tenses or sentence constructions. Your main objective should be to reduce the number of mistakes that you make. An essay that contains no mistakes is likely to get a 9 for grammar, regardless of the types of sentence that it may or may not contain.

If there is a nice mix of long and short sentences in your IELTS essays, you'll meet the grammar requirements. Remember, as soon as you write a “long” sentence you are naturally going to use connectives (linking words), which will make the sentence ‘compound' or ‘complex'. So, don't think too much about the grammar – just aim to reduce the number of mistakes that you make, and try to include a few longer sentences.

Some examples from the sample essay that illustrate the writer's grammatical range and help it easily score as a band 9 include:

  • appropriate uses of modal verbs in the passive voice:  “are further developed,” “will be covered,” “must be acknowledged,” “should be swapped.”
  • “ to focus on ” is correctly followed by an -ing form
  • However  is used correctly with a semicolon before it and a comma after
  • “ because of ,” “rather than,” and are correctly followed by -ing verbs

5 Tips for an IELTS writing task 2 band 9 essay

1. answer what is being asked.

Make sure you read the prompt carefully and answer the essay questions you’re being asked. I can’t emphasise this enough. In order to score well on Task Achievement, you need to appropriately and fully address the task.

2. Plan your work, work your plan.

Plan out your essay before you start writing. What are your main points? What order are you going to make them in? How do they link together? Having a well organised essay is key scoring high marks for Coherence and Cohesion. Many IELTS test-takers will spend up to 10 minutes planning out their essay before they start writing. A few points to keep in mind:

  • Your essay should have 4-5 paragraphs in total and at least 250 words
  • Plan your supporting points so that they don’t go off-topic

3. Write, review, re-write

Write your essay, review it and then “rewrite” it. Don’t focus on getting things perfect upfront – you don’t want to waste 15 minutes trying to come up with the perfect synonym for something and then not have enough time to finish your full essay! Write your essay first (an unwritten essay won’t score well at all!) and then go back through it to see how you can improve it. Some essay questions to ask yourself at this stage:

  • Are there places where you can swap out stronger words for weaker ones in order to improve your Lexical Resource score?
  • Are there places where you can phrase things differently in order to illustrate your Grammatical Range?

4. Where are you falling?

To pass with a Band 9 the reality is you need two sets of skills:

  • Exam skills
  • Language skills

What are exam skills?

Can you plan an effective essay? Quickly? Ideally between 3-5 minutes.

Can you think of enough ideas and examples to put in the essay plan?

Firstly you need to discover which of these skills you need. To do this you get feedback, either from an online IELTS essay checker or for more detailed feedback you can use our IELTS essay correction service .

The main goal is to find out which part of the essay writing process is costing you the most amount of time, points or stress.

Personally, the easiest and fastest way to get these skills is to do an online course specialised in training students with these skills. Here is a good course for that.

5. Better language skills?

A lot of students fail the  IELTS exam or end up with a band in their IELTS writing test that does not meet their requirements. Also, a significant number of students look to Google to search for “IELTS Writing tips” or “Task two tips”. These tips might be helpful but sometimes the real problem might just be in their general language or writing skills.

Writing error-free perfect sentences is probably much more challenging than students think, especially under exam conditions i.e in 40 minutes with immense pressure to pass. These can result in often mixed outcomes with both positive or negative development occurring at one and the same time.

One of the most important ways to improve language skills is to receive feedback. This can be by asking someone to review written work and will expose the positive or negative development mentioned earlier. This is very common and not something that is a negative issue overall.

Have a look at our essay correction service that will review your essays for you and help you improve and pass the IELTS test.

Here is a checklist of what is needed for reaching Band 9, it includes what the examiner wants to see, and what to do to write at a Band 9 level.

Sample IELTS writing task 2 question (2)

Today, the quality of life in large cities is decreasing. Discuss the causes and solutions.

IELTS writing task 2: essay sample answer (2)

The global phenomenon of urbanisation from the beginning of industrialisation to the present day has brought opportunity and prosperity, albeit at a cost in the quality of life. With an increasing city population, the complexity of the challenges also increases for the globe as well as the local community. Therefore, the causes and effects of these on the current generation, as well as possible solutions are outlined below.

The causes for the decrease in the quality of life are paradoxically the prosperity endowed on such metropolitan centres. Their growth is largely due to the increase of opportunities on offer, which in turn increases their attractiveness, essentially they are trapped in a positive self-reinforcing cycle. While such developments have a positive impact on immediate economic objectives, it perpetuates behaviours that can have a negative impact in the long term.

However, this eventually leads to a decrease in the quality of life as the city can experience overcrowding, exorbitant property prices, and increased vulnerability to terrorist attacks. For example, the density of London makes it a more efficient place to attack, when compared to a smaller city such as Bradford.

Therefore, due to continuous growth and prosperity, urban citizens, especially the less well off, often experience a lower standard of living. Even greater than this, are the relevant examples of natural disasters such as recent fires in Australia, which brought about unprecedented weather patterns resulting in the destruction of wild and rare animals. These effects are far from uniform, as they affect different countries in ways unseen by previous generations.

Considering the solutions, greater investment in public transport would ease traffic congestion, as would bike lanes. In theory, this would reduce air pollution, and possibly improve the well-being of the population if they did adopt a more active lifestyle and cycle to work. While these solutions are local, if adopted globally, would affect individuals and many countries alike. A collective effort is needed to use social networks and other media to highlight the negative effect of urbanisation as well as the negative sides of the wider ramifications on the population.

To conclude, while it could be argued that urbanisation advantages outweigh the disadvantages, a wealthy city attracts a large population inflow, which then causes pressure on existing infrastructure and security. Various solutions exist to mitigate such drawbacks, such as social networks being used to raise awareness of such negative impacts on many countries, nevertheless an indefinite solution has yet to be found.

Sample IELTS writing task 2 question (3)

Social media marketing can influence what consumers buy. Do you agree or disagree? To what extent do you agree?

IELTS writing task 2: essay sample answer (3)

Since the introduction of social media applications in the early 2000's the world has become a much smaller place. Social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have become information sources for a majority of the global market.

As such, it could be argued that marketing, which happens to be a source of information accessible on these platforms can influence the consumers who use them. This notion is further aided by the rise in online retail stores that conduct the bulk of their transactions online. This makes it easier for the consumer to purchase from anywhere in the world.

As a consumer on social media, you are constantly bombarded with advertisements of various products that are specifically designed to catch your attention. This means that most of the adverts on your news feeds aren't random and will almost always feature something you have previously searched online or something currently popular or trending. Given the fact that most social media users are young consumers who are influenced by current trends and happenings, these adverts will almost always catch their eye.

The habit of sharing, retweeting and liking also ensure that these adverts get around, quite fast. As such, when an advert does reach your news feed you have already probably seen it on your friend's news feed. The truth is, adverts are a form of information and with the age of the internet, information spreads faster than a wildfire.

Therefore, it only makes sense that in the era and age of technology, globalization and the need to be trendy, social media marketing can influence what consumers buy.

Useful definitions of advanced vocabulary used

IELTS Writing Task 2: Useful definition

Paradoxically

Equivalent sentences

“For example, it is said, the CCTV in London has foiled many potential attacks, and therefore greatly increased the security of its citizens.” Could also be said as:

“Statistics show that CCTV used in London has scuppered many a terrorist plot, massively contributing to the security of its citizens.”

More Equivalent sentences Various solutions exist to mitigate such drawbacks, nevertheless an indefinite solution has yet to be found.

Could also be said as:

A myriad of partial fixes exist for these issues, yet a permanent solution is still out of reach.

There are many methods employed to quell this flow of people, but still a reliable solution has not been discovered.

IELTS writing task 2: vocabulary booster

The highlighted sections in the following paragraph represent key phrases or words relating to this topic. Study this paragraph to expand your vocabulary knowledge on this topic:

The modern urban environment varies considerably depending on both the city that produces it and the individual who perceives it; Each experiencing a unique blend of at least some economic success, varying degrees of localised or wider deprivation and periods of growth and decline. Environmental factors permitting, a city will provide well for its citizens as long as it can properly manage the execution of social policy.

Globalisation presents many challenges for those responsible for the policy as large inflows of people are to be expected in a place of success and therefore opportunity; The ensuing mixing of cultures has far-reaching social consequences that can affect how the city is both presented and perceived.

Considerably Con·sid·er·a·ble (kən-sĭd′ər-ə-bəl) adj. 1. Large in amount, extent, or degree: a writer of considerable influence. 2. Worthy of consideration; significant: The economy was a considerable issue in the campaign.

Perceive Per·ceive (pər-sēv′) tr.v. per·ceived, per·ceiv·ing, per·ceives 1a. To become aware of (something) directly through any of the senses, especially sight or hearing: We could perceive three figures in the fog. 1b. To cause or allow the mind to become aware of (a stimulus): The ear perceives sounds. 2. To achieve understanding of; apprehend: Einstein perceived that energy and matter are equivalent . 3. To regard or consider; deem: an old technology that is still perceived as useful; a politician who is perceived to be untrustworthy.

Deprivation Dep·ri·va·tion (dĕp′rə-vā′shən) n. 1. The/an act or an instance of depriving; Loss . 2. The state of being deprived: social deprivation; a cycle of deprivation and violence.

“The town’s generally miserable appearance led her to perceive it as a place of considerable deprivation.”

IELTS writing task 2: further reading

There are many more writing samples for you to explore.

The BBC has great pages on discursive writing and general writing , also, this video is good for learning how to give examples.

You can even read a sample Harvard essay aimed at preparing students for academic writing.

Remember! Select a text that is appropriate for your level. Choosing the wrong text can result in a loss of confidence and feeling bad never helped anyone to learn anything quickly!

Video: Band 9 ex-IELTS examiner essay review

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Video: ielts writing task 2-extremely useful sentences.

Optimize Your Writing: Try Our Online IELTS Essay Checker

Writing a good essay for the IELTS is important. You want to get a high score, right? But sometimes, it's hard to know if your essay is good. That's why we made a special tool to help you. It's called the online IELTS essay checker .

How does it work? You put your essay into the tool, it then looks at your essay and tells you what you did right and where you can do better. This helps you learn quickly.

The good news is that our tool can help you save money. Some students pay a lot for classes or books to learn how to write better. But our tool is not expensive. And it gives you fast help.

So, after you read the sample essay on this page, try our online IELTS essay checker . It will show you how to write even better essays.

To sum it up, our online IELTS essay checker is here to help you. It's easy to use and not costly. We want you to do your best in the IELTS without spending too much money. Good luck with your writing!

Additional IELTS writing task 2 resources

  • The University of Manchester Academic Phrasebook provides guidelines and examples of how to introduce essay topics, discuss findings and write conclusions
  • The University of Birmingham Guide to Academic Writing provides tips on paraphrasing, in addition to how to plan, structure and write an essay
  • Use these useful sentences for IELTS Writing Task 2 .
  • This page is good for sample essay topics and answers, also for Task Two.

IELTS writing essay task 2 Sample Band 8 The writing part of your IELTS exam is a great place to score some extra points, especially if you are looking to score within band 8. Here is a task 2 writing sample to help you do just that.

Vocabulary for IELTS Vocabulary is probably the most important part of preparing successfully for IELTS. It is used for both the speaking and writing part of the exam. Click here to view some essential vocabulary.

General essay topics The IELTS exam has a number of general essay topics that span a number of disciplines ad subject matters. To have an idea of what to expect check out our list of general essay topics.

ielts writing task essay sample

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How to get a high IELTS writing score

IELTS Writing Task 1 & 2 Guide: Lessons with Band 9 IELTS Writing Samples for Both the Academic & General Writing Test

In this guide you'll learn how to write high scoring essays for IELTS writing task 1 and IELTS writing task 2 . No matter which test you're taking, either academic or general training, we have you covered; This guide includes IELTS writing samples, topics, and detailed lessons for general writing task 1 & 2 and academic writing task 1 & 2.

Get free IELTS writing sample answers after completing an IELTS writing practice test.

IELTS General Writing Test IELTS Academic Writing Test

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Below is our full list of IELTS writing questions with sample essays. Note: The red links are our most popular and recommended writing questions rated by our students and you can practice them free anytime you like.


Write a letter to the airline. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,


Write a letter to your direct manager. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. 

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Ms. Snyder,


Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ___,


Write a letter to a property agent. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

To Whom it May Concern,


Write a letter to the restaurant manager. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,


Write a letter to the restaurant manager. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,


Write a letter to the course provider. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mr. Gazeley


Write a letter to the admissions tutor and explain your position. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,


Write a letter to the project manager to offer your help. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,


Write a letter to the Council. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Councilor,


Write a letter to the Customer Service department. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,


Write a letter to the manager of the public library. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

To Whom This May Concern,


Write a letter to your city's council board. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Councilor,


Write a letter to the Hiring Manager of the company. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Hiring Manager,


Write a letter to the manager of the transport company. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,


Write a letter to the manager of the supermarket. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

To Whom This May Concern,


Write a letter to your manager. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mr. Brannagan


Write a letter to the property manager. In your letter

Write at least 150 words. 

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Ms. Williams


Write a letter to the HR supervisor with whom you interviewed. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Ms. Barry,


Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mr. Ronch


Write a letter to your elderly neighbor. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mr. Kulligowski


Write a letter to your professor. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Professor Simons,


Write a letter to your new boss. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Ms. Mcllwain,


Write a letter to your boss. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mr. Powell,


Write a letter to your friend's grandfather. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear. Mr. Harris


Write a letter to your colleague. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Ms. Petitto,


Write a letter to your neighbor. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Ms. Granger,


Write a letter to your direct boss. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mr. Phillips,


Write a letter to your child's teacher. In your letter

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mr. Smith,


Write a letter to console your friend. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ___,


Write a letter thanking your friend. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ___,


Write a letter apologizing for your absence. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ___,


Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ___,


Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ___,


Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ___,


Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mark,


Write a letter to your aunt. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Aunt Sally,


Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ___,


Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ___,


Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ___,


Write a letter to your grandmother. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Grandmother,


Write a letter to the manager of your insurance company. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,


Write a letter to the course tutor. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Ms. Franklin,


Write a letter to your cousin. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ___,


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.  


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where necessary.

Write at least 150 words.  


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.  

Write at least 150 words.


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.  

Write at least 150 words.


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.  

Write at least 150 words.


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where necessary.

Write at least 150 words


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where necessary.

Write at least 150 words


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where necessary.

Write at least 150 words


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.  

Write at least 150 words.


adults in four countries from 1960 to 2015.  Units are given in percentages.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.  

Write at least 150 words.


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features making comparisons where relevant.  

Write at least 150 words.


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features making comparisons where relevant.  

Write at least 150 words.


CO2  emissions per person in four European countries between 1975 and 2015.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.  

Write at least 150 words.


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.  

Write at least 150 words.

Leisure Activities by Age Group (%) in 2011, California

Leisure Activity

18-30

31-45

46-60

Over 60s

Watching TV

76%

85%

86%

89%

Spending time with Family/friends

58%

56%

43%

33%

Reading

22%

20%

16%

16%

Gardening

7%

16%

26%

26%

Listening to music

27%

15%

4%

2%

Playing Computer Games

15%

5%

2%

0%

The table shows existing and projected changes in the proportion of people over 65 in the populations of three countries from 2015 to 2030.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.  

