Success in IELTS Academic Writing

Script – course overview and how to benefit
Note: The script may have some differences with the audio. Any differences will be infrequent and minor.
Instructor:
Hello and welcome to Success in IELTS Academic writing. To take this course
you should be intending to take the IELTS test, and that means the academic
version of the test, not the ‘general training’ version. This is important because
the writing tasks are quite different between the two versions.
You also need to have a good level of English, because this course does not aim
to teach you English, although you will probably learn some while you take the
course. The course aims to train you to reach your potential on the writing test.
If you have an English level which would allow you to reach Band 7 on the test,
then this course will help you get that Band7 on the writing exam.
In this quick overview, we will show you the outline of the whole course and
then give you some pointers about how to get the maximum benefit from it.
Slide 1
This course, Success in IELTS Academic Writing, is organized into six sections,
which take you step by step though everything you need to know to ace the
IELTS writing exam.
The first section contains an introduction to the main features of Task 1 and 2
on the exam and then shows you what you need to do to meet the requirements
for a score of Band 7. Each video lesson is followed by a quiz to test you on the
main points.
Slide 2
In Section 2, we move in to focus on Task 1, and teach you a great 3-step plan
to deal with this task. We cover two Task 1 graph questions and two Task 1
diagram questions, giving you practice in using the 3-step plan. There is a quiz
at the end.
© 2014 Expert English Page 1

Slide 3
In Section 3 we move on to cover all aspects of the assessment on Task 1,

dealing with coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with a quiz after each video.
Then we analyse an actual sample piece of IELTS writing, before you go ahead
and write four Task 1 answers yourself.
Slide 4
Section 4 takes you into Task 2, first the all important matter of answering the
question. Then we learn the Task 2 version of the 3-step plan and practice it
with four different Task 2 questions. Again a quiz tests your knowledge of the
key points.
Slide 5
In Section 5 we move on to cover other aspects of the assessment on Task 2,

dealing with coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with a quiz after each video.
Then we analyse a real Task 2 sample of IELTS writing, before you write four
Task 2 answers yourself.
Slide 6
In Section 6, we review all the tips for success in the writing exam and there are
two full practice tests for you to put it all together and practice writing as in the
exam.
Slide 7
So, how do you get the maximum benefit from this course? The course is
designed to go step by step through what you need to know, so start at the
beginning and do the lessons step by step.
Slide 8

Some people get all enthusiastic and want to learn everything in a day, but most
people learn better when they build concepts over time, adding to previous
knowledge on successive days. So, it is better to do the course over several days
rather than all at once. On the other hand, it would be a bad idea to space it out
too much, over a couple of months for example. About two weeks is probably
perfect.
Slide 9
Make sure you understand a lesson well before going ahead. You can repeat the
lesson, and also scripts are provided so that you can read as well, or even read
along while listening.
Slide 10
The course is divided, as we saw, into Task 1 and Task 2. It is important to

practice writing Task 1 answers at the end of Section 3, so that you consolidate
everything you know and are learning before moving on. The same thing for
Task 2 writing practice at the end of Section 5.
Obviously, it would not be a good idea to read the model answers before writing
your own answer. Actually, the very best way to use the practice tests is to treat
them like an exam and do them under exam conditions.
Slide 11
We are talking about the Task 1 guided practice and the full practice at the end
of section 3, and they even come with a short video telling you how best to do
them. Then Task 2 has similar practice material at the end of Section 5.
Slide 12
The next thing to note is that there are lot of tips throughout the course, which if
followed can really contribute to a good score. They are also gathered in one
place in the final section, so make sure you understand them.

Slide 13
Do the Practice Tests at the end of the course under exam conditions. This is
your chance to see how you perform in a situation that is just like the real test.
Slide 14
To find out how you performed and what you might need to work on, you
probably need to get feedback from a teacher who really understands IELTS.
We also provide that service, at a special discount price for you. You can find
further details at the end of the course.
Slide 15
Let’s go over how to get the maximum benefit from this course.
1. Start at the beginning and do the lessons step by step.
2. Don’t do the course all at once! Take a couple of weeks.
3. If you don’t understand a lesson well, go back and repeat it.
4. Do the Task 1 writing practice at the end of Section 3 and the Task 2 writing
practice at the end of Section 5.
5. Make sure to follow all the ‘tips’ in Section 6.
6. Do the Practice Tests at the end of the course under exam conditions.
7. Get feedback on your writing from IELTS teachers.
Instructor:
So, that’s it, folks. You are now on the way to getting a great score on the
IELTS writing exam. You need a good level of English, because the IELTS test
is actually a great test of your ability in English. It is impossible to fake it in an
hour-long writing exam. We will give you all the practical knowledge and skills
that you need to reach your potential in the exam. Good luck and I hope you
enjoy the course!

IELTS Task 1 Writing band descriptors (public version)
Band Task Achievement Coherence and Cohesion Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy
9 fully satisfies all the requirements of uses cohesion in such a uses a wide range of vocabulary with uses a wide range of structures with full
the task way that it attracts no very natural and sophisticated control of flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors
clearly presents a fully developed attention lexical features; rare minor errors occur occur only as ‘slips’
response skilfully manages only as ‘slips’
paragraphing
8 covers all requirements of the task sequences information and uses a wide range of vocabulary fluently uses a wide range of structures
sufficiently ideas logically and flexibly to convey precise meanings the majority of sentences are error-free
presents, highlights and illustrates key manages all aspects of skilfully uses uncommon lexical items but makes only very occasional errors or
features / bullet points clearly and cohesion well there may be occasional inaccuracies in inappropriacies
appropriately uses paragraphing word choice and collocation
sufficiently and produces rare errors in spelling and/or
appropriately word formation
7 covers the requirements of the task logically organises uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to uses a variety of complex structures
(Academic) presents a clear overview information and ideas; there allow some flexibility and precision produces frequent error-free sentences
of main trends, differences or stages is clear progression uses less common lexical items with has good control of grammar and
(General Training) presents a clear throughout some awareness of style and collocation punctuation but may make a few errors
purpose, with the tone consistent and uses a range of cohesive may produce occasional errors in word
appropriate devices appropriately choice, spelling and/or word formation
clearly presents and highlights key although there may be
features / bullet points but could be some under-/over-use
more fully extended
6 addresses the requirements of the task arranges information and uses an adequate range of vocabulary uses a mix of simple and complex sentence
(Academic) presents an overview with ideas coherently and there for the task forms
information appropriately selected is a clear overall attempts to use less common vocabulary makes some errors in grammar and
(General Training) presents a purpose progression but with some inaccuracy punctuation but they rarely reduce
that is generally clear; there may be uses cohesive devices makes some errors in spelling and/or communication
inconsistencies in tone effectively, but cohesion word formation, but they do not impede
presents and adequately highlights key within and/or between communication
features / bullet points but details may sentences may be faulty or
be irrelevant, inappropriate or mechanical
inaccurate may not always use
referencing clearly or
appropriately
Page 1 of 2
5 generally addresses the task; the presents information with uses a limited range of vocabulary, but uses only a limited range of structures
format may be inappropriate in places some organisation but there this is minimally adequate for the task attempts complex sentences but these tend
(Academic) recounts detail may be a lack of overall may make noticeable errors in spelling to be less accurate than simple sentences
mechanically with no clear overview; progression and/or word formation that may cause may make frequent grammatical errors and
there may be no data to support the makes inadequate, some difficulty for the reader punctuation may be faulty; errors can
description inaccurate or over-use of cause some difficulty for the reader
(General Training) may present a cohesive devices
purpose for the letter that is unclear at may be repetitive because
times; the tone may be variable and of lack of referencing and
sometimes inappropriate substitution
presents, but inadequately covers, key
features / bullet points; there may be a
tendency to focus on details
4 attempts to address the task but does presents information and uses only basic vocabulary which may be uses only a very limited range of structures
not cover all key features / bullet ideas but these are not used repetitively or which may be with only rare use of subordinate clauses
points; the format may be inappropriate arranged coherently and inappropriate for the task some structures are accurate but errors
(General Training) fails to clearly there is no clear has limited control of word formation predominate, and punctuation is often
explain the purpose of the letter; the progression in the response and/or spelling; faulty
tone may be inappropriate uses some basic cohesive errors may cause strain for the
may confuse key features / bullet devices but these may be reader
points with detail; parts may be inaccurate or repetitive
unclear, irrelevant, repetitive or
inaccurate
3 fails to address the task, which may does not organise ideas uses only a very limited range of words attempts sentence forms but errors in
have been completely misunderstood logically and expressions with very limited control grammar and punctuation predominate and
presents limited ideas which may be may use a very limited of word formation and/or spelling distort the meaning
largely irrelevant/repetitive range of cohesive devices, errors may severely distort the message
and those used may not
indicate a logical
relationship between ideas
2 answer is barely related to the task has very little control of uses an extremely limited range of cannot use sentence forms except in
organisational features vocabulary; essentially no control of word memorised phrases
formation and/or spelling
1 answer is completely unrelated to the fails to communicate any can only use a few isolated words cannot use sentence forms at all
task message
0
does not attend
does not attempt the task in any way
writes a totally memorised response
Page 2 of 2
Band Task Response Coherence and Cohesion Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy
9 fully addresses all parts of the task uses cohesion in such a way that it uses a wide range of vocabulary uses a wide range of structures with
presents a fully developed position in attracts no attention with very natural and full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor
answer to the question with relevant, fully skilfully manages paragraphing sophisticated control of lexical errors occur only as ‘slips’
extended and well supported ideas features; rare minor errors occur
only as ‘slips’
8 sufficiently addresses all parts of the task sequences information and ideas uses a wide range of vocabulary uses a wide range of structures
presents a well-developed response to the logically fluently and flexibly to convey the majority of sentences are error-free
question with relevant, extended and manages all aspects of cohesion well precise meanings makes only very occasional errors or
supported ideas uses paragraphing sufficiently and skilfully uses uncommon lexical inappropriacies
appropriately items but there may be
occasional inaccuracies in word
choice and collocation
produces rare errors in spelling
and/or word formation
7 addresses all parts of the task logically organises information and ideas; uses a sufficient range of uses a variety of complex structures
presents a clear position throughout the there is clear progression throughout vocabulary to allow some produces frequent error-free sentences
response uses a range of cohesive devices flexibility and precision has good control of grammar and
presents, extends and supports main ideas, appropriately although there may be uses less common lexical items punctuation but may make a few errors
but there may be a tendency to over- some under-/over-use with some awareness of style
generalise and/or supporting ideas may presents a clear central topic within each and collocation
lack focus paragraph may produce occasional errors
in word choice, spelling and/or
word formation
6 addresses all parts of the task although arranges information and ideas uses an adequate range of uses a mix of simple and complex
some parts may be more fully covered than coherently and there is a clear overall vocabulary for the task sentence forms
others progression attempts to use less common makes some errors in grammar and
presents a relevant position although the uses cohesive devices effectively, but vocabulary but with some punctuation but they rarely reduce
conclusions may become unclear or cohesion within and/or between inaccuracy communication
repetitive sentences may be faulty or mechanical makes some errors in spelling
presents relevant main ideas but some may may not always use referencing clearly or and/or word formation, but they
be inadequately developed/unclear appropriately do not impede communication
uses paragraphing, but not always
logically
5 addresses the task only partially; the format presents information with some uses a limited range of uses only a limited range of structures
may be inappropriate in places organisation but there may be a lack of vocabulary, but this is minimally attempts complex sentences but these
expresses a position but the development overall progression adequate for the task tend to be less accurate than simple
is not always clear and there may be no makes inadequate, inaccurate or over- may make noticeable errors in sentences
Page 1 of 2
conclusions drawn use of cohesive devices spelling and/or word formation may make frequent grammatical errors
presents some main ideas but these are may be repetitive because of lack of that may cause some difficulty and punctuation may be faulty; errors
limited and not sufficiently developed; there referencing and substitution for the reader can cause some difficulty for the
may be irrelevant detail may not write in paragraphs, or reader
paragraphing may be inadequate
4 responds to the task only in a minimal way presents information and ideas but these uses only basic vocabulary uses only a very limited range of
or the answer is tangential; the format may are not arranged coherently and there is which may be used repetitively structures with only rare use of
be inappropriate no clear progression in the response or which may be inappropriate subordinate clauses
presents a position but this is unclear uses some basic cohesive devices but for the task some structures are accurate but
presents some main ideas but these are these may be inaccurate or repetitive has limited control of word errors predominate, and punctuation is
difficult to identify and may be repetitive, may not write in paragraphs or their use formation and/or spelling; errors often faulty
irrelevant or not well supported may be confusing may cause strain for the reader
3 does not adequately address any part of does not organise ideas logically uses only a very limited range of attempts sentence forms but errors in
the task may use a very limited range of cohesive words and expressions with grammar and punctuation predominate
does not express a clear position devices, and those used may not indicate very limited control of word and distort the meaning
presents few ideas, which are largely a logical relationship between ideas formation and/or spelling
undeveloped or irrelevant errors may severely distort the
message
2 barely responds to the task has very little control of organisational uses an extremely limited range cannot use sentence forms except in
does not express a position features of vocabulary; essentially no memorised phrases
may attempt to present one or two ideas control of word formation and/or
but there is no development spelling
1 answer is completely unrelated to the task fails to communicate any message can only use a few isolated cannot use sentence forms at all
words
0
does not attend
Page 2 of 2
Script: Introduction to the Academic Writing Exam
Instructor
There are two different IELTS exams – Academic and General.
So, are you doing IELTS Academic or General training?
If you don’t know, you had better find out!
It is very important on the IELTS writing exam because the tasks are completely different.
If you are doing General, you are in the wrong place! This course covers Academic writing.
So, what kind of writing do you have to do in the IELTS Academic Writing module?
You will find out in this video.
Let’s look at the goals for this lesson:
- Find out exactly what kind of questions you might get on the writing paper
- Understand how Task 1 is different from Task 2
Slide 1
Well, you probably already know something about the Academic Writing exam.
For example I am sure that you know that there are two tasks, Task 1 and Task
2. So, what do you know…. do you know a little or a lot about what to expect
on exam day?
Here are some statements about the Academic writing exam. Some are true and
some are false. Pause the video for a moment and write down your answers in
your work book or on a notepad. You can just jot down your answers like this –
number 1 - T for True or F for False, No 2 and so on. So pause the video now
and write down your answers.
OK, I am not going to tell you the answers right now. Let’s look at how the
writing paper is set out first and then at the end of this video we will check your
answers, OK? Let’s go.
Slide 2

You know that there are two tasks, that is two pieces of writing - Task 1 and
Task 2, but how are they different from each other?
Do you know what those differences are, with regard to the format, the
minimum number of words you have to write, the time you can take to write
them and how much each task is worth for your writing score?
Well, let’s check those basic facts now.
The format of Task 1 is a report, it’s completely objective, reporting on some

information which is given to you on the question paper. On the other hand,
Task 2 is a short essay, in which you will usually look at two sides of a problem
and give your opinion, so it is more subjective than Task 1.
How many words do you have to write? On task 1, you need to write a
minimum of 150 words, while on Task 2 the requirement is 250 words.
You have one hour to write both tasks, and you should spend 20 minutes on
Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2.
Whoa, but why do you have to spend twice as long writing Task 2?….. well,
Task 2 is worth two-thirds of your total score, compared to just one-third for
Task 1, so Task 2 contributes DOUBLE the score of Task 1, so it makes sense
to spend double the time on it.
That also means if you don’t do such a great job on Task 1 but you do a really
good job on Task 2, you might still get a good overall writing score. Of course
if you mess up Task 2, a good Task 1 will not save you!
So, you would not want to spend any longer than 20 minutes on Task 1, don’t
write a Task 1 answer that is much longer than 150 words so that you don’t eat
into your valuable Task 2 time. Does that make sense?
Slide 3
Alright, now let’s take a look at what a real test paper looks like in the IELTS
writing test. To do that we will go to the official IELTS website for test takers –
the address is
http://www.ieltsessentials.com
So take a note of that.

It is well worth looking around this site. As you can see there is a lot of
useful information about scoring, FAQs, test taking tips and lots more. We
will click on ‘Sample test questions’ , which takes us to the ‘free IELTS
practice tests page’.
So we will click on Writing practice test 1 - IELTS Academic and you can see
there are some Downloadable Academic Writing samples, so we click on
Academic Task 1 and we can see the following:
Now Academic Task 2 and this is what we get:
One thing to note here.... this is just the ‘question booklet’, so a good tip is that
you can write any notes and do your planning on these pages, that is quite
OK, because there is a separate ‘booklet’ for writing your answers. Let’s
quickly have a look at that:
So you see you write your name and so on here, tick General or Academic and
here you write your Task 1 answer, of course you don’t write anything down
here, as it says ‘Examiner’s Use only’ .... and then your task 2 answer.
OK, so your answers are completely separate from the question booklet...
don’t forget you can use that for writing notes and doing your planning,
which is a really good tip!
So that website again, http://www.ieltsessentials.com
Slide 4
Now let’s go back to Task 1 to see what kind of information or data you have to
write about. Usually there will be one or two graphs (or charts in American
English), for example a line graph, a column graph or a pie chart. Sometimes
there is a table or a table with a graph.
Slide 5
The question will be something like:
“The graph below shows Internet use at a high school over several years.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.”

I will teach you an organized way to plan and write an answer to this kind of
question in a later video.
Slide 6
Sometimes Task 1 is not based on graphs or tables, but instead you will see a
diagram. It could be a diagram showing some kind of system or about how
some process works and you have to describe the process shown in the diagram.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to have any special knowledge about the subject
matter. Again, I will teach you an organized way to plan and write an answer to
this kind of question in a later video.
Slide 7
Another kind of diagram you might find in Task 1 is two maps. In the second
one some changes have occurred and you need to describe the changes. Many
IELTS students prepare a lot for the graph kind of question and so they are
ready to write about trends and increases or decreases and so on, but to write
about a diagram or map, different vocabulary is needed, and we will look at
exactly how to do this in a later video.
Slide 8
So to sum up what Task 1 consists of: you will have to write a report on some
information shown in graphs and/or tables, or maybe diagrams or maps. You
have to write a minimum of 150 words and you should not go over time here
because it is only one third of your writing score.
It is important to remember that in Task 1 you must report ONLY about the data
which is presented on the exam paper! No other information, ideas or opinions
are relevant! You will learn exactly how to do this in following videos and
using the practice materials in this course.
Slide 9

Now let’s turn to Task 2. Remember that it is an essay question, that it is longer
than Task 1. The minimum length is 250 words, and it should take around 40
minutes to plan and write your essay. It is absolutely essential to do a good job
in Task 2 because it is worth two thirds or almost 67% of your score!
So what kind of question will you find in Task 2?
Usually there is one statement or two statements about a topic and you are asked
to agree or disagree. ‘How far do you agree or disagree?’ is another way to ask
you to agree or disagree with the statement.
Obviously the question is asking you to clearly write the reasons why you agree
or disagree.
The question might ask you to explore both sides of an argument AND give
your own opinion. Here it is very important to do ALL PARTS of the question.
If you fail to write about your opinion for example, you will be penalised and
probably not get a good score.
Sometimes the question will not be about agreeing and disagreeing, but contain
a couple of questions on a topic. An example about traffic congestion in cities –
why has this happened? What can we do to solve the problem?
Now, imagine that you write a very good essay describing several reasons why
traffic congestion happens and give your opinion that traffic congestion is bad
for cities and people. Sorry! You won’t get a good score because you did not
answer BOTH questions. You had to write about how to solve the problem too.
Slide 10
So, you can see how important it is to read the question carefully and plan your
answer to make sure you include all parts of the question. You will learn exactly
how to do this in following videos and using the practice materials in this
course.
Slide 11
OK, so we are near the end of this introduction to IELTS Academic Writing.
Let’s go back to those True or False statements from the beginning of this

video. Did you write down your answers? I think you can easily answer True or
False for all of them now, right?
Actually 3 of them are True and 3 are False.
Let’s check the answers: Number 1 is .... False! Because yes, both are
important, but Task 2 is worth twice the score of Task 1. You write more words
and spend more time on Task 2.
Number 2 is True. 150 words minimum for Task 1. You can write a little more
but don’t write less!
Number 3 is True.
Number 4.... True or False? You cannot express your opinion in Task 2? False,
because you can and very often you must! It is Task 1 where your opinion is not
relevant.
Number 5 is .... False! You must write a minimum of 250 words for Task 2.
You can write a little more but don’t write less!
Number 6.... True or False? Of course it is True! It is very important to answer

all parts of the question.
Instructor:
How did you do with those True or False statements? I didn’t trick you I hope!
Remember the goals from the beginning of this video? So, do you clearly understand what
the Task 1 and Task 2 questions are like and how they are different? If you do, great!
If not, you need to go back and watch again to make sure you really understand.
In the next video we will look at how to get a high score of Band 7 or higher.

