The Format of the IELTS Writing Test
Timing –
60 minutes
Important
facts:
The writing
test has two parts – Task 1 and Task 2.
You
must write a minimum of 150 words for Task 1 and a minimum of
250 words
for Task 2.
Task 1
should take you around 20 minutes and Task 2 around 40 minutes.
Task 2 contributes
twice as many marks to your overall score as Task 1.
Two versions
There are
two versions of the IELTS writing test – Academic and General
Training.
Task 2 is
the same for both tests, but Task 1 is different.
The main
difference is in the style of question and the type of language required to
answer it. Here are detailed outlines of the two versions of the test.
Academic Writing
Task 1
– You will be presented with one of the following:
Bar chart
Line graph
Table
Pie chart
Process
diagram
Map
Combination – charts, graphs, tables
You are
required to describe, summarise or explain the information in your own words.
For example, you may be asked to:
describe and
explain data
describe the
stages of a process
describe how
something works
describe an
object or event
Task 2 –
You must write an essay on a topic of general interest. The essay will be
a response to a specific point of view, problem, or argument that will be
stated in the question.
Your
response to both tasks should be written in a formal style.
General Training Writing
Task 1 –
You are required to write a letter requesting information or explaining the
situation in relation to a specific circumstance.
The letter
must be in one of the following styles as appropriate to the situation:
Formal –
to someone you don’t know.
Informal –
to a friend or close family member.
Task 2 –
You will be required to write an essay on a topic of general interest. Your
essay will be a response to a specific point of view, problem, or argument that
will be stated in the question.
You may use
a more personal style than would be required in the Academic Writing
Task 2 essay.
Academic Essays for part 1 with Questions and Samples
There are
several different types of pictorial prompts for Part 1 of the IELTS writing.
No matter what the prompt is, you will be required to describe it in detail.
In this article, we are going to share just two different types of prompts, a bar graph and a map with example essays to show how they need to be described.
DESCRIBING A
PIE CHART
You should
spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The pie
chart shows the amount of money that a children's charity located in the USA
spent and received in one year, 2016.
Summarize the
information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.
Write at
least 150 words.
Revenue
Sources and Expenditures of a USA Charity in one year, 2016.
The pie
charts show the amount of revenue and expenditures in 2016 for a children’s
charity in the USA. Overall, it can be seen that donated food accounted for the
majority of the income, while program services accounted for the most
expenditure. Total revenue sources just exceeded outgoings.
In
detail, donated food provided most of the revenue for the charity, at 86%.
Similarly, with regard to expenditures, one category, program services,
accounted for nearly all of the outgoings, at 95.8%.
The other
categories were much smaller. Community contributions, which were the second
largest revenue source, brought in 10.4% of overall income, and this was
followed by program revenue, at 2.2%. Investment income, government grants, and
other income were very small sources of revenue, accounting for only 0.8%
combined.
There
were only two other expenditure items, fundraising and management and general,
accounting for 2.6% and 1.6% respectively. The total amount of income was
$53,561,580, which was just enough to cover the expenditures of
$53,224,896.
DESCRIBING A
MAP
Below is a
Writing Task 1 IELTS map with an example essay below.
When you
write about a map, you need to focus on describing where things are in location
to each other.
Language such as 'to the left', 'next to',
'north of', 'behind' etc will be important.
You
should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Below
is a map of the city of Brandfield. City planners have decided to build a new
shopping mall for the area, and two sites, S1 and S2 have been proposed.
Summarize
the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write
at least 150 words.
The map illustrates plans for two possible sites for a shopping
mall in the city of Brandfield. It can be seen that the two sites under
consideration are in the north and the southeast of the town.
The first possible site for the shopping mall, S1, is just north
of the city centre, above the railway line, which runs from the south east of
the city to the north west. If it is built here, it will be next to a large
housing estate, thus providing easy access for those living on the estate and
in the city centre. It will also be next to the river that runs through the
town.
The site in the south east, S2, is again just by the railway
line and fairly close to the city centre, but it is near to an industrial
estate rather than housing.
There is a main road that runs through the city and is close to both sites, thus providing good road access to either location. A large golf course and park in the west of the town prevents this area from being available as a site.
5 Types of IELTS Essays for part 2 with Questions and Samples
In IELTS Writing
Task 2 (both General and Academic), there are 5
different types of essays:
Discussion
essay (Discuss both views essay)
Agree/disagree
essay (Opinion essay)
Advantage/disadvantage
essay
Problem/solution
essay
Two-part
question essay (Direct question essay)
Note that no
matter what type of IELTS essay you have to write, you need to make sure that
you always follow the instructions and write at least 250 words.
IELTS Discussion Essay Questions
IELTS
discussion essay asks you to "Discuss both views/sides and give your
opinion".
For example:
Some people think that wild animals
should not be kept in zoos. Others believe that there are good reasons for
having zoos.
Discuss both
these views and give your opinion.
There
appear to be differing views on whether zoos are appropriate and
acceptable places for wild animals. On the one hand, people argue that keeping
animals in zoos is inhuman, while on the other hand, a group of people
finds many advantages in having zoos.
It
is self-evident that a zoo is not a suitable place for all wild
animals. It depends very much on the sizes of the animals whether they should be
kept in cages. Additionally, other conditions such as temperature or
surroundings are also important. For example, a polar bear prefers low
temperatures while a zebra rather enjoys hot weather. Moreover, some animals
like lions need a very large area to move around in. Therefore, there is a
need for very varied conditions although it is very hard to
offer that. And last but not least, being exposed to a large number of
people is not good for the mental health and well-being of animals.
