Struggling with your IELTS exam preparation? Learn how to summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant in this writing practice for IELTS Task 1 . How to Summarise the Information by Selecting and Reporting the Main Features What essential writing skills should you develop for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 questions? You muste be able to: understand the task requirements identify the key features of the data organize information clearly and logically produce a well-structured and coherent description/report use a range of appropriate vocabulary and grammar accurately (Grammatical Range, Lexical Resource ) IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - 3 Steps to Write a Good Answer There are 3 steps to summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and making comparisons where relevant. Step #1 The best way to tackle the Academic IELTS Writing test Task 1 is to sta

Writing Practice for IELTS Overview The IELTS writing test consists of two tasks: task 1 and Task 2. You have one hour to complete both tasks. Below is an example of a Task 2 essay question from an IELTS Academic writing test. Academic Task 2 essay questions cover different types of essays: opinion, discussion, advantages and disadvantages, problem and solution, agress or disagree, and double question essays. Your response in the IELTS writing test is scored using 4 official IELTS marking criteria: Task Achievement, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Coherence and Cohesion. The Academic test writing section differs from the IELTS General test. There are still two writing tasks but Task 1 is to summarize or describe data or some type of visual information such as a chart, graph, table, stages of a process, flow diagram, map, or similar. Tip You should use authentic IELTS practice tests and model answers to become familiar with different Task 1 and T

Writing Practice for IELTS General Training Test Task 1 Question IELTS Writing Task 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Your friend wants to start a new import/export business in the country where you live now. Write a letter to him/her and say: What product is better to import. What part of the country does the product come from? Why he/she should import that product. Write at least 150 words Writing Practice for IELTS General Training Test Task 1 | Sample Answer Dear Mike, It was good to hear from you and thanks for all your news. I like your idea about starting an import/export business, I think there’s a lot of potential in it. After thinking about possible products which might be appealing for people back home, here’s one idea which I think would be good. You know how people there have been getting into wine a lot in the last couple of years; it was becoming quite the thing amongst a lot of our friends before I left. So I believe we cou

Study the guidelines Understand the question Make an essay plan Organize paragraphs before writing Avoid verbosity Avoid common grammar errors Avoid common punctuation and spelling errors Optimize Time management Use linking phrases Write a compelling conclusion paragraph Struggling with essay writing? Here are some solid tips on how to improve your writing skills for IELTS Task 2. How to Improve your Writing Skills for IELTS The IELTS Academic & General Writing module is a test of the written English language, and it follows certain rules that need to be followed. Writing according to the guidelines is the most critical of the top 10 tips for IELTS essay writing. Top 10 tips for IELTS essay writing Tip #1: Study the guidelines If you want to achieve a good score in this part of the examination - make sure you understand the rules. It's important for students to study these guidelines carefully be

IELTS General Training Writing | Task 1 | Letter to a friend IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 Question IELTS Writing Task 1 Write a letter to your friend that was supposed to visit you soon, but it is not possible now. In your letter: apologise to your friend explain why it’s not possible to meet now (why you need to postpone) suggest an alternative arrangement Write at least 150 words. IELTS Letter To A Friend Sample Answer Dear Ali, Hi, I hope you're well and that you're enjoying the new semester at university. I'm sorry to tell you that we won't be able to meet next month as we had planned. unfortunately I have to go away on a field trip as part of my coursework and I won't be in town. I'll be away for about 15 days. I was really looking forward to seeing you again, but I suppose we'll have to plan it for another time. I'm sorry, I just found out today about the field trip. I was thinking maybe we could plan it

Should you write a thesis-led or argument-led essay? If the task asks you to respond to one question - write a thesis-led essay If you are asked to give reasons and examples - write an argument-led essay Here are some Thesis-led Approach & Argument-led Approach Examples What is important when writing IELTS answers? Writing IELTS answers requires certain writing skills and you need to use certain formats which are considered acceptable by the IELTS writing examiners. Here we will look at some of the points you need to keep in mind when you are writing IELTS tasks. First, let’s look at the format of the IELTS Writing section which consists of two tasks: Task 1 and Task 2. Remember there are two different IELTS writing modules: Academic and General Training, and the writing IELTS tasks are different in each module. You are allowed 60 minutes to complete the two tasks. The recommended time for Task 1 is 20 minutes and 40 minutes for Task 2.

IELTS General Training Writing | Task 1 | Write a letter to the manager IELTS General Writing Task 1 Question IELTS Writing Task 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. As part of your study you have worked for a short period of time in a company. Write a letter to the manager of this company. In your letter: Thank him/her for the opportunity Explain how the experience gained there has helped you Share your plans for the future. Write at least 150 words. IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 Answer Dear Mr Mallory, I am writing to express my thanks to you and your staff for the opportunity to work with you during the summer as part of my work experience for my undergraduate course. It was an amazing time, and I learned a great deal while working there. Interstingly, I am now involved in a project at university and applying some of the techniques and knowledge I gained while I was with you. It has made a big difference to my understanding of t

IELTS Writing Task 1 The chart below shows the percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. International English Language Testing System IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Summarising Information Main Features 93-year period of time Overall trend: increase in ownership until 2001 – then decreases Overall trend: decrease in renting until 2001 – then increases High and low points for each category in 1918 & 2001 Final 10 year-period shows change in trend for first time IELTS Writing Task 1 Sample Answer The bar chart depicts the profile of home ownership and renting by residents in England and Wales over a ninety-three-year period between 1918 and 2011. Notably, the overall trend was one of a gradual and steady increase in home ownership and an al