Band Task Response Coherence and Cohesion Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy
9 fully addresses all parts of the task uses cohesion in such a way that it uses a wide range of vocabulary uses a wide range of structures with
presents a fully developed position in attracts no attention with very natural and full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor
answer to the question with relevant, fully skilfully manages paragraphing sophisticated control of lexical errors occur only as ‘slips’
extended and well supported ideas features; rare minor errors occur
only as ‘slips’
8 sufficiently addresses all parts of the task sequences information and ideas uses a wide range of vocabulary uses a wide range of structures
presents a well-developed response to the logically fluently and flexibly to convey the majority of sentences are error-free
question with relevant, extended and manages all aspects of cohesion well precise meanings makes only very occasional errors or
supported ideas uses paragraphing sufficiently and skilfully uses uncommon lexical inappropriacies
appropriately items but there may be
occasional inaccuracies in word
choice and collocation
produces rare errors in spelling
and/or word formation
7 addresses all parts of the task logically organises information and ideas; uses a sufficient range of uses a variety of complex structures
presents a clear position throughout the there is clear progression throughout vocabulary to allow some produces frequent error-free sentences
response uses a range of cohesive devices flexibility and precision has good control of grammar and
presents, extends and supports main ideas, appropriately although there may be uses less common lexical items punctuation but may make a few errors
but there may be a tendency to over- some under-/over-use with some awareness of style
generalise and/or supporting ideas may presents a clear central topic within each and collocation
lack focus paragraph may produce occasional errors
in word choice, spelling and/or
word formation
6 addresses all parts of the task although arranges information and ideas uses an adequate range of uses a mix of simple and complex
some parts may be more fully covered than coherently and there is a clear overall vocabulary for the task sentence forms
others progression attempts to use less common makes some errors in grammar and
presents a relevant position although the uses cohesive devices effectively, but vocabulary but with some punctuation but they rarely reduce
conclusions may become unclear or cohesion within and/or between inaccuracy communication
repetitive sentences may be faulty or mechanical makes some errors in spelling
presents relevant main ideas but some may may not always use referencing clearly or and/or word formation, but they
be inadequately developed/unclear appropriately do not impede communication
uses paragraphing, but not always
logically
5 addresses the task only partially; the format presents information with some uses a limited range of uses only a limited range of structures
may be inappropriate in places organisation but there may be a lack of vocabulary, but this is minimally attempts complex sentences but these
expresses a position but the development overall progression adequate for the task tend to be less accurate than simple
is not always clear and there may be no makes inadequate, inaccurate or over- may make noticeable errors in sentences
Page 1 of 2
conclusions drawn use of cohesive devices spelling and/or word formation may make frequent grammatical errors
presents some main ideas but these are may be repetitive because of lack of that may cause some difficulty and punctuation may be faulty; errors
limited and not sufficiently developed; there referencing and substitution for the reader can cause some difficulty for the
may be irrelevant detail may not write in paragraphs, or reader
paragraphing may be inadequate
4 responds to the task only in a minimal way presents information and ideas but these uses only basic vocabulary uses only a very limited range of
or the answer is tangential; the format may are not arranged coherently and there is which may be used repetitively structures with only rare use of
be inappropriate no clear progression in the response or which may be inappropriate subordinate clauses
presents a position but this is unclear uses some basic cohesive devices but for the task some structures are accurate but
presents some main ideas but these are these may be inaccurate or repetitive has limited control of word errors predominate, and punctuation is
difficult to identify and may be repetitive, may not write in paragraphs or their use formation and/or spelling; errors often faulty
irrelevant or not well supported may be confusing may cause strain for the reader
3 does not adequately address any part of does not organise ideas logically uses only a very limited range of attempts sentence forms but errors in
the task may use a very limited range of cohesive words and expressions with grammar and punctuation predominate
does not express a clear position devices, and those used may not indicate very limited control of word and distort the meaning
presents few ideas, which are largely a logical relationship between ideas formation and/or spelling
undeveloped or irrelevant errors may severely distort the
message
2 barely responds to the task has very little control of organisational uses an extremely limited range cannot use sentence forms except in
does not express a position features of vocabulary; essentially no memorised phrases
may attempt to present one or two ideas control of word formation and/or
but there is no development spelling
1 answer is completely unrelated to the task fails to communicate any message can only use a few isolated cannot use sentence forms at all
words
0
does not attend
Page 2 of 2
WRITING TASK 1: Band Descriptors (public version)
Band Task achievement Coherence and cohesion Lexical resource Grammatical range and accuracy
9 • fully satisfies all the requirements of the task • uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention • uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and • uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and
• clearly presents a fully developed response • skilfully manages paragraphing sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’
occur only as ‘slips’
8 • covers all requirements of the task sufficiently • sequences information and ideas logically • uses a wide range of vocabulary fluently and flexibly to • uses a wide range of structures
• presents, highlights and illustrates key features/ bullet • manages all aspects of cohesion well convey precise meanings • the majority of sentences are error-free
points clearly and appropriately • uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately • skilfully uses uncommon lexical items but there may be • makes only very occasional errors or inappropriacies
occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation
• produces rare errors in spelling and/or word formation
7 • covers the requirements of the task • logically organises information and ideas; there is clear • uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some • uses a variety of complex structures
• (A) presents a clear overview of main trends, differences or progression throughout flexibility and precision • produces frequent error-free sentences
stages • uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although • uses less common lexical items with some awareness of • has good control of grammar and punctuation but may
• (GT) presents a clear purpose, with the tone consistent and there may be some under-/over-use style and collocation make a few errors
appropriate • may produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling
• clearly presents and highlights key features/bullet points and/or word formation
but could be more fully extended
6 • addresses the requirements of the task • arranges information and ideas coherently and there is a • •uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task • uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms
• (A) presents an overview with information appropriately clear overall progression • attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some • makes some errors in grammar and punctuation but they
selected • uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within inaccuracy rarely reduce communication
• (GT) presents a purpose that is generally clear; there may and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical • makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but
be inconsistencies in tone • may not always use referencing clearly or appropriately they do not impede communication
• presents and adequately highlights key features/ bullet
points but details may be irrelevant, inappropriate or
inaccurate
5 • generally addresses the task; the format may be • presents information with some organisation but there may • uses a limited range of vocabulary, but this is minimally • uses only a limited range of structures
inappropriate in places be a lack of overall progression adequate for the task • attempts complex sentences but these tend to be less
• (A) recounts detail mechanically with no clear overview; • makes inadequate, inaccurate or over-use of cohesive • may make noticeable errors in spelling and/or word accurate than simple sentences
there may be no data to support the description devices formation that may cause some difficulty for the reader • may make frequent grammatical errors and punctuation
• (GT) may present a purpose for the letter that is unclear at • may be repetitive because of lack of referencing and may be faulty; errors can cause some difficulty for the
times; the tone may be variable and sometimes substitution reader
inappropriate
• presents, but inadequately covers, key features/ bullet
points; there may be a tendency to focus on details
4 • attempts to address the task but does not cover all key • presents information and ideas but these are not arranged • uses only basic vocabulary which may be used repetitively • uses only a very limited range of structures with only rare
features/bullet points; the format may be inappropriate coherently and there is no clear progression in the or which may be inappropriate for the task use of subordinate clauses
• (GT) fails to clearly explain the purpose of the letter; the response • has limited control of word formation and/or spelling; • some structures are accurate but errors predominate, and
tone may be inappropriate • uses some basic cohesive devices but these may be • errors may cause strain for the reader punctuation is often faulty
• may confuse key features/bullet points with detail; parts inaccurate or repetitive
may be unclear, irrelevant, repetitive or inaccurate
3 • fails to address the task, which may have been completely • does not organise ideas logically • uses only a very limited range of words and expressions • attempts sentence forms but errors in grammar and
misunderstood • may use a very limited range of cohesive devices, and with very limited control of word formation and/or spelling punctuation predominate and distort the meaning
• presents limited ideas which may be largely those used may not indicate a logical relationship between • errors may severely distort the message
irrelevant/repetitive ideas
2 • answer is barely related to the task • has very little control of organisational features • uses an extremely limited range of vocabulary; essentially • cannot use sentence forms except in memorised phrases
no control of word formation and/or spelling
1 • answer is completely unrelated to the task • fails to communicate any message • can only use a few isolated words • cannot use sentence forms at all
0 • does not attend
• does not attempt the task in any way
• writes a totally memorised response
(A) Academic │(GT) General Training IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment. Page 1 of 1
Script – How to get Band 7
Instructor:
Do you need a band 7 or even higher on your IELTS exam? Not many candidates do get a
high score, especially in writing.
If you look at the official IELTS statistics from 2012, the average (for females) on listening,
reading and speaking was around Band 6, but writing was only 5.6.
Men were a little lower, average 5.8 for listening, reading and speaking, but writing just
5.4. So, you can see that Writing on average scores half a band lower than the other IELTS
tests.
Why is that? Well, many people are not used to formal kinds of writing, like reports and
essays, so you need lots of practice!
Also, the other 3 tests more or less reflect your real English level even if you don’t do much
preparation, but for the writing test, you need to know exactly what is required to score
well. This is often true even if your English is very good or excellent.
Let’s look at the goals for this video:
- Learn about exactly how your writing will be assessed.

- Understand what it takes to get a Band 7 or higher.
Slide 1
Can you answer these questions about IELTS writing assessment?
1. What is ‘Task Achievement’?
2. What is ‘cohesion’ in writing?
3. How many grammar mistakes can you make?
4. What is ‘lexical resource’?
I bet you are not too sure. If you want, pause the video and try to write a quick
answer for each one.

Ready? Let’s come back to these questions at the end of this video and see the
answers then, OK?
Slide 2
So, how do you get a high score of 7 or more in the IELTS writing exam?
In both Academic and General writing your score depends on how the examiner
assesses FOUR aspects of your writing.
We will look at these 4 areas in more detail in this video and in the following
videos, but in simple terms:
1. You have to answer the question completely and answer it well.
2. Your structure must be clear and logical and your writing must flow easily
from point to point.
3. Your vocabulary has to be varied and contain few errors. If you have many
spelling mistakes or wrong word forms you will not get a ‘7’.
4. Like vocabulary, your grammar must be varied and contain few errors. You
need to use a range of sentence types and show a reasonable command of
English grammar.
OK, this is important! You probably cannot have a lower standard in ANY of
these areas. If three of the areas are at a band 7 standard, but just one is at a
Band 6 standard, you will get a 6.5 for writing.
Slide 3
The good news is that the criteria used to assess your writing are not a secret!
The IELTS band descriptors, the public version, are available on the Internet.
So, you can see that the four main areas are here; called Task Achievement (or
Task Response for Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion (which means how well
your writing is structured and flows). Next is Lexical Resource, which basically
means vocabulary, and fourth, Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
On the left side we have the band scores 9, 8, 7, 6 and so on. We will look in
detail at the requirements for Band 7.

The band descriptors are available at IELTS.org, and there is a direct link in this
course. Look to the top right of your page and click on this symbol. You can
find the link in ‘External resources’ down here. You can download or print out
the band descriptors for Task 1 and Task 2 so you can refer to them throughput
this course.
Slide 3-4
So, let’s look at the first area, regarding answering the question completely and
well. In IELTS language this is called Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task
Response (Task 2). Here are the exact Band 7 descriptors for Task 1 Academic
version:
For now, please focus on these words “covers the requirements of the task” - in
other words, you answer the question properly, you do what the question asks
you to do. Also, “clearly presents and highlights key features…” – This is
telling you that you must include all the main points that are in the question –
you cannot leave out any main feature or point.
Now, the Task 2 descriptors LOOK different but they are not really so different.
• addresses all parts of the task
• presents a clear position throughout the response
• presents, extends and supports main ideas, but there may be a tendency
to over-generalise and/or supporting ideas may lack focus
Again, this tells you that you need to do what the question asks you to do,
exactly! You can’t miss out any part of the question AND you must present and
support several main points or ideas. The difference in Task 2 is that you
present your own ideas in response to the question, compared to Task 1 where
you are presenting the information that they give you.
But keeping it simple for the moment, it is clear that you need to:
• Do what the question asks.
• Present all main points (task 1)
• Present and support several main ideas (task 2)

Please don’t worry if it is not completely clear yet, as we will deal with this in
more detail in following videos. OK?
Now, let’s move on to our second area, about the structure and flow of your
writing. In IELTS language called Coherence and Cohesion.
Slide 6-7
Once again we will look at the band descriptors taken directly from the official
IELTS document.
For a Band 7 in Coherence and Cohesion, it says:
• Logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression

throughout
• Uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be

some under-/over-use
And you can see that the Task 2 descriptors are the same except for the
additional bullet point: “presents a clear central topic within each paragraph”.
We will look at that in a later video, so don’t worry about that now.
So, what does this mean? What you write needs to be organised, you can’t just
start writing and hope for the best. A few minutes spent planning before you
write will vastly improve your writing.
You also need to move logically from one point to the next and this is where
‘cohesive devices’ are important. That means linking words like because, so,
but, which, although and markers like first, next, finally, on the other hand.
These linking words and markers will make your writing much easier to follow.
But we will deal with this in more detail in a later video.
For now it is clear that for a Band 7 in Coherence and Cohesion you need to:
• Organize information and ideas properly.
• Use appropriate linking words and markers.
Remember that we will deal with this in much more detail in a later video.

Slide 8-9
The third area to look at is Lexical Resource, meaning vocabulary, or the words
you use. Once again, let’s refer back to the IELTS descriptors, this time exactly
the same for Task 1 and 2:
• uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision
• uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation
• may produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word

formation
So, you can see that you need a good range or variety of vocabulary, including
some less common words. This shows the examiner that you have a wide
English vocabulary. The other main point here is about errors, only ‘occasional’
errors of spelling or word formation are allowed. So too many errors and it will
be hard to get a 7.
So, it is clear that you need to:
• Use a wide range of words
• Not make many mistakes
Slide 10-11
The fourth area to understand is Grammatical Range and Accuracy. The IELTS
Band descriptors put it like this:
• uses a variety of complex structures
• produces frequent error-free sentences
• has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few
errors
So you need a variety or range of sentence types and grammar. ‘Complex

structures’ might sound scary, but sentences with ‘which’ and ‘that’ are an
example. Using conditional sentences with would or could is another example.
This will be covered in more detail in a later video.
The other important point here is errors or mistakes. ‘Frequent error-free
sentences” means that a lot of your sentences will need to be quite correct. You
are allowed to make some mistakes but you should show that you have fairly
good control of English grammar.
So, it is clear that you need to:
• Use a range of complex sentences
• Not make too many mistakes
Slide 12
Let’s re-visit the four aspects that you need to understand in order to get a Band
7 or above on IELTS Writing.
In the following videos we will look at each of these four areas in greater detail
and make sure that you know exactly what it takes to get a band 7 in IELTS
Writing.
Slide 13
Now, what about those questions from the beginning? I bet you can answer them now,
right?
In Task 1, Task Achievement means how well and completely you do the task,
which is report the information.
Number 2, Cohesion is basically using linking words and other devices so that
your sentences are connected and someone can read your writing easily.
Number 3, how many grammar mistakes is not an exact figure, but if you read
the descriptors for Band 7 it is clear that only very few spelling mistakes are
allowed and not many grammar mistakes, especially serious ones. For Band 8,
even fewer.
Question 4, ‘lexical’ refers to words and expressions, so this means the
vocabulary you use in your writing.
Instructor
Phew! Too much information? It seems complicated, doesn’t it?
Don’t worry, in the following videos and practice material it will become much clearer. We
will break it down and give you lots of ideas you can use.
So, have you achieved the goals for this unit? Do you understand the four areas that go into
assessing your writing? Do you understand generally how to get a high score? If so, well
done, time to move on.
Remember we are talking about ‘general understanding’ here, but if it all feels unclear, you
had better go back and watch again. Put your phone away, close the door, and really
concentrate!
Next video, we will start to break down Task 1 and prepare to write the answer.

Script – Task 1 3-step plan
Instructor:
You may have searched for IELTS writing tips and practice on the internet or in books.
There is a LOT of stuff out there!
There is a lot of advice about Task 1 – you must do this, don’t do that, examiners are
looking for this, if you do that you will be penalized. You must write in an academic style,
you must use paragraphs, you have to have an introduction. Oh my god!
Some of it is true, some completely false, and some things just don’t matter.
Then you have the 10 steps for success, the 5-step plan, the seven golden rules and a lot of
other stuff which may be great to help you write an essay for school but is not directly
relevant to IELTS Task 1.
That’s why I am going to show you a simple 3-step plan for preparing to write Task 1
which makes sure you answer the question, that you include everything important and that
you don’t waste time! And it takes no longer than 5 minutes.
The goals for this video are:
- Understand the importance of planning your answer.

- Learn how to understand the question.
- Learn about my 3-step plan for Task 1 (SNO)
Slide 1
One of these statements is false! Can you pick which one?
1. The ‘overview’ is a summary of the key information.
2. You must explain the reasons for the information given.
3. If you miss any key information you will not get a Band 7 for Task
Achievement.
Pause the video for a moment, write down your answer and later in the video we
will check to see if you were right! So write down number 1, 2 or 3. Which one
is false?

Slide 2
You might remember that the official descriptors for Band 7 in Task
Achievement look like this:
The key points to note here are:
- ‘Covers the requirements of the task’ – in other words, you do exactly what the
question asks you to do. No more and no less.
- The second important point is ‘presents a clear overview…’ – this means that
you need to write a summary of the key information. Be careful here…. many
test-takers think that ‘overview’ means repeating the information in the
question. It does not! It means summarizing the key information. We will see
how to do this in a moment.
- ‘clearly presents and highlights key features…’ – in other words, you have to
include all the important points from the information provided.
OK, so how do you make sure to do these very important things?
Slide 3
The answer is the ‘Academic Writing Task 1 3-step plan’
1. Study the information carefully.
2. Write notes on the main features.
3. Decide on the ‘overview’.
I will now show you exactly how to use the 3-step plan.
First, number 1: Study the information carefully.
Slide 4

Here is a sample question like the questions you will find in Task 1. The
question will look something like this. Notice that this part about the time and
this part about the words are always printed. Also notice that this instruction
below the question is always the same. So you can just quickly scan all of that
and move on to study the question.
Slide 5
The important part is the question itself and of course the graphics that go with
it. So, you need to carefully and quickly read and understand the information
given.
First the question itself –
The graphs below show the average consumption of coffee for men and women
in several countries in 1990 and 2010. Summarise the information by selecting
and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
So we can see several key points about the graphs here:
They are about average consumption of coffee
They are about men and women
where?- in several countries
When?- in 1990 and 2010
Looking at the graphs we can see one is about average consumption of coffee in
1990 and the other in 2010. We notice that the five countries are the same in
both graphs. We note that each country has a separate column for men and
women. We see that the numbers on the vertical axis are ‘number of cups per
week’. We realize that the second graph has generally higher columns than the
first graph and that the top number is 7 rather than 6. So the difference between
the two graphs is the numbers, the numbers of cups of coffee per week.
Remember that you can use your pen or pencil and write all over the question
paper in the exam and it’s no problem!
Slide 6
Let’s move on to the second step in the 3-step plan, which is:
Number 2: Write notes on the main features
Slide 7
Here is where we need to really focus on the graphs and make sure we
understand exactly what they are showing. In this case, we are comparing two
graphs from different years about the same countries, so it makes sense to
compare the two sets of data. As you find information, you make notes, like
this:
Every country drinks more coffee.

