IELTS PRACTICE

Test Format	You must complete TWO writing tasks.
Timing	60 minutes
Number of Questions	2
Task Types	In Task 1 you must respond to a situation by writing a letter. You may be asked to request information or to explain a situation or a problem. You should write around 150 words and spend approximately 20 minutes on Task 1. In Task 2, you must respond to a point of view, argument, or problem. You should write around 250 words and spend approximately 40 minutes on Task 2.
Answering	Type your answers directly into the space on the CD IELTS Writing Test page. You may make notes on Login Details sheet if you wish. You should write in full sentences and paragraphs and avoid numbered listed and bullet points.
Task 1
Task Type and Format	You should write a letter in response to a common, everyday situation such as: writing to a college accommodation officer about problems with accommodation; writing to a local newspaper about a plan to develop a local airport; or writing to a renting agency to sort out problems with the heating system in your house. You should write in a formal, semi-formal, or friendly tone, depending on the requirements of the task prompt. You should write a minimum of 150 words. The task prompt includes three bullet points which you must cover in your response. You may be required to request or give information and/or explain a situation. In addition, you may be required to: ask for and/or provide general factual information; express needs, wants, likes or dislikes; express opinions or complaints; make requests; or make suggestions/recommendations.
Timing	You are advised to spend around 20 minutes on Task 1.
Task Focus	Task 1 assesses your ability to follow English letter-writing conventions (how to present information; style and tone; starting and finishing the letter appropriately, etc.). It also assesses your ability to use language accurately and appropriately, and to organize and link information coherently and cohesively.
Task 2
Task Type and Format	In task 2, you are required to write a discursive essay using a neutral style. The task prompt presents a point of view or argument, which you must then discuss. This may involve providing general, factual information; outlining and/or presenting a solution; justifying an opinion; or evaluating evidence and ideas. You should write a minimum of 250 words. Topics are of general interest. Examples include, whether children’s leisure activities should be educational; how environmental problems can be solved; who should pay for the care of old people; and whether smoking should be banned in public places.
Timing	You are advised to spend around 40 minutes on Task 2.
Task Focus	Task 2 assesses your ability to follow discursive writing conventions in English. These include the order in which you present information; style and register; beginning and ending an essay; and use of paragraphs. You are also assessed on your ability to organise and link information coherently and cohesively, and your ability to use grammar and vocabulary accurately and appropriately.

General Training Writing Task 1

Make sure that you understand the format of the task. You must write a short, letter in response to a situation or request. You need to write approximately 150 words in 20 minutes. Make sure you understand the various conventions of English letter writing.

Make sure you understand the assessment criteria:

• Task Achievement
• Coherence and Cohesion
• Lexical Resource
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Get to know the requirements for the band score that you are aiming for by looking at the IELTS Writing Task 1 band descriptors. You will receive a band score for each criterion mentioned above. Your final band score is an average of all four scores.

Practice writing letters using a formal, semi-formal and informal style, using the letter writing conventions associated with each of them.

• Formal: Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to complain in the strongest possible terms about the appalling service we received at your restaurant.
• Semi-formal: Dear Mr Jones, I’m writing to inform you that I’ll be unable to attend the team meeting on Wednesday.
• Informal: Dear Jane, I’m dropping you a line to invite you to my 30th birthday bash next Saturday.

Be sure to state the purpose of your letter clearly and to fully cover the three bullet points. If you fail to do this, your Task Achievement band score will be limited to a 5.

It’s important to use a range of vocabulary in your letter. Learn a variety of ways to begin and end a letter in a formal, semi-formal and informal style. Learn functional language associated with making requests, apologising, seeking help, complaining, making suggestions, asking for information, giving information, expressing sympathy, and giving good or bad news.

To score a band 6 or above for Grammatical Range and Accuracy, you must use a variety of complex sentence structures. Learn to identify and eliminate grammatical errors; you are unlikely to score about a band 6 for Grammatical Range and Accuracy if your letter contains too many grammatical errors.

Once you have booked a computer-delivered (CD) IELTS test, be sure to familiarise yourself with the digital test environment.

General Training Writing Task 2

Make sure that you understand the format of the task. You must write an essay in response to a point of view, argument, or problem. You should use a neutral or semi-formal style. You need to write approximately 250 words in 40 minutes. Practice writing essays on a range of different topics. All topics are of general interest and require no specialised knowledge.

Make sure you understand the assessment criteria:

• Task Response
• Coherence and Cohesion
• Lexical Resource
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Get to know the requirements for the band score that you are aiming for by looking at the IELTS Writing Task 2 band descriptors. You will receive a band score for each criterion mentioned above. Your final band score is an average of all four scores.

It is important to identify the aspects of your writing that you need to work on to get the IELTS band score you need. Base your analysis on the assessment criteria listed above. Practice as many Writing Task 2 essays as you can and ask someone with an expertise in the subject to help you determine what you need to do to increase your score.