Write at least 150 words.

Projected Changes in the Population over-65 in three countries to 2030

Country

2015

2020

2025

2030

United Kingdom

18.1%

19.0%

20.5%

21.6%

Canada

16.0%

18.0%

20.4%

22.7%

Hungary

17.6%

19.4%

20.4%

21.3%

The table shows the proportion of people in England who agreed with same-sex marriage from 1989 to 2013.

Percentage of people agreeing with same-sex marriage by religious denomination (%)

Religion

1989

1995

2001

2007

2013

Church of England

9

14

31

31

55

Roman Catholic

9

21

38

37

61

Other Christian

9

13

25

38

54

Non-Christian

5

11

19

19

30

No religion

20

32

53

64

77

The table demonstrates the change in six types of transportation used by commuters in three cities between 2000 and 2010.

Changes in Market Share for six different types of transportation between 2000 and 2010

City

Personal Vehicles

Mass Transit

Bicycle

Walk

Work at Home

Other

Melbourne

-2.9

15.7

17.2

-4.4

-3.9

10.8

Sydney

-2.9

10.6

31

-3.5

0.6

11.2

Perth

-3.3

21

11.3

4

-3.9

30.2

The table illustrates the relative risk demonstrated by four different transport types in the United Kingdom in two years.

Relative risk of different forms of transport in the UK from 2014 to 2016


2014

2016

Transport Type

Fatality

Casualty

Fatality

Casualty

Car Driver

2

25

2

26

Pedal Cyclist

26

1080

25

1011

Pedestrian

39

484

35

443

Motorcycle Rider

117

1950

111

2008

The table below gives the average time spent and distance traveled by UK commuters in one year.  Time and distance are given in minutes and miles accordingly.

Commuting Habits of different regions of the UK in a year

UK Region

Average Commuting Time (minutes)

Average Commuting Distance (miles)

London

54

14

South East

78

20

Scotland

45

19

West Midlands

39

18

North West

36

18

Northern Ireland

36

15

Yorkshire & Humberside

36

14

South West

34

16

East Anglia

33

15

North East

32

19

East Midlands

32

15

Wales

27

14

The diagram shows the process by which milk and related products are produced.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features.

The diagram shows the process by which sheep embryos are cloned.

The diagram shows the  the life cycle of flowering plants

The diagram shows the process by which plastic is recycled.

The diagram shows the process of the water treatment.

The diagram shows the process by which electricity is generated in two types of hydroelectric power station.

The diagram shows the the life cycle of a frog.

The diagrams show the life cycle of the silkworm and the stages in the production of silk cloth.

The diagram below shows the water cycle, which is the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth.

The pie chart below shows the native languages spoken by students at Bakersfield Senior College in two separate years.

The pie chart below illustrates the different types of smartphones used by attorneys in the U.S. in one year.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant

The pie charts below show the proportion of freshwater withdrawals made by various economy sectors in three countries in a given year.

The pie charts below show the results of a customer satisfaction survey comparing the performance of York Telecom and a competitor in April.

Customer Satisfaction

Industry Average

Very Satisfied

41%

Satisfied

24%

Neutral

10%

Dissatisfied

17%

Very dissatisfied

8%

The pie graph depicts the main reasons for the productivity loss of agricultural land worldwide.  The table shows how these causes influenced three world regions during the 2000s.

Causes of Land Degradation by Region (%)

Region:

Deforestation

Over-cultivation

Over-grazing

Total land degraded

North America

0.3

3.4

1.7

5.4

Asia

9.8

7.8

5.7

23.3

Australia & Oceania

1.6

0.3

11

12.9

The charts below show the percentage of Irish students at one university who spoke an additional language to English from 2000 to 2010.

The graphs below show the unemployment rate of citizens in the US with a further classification displaying average salary per week in 2005.

Summarise the data by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Professional degree

Average Weekly Earnings in 2005 ($)

Doctoral degree

1740

Professional degree

1800

Master's degree

1560

Bachelor's degree

1246

Some college, no degree

840

High school diploma

701

Less than a high school diploma

538

The line charts show the amount of beer sold to pubs and supermarkets over six years, where a bar graph displays the amount of pubs closed over the same period.

The table shows the proportion of fifty-year-old adults who were never married over five decades in Japan.  The chart represents the Japanese marriage and divorce rate from 1970 to 2016.

Number of 50-year-old adults who never been married (%)

Year

Percentage

1970

2%

1980

4%

1990

7%

2000

12%

2010

15%

The table shows the number of people (millions) that remain undernourished around the world from 2000 to 2009.  The chart displays the global price of two food grains over the same period.

Number of Undernourished People Worldwide

Year

Millions of People

2000

857

2002

862

2004

873

2006

876

2008

924

2009

1024

The table shows total revenue created by complementary medicine over three years.  The two charts illustrate the number of hospitals offering complementary medicine over twenty five years with a further classification showing which kinds of medicine proved the most popular in 2012.

Summarise the data by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.  

Revenue from Complementary Medicine in the U.S. (in billion US dollars)

Year

Revenue

2011

11.34

2014

13.1

2016

14.3

The bar chart below shows the preference for different types of Complementary or Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies among US adults in 2007.  The table lists which therapies where the most popular over two years.

Therapies Showing Significant Gains between 2002 and 2007 (%)

 

2002

2007

Deep Breathing

10.6

14.8

Meditation

8.6

10.5

Massage

5

8.6

Yoga

5.1

7.1

The graphs below give information concerning smartphone ownership as a percentage of population in a country from 2000 to 2010, and by level of education for the years 2000 and 2010.

The bar charts show education data related to young adults aged 15 years in 10 different countries in 2015.  The first chart shows in which countries adolescents do the most homework in terms of hours per week. The second chart shows the nations that scored the best on an international science test.

The pie chart below represents the main reasons why agricultural land becomes less productive.  The bar chart shows how these causes affected three regions of the world in the 1990s.

The pie chart below shows the frequency of U.S. Adults’ online purchasing habits in 2015, while the bar chart shows a further classification denoting online purchasing preferences.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The diagrams below show the coastal village of Seaville in 1980 and 2010. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. 

The maps below show the centre of a small town called Islip as it is now, and plans for its development. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. 

The charts below give information on the ages of the populations of Yemen and Italy in 2000 and projections for 2050. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. 

The pie charts below show units of electricity production by fuel source in Australia and France in 1980 and 2000. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. 

The charts below show the percentage of water used for different purposes in six areas of the world. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. 

































































































Table Of Contents

Ielts writing test information, ielts academic writing task 1, ielts general writing task 1, ielts writing task 2.

The writing test consists of 2 writing tasks and you'll have a total of 60 minutes to complete both. You can complete the tasks in any order, just make sure you manage your time well and spend around 20 minutes on IELTS writing task 1 and 40 minutes on IELTS writing task 2.

IELTS Academic Writing Task VS IELTS General Writing Task

The IELTS offers two test versions. The Academic version is for people looking for higher education, while the general Training version is for those looking to simply migrate or perhaps a lower education. There are more criteria for both versions, so please contact IELTS customer service to learn which test is right for you.

So which test harder? The academic test, as you may have guessed, is more difficult than the general training test. The difference between the two is IELTS writing task 1's difficulty. Luckily, only Writing Task 1 is different. IELTS writing task 2 is the same for both test versions. The table below summarizes the two types of IELTS writing tests.

Type of test Task 1 Task 2
Academic Writing

In IELTS academic writing task 1, you are presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in your own words.



In IELTS writing task 2, you will need to write a traditional style essay in response to a question. You must write at least 250 words

General Writing

In IELTS General Writing Task 1, you are asked to write a letter about a given situation. This letter will be one of the following types:

- Formal (Formal letters are sent to people that we do not know or have never met.)
- Semi-formal (Semi-formal letters are sent to people that we do not know well.)
- Informal (Informal letters are sent to people that we know well such as our friends)

IELTS Academic Writing Task Overview Video

Ielts general writing task overview video.

Coming soon!

How IELTS Writing Test is Scored

In the IELTS writing test, your writing score will be scored based on four categories. These are known as Task Achievement/Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Refer to the following band descriptors which IELTS examiners use to score the writing section of the test: - IELTS Writing Task 1 Band Descriptors - IELTS Writing Task 2 Band Descriptors

Note that the scoring criteria for both tasks include:

  • Task Achievement/Task Response  - Did you fully answer the question and present a fully developed answer?
  • Coherence and Cohesion  - Does your argument or analysis make sense? Is it well thought-out and presented in a complete way?
  • Lexical Resource – Did you use a wide range of vocabulary in a natural, formal tone?
  • Grammatical Range and Accuracy – Is your essay virtually error-free? Did you manage to use a wide range of grammatical structures?

Are IELTS Writing Task 1 & IELTS Writing Task 2 Worth the Same Amount of Points? Well Just like how you will spend double the time writing IELTS writing task 2, it's also worth around double the points. Now it's not exactly double. Another way to look at it is to add the score for writing task 2 score twice. So take the band scores 7 for task one and 4 for task two and you get the following formula on how to calculate your IELTS writing score: (7 + (4 x 2))/3 = 5. Therefore, the total IELTS writing band score is around 4.5 - 6. You see we can't give an exact number because IELTS has not made their scoring formula public, but the formula presented here is fairly accurate up to a difference of about 0.5 points.

ielts writing task essay sample

In IELTS academic writing task 1, you are presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in your own words. You may be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process, how something works or describe an object or event.

Regardless of which visual information is presented to you, your job is to write a summary of the visual information. and describe the main trends, overall differences, main changes, or the main components of a system, or the main phrases of a process. You must write 150 words or more, and you should spend around 20 minutes on this part of the test. The writing structure can be as follows:

  • Introduction: Paraphrase the question
  • Overview: Describe the overall trend or write a general overview of the main groupings
  • Body paragraph 1: Write in detail about the first grouping in a logical way
  • Body paragraph 2: Write in detail about the second grouping in a logical way

So the steps to write the report for this task is very simple:

  • Analyse the chart(s) and plan how to group the information
  • Write an essay using the recommended essay structure
  • Proofread essay

Let's look at each different possible type of visual graphs, tables, charts, and diagrams you could encounter in your IELTS writing test:

  • Line graphs
  • Mixed (including two or more of 1-6 above)

Line Graphs

In this type of task, you will be given one or more line graphs. Each line graph will have 1-8 lines showing how values change over time. The time period could be the past, the present or the future, or a combination of all three. Your task is to write a summary, covering the most important points and supporting your description by including data.

ielts writing task essay sample

How to tackle IELTS Academic Writing Task - Line Graphs

In a line graph, there are usually multiple lines that show changes over time. In your writing, you need to group information based on lines having similar trends or values, so your essay structure will be as follows:

  • Body paragraph 1: Describe the first grouping of lines having similar trends or values.
  • Body paragraph 2: Describe the second grouping of lines having similar trends or values.

Let’s write an essay for the aboved sample question.

Step 1: Analyse the graph and plan how to group the information

It is evident that hamburgers consumption and fried chicken consumption show an upward trend, whereas the pizza consumption shows a downward trend. Therefore, the best way to group the data would be as follows:

First grouping

hamburgers consumption and fried chicken consumption

Second grouping

pizza consumption

Step 2: Write an essay using the recommended essay structure

Now that you’ve analyzed the task and figured out how to group the information, let’s write the essay.

Model Essay

The chart illustrates the consumption of three kinds of fast food by teenagers in Mauritius from 1985 to 2015. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.  Write at least 150 words.

Introduction

The line graph depicts the consumption of three types of fast food, (hamburgers, pizza, and fried chicken) over a 30 year period by Mauritian teenagers.  Units are given as the number of times each kind was eaten per year.

Task question

Our own words

The chart

The line graph

illustrates

depicts

three types of fast food, (hamburgers, pizza, and fried chicken) over a 30 year period by Mauritian teenagers

Three kinds of fast food by teenagers in Mauritius from 1985 to 2015.

Overall , hamburgers and fried chicken had become the most popular foods by 2015 with the biggest increase in numbers eaten, while pizza that was the most widely-eaten at the start, declined precipitously in popularity.

Body paragraph 1

With regards to hamburgers, consumption showed a steady upward trajectory from 10 times eaten per year to over 70 times.   Likewise , teenagers in Mauritius ate fried chicken only 5 times per year in 1985 before rising dramatically to a plateau in 2005, then increased slightly at the end of the period to finish as the second most popular food.

Body paragraph 2

On the contrary , although pizza was the most popular food with Mauritian adolescents in 1985, its consumption fell continuously from 60 times a year to just 10 pizzas by the last year.

Sign up for a 7 day free trial to access the entire IELTS Academic Writing Task - Line Graphs lesson.

In this type of task, you will be given one or more bar charts. The bar charts may show how values change over time (dynamic data), the differences between values at one point in time (static data), or the results of a survey or questionnaire. The information could be about the situation in the past, the present, or the future, or a combination of all three. Your task is to write a summary, covering the most important points and supporting your description by including data.

ielts writing task essay sample

How to tackle IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Bar Charts

Bar charts are pretty common in IELTS writing task 1 academic. There are three different scenarios you will encounter in a bar chart task:

  • A bar chart with categories on the x axis
  • A bar chart with dates or years on the axis (functions as a line graph)
  • Two bar charts presented

Each scenario requires you to write the report differently. Sign up for a 7 day free trial to access the following bar charts lessons: - IELTS Academic Writing Task - Bar Charts Part 1 lesson. - IELTS Academic Writing Task - Bar Charts Part 2 lesson. - IELTS Academic Writing Task - Bar Charts Part 3 lesson.

In this type of task, you will be given one, two. or three pie charts. The pie charts may show percentages of a total figure. If you have one pie chart, it will represent one point in time (static data) . If you have two or more pie charts, they may represent how the percentages change over time or compare different countries or groups. Your task is to write a summary, covering the most important points and supporting your description by including data.

ielts writing task essay sample

How to tackle IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Pie Charts

Sign up for a 7 day free trial to access the IELTS Academic Writing Task - Pie Charts lesson.

In this type of task, you are given a table containing data. can show dynamic figures which change over time or static data for one point in time. Often there is too much information, so you won't be able to include every detail. Your task is to write a summary, covering the most important points and supporting your description by including data.

ielts writing task essay sample

How to tackle IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Tables

Sign up for a 7 day free trial to access the following tables lessons: - IELTS Academic Writing Task - Tables Part 1 lesson. - IELTS Academic Writing Task - Tables Part 2 lesson.

Process Diagrams

For this type of question, you will be given a diagram which shows how something works. The diagram may show a machine, a system, or a natural phenomenon. Often there is no data or little data included. Your task is to summarize the information shown in the diagram.

ielts writing task essay sample

How to tackle IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Process Diagrams

Sign up for a 7 day free trial to access the IELTS Academic Writing Task - Process Diagrams lesson.