People in Britain drink double 1990 to 2010.
France and Italy increased but only 1 cup per week.
Japanese coffee drinking doubled +.
China almost zero in 1990 - increased sharply - still low.
Slight difference men and women in all countries, men drinking more.
Slide 8
Now we will move on to the third step in the 3-step plan, which is:
Number 3: Decide on the overview.
Slide 9
Many students think that the overview is something like: ‘the two graphs show
changes in coffee drinking habits among men and women in five countries
between 1990 and 2010. This is NOT correct! This just repeats the information
given in the question and will NOT get you a Band 7 for Task Achievement!
You can include that introduction of you want to, but it is not the ‘overview’.
The overview is a summary of the overall trends. The main difference we can
see between the two graphs is that every country drinks more coffee in 2010.
This increase in coffee drinking is especially noticeable in Britain, Japan and
China.
So the overview could be something like this:

The overall trend is higher coffee consumption in 2010 compared to 1990, with
big increases in Asian countries and Britain.
Slide 10
So that’s the 3-step plan. When you have finished, your question paper will
have a lot of writing and markings, but that is great. It is the outline or
‘skeleton’ for writing the report. The plan should take 3 to 5 minutes, no longer
than 5. It is time well-spent, because it ensures that you feel confident to write
about the graphs and cover the main features adequately.
Slide 11
You can see a model answer for this question in….
‘Extras’ and that is top right of your Udemy screen, this symbol here.
The file is called:
Task 1 model answer ‘Coffee’
Read it and you will see what a high level answer might look like.
Just to make sure you know where to find it: you need to click on this icon and
then you will see ‘downloadable material’ here. Just click and you can
download the file and print it if you want.
Slide 12
All right, which one of these did you say was false?
The first one is true.
The last one is true.
It’s number two. False! You certainly should not write any reasons for the
information. Task 1 is all about facts and only the facts that are presented on the
question paper. Don’t give your opinion, don’t speculate, don’t find reasons for
the data. Just report the data given, nothing more.

Instructor:
I’ll let you in on a secret – you have just learned about the key to writing a high-scoring
response! It’s very important to follow the plan.
Anyway, let’s go back to the goals. Did you understand how important it is to plan? Did
you understand how to read the question? Did you begin to understand how to implement
the 3-step plan for Task 1, SNO? If you feel pretty confident that you did, terrific! If it is
still unclear, go back and watch again.
The next lesson is practising using the 3-step plan on another question, and then in the next
video, you will see how I do it.
Slide 13
So, now it is your turn to practise the 3-step plan!
You are going to use the 3-step plan to prepare another Task 1 question.
Slide 14
Don’t forget the 3-step plan.
Here’s a nice way to remember it.
Study.... notes .... overview
S N O snow! Study.... notes .... overview is SNO
Remember this picture of a snowy place and think SNO
Study.... notes .... overview
Learn it now and you will never forget it!
Slide 15
You can look at the question on your screen and take notes but a much better
idea is to download the file. Then you can print it out and write on the question
sheet. That way you can simulate exam conditions.

Anyway, you work on that. In the real exam you will not take longer than 5
minutes, but if it is your first time doing this, you could take a little longer.
Slide 16
And when you are finished, watch the next video and I will show you how I
applied the 3-step plan to this same question, so you can see how well you did.
OK! Have fun!

Disclaimer: This test is not an official IELTS® test. It is intended for practice and study and is only indicative of
the kind of questions and materials students may encounter in the real IELTS® exam. No claim is made that a
question encountered on an actual IELTS® test will resemble this question. Test-takers should practice with a
wide variety of question types to prepare for the exam.
'IELTS' is a registered trade mark of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, the British
Council and IELTS Australia Pty Ltd. The author of this material is not affiliated in any way with IELTS® or the
test partners.
WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graphs below show the average consumption of coffee for men and women in several
countries in 1990 and 2010. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
main features and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
6
Average coffee consumption 1990
Number of cups per week
5
4
3 Men
2 Women
1
0
Britain France Italy Japan China
7 Average coffee consumption 2010

6
Number of cups per week
5
4
Men
3
Women
2
1
0
Britain France Italy Japan China

Remember the 3-step plan: S N O
3. Decide on the overview.
The 3-step plan in action
First, we read the question and underline the main points:
The graphs below show the average consumption of coffee for men and women
in several countries in 1990 and 2010. Summarise the information by selecting
Next, we study the graphs or other data to make sure we understand it:
Looking at the graphs we can see one is about average consumption of coffee
in 1990 and the other in 2010. We notice that the five countries are the same
in both graphs. We note that each country has a separate column for men and
women. We see that the numbers on the vertical axis are ‘number of cups per
week’. We realize that the second graph has higher columns than the first
graph and that the top number is 7 rather than 6. So the difference between
the two graphs is the numbers.
Every country drinks more coffee.

People in Britain drink double 1990 to 2010.
France and Italy increased but only 1 cup per week.
Japanese coffee drinking doubled +.
China almost zero in 1990 - increased sharply - still low.
Slight difference men and women in all countries, men drinking more.

The overall trend is higher coffee consumption in 2010 compared to 1990, with
big increases in Asian countries and Britain.
Model answer
The column graphs show differences in coffee habits between 1990 and 2010
in some European and Asian countries. As a general trend, coffee consumption
increased substantially in all five countries although more coffee is drunk in
Europe than Asia. Also men drank slightly more coffee than women on
average.
The 1990 chart shows that in Britain people had around 2 cups per week in
1990, but that figure doubled to four cups by 2010. French and Italian people,
on the other hand, already drank around 4 and 5 cups respectively in 1990.
Twenty years later this had increased to 5 cups for French men and 4.5 for
women, while Italians drank around 6 cups per week.
In Asian countries, the consumption of coffee was much lower, for example
the Japanese drank less than one cup per week in 1990, but this consumption
increased sharply to two cups per week in 2010. In China coffee was almost
unknown in 1990. However, over the twenty years until 2010, consumption
skyrocketed to an average of almost one cup per week for men and women.
Words: 181

test partners.
WRITING TASK 1
The charts below show unemployment rates and weekly earnings for workers with different
levels of education in the United States in 2012. Summarise the information by selecting
US unemployment rate in 2012 in percent
Did not finish high school 12.5
Finished high school 8.5
Attended college but no degree 7.7
Bachelor's degree 4.6
Master's degree 3.5
Doctoral degree 2.5
US average weekly earnings in dollars (2012)

2000
1500
1000
500
0
Doctoral Master's Bachelor's Attended Finished Did not
degree degree degree college but high finish high
no degree school school
Copyright 2014 Expert English

Script – Task 1 3-step plan (Graphs) - PRACTICE
Instructor:
Did you follow the 3-step plan to do the practice question?
What, you didn’t? Then don’t watch this video!
You need to do it yourself first and then you can compare what you did with what I show
you.
Come on! It’s 5 minutes and very important for your learning.
You did? OK, good! Now watch me do it. I will probably do it better than you… I’ve been
doing this a long time. But you can judge if you are on the way to doing it well yourself.
- Get practice in implementing the 3-step plan - SNO

- Increase your understanding of how to prepare Task 1
Slide 1
Here is the task that you practised with. I will show you how I applied the 3-
step plan to this task. Now you will have done some things differently to me,
but that doesn’t mean you are wrong. Every person doing the test will do it a bit
differently, but there are many ways to be right. Just make sure that what you do
fits the descriptors that we have looked at.
Slide 2
OK, 3-step plan.
Uhhh… what is it again?
Oh yeah, SNO and that stands for Study, notes, overview
Slide 3

So, the first one is study…. Study the information carefully.
Slide 4
The charts below show unemployment rates and weekly earnings for workers
with different levels of education in the United States in 2012. Summarise the
information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.
Looking at the graphs we can see one is about unemployment rates in 2012. We
note that the numbers are in percent. The other chart is about weekly earnings in
2012, in dollars. We see that the six different educational levels are the same
and in the same order in both graphs. We should also notice that the
unemployment rate goes DOWN as the education level rises, while the weekly
salary goes UP with educational level.
Slide 5
Slide 6
So, looking at the first graph, we can see that:
unemployment rate goes DOWN as the education level rises

Unemployment rate is highest – no high school diploma 12.5%
finish h.s./go to college similar (around 8%) but finish college: only 4.5%
unemployed
Small decreases in rate for higher degrees
In the second chart, the features which stand out are:

weekly salary goes UP with educational level
doctoral gives 4 times salary as h.s. unfinished
University education much more salary than h.s. - $400 more bachelor,
extra $300 Master’s, extra $300 doctorate.
Even graduating h.s. is 50% better than not finish h.s.
Slide 7
Slide 8
Remember that the overview is a summary of the key trends! What do the
graphs show, in general, in one or two sentences?
The first graph shows a clear downward trend in the unemployment rate as
people become more educated. The second chart shows a clear trend of higher
weekly salary with more education.
So the overview could be something like this:
As education level increases, there is a clear trend to lower unemployment and

higher earnings.
Slide 9
So again, we have covered the question paper with a lot of writing and
markings, but no problem there and you should have a plan now for a great
Task 1 answer. Don’t worry if you did your 3-step plan differently to me...
remember that the important thing is to make sure that you do what the
descriptors tell you.
Slide 10
Let’s refresh your memory about those descriptors – remember that this is
IELTS telling YOU how to get a seven!

Instructor:
I hope that was helpful. Your answer could be a bit different from mine and still be fine.
Next we will learn about a different kind of Task 1 question: not graphs, but diagrams.

test partners.
WRITING TASK 1
The diagram below shows how two kinds of orange juice are produced in factories.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.

The 3-step plan in action:
The diagram below shows how two kinds of orange juice are produced in
factories. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main
features and make comparisons where relevant.
Looking at the diagram we see that the two kinds of OJ are not from
concentrate and from concentrate. The first one is a simple process and the
second has a number of stages, including concentrating, storing, transporting
and so on.
2 kinds of OJ – fresh OJ (not from concentrate) and reconstituted OJ

(made with concentrate)
First kind simply squeezed from fresh oranges and put in containers.
2nd kind is concentrated, by taking out water (H2O)
Stored, transported
Reconstituted by adding water
Pasteurised
mixed with fresh juice
Containers filled

There are two kinds of orange juice, not from concentrate and from
concentrate. The first one is freshly squeezed juice, while the second is
processed in several stages before being packaged.
Model answer
The diagram shows the steps in production of orange juice. It can be seen that
there are two kinds of orange juice, not from concentrate (nfc) and from
concentrate (fc). The first one is freshly squeezed juice, while the second is
processed in several stages before being packaged.
After the oranges are harvested they are squeezed to obtain the fresh juice.
According to the diagram, this nfc juice is not processed further before being
mixed with juice from concentrate (fc) and then packaged in bottles or other
containers.
On the other hand, the fc juice is concentrated after squeezing, which means
that water is extracted. It is then stored in large tanks and transported by
tanker truck. Eventually it will be reconstituted, which means water is added to
make it like the original orange juice. It is then pasteurised before being mixed
with fresh juice and/or filled into bottles and cartons.
Words: 151

test partners.
WRITING TASK 1
The diagrams below show changes at a school over several years.
© 2014 Expert English

script - Academic Task 1 3-step plan (diagrams) PRACTICE
Instructor:
Did you follow the 3-step plan to do the practice question?
What, you didn’t? Then don’t watch this video!
You need to do it yourself first!
Come on! It’s 5 minutes and very important for your learning. By doing it, you will learn
much better!
You did? OK good! Now watch me do it and see if you agree with me. Remember that your
way might be a bit different but still correct.
Oh, just to make it interesting, I am going to make another big mistake. Let’s see if you can
spot it. Watch for the mistake!
Slide 1
Here is the task that you practised with, which has two maps. I will show you
how I applied the 3-step plan to this task.
Now you will have done some things differently to me, but that doesn’t mean
you are wrong. Every person doing the test will do it a bit differently, but there
are many ways to be right. Just make sure that what you do fits the official
descriptors for band 7 that we have looked at.
Slide 2
But first, S N O
What does SNO stand for?
Study ….. Notes …. Overview
Slide 3
So, there it is …..Study ….. Notes …. Overview

Slide 4

The diagrams below show changes at a school over several years. Summarise the information by
selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
Therefore we understand that we are looking at changes in a school. Looking at

the maps, we see that the first one shows the school in 1995 and the second one
in 2001. We compare the two maps and start to see the changes.
There is a new building or extension to the old building.
Oh, and the whole school grounds are bigger, because this vacant land has been
used, and the fence is gone.
The car park has moved and is bigger.
The library is gone. The playground is smaller but there is a new oval and trees.
And there are also a couple of smaller changes.
Slide 5
Slide 6
OK, so we try to write notes on all the changes we can see:
• The whole school area has increased in size – Included vacant land,
removed fence
• The main school building extended, for library and science rooms
• Car park doubled in size and moved to make way for new building
• Playground is about half the size, replaced with sports oval
• Trees planted and lunch area with tables added
OK, are you happy with that?

You shouldn’t be! I missed out a main feature!
What about the library… whole building has been removed because the library
was incorporated into the new building. So that looks like an important feature
which should be included. Always check that you have all the main features, in
both graphs and diagrams.
Slide 7
So let’s put in a note about that,
The stand alone library removed, library now in new building
Now it looks more complete.
Slide 8
Slide 9
Remember that the overview is a summary of the key trends, or in this case, the
key changes. What are the MAIN changes, in general, in one or two sentences?
There were big changes – significant changes
It was larger...
Was it better? Yes, it was improved.... the facilities improved.
So, the overview could be something like this:
The school in 2001 changed significantly from 1995. It was larger overall and
had improved facilities, such as science labs, a sports oval and a lunch area.
Slide 10

So again, we have covered the question paper with a lot of writing and
markings, but no problem there and you should have a plan now for a great
Task 1 answer. Don’t worry if you did your 3-step plan differently to me...
remember that the important thing is to make sure that you do what the
descriptors tell you.
Slide 11
Let’s refresh your memory about those descriptors – remember that this is
IELTS telling YOU how to get a seven!
Source: ielts.org - IELTS Task 1 Writing band descriptors (public version)
Instructor:
How did you do? Was your plan like mine… if not was it OK, or are there things you need
to change?
Did you pick the mistake? Yes, In Task 1, ALL the main features must be included.

Script - Task 1 Coherence and Cohesion
Instructor:
Coherence and Cohesion …. Say what?
The truth is you could ask a lot of native English speakers about the meaning of
these words and get a lot of wrong and even funny answers. Basically, it really
means how your writing is organized and how easy it is to follow.
Well, you don’t need to know how to define the words Coherence and Cohesion!
What you do need to know is how they are assessed in the IELTS writing test. In
this video you will find out exactly how to check the boxes in Task 1.
So, the goals for this video are:
- understand more about coherence and cohesion
- get practical advice on organizing your answer
- understand about linking words and markers.
Slide 1
Let’s go back to the official descriptors for Band 7 on Academic Writing Task 1.
You see that this column is called Coherence and Cohesion, and here are the
descriptors for band 7.
Slide 2
Logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout –

so it means that it is easy to follow, ideas are organized, not all over the place. It is
coherent, it makes sense.
So, what do you need to do? Firstly, organize information and ideas.

Uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under-
/over-use – this means that there are words and phrases which help the reader
understand your writing, that help the reader navigate from point to point.
So, what do you need to do? Secondly, use linking words and markers.
Now we will look at how to do both of those things.
Slide 3
First, organize information and ideas.
Well, it is very important to follow the 3-step plan. Then it is easy to know what
the overview is, and what the next important points are. You will see if you need to
write first about one graph and then the other graph, or if first men and then
women, or whatever. So use the plan! Practice the plan until it becomes automatic!
Next, a lot of teachers and websites say you must follow this format:
Introduction, paragraph 1, paragraph 2, conclusion.
Usually they say the introduction is repeating the question but using different
words and the conclusion is the overview. So, to take an example….
Slide 4
This one ….educational level and its relationship to salary and unemployment
rates.
Slide 5
The answer might look like this… in the introduction we just say what the graph or
information is about, really repeating the information in the question. (Remember
that it is important NOT to use the same words or nearly the same words as the
question – if you do those words will not be counted.)
Then paragraph 1 will be about one graph in this case, paragraph 2 will be about
the other graph.
The conclusion is where they put the all-important overview or summary of the
key information.

Slide 6
Well that’s OK. You can do that. It’s fine.
But you should know you don’t have to do that!
Personally I prefer to put the overview in the introduction. That way, you lead off
with the most important information and the examiner knows you have an
overview.
Slide 7
Anyway, what do the descriptors say about this?
Um, nothing about introduction and conclusion or even paragraphs! (For Task 1,
paragraphs are mentioned in Band 8, so if you want a band 8, you must have
paragraphs.)
They do say:
Logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout.
There are different ways to do that which are all good.
Slide 8
Maybe the easiest way is like this.
Just a one sentence introduction, then the overview. Bang, totally clear!
Now, of course it is better to have paragraphs…. It will make it clearer and easier
to read.
So, one paragraph about one group of information, one paragraph about another
group. If you don’t see clear groups of information, you could take several points
or stages on one paragraph, and several in the other.
But, you can choose which way you like. It doesn’t matter, as long as you are well-
organized.
My 3-paragraph solution is easy, quick and you don’t spend too long on Task 1.

Slide 9
Let’s move on to the ‘cohesion’ part. Here you need to use linking words and
markers. This can be a very confusing area, because different teachers and
websites use all sorts of names for these words and phrases, they give different
explanations and so on, but let’s keep it simple and clear for you, let’s call them
linking words and markers, and first let’s look at linking words:
Slide 10
You can see three or four linking words in this report, as, while, while again and
though. So, not too many here, but they are doing a job of linking phrases in a
sentence. Some very simple examples are but, and, or.
Showing a cause and effect relationship: because, so, as, since
Showing a contrast between two different things: while, though, however
Of course there are lots more, just be aware to use a few in your writing. Use ones
that you know well how to use!
So these words make it clear how phrases in a sentence relate to each other! They
help you make longer sentences but still keep the meaning clear.
Slide 11
The second kind of words and phrases that help your cohesion, we will call
‘markers’. You can see a couple of examples in the report here. They almost
always go at the beginning of a sentence.
Some other markers show a new topic ....
Or show a contrast ...
Show that you are adding another point....
Showing a series of points ....
So these words and phrases make it clear how sentences relate to each other!
They help the reader to easily navigate through your writing.

Again, of course there are lots more, just be aware to use a few in your writing.
Think about the poor examiner who has to try to find his or her way through your
writing! You shouldn’t use too many. Also, use markers that you know how to use
well!
Slide 12
Ok, let’s see if you can find some linking words in this Task 1 answer. Pause the
video and take a few moments to read it. Remember that linking words show
relationships between clauses of a sentence, inside the sentence.
Ready?
Slide 13
I found about 7 or 8 words that join clauses together into longer sentences, like
while, after, before, then and which means.
Slide 14
How about markers? Remember that markers show relationships between

sentences.
Pause the video and take a few moments.
Ready?
Slide 15
How many did you find?
In the first paragraph, the first one and the second one is a good way not to repeat
the same words.
It can be seen and According to the diagram reminds the reader that we are writing
about the diagram.

On the other hand at the beginning of the third paragraph is very important
because it tells the reader that we are changing topic to talk about something
different, in this case, the other kind of orange juice.
You could argue that the words like after, before and then also work like markers
when describing a process, because they helps make clear the sequence of stages.
Instructor:
That’s not so difficult, is it? In the next video, we will move on to the third area of
IELTS assessment, which is vocabulary, or Lexical Resource as they call it.