Practice writing in a semi-formal style. You will lose marks if your writing is too informal. Look at the examples below; the first uses an informal style, whereas the second uses a more suitable style.

• Going to the gym a lot with your buddies not only gets you fit, but it’s also a good laugh.
• Regular physical exercise such as jogging or going to the gym not only improves fitness levels, but also makes you feel happy and increases your energy levels.

It’s important to use a range of vocabulary in your essay. Create vocabulary lists covering a variety of common IELTS Writing Task 2 topics. Topics that appear frequently include education, the environment, friends and family, government and society, health, jobs and employment, science and technology, sport, media and the arts, and travel and tourism.

To score a band 6 or above for Grammatical Range and Accuracy, you must use a variety of complex sentence structures. Practice joining simple sentences together to form complex sentences. Learn to identify and eliminate grammatical errors. Common errors include articles (a, an, the), plural and uncountable nouns, subject-verb agreement, and sentence word order.

Once you have booked a computer-delivered (CD) IELTS test, be sure to familiarise yourself with the digital test environment.

General Training Writing Task 1:

Read the question prompt carefully to identify who you are writing to. Then decide whether you should use a formal, semi-formal or informal style. Remember, the style you use is determined by the person you are writing to, not the subject matter of the letter.

Avoid copying directly from the question prompt – try to use synonyms and paraphrasing instead.

Use a simple letter structure: a short introductory paragraph explaining the situation and your purpose for writing; one short paragraph covering each of the three bullet points; a closing sentence; and an appropriate sign off.

You should cover each of the three bullet points using a roughly equal number of words without straying from the topic. Try to include one or two ideas to extend each bullet point.

General Training Writing Task 2

Analyse the question carefully and spend 3–4 minutes planning what you will write. Make sure that you answer all parts of the question. You can make notes on your Login Details sheet or use the CD IELTS note function.

Use a simple, four-paragraph essay structure: an introduction, two main body paragraphs, and a short conclusion. Make sure you state your point of view in the introduction, and that it remains consistent throughout.

Include one, main idea in each of your main body paragraphs and back it up with evidence or examples from your own experience. Try to summarise the main idea of each paragraph in a topic sentence; use the topic sentence as the first sentence in your paragraph.

Ensure that your ideas are specifically related to the requirements of the question prompt, not just the general topic. For example, if the prompt asks you to write about air pollution in cities, you will be penalized for only writing about pollution in general.

General Training Writing Task 1

Don’t Copy Directly from the Question Prompt: Don’t copy directly from the question prompt or bullet points. Language which exactly matches that of the rubric will not be assessed. Try to use synonyms and paraphrasing instead.

Use the Correct Format: Do not use bullet points, numbered lists, headings, or subheadings as these will have a negative effect on your Task Achievement band score. Make sure you are aware of the conventions of letter writing in English as this is one of the things that examiners will assess.

Organise Your Ideas Logically: It’s important to use a clear, simple structure for your Task 1 letter so that it is easy for the examiner to understand. Don’t jump from one bullet point to another in the same paragraph.

Don’t Go Off-Topic: Outline your purpose in the opening paragraph of you letter and stick to it. Make sure that you cover the bullet points fully and that you don’t include ideas that do not relate to the bullet points.

General Training Writing Task 2

Don’t Fill Your Essay with Complex Vocabulary: While it is important to use a wide range of appropriate vocabulary in your task 2 essay, do not try to fill your response with too many complicated words as this will make your writing sound awkward and unnatural. Make sure that you use any less common vocabulary items appropriately.

Check for Minor Grammatical Errors: Make sure that you allow 2 or 3 minutes to check your grammar when you have finished writing your essay.

Don’t Overuse Cohesive Devices: Do not attempt to fill every sentence with as many cohesive devices as you can. Ensure that you don’t begin every sentence with a cohesive device; try to limit yourself to 3 or 4 per paragraph.

Address Both Parts of the Question Equally: General Training Writing Task 2 prompts often have two parts, and some contain two separate questions. You might be asked to ‘discuss both of these views’ or to ‘discuss the advantages and disadvantages’ of a particular idea. If you write 2 paragraphs about one view, but only two sentences about the other, you have not covered both parts of the question sufficiently.

Make Sure You Answer the Question: Even if you use an excellent range of accurate grammar and vocabulary in your essay, you will not be awarded a high band score if you fail to answer the question. A common error is to write about the question prompt in general (e.g. pollution) rather than to address the specifics (e.g. air pollution in cities). Another common mistake is to go off-topic.

Not Developing Ideas Fully Enough: It is not a good idea to include as many ideas as possible in your General Training task 2 essay as you will not be able to develop them fully enough in 40 minutes. It would be better if you identified, for example, one or two advantages and one or two disadvantage and developed these ideas with explanations and examples.