IELTS ACADEMIC

PRACTICE TESTS
WRITING TASK 2
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Information
The writing test has two parts: Task 1 & Task 2
What is Writing Task 2?
The Writing Task 2 of the IELTS test 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.
This booklet will contain practice exams that can be submitted in your IELTS
student area for teacher feedback. Below each test is a sample answer
however you should aim to write yourself for each of the tasks at least once
throughout the course.

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Test 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Social media is becoming increasingly popular amongst all age groups.

Do you think that the advantages of social media outweigh the

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your
own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

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Model answer

Since the invention of social media, many people have been better able to
connect with each other and also to keep up to date with the lives of their
friends, families, co-workers and even celebrities, to such a degree which was
previously impossible.

However, social media has its risks. As people of all ages have access to social
media, children can be exposed to adult content, and are themselves
vulnerable to be approached by strangers with unknown intentions. Even if
children are sure of who they're talking to on social media, social media's
issues are not completely eliminated. Cyber bullying is frequently reported in
the news, and occurs on social media between children and schoolchildren.
This is problematic, as it means even when children are at home, remote from
their bullies they can still be bullied when they're inside their own homes.

Social media can be problematic for adults, too. People often feel comfortable
posting things on social media that they wouldn't say in real life. This can
indirectly cause a bad impression on other people, and if employers judge the
nature of the content prospective employees post on social media to be
inappropriate, it can affect their chances of attaining or keeping jobs.

As long as people are aware of the risks of using social media, and are careful
to post only respectful and respectable content, then the advantages of social
media far outweigh the disadvantages, and children and adults alike should be
allowed to benefit from such technology.

(250 words)

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Test 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

It is generally believed that the Internet is an excellent means of

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Write at least 250 words.

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Model answer

Using the Internet has become a normal part of everyday life for many people.
They use it to book airline tickets, or to access news about world events, or to
follow the fortunes of their favourite football club. Millions of people across
the world belong to social networking groups where they keep in touch with
their friends and if they live away from them, their family. In my opinion these
are all good ways to use the Internet.

When it comes to finding out information there are some very good sites
where it is possible to check, for example, someone's biographical details or
statistics about global warming. However, information from the Internet
should be used with caution, because although there are many reliable sites,
such as academic journals and well-known newspapers, there are also
unreliable ones, so it is important to check where information originates from
before using it.

Some students use websites which offer ready-made assignments. This is not a
good idea, even if you ignore the fact that it is cheating, because such websites
may contain factual errors or biased views. In a recent case, a student found
herself in serious trouble when she submitted an essay from one of these sites
only to discover that it was about Austria, not Australia, but had an error in the
title.

Nevertheless, it is nowadays possible for people all over the world to study or
do business on an equal footing, in a way that was unimaginable only a few
years ago. On the whole I believe that the Internet is an excellent way both to
communicate and to find information, as long as it is used intelligently.

(278 words)

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Test 3

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Some people think that there are things individuals can do to help
prevent global climate change. Others believe that action by
individuals is useless and irrelevant and that it is only governments and
large businesses which can make a difference.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Write at least 250 words.

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Model answer

Climate change is a phenomenon affecting all people in all walks of life, from
individual citizens to whole countries and huge multinational companies. The
question of what we can do to prevent global climate change and whether
individual action is effective or not is a hotly debated issue.

There are those who say that the majority of the damages is wrought by big
businesses. By imposing restrictions on emissions and by strictly monitoring
waste disposal from factories, plants and businesses, governments would go a
long way towards preventing climate change. It is thought that governments
around the world should come up with solutions to help prevent imminent
environment disaster. Proponents of this view claim that individual action is
irrelevant in the face of massive, wide-scale prevention policies set and
controlled by governments.

On the other hand, there are a growing number of people who believe that
individual action combined with governmental and business action will do a lot
more to prevent climate change than if individual citizens were not involved. In
a world of six billion people, if everyone thought about the number of water
they use, how they dispose of their rubbish, whether or not something needs
to be thrown away or if they can, in fact, re-use certain items then we would
be giving the problem of climate change and its prevention a massive boost.

Taking both points into consideration, I firmly believe that individual citizens
cannot sit back and say it is someone else’s responsibility to protect the
environments; we must all play our part-individual citizens, governments and
big businesses alike.

(264 words)

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Test 4

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

In many countries, very few young people read newspapers or follow

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from
your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

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Model answer

There is increasing concern in many countries that newspapers are not being
read and the news on television is not being watched by many young people.
As a result, young people in these countries are not up-to-date with or even
concerned about local, national and international events.

The major causes of this problem are that most newspapers and news
programmes are designed for an adult audience and are not presented in a
format that teenagers find attractive. Few young people read newspapers
because the language is too difficult and the style and content is usually quite
serious. A lack of interest in the news is also due to the fact that young people
are fascinated by new technology, such as computers and the Internet. As a
result of this there is a lower interest in traditional news formats, which are
considered unappealing and unfashionable.

There are some strategies that can be used to encourage young people to keep
abreast of the news. The first is to have news agencies present the news in
formats that are appealing for the young. The easiest way to do this would be
to present news on internet sites that are designed for a younger audience.
Another way to confront the problem is to have schools involved in the
publication of regular school newspapers. Recent local, national and
international news events could be included, although schools should also
encourage pupils to be involved in the writing of articles and submissions. This
newspaper could then be distributed to all the pupils, which means a greater
number of young people would regularly read news stories.

The low number of young people reading newspapers and following the news
on television can be increased by presenting the news in formats that are
appealing to them. The key is to utilise websites and also have schools publish
their own newspapers, which students are involved in.

(317 words)

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Test 5

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist

Film stars and music celebrities may earn a great deal of money and
live in luxurious surroundings, but many of them lead unhappy lives.
Do you agree?

To what extent is this the price they pay for being famous?

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your
arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

You should write at least 250 words.

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Model answer

Newspapers and magazines are full of stories about famous people and the
wonderful lifestyles that they enjoy. I think it's something that we get used to.
We expect to see them wearing very expensive clothes and, going to amazing
parties. It seems natural that if you have a lot of money, you will spend it in
these ways.
(Opening paragraph agrees with first part of premise.)
Some people who are rich and famous do manage to have a happy life as well.
They get married and have children and, although they have to work hard, they
still have time to give to their family. Victoria and David Beckham are just one
example of a happy celebrity couple.
(Second paragraph disputes second part of premise.)
However, money doesn't always bring happiness. In fact, sometimes the
opposite is true. Stars often talk to the press about the pressures of being rich
and famous. Some of them end up drinking too much or taking too many
drugs. The actress Elizabeth Taylor, for example, has been in clinics many times
for these problems. The divorce rate is also very high among celebrities. Often
their marriages last only a short period of time and they re-mary very quickly
but the same thing happens again.
(Third paragraph agrees and gives two clear examples.)
Ultimately, I think it depends on the person. I don't really believe that being
unhappy is a consequence of fame but I do think that it may be very difficult to
cope with having a lot of money and fame. Celebrities are ordinary people
underneath and perhaps some of them are not strong enough to deal with
their fame.
(Conclusion provides a possible explanation and gives a personal view.)

(254 words)

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