USEFUL STUDY LINKS
VOCABULARY
- Academic vocabulary practice with the 570 word Academic Word List
http://www.examenglish.com/IELTS/IELTS_vocabulary.htm
- Excellent site from U. Of Nottingham

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/alzsh3/acvocab/index.htm
- Another one you might find useful is:

http://www.englishvocabularyexercises.com/AWL/index.htm
- A lot of practice activities which help you learn academic vocabulary

http://www.dcielts.com/ielts-vocabulary/
10 top tips for learning vocabulary from Dominic Cole:

http://www.dcielts.com/ielts-vocabulary/learning-vocabulary-10-tips/
Another useful site: ‘ieltsbuddy’

http://www.ieltsbuddy.com/ielts-vocabulary.html
GRAMMAR
- Lots of explanation and practice at IELTSbuddy.com
http://www.ieltsbuddy.com/complex-sentences.html
- A large range of information and activities by About.com

http://esl.about.com/od/intermediateenglish/u/continue.htm
- Another good site to learn about grammar and do grammar tests is

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
Script - Task 1 Vocabulary
Instructor:
So, we have covered Task Achievement and Coherence and Cohesion. The next
area is called Lexical Resource. So, I bet you are wondering what Lexical
Resource is exactly and how you can use it in Task 1. This video will answer all
your questions.
- understand what kind of words you need to use
- understand the IELTS descriptors for Lexical Resource
- find out how to improve your vocabulary
Slide 1
Here are some statements about vocabulary in the Academic writing exam.
Some are true and some are false. Pause the video for a moment and write down
your answers in your work book or on a notepad. Pause the video now and write
down your answers.
I am not going to tell you the answers right now. At the end of this video we
will check your answers, OK?
Slide 2
Let’s go back to the official descriptors for Band 7 on Academic Writing Task
1. You can see that this column is called Lexical Resource, which is another
way of saying vocabulary, and here are the descriptors for band 7.
uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision
uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation
may produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word formation

Slide 3
Let’s look at the first descriptor:
uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision
This means that a good variety of words and phrases are used. Flexibility, so
that you don’t keep repeating the same words. Precision means that exactly the
right word is chosen for the situation. Notice it says ‘some’ flexibility and
precision, so you need to demonstrate awareness and ability here but by no
means be perfect.
So, what do you need to do? Firstly, use a wide range of words…. Be aware of
using the right words and changing it up.
Slide 4
Let’s take a look at a sample Task 1 answer. So, you should pause the video and
take a moment to read this answer. See if you can spot some words that indicate
flexibility and precision.
OK, ready?
Slide 5
Here is an example of flexibility: in a conversation about drinking coffee, you

might repeat those words several times. In a piece of academic writing, you
need to find alternative ways of saying the same thing: so here you see several
ways of saying coffee drinking.
Slide 6
And now some examples of a level of precision, choosing exact words to

describe the information.
Slide 7
OK, the second item says:

• uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation –
this means that there are words and phrases which are everyday common words
and then more sophisticated words which maybe you see a lot in writing or in
more high level conversations. In other words, you need to show some ability to
use academic language, or at least high level words.
So, what do you need to do? Use some high level words. So, let’s put that in.
It does NOT mean that you should try to use every difficult or unusual word
you know. ‘style’ here refers to an appropriate vocabulary for a report.
Collocation refers to words going together correctly. For example, we don’t say
heavy coffee, instead strong coffee is the correct collocation. Quick food and fast
food might mean the same, but of course fast food is a very common
collocation.
Slide 8
Which words in our report would you say are ‘less common’ or higher level
words?
You should pause the video and take a moment to think about that.
Ready?
Slide 9
These are some words that I would choose as ‘less common’ or higher level
words. I’m sure that other native speakers or students of English might disagree
about some points… remember that this is not an exact science!
Slide 10
The final point in the descriptor is may produce occasional errors in word
choice, spelling and/or word formation. This is probably the killer for many
people, because although they may know a lot of English vocabulary, they may
still make many errors, in word choice, that is the wrong word for the context,
and/or spelling and/or word formation (which means right word, wrong form).
For example, a high percent of people... should be a high percentage of people.
Or, Consuming increased sharply.... no! Consumption increased sharply.

So, what do you need to do? Not make many mistakes! Easier said than done,
right? It says ‘occasional errors’ so that is not many!
Slide 11
Some tips for improving in this area – first leave time to check your writing. Get
in the habit of looking for spelling and other mistakes. Just cross them out and
write next to it or on top of it is fine.
Slide 12
Second tip: less is more! You have to write 150 words but there are no prizes or
extra points for writing more!
Write a little more than the minimum, say 160-180 words, and you will not be
rushed, you will make fewer mistakes AND have more time to check your
work.
Slide 13
- Don’t use slang words or expressions, like ‘you guys’ or ‘crap.’ You will hear
these in movies or read them in emails, but don’t put them in your formal
writing.
- Don’t use informal English like gonna, wanna, u – these may be great for
texting on your phone but not in an essay or report.
Slide 14
If your spelling is not great, you need to improve! Use Microsoft Word to help
you.
When you find words that you spell wrongly, write them down so that you can
learn them.
If your problem is that you need to learn more vocabulary, the number one tip is
to read more. You can read newspapers, current affairs, anything which is

written at an educated level. For Task 1 in particular, look for articles that
include a chart, table or statistics, or descriptions of processes.
Slide 15/16
There are also many websites that can help you learn and practice academic
vocabulary.
Slide 17
Alright, I’d like you to have a little practice to consolidate what we talked about
in this video. Here is another Task 1 answer - you saw the question in an earlier
video. So pause the video and see if you can find some of the vocabulary that
indicates flexibility and precision, as well as less common or high level words.
Ready?
Slide 18
Here are some words and phrases that I picked out which show that this is a
high level answer for Task 1. You can see that because it is describing a
process, there are many precise verbs for specific steps in the process, like
harvested, pasteurized, reconstituted, packaged and so on.
An example of flexible use of vocabulary might be ‘not from concentrate juice’

which is later ‘freshly squeezed juice’, then ‘fresh juice’ and ‘original orange
juice’.
In case you are worried that this looks too hard, this model answer would be
very high level.
Slide 19
OK, so we are near the end of this vocabulary section. Let’s go back to those
True or False statements from the beginning of this video. Did you write down
your answers? I think you can easily answer True or False for all of them now,
right?

Actually 2 of them are True and 3 are False.
Let’s check the answers: Number 1 is .... true! As much as possible vary your
vocabulary and use different words for the same thing
Number 2 is True. Less common or higher level words are one of the tests for a
high band score.
Number 3 is False. Your writing should be formal and academic in style so

leave your slang and abbreviations on your phone!
Number 4.... False. Spelling mistakes are not OK, as the descriptors clearly tell
us.
Number 5 is .... False! You must write a minimum of 150 words. Hmmm... do
you think that the examiner will thank you for a long answer? Anyway, more
words means more hurry, less time to check and more chance of mistakes.
Instructor:
So now you know what Lexical Resource means, right? Well…. Maybe not, but
you understand more about how to use vocabulary on the IELTS writing test,
don’t you? In the next video we will cover grammar.

USEFUL STUDY LINKS
VOCABULARY





GRAMMAR


Script - Task 1 Grammar
Instructor:
I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that you do not need
perfect grammar to get a Band 7 on the IELTS writing exam. The bad news is
that you do need a good command of grammar structures, including the ability
to write longer sentences. And if you don’t have that level of grammar, it is just
about impossible to fake it!
- understand what complex sentences are
- understand the role of errors in your score.
Slide 1
Here are some statements about grammar in the Academic writing exam. Most
of them are true, but just one is false. Which one? Do you know?
I am not going to tell you the answer right now. At the end of this video we will
check your answer, OK?
Slide 2
Let’s go back to the official descriptors for Band 7 for Grammar, which is
actually called Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
• uses a variety of complex structures
• produces frequent error-free sentences
• has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors
So you need to use a variety or range of complex structures. Sounds scary...

Slide 3
But, what are complex sentences?
It sounds really difficult, right?
Well, it is not really. If you have a good level of English grammar, you will be
using lots of complex sentences, maybe without even knowing it. Native
speakers of course use complex sentences all the time, but most people could
not explain the meaning of ‘complex sentence’.
Anyway, here are some examples.
Slide 4
Sentences with relative pronouns like: which, that, who, where
For example,
The country which had most income from tourism was Thailand.
The year that had the biggest increase was 2007.
Sentences with subordinators like: after, when, because, although, since,

while, if
Some examples,
After the peak in 2007, car sales declined rapidly.
Although Britain has a higher population, Spain consumes more wine.
The tiles are packaged in plastic when they are completely dry.
Men consumed more alcohol overall, while women’s consumption was

increasing.
Slide 5
Let’s have a look at this sample answer and see what complex sentences we can
find.

Slide 6
There are, of course, a lot of complex sentences,
Slide 7
OK, the second part of Grammatical Range and Accuracy is
Accuracy, and it is referred to several times in the descriptor –
Frequent error-free sentences
Good control of grammar
May make a few errors
So the accuracy does not have to be perfect, but you have to show you know
what you are doing with English grammar, and be able to construct at least
some correct sentences. Clearly if you make lots of errors all through the
writing, it will not fit the descriptor for Band 7.
Remember that if you fall down on one of the four areas, you will need an 8 on
another one to get back to a 7. So if you are weak at grammar you would need
to be really excellent at the answer or the coherence or the vocabulary.
Slide 8
You cannot fake the grammar over 400 words in Task 1 and 2, so if your
grammar is not so strong, study!
Slide 9
You might need to do grammar exercises or a high level grammar course from a
book or on the Internet.
For specific help with understanding and improving complex sentences, there
are many internet sites which are useful. Some of them are here, and you can
find a page of these useful links in ‘Downloadable Materials in the ‘Extras in
this lesson.

Slide 10
The next tip is to not try to make your sentences too long and complicated.
Keep to just two or three clauses in a sentence, and throw in some shorter
sentences to break it up.
Slide 11
It is very important to leave a few minutes at the end to check your work.
Crossing things out and writing new bits is fine. Try not to make it too messy
though, because remember that someone has to read it and understand it to give
you a good score!
Slide 12
Finally, try to think about the grammar that you are using and use a variety of
grammar constructions.
Slide 13
In Task 1 there is not as much scope as in Task 2 for using a big variety of
sentence types and grammar forms, but depending on what graphs you get, you
might naturally use some combination of present simple and continuous, past
simple and continuous, future tenses and present perfect.
Comparatives are usually important, especially with any graph or table data,
which normally requires comparisons between time periods, or men and
woman, or several countries and so on.
Again, you can practice this kind of language at IELTS Buddy and other sites.
If Task 1 is about some kind of process, then passive voice will be indicated.
Sentences like these will be common in a good answer.

Slide 14
Let’s look at one more model answer, this time about a process, to see what
examples we can see of high level grammar. Can you see lots of complex
sentences here and also a range of different grammar structures?
Pause the video and take a minute or two to analyse it yourself.
Ready?
Slide 15
You can see some complex sentences in brown here.
It can be seen that….and then more information in two clauses.
Here a comparison with ‘while’ in the middle.
The next one is After something, comma, something else.
Before between two clauses.
which beginning a relative clause.
So there are a good number of complex sentences.
Slide 16
As far as grammatical structures go, with a process answer, it is likely that a

good writer will use many present passive sentences to describe what happens
to the materials in the process, as we see here:
can be seen, is processed, are harvested, in not processed further, is

concentrated, is mixed and so on.
Apart from that, there is a future passive: will be reconstituted and a couple of
examples of a continuous passive construction - being mixed
Also, no noticeable errors show the good grammatical control of this writer.

Slide 17
OK, so we are near the end of this grammar section. Let’s go back to those
statements from the beginning of this video. Which one is the false one? Would
you change your mind now?
Let’s check the answers: Number 1 is .... true, because the descriptors do say
‘frequent error-free sentences’.
Number 2 is True. A variety of sentence types is also mentioned in the

descriptors.
Number 4 is True too. Some errors are to be expected at this level.
So, number 3 is the False one. There is no requirement to use passive tense, and
indeed with graph-type questions it could be difficult to use passive in a natural
way. One the other hand, passive voice would be the best way to handle the
description of a process.
Instructor:
I hope you now understand the important role that grammar plays in getting a
high score, especially regarding complex sentences and errors. Remember that
if your grammar is not so good, you will need to learn more and fix it if you
want to get Band 7 or higher.

Academic Writing Sample Task 1A
WRITING TASK 1
The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in
Britain in three periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Script - Task 1: How to do the writing practice
Instructor:
You have learned a lot about Task 1, how to plan your answer, what to include
and what not to do. It’s time to practice! In this short video, I will show you
exactly how to get the maximum benefit from the four practice task 1 questions
which are similar to the kind of tasks you may get in the exam.
The goal here is simply:
Learn how best to use the Task 1 practice materials
Slide 1
Here is where you put into practice everything that you have been learning In
the next two lessons you will practise planning and writing the full Task 1
answer, and do it under exam conditions. Later we will practise the Task 2
answer, but for now we will just focus on Task 1.
To make it a little easier for you, we have two kinds of practice, Guided and
Full.
Slide 2
The first lesson is the ‘Guided’ practice. This is two questions that you already
did the planning for in this course, using the SNO 3-step plan.
Question A is the college education graphs and B is the question about the
school maps where some changes were made.
The full practice lesson will be two questions you have not seen before.
With the guided practice, you may have your notes from before. I would
recommend starting again, but it is ‘guided’ because you already planned the
question and saw me do it. Of course, you will be helped by what you
remember from that previous video.

Slide 3
I highly recommend that you print out the IELTS official answer sheet, from
IELTS.org, so that you do the practice under exam conditions, or as close as
possible.
You can click on this link in ‘Extras’ and it is also easy to find if you Google
“IELTS writing answer sheet”.
By the way, you will need 4 copies for 4 different questions but only page 1 and
2 for Task 1.
Slide 4
Make sure you do the writing under exam conditions, follow the time limit, use
a pen or pencil and you are not allowed to have anything with you. Please turn
off your phone and put it in another room.
Imagine if you type your answer on the computer, use a dictionary, take some
phone calls while you are working and take 50 minutes…. It will not help you
to get better at writing a Task 1 answer in the real test, will it?
Slide 5
So, do the guided practice first. You have already planned this and seen me do it
too, but better start from scratch. Print out the question sheets... you can write
your plan there again.
First do Question A – College Education. When you are finished, read the
model answer, which you can find in ‘Extras’ in the Guided Practice lesson. Of
course don’t look at the answer until you finish!
Maybe next day, do Question B – school maps. Again, when you are finished
read the model answer.
Slide 6
Of course I do not recommend writing all the answers in one day. You will
learn better from practising if you spread the practice out over several sessions.

So another day, you can do the Full Practice lesson. This is two completely new
questions, so you need to plan using the SNO 3-step plan and write your
answer, all in 20 minutes if possible. If you take a few minutes longer the first
time, that’s OK too. Just take notice of the time.
Slide 7
Do the full practice Question C and then read the model answer later, just as
you did with the guided practice. The model answer is in ‘Extras’ in the Full
Practice lesson. On another day, do Question D and read the model answer.
Instructor:
I hope that is clear!
So, now it is over to you and you are about to get some wonderful practice
which will give you a lot of knowledge and confidence in the real IELTS
Academic writing test. Good luck!

INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING SYSTEM
WRITING ANSWER BOOKLET
Candidate Name: ........................................................... Candidate Number: ..................................................
Centre Number: ................................................................. Date: ........................................................................
Module: ACADEMIC GENERAL TRAINING (Tick as appropriate)
TASK 1
EXAMINER’S USE ONLY
EXAMINER 2 NUMBER: ..........................................
CANDIDATE NUMBER: ............................................. EXAMINER 1 NUMBER: ..........................................

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NO OF
UNDERLENGTH WORDS PENALTY
EXAMINER 2 TA CC LR GRA OFF-TOPIC MEMORISED ILLEGIBLE

TASK 1
EXAMINER 1 TA CC LR GRA UNDERLENGTH

NO OF
WORDS PENALTY
TASK 1
OFF-TOPIC MEMORISED ILLEGIBLE
TASK 2 ––

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NO OF
UNDERLENGTH PENALTY
WORDS
EXAMINER 2
TR CC LR GRA OFF-TOPIC MEMORISED ILLEGIBLE
TASK 2
EXAMINER 1 NO OF
TASK 2 TR CC LR GRA UNDERLENGTH
WORDS
PENALTY
OFF-TOPIC MEMORISED ILLEGIBLE

test partners.
WRITING TASK 1
Master's degree 3.5
Doctoral degree 2.5

1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
degree degree degree college but high school finish high
no degree school
Copyright 2014 Expert English Page 1

The 3-step plan in action
The charts below show unemployment rates and weekly earnings for workers
with different levels of education in the United States in 2012. Summarise the
information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.
Looking at the graphs we can see the first one is about unemployment rates in
2012. We note that the numbers are in percent. The other chart is about
weekly earnings in 2012, in dollars. We see that the six different educational
levels are the same and in the same order in both graphs. We should also
notice that the unemployment rate goes DOWN as the education level rises,
while the weekly salary goes UP with educational level.
unemployment rate goes DOWN as the education level rises

weekly salary goes UP with educational level
Unemployment rate is highest – no high school diploma 12.5%
finish h.s./go to college similar (around 8%) but finish college: only 4.5%
unemployed
Small decreases in rate for higher degrees
Second chart – doctoral gives 4 times salary as h.s. unfinished
University education much more salary than h.s. - $400 more bachelor,
extra $300 Master’s, extra $300 doctorate.
Even graduating h.s. is 50% better than not finish h.s.

As education level increases, there is a clear trend to lower unemployment and

higher earnings.
Model answer
The two graphs show how the educational level of workers affects their
chances of being employed and salary. As education level increases, there is a
clear trend to lower unemployment and higher earnings.
The first chart shows that the unemployment rate is highest among those
without a high school diploma at 12.5%. Just finishing high school greatly
improves the chance of being employed (around 8% are unemployed).
However, college graduates show only 4.5% unemployed, while those with
master’s or doctorate degrees do even better with low unemployment rates of
3.5% and 2.5% respectively.
The second chart confirms the advantages of college education. It shows that
doctorate holders earn an average of $1600 per week, almost four times those
without a high school diploma. A master’s graduate gets around $1240, while a
bachelor earns about $1150 per week. Salaries are much lower for workers
without degrees, though it should be noted that just finishing high school is
worth over $200 per week extra salary compared to not finishing.
Words: 167

test partners.
WRITING TASK 1
The diagrams below show changes at a school over several years. Summarise the
information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where
relevant.

