50 Recent IELTS Essay Questions 

Hey! It is so important that when you sit down to practice IELTS writing, you only use questions that are
“genuine”. This means using either questions that come from the IELTS Cambridge 1 – 15 series or those
that have been created by an exam writer like those in my 100 IELTS essay question blog
post. However, many students like to practice recent IELTS essay questions i.e. topics that have been
reported by recent test-takers.

I understand why students want to do this – knowing what the recent IELTS essays questions are and
checking that you can answer them is reassuring. However, unfortunately, test-takers rarely (if ever)
manage to accurately remember the wording of the question that they had in their test.

Can they remember the general topic? Sure.

Can they remember the exact wording? Definitely not!

Sadly, changing even one word in a test can change the focus of a question and, therefore, make it
impossible to answer! So, every month, I collect 50 recent IELTS essay questions from students in My
IELTS Classroom , and edit them so that they are as close to perfect as possible. Plus, I divide the
questions into Academic and General Training (so you can be sure you are tackling the right type of
questions) and have highlighted the main topic of each question for you.

Academic IELTS Essay Questions (Sept 2020- January 2021)

1. Some people believe that  companies should manufacture products that last for a long time.  Others
feel that the emphasis should be placed on producing goods that are cheap. Discuss both views and give
your own opinion.

2. Some people think that when  many imported films or TV programmes are shown in a country, it can
improve the country’s culture. Others feel that it is better for a country to make and broadcast its own
movies and TV shows. Discuss both sides and give your own view.

3. Some people believe that  charities  should help people in need no matter where those people are in
the world. Others feel that these organisations should only serve the people living in the country where
they are based. Discuss both sides and give your own view.

4. Some people believe that  good teamwork is what makes companies successful. Others feel that it is
more important to have a good leader. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

5. Some people think watching  TV and films makes children more creative. Others think that it can
actually lower their creativity.  Discuss both views and give your opinion.

6. Some people believe that  visual images (such as photos and videos) provide enough evidence that a
crime was committed.  Others think that they are not enough on their own and other evidence is needed.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.

7. Some scientists think that  computers will soon become more intelligent than humans.  To what
extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
8.  Although there is a lot of  software available today that can translate from one language to another,
it is still necessary for people to learn a foreign language.  To what extent do you agree or disagree with
this statement?

9.  In many countries,  governments spend a lot of money celebrating national holidays and
festivals.  However, some people think that spending money on these celebrations is a waste.  To what
extent do you agree or disagree with this view?