For this type of question, you will be given one, two or three maps. The maps may show a town, city, island, or other geographical area. Maps usually show the changes which occurred in the area during a period of time. The changes could be related to construction (e.g. developing an area for tourism) or destruction (e.g. how an area was affected by a natural disaster such as an earthquake) Your task is to write a summary of the changes which took place and cover the most important points.

ielts writing task essay sample

How to tackle IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Maps

Sign up for a 7 day free trial to access the IELTS Academic Writing Task - Maps lesson.

In this type of task, you will be given two sets of data. The data will be different types. For example, one set might be change over time while the second set is static. Alternatively, one set of data could show percentage whereas the second set shows numbers. You may also be given an illustration (e.g. a diagram or map) and a set of data (e.g. a bar chart, line graph, pie chart, or table) Your task is to summarise both sets of data.

ielts writing task essay sample

How to tackle IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Mixed Data

Sign up for a 7 day free trial to access the IELTS Academic Writing Task - Mixed Data lesson.

Vocabulary for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

To score high on this task, you need to learn how to use appropriate words and phrases to present the data given in a pie/bar/line/mixed graph. We suggest you sign up for a 7 day free trial and complete the following lessons:

  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Lesson - How to write about numbers
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Lesson - How to write about percentages
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Lesson - How to write about changes in data

IELTS Writing Task 1 Samples

This section presents a list of IELTS writing samples for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1.

  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Line Chart Questions
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Bar Chart Questions
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Pie Chart Questions
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Map Questions
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Process Diagram Questions
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Mixed Data Questions

In IELTS general training writing task 1, you will be presented with a situation and will need to write a personal response in the form of an informal, semi-formal or formal letter of at least 150 words. The situations you are asked to write about are common, everyday ones such as:

  • writing to a college accommodation officer about problems with accommodation,
  • writing to a new employer about time management problems they are having,
  • writing to a local newspaper about a plan to develop a local airport,
  • writing to a renting agency to sort out problems with the heating system in their house.

In regards to the situation, you will be given information in the form of three bullet points that you must include in your response. You may be required to request or give information and/or explain a situation. To do this, you may need to do some of the following:

  • ask for and/or provide general factual information,
  • express needs, wants, likes or dislikes,
  • express opinions or complaints,
  • make requests or make suggestions/recommendations.

IELTS General Writing Style

The writing style you'll use depends who you're asked to write to (i.e. the audience) and how well you're supposed to know them. You need to write in a style that is appropriate for your audience and that will help you to achieve your purpose for writing, e.g. writing to a friend (informal) or writing to a manager (semi-formal or formal). You do not need to include any addresses at the head of your letters.

How to Avoid Losing Points in IELTS General Writing Task 1

As mentioned, don't spend any more than 20 minutes on this task and make sure you write at least 150 words or you will be penalised. While you will not be penalised for writing more than 150 words, you should remember that a longer task 1 answer may mean that you have less time to spend on task 2, which contributes twice as much to the Writing band score.

You should also remember that you'll be penalised for irrelevance, if the response is off-topic or is not written as full, connected text (e.g. using bullet points in any part of the response, or note form, etc.). You will be severely penalised for plagiarism (i.e. copying from another source).

Causes and effects

Discuss both views and give your own opinion, advantages and disadvantages, problems and solutions, two-part question.

Now, let's look at sample questions and model essays for each essay type.

  • Advantages & Disadvantages
  • Problems and Solutions
  • Two-part Question

In this type of question, you will be given a problem or situation. Your task is to describe the causes of the situation and some of the effects of the situation.

Obesity among children has risen sharply over the last decade in western countries.   Such a trend is largely the result of a tendency towards convenience in society, yet its effects may be detrimental to children’s long-term mental and physical health.

The prime causes of obesity are unhealthy eating habits and an inactive lifestyle.   In recent years , there has been a surge in the consumption of convenience foods among modern families.   Busy parents with no time to cook rely on prepared meals to feed their families.  Such foods have little to no nutritional value which contributes to obesity .   In addition , children these days spend inordinate amounts of time playing video games than playing outside with friends resulting in insufficient physical activity each day.   For example , studies show that children in France exercise on average around 20 minutes per day as compared to 75 minutes 30 years ago.  

The possible effects of obesity are a range of health issues.   Regarding physical health, diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, are known to be higher in overweight children than their peers.  These put a child’s life in danger, and may further affect mental health growing up.  When children are obese , they are more likely to be bullied and ostracized by classmates because they look or behave differently.   This has been known to cause low self-esteem and depression in many, and thus shun friends in favor of time alone.

In conclusion , through poor diet choice and inactivity , obesity is a growing problem that can cause lasting damage to a child’s mental and physical development.    However , by addressing this problem while young, much can be done to aid a child in becoming a healthy functioning adult.

In this type of question, you will be given two opposing views related to an issue. Usually, the two views will be in separate sentences connected by a transition word such as "however" to indicate that the two views contrast. Your task is to write a discursive essay, contrasting both sides of the issue and presenting your own view.

According to some, good health goes hand in hand with regular exercise, yet others feel that it is more important to maintain a balanced diet .   In my opinion, I believe that exercise is more essential for the majority of people.

There are several benefits to a balanced diet for good mental and physical health .  For one thing , eating well lifts moods.  Simple foods that are varied in color and type can lift mood and lower the risk of depression.  Eating more fruits, colorful vegetables, proteins, and whole grains helps the body run efficiently.  This makes dieters feel good , and as a result more willing to be active which thus makes them healthier.   For another thing , eating well makes people less prone to getting sick by building a body less susceptible to disease . Vitamins and minerals in diet boost immunity , which protects the body against certain diseases like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure .

On the other hand , I believe that exercise is more effective at improving health since it encourages long-term health habits from the beginning.  Exercising not only burns calories , but makes people feel good.   While starting a diet is never a pleasant experience, cardiovascular exercises like cycling, walking or swimming trigger endorphins in the brain that immediately decrease stress levels, and enhance our sense of well-bein g.   Once people start feeling good from exercise, they are more likely to continue.   Moreover , exercise doesn’t have to be for long periods to achieve instant benefits.  Doctors usually advise exercising for 20 minutes three times per week, a sufficiently short enough time to make a habit of , and fit into busy schedules.

In conclusion , while good diet is necessary, exercise offers greater convenience, flexibility, and by making people feel good, encourages good health habits in the long run.  

In this type of question, you will be asked to discuss the positive and negative aspects of a situation, solution or trend. You may also be asked to give your opinion about which side you think is more important.

More and more students are taking a year away from their studies between graduating from school and beginning university.  Students can save for and think about their future during this period, though there are several drawbacks to consider.

To begin with , by taking a year after high school, students can avoid costly mistakes of starting a degree that they are not interested in.  A year is a good time to consider options and decide what subject is best to study.   Secondly , a gap year is excellent for character development.   When graduating high school at 18, most people still don’t know what life direction they wish to take.  Studies show that students who take a gap year doing something constructive like travelling do better in at university later on than those who do not.   Finally , a year away from studies provides the chance to save money .   That way, at university, students may focus more on classes , and less on debt.

However , spending such a long time away from studying may cause some students to lose good study habits, and gain bad habits instead.  After 12 years of continuous schooling , many teenagers may be distracted by the prospect of earning money, and lose the motivation to continue their studies.   Furthermore , individuals without a constructive plan for their education-free year may be tempted to procrastinate and waste time.   Lastly , travelling overseas can be expensive, and there is a real possibility that students may end up in more debt by the start of the university year.

To sum up , although students who take a year out can save money and achieve greater life-direction, this time may also be wasted, lead to greater debt, or cause unintended life decisions that may later be regretted.  

In this type of question, you will be given a problem or situation. Your task is to describe the causes of the situation and some solutions to the problem. The question may ask for general solutions (e.g. How could this problem be solved) or ask how specific groups can solve the problem (e.g. What steps can governments and individuals take to address the problem?). You do not need to mention the effects in detail, just briefly.

Before as now, emigration from the countryside to the city continues apace worldwide as people seek a better standard of living .   However , life in the big city is often hard on new immigrants.  There are several reasons for this as well as solutions for governments to handle them.

Most difficulties emerge since rural folk are unaccustomed to city life on moving there.   For a start , the cost of living is much greater than in a town or village.  City residents must pay more for utilities, housing, transportation and food, which causes many immigrants to share overcrowded housing in a bid to save money.   Secondly, unemployment in the city is a major challenge for new arrivals.  Many immigrants are unprepared for the fierce job competition when arriving in a city.  This inevitably drives unemployment up, which may quickly lead to poverty .   Finally , healthcare costs are often high in the city, and if made sick, many immigrants often lose meagre savings to pay for their medical care .

To solve these challenges, and improve life for all inhabitants , city governments have several options available to them.   Firstly , ensure an adequate housing supply to prevent overcrowding .  Developing low-end, cost effective housing for migrants would reduce living expenses and provide a base for first-time inhabitants starting a new life .   Secondly , establish job schemes and professional training programs for new city residents.  This would help them to find reliable work and figure out their next step.   Finally , make affordable healthcare available to all.  Guaranteeing access to affordable healthcare provides a social safety net for new city citizens as they adjust to city life.

In conclusion , given the diverse challenges faced by city immigrants, ensuring decent accommodation and healthcare, as well as creating job programs, can help many hit the ground running and begin contributing to city life.

In this type of question, you will be given two questions and you will need to answer both questions. The two questions will be different. For example, you might need to assess the importance of an idea or action (e.g. How import is it?) and say whether you agree or disagree (e.g. Do you agree or disagree?).

Some people regard the arts as fundamental pillars of society, and even in today’s technology-dominated world, art and music are still important.  More than ever before, I believe it is necessary to teach children such subjects in school for the many benefits they bring society.

Art and music are central to life in developed civilisations . For a start, they help society to reflect on what it has become.  As society advances, artists help to interpret the changes and problems created by progress in unique ways.  Artists use their creativity to draw attention to key issues such as the increasing mountains of trash produced or the rich-poor divide . Secondly , artists make people more humble by helping them remember their humanity and their connections to the world around them.  Pictures of nature, society, tribal scenes, past and present make people think about their roots and consider where they’re heading.   Finally , music gives joy and inspiration to many people.  It helps to express emotion and lift mood when feeling down .  

While in school , there are key advantages to learning art and music.   For one , both give children the creativity to express themselves.  Children live in a world of adults; however , art and music classes allow all to be themselves which is good for their mental development .   For example , while older children are less inclined , younger children often find singing, dancing and painting to be among their favorite classes.   In turn, studying music has proven beneficial in helping children connect more with their emotions.  This produces more rounded adults able to connect with their knowledge through science and their emotions through art and music.

In conclusion, for adults and children, the arts bring not only joy, but inspiration, and helps both to remember who they are really are in a world dominated by science .

In this type of question, you will be given a question which contains an opinion. Your task is to write an essay in response to the opinion. This type of question often asks if you agree or disagree with an opinion.

It is said by many that social networking websites like Facebook are negatively influencing society.   Although I believe this the effect of social media on society is somewhat negative, there are also clear benefits to individuals from using it.

Regarding society , social networks are causing a decline in meaningful relationships.   Firstly , people spend less time having good conversation with each other face-to-face.    Most people spend more time having short conversations with dozens of people online, and less time having longer, meaningful conversations with friends face-to-face . This erodes close relationships over time and may be creating a more socially disconnected society as a result. Additionally , there is some evidence that social media sites like Facebook have created a more socially awkward and antisocial society .  The average European spends four hours per day chatting online, yet this familiarity with the screen is causing many to become more anxious talking with others in person as a result .

However , there are distinct advantages to the individual from using social media.   For one, it is very easy to find work when online.  Through group functionality on sites like Facebook, job seekers can easily find a job they desire in the right field, thus increasing job satisfaction when at work.   Finally , social networks bring like-minded people together in an unprecedented way . Whether it is friends looking to organize an event, or people looking to meet others with similar interests it is extremely easy to find people online. For example , just take the explosion in minor hobbies like board games clubs that have become popular due to the interconnected nature of social media.

In conclusion, in my opinion, although there is some evidence to show social networking may affect society badly in the long run, in the short term, its effects on individuals seem more positive.

IELTS Writing Samples and Strategies for IELTS Writing Task 2

In general, there are 4 steps to approaching the IELTS Writing Task 2:

1. Read and Understand - Although this step may seem self-explanatory, many test takers let their nerves get the best of them and do not fully understand the question at hand. This is why the first thing you will need to during Writing Task 2 is to fully understand the question and underline key words . Additionally, think of these two things:

  • What type of essay will I need to write? (For example, it can be Problem and Solution ).
  • How familiar am I with this topic? (This question is important, because it may affect the outline you choose to use.

2. Plan your Outline - Now that you’ve understood what the question is asking as well as which type of essay you will have to write, you are ready to map out your outline. Do not skip this step. This should take only 2 or 3 minutes and will act as a reference for you going forward. Also, depending on how the question asks you, the outline will be different. To learn how to analyze question and plan the outline for each essay type, check out our IELTS writing task 2 lessons

The following blog posts teach you how to tackle each question type and contain over 100 IELTS writing task 2 questions and samle essays. Feel free to use them for your IELTS preparation.

  • How to Answer Opinion Question Types in IELTS Writing Task 2
  • How to Answer Discussion Question Types in IELTS Writing Task 2
  • How to Answer Advantage & Disadvantage Question Types in IELTS Writing Task 2
  • How to Answer Problem and Solution Question Types in IELTS Writing Task 2
  • How to Answer Answer Cause and Effect Question Types in IELTS Writing Task 2
  • How to Answer Two-part Question Types in IELTS Writing Task 2

IELTS Practice Tests

  • IELTS Listening Test
  • IELTS Reading Test
  • IELTS Writing Task 1 & 2
  • IELTS Speaking Test

All information on this page was referenced from the official IELTS website: www.ielts.org

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IELTS Band 9 Writing Samples: Task 2 Essays

June 19, 2021

ielts writing task essay sample

One of the best ways of learning how to write better is to simply read sample IELTS band 9 essay answers, and that is exactly what we have here: 10, Band 9 sample IELTS essays. Each essay is followed by a teaching point to show you why it is a band 9 IELTS essay.

Finally, all of the essays on this page have been written using the system I teach on this page IELTS writing task 2 and in my full IELTS course here that has helped thousands get the score they need.

You can also download these sample answers as a pdf file here if you prefer: IELTS Essay Samples Band 9 pdf or, simply read them below:

Sample Essay #1 – Two Part Question

In some countries, the number of people visiting art galleries is reducing. What do you think the reasons for this are? How can we solve this problem?

In certain locations around the world, the number of people visiting art galleries is declining. This essay shall outline some of the reasons for this trend and then go on to suggest ways in which this issue could be resolved.

Firstly, visitor numbers are on the decline due in part to the ever-increasing convenience and ability of new technology. If someone has access to the internet from a device then there is virtually no need to visit an art gallery as all the finest works can be viewed online for as long as you want and at a minimal cost. For example, there is virtually no reason to go to the effort of leaving your house and traveling across a city and then paying and queuing with other people just to see works of art that you could just as easily view from the comfort of your own home.