The diagrams below show changes at a school over several years. Summarise
the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
Looking at the two maps, we see that the first one is labelled 1995 and the
second one is 2001. Read the labels carefully to make sure what the various
items are.
The school has extended into the vacant land and the fence is gone, so the
school area is bigger. Other important changes seem to be the new building,
the bigger car park, the new sports oval and the smaller concrete area.
The whole school area has increased in size – Included vacant land,
removed fence
The main school building extended, for library and science rooms
The stand alone library removed, library now in new building
Car park doubled in size and moved to make way for new building
Playground is about half the size, replaced with sports oval
Trees planted and lunch area with tables added

The school in 2001 changed significantly from 1995. It was larger overall and
had improved facilities, such as science labs, a sports oval and a lunch area.
Model answer
The two maps show how a school was improved between 1995 and 2001. The
school in 2001 changed significantly from 1995. It was larger overall and had
improved facilities, such as science labs, a sports oval and a lunch area.
It is important to note that the whole school area increased, because a strip of
vacant land on the east side was utilised, removing a fence which had existed
previously. A new extension to the school building was constructed, to
accommodate the library and science labs. The old library building was
removed to make way for the new car park. This car park is twice as big as the
old one and its location has been moved to the south.
Other improvements have been made in the outside areas. The old concrete
playground has been reduced to about half its original area and there is now a
sports oval surrounded by trees as well as a lunch area for the children.
Words: 161

test partners.
Task 1 - Guided Practice A

Master's degree 3.5
Doctoral degree 2.5

1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
degree degree degree college but high school finish high
no degree school

Task 1 – Guided Practice B
The diagrams below show changes at a school over several years. Summarise the
information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where
relevant.

test partners.
WRITING TASK 1
The pie charts and table below show information about commuting and vehicle sales in
two countries in 2000 and 2010. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
New vehicle sales in Holland

Cars Bicycles
2000 900,000 560,000
2010 1,200,000 1,600,000

The pie charts and table below show information about commuting and vehicle
sales in two countries in 2000 and 2010. Summarise the information by
selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where
relevant.
Looking at the pie charts we see that one is about Britain and the other about
Holland in the same year. We notice that the percentages are different, except
for ‘walking’. Going on to the table, we see that it is about Holland only for two
separate years and that it shows car sales and bicycle sales.
Britain – half people commute by car, public transport (PT) popular with
35%
Holland – much lower percentage by car, PT used more than Britain
Bicycle shows significant difference – Holland triple Britain
Walking 11%, same for both
Table – in 10 years car sales up by one third
Bicycle sales up sharply (triple)
The Dutch have quite different commuting habits compared to the British,
particularly choosing public transport and bicycles more. This trend is
supported by sales figures which show exponential growth in bicycle sales.

Model answer
The pie charts show the percentage of commuters using various means of
transport in Britain and Holland, while the table compares car and bicycle sales
in Holland.
In Britain the most popular means of getting to work or school is by car (49%),
although public transport is also well-utilised at 35% of commuters. In Holland,
however, public transport is the most common way to travel to work/school
(42%), while cars are only used by 32%. Walking is chosen by 11% of
commuters in both countries. Bicycle use shows that only 5% ride to
work/school in Britain, but in Holland the percentage is triple that.
The table shows that car sales increased significantly from 900 thousand to 1.2
million over the decade to 2010. On the other hand, bicycle sales grew more
rapidly, almost tripling in the 10-year period to 1.6 million units.
Overall we can see that the Dutch have quite different commuting habits
compared to the British, particularly choosing public transport and bicycles
more. This data is supported by sales figures showing rapid growth in bicycle
sales.
Words: 178

test partners.
WRITING TASK 1
The diagram below shows the process followed by a company when selecting new staff.
GM = General Manager HR = Human Resources Dept Head = Head of Department

The diagram below shows the process followed by a company when selecting
new staff. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main
Looking at the diagram we see that there are several steps from placing ads
until a new member of staff is hired. At several points candidates are
eliminated.
Ads placed online and in print

50 -100 applications received but only 10-15 shortlisted
They go to psych test and interview with HR
3-5 are selected for 2nd interview, others notified email
2nd interview with GM and Dept Head, then selection panel
Successful applicant chosen, others notified by phone.
This company follows a process involving several steps when selecting a new
employee, including two interviews and a psychological test. Only one
candidate is chosen from many applicants.

Model answer
The diagram shows how a company chooses a new member of staff from
among many applications.
First, ads are placed in newspapers and on the internet, which produces
between 50 and 100 emailed applications. These are checked and then the
majority are discarded while 10 to 15 applicants are invited to an interview.
These candidates undergo a psychological test as well as an interview. Three to
five people proceed to the next stage and the unsuccessful applicants are
notified by email.
Next a second interview is conducted with the General Manager and the head
of the relevant department, after which the selection panel meets and the
successful applicant is chosen. The people not selected are sent a letter, and the
new employee will be hired.
In summary, it can be seen that the company follows a process involving

several steps from placing ads to hiring the new employee and that many
candidates are eliminated along the way.
Words: 157

test partners.
Task 1 – Full Practice C

The pie charts and table below show information about commuting and vehicle sales in
two countries in 2000 and 2010. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
New vehicle sales in Holland

Cars Bicycles
2000 900,000 560,000
2010 1,200,000 1,600,000

Task 1 – Full Practice D
The diagram below shows the process followed by a company when selecting new staff.
GM = General Manager HR = Human Resources Dept Head = Head of Department

Script – Task 2: Answering the question
Instructor:
You have learned a lot about Task 1 in this course. So, just when you start
getting comfortable with IELTS Academic writing, along comes Task 2! It is
completely different from Task 1. But don’t worry, as it is not really more
difficult and many people actually find it easier than Task 1.
In this video we are going to see what Task 2 is about, so the goals are:
- find out about different question types
- learn about structuring your answer
- learn about the importance of ‘relevance’ in your answer
Slide 1
You will remember that Academic Writing Task 2 is an essay, it is a minimum

250 words long, you have 40 minutes to write it, and very importantly, it is
worth two thirds of the score for the Writing module.
So, what kind of topics appear in Task 2?
Slide 2
Well, a wide range of current issues about the world and society. The kind of
topics that a normal person who reads the newspaper could be expected to know
about – no specialist knowledge is required. A few examples are: food, health,
education, environment, tourism, employment, entertainment, culture,
technology, media, family and so on.
Slide 3

Before I tell you more, what do you know or think you know about answering
the Task 2 question? Maybe you know if these statements are true or false.
Write down your answers, and we will check at the end.
Slide 4
Let’s move on to talk about question types. It is well known that there are
several common types of question.
This type has just one question to answer and asks about problems or causes or
solutions.
This type is similar but notice that there are two questions to answer, what
causes are there and what solutions.
This type basically asks for your opinion. Do you agree or disagree, or to what
extent do you agree.
And this type is another one with two questions embedded: what are the
benefits and what are the drawbacks?
Many websites and teachers will tell you that there are three types or 4 or 5
types. They have type A questions, type B and so on. They have complicated
systems for deciding what type of question it is so that you can use this structure
or that.
Slide 5
Well, don’t believe them! They are making it unnecessarily complicated!
It’s really much easier than that. You need to read the question and answer it
exactly with a logical structure. It doesn’t matter exactly what structure, as long
as it is logical and you use paragraphs. Let’s look at some examples.
Slide 6
Clearly this question asks you for solutions, so you need at least two strong
solutions. Of course you will need an introduction and a conclusion.

You could structure your paragraphs simply like this…
Or divide your solutions into two paragraphs, one for each solution.
Both ways would be acceptable. If I had to pick the better one, I would choose
this one because it will probably be clearer, and two paragraphs looks better and
is easier to read than one long paragraph.
Slide 7
What about this question? How would you structure your answer? If you like,
pause the video and have a think about that.
I would probably do it like this:
Introduction, causes, solutions, conclusion
But another perfectly acceptable way would be to perhaps write more about
solutions than causes, and therefore have two different solutions in different
paragraphs.
If I had to pick the better one here, I would choose this one because it is clear,
simple to write and you can be sure that each paragraph is long enough. In the
second one, you would have to write three paragraphs apart from the
introduction and conclusion – you might run out of time.
Slide 8
What about this question? How would you structure your answer?
Clearly it is asking for your opinion, but the important thing is the reasons you
give for your opinion.
You could put them all in one paragraph.
But wouldn’t it be clearer and look better to divide them into two paragraphs?
Another acceptable way might be to examine the other side that you don’t agree
with, before giving your opinion with reasons.

Again, the important thing is to answer the question exactly and use a logical
structure with paragraphs. There is more than one way to do it correctly!
I would probably do this way – it’s clear, easy to write and less chance of
getting confused.
Slide 9
What about this question? How would you structure your answer?
Well, it asks you for benefits and drawbacks, so they could form the two
paragraphs.
Maybe you think there are more drawbacks, so you could have two paragraphs
about that.
This one is easier… I have to write 250 words, take away the introduction and
conclusion leaves maybe 180 or 190. That seems like two good paragraphs, not
three. It is much better to focus on writing two really good paragraphs rather
than rushing to write 300 or 350 words. Less is more!
Slide 10
So, an important reminder.
Slide 11
Focus on the question. Understand what the question is asking. You need to
answer it exactly with a logical structure. It doesn’t matter exactly what
structure, as long as it is clear, logical and you use paragraphs.
Slide 12
I have talked a bit about answering the question exactly…. This means that
everything in your writing should be relevant to the question. Many students put
in ideas which are somewhat related to the topic, but not directly related to the
question! To get a high band score, your answer must be highly relevant.
Take a look at this question: it asks you to give solutions to the problem of
pollution in oceans. If you write about oceans in general and whales and sharks,
that will not be relevant to the question. If you start writing everything you
know about pollution, that will not be relevant either.
Look at these ideas…. Which one is not relevant? PAUSE the video while you
think about it.
Ready?
The first three are all relevant to possible solutions for pollution of oceans. The
fourth one, Air pollution is also a serious problem, is not relevant, because it is
about a different topic, which is air pollution.
Slide 13
Now try and pick this one. Pause the video while you think about it.
Ready?
Well the question asks about good and bad things for countries about
globalization. The first idea is clearly relevant. The second one could be
relevant, if you pointed out that those large corporations are mostly from rich
countries. The third statement, Globalisation brings people together in social
media, is true, but can you really talk about social media to answer this
question? Maybe you could, but there are much more relevant arguments you
should use first. The last idea is clearly relevant.
Slide 14
One more relevance check. Here we have benefits and drawbacks of tourism
abroad. Which idea is not relevant? The first one is clearly an advantage, while
the third and fourth are clearly drawbacks. The second idea, The government
can encourage tourism by making longer vacation periods, is not relevant to
this discussion.
Slide 15

So it is essential for a high score to make sure that all of your ideas are exactly
relevant to the question.
Slide 16
Let’s look at those True or False statements from the beginning. Only one was
false. Did you pick it?
Number 1 is true, of course.
Number 2 is true, as you could guess from planning Task 1.
Number 3 is true, and this is essential for a high score.
Number 4 is false! You have to answer the question given, the whole question
and nothing but the question! If you write about something else, you will get a
very low score.
Number 5 is true, as we have seen in the last few minutes.
Instructor:
You can see that you will write about a specific question on a current topic and
that you need to answer the question and stick to the topic. In the following
videos you will learn step by step how to do just that.

test partners.
WRITING TASK 2
Write about the following topic.
The state of the environment has become one of the biggest problems around the world
today. Some people say that individuals need to take action. Others believe that
governments have the main role in providing solutions. Discuss both views and give
your opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or
experience.
Remember the 3-step plan for Task 2: M E N
1. Read the question carefully and draw an ideas map.
2. Decide on the essay structure: draw an organizer.
3. Make notes onto organizer.
The state of the environment has become one of the biggest problems
around the world today. Some people say that individuals need to take

action. Others believe that governments have the main role in providing
solutions. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Draw a quick ‘ideas map’, like so:
Make sure you have included all parts of the question. The ideas map provides
a way to double check this and see it in a graphic way.
We can see from our ideas map that apart from the introduction and
conclusion, there are three main parts of the question and therefore of the
essay answer. You would probably decide that first will be a paragraph about
individual action, second government solutions and third, your opinion.
So, we can quickly draw an ‘organizer’ for our ideas:
Intro
Para. 1 -
individuals
Para. 2 -
governments
Para. 3 –
opinion
Conclusion

When you do this you will have good view of how much you can write in each
paragraph.... with experience you can put an approximate idea of how many
words each paragraph should take. You can see if you need to add or subtract
anything, to make sure you have at least 250 words, but not too much more
than that.
Intro Environment – huge problems – pollution, global warming.

How to solve? Maybe individ., or govt?
(40 words)
Para. 1 - Can take many actions-
individuals Recycling – easy, at home
Change habits – harder, eg. Home temperature – save CO 2
(80) emissions. Also, public transport. Solar panels?
Para. 2 - Big picture policies, affect everybody!
governments carbon price, eg Aust. Govt.
Set up/join carbon markets
(80 -100) Encourage green energy industry
Pollution control for industry
Global deals, like Kyoto Pr.
Para. 3 – Individuals can help, but lazy, poor, ignorant, selfish.
opinion Need govt to take main role, tackle big issues that affect
(60) whole of society
*Conclusion Some individuals already acting, govt has to get serious.

Hopefully, solve challenge together.
*Note that the estimated word count is 260-280 words, so I decide I will combine the
opinion and conclusion if necessary. When I get to the last part of the essay I will see how
many words I have written and how much time I have.

Model answer
The state of the environment today is perhaps the greatest challenge humans
have ever faced. Serious pollution threatens ecosystems and human health,
while global warming is a danger to the existence of the world as we know it.
So, who should take responsibility for solving these problems, individuals or
governments?
Individuals can indeed take many actions which avoid further damage to the
environment. Recycling is a good example because it saves energy and
resources, yet can easily be done. Other habits may be harder to change, but if
people adjust the temperature of heaters in winter and air conditioners in
summer, a lot of energy would be saved and therefore less CO2 emitted.
Another example is transport. People may love their cars, however if they
switch to public transport it is positive for the environment.
Governments have a very important role in protecting the environment

because they can take large scale measures that affect everybody. Examples of
this are setting a carbon price, as done by the last Australian government, or
joining carbon markets, so that carbon pollution has a price. Another way
governments can help is to fund or encourage green energy generation. In
addition, governments can set stricter pollution control standards for vehicles
and industry in general. Finally, governments can have a huge impact by
working together with other countries to build global policies like the Kyoto
Protocol.
I believe citizens can and should contribute to solving these problems. However,
it is governments, with their immense political, economic and social power,
that can effectively change the way we all live and pollute. Hopefully, people
and their governments will work together to solve this great challenge.
Words: 277
Note: I decided to combine the opinion and conclusion, as I already had 240 words or so
when I got to the ‘opinion’ section. This would NOT affect the score.

Script - Task 2: 3-step plan
Instructor:
I’m sure you remember the 3-step plan for Task 1 – SNO. Well, we have a 3-
step plan for Task 2 also. It is a bit different, just as Task 2 is quite different
from Task 1. Let’s go ahead and learn about the 3-step plan for Task 2!
The goals:
- Learn the 3-step plan for preparing Task 2
- apply the plan to one type of Task 2 question
Slide 1
Here are the official descriptors (Public version of course) for Band 7 on
Academic Writing Task 2:
The key points to note here are:
- ‘addresses all parts of the task’ – in other words, you do exactly what the
question asks you to do and that means answer every part of the question – there
can be two or three parts you need to address.
- The second important point is ‘presents a clear position throughout’ – this
means that all of your essay is clearly about the question and you clearly state
what you are writing about. The reader should not be in any doubt as to your
subject in the beginning, middle and ending. To do this, it is very important to
plan and follow your plan, so that you don’t get off topic.
- ‘presents, extends and supports main ideas’ – here you need to have two or
probably three main points which are developed, not lots of information just
thrown together. Once again, planning is important to achieve this.
OK, so how do you make sure to do these very important things?
Slide 2
The answer is the ‘Academic Writing Task 2: 3-step plan’
1. Read question carefully: draw ideas map.

2. Decide on essay structure: draw organizer.
I will now show you exactly how to use the 3-step plan.
First, number 1: Read question carefully: draw ideas map.
Slide 3
Here is a question like the ones you will find in Task 2. The question will look
something like this. Notice that all the instructions outside the box are always
printed and always the same. I mean these bits and also under the question, here
and here. So you can just quickly scan all of that and move on to study the
question.
You need to carefully read and understand the information given. It’s a good
idea to underline the main points
The state of the environment has become one of the biggest problems around
the world today. Some people say that individuals need to take action. Others
believe that governments have the main role in providing solutions.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
I heavily underlined the last sentence because it tells you exactly what to do!
Discuss both views and give your opinion. If you don’t do those three things,
you will not have “addressed all parts of the task” and this is Band 5 on the
descriptors. For a band 7 you need to write a sufficient amount about each point,
that is one view, the other view and your opinion.
Slide 4
A great way to make sure you understand the question is by drawing a quick
‘ideas map’, like so... start with introduction and conclusion because your essay
will need them!

Make sure you have included all parts of the question. The ideas map provides a
way to double check this and see it in a graphic way. It only takes a few seconds
and is a good way to start to get organised.
Slide 5
The second step is:
Decide on essay structure: draw organizer.
Slide 6
We can see from our ideas map that apart from the introduction and conclusion,
there are three main parts of the question and therefore of the essay answer. You
would probably decide that first will be a paragraph about individual action,
second a paragraph about government solutions and third, your opinion.
So, we can quickly draw an ‘organizer’ which shows how our essay will be
structured.
Slide 7
Number 3: Make notes onto organizer.
Slide 8

This is the thinking part of your plan, where you have to quickly come up with
some ideas about each of those three main areas of your essay.
Remember that your ideas do have to be directly relevant to the topic you are
writing about, but not necessarily great ideas! So, don’t sweat it too much,
because you are not assessed on the quality of your ideas, but on the descriptors
that we already looked at. It is an exam of your English level!
So, as long as you
“present, extends and support main ideas” you are OK,
and the descriptors even specify that:
“there may be a tendency to over-generalise and/or supporting ideas may lack

focus”.
The important thing is to work quickly, get some ideas down in note form and
make sure they fit the topic.
Intro Environment – huge problems – pollution, global warming.
How to solve? Maybe individ. or govt.?
(40 words)
Para. 1 - Can take many actions-
individuals Recycling – easy, at home
Change habits – harder, eg. Home heating cooling– save CO 2
(80) emissions. Also, public transport. Solar panels?
Para. 2 - Big picture policies, affect everybody!
governments carbon price, eg Aust. Govt.
Set up/join carbon markets
(80 -100) Encourage green energy industry
Pollution control for industry
Global deals, like Kyoto Pr.
Para. 3 – Individuals can help, but lazy, poor, ignorant, selfish.
opinion Need govt to take main role, tackle big issues that affect
(60) whole of society
*Conclusion Some individuals already acting, govt has to get serious.

Hopefully, solve challenge together.
When you make your notes.... with experience you can get an approximate idea
of how many words each paragraph might take. You can see if you need to add
or subtract anything, to make sure you have at least 250 words, but not way
more than that.

Here we have an estimate of 260-280 words, without the conclusion, so I would
keep the option to combine my opinion and the conclusion if my essay is getting
too long or I am running out of time.
So that’s the 3-step plan. When you have finished, your question paper will
have a lot of writing all over it, but that is good! It is the outline or ‘skeleton’
for writing your essay. Remember, that you are allowed to use your question
paper like that and the examiner does not see it. The plan for Task 2 should take
5-8 minutes, no longer than 8. It takes longer than a Task 1 plan because there is
more thinking and ideas involved and of course, more words. It is time well-
spent, because it ensures that you feel confident to write your essay and do
exactly what the question asks.
Slide 9
You can see a model answer for this question in….
‘Extras’ and that is top right of your Udemy screen, this symbol here.
The file is called:
Task 2 model answer ‘Environment’
Read it and you will see what a high level answer might look like.
Just to make sure you know where to find it: you need to click on this icon and
then you will see ‘downloadable material’ here. Just click and you can
download the file and print it if you want.
Slide 10
So, how are you going to remember the 3-step plan? Maybe you will get
confused between the Task 1 plan and the Task 2 plan.
Remember the Task 1 3-step plan is SNO, which stands for .... Study, Notes,
Overview. Obviously our task 2 plan is different... there is no overview! We
draw an ideas map and an organizer.
OK, so here are our key words:

Draw an ideas Map
Decide our Essay structure
Make Notes
M for map, E for essay, N for notes equals MEN
Slide 11
Remember I showed you a snowy picture to help you remember SNO. Have
you ever made a snowman?
Let’s add a snowman, and another, and another .... snowmen!
SNO-MEN
Is that easy to remember?
Task 1 is SNO, Task 2 is MEN. SNO-MEN
Slide 12
So, now it is your turn to practise the 3-step plan!
Slide 13
Don’t forget the 3-step plan.
MEN
Slide 14
Anyway, you work on that. In the real exam you will not take longer than 7 or 8
Slide 15
OK! Have fun!
Instructor:
OK, you have started learning how to use MEN, M - E - N. This will help you to
answer the question, stay on topic and organize your writing. In the next lesson
you will practice applying the plan yourself and then in the next video you can
watch me do it. Have fun!

test partners.
WRITING TASK 2
Some people think that very poor people in society need to help themselves. Others,
however, believe that the government should provide financial and other assistance to
these people. Discuss both these views and give your opinion.
experience.