IELTS Writing Test Task 2 Essay You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic: Although parents are principally responsible for raising their children, there are other outside influences which play a key role in the development of children. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words. International English Language Testing System Points to consider: Which outside influences? Grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, etc. School, teachers, classmates, etc. Other authority figures: coach, tutor, etc. Environment: community, socio economic level, culture, etc. What degree of influence do these sources have on a child? Sample Essay Answer A child is the product of their social environment and the people they come into contact with during their formative years. It is not only the parents w

IELTS Writing | Task 2 | Who should teach children how to be good members of society? Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. This IELTS Writing Test question is from Cambridge IELTS Book 8 practice tests. IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer Everyone would agree that we expect all children to grow up and become productive and responsible members of our society; however, how the burden of forming such responsible future citizens is apportioned can be questioned. Many aspects of our society have changed in recent decades, the traditional nuclear family in many countries is not as strong as it once was, with more children growing up without both parents being present, making parenting a somewhat greater challenge maybe than in the past. Many parents, especially mothers, are now working more than ever and have less

IELTS General Writing Samples IELTS Sample Letters and Model Answers The sample questions and model answers below will help you understand how to write IELTS letters. IELTS Writing Task 1 Informal Letter You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. You have borrowed something from your friend for a party, but it was damaged during the party. Write a letter to your friend and say: What was it? How was it damaged? What will you do about it? Write at least 150 words. Sample Answer Hi Paulo, How are you? I hope you are well. I would like to thank you again for lending me your hammock for our beach party last weekend. It was a great a party and it's a shame you couldn't make it. Unfortunately, I have some bad news for you. Some of the guests got a little crazy and they managed to ruin the hammock, I think there were several of them trying to use it at the same time. Obviously they were too heavy for it and it ripped in the mid

IELTS | IELTS Writing | IELTS Letters | Write a letter to the manager of a conference centre IELTS Writing Task 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Your company has plans to provide training for its employees. Write a letter to the management of the local conference venue to check availability. In your letter: explain the purpose of the booking request the equipment required for the training enquire about other facilities that are provided Write at least 150 words. How would you answer this IELTS Writing Exam Task 1 question about organizing a training conference? Sample Letter Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to enquire about the availability of your conference venue. Our company is planning to hold an employee training session next month; the provisional date is Wednesday 24 January. Could you please confirm if it would be possible to reserve the venue for that day? We will also require a video-beam projector and projection s

IELTS Writing Samples - Economic Progress and Environment IELTS Writing Sample Answer Economic progress, especially in developing countries is often linked to industrialization and manufacturing output which typically involves heavy energy consumption, something which few countries can meet through solely renewable green energy sources. Therefore, economic development and being environmentally friendly are often seen as conflicting factors in the development cycle of a nation. The major causes of pollution, especially air contamination, are heavy industry, manufacturing, and traffic emissions. All these are closely linked to the gross domestic product (GDP) of a nation, and in the case of many developed nations as GDP has risen so too have levels of pollution. It is only in relatively recent times that pollution levels have decreased somewhat as the economies of such nations have moved away from heavy industry and manufacturing to high technology industries and service industr

IELTS Writing Task 1 IELTS Writing Describing Data Academic Writing Task 1 Question & Answer The graph below shows the number of first year international students studying in UK universities between 2004 and 2014. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. IELTS Writing Task 1 Sample Answer The graph illustrates the number of first year international students from various countries and regions studying at UK universities over a 10 year period, from 2004 to 2014. It can be clearly seen that students from non-EU countries represented the largest proportion of international students enrolled in first year university courses, while students from the USA and Nigeria accounted for the smallest proportion. In terms of changes over the period in question, overall the total number of international students grew; the number of Chinese students doubled from 30,

IELTS Writing | General Training | Task 1 IELTS Writing Task 1 A local college would like people to give a talk to the students about their job/work. You would like do this. Write a letter to the principal of the college explaining: What you would like to talk about Why you think the students will be interested in your work The date and time you could give the talk IELTS Writing Task 1 | A Letter about Giving a Talk to Students Dear Sir/Madam, I understand that you are looking for volunteers to talk about their work for the benefit of your students. As an ex-student of the college, I would like to participate in this event as I believe that the students would find my work interesting. My work involves research in a high-technology area and its application to artificial intelligence in consumer products for the future. High-tech AI is a hot topic for students as they are the future consumers of such products. I also believe that your students would fi

IELTS Writing Task 2 In the future, it may be necessary for us to live on other planets. For this reason, some people believe that we should spend money now to research other planets, such as Mars. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Tutorial When tackling an IELTS Writing Task 2 essay question, you must first understand the question thoroughly. The question asks about your opinion on the investment in researching other planets, such as Mars. Essay Outline The optimal essay outline would be as follows: Introduction : Paraphrase the question and state your position clearly. Body Paragraph 1 : Present the first reason to support your position. Body Paragraph 2 : Present the second reason to support your position. Conclusion : Summarize your ideas and restate your position. The reason this structure works effectively is that it allows you to develop your ideas sufficiently, providing clear arguments and examples, while also presenting a cohesiv

IELTS Writing Task 2 Nowadays an increasing number of people change their career and place of residence several times during their life. Is this a positive or a negative development? IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay The need to constantly update skills and in some cases retrain for a career change has become more common nowadays. In part, this is due to the free movement of the world’s population and increasingly dynamic work relationships between employers and employees or contractors. It cannot simply be classed as something positive or negative. It is a direct result of the globalization of labor markets and the evolving global culture that is no longer country or region-specific. In recent years, the advent of many new types of work that involve thinking and creative skills and technology has opened the doors to a tsunami of change, not only in the way that people work but also from where. Many jobs can now be performed by people who live in other countries, an