However, there are some effective ways in which we might reverse the trend of declining visitor numbers to art galleries. One such way would be to ensure that all the artwork at a gallery is not available to view online, or at the most, just a small sample of an art galleries work is available for viewing. This would then create a sense of curiosity in the viewers mind and make them more likely to visit the art gallery. Furthermore, you could create a discussion zone at the art gallery where like-minded individuals could meet face to face and discuss the particular pieces of art that interest them. This would make visiting the gallery a more unique experience and be more likely to catch people’s interest.

Overall, visitor numbers are declining but there are a number of ways to tackle this problem. It is up to the art galleries themselves to come up with solutions and then deliver these to the public if they wish to survive in the future. 319 words

Teaching Point: Notice how both of these topic sentences directly answer one of the questions asked in the question. This is key to making sure that you do not go off topic and do in fact answer the question. This ensures you will not lose marks for Task Achievement.

Sample Essay #2 – Discussion And Opinion

In many countries, men and women work full-time. It is therefore logical for men and women to share household work. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Nowadays, many people believe that men and women should share household chores equally as both genders are just as likely to have full-time jobs. Personally, I agree with this viewpoint and the following paragraphs shall outline my reasons for this belief.

First and foremost, traditional gender roles have been severely diminished in many cultures in recent years. This means that less pressure is now placed on women to complete the tasks that were commonly associated as being a women’s job to complete. These days it is just as acceptable for a man to do the housework as it is for the women, and they won’t be looked down upon by their male friends as they might have been in the past.

Secondly, it has become much more commonplace for women to be the main breadwinners of a household and therefore by default have less time available for domestic duties This means that it often makes more sense for men to stay at home and not work, which in turn means that they have more time available to complete household chores than might have been the case in the past. Imagine, if a woman worked full time and then had to come home and complete all of the household chores as well, regardless of whether the partner was working or not, the relationship would be put under a great deal of pressure and might eventually end if they were left to do the chores alone.

In summary, I agree that the changing trends of society mean that couples are often led to divide household chores more equally these days. Despite resistance by certain groups, this trend is likely to continue into the future.

Teaching Point: Notice how I have repeated my opinion twice, in both the introduction and conclusion but have done so using different words. This shows off a range of vocabulary but also ensures that I have answered the original question that was asked.

Sample Essay #3 – Discussion And Opinion

Libraries are a waste of money, therefore, computers should be used to replace them. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Some people are of the opinion that libraries funding should be cut and the money invested in making computers available to the public instead. I mostly agree with this line of thought and the following paragraphs shall explain why this is the case.

Firstly, libraries should not receive any more funding because they contain such a limited and often outdated amount of information. As soon as a book is published it goes out of date and cannot be updated without an entirely new copy being printed which is both costly and time-consuming. On the other hand, a computer connected to the internet overcomes both of these limitations with ease, for example, any web-site, pdf, or online journal can be continuously updated by the authors and there is no time wasted in printing of the book.

On the other hand, though, libraries do still offer a quiet place for members of the public to go and read. In today’s fastpaced society there are few places to be found where people can simply go and relax without fear of being hassled by salesman or traffic which may have damaging consequences for the public. For instance, a report in the ‘Journal of Good Health’ recently reported that spending as little as 5 minutes per day sat quietly on your own can reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke by 50%, so, losing the quiet space of a library could harm a nation’s overall health.

To sum up, the public need for up to date information and also for restful places for people to relax needs to be considered carefully. Governments need to decide what their priority is and act accordingly. 279 words

Teaching Point: Notice how in the first line of the introduction I have simply paraphrased the question statement using my own words. I have also changed the order of the information in the sentence. This shows the examiner that I have good grammatical control and also a range of vocabulary.

Sample Essay #4 – Discussion And Opinion

Some people think that money is the best gift to give a teenager, others disagree. Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.

Certain groups of people are of the opinion that giving teenagers cash is the most appropriate present to present them with, however, some people disagree with this approach. Personally, I believe that this is not the case and this essay shall outline arguments for either side.

Firstly, teenagers are often very impulsive by nature and are likely to make decisions that may not be in their best overall interest. As a consequence, if you hand over money to a teenager they may well simply go and waste the money on consumable goods and sometimes harmful items such as drugs, alcohol, or other such substances. Therefore, it is probably in the teenagers best interest if you buy them constructive presents that they can get greater value and education out of. For example, buying a teenager book tokens to further their knowledge is far more productive than giving them cash to blow on alcoholic beverages.

On the other hand, however, some people would say that allowing the teenager the freedom to choose what they want to spend their money on is an important lesson for them to learn. Not only does it allow them to see that you trust them but it also means that they are likely to buy something that they will actually value. Furthermore, if a teenager senses that you do not trust them then they are likely to hold this against you and use it against you at some point in the future, whereas, they may well act more responsibly if you hand over cash for them to spend.

In conclusion, teenagers are at a very sensitive stage of their development, however, I remain of the opinion that they do need some guidance in the way that they spend their money. Parents should take care to manage this situation appropriately. 302 words

Teaching Point: Notice how the conclusion starts by summarizing the two topic sentences using different vocabulary, Once again this proves to the examiner that you have a good range of vocabulary.

Sample Essay #5 – Opinion Essay

Some people believe that people who do physical work should be paid the same as people who have a high-level degree. Do you agree or disagree?

Certain groups of people are of the opinion that people who engage in manual labour should receive the same level salary as someone who is highly educated. I disagree with this point entirely and shall outline the reasons for this in the following paragraphs.

One of the main reasons why highly educated people should receive a greater salary than lower-skilled workers is that they create more value for a business in the long term. This is because a lower skilled worker will simply do as they are told and perform their role in the organisation whereas a highly skilled worker is more likely to suggest solutions to problems or invent more productive ways of doing something. Over the course of a number of years, these incremental improvements could lead to large increases in profit for the company.

Allied to this, graduates have often invested a great deal of time and money into their education and so surely, therefore, deserve to be paid more to cover this. For example, a recent survey from ‘Time’ magazine revealed that the average medical student seeking to become a doctor graduates with more than $150,000 of debt before they have even earned a penny.

Furthermore, countries need educated populations in order to develop, organise themselves and grow. Therefore governments need to make sure students are encouraged to study for higher qualifications and paying higher salaries to these individuals when they finally graduate is one way of ensuring this.

In conclusion, more highly educated employees are worth more to a company and a country. These are the main reasons why I continue to believe they should be paid more. 273 words

Teaching Point: It is helpful to develop your paragraphs by using examples. However, this is difficult to do as you do not know what question you will be asked. This is why you should just make up realistic sounding examples. It really is not important if the example is true or not, the examiners do not care. All they want to do is assess your English. So, go ahead and simply make up realistic sounding examples to develop your answers just as I have done here!

Sample Essay #6 – Opinion Essay

In some countries, children under sixteen are not allowed to leave school by law and get full-time work. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

In certain areas of the world, children under the age of 16 are prevented from gaining full-time employment by law. I believe this is a good thing and this essay shall outline the reasons for this standpoint.

Firstly, anyone under the age of 16 should be pursuing education rather than a salary. This is because they have the rest of their working lives to get a full-time job but only a few limited years during their youth which they can dedicate entirely to education. Education is the key to a positive future and so it is right that laws should prevent someone from damaging their own education. If we let young people simply do what they want with no thought for the future then we would not be guiding and protecting them as a society surely should.

In addition to the above, many countries around the world have high unemployment levels. If youth under the age of 16 were also added to the working population then this would likely only lead to further increases in unemployment. For example, in Greece the ‘Greek Echo’ recently reported that unemployment had increased to a record level of 38% of the population. Furthermore, having unemployed youngsters on the streets often leads to increased crime rates, especially those relating to anti-social behaviour whereas if the youngsters had to remain in school or college they may well stay out of trouble.

Overall, beginning employment early has more negative impacts than positive. Governments should consider carefully when and how they allow people to finish their education if they wish their nations to be prosperous in the future. 269 words

Teaching Point: Notice how I have used two conditional sentences here to discuss future changes. This demonstrates a wider range of grammar to the examiner and therefore helps to improve your band score. Make sure you brush up on the second conditional in particular, as it is often useful in IELTS essays.

Sample Essay # 7 – Two Part Question

Nowadays, some parents pressure their children to be successful. What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or negative development?

In recent years, some children have been put under pressure by their parents to be successful in life. This essay shall discuss both the reasons why this is so and whether this is a positive or negative development.

It appears that some of the youth of today are placed under pressure by their parents to be successful because the world has become a very materialistic place and in order to show how successful you are you need to have money to buy nice things. This usually means that a good education is needed so a well-paying job can be secured. Unfortunately, as a consequence of students studying to gain a high paying job, which their parents may wish for them, they may actually be doing something which is not what they want to do deep down in their soul. As a result, a student may begin to lack motivation in their studies, lack of passion for what they are doing or even become depressed as a result.

Furthermore, the pressure placed on young people to succeed at school may well mean that they do not take part in other valuable opportunities. For example, rather than taking part in an International Award programme they may well opt to do extra homework because of the time required to gain the award. However, participating in the award would have provided them with so many opportunities to learn new and different life skills, such as: social skills, trip planning, map reading, fund raising, teamwork and so on, skills which you simply cannot ever learn from a book.

To sum up, anything that could cause depression or reduce a young person’s opportunities has to be a negative. Parents need to think carefully about what type of life they want their child to actually have and not just on future financial prospects. 308 words

Teaching Point : Notice that I have used a range of sentence starters and connectives to help the essay flow. I have not simply repeated the same linking words like ‘and also’, ‘then’, or ‘next’ that are often overused in IELTS essays. Using a range like this means that the essay sounds more natural and native like and of course helps improve a band score.

Sample Essay #8 – Problem And Solution

In many countries, people have health problems because they choose to live an unhealthy lifestyle. What do you think the reasons for this are and how can it be solved? Give relevant examples from your experience?

In many places around the world, people are choosing to live an unhealthy lifestyle and are suffering significant health issues as a result. The following paragraphs shall discuss the possible cause of this and offer a number of solutions.

Firstly, one of the main causes of these health issues is the influence of advertising from big businesses trying to make a profit. These businesses have no morals and are only interested in making money, this means that they will target anyone they can even though they know that their products are bad for people’s health. For example, MacDonald’s are certainly aware that their food is bad for children but they still target them through the use of associating clowns and Disney characters with their ‘happy meals’.

Allied to the above, people are ill disciplined even when it comes to the importance of their own health. These days, everyone knows the risks of eating ‘junk’ food on a regular basis but many continue to do so. The reason for this is that it is just too convenient and they are just too lazy to make some real nutritious food for themselves. For instance, anyone who goes out on a weekend will have witnessed the large queues of young people in fast food restaurants even when there are much more healthy options nearby including various supermarkets which all sell healthy ingredients from which to make food from.

In summary, the power of big business and the weak will of humans is damaging the health of many. Governments, schools and parents should consider carefully how they are going to tackle these issues in the coming years. 273 words

Teaching Point: Usually the second or third sentence of a paragraph will be explaining the reasons for what has been stated in the topic sentence of the paragraph.

Sample Essay #9 – Discussion And Opinion

Nowadays, many families move to different countries. Some people think that children gain many benefits from this while others consider it to be hard for a child to move to a foreign country. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

These days it is not uncommon for whole families to migrate to other parts of the world. Some people are of the opinion that this has a negative impact on the children involved whereas others believe it has a positive impact. Personally, I think the positives outweigh the negatives and this essay shall outline both sides of the debate.

First and foremost, generally people only move to other countries if they believe there is going to be a significant improvement to their children’s lives. Often this takes the form of improved education opportunities. For example, when the UK entered the European Union there was an immediate influx of people and part of the reason for this is that the UK offers a free and a quality education to any youngsters living there. Many migrants believe that the key to future success is education and that moving to the UK will enhance their children’s future.

On the other hand, removing a child from the culture they have grown up in may severely disrupt their behaviour especially if they did not want to move in the first place. Teenagers and even younger children are very sensitive to change and a major change such as moving to another country could cause a lack of confidence. For example, suddenly a child has to east food they are not used to and may not like, suddenly they may also have to get used to weather they may not have even experienced before. All of these things could cause a child to experience mental health issues.

Overall, children often gain more opportunities by migrating abroad although they will face new challenges. Parents should carefully consider the potential impact a sudden move may have on a child before they make the final decision. 296 words

Teaching Point : 4 main paragraphs is usually enough for most IELTS essays. An introduction of about 50 words, two body paragraphs of about 90 words each, and a conclusion of about 30 words.

Sample Essay #10 – Discussion

Earlier technological developments brought more benefits and changed the lives of ordinary people more than recent technological developments. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Improvements in technology that occurred in the distant past produced more positive effects than the developments that have occurred in the last few years. I completely agree with this statement and the following paragraphs shall outline the reasons for this belief.

The first telephone completely revolutionized the way business was done and benefited humanity greatly. For the first time people could send messages long distances with ease and the pace of business increased dramatically making more people richer and creating more job opportunities. However, these days when the latest iPhone update comes out the only real changes are to do with fashion rather than providing any real new benefits. For example, now you can upload items to a ‘cloud’, or play more advanced games, but neither of these improvements in anyway compares to the first time phones were released to the public.

Similarly to the above, the first computers also transformed the way companies ran their businesses. Previously there were filing cabinets full of paperwork and accessing that information could take hours to locate the piece of information that you wanted. In contrast though, computers have been around for so long now that they have almost reached their limit in terms of how useful they could possibly be. For example, the only real changes that happen now are new releases of the Windows operating system and the so called improvements are actually just considered annoying changes to many rather than actual improvements.

In summary, the most profound long lasting impacts that technology has brought us occurred many years ago. These days’ beneficial changes now come in very small increments and I believe that will continue to be the case in the future. 282 words

Teaching Point: Always start with an introduction which rephrases the question. You should try to use different words i.e. synonyms and paraphrases of the original words in the question so that you can show to the examiner your range and level of vocabulary.

Sample Essay #11 – Discussion

Nowadays, people of all ages from certain parts of the world spend most of the time at home rather than going outdoors. Discuss the reasons for this and say whether it is a positive or negative development.

In this day and age it is far more common for individuals to spend the majority of their time inside rather than outside. I believe this is a negative development for society and the following paragraphs shall offer possible reasons why this could be the case.

Firstly, spending more time indoors naturally indicates decreased activity levels. This automatically leads to reduced health of populations due to problems such as obesity, stroke, heart attack and so on which are all linked with decreased levels of exercise. Clearly this is a major negative for everyone concerned. Governments have higher health costs, people die younger and families of course are deprived of a family member needlessly.

Secondly, the fact that people are indoors more often than not indicates that less time is spent socialising with others face to face. This can lead to mental health problems but also to a decline in the development of ‘real world’ social skills which help to make people employable. Afterall, in most places of work there is a definite need to communicate face to face with colleagues of customers and if an individual is not capable of doing this it does not matter how ‘book smart’ they are they will not be able to function adequately in the workplace.

Overall, it is clear to me that there are far more negatives to positives of people spending more time indoors than outside. Governments, education authorities and parents around the world should carefully consider the consequences of such a trend. 251 words

Teaching Point: Your main body paragraphs, which are the two paragraphs in the middle of your essay, should begin with a topic sentence. This topic sentence should say what the main point of your paragraph is and does not have to be too long or complex. The reader should be able to guess what the rest of the paragraph is going to be about just from reading your topic sentence.

IELTS Essay Samples Band 9 PDF

For convenience you can also download these sample band 9 answers as a pdf file here:

IELTS Essay Samples Band 9 pdf

What To Do Next?

If you want to see the exact process I use to write essays like the above band 9 answers then there are two options. You can read my main guide to writing IELTS essays here , or you can go straight to my IELTS course page which thousands of people have used to master each part of the IELTS test.

Recommended IELTS Study Tools

Thank you for reading this article. I always get lots of questions about how else to get a better band score quickly. So, this is what I recommend:

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IELTS Academic

IELTS Writing Practice Tests

IELTS Writing Practice

Practice makes perfect when it comes to IELTS Writing. Luckily, we have a huge selection of IELTS Writing practice questions for you on this site.

There are two tasks in the Writing section of IELTS: Task 1 requires you to write 150 words describing a diagram or set of data; Task 2 is a discursive essay of 250 words. You must complete both tasks in one hour and you will be give a score of 0-9 on these four attributes: Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Grammar, and Vocabulary.

Each of these IELTS writing practice questions comes with a Band 8 or 9 model answer and my explanation of how it achieves that score. Time to get started!

Full list of IELTS Writing practice questions and sample answers

Ielts writing task 1: process.

View Question and Answer

IELTS Writing Task 1: Line Graph

Ielts writing task 1: bar chart, ielts writing task 1: diagram, ielts writing task 1: cycle, ielts writing task 1: process (extra hard), ielts writing task 1: map, ielts writing task 1: natural process, ielts writing task 1: table, ielts writing task 2: opinion essay, ielts writing task 2: argument essay, ielts writing task 2: problem/solution essay, ielts writing task 2: two-part question, ielts writing task 2: discuss both views, ielts writing task 2: positive or negative, download a practice version of the ielts writing answer sheet.

IELTS Writing Topics August & September 2024

The collection of writing topics that were reported by IELTS student in 2024 . These questions could be repeated from previous months. Keep in mind that the provided questions are not predictions.

Pick one of the topics and improve your writing skills every day. If you can't come up with ideas for a topic just click the "Answers" button and you will see the different ideas.

  • Unlimited Task 1 checks Get all the feedback you need to keep improving your charts and letters.
  • Unlimited Task 2 checks Practice and perfect your skills with essays.
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50+ IELTS Essay Samples for 8 Bands with PDF

IELTS Band 8 Sample Essay

Learn how IELTS helps improve English language skills & why language skills are important for success. Read our IELTS Essay Samples today!

In modern education, the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) helps check how well you speak and understand English. It’s important because English is a global language. IELTS tests your language skills, which are needed for school and work. This essay looks at different “IELTS Essay Samples” to show why language skills matter. You can learn how to use English well for success in your studies and job.

Table of Contents

Important Tips to Write IELTS Essay

  • Understand the Question : Grasp the topic and requirements.
  • Plan Your Ideas : Organize your thoughts before writing.
  • Clear Introduction : Start with a brief, focused introduction.
  • Use Examples : Support your points with specific examples.
  • Stay Focused : Stick to the topic and main argument.
  • Structured Paragraphs : Divide your essay into clear paragraphs.
  • Formal Language : Write in a formal, academic style.
  • Vocabulary and Grammar : Use varied vocabulary and correct grammar.
  • Transition Words : Connect ideas using transitional phrases.
  • Balanced Argument : Present both sides if required, then express your view.
  • Summarize in Conclusion : Recap main points in your conclusion.
  • Stay within Word Limit : Follow the recommended word count.
  • Proofread : Check for errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
  • Time Management : Allocate time for planning, writing, and editing.
  • Practice : Regularly write essays to improve your skills.

Types of IELTS Essays

  • Opinion Essay (Agree/Disagree)
  • Discussion Essay (Advantages/Disadvantages)
  • Problem-Solution Essay
  • Advantages and Disadvantages Essay
  • Direct Question Essay
  • Two-Part Question Essay
  • Cause and Effect Essay
  • Process Essay
  • Comparison Essay
  • Pie Chart/Bar Graph/Line Graph/Map Essay
  • Mixed Graph Essay
  • Double Question Essay
  • Opinion and Discussion Essay

To improve your understanding of writing IELTS essays, consider reading the IELTS Essay Samples below for a band score of 8.

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IELTS Essay Samples Band 8 PDF

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IELTS Band 8 Essay Samples

These are IELTS band 8 essay samples that have been given grades (of 8 or 8.5) and basic comments on the score for each criteria by an experienced IELTS instructor. 

View other samples:

  • Band 8 Samples
  • Band 7 Samples
  • Band 6 Samples
  • Band 5 Samples
  • Band 4 Samples

Topic: Health & Diet (Band 8)

Some people believe that it is the responsibility of individuals to take care of their own health and diet. Others however believe that governments should make sure that their citizens have a healthy diet.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Nowadays an increasing number of people are becoming concerned about their health and the quality of their diet. There are two diametrically opposed opinions on the matter. Some people believe that each and every individual is responsible for their own health while others state that it is the government that must ensure that the citizens have healthy eating habits.

Personally, I believe that people bear full responsibility for their diets for a number of reasons. First, nowadays there is a vast variety of products that everyone can choose from, ensuring a balanced diet consisting of different types of products with sufficient vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Everyone can balance their diets according to these factors and also based on their taste preferences.  For example vegetarians will prefer beans rich in protein while omnivorous eaters might opt for meat instead. Secondly, while governments cannot considerably vary in their healthy eating programs usually adhering to 'one size fits all' approach, individuals know exactly what they need in order to keep fit and healthy both generally speaking and in terms of food. We take tailored approach as we know exactly what we need to succeed in life, be strong and healthy.

However, others argue that the government is fully responsible for the kind of food its population consume because they make decisions regarding the quality of food their country produce and import as well as prices. For instance, in many developing countries people rarely have access to high quality food, thus being forced to choose something cheap like fast food. Moreover, the government can introduce legislation as regards to what kind of food can be promoted, seen for example in many European countries where the advertising of fast food, alcohol and cigarettes is prohibited. These measure, it is argued, can affect the way we eat and control the diets of the whole population. 

In conclusion, while the governments may play a role in the choice of food of its citizens, it is still the responsibility of every individual whether to eat healthy diet or not due to many reasons being that a variety of methods to balance their diets or their finances. After all our life is in our hands!

Task Response: 8

The question is answered and ideas are well-supported. Both parts of the question are fully addressed. Some parts are not given quite enough explanation and the logic appears faulty. For  instance, the statement that developing countries depend on fast food.  The essay should also not end with an informal comment such as "After all our life is in our hands!"

Coherence & Cohesion: 8

This IELTS band 8 essay sample is well-organised with a mix of transition signals and some good use of referencing and substitution. However, there are slightly too many transitions in initial position to get a 9 e.g. first, for example, secondly. These need to be more sophisticated. There is a danger with this that it could be awarded a band 7.

Lexical Resource: 8

There is a good mix of relevant topic related vocabulary of a high level, an excellent awareness of collocation, and plenty of evidence of less common vocabulary. However, there are some errors which would prevent a 9 e.g. "...cannot considerably vary in...".

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: 8

The writer has a very good grasp of grammar with a good mix of complex sentence and forms, with a very high level of accuracy. However, a few errors persist that prevent a 9 e.g. a missing article in "We take tailored approach" and "whether to eat healthy diet..." and a missing plural 's' in "These measure...".

Topic: Professionals Working Abroad (Band 8)

An increasing number of professionals, such as doctors and teachers, are leaving their own poorer countries to work in developed countries. 

What problems does this cause? 

What solutions can you suggest to deal with this situation?

Nowadays more and more professionals that play a key role in the social stability and development, including in the spheres of education and medicine prefer to find a job in more developed countries that provide more opportunities. Evidently, it creates a deficiency and lack of professional help in the above-mentioned spheres. This essay will address the problems such situation causes and conceivable solutions to redress it.

The most serious problem associated with the drain of the experts in vital areas of life is the consequent shortage of specialists and hence, lack of professional help for citizens of poor countries that can lead to deterioration of the conditions of life. It goes without saying that it is the work of these specialists that is absolutely essential for the survival of people. For example, if professional, qualified doctors leave their poorer countries in search of a better life it leads to a deterioration in the medical help available and in some cases even considerable life losses and decrease of life expectancy. Therefore, local communities and the whole society are seriously affected by such changes in the labour market.

To redress the balance in such a situation there must be serious measures taken by the government. Considerable funds are to be invested in these spheres to contribute to the improvement of work conditions and salaries of different professionals. For example, governments might stimulate young professionals by paying them additional bonuses for working in public hospitals and schools or fund their education. This, in turn, will create better chances to retain stuff and boost the morale of experts, who might choose to stay in their countries in order to contribute to its growth and development.

To conclude, it is apparent that a great number of specialists, especially young ones, opt for working in more developed countries and this trend is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. However, governments can try to solve this problem by allocating more funds and invest more in the enhancement of working conditions for specialists.  Were they to  turn a blind eye to the current situation, it would have a pernicious effect on their countries.

B oth problems and solutions are addressed in the essay, and ideas are extended and supported. The ideas though in each body paragraph could have been explained more succinctly, providing the opportunity to add further supporting ideas, rather than the just one that appear in each body paragraph. Reducing the length of the introduction and conclusion would help to achieve this. 

Generally coherence and cohesion is very good in this IELTS band 8 essay sample but there could be more variety and more sophisticated cohesive devices used i.e. 'for example' is used twice. 

An excellent range of vocabulary, mostly used correctly and appropriately However, a few minor errors persist, such as  using 'stuff' instead of 'staff'.

The IELTS band 8 essay sample overall has very good grammar, but there are still a few grammatical errors or the wrong choices. For example,  "Considerable funds are to be invested" should be "Considerable funds should be invested" and there are also some errors with punctuation, such as missing commas.

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ielts writing task essay sample

IELTS Writing Task 2: Lessons, Tips and Strategies

IELTS Writing Task 2: Lessons, exercises, and tips. In the writing section of the IELTS test you have to write a minimum 250 word essay. Learn how to write the perfect IELTS essay in order to achieve a high IELTS score.

IELTS Sample Essays

Looking at IELTS sample essays is an excellent way to learn how to improve your score. Here you can view a variety of IELTS essay topics with answers to help you prepare for the Test.

ielts writing task essay sample

IELTS Topic Related Vocabulary

IELTS topic related vocabulary around crime, education, health, children and the family and more to help you with the IELTS Test.

IELTS Grammar - Essential English for the Test

Improve your IELTS Grammar for the test - essential grammar explanations and exercises for IELTS writing.

ielts writing task essay sample

Latest IELTS Writing Topics - Recent Exam Questions

See the latest IELTS writing topics from the exam which have been posted by candidates who've taken the test.

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IELTS Exam Preparation: Free IELTS Tips, 2024

Ielts writing samples.

IELTS Writing Test lasts for 60 minutes, and you will need to complete two writing tasks, each of which requires different text types (description, report, discussion, argument, opinion text). IELTS Writing Task 1 In the first part, you are given a task based on some graphic or pictorial information. You are expected to write a descriptive report of at least 150 words on the information provided. IELTS Writing Task 2 The second task is more demanding. You are expected to produce a written argument on a given topic and to organise your answer clearly, given some examples to support your points. You will have to write at least 250 words and, as Task 2 is longer than Task 1, you are advised to spend approximately 40 minutes on this task and 20 minutes on the first task. IELTS General Writing If you are planning to take the GT module, the Writing test is different. You are allowed one hour to complete two tasks, of 150 and 250 words, as in the Academic module. However, Task 1 is always a letter, while Task 2 is an essay based on a given topic.

IELTS Preparation

Ielts sample charts (ielts writing task 1).

The Writing Task 1 of the IELTS Academic test requires you to write a summary of at least 150 words in response to a particular graph (bar, line or pie graph), table, chart, or process (how something works, how something is done). This task tests your ability to select and report the main features, to describe and compare data, identify significance and trends in factual information, or describe a process.

IELTS Sample Letters (IELTS Writing Task 1)

The purpose of this section is to help you with the Writing Task 1 of the IELTS General test. In Task 1, candidates are asked to respond to a given problem with a letter requesting information or explaining a situation. It is suggested that about 20 minutes is spent on Task 1, which requires candidates to write at least 150 words. Depending on the task suggested, candidates are assessed on their ability to:

- engage in personal correspondence - elicit and provide general factual information - express needs, wants, likes and dislikes - express opinions (views, complaints etc.)

IELTS Writing Task 2 (IELTS Sample essays)

IELTS Writing Task 2 requires you to write at least 250 words. You will be presented with a topic and will be tested on your ability to respond by giving and justifying an opinion, discussing the topic, summarizing details, outlining problems, identifying possible solutions and supporting what you write with reasons, arguments and relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. The assessment of Task 2 carries more weight in marking than Task 1. Writing scripts are marked by trained and certificated IELTS examiners, who all hold relevant teaching qualifications and are recruited as examiners by the test centres and approved by British Council or IDP: IELTS Australia.

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ielts writing task essay sample

IELTS Writing Task 2: 8 steps towards a band 8

In IELTS Writing Task 2, you will need to write an essay. Let our IELTS Experts walk you through 8 steps that can help you get a band 8. Take a closer look at the assessment criteria, how to structure your essay and common mistakes to avoid.

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To achieve a band 8 in IELTS  Writing Task 2 , you will need to produce an essay that contains all the positive features contained in the band 8 writing assessment criteria. Let's take a look at these in the table below.  

Task response

Coherence and cohesion

Lexical resource

Grammatical range and accuracy

Using the band descriptors as a guide we are going to go through the 8 steps to get you on your way to a band 8 in Writing Task 2.  

We will start with the task response before moving through all the criteria to show you what an examiner will be looking for in your response.

Step 1: Answer is relevant to the question

Answer what you have been asked in the question. Don’t produce an essay that is close to a topic you have previously prepared. Make sure your examples and ideas are relevant. If you generalise too much and are not specific enough this will affect how your ideas are presented to the examiner.  

Make sure your ideas are directly related to the question  

Use ideas and examples that you are familiar with, and that relate directly to the topic 

Extend your answer to include a number of ideas that will support the question.  

Don't: 

Include irrelevant information  

Over-generalise  

Produce a memorised essay  

Present ‘recent’ research or statistics related to the topic “At least 41% of all men…”

Step 2: Answer all parts of the question

You must read the question carefully and decide how many parts are in it. You must answer all parts of the question to reach a band 6 or higher.  

Let’s look at some example IELTS question prompts and see how many parts are in each, if you need to present your opinion. Remember, it is very important to present a clear position when answering the statement to show that you understand the question being asked and to keep that position clear throughout the essay.

Question type

How many parts?

Opinion required?

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

1-part question

Yes, agree or disagree, or decide why you agree/disagree equally.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

3-part question - discuss both views as stated

Yes, present your opinion, it may be one of the views or a combination of both.

Why is this so? Give reasons for this and solutions?

3-part question

A position is presented on why this is so, the reasons for this issue and solutions to solve the issue.

Do the disadvantages of international tourism outweigh the advantages?

2-part question

Yes, you must clearly say if there are more advantages or more disadvantages.

Why is this so? What effect does it have on the individual and society?

3-part question

Yes, you must give reasons for the statement and then present the effect it has on 1) the individual and 2) society.

Read the question carefully and decide how many parts are in it 

Present your opinion and support it throughout the whole essay 

If asked to present both views, make sure each view is presented equally (similar paragraph length) 

Watch for plurals. If you are asked to give ‘advantages’, you must present a minimum of 2  

Watch for ‘and’. You may need to comment on more than one element  

Write more than 250 words.  

Don’t: 

Ignore parts of the question  

Assume that your opinion is clear, use the first person to ensure the examiner knows it’s your opinion ‘I think’  

Tell the examiner what you are going to say and what you have said  

Produce a short essay. 

Step 3: Organise your essay logically, with clear progression using linking phrases

Ideas must be expressed and ordered clearly - starting with an introduction and moving through to a conclusion. 

If you are asked to present both views and your opinion, state your opinion at the beginning of the essay and then move on to present both views. You can then come back to your own opinion and then conclude the essay. This is a logical way to present these ideas.  

Use a range of linking words and phrases, but don’t overuse them 

Use adverbial phrases, rather than single basic linkers 

Use referencing and substitution to avoid repetition (this/them/the issue/the problem)  

Use punctuation to make your writing coherent  

Make sure your ideas are sequenced correctly  

Make sure your ideas are logical and easy to follow  

Use a separate paragraph for the introduction and the conclusion   

Use one paragraph for each idea or topic area. 

Overuse basic linking words like firstly (instead, try using ‘The first reason for/ The primary reason for this’)  

Start every sentence with a linker (Try to put it in the middle of a sentence. E.g. “Some people believe, however, that individuals must also take responsibility for the environment” or “I believe, on the other hand, that individuals do have a responsibility to…”)  

Use numbers, symbols or abbreviations (1, 2, etc, &, +)  

Use headings or subheadings  

Underline words or phrases 

Use one-sentence paragraphs  

Start every sentence with a linking device. 

Step 4: Organise your essays into paragraphs

Use paragraphs to organise your essay into clear parts. Make sure each paragraph contains a clear and developed topic with a minimum of two sentences.  

You can use the acronym “PEEL” when writing your essay:  

Point – introduce your topic or topic sentence 

Example – an example that supports your point 

Explain – why this evidence supports your point 

Link – transition to the next topic or paragraph 

You must use enough paragraphs to clearly show a structured response. This will show that you can organise and present your thoughts and ideas logically.  

Here are some ideas on how many paragraphs you could include in an essay: 

Question type

How many paragraphs?

Paragraphs

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

4/5

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

5

Why is this so? Give reasons for this and solutions?

5

Do the disadvantages of international tourism outweigh the advantages?

4

Why is this so? What effect does it have on the individual and the society?

5

Use paragraphs 

Use linkers between and within your paragraphs 

Leave a space between each paragraph (a line)  

Use a paragraph for each topic  

Use an introduction and a conclusion. 

Don't 

Use single-sentence paragraphs 

Use very long paragraphs that cover a whole page (IELTS on paper)

Step 5: Use less common vocabulary and spell it correctly

You will see in the band descriptors that a band 8 writer skillfully uses uncommon lexical items. When we learn a language, we use common and uncommon terms.  Common terms  are words and phrases we use every day to refer to personal experience and daily habits.  Uncommon terms  are used when we discuss specific topics or when we use idiomatic language (phrasal verbs).  

Words that are old-fashioned and not used in everyday speech should not be used. If you choose a synonym, the meaning must be the same and must not alter the idea being presented. For example, adolescent/teenager have close meaning and can be used interchangeably, however, toddler/baby have quite different meanings. 

Collocation is also mentioned in band 8, and it is assumed that you know which words go together, and which words are suitable to use for different topics.  

If you are discussing child crime, you could use the term ‘minor’ as this is a legal term used to describe children under the age of 18.  

If you use phrasal verbs, make sure that you are using the correct preposition as it can change the meaning:  

throw  out/away = discard  

throw up  = vomit/get sick  

Idioms (cultural language) should only be used if you understand them completely and if they fit the topic you are discussing.  

Use precise word choices  

Use language that we use in everyday speech  

Use words that you understand  

Use words and phrases that are related to the topic  

Use collocation and phrasal verbs (words that go together naturally – environmental pollution | major issue | promising future) 

Make spelling mistakes  

Make typos  

Mix up American and British spelling (You should use one or the other)  

Use a word if you don’t understand it or cannot spell it.  

Use imprecise words like ‘stuff/thing’  

Use slang like ‘gonna’  

Use old-fashioned language [the masses| denizens | myopic view | Hitherto]  

Overuse synonyms, one is enough 

Use idioms/clichés  

Use contractions (can’t, doesn’t)

Step 6: Don’t use memorised language, phrases or examples

Don’t use any memorised language, phrases or examples throughout your essay. They are easy for examiners to spot and don’t demonstrate your ability to write fluently.  

Overused phrases, idioms, proverbs and clichés should also be avoided, again, they are often used when speaking. These include phrases like:  

The grass is always greener on the other side  

Love is blind  

Off the top of my head  

Old is gold  

A friend in need is a friend indeed  

Additionally, the following terms should not be used when writing as they are vague and do not address a task appropriately. You should always be using clear language and make appropriate word choices that will express your ideas clearly. 

Bad

Good

Bad

Good

Nowadays

In recent times

Crux of the discussion

The main/key issue is…

Can’t

cannot

Stuff/thing

Use the correct word!

Controversial issue

Major issue

e.g.

For example, …

The pros and cons

Benefits and drawbacks

Every coin has two sides/faces

There are both disadvantages and advantages…

Firstly

The primary reason why

A double-edged sword

The solution can also cause issues as…

Secondly

Lack of education is another reason why…

In a nutshell

In conclusion…

Step 7: Use a variety of complex sentence structures

At band 8 it is expected that you can use a wide range of structures accurately to present your ideas and opinion. Show the examiner that you can use a wide range of structures and make sure your sentences are error-free. 

It is important to use a mix of complex and simple sentences. But remember, your complex sentences should not be long and complicated.  

Your punctuation needs to be accurate, using capitalisation, commas and full stops correctly.  

The most common errors made can be found below:

Grammar

Common errors

Relative Clause

Using the pronoun incorrectly - who/that/which

Conditional clause

Choosing the wrong tense for the clause type – Zero, Type 1,2,3

Present perfect/past

Choosing the wrong tense - had/have had

Passive

Choosing the wrong past participle

Gerunds

Making errors with -ing

Countable nouns

Making errors with singular and plural nouns

Articles

Using a/the incorrectly, or not using it at all

Subject/verb agreement

The girls ‘are’ – singular or plural

Prepositions

Choosing the wrong dependent preposition, an incorrect preposition of place and so on.

Punctuation

Used incorrectly, or not used at all.

Step 8: Checklist

Use the following checklist to make sure that your writing contains all the positive features at a band 8

Task response

 

Coherence and cohesion

Lexical resource

Grammatical range and accuracy

If you follow these 8 steps, you will be well on your way to a band 8 in Writing Task 2. 

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IELTS writing is not so hard if you have a thorough understanding of the test format and are able to organise your thoughts into grammatically-correct, well-structured sentences. Obviously it requires a fair amount of practice. To make it easy, IDP has launched IELTS Prepare where you can access a range of preparation materials: from practice tests, sample answers, videos and articles, all the way to expert assessments, online courses, webinars and more.

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IELTS Writing Task 2: 7 steps towards a band 7

Grammar 101: How to use who and whom correctly?

How to write numbers in IELTS

IELTS Writing Task 2: How to write a good conclusion

IELTS General Training, Writing Task 1: How to write a letter

5 reasons why IELTS is the top-choice of test takers worldwide

Maximize your IELTS preparation: How our English self-assessment tool can help

Grammar 101: Loose vs. Lose

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IELTS Writing Task 1 Tips, Model Answers & More

Useful IELTS writing task 1 tips, answers, lessons & videos for success achieving a high score. This page contains all the information and help you need to do well. Learn about the IELTS marking criteria, paragraphing, vocabulary and much more. This page has tips for Academic writing task 1 and GT writing task 1. You can find GT task 1 at the bottom of this page.

On this page, you will find:

  • Writing Task 1 Test Information (Academic)
  • Writing Task 1 Sample Practice Charts 
  • Writing Task 1 Tips & Techniques

Writing Task 1 Model Answers

  • Writing Task 1 Practice Lessons
  • Writing Task 1 for GT IELTS

IELTS Writing Task 1 Academic

Overview of the IELTS Writing Task 1 Academic Test:

  • You have one hour in total for your whole writing test (both task 1 and task 2).
  • IELTS recommend you spend no more than 20 mins on writing task 1.
  • You can manage your own time in the writing test. The one hour is yours to use as you wish. If you want to do task 2 first, you can.
  • The instructions say “Write at least 150 words”. This means you need to write over 150 words.
  • Writing Task 1 is a report, not an essay.
  • Writing Task 1 counts for about 33% of your writing marks.
  • Task Achievement / Coherence & Cohesion / Vocabulary / Grammar
  • Band Score Details & Tips for Improvement: IELTS WRITING TASK 1 BAND SCORES EXPLAINED

Types of IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic)

Below are the six types of tasks that can appear in IELTS Writing task 1. You can also get a combination of two tasks together. You will find MODEL ANSWERS and SAMPLE PRACTICE TASKS linked below for each type of writing task 1.

Charts that compare and contrast data. Data is divided into columns representing categories and compared with between two groups, such as men and women.

Line Graphs

A graph that shows trends of two lines over a period of time. The lines represent numbers in two or more categories. This shows increases, decreases and other changes.

A table containing data that can be complex with many categories divided into rows and columns. These could be compare/contrast or change over time.

These show proportions of a whole divided into different categories. Sometimes compare/contrast and sometimes change over time.

It could be a process of how something works or how it is made. Or it could be a cycle such as a life cycle or water cycle. or a cycle. Diagrams contain stages and steps.

A map of a town/city or report or a floor plan of a building. Describing the  layout, position of places and special features on the map. Sometimes there are two maps to compare in different time periods.

IELTS Writing Task 1 Practice Charts

Below is a link to a collection of practice tables, line graphs, bar charts, maps and diagrams for you to practice with at home.

  • IELTS SAMPLE PRACTICE CHARTS

IELTS Writing Task 1 Tips & Techniques

Although writing task 1 is only worth 33% of your total writing marks, it is often the reason why people struggle to hit band score 7. Task 1 is a report and not an essay. This is important to know because you can learn strategies for report writing more easily that for essay writing. So, take your time to improve your task 1. 

ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR WRITING TASK 1

  • How to Prepare for Writing Task 1
  • Structure & Paragraphs
  • Vocabulary for Line Graphs
  • Grammar Tips
  • How to Organise Information
  • Step by Step Guide
  • How Many Words Should you Write?
  • Video : How to Describe a Bar Chart with model answer
  • How words are counted

Recent Feature Video: Introduction Paragraph

IELTS model answers for charts, graphs, diagrams, maps and tables.. Each sample answer is estimated band score 9. These model answer are there to guide you and to learn from. Think about the content, structure, linking, language, overview, grammar and word count when you review them. Also, read the comments on each page to learn more – some comments are like extra lessons. 

Diagram Model Answer
Bar Chart & Pie Charts Model Answer
Tables – Two Model Answers
Map Model Answer with Tips & Vocabulary
Line Graph – Two Model Answers
Bar Chart Model Answer
Complex Table Model Answer
Bar Chart over Time Model Answer
Pie Chart Model Answer
Bar Chart of Age Groups Model Answer
Table Future Tense Model Answer
Line Graph & Bar Chart Model Answer
Table & Single Pie Chart Model Answer
Practice at Home:  ALL IELTS Sample Practice Charts

IELTS Writing Task 1 Practice Lessons

IELTS writing task 1 free practice lessons to help you develop report writing skills and understand about the requirements of writing task 1 academic. Many of these lessons contain model answers so they really are worth reviewing.

  • Table & Pie Charts: Exercise & Model Answer
  • Video: Using Accurate Language for Data
  • IELTS Diagram Rainwater: Exercise & Model Answer
  • Two Line Graphs: Exercise & Model Answer
  • IELTS Diagram Paragraphs and Organisation
  • IELTS Life Cycle Diagram: Execise & Model Answer
  • IELTS Bar Chart: Vocabulary Exercise  & Model Answer
  • IELTS Line Graph: Vocabulary Exercise
  • IELTS Diagrams: Grammar Exercise
  • IELTS Line Graph: How to Describe Guidelines
  • IELTS Line Graph: Vocabulary & Model Answer
  • Task 1 Improving  Line Graph Introduction Paragraph
  • IELTS Map: Comparison Exercise
  • IELTS Two Charts Practice: Pie Chart & Bar Chart
  • IELTS Bar Chart: Exercise & Model Answer
  • IELTS Diagram Water Supply: Model Answer
  • IELTS Bar Chart: Introduction & Overview Practice
  • IELTS Frog Diagram: Introduction & Overview Exercise & Model Answer
  • Introduction Paragraph: Correcting Errors
  • IELTS Bar Chart Sample Answer

IELTS GENERAL TRAINING (GT) Letter – WRITING TASK 1

For IELTS Writing Task 1 General Training, you will be asked to write a letter (not a report on a chart).

Read below for an overview:

  • IELTS recommend you spend no more than 20 mins on your writing task 1 letter.
  • The instructions say “Write at least 150 words”. This means you need to write over 150 words. On average, you should aim for your letter to be between 170 and 190 words. A shorter letter does not allow enough detail for a high score.
  • GT letters have different aims, styles and tones, for example formal or informal. See the essential tips below for information.
  • Task Achievement is about completing the letter and fulfilling the aims of the letter.
  • Coherence & Cohesion is about the structure, organisation and linking methods of information in your letter.

IELTS GT Letter Essential Tips

The following links are for IELTS candidates who are preparing for the General Training Writing Test. Your task will be asked to write a letter. You will not be writing a report as in the Academic Test. Use the links below to help you prepare:

10 Essential Tips for IELTS Letter Writing

How to Improve your IELTS GT Letter

Differences between GT & Academic Writing

Sample Practice Letters

IELTS GT Model Letters and Extra Tips

  • Apology Letter: Model Answers Formal & Informal
  • Amendment Letter: Model Answer 2017
  • Complaint Letter: Model Answer
  • Complaint Letter: Error Correction
  • Letter to a Friend: Model Answer
  • Invitation Letter: Model Answer
  • Tips: Using the bullet points properly
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50+ Recent IELTS Writing Topics with Answers: Essays & Letters

Kasturika Samanta

14 min read

Updated On Aug 22, 2024

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This article lists recent IELTS Writing topics for Academic and General Training exams, covering Task 1 visual data and essays on themes like health, education, environment, and more. It also offers sample questions to aid in effective exam preparation.

IELTS Writing Topics

Table of Contents

Ielts writing topics for academic writing task 1, ielts writing topics for general writing task 1, common ielts writing topics for writing task 2.

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IELTS Writing topics are one of the most essential study resources for IELTS exam preparation. There are two reasons for this: firstly, topics are often repeated in the IELTS exam and secondly, practising these IELTS Writing questions will help test-takers familiarise themselves with the format and requirements of the exam.

While the first task for the IELTS Writing exam has different versions of IELTS Academic and IELTS General , the second task is essay-writing for both. Even with differences in format or difficulty levels, both these tasks revolve around common IELTS writing topics like health, environment, education, travel, family and children, etc.

In this blog, we have compiled a list of the most popular and recent IELTS Writing topics based on the different tasks in this section and recurrent themes. Also, get hold of the IELTS writing questions and answers PDF that will help you practice at your own pace.

In the IELTS Writing Task 1 of the Academic exam, candidates have to summarize important visual information presented in graphs, charts, tables, maps, or diagrams in at least 150 words within 20 minutes.

Below are some IELTS Writing Task 1 topics with answers for each type of graphs and diagrams in IELTS Academic.

Line Graphs

Check out the list of IELTS Writing Task 1 - Line graph with IELTS writing questions and answers. Make sure to use appropriate IELTS Writing Task 1 Line Graph Vocabulary to write effective answers.

  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Shops that Closed
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic: Different sources of air pollutants - Line Graph
  • IELTS Writing Task 1 - The Graph Below Shows Different Sources of Air Pollutants in the UK Sample Answers
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic : Price changes for fresh fruits and vegetables - Line Graph
  • The Percentage Of The Population In Four Asian Countries - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • The Changes In Ownership Of Electrical Appliances And Amount Of Time Spent Doing Housework In Households - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic 38: Paris Metro station passengers - Line Graph
  • Projected Population Growth of China and India- Line Graph
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic : Percentage of Car Ownership in Great Britain - Line Graph
  • Waste Recycling Rates in the US From 1960 to 2011- Line Graph
  • Weekday Volume of Passenger Activity on the Toronto Metro system- Line Graph
  • US Consumers' Average Annual Expenditures on Cell Phone- Line Graph
  • Consumption of Fish and Different kinds of Meat in a European Country- Line Graph
  • Demographic Trends in Scotland- Line Graph

Here is a list of IELTS Writing topics with answers on the IELTS bar chart .

  • People Who Ate Five Portions of Fruits and Vegetables Per Day in the UK - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic : People affected by four types of noise pollution - Bar graph
  • How Families in One Country Spent their Weekly Income - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Division of Household Tasks by Gender in Great Britain- Bar Graph
  • Annual Pay for Doctors and Other Workers - IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Bar Chart
  • Estimated World Illiteracy Rates by Region and by Gender - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Southland’s Main Exports in 2000 and Future Projections For 2025 - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Carbon Emissions in Different Countries - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic 22: Railway system in six cities in Europe – Bar Chart
  • IELTS Writing Task 1 Test On 28th July With Band 8.0-9.0 Sample
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic: Percentage of people living alone in 5 different age groups in the US - Bar Chart
  • Amount of Leisure Time Enjoyed by Men and Women of Different Employment Statuses – Bar Chart
  • USA Marriage and Divorce Rates Between 1970 and 2000 and the Marital Status of Adult Americans- Bar Graph
  • Top Ten Rice-Producing Countries in the World in 2015- Bar Graph
  • Rural Households that Had Internet Access Between 1999 and 2004- Bar Graph
  • Information About Underground Railway Systems in Six Cities - IELTS Writing Task 1

Explore the list of IELTS writing topics related to pie charts and solve them with the help of pie chart vocabulary for IELTS preparation.

  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic : Survey conducted by a university library - Pie chart
  • Methods of Transportation for People Traveling to a University - Pie Chart
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic 13: Percentage of housing owned and rented in the UK – Pie Chart
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic : The percentage of water used by different sectors - Pie chart
  • Online shopping sales for retail sectors in Canada - IELTS Writing Task 1 Pie chart
  • Percentage of Water Used for Different Purposes in Six Areas of the World- Pie Chart
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic 18: Average Consumption of food in the world – Pie Chart
  • Main Reasons Why Students Chose to Study at a Particular UK University - IELTS Writing Task 1 Academic Pie Chart
  • Composition Of Household Rubbish In The United Kingdom - IELTS Writing Task 1

Here is a list of IELTS Writing topics with answers on the IELTS table chart .

  • Fishing Industry in a European Country - IELTS Writing Task 1 Academic
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Social and economic indicators for four countries - Table
  • The Situation of Marriage and Age from 1960 to 2000 in Australia - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Past And Projected Population Figures In Various Countries - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic 35: Number of travelers using three major German airports - Table
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic 05: Size of US households over a number of years
  • Changes in Modes of Travel in England Between 1985 and 2000- IELTS Writing Task 1 (Table)
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic 12: Internet use in six categories by age group – Table
  • Cinema Viewing Figures for Films by Country, in Millions- Table
  • Number of Medals Won by the Top Ten Countries in the London 2012 Olympic Games- Table
  • Sales at a Small Restaurant in a Downtown Business District- Table

Here is a list of IELTS Writing topics 2024 with answers on the IELTS Map Diagram .

  • Paradise Island Map – IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Answers
  • Floor Plan of a Public Library 20 years ago and now - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • A School in 1985 and the School Now - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Village of Stokeford in 1930 and 2010 - IELTS Writing Task 1 Map
  • Map of the Centre of a Small Town Before and After - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Plan A & B shows a Health Centre in 2005 and in Present Day - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Example 9 : Chorleywood is a village near London whose population has increased steadily - Map
  • Two possible sites for the supermarket Sample Answers
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic : Cross-sections of two tunnels
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Local industrial village in England called Stamdorf - Map
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 : Hawaiian island chain in the centre of the Pacific Ocean - Map

Process Diagrams

Here is a list of IELTS Writing topics with answers on the IELTS Process diagram .

  • Process of Making Soft Cheese - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Growing and Preparing Pineapples and Pineapple Products – IELTS Writing Task 1 Diagram
  • Ceramic Pots Process - IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Diagram
  • How Orange Juice is Produced - IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic 09 : Consequence of deforestation
  • The Diagram Shows the Manufacturing Process of Sugar- IELTS Writing Task 1
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic 10: How apple is canned - Diagram
  • Life Cycle of the Salmon - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 Recycling process of wasted glass bottles Sample Answers
  • Production of Potato Chips - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • The Process of Milk Production - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Process of Making Pulp and Paper - IELTS Writing Task 1 Diagram
  • Stages of Processing Cocoa Beans - IELTS Writing Task 1

Mixed/Combination Diagrams

The following is a list of IELTS Writing topics 2024 with answers on IELTS mixed or combination diagrams, practising which will aid in mastering these visual presentations for a top IELTS band score .

  • Anthropology Graduates From One University - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Water use Worldwide and Water Consumption- Line Graph and Table
  • Transport and Car Use in Edmonton- Pie Chart + Table
  • Demand for Electricity in England- Line Graph and Pie Chart
  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic : Newly graduated students in the UK and their proportions - Multiple Graphs
  • The table and charts below give information on the police budget - IELTS Writing Task 1

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In the IELTS General Writing Task 1 , test-takers are required to write a letter in response to a given situation. The letters are of three types depending on the context, namely formal, semi-formal and informal.

Below are some common IELTS Letter Writing topics that cover all the 3 ielts writing questions types of letters.

Formal Letters

Have a look at the list of IELTS General Writing Task 1 Sample Formal Letters that will help IELTS candidates prepare for the IELTS Writing questions for the actual exam.

  • An Article in an International Travel Magazine - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • A Magazine Wants to Include Contributions from its Readers - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Recently Booked a Part-Time Course at a College Now Need to Cancel Your Booking - IELTS Writing Task 1 General Formal Letter
  • Advertisement From a Couple Who Live in Australia - IELTS Writing Task 1 General Formal Letter
  • You Found You had Left Some Important Papers at the Hotel – IELTS General Writing Task 1
  • Advertisement for a Training Course which will be Useful – IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Write a Letter to Your Manager about a Party that You Want to Organize at the Office – IELTS General Writing Task 1
  • A Feedback for a Short Cookery Course – IELTS General Writing Task 1
  • Letter to the Local Authority about Construction of an Airport - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • You Are Soon Going to Spend Three Months Doing Work Experience in an Organisation - IELTS Writing Task 1

Semi - formal Letters

The following is a list of IELTS General Writing Task 1 Sample Semi-Formal Letters with answers.

  • A Friend Of Yours Is Thinking About Applying For The Same Course - IELTS Writing Task 1 General Semi-Formal Letter
  • Letter to Neighbour About Barking Dog - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • A Letter to Your Friend Who Lives in Another Town and Invite - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Letter to a Singer about His/Her Performance – IELTS General Writing Task 1
  • You Have a Full-time Job and Doing a Part-time Evening Course - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Letter to Neighbor About the Damaged Car While Parking - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • You Work for an International Company- Semi-formal letter
  • You and Your Family are Living in Rented Accommodation- Semiformal Letter

Informal Letters

Here is a list of IELTS Writing topics with answers on the IELTS General Writing Task 1 Informal Letters that will help you to learn how to write an IELTS informal letter and brush up your writing skills.

  • A Friend is Thinking of Going on a Camping Holiday - IELTS Writing Task 1
  • Advice about Learning a New Sport – IELTS Writing Task 1 (Informal Letter)
  • Help with a College Project - IELTS Writing Task 1 from Cambridge IELTS General 18
  • Write a Letter to Your Friend Planning a Weekend Trip - IELTS General Writing Task 1
  • Your Parents will be Celebrating their 50th Anniversary Next Month- Informal letter
  • You are Studying English at a Private Language School- Informal Letter
  • You Have a Friend Who has always Liked the Car you Currently Drive- Informal Letter
  • You Have Recently Started Work in a New Company- Informal letter
  • A friend Asking for Advice About a Problem at Work- Informal letter
  • A Friend has Agreed to Look After your House- Informal Letter

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IELTS Writing Task 2 is similar for both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training with minor differences in the difficulty level. Therefore, let us have a look at the compilation of IELTS writing topics with answers for different IELTS Writing Task 2 sample essays based on the common common IELTS Writing topics 2024.

Business, Work & Talent

Work-related topics often cover issues such as work-life balance, the gig economy, and the impact of automation on employment. Also, business topics may include discussions on corporate responsibility, entrepreneurship, and the impact of globalization on local businesses.

  • Some people are born with certain talents - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Women Should be Allowed to Join the Army, the Navy and the Air Force just like Men - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Writing Task 2: Until What Age Do You Think People Should be Encouraged to Remain in Paid Employment?
  • IELTS Writing Task 2 - Top Level Authorities Should Take Suggestions From Employees
  • How Realistic is the Expectation of Job Satisfaction for all Workers - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Men and Women Can Be Equally Suited to Do Any Type of Work - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • People Work Long Hours Leaving Little Time for Leisure - IELTS Writing task 2
  • Some People Say that it is Better to Work for a Larger Company than a Small One - IELTS Writing Task 2

Education topics often focus on the role of technology in education, the importance of higher education, and the debate over traditional vs. modern teaching methods.

  • IELTS Writing Task 2: Nowadays it is More Difficult for Children to Concentrate to Pay Attention in School
  • Placing Advertisements in Schools is a Great Resource for Public Schools - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Writing Task 2: Giving Homework Daily to School Children Works Well
  • Very Few School Children Learn About the Value of Money: IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Traditional Examination Are Not Often True to Students Ability - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Secondary School Children Should Study International News - IELTS Writing Task 2

Environment

Environmental issues are increasingly prominent in IELTS Writing, with topics covering pollution, climate change, and the conservation of natural resources.

  • IELTS Writing Task 2 - Some people say domestic animals, like cats, should not be reared in cities
  • We No Longer Need to have Animals Kept in Zoos - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • The Importance of Biodiversity is Being More Widely Recognised - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • People Should Use Public Transport to Support Pollution Control Initiatives - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • International Community Must Act Immediately to Reduce Consumption of Fossil Fuels - IELTS Writing Task 2

Family and Children

IELTS Writing questions related to family and children often explore the changing dynamics of family life, parenting styles, and the impact of technology on children.

  • IELTS Writing Task 2 - Young Single People No Longer Stay With Their Parents Until They Are Married
  • Is it Better to Rear Children in Joint Family or in Nuclear Family - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Writing Task 2: Majority of Children are Raised by their Grandparents Due to the Fact that their Parents are Busy
  • IELTS Writing Task 2: In Some Countries Children Have Very Strict Rules of Behaviour
  • Some People Spend Their Lives Living Close to Where They Were Born - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Should Parents Read or Tell Stories to Their Children - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Women Make Better Parents than Men - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • The Older Generations Tend to Have very Traditional Ideas - IELTS Writing Task 2

Food, Lifestyle and Entertainment

Food and entertainment related IELTS writing topics often discuss issues related to diet, the global food industry, and cultural food practices.

  • Explain Why the Movies are As Popular As a Means of Entertainment - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Writing Task 2: Popular Hobbies and Interests Change Over Time
  • IELTS Writing Task 2 - Which Do You Prefer Planning or Not Planning For Leisure Time?
  • IELTS Writing Task 2: People Always Throw the Old Things Away When they Buy New Things
  • Food Can Be Produced Much More Cheaply Today | IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Writing Task 2: The Era of the Silver Screen is Coming to an End
  • Why is Music Important for Many People - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Writing Task 2: Why is the Circus Still a Popular Form of Entertainment
  • Crime Novels and TV Crime Dramas are Becoming Popular - IELTS Writing Task 2

Health-related topics are a staple in the IELTS Writing section, focusing on public health issues, diet, and the impact of modern lifestyles on health.

  • Discuss the cause and effects of widespread drug abuse by young people - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Obesity is a Major Disease Prevalent among Children - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Exercise is the Key to Health while Others Feel that Having a Balanced Diet is More Important - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Government Providing Free Healthcare - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Tobacco and Alcohol are Drugs that Cause Addiction and Health Problems - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Many People Complain that They Have Difficulties Getting Enough Sleep - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • and More People are Hiring a Personal Fitness Trainer - IELTS Writing Task 2

Language and Culture

Topics related to language and literature often explore the importance of preserving cultural heritage, language learning, and the impact of globalization on languages.

  • Many Old Cities Around the World are Going Through a Major Process of Modernization - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Reading for Pleasure Develops Imagination and Better Language Skills - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Writing Task 2 - Traditional Festivals and Celebrations Have Disappeared
  • Globalization will Inevitably Lead to the Total Loss of Cultural Identity - IELTS Writing Task 2

Societal issues such as violence, social inequality, and media influence are common in IELTS Writing topics.

  • Individual Greed and Selfishness Have Been the Basis of Modern Society - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Writing Task 2 - Individuals Should Not Be Allowed To Carry Guns
  • Nowadays We are Living in a Throwaway Society - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Different People Have Different Approaches to Life - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Violence and Conflict were more Evident under Male Leadership than under Female Leadership - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • What Changes Do You Think this New Century Will Bring - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • People Remember Special Gifts or Presents they Receive - IELTS Writing Task 2

Sports topics in IELTS Writing often cover the role of sports in education, the impact of professional sports on society, and issues related to sportsmanship.

  • Many People Think Olympic Games and World Cup are an Enormous Waste of Money- IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Cricket has Become More Popular than the National Sports - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Sports Today is Turning into a Business - IELTS Writing Task 2

Technology & Science

Technology is a rapidly evolving field, and its impact on society, work, and communication is a common topic in IELTS Writing. Media-related topics also come under this section and often focus on the influence of mass media, the ethics of journalism, and the role of the internet in modern communication.

  • Internet and Computers Will Ever Replace the Book or the Written Word - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Writing Task 2: More and More People are Choosing to Read Ebooks Rather than Paper Books
  • Some People Think That Mobile Phones Should Be Banned in Public Places - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Persuade More People to Embrace Electric Cars – IELTS Writing
  • The most important aim of science should be to improve people's lives - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • People May No Longer Be Able to Pay for Things Using Cash - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • Mobile Phones and the Internet could have Many Benefits for Old People - IELTS Writing Task 2

Tourism and Travel

Tourism and travel topics may include discussions on the impact of tourism on local cultures, the environment, and the global economy.

  • Foreign Visitors Should Pay More Than Local Visitors for Cultural and Historical Attractions - IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Writing Task 2: What Do You Think are the Benefits of Going Away on Holidays?
  • In the Future More People Will Go On Holiday in Their Own Country - IELTS Writing Task 2

Download the IELTS writing topics PDF that contain all the IELTS writing topics with answers to fasttrack your IELTS preparation!

Being familiar with these IELTS Writing topics and practicing your writing skills within these themes can help you prepare more effectively for the IELTS Writing test. Moreover, understanding the issues and arguments related to each topic will enable you to write well-rounded essays that meet the IELTS criteria. So, if you need further guidance through a free demo session or sign up for free IELTS webinars .

Additional Reads

  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Useful Tips and Vocabulary to Describe a Graph or Chart
  • Recent Writing Task 2 Essay Topics for IELTS 2024
  • IELTS Band 9 Essay Samples: Writing Task 2 Insights for IELTS Learners
  • Visuals: Writing About Graphs, Tables and Diagrams for IELTS Writing Task 1 (Ebook)
  • How to Plan an IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay (Best Strategy)
  • IELTS Writing Task 2 Preparation Tips/Tricks

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IELTS Writing Task 1: Everything You Need to Know

Ielts writing task 1 in 6 simple steps.

ielts writing task essay sample

Academic Writing Task 1 Strategy

  • Understand how the test is marked. Knowing the marking criteria will allow you to give the examiner exactly what they need.
  • Paraphrase the question. It is best to paraphrase the question in the first paragraph. You can do this by using synonyms.
  • Write the overview. To write your overview , pick 3 or 4 of the main features and write about them generally without referencing any data.
  • Support the main features. In a new paragraph, support the key features with the data in the information given to you.
  • Check your work. Check your report for spelling and grammar mistakes. Make sure that the data you mentioned is also accurate!

ielts writing task essay sample

Essential Writing Task 1 Skills

  • How to Write an Overview Paragraph 
  • How to Paraphrase 
  • How to Write a Complex Sentence
  • How Many Words? 
  • Task 1 Charts Checklist
  • Task 1 Tips
  • The Danger of Synonyms
  • 6 Common Mistakes
  • Paragraphing and Editing

Writing Task 1 Full Lessons

  • Writing Academic Task 1 in 5 Easy Steps 
  • Charts Lesson
  • Maps Lesson
  • Multiple Charts/Graphs 
  • Process Lesson

ielts writing task essay sample

Academic Task 1 Sample Answers

ielts writing task essay sample

  • Bar Chart Sample Essay (Cars in Asia) 
  • Process- Cement and Concrete Production
  • Pie Chart (Italy and Yemen Populations) 
  • Process Question
  • Bar Chart Question (UK Telephone Usage) 
  • Line Graph (US Consumption of Energy)
  • Bar Chart Sample Answer (International Students)

General Training Writing Task 1

ielts writing task essay sample

General Training Writing Task 1 in 5 Simple Steps

  • Understand how the test is marked. Knowing the marking criteria is the best way of giving the examiner exactly what they need and nothing else.
  • Decide whether the letter is formal or informal. This part is easy. If the question asks you to write to a ‘friend’, it should be an informal letter. If the question asks you to write to anyone else, it should be a formal letter. It is that simple!
  • Discuss each bullet point from the question. Make sure to take a new paragraph for each bullet point. This will make your letter easy to read and understand.
  • Sign off your letter. Don’t overcomplicate this part. Include a sign-off suitable to your letter’s tone and write your name beneath.
  • Check your work. Make sure your letter doesn’t contain any grammar or vocabulary mistakes.
  • Letter Writing Tips
  • How to Write an Informal Letter
  • How to Write a Formal Letter

General Training Essential Writing Task 1 Skills

  • Task 1 General Training Writing Strategy
  • Task 1 General Training Writing Guide

Sample Answers

  • Formal and informal sample letters.

Writing Task 1 Essential Information

  • People doing the Academic test will write a report on a data set, map, or process. People doing General Training will write a letter.
  • You must write 150 words or more.
  • You should spend around 20 minutes on this part of the test.
  • Task 1 is worth 1/3 of your total mark on the Writing test.
  • You will be assessed in four areas: Task Achievement (25%) Coherence and Cohesion (25%) Lexical Resource (25%) Grammatical Range and Accuracy (25%)
  • The most important thing is that you can demonstrate that you can clearly communicate in English.
  • The key to doing well is to know exactly what the examiners want and give it to them.
  • Grammar and Vocabulary Guide

ielts writing task essay sample

  • Top 10 Grammar Mistakes

IELTS Writing Task 1 FAQs

How can i improve my writing.

You will find all the resources you need on our Writing Task 1 page. Click the link below:

Writing Task 1

If you need serious help or personalised feedback, you should check out our online course. There is a waiting list, but you can add your name here:

How can I get a Band 7, 8 or 9?

The answer to this question is different for every individual IELTS student, as it depends on a number of factors, including your work ethic, English skills and exam strategy. You'll find a guide to answering this question in this article

If you need serious help with improving your IELTS scores, you should check out our online writing course. There is a waiting list, but you can add your name by clicking the link below:

Can you correct my writing?

Please click the link below and it will give you all the information you need about our writing correction service:

Writing Correction Service

Do you have any sample answers?

Yes, you will find them at the link below:

Task 1 Sample Answers

Will using 'high level' or 'academic' words help me improve my score?

Probably not.

Read my recent article about IELTS vocabulary here:

5 Things You Need to Know about IELTS Vocabulary

How many paragraphs should I write?

Introduction

You can put the overview at the end if you'd like.

Can I use idioms?

No, you should typically avoid using idioms in Writing Task 1.

The only time this is acceptable is if you are taking the General Training test and must write an informal letter.

Should I write a conclusion for Task 1 Academic?

No. A conclusion is a summary of YOUR ideas and your opinion. Task 1 is simply reporting what you see, so there shouldn't be any of your ideas or your opinion.

Instead of a conclusion, you should write an overview.

The reason lots of people get confused about this is that some teachers, books and even one British Council website call the overview a 'conclusion'. It's not a conclusion, it's an overview.

Finally, it does not matter where you put the overview paragraph. We teach our students to put it after the introduction, but it is also fine to have it as your final paragraph.

How many words should I write?

You must write at least 150 words in Writing Task 1 (yes, the examiners will count them!)

I would suggest that you aim to write around 160-170 words for Task 1. Aiming for 20-30 words more than the required amount makes you more likely to reach the word limit without setting an unrealistic goal.

Will I lose marks if I don't write enough words?

Yes. If you don't write the required number of words, you will lose marks in 'Task Achievement' for not answering the question fully. Read more here .

Can I use contractions?

No, should not use contractions when you are writing an academic essay or formal letter. However, it is fine to use contractions in an informal letter.

When should I write formally?

There are a few signposts that indicate when you should write formally or informally. Watch our video lesson to find out what they are:

IELTS Writing Task 1 General Training: Formal or Informal Letters?

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IELTS Writing Task 2: Mastering Essays on the Effects of Inflation on Energy Costs (Band 8-9 Sample)

The topic of inflation and its impact on energy costs has become increasingly relevant in recent years, making it a potential subject for IELTS Writing Task 2. While this specific theme hasn’t appeared frequently in past exams, the broader topics of economic issues and environmental concerns are common. Given the current global economic climate, it’s reasonable to expect questions related to inflation and energy costs to appear more often in future IELTS tests.

Let’s examine a possible IELTS Writing Task 2 question on this subject and provide a high-scoring sample essay along with a detailed analysis.

Table of Contents

  • 1 Analyzing the Question
  • 2 Band 8-9 Sample Essay
  • 3 Essay Analysis
  • 4 Key Vocabulary and Phrases
  • 5 Conclusion

Analyzing the Question

Some people believe that governments should subsidize energy costs to help citizens cope with inflation. Others argue that this approach is unsustainable and may have negative long-term consequences. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

This question is asking you to:

  • Discuss the view that governments should subsidize energy costs
  • Discuss the opposing view that this approach is unsustainable
  • Provide your own opinion on the matter

It’s crucial to address all parts of the question in your essay to achieve a high band score.

Band 8-9 Sample Essay

Here’s a sample essay that would likely score in the Band 8-9 range:

In recent years, rising inflation has led to increased energy costs, prompting debates about whether governments should intervene by subsidizing these expenses. While some argue that such subsidies are necessary to alleviate the financial burden on citizens, others contend that this approach is unsustainable and potentially harmful in the long run. This essay will examine both perspectives before presenting my own viewpoint.

Proponents of government subsidies for energy costs argue that this measure is essential for protecting vulnerable populations from the adverse effects of inflation. They contend that by reducing the financial strain on households , subsidies can help maintain a decent standard of living for low-income families and prevent energy poverty. Moreover, supporters claim that these subsidies can stimulate economic growth by increasing disposable income and consumer spending, thus mitigating the overall impact of inflation on the economy.

On the other hand, critics of energy subsidies assert that this approach is unsustainable and may have detrimental long-term consequences. They argue that subsidies distort market signals and discourage energy efficiency, potentially leading to increased consumption and environmental degradation. Furthermore, opponents contend that the financial burden of subsidies on government budgets could exacerbate inflation in the long run, as it may lead to increased borrowing or monetary expansion to fund these programs. They also point out that subsidies may hinder the transition to renewable energy sources , which is crucial for addressing climate change and ensuring long-term energy security.

In my opinion, while government intervention to address the Effects Of Inflation On Energy Costs is necessary, subsidies should be implemented cautiously and as part of a comprehensive strategy. I believe that a more sustainable approach would involve targeted support for vulnerable groups , combined with investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy infrastructure. This balanced approach would provide immediate relief to those most in need while also addressing long-term economic and environmental concerns.

In conclusion, the debate over government subsidies for energy costs in response to inflation is complex, with valid arguments on both sides. While subsidies can provide short-term relief, they must be carefully designed and implemented to avoid potential negative consequences. A nuanced approach that combines targeted support with long-term sustainable solutions is likely to be the most effective way to address the challenges posed by rising energy costs in an inflationary environment.

(Word count: 378)

Inflation impact on energy costs

Essay Analysis

This essay demonstrates several key features that contribute to a high band score:

Clear structure : The essay follows a logical structure with a clear introduction, body paragraphs discussing both views, and a conclusion that summarizes the main points and presents the writer’s opinion.

Balanced argument : Both perspectives are discussed in detail, with specific examples and reasoning provided for each view.

Coherence and cohesion : The essay uses a range of cohesive devices (e.g., “Moreover,” “Furthermore,” “On the other hand”) to link ideas and paragraphs smoothly.

Lexical resource : The essay demonstrates a wide range of vocabulary relevant to the topic, including subject-specific terms like “energy poverty,” “disposable income,” and “renewable energy sources.”

Grammatical range and accuracy : The essay uses a variety of complex sentence structures accurately, showcasing a high level of grammatical control.

Task response : All parts of the question are addressed, including a clear presentation of the writer’s own opinion in the fourth paragraph.

Key Vocabulary and Phrases

To excel in writing about this topic, consider using the following vocabulary and phrases:

Subsidize (verb) /ˈsʌbsɪdaɪz/: To support financially. Example: “Governments may choose to subsidize energy costs during periods of high inflation.”

Alleviate (verb) /əˈliːvieɪt/: To make a problem or suffering less severe. Example: “Energy subsidies can help alleviate the financial burden on low-income households.”

Disposable income (noun) /dɪˈspəʊzəbl ˈɪnkʌm/: Money available for spending after essential expenses. Example: “Reducing energy costs can increase consumers’ disposable income.”

Exacerbate (verb) /ɪɡˈzæsəbeɪt/: To make a problem worse. Example: “Critics argue that subsidies may exacerbate inflation in the long term.”

Energy efficiency (noun) /ˈenədʒi ɪˈfɪʃnsi/: The use of less energy to perform the same task. Example: “Subsidies might discourage investments in energy efficiency measures.”

Renewable energy (noun) /rɪˈnjuːəbl ˈenədʒi/: Energy from sources that are naturally replenished. Example: “A sustainable approach should include investments in renewable energy infrastructure.”

Market signals (noun) /ˈmɑːkɪt ˈsɪɡnəlz/: Information that influences economic decision-making. Example: “Energy subsidies can distort market signals, leading to inefficient resource allocation.”

Transition (noun) /trænˈzɪʃn/: The process of changing from one state or condition to another. Example: “Subsidies may hinder the transition to more sustainable energy sources.”

Targeted support (noun) /ˈtɑːɡɪtɪd səˈpɔːt/: Assistance directed at specific groups or individuals. Example: “Governments should consider providing targeted support to vulnerable populations.”

Nuanced approach (noun) /ˈnjuːɑːnst əˈprəʊtʃ/: A strategy that takes into account subtle differences and complexities. Example: “Addressing the effects of inflation on energy costs requires a nuanced approach.”

The topic of inflation’s effects on energy costs is a complex and relevant issue that could appear in future IELTS Writing Task 2 questions. To prepare for such topics, practice writing essays that discuss economic policies, environmental concerns, and government interventions. Consider exploring related themes such as:

  • The role of renewable energy in combating inflation
  • The impact of energy prices on different socioeconomic groups
  • Balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability

Remember to structure your essays clearly, use a range of vocabulary and grammatical structures, and always address all parts of the question. Practice writing on these topics and share your essays in the comments section below for feedback and improvement. This active approach to learning will help you develop the skills needed to excel in the IELTS Writing Task 2.

  • IELTS essay samples
  • Sample Essay
  • Vocabulary List

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