Script - Task 2: 3-step plan PRACTICE No. 1
Instructor:
Did you follow the 3-step plan to prepare the practice question? If you didn’t,
please do it before watching this video. Come on! It’s 10 minutes and very
important for your learning. By doing it, you will learn much better! In this
video you can watch me do it. Remember that your way might be a bit different
but still correct.
The goals here are:
- practise using the MEN 3-step plan
- consolidate your knowledge of preparing a Task 2 question
And…watch carefully! I am going to make a big mistake! Can you spot the
mistake? I will give you a clue: it is in the ‘M’ - the first part of the plan, where I
draw an ideas map. Good luck.
Slide 1
This is the task that you have practiced the 3-step plan with. So I am going to
apply the 3-step plan and you can see how you did.
Slide 2
OK, 3-step plan.
Uhhh… what is it again?
Oh yeah, snowmen, so that’s MEN for Task 2. What does MEN stand for
again?
Ideas Map , Essay structure, Make notes
Slide 3

The first thing we are going to do of course is
Read question carefully: draw ideas map.
Slide 4
So, I am going to underline the main points.
Some people think that very poor people in society need to help themselves.
Other, however, believe that the government should provide financial and other
assistance to these people. Discuss both these views and give your opinion.
I heavily underlined the last sentence because it tells you exactly what to do!
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Slide 5
Next we will draw a quick ideas map like this. OK, we have the introduction,
causes of poverty, the government helping, your opinion and the conclusion.
What do you think?
Uh-oh! Red alert! Did you see something wrong with this plan? Can you see the
mistake?
It’s a big one.... over here. “causes of poverty” is wrong! This is not in the
question. If you wrote a paragraph just about “causes of poverty” it would not
be relevant and you would have missed one of the parts of the question, which
is about the poor helping themselves. Remember if you don’t answer all parts of
the question, you fit the descriptor for Band 5 on Task Response.
Slide 6
So, here is the correct version, and we can see that we have three areas to write
about, all from the question.

Slide 7
The second step is:
Slide 8
there are three main parts of the question and therefore three main parts of the
poor people helping themselves, second a paragraph about government financial
and other assistance and third, a paragraph about your opinion.
Slide 9
Number 3: Make notes onto your organizer.
Slide 10
This is the thinking part of your plan, where you have to quickly come up with
some ideas about each of those three main areas of your essay.
The important thing is to work quickly, get some ideas down and make sure
they exactly fit the topic. Make sure you do NOT write about other stuff which
is not in the question!
Intro Every country - poor people, even rich countries
poor get out of poverty OR governments should aid poor in
(40 words) many ways. What is the best way?
Para. 1 – People think poor = lazy, drug problems etc. Stop
poor people drugs/alcohol; look hard for job, good attitude
help themselves But ignoring circumstances in society
Complicated reasons – marriage breakup, high costs, lack of
jobs/housing/education/health
(90)
Para. 2 - Government can help in many ways:

governments Financial eg unemployment benefits, food stamps (Govt must
provide do this or people die!)
financial/other Also cheap housing, free education, counselling, training,
assistance social services. (s’times help out of poverty)
Govt helps poor people AND helps to help selves
(90)
Para. 3 – Government must help poor.
opinion Civilized society = give chances to all. Human rights:
(70) education, health, food, water, etc.
Moral grounds – help neighbour, don’t leave behind
Also development grounds – we NEED these people to live
well, contribute to society, no wasted potential – next Bill
gates or Einstein!
*Conclusion Poor can help themselves to extent but complicated.
Much easier to help self if govt provides resources.
Here we have an estimated 290 words, so right now I would think about cutting
something, or leaving open the possibility of combining my opinion and the
conclusion if my essay is getting too long or I am running out of time.
Instructor:
Well, that makes 2 questions we have prepared using the 3-step plan. Now we
are going to try a different question type. First you try it and then watch me in
the next video.
Slide 11
You need lots of practice with the 3-step plan! It will get quicker and easier
each time and we need to learn to apply it to ANY Task 2 question.
Now you are going to use the 3-step plan to prepare another Task 2 question.
Slide 12

Be careful this time, because it is a different kind of question to the ‘discuss two
sides and give your opinion’ type.
Slide 13
OK! Have fun!

test partners.
WRITING TASK 2
Obesity has increased recently in many developing countries, affecting especially children.
What are some possible reasons for this?
What solutions can you suggest?
experience.

Instructor:
Well, how did you do with making your plan? – was it easy? Do you feel that
you have done it well? Now I will show you how I did it. Just remember that
there are many ways to produce a good answer, especially with Task 2.
The goals for this lesson are:
- learn how to apply the 3-step plan to a different type of question
- consolidate your knowledge of preparing a Task 2 answer
Hey, just to make it interesting and keep you awake, watch out for a big
mistake! See if you can spot it.
Slide 1
Here is the task that you have practiced the 3-step plan with. So I am going to
work through the 3-step plan and you can see how you did.
Slide 2
Let’s keep remembering the 3-step plan. Snowmen, so that’s MEN for Task 2.
What does MEN stand for again?
Ideas Map , Essay structure, Make notes
Read the question carefully: draw ideas map.
Slide 3
Obesity has increased recently in many developing countries, affecting

especially children.

What are some possible reasons for this?
What solutions can you suggest?
The question is about obesity, with a focus on children. If you don’t write about
obesity in children, you will not be exactly answering the question. Now there
are clearly TWO questions about that topic, about reasons and about solutions.
You must answer both questions in your essay.
Slide 4
Next we will draw a quick ideas map.
We have the introduction, causes of obesity (especially children), solutions for

the problem and the conclusion.
Notice that we do NOT include ‘opinion’ here. The question does not ask you
for your opinion, so don’t give it. Just answer the question!
Slide 5
The second step is the E for Essay:
Slide 6
there are two main parts of the question and therefore two main parts of the
reasons for obesity and second a paragraph about possible solutions.
So, we can quickly draw an ‘organizer’ for our ideas.
Some IELTS books or websites tell you to always write a 5-paragraph essay,
that is 3 paragraphs apart from the introduction and conclusion. So, can you
write 3 paragraphs?

Well yes, you could...one alternative plan would be splitting the reasons into
two paragraphs, for example, one paragraph on lack of exercise and another
paragraph on poor diet as reasons for obesity.
Another way would be splitting the solutions into two paragraphs, like so.
That’s fine.
Personally, I think less is more, simpler is better. Easy to plan, no problem with
time. You will not get extra points for writing more paragraphs!
Slide 7
Now we will move on to the third step in the 3-step plan, which is N for Notes:
Slide 10
This is the hard part, where you have to quickly come up with some ideas about
each of those two main areas of your essay.
they exactly fit the topic. Again, make sure you do NOT write about other stuff
which is not in the question!
Intro Obesity increased recently in many developing

countries, especially affecting children. Several
(30 words) reasons – several solutions
Para. 1 - Country richer – more calories, fast food, processed
reasons food.
Kids – see ads, want fast food, bother parents
(90) Exercise – type of jobs change. Kids play
inside/computer
Para. 2 - Difficult problem to solve
solutions Even more tricky developing c’s – western habits
seen as good, new.
(110) Level of education lower – people don’t understand?
Laws about food – fat, sugar
Public awareness campaigns – exercise

Sports programs school
Conclusion Regrettable prosperity = obesity
(30) important to solve problem – very expensive
Here we have an estimated 260 words, so right on target.
So, is everything OK do you think? Oh-uh! Red alert! Do you see a mistake
here?
Look at the introduction. It just copies sentences from the question.
If you copy or nearly copy sentences from the question, these words will not be
counted! Make sure you use different words.
Slide 11
Don’t worry! You need lots of practice with the 3-step plan! It will get quicker
and easier each time and we need to learn to apply it to ANY Task 2 question.
So, now it is your turn to practise the 3-step plan again!
Slide 12
Be careful this time, because it is another different kind of question which you
might find in Task 2.
Slide 13

OK! Have fun!
Instructor:
Did you spot the mistake? Yes, copying from the question is a big no-no.
Always use other words when quoting ideas from the question.
Now you are going to try yet another different question type. First you try it and
then watch me in the next video.

test partners.
WRITING TASK 2
In many countries the crime rate has increased in recent years. According to some people,
the solution is for criminals to receive longer jail sentences. To what extent do you agree or
disagree?
experience.

Instructor:
Before you watch this video you should do the practice yourself. I hope you are
getting better at following the plan and gaining confidence. In this video you can
watch me do it and see how different from yours it is. Obviously in Task 2 there
could be a thousand ways to do it well, so the important thing is to begin to
judge if your plan works or not.
The goal for this video is:
Continue to consolidate your knowledge of how to apply the 3-step plan for
Task 2.
Slide 1
Here is the question that you have practiced the 3-step plan with. So I am going
to work through the 3-step plan and you can see how you did.
Slide 2
Read the question carefully: draw ideas map.
Slide 3

In many countries the crime rate has increased in recent years.
According to some people, the solution is for criminals to receive longer jail sentences.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
The question is about increasing jail sentences as a solution to crime. The

question asks you for your opinion, of course supported by reasons. Everything

in your essay must be related to whether longer jail sentences are a good
solution to the crime rate.
Slide 4
Next we will draw a quick ideas map.
We have the introduction, three reasons for the opinion and the conclusion.
It is important to state your opinion in the introduction so that the reader knows
exactly where you are going with your essay.
Slide 5
The second step is:
Slide 6
there are three reasons.
So, we can quickly draw an ‘organizer’ for our ideas.
Do you have to write three body paragraphs, one for each reason? No, you do
not! Again, your organization is up to you, as long as you use paragraphs and it
is clear and logical. There is no rule about how many paragraphs.
Here for example, you might decide to combine reason 2 and 3 into one
paragraph, so that there are just two body paragraphs – of course it would be
essential to signal clearly in that paragraph what you are doing. For example the
paragraph could start “There are other important reasons...”
Slide 7

Slide 8
You need to quickly come up with some evidence and support for each reason
of your essay.
they exactly fit the topic. Again, make sure you do NOT write about other stuff
which is not in the question!
Intro Crime is big concern in many places – media and public opinion demand
answers – politicians increase jail sentences. I disagree, except in most
serious cases.
Reason 1 Long jail terms don’t stop crime. Criminals act because of poverty, lack of
job, or professional – don’t think about caught or sentence, so long term
irrelevant. 2 years or 5 years doesn’t matter.
Reason 2 Justice system should have 2 aims: look after victims and help criminals
change. Long sentences option if serious harm to victim, but how to
rehabilitate crim. is important.
Scandinavian countries – prisoners study, work, get early parole, change
lives
Long jail term: criminal gets hardened, bitter, more crime skills and mates.
Reason 3 Very expensive option! One prisoner one year costs a lot, also lost
productivity, taxes etc
Conclusion Crime & punishment: emotion overrules reason. Enlightened society looks
to less prison not more.
It looks like it would come out long with those three paragraphs, maybe 30
words each for the intro and conclusion, so that is 60, then at least 80 words for
each body paragraph. Maybe 300 or more, so it might be a good idea to
combine the second and third paragraphs as we discussed earlier.
Instructor:
OK, so you should have a firm idea of how to plan your essay. You might be
wondering when you will actually write a Task 2 essay in this course…Don’t
worry, you will soon get lots of practice. But first, we will look at the other areas
of assessment in the following videos, starting with Coherence and Cohesion.
See you soon.

Script - Task 2 Coherence and Cohesion
Instructor:
You learned a lot about Coherence and Cohesion in the Task 1 video? Do you
remember what it is about? Basically it is about organization of your writing and
using markers and linking words to help the reader follow your ideas easily.
Well, what about Task 2? Is anything different? Let’s find out! The goals of this
lesson are:
- consolidate your knowledge of Coherence and Cohesion
- find out what is different for Task 2
- understand paragraphs in Task 2
Slide 1
You will have already watched the video and learned about Coherence and
Cohesion on Task 1. Basically it is about organization of your writing and
making it easy to follow with linking words and markers.
So, how is Coherence and Cohesion different on Task 2? Is it exactly the same?
Or how many differences do you think there would be?
You can write down your answer now if you wish, and at the end of this video
we will check the answer.
Slide 2
Let’s recall first the descriptors for a Band 7 on Task 1.
• Logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression

throughout
• Uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some

under-/over-use

Slide 3
Now let’s check the descriptors for band 7 on Task 2: you can see that the first
two are exactly the same and then there is a third one:
presents a clear central topic within each paragraph.
This is very important because it mentions paragraphs, which are not mentioned
in Task 1 at band 7, although they are at band 8. Additionally it mentions a
central topic for each paragraph.
Slide 4
So, in terms of what you need to do for a good score in Coherence and
Cohesion in Task 2, you need to:
1. Organize information and ideas (note that the organization will be somewhat
different from Task 1)
2. Use linking words and markers (note that the some of the words you use will
be different from Task 1), and finally,
3. Use clear paragraphs.
We will now go through how to achieve each of these in Task 2.
Slide 5
First of all, how to organize your information and ideas.
Organization will be achieved by following the 3-step plan you learned in the
Task 2 videos, which is:
This gives you a structure for your essay and a logical presentation of your
answer, with an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.

Slide 6
Next, just as in Task 1, it is essential to use some appropriate linking words.

These will help you write good longer sentences combining ideas. You also
need some good markers. These will help you to signal to the reader what you
are doing.
Slide 7
Now Task 2 is fundamentally different to Task 1. In Task 1 you keep your

opinion and ideas out of it, only reporting the data given. In Task 2, you have to
use your own ideas and often give an opinion, so some different markers will be
appropriate.
You can show you are giving your opinion with phrases like:
I believe that In my opinion, I definitely agree with
When you have several reasons, you can use:
The first reason is The second reason is The most important reason is
You might be writing about advantages, so you can use:
One advantage is Another advantage is The most important advantage is
You might be writing a paragraph about causes, so
One cause is Another cause is
When introducing the other side of an argument, you might use:
However, On the other hand,
You can use ‘In conclusion’ at the beginning of your conclusion.
Slide 8
Let’s look at a sample answer now, to see how these points work in practice.
Do you remember this question about obesity? It asks about reasons and
solutions. After following the 3-step plan I came up with a very logical
organization like this:

Introduction, Reasons, Solutions, Conclusion
You can clearly see that there are four paragraphs, because there is a line space
between paragraphs.
Slide 9
Looking at the markers in this essay, we can see
There are several reasons
Which signals that this paragraph will be about the reasons for obesity. Then we
have Firstly, showing the first reason, followed by the second main reason here.
This sentence, Obesity has been a difficult issue to solve
works like a marker to signal that this paragraph is about possible solutions. I
guess you could be more obvious with something like:
There are no easy solutions for this problem. Or even:
There are several possible solutions for this problem.
The important thing is to signal clearly what is coming in the following

sentences.
Also, However and With regard to exercise and likewise signal parts of the
paragraph about solutions.
Actually, the last part is clearly enough a conclusion if it is a separate paragraph

at the end and sounds like a conclusion, but you can also use ‘In conclusion’ if
you like.
So, in summary, this is a very clear and well-organised essay which is easy to
follow and would score very well on Coherence and Cohesion.
Slide 10
Now we will look in more detail at how to meet the requirement for clear
paragraphs in Task 2.

First of all, make it very clear where your paragraphs begin and end. If the
reader cannot see your paragraphs at first glance you will make a poor
impression.
Slide 11
The best way to do this is by leaving a clear space between paragraphs, about
the height of one line of writing.
Slide 12
Some people prefer to use indents, in other words, the first line of the paragraph
one or two centimetres in from the rest of the lines. That’s OK, just make sure it
is completely clear how many paragraphs there are. I think the line space is
usually clearer.
Slide 13
Remember that the descriptor says a clear central topic.
For example, this paragraph is about reasons for obesity, and nothing else!
The first sentence tells what the paragraph is about. That’s why we call it a topic
sentence. Here we see:
There are several reasons related to changing lifestyles that cause obesity in
these countries.
The paragraph should exactly match what the topic sentence says. All of this
paragraph is about reasons for obesity in developing countries.
Slide 14
Look at the body paragraph about solutions for obesity. These sentences signal
that the paragraph will be about possible solutions and that they are not easy.
This example is quite high level writing, so perhaps the topic sentence is not
obvious enough.

Slide 15
A simpler way would be something like:
There are several possible solutions for this problem.
Everything in the paragraph is about possible solutions to the problem of

obesity in developing countries.
Slide 16
Let’s take a look at one more sample answer and see how it would score highly
on Coherence and Cohesion.
The question is this one, which you saw before – so the question is asking you
to write about individuals taking action, about governments providing solutions
and then also your opinion.
Look at the essay, and identify how it is organised, how it uses markers and
how it has clear paragraphs. Pause the video and consider those points.
Ready?
Slide 17
Well, it is organised clearly into four paragraphs. The introduction clearly

introduces the topic and poses the question of who should take responsibility.
The first body paragraph is clearly about individuals, the next one about
government, and the last one is an opinion with a closing sentence to serve as a
conclusion.
Next we see several key markers which show the reader how the essay is
organised. The last sentence in the introduction, then the topic sentence of each
paragraph, while ‘I believe’ signals that here comes the opinion.
Other markers help to organise within the paragraphs. In the first body
paragraph, a good example and another example.
In the second body paragraph, examples of this, another way, in addition and
finally.

Slide 18
Looking at the paragraphing in more detail, we see that the paragraphs are easy
to see, clearly separated by a line space.
Each paragraph is about one topic and that topic is clearly signalled by the topic
sentence.
Slide 19
You should now know what the differences are between Task 1 and Task 2
when it comes to Coherence and Cohesion. There are two main differences:
One is the requirement for paragraphs for band 7 and the other is the different
markers that can be used.
Instructor:
Well, obviously it is super important to use paragraphs correctly and have lots of
linking words and markers. An essay that follows this advice will look right and
read right to the examiner. Next, we will look at vocabulary again.

USEFUL STUDY LINKS
VOCABULARY





GRAMMAR


Script: Task 2 Grammar
Instructor:
How is your grammar? If you answer ‘not so good’, you will need to work on
your grammar. You need good grammar to get a high score on the IELTS
writing exam, and you can’t fake it! Anyway, in this video, we will explain what
grammar might be used to get a good result in Task 2. The goal is simply:
- see how Task 2 grammar is different from Task 1.
Slide 1
The descriptors for Band 7 for Task 2 are exactly the same as for Task 1.
Remember that we reduced these to two main points to keep in mind, first to use
a range of complex sentences and second to be careful not to make too many
mistakes. This video will remind you of what is needed for grammar and how to
apply it to Task 2.
Slide 2
The descriptors are the same, so is there any difference with Task 1? Well, there
is more opportunity in Task 2 to use a good variety of complex sentences
related to the topic. Task 1 is somewhat limited as you are just describing some
data, and it is only 150 words. Task 2 gives more scope and is a minimum of
250 words of course.
But remember you have more time and space to make mistakes!
Let’s look at an example.
Slide 3
Let’s look at this model answer.
We can find a good number of complex sentences.