It cannot
be denied that zoos have a lot of advantages as well. To begin with, a zoo
is a perfect place for children to learn about wildlife and nature. Therefore,
zoos are important for educational purposes. In addition to that, universities
and researchers are usually in close cooperation with zoos in order to save
endangered species. Furthermore, keeping wild animals in zoos is also an option
to save animals that are threatened by illegal hunters or, for instance, by
deforestation.
Personally,
I think that there is a substance in both views. However,
all things considered, I believe that the advantages outweigh the
disadvantages. Although I agree that there are some negative aspects such as
inhuman conditions, more positive aspects can be found. Therefore, things like
saving animals from illegal hunters and educating our children are the main
arguments why we all should be in favour of having zoos.
IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay Questions
IELTS
agree/disagree essay, also known as an opinion essay, asks you "Do what
extent do you agree?", "Do you agree or disagree?", "What
is your opinion?".
Due to a
rapid development in technology, medical procedures for cosmetic purposes have
become more and more popular. However, better and easily affordable
cosmetic surgical operations have made people discuss whether
this should be allowed or not.
On the
one hand, it is difficult to draw a line between what is a reasonable
medical condition to have access to cosmetic surgery and what is not. As
of current regulations, it depends on the person itself. To
debate whether governments should restrict people from access to cosmetic
surgery seems quite nonsensical. Instead of debating, there is a strong need to
educate people to be more aware of the possible consequences that
plastic surgery may have. Moreover, it is important to make
people consider whether plastic surgery is still really necessary in
their cases. If a person decides to have the surgery, the real need
for this may become questionable when the surgery is only intended to
make a person’s appearance to be in better accordance with beauty
standards.
On the
other hand, prohibiting medical procedures for cosmetic purposes according to
the view that people are willing to have it too easily and
unreasonably would be very unfair against people who really are in serious need
of surgery. For instance, there are many people who have been burnt
by flames in their life. Good examples are firemen who may have saved thousands
of lives in their career. Therefore, giving these people access to
cosmetic surgery is absolutely justifiable.
In
conclusion, although there are people who may want to forbid cosmetic
surgeries, I personally find this to be unreasonable. Instead of prohibiting
it, we should rather raise peoples’ awareness of cosmetic surgeries
and its possible consequences. Hopefully, this would make
people seriously consider whether having cosmetic surgery is still
necessary for their particular condition.
IELTS Advantage/Disadvantage Essay
Questions
IELTS
advantage/disadvantage essay asks you "What are the advantages of
this?", "Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?".
For example:
Today more and more tourists are
visiting places where conditions are difficult, such as the Sahara desert or
the Antarctic.
What are the
benefits and disadvantages for tourists who visit such places?
Nowadays it
seems to be boring for people to go to travel to some locations where
we used to go, e.g. Japan or Europe. People would like to have some
exciting experiences on their trip, so they choose places like the
Sahara desert or places that ordinary people cannot even name. These
places have tough conditions. Therefore, there must be some good
things and bad things if we travel to these places.
From an
optimistic viewpoint, people would like to travel to these
extraordinary places to experience something different, usually, the things
they see or try in these locations are unique; they cannot find them in
cities with tall buildings. For example, the light in the Antarctic regions.
People who have seen them all say it is a
once-in-a-lifetime experience and they will not forget it till they die. And
indeed, seeing these special sceneries is really unforgettable and no other
places in the world have them. Besides sceneries, people can also experience
some very different lifestyles and cultures which they have never
seen if they live in a city.
However,
there is also a bad side if people travel in these places. As the conditions
are tough in these areas, they may experience extreme temperatures. People
who are used to a city lifestyle may not know how to deal with them.
In some severe cases, people may need immediate rescue, but as these areas are
usually not ordinary residential areas, it is not easy for any emergency
services to access them. It is very difficult to get help
from other people as there is no one around.
In
conclusion, it is necessary for people to understand the risks before they
visit these places, and after thorough consideration, if they still want to go,
they have to make sure they get very well-prepared and go at their own risk.
IELTS Problem/Solution Essay
Questions
IELTS
problem/solution essay asks you "What can be done about this
problem?", "How could this situation be improved?".
For example:
Even though doctors all over the
world agree that fast food is bad for people's health, more and more people are
eating it.
Why are more people eating fast food?
What can be done about this problem?
There are
a lot of people who have argued over whether fast food is still as bad as
thought and found in the end that dining on healthy food could
possibly save them from upcoming health problems. However, there is another
increasing number of people who do not seem to care so much and consume fast
food more often.
On the
one hand, it is understood that life tends to be very busy nowadays. Due to a
huge revolution in technology, it has opened up more choices for
many people and time has become the most valuable resource overall.
In order to save more time and rather progress with work than spending too much
time on lunch, the eating time has become something when many
people just want to quickly fill themselves up and get back to work. This is
where fast food comes into play as a simple, fast and time-saving solution. One
reason why people prefer fast food is that it is fairly easy to obtain.
Moreover, it is often cheaper than a proper cooked meal and the expected
level of quality is everywhere more or less the same.
On the
other hand, fast food does not equal healthy food. This is a major drawback,
which has made society more concerned about the future of
people’s health. I personally believe that keeping people more informed
about the disadvantages of fast food would help to raise
awareness of the problem. Therefore, advertising a healthy lifestyle
could be one of the first steps for dealing with this issue.
Secondly, not only should doctors be the ones who advise on balanced
eating, but famous people, as good examples, may well contribute to
solving this problem.
In order
to save people from health problems, a good and balanced diet is the first
thing to concentrate on. Even though many people still prefer fast food, a lot
could be done to influence their decisions starting with advertising a healthy
lifestyle and setting good examples to follow.
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