Slide 4
Many of them follow the two basic types that I showed you in Task 1, The first
type was sentences with relative pronouns like: which, that, who, where
Examples are:
Individuals can indeed take many actions which avoid further damage to the
environment.
However, it is governments, with their immense political, economic and social

power, that can effectively change the way we all live and pollute.
The second type was sentences with subordinators like: after, when, because,
although, since, while, if
Some examples are
Serious pollution threatens ecosystems and human health, while global

warming is a danger to the existence of the world as we know it.
Recycling is a good example because it saves energy and resources, yet can
easily be done.
If people adjust the temperature of heaters in winter and air conditioners in

summer, a lot of energy would be saved and therefore less CO2 emitted.
Slide 5
You can also see quite a variety of grammar constructions in this essay. As the
writer switches easily from one to another, he shows his command of English
grammar. Some of the grammar used here is:
Present perfect, present simple passive, plenty of modals, like should, would,
can, passive with modals, like can be done. Using a gerund as a noun, like
setting a carbon price. There is a conditional sentence with if, and future with
will be.
Slide 6
You might be thinking, oh my God, I can never write an essay like that. Well,
don’t worry, you don’t need to. This would be a very high band score. Getting a

7 is much easier than that. In the next video you will analyse a Band 7 answer
and you will see.
Slide 7
On the other hand, if you do tend to make a lot of mistakes with your grammar,
you will need to fix that. You might need to do a grammar course either on the
Internet or using a book.
Slide 8
Remember that you can’t really fake it! This is even more true in Task 2! To
have a range of complex sentences and not many errors, and to sustain that over
250 words or more, you need a pretty good command of English grammar.
One good site for this is IELTS Buddy. You can find a page of useful links in
‘Downloadable Materials’ in the ‘Extras’ in this lesson.
Slide 9
The tips that I gave you in Task 1 about grammar apply just as much or even
more in Task 2.
First, don’t make your sentences TOO long! If you notice your sentence getting
longer than about 2 lines, find a way to end it and start another sentence. Mix
lots of longer sentences with two or three clauses with a few shorter sentences.
This keeps the reader’s interest.
Slide 10
As I mentioned in the last video on vocabulary, it is essential to check your

work. You can just cross out any mistakes and write the correct version above
it. We said 3 minutes for checking your work in Task 1, but you will need a
little more for Task 2, maybe 5 minutes.

Slide 11
Also, remember that less is more! You have to write 250 words but there is no
advantage in writing a lot more! Focus on making your writing clear and easy to
read.
Write the minimum or not much more, say up to 280 words, and you will not be
rushed, you will make fewer mistakes AND have more time to check your
work.
Instructor:
Well, either you know your grammar is good enough, or you know you need to
learn more. If you need to improve, you can use some of the links in listed on
the ‘Helpful Links’ page in downloadable materials in ‘Extras’ in this lesson.
Good luck!

ACADEMIC WRITING SAMPLE TASK 2B
Write about the following topic:
The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace. Nuclear power provides cheap
and clean energy.
The benefits of nuclear technology far outweigh the disadvantages.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
experience.

script - Task 2 Analyse a Sample
Instructor:
In the Task 1 videos we looked at a real sample writing from IELTS.org that
was awarded Band 6 and we analysed what was lacking for a Band 7. In this
video we will look at another real sample, this time a Task 2 answer, that gets
Band 7, so that we can check what positive features it has that make it Band 7.
The goal of this video is:
- see what a real Band 7 answer might look like
We are going to look at an IELTS sample answer which has been given a Band
7. Here is the question.... I will give you the link in just a moment. And here is
the answer, you need to scroll down to page 11 and 12 to find the band 7
answer.
Slide 1
So here are the links, which you can also find in the supplementary material on
your right.
Or, go to IELTS.org and follow these steps….
Slide 2
First read the question and make sure you understand it.
Then read the answer to yourself. Think about why it might have been given a
Band 7.
Slide 3
Make sure you have the correct question and answer.

What you need to do here is pause the video while you read. When you have
finished, press play again and I will show you why this answer is a Band 7.
Slide 4
Remember that the essay is assessed and given a score for four areas, task
response, cohesion and coherence, lexical resource and grammar. We will look
at the Band 7 descriptor in each area and see how this essay meets the criteria.
Slide 5
First Task Response – the descriptor reads as follows:
addresses all parts of the task
this essay does clearly answer the question, and it is long enough, well over 250
words.
presents a clear position throughout the response
the writer does stay on topic throughout the essay and clearly signals an opinion
at the start which is maintained.
presents, extends and supports main ideas, but there may be a tendency to over-
generalise and/or supporting ideas may lack focus
there are several good reasons, although one small fault is that the writer repeats
the same ideas on the second page.
Slide 6
Next, looking at Coherence and Cohesion, we can see that this essay is logically
organized, it has clear paragraphs, each one is on a topic and the writing is easy
to follow.
The writing contains a good range of markers, such as
Unlike Best of all
This is due to
In fact When and if
As stated before,
It is clear that
In conclusion
Slide 7
- Moving on to Lexical Resource or vocabulary, it is clear that this essay has a

nice range of vocabulary using some precise words and including some less
common and high level words.
- Some examples just from the first page would be:
- is carefully being evaluated
- facing an energy crisis
- highly effective
- industrial purposes
- threat of pollution
- limitless
- good source of energy
Slide 8
Then, importantly, there are few errors. I spotted just four spelling errors,
purposes, really, ideology and population. There are a couple of other
vocabulary word choice mistakes, but it is all good enough for a 7, according to
the IELTs people.
Slide 9
Finally, looking at Grammar, it is obvious that this writer has pretty good
control of English grammar. There are mistakes, but there are many error-free

sentences and in general it shows a range of grammar, including many complex
structures and generally good control of grammar and punctuation.
Examples are:
- In 50 years we will be facing…
- Unlike…, nuclear power is …..
- The use it has been given….
- limited to a few hands, who consider …..
- We may all benefit from the ….
- Many benefits which have not yet been discovered
- It will be ….. as the …..
- To see that it is handled well
Instructor:
Well, maybe you are thinking it’s really not that difficult to get a Band 7! The
truth is that it isn’t that hard. I hope that inspires you to think that you can get
the score you need on Task 2.

Script - Academic Writing Task 2: How to do the writing practice
Instructor:
You have learned a lot about Task 1, about how to plan your answer, what to
include and what not to do. It’s time to practice! In this short video, I will show
you exactly how to get the maximum benefit from the four practice tasks, which
are similar to the kind of tasks you may get in the exam.
Slide 1
The next two lessons let you put into practice everything that you have been
learning about Task 2.
You will practise planning and writing Task 2 answers of various kinds. Later
we will practise doing a whole test including Task 1 and Task 2 but for now we
will just focus on Task 2.
Full.
Slide 2
First the ‘Guided’ practice. This is two questions that you already did the
planning for in this course, using the MEN 3-step plan.
Question A is the one about helping people in poverty and B is the question
about the crime in cities.
The full practice will be two questions you have not seen before.

Slide 3
possible.
You can see this link in Extras in this course and it is also easy to find if you
Google “IELTS writing answer sheet”.
4 for Task 2.
Slide 4
off your phone.
If you practice under exam conditions as far as possible you will get better at
writing a Task 2 answer in the real test.
Slide 5
So, do the guided practice first... you have already planned this and seen me do
it too, but better start from scratch. Print out the question sheets... you can write
First do Question A. When you are finished, read the model answer, which you
can find in ‘Extras’ in this lesson. Of course don’t look at the answer until you
finish!
Maybe next day, do Question B. Again, when you are finished read the model
answer.
Slide 6

So the next day, you can do the Full Practice. This is two completely new
questions, so you need to plan using the MEN 3-step plan and write your
Slide 7
Do the full practice Question C and then read the model answer later. The
model answer is in ‘Extras’ in the Full Practice lesson. On another day, do
Question D and read the model answer.
Instructor:

Script - Academic Writing Task 2: How to do the writing practice
Instructor:
You have learned a lot about Task 1, about how to plan your answer, what to
include and what not to do. It’s time to practice! In this short video, I will show
you exactly how to get the maximum benefit from the four practice tasks, which
are similar to the kind of tasks you may get in the exam.
Slide 1
The next two lessons let you put into practice everything that you have been
learning about Task 2.
You will practise planning and writing Task 2 answers of various kinds. Later
we will practise doing a whole test including Task 1 and Task 2 but for now we
will just focus on Task 2.
Full.
Slide 2
First the ‘Guided’ practice. This is two questions that you already did the
planning for in this course, using the MEN 3-step plan.
Question A is the one about helping people in poverty and B is the question
about the crime in cities.
The full practice will be two questions you have not seen before.

Slide 3
possible.
You can see this link in Extras in this course and it is also easy to find if you
Google “IELTS writing answer sheet”.
4 for Task 2.
Slide 4
off your phone.
If you practice under exam conditions as far as possible you will get better at
writing a Task 2 answer in the real test.
Slide 5
So, do the guided practice first... you have already planned this and seen me do
it too, but better start from scratch. Print out the question sheets... you can write
First do Question A. When you are finished, read the model answer, which you
can find in ‘Extras’ in this lesson. Of course don’t look at the answer until you
finish!
Maybe next day, do Question B. Again, when you are finished read the model
answer.
Slide 6

So the next day, you can do the Full Practice. This is two completely new
questions, so you need to plan using the MEN 3-step plan and write your
Slide 7
Do the full practice Question C and then read the model answer later. The
model answer is in ‘Extras’ in the Full Practice lesson. On another day, do
Question D and read the model answer.
Instructor:

test partners.
WRITING TASK 2
experience.


Some people think that very poor people in society need to help themselves. Others, however,
believe that the government should provide financial and other assistance to these people.
Discuss both these views and give your opinion.
Draw a quick ‘ideas map’, like so:
conclusion, there are three main parts of the question and therefore of the
essay answer.
A logical way to organise your essay will be a paragraph about poor people
helping themselves, a second paragraph about government financial assistance
and other help and third, your opinion.

Intro
Para. 1 – poor people

help themselves
Para. 2 – governments
provide financial/other
assistance
Para. 3 – my opinion
Conclusion
Intro Every country - poor people, even rich countries.

Poor get out of poverty OR governments should aid poor in
(40 words) many ways. What is the best way?
Para. 1 – People think poor = lazy, drug problems etc. Stop
poor people drugs/alcohol; look hard for job, good attitude
help themselves But ignoring circumstances in society
Complicated reasons – marriage breakup, high costs, lack of
jobs/housing/education/health
(90)
Para. 2 - Government can help in many ways:
governments Financial eg unemployment benefits, food stamps (Govt must
provide do this or people die!)
financial/other Also cheap housing, free education, counselling, training,
assistance
social services. (s’times help out of poverty)
(90) Govt helps poor people AND helps to help selves
Para. 3 – Government must help poor.
opinion Civilized society = give chances to all. Human rights:
(70) education, health, food, water, etc.
Moral grounds – help neighbour, don’t leave behind
Also development grounds – we NEED these people to live
well, contribute to society, no wasted potential – next Bill
gates or Einstein!
*Conclusion Poor can help themselves to extent but complicated.
Much easier to help self if govt provides resources.
*Note that the estimated word count is 290 words, so I decide I will combine the opinion
and conclusion if necessary. When I get to the last part of the essay I will see how many
words I have written and how much time I have.

Model answer
Every country has poor people, even rich countries like the USA, Australia and
European countries. Some tend to think the poor could help themselves get
out of poverty, while many think that governments should aid poor people in
many ways. So, what is the best way to help people out of poverty?
Those who think that the poor need to help themselves often blame them for
their poverty. They think that drugs or alcohol are involved or that they need
to try harder. Perhaps they look at stories of self-made businessmen and
decide that if poor people just showed more initiative they could start a
business or get a better job. Of course all of this ignores the many reasons for
poverty in a rich country, including family breakdown, high cost of living,
unemployment and sometimes inferior resources in health and education.
Other people see the important role of government in helping people in

poverty. First of all, financial assistance such as unemployment benefits, single
parent benefits, emergency loans and food stamps (in the US) are essential and
even save lives. Secondly, structural assistance like cheap housing programs,
free education, health insurance and other social programs assist poor people
to live decent lives and perhaps save money to eventually escape poverty.
In my opinion, a civilized society will always help those in need and give
disadvantaged people a chance to improve their lives. It is a human rights issue
where food, housing, education and health are concerned and also a moral
imperative to make sure no one is left behind. At the same time, by helping the
poor, we help ourselves, because society needs as many contributors as
possible. Who knows, the next Bill Gates or Einstein might just be in need of
some government assistance!
Words: 296
Note: I decided to combine the opinion and conclusion, as I already had 240 words or so
when I got to the ‘opinion’ section. This would NOT affect your score.

test partners.
WRITING TASK 2
disagree?
experience.

In many countries the crime rate has increased in recent years. According to
some people, the solution is for criminals to receive longer jail sentences. To
what extent do you agree or disagree?
A great way to make sure we understand the question (and with this type of
opinion question, to start getting some ideas) is by drawing a quick ‘ideas
map’, like so:
In this “Do you agree .....?” type question, you might ‘agree’, ‘partially agree’,
‘totally disagree’, ‘agree under some circumstances’ or any other level of
agreement or disagreement.
You will need to decide on your position and think of two or three strong
reasons for your opinion. On your ideas map it is better to put your opinion in
the introduction and then your reasons.
2. Decide on the essay structure: draw an organizer
conclusion, there will be three paragraphs, one for each reason. (Just two
reasons would be OK also, if they are strong, directly relevant to the question
and well-supported.)

Intro
Reason 1
Reason 2
Reason 2
Conclusion
Intro Crime is big concern in many places – media and public

opinion demand answers – politicians increase jail sentences.
(30 words) I disagree, except in most serious cases.
Reason 1 Long jail terms don’t stop crime. Criminals act because of
poverty, lack of job, or professional – don’t think about get
caught or sentence, so long term irrelevant. 2 years or 5 years
(70) doesn’t matter.
Reason 2 Justice system should have 2 aims: look after victims and
help criminals change. Long sentences option if serious harm
(70) to victim, but how to rehabilitate crim. is important.
Scandinavian countries – prisoners study, work, get early
parole, change lives
Long jail term: criminal gets hardened, bitter, more crime
skills and mates.
Reason 3 Very expensive option! One prisoner one year costs a lot, also
lost productivity, taxes etc
(70)
Conclusion Crime & punishment: emotion overrules reason. Enlightened
(30) society looks to less prison not more.

Model answer
Crime is certainly a big concern in many societies, where the media and public
opinion demand answers and politicians may respond by increasing jail
sentences. I do not think this is a good solution to the crime problem, except in
the most serious cases.
The first reason is that long sentences do not generally stop criminals from
committing crimes. They act out of poverty or unemployment, or sometimes
as career criminals, and they do not tend to think about getting caught or
possible punishment. Therefore a longer jail term will not deter them. Two
years or five years doesn’t matter when it is only a future possibility and the
crime is now.
The second reason is that the justice system should be partly about
rehabilitation for criminals, for the sake of both the individual and society. In
Scandinavian countries, many measures ensure that prisoners turn their lives
around. For example, they study, do productive work, transition to ‘open
prisons’ and are prepared to be better citizens. A simple slogan of ‘longer jail
terms’ does nothing to rehabilitate. On the contrary, long term prisoners will
become hardened and bitter, more likely to re-offend.
The third reason is that it is extremely expensive to keep people behind bars. It
costs taxpayers a great deal per prisoner per year and in addition, inmates are
unproductive, not paying taxes or contributing to society. Alternative
punishments are much less expensive and more productive.
In the case of serious crimes causing great harm to the victim, long jail terms
must be an option. Unfortunately, with crime and punishment it seems that
emotion often overrules reason. An enlightened society looks to less prison,
not more.
Words: 278

test partners.
TASK 2 - Guided Practice A
experience.

TASK 2 - Guided Practice B
disagree?
experience.

test partners.
WRITING TASK 2
Serious traffic problems are common in large cities today. It is often said that encouraging
people to use public transport is the best solution to these problems. Do you agree or
disagree? Are there other ways to solve these problems?
experience.

Serious traffic problems are common in large cities today. It is often said that
encouraging people to use public transport is the best solution to these
problems. Do you agree or disagree? Are there other ways to solve these
problems?
A great way to make sure we understand the question is by drawing a quick

‘ideas map’, like so:
conclusion, there are two main parts of the question and therefore of the
essay answer.
A logical way to organise your essay will be a paragraph about public transport
and whether it is a good solution or not, and a second paragraph about other
possible solutions.

Intro
Para. 1 – public
transport
Para. 2 – other
possible
solutions
Conclusion
Intro Massive traffic problems – more and more cars on roads =

congestion, gridlock, wasted time, pollution. Whether public
(30 words) transport (PT) is best solution, depends many factors.
Para. 1 – public 1. ‘encourage’ people – but they will only use if good system,
transport efficient, well priced, convenient. Many cities, difficult to
provide. e.g. my city Sydney: many people complain PT is
expensive, uncomfortable and not at all convenient in outer
(100)
suburbs.
So, in city with effective PT system, encouraging people
might work. Advertising campaign, special offers on pricing -
and/or penalties. Even 10% or 20% of commuters - big
difference to congestion.
Para. 2 – other People love their cars! Proven many years, all over world.
possible Accept people love and need private cars.
solutions 1. So, technology can provide solutions: smaller cars,
driverless cars – estimated half the space needed, fewer
(100)
accidents, Also, non-polluting electric or hydrogen cars.
2. Urban planning also important –huge sprawling city = v.
difficult to provide good PT and many more/longer car trips
necessary. Compact city and/or with several local hubs allows
adequate PT, bike paths and ‘walkability’ – eg people live and
work around ‘hub’ 10 km from city centre.
Conclusion Not easy to solve – no big city has really solved?
(30) Solution lies in different combinations of measures, including
PT, for different cities.

Model answer
Today massive traffic problems affect most large cities as more and more
people own cars. These problems include congestion, gridlock, waste of time
and pollution. Whether public transport is the best solution depends on many
factors.
To ‘encourage’ people to use public transport sounds great, but they will only
respond positively if the transport available is efficient, reliable, well-priced and
convenient. Many older cities find this difficult to provide. For example, in my
city, Sydney, commuters frequently complain about reliability and price, while
in the outer suburbs, convenience is poor. In a city with an effective transport
system, some people could be ‘encouraged’ out of their cars with incentives like
special pricing offers and/or penalties for driving, like special taxes and high
parking levies. It is true that even 10% of commuters changing to public
transport would make a difference.
What public transport advocates tend to forget is the love affair people have
with their cars. People want and need private cars to continue with their
current lifestyles. Other solutions are therefore essential. Firstly, technology will
provide a number of options in coming years, such as smaller cars and non-
polluting electric or hydrogen vehicles. Driverless cars are being developed
which will be safer and save much space on roads. Secondly, urban planning
can design smarter cities, for example using ‘hubs’ so that people drive less and
shorter distances. Bike paths and ‘walkability’ also allow people to use their
cars less.
Traffic problems are difficult to solve and may always be with us. However,
they can be alleviated by combinations of measures designed for local
conditions, including public transport.
Words: 268

Disclaimer: This test is not an official IELTS® test. It is intended for practice and study and is
only indicative of the kind of questions and materials students may encounter in the real
IELTS® exam. No claim is made that a question encountered on an actual IELTS® test will
resemble this question. Test-takers should practice with a wide variety of question types to
prepare for the exam.
'IELTS' is a registered trade mark of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations

Syndicate, the British Council and IELTS Australia Pty Ltd. The author of this material is not
affiliated in any way with IELTS® or the test partners.
WRITING TASK 2
Many children today play computer games indoors instead of playing outdoors
with other children.
What are some reasons for this?
Is it a positive development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your
knowledge or experience.


Many children today play computer games indoors instead of playing outdoors with
other children.
It is clear that there are two separate questions about the topic, and that the
second question is about your opinion. Next is drawing a quick ‘ideas map’, like
so:
Make sure you have included all parts of the question.
essay answer.
A logical way to organise your essay will be a paragraph about reasons for the
problem and a second paragraph with your opinion about if it is a positive
development or not and reasons.
Intro
Para. 1 – reasons
for children
playing computer
games indoors
Para. 2 – opinion:
not a positive
development
Conclusion
Intro Children’s play habits changed in one generation. Many

children spend hours every day playing comp. games and do
(30 words) not tend to play outdoors or with other kids.
Para. 1 – 1. Ever since ‘Mario’, kids love comp. games. Why? Moving
reasons for images, ability to manipulate characters, enter new worlds –
children playing engaging! Now amazing graphics, $billion industry – of course
computer ‘better’ than football or bikes.
games indoors
2. Trend- parents worry too much, media reports. My
experience: play on bike all day long- not now!
(100) Also parents don’t control kids’ computer hours.
Para. 2 – These games fun, but too much!
opinion: not a Better for kids outside, getting exercise, play with others.
positive Lack of exercise, obesity growing problem.
development Also play with others v. Important – develop cooperation,
imagination, communication skills, etc.
(100)
Conclusion Computer games have bewitched our children, but should
(30) not bewitch parents. Take responsibility!

Model answer
Children’s play habits have changed in just one generation. Large numbers of
children now spend hours every day playing computer games and do not tend
to play outdoors or with playmates. There are obvious reasons for this, but it is
a terrible situation.
Ever since ‘Mario’ came out a couple of decades ago, kids of all ages
immediately loved computer games. This is because moving images, bright
colours and the ability to manipulate characters and enter ‘new worlds’
captivate youngsters and even some adults! Over the years games have
become even more engaging, with amazing graphics and a billion dollar
industry behind them. Kicking a ball in the yard or riding a bike just cannot
compete. A parallel development has been the tendency for modern parents
to worry excessively about crime, fed by the media. Whereas in my day, we
spent all day in the street riding our bikes, now many parents are more
reluctant to let their children outside for free play.
Computer games are fun, sometimes educational and could form part of a
child’s playtime, but at the moment the situation is out of control. Lack of
exercise leads to ill health and obesity, which is on the rise in many countries.
Additionally, many worry about violent content in games affecting our
children. On the other hand, playing outside with others brings a range of
positive skill development, including cooperation, imagination and
communication skills.
The computer game industry has bewitched our children, but it is time for
parents to act. We need to take responsibility and make sure that children
from a young age play in a variety of healthy ways.
Words: 273

test partners.
TASK 2 - Full Practice C
Serious traffic problems are common in large cities today. It is often said that encouraging
people to use public transport is the best solution to these problems. Do you agree or
disagree? Are there other ways to solve these problems?
experience.

TASK 2 - Full Practice D
Many children today play computer games indoors instead of playing outdoors with other
children.
experience.

Script for video - Academic Writing TIPS
Instructor:
There are a lot of tips that come up during the videos in this course. I thought it
would be a good idea to collect them in one place, so that you can check them
and make sure you follow them all.
There are a million tips out there on the Internet, but be careful because many of
them are wrong or not important. Here are the tips that you need to know
because they can really make a difference to your score.
Slide 1
First I will give you some important tips for the Academic Writing exam that
apply to both Task 1 and Task 2. Then some specific tips for Task 1, and finally
some specific tips for Task 2.
Slide 2
Tip number 1 is to plan and prepare carefully before starting to write.
This is so important!
Follow the SNO-MEN method of planning shown in this course.
Use the question paper to do your planning –
you can write all over it!
Slide 3
Tip number 2 is to make sure you write at least the minimum number of words
required on each task. 150 words for Task 1, 250 words for Task 2. So, you
don’t want to waste time counting, but you can get a good estimate quickly like
this:

Slide 4
Just count the words in the first three lines, here there are 26, divide by 3 gives
you almost 9. Then count the number of lines, here there are 16, so multiply by
9 gives you 144, let’s make it 140 is your estimate. That will be almost correct
and much quicker than counting all of your words.
Slide 5
Tip number 3 is to not copy sentences from the question, or even phrases. This
could lose you marks as those words do not get counted.
Slide 6
Tip number 4 is do not use bullet points or notes in your writing.
By the way, bullet points means like this…
Slide 7
All of your writing in both tasks should be in proper sentences and organized
into paragraphs.
Slide 8
Tip number 5 is to keep some time for checking your work when you finish.
Finding and correcting any mistakes is essential for a high score. Remember
that crossing out is OK, but try to keep it as neat as possible. Remember that
someone has to read it!
As a guideline:
Task 1 – 20 mins: You could take 3 -5 minutes to prepare, 12-14 minutes to

write and 3 minutes to check.
Task 2 – 40 mins: You could take 5 or more minutes to prepare, about 30

minutes to write and 5 minutes to check.
Slide 9
Tip number 6 is: write with clear handwriting.
This is very important. If the examiner finds your handwriting difficult to read,
you are not off to a good start! Imagine you are a teacher with a pile of essays –
how would you feel when you get to one that is hard to read?
If your handwriting is bad, sorry, but you have a problem and you will need to
practice writing more neatly and quickly.
Slide 10
Tip number 7: Practise under exam conditions.
You might be able to write a fantastic essay in 2 hours, but that is not the point!
Practice writing both tasks in one hour, write by hand and use the ‘real’ answer
paper which you can download at: ielts.org
Slide 11
Now for some specific tips for Task 1 writing.
Tip number 1 is to include a correct ‘overview.’ We covered this in some detail

back in the Task 1 videos.
This is very important for a high score. You MUST have an overview or
summary of the key points of the information provided.
If you follow the SNO 3-step plan, you will not miss the overview.
Slide 12
TIP number 2
Write about ALL the main features.

This is also very important for a high score. You cannot leave out any main
features. You do not have to write about all minor or unimportant details, but if
you are not sure about an item, you’d better include it.
If you follow the SNO 3-step plan, you should not miss any features.
Slide 13
Tip number 3 is do NOT write about anything except the information provided.
This means no opinions, no reasons, no personal comments, no ideas that are

not in the graphs or diagrams provided. You really do only have to report the
information, not interpret it in any way.
Slide 14
Tip number 4 is to check the accuracy of the information and figures you put in
your answer. As you are reporting the data on the page, it is important to do it
correctly.
Slide 15
Use 2 or 3 paragraphs to make your report look better and easier to understand.
Paragraphs are not strictly necessary to meet the Band 7 descriptors for Task 1,
but they do give a good impression and make it easier for the reader.
Slide 16
Tip number 6: don’t spend longer than 20 minutes on Task 1.
Remember that Task 2 is worth double the marks, so spend the full 40 minutes
on it.
Some people prefer to do Task 2 first while they are fresh and spend the last 20
minutes on Task 1. That’s OK, but it is still important to get a good score on
Task 1.

Slide 17
Now for some specific tips for Task 2 writing.
Tip number 1 is to answer all parts of the question, exactly.
We did this with lots of practice in the videos.
This is critically important for a high score, so make sure you follow the MEN
3-step plan to answer all parts of the question.
Slide 18
Tip number 2:
Use paragraphs, and each paragraph should be clearly about one topic.
Again this is very important for a high score, so make sure you follow the MEN
3-step plan to have clearly defined paragraphs, each one about a topic.
Slide 19
Tip number 3 is don’t write too much.
Less really is more. Writing too much will make you rush and not check your
work well enough. Aim for 260-280 words.
Slide 20
Tip number 4 is don’t waste too much time trying to come up with brilliant
ideas.
You do need several key ideas that are directly relevant to the topic and to
support them with some kind of evidence, but you are not being tested on the
quality of your thinking on the topic. In short, don’t forget that it is a test of
your English, not your ideas.

Script – wrap-up and practice tests
Instructor:
Well, if you have done the whole course from start to finish including the
various practice writing tasks, you have come a long way, so congratulations!
I hope you have found the course informative and worthwhile. Now it is time to
do the practice tests – there are two of them, so you can apply everything you
know about tackling the exam.
Before we get onto that, let’s take a quick look at where we have been….
Slide 1
We took a look at the whole course and talked about how to benefit. We also
took a first look at the whole exam and what is required in general to get a good
score.
Slide 2
In Section 2, our focus was on Task 1, and you learned about a great 3-step plan
to deal with this task. We covered two Task 1 graph questions and two Task 1
diagram questions, giving you practice in using the 3-step plan.
Slide 3
In Section 3 we moved on to cover all aspects of the assessment on Task 1,

dealing with coherence, vocabulary and grammar. Then we analysed an actual
sample piece of IELTS writing, before you were supposed to write four Task 1
answers yourself. If you did all that, you got some great practice!

Slide 4
Section 4 took you into Task 2, first about answering the question and staying
relevant. Then you learned the Task 2 version of the 3-step plan and practised it
with four different Task 2 questions.
Slide 5
In Section 5 we covered other aspects of assessment on Task 2, dealing with

coherence, vocabulary and grammar. Then we analysed a real Task 2 sample of
IELTS writing, before you wrote four Task 2 answers yourself, to get a wealth
of practice.
Slide 6
In Section 6, we reviewed all the tips for success in the writing exam and now
there are two full practice tests for you to put it all together and practice writing
just as in the exam.
Slide 7
The two Practice Tests each consist of a Task 1 question and a Task 2 question
so that you can practice with an exam just like you might get on IELTS exam
day. This is your chance to practice with a full exam, under exam conditions.
Each test takes ONE HOUR, that is 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 minutes for
Task 2.
There is a fully explained model answer for each test in ‘Extras’, but obviously
it would not be a good idea to read the model answers before writing your own
answer!
Slide 8
Download and print the IELTS answer sheets. You will need one copy for
Practice Test 1 and one for Practice Test 2.
You can find the link in Extras.

Slide 9
Of course it is best to do each practice test under exam conditions, or a close as

possible as you can arrange.
1. Print out Practice Test 1.
2. Use the IELTS answer sheet.
3. Set a strict time limit of one hour
4. Hand write in pen or pencil
5. Work in a quiet place with no dictionary, computer, phone or other

distractions.
Slide 10
Of course it is best NOT to do both Practice Tests at the same time!
Do them on two separate days.
If possible, get feedback from an experienced IELTS teacher about the first one
before doing the second one! Once you have got your feedback you could read
the model answer in ‘Extras’.
If you can’t get feedback, you might read the model answers and try to see how
your answer compares.
Slide 11
At Expert English we provide a writing feedback service, at
expertenglishfeedback.com
We read your practice test writing and let you know exactly what you are doing
right and what you might need to improve.
You can find the link also in Extras.

Slide 12
We provide this feedback service at a special discounted price to students from

this course!
After getting feedback on Practice Test 1, you will know what you need to work
on improving in Practice Test 2. Then get feedback on this test too.
Then you should be ready to get a great score on exam day!
Instructor:
So, now it’s time to really test yourself on the two Practice Tests. Don’t forget
we will be happy to help you if you choose to use our writing checking and
feedback service.
That’s Expert English Feedback
www.expertenglishfeedback.com
Good luck doing the practice tests and the best wishes for when you do the
IELTS Academic Writing Test.

test partners.
WRITING TASK 1
The graph below shows total sales of computer games, music and DVDs in Britain between
2003 and 2008. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features
and make comparisons where relevant.

The graph below shows total sales of computer games, music and DVDs in
Britain between 2003 and 2008. Summarise the information by selecting and
reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
Looking at the line graph we can see that each line represents the sales of a
different kind of home entertainment over 6 years. Importantly, we note that
the numbers on the vertical axis are in billions of pounds. All the sales figures
shown are in the range of 1 to 3 billion pounds a year.
In 2003, spending on three areas was similar.

People spend much more on games now – almost 3 billion; DVDs only
2.2, music only 1
Sales of games grew slightly until 2006, then grew by 50% over two
years
Sales of music down from 2 billion pounds to approx 1.75 between 2003
and 2006, then fell sharply in 2007 and flat at 1 billion into 2008
DVDs fluctuated a little over the period, ending at around 2.25 billion

Looking at the graph the ‘big picture’ is that games are sharply up, music is
drastically down and DVDs are slightly up. The total amount spent is the same,
but games are taking consumer money away from music
Model answer
The line graph shows how much money was spent on three kinds of home
entertainment in Britain between 2003 and 2008.
Around 2 billion pounds was spent on each of computer games, music and
DVDs in 2003. Sales of games grew slightly from 2003 to 2006 and then took
off, so that they were 50% higher at almost £3 billion by 2008. On the other
hand, music sales fell slightly until 2006 and then plummeted in 2007 to just £1
billion, remaining flat into 2008. Meanwhile, DVD sales were solid, fluctuating
somewhat over the period, but growing steadily over the last three years to
about £2.25 billion.
It can be seen that over the six-year period, sales of games climbed sharply,
music sales fell drastically and DVDs were almost flat. The total amount spent,
at around £6 billion, hardly changed, but amount spent on games increased at
the expense of music.
Words: 151

WRITING TASK 2
In recent years people increasingly read news online, so that paper newspapers are
struggling to survive. What are the advantages and disadvantages for society of this trend?
experience.

struggling to survive. What are the advantages and disadvantages for society of this
trend?

essay answer, i.e. the advantages and the disadvantages.
A logical way to organise your essay will be a paragraph about advantages and
a second paragraph about disadvantages.
Intro
Para. 1 –
advantages
Para. 2 –
disadvantages
Conclusion

Intro 20 years ago, newspapers were most popular way of getting
news. Internet - changed this drastically, people read news
(30 words) from sources online.
Para. 1 – 1. people switch because convenient - can access anywhere
advantages any time. Fits with digital lifestyle. Cheap or free, because
not purchasing paper.
2. Hidden benefit: newspapers use a lot of paper which takes
(100)
trees, electricity to print and chemicals, also distribution
uses fossil fuels. Online news just uses a system which
already exists - net environmental cost much lower.
Important point these days!
Para. 2 – 1. Part of ‘dumbing down’ of society – people are less well

disadvantages informed. Also don’t read properly – tend to ‘scan’ the article
and move on or distracted by social media, email etc. eg. My
(100) parents vs me.
Instead of reading credible articles and real news, read junk
e.g. the kind of ‘human interest’ stories on ‘Yahoo’
2. Quality of journalism must decrease – online model does
not generate enough money for well-paid professional
journalists, eg Huff Post – less serious articles or
investigative journalism. Number of journos is decreasing.
Conclusion As with many internet changes, inevitable, but shame.
(30)

Model answer
Just twenty years ago, newspapers were the most popular way of getting
news. The popularity of the internet has changed this drastically, as now most
people read the news from a variety of sources online.
People have made this switch, ‘voting with their feet’ as it were. The
advantages are clear: online news can be easily accessed on a variety of
devices wherever you are. Also, whereas newspapers are quite costly over a
whole year, internet news is free in most cases. Another more hidden
advantage for all of us is environmental. Newspapers use millions of tonnes of
paper from trees, as well as electricity, fossil fuels and chemicals in printing
and distribution. It’s a waste of resources for something which is just
consumed for one day. Internet news would have a very low environmental
footprint.
This trend does, however, come with a high social cost. Many commentators
have remarked on a ‘dumbing down’ of society, as people read less deeply.
People tend to ‘scan’ an article on a screen instead of reading it properly. My
parents usually spend hours with the newspaper every day, while I just take a
quick look online and scan a couple of articles that interest me. Another
serious concern is the loss of journalists. As newspapers struggle they fire staff
and therefore produce less serious journalism or investigations. Meanwhile,
the online model does not usually hire journalists, as with ‘Huffington Post’ for
instance. Fewer working journalists may mean a less robust democracy.
As with many developments spawned by the Internet, people reading news

online is an inevitable trend. Newspapers will probably go the same way as
hand-illustrated books, but it is regrettable.
Words: 278

test partners.
WRITING TASK 1
The graph below shows total sales of computer games, music and DVDs in Britain between
2003 and 2008. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features
and make comparisons where relevant.

WRITING TASK 2
struggling to survive. What are the advantages and disadvantages for society of this trend?
experience.

test partners.
WRITING TASK 1
The charts below show some information about electricity generation in the United States.

The charts below show some information about electricity generation in the
United States. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main
The pie chart shows the different sources of electricity generation in 2009 in
the USA, in percentages. The line graph shows the amount of electricity in
millions of kWh generated by four renewable sources of electricity between
2000 and 2010.
Coal is the most important source for making electricity (45%)

Natural gas and nuclear are next with 23% and 20%
Hydroelectric 7%, renewable 3.6%, petroleum 1%
Line graph shows growth of several renewables
Wind energy grown dramatically (x20) in decade
Solar increased steadily from about 2007, but tiny compared to wind
Others almost flat in the decade, biomass still substantial
Coal, natural gas and nuclear power account for almost 90% of US power
generation. Renewable sources are only 3.6% of the total but wind energy is
growing strongly.

Model answer
The pie chart shows the percentages of US total electricity generation from
various sources in 2009. Coal is the most important source at around 45%,
while nuclear and natural gas together account for about the same as coal.
Hydroelectric power is a significant source at almost 7%, whereas renewable
sources make up just 3.6%.
The line graph shows the yearly amount of electricity in kilowatt hours
generated from four renewable sources from 2000 to 2010. At the start of the
decade, biomass was clearly the leader at around 60,000 million kWh, a figure
which dropped to 50,000 million in 2001 and stayed just above there until
2010. Geothermal was flat, contributing around 15,000 million kWh
throughout the decade. Wind energy started in third place, but grew
dramatically from 5,000 million kWh to around 100,000 kWh to become the
leader. Solar was negligible and flat until around 2008, but has grown steadily
since then, although still in fourth place at less than 5,000 million.
In summary, coal, natural gas and nuclear power account for almost 90% of US
power generation. Renewables are only 3.6% of the total but wind energy is
growing strongly.
Words: 192

WRITING TASK 2
Many older people in developed countries are staying fit and healthy longer than in the
past. It has been suggested that older people can now work longer and retire later, perhaps
at 70 years old.
Do you agree or disagree with this suggestion?
experience.

at 70 years old.

conclusion, there will be two important reasons for my opinion in the answer.
A logical way to organise the essay will be a paragraph for each reason.
Intro – state
opinion
Para. 1 – Reason
1 - individuals
Para. 2 – reason
2 - society
Conclusion

Intro People are living longer and staying healthy longer, retirement
age of 60/65 comes from long time ago.
People should retire any time if capable.
Para. 1 – First reason about individuals:
Reason 1 - 70 is new 60 – medical, lifestyle changes.
individuals Many can work longer and want to.
Financial: longer life, more funds required
Self-esteem: stay involved, contribute,
Para. 2 – reason For society:

2 - society Older people have experience, expertise – useful, can mentor
youth.
Ageing population means need greater base of working
people to support aged, infirm
Conclusion Win-win solution if based around skills and capability. Should
be entirely voluntary, no penalties

Model answer
People today in advanced countries are living longer than ever before and, in
most cases, staying healthier longer as well. A fixed retirement age of 60 or 65
comes from decades ago and should be made more flexible for anyone who is
capable of working.
The first reason is about individual needs. Due to rapid medical developments
and lifestyle factors such as improved diet and exercise, many people are
perfectly able to work longer and actually need to or want to. They know that
they may live another 30 years or more and will need more funds for when
they eventually retire. In addition, many people strongly identify with their
work and want to keep going to stay involved and keep contributing. Their self-
esteem is improved by continuing to work. We have all seen how much benefit
older people get from working, even in a voluntary role.
Later retirement also brings benefits for society. Firstly, older people have
worked for many years and have a wealth of experience and expertise which is
useful to companies and organisations. They can also mentor younger people.
Secondly, there are many countries which are predicted to have too many
aged people for the working population to support. If older workers can work
for an extra few years, this would make an important difference to the
financial situation facing many governments and pension funds.
In conclusion, allowing older people to work longer if they are capable and
willing is a win-win situation for the individual, organisations and society.
Words: 253

Disclaimer: This test is not an official IELTS® test. It is intended for practice and study and is only indicative of the
kind of questions and materials students may encounter in the real IELTS® exam. No claim is made that a question
encountered on an actual IELTS® test will resemble this question. Test-takers should practice with a wide variety of
question types to prepare for the exam.
'IELTS' is a registered trade mark of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, the British Council
and IELTS Australia Pty Ltd. The author of this material is not affiliated in any way with IELTS® or the test partners.
WRITING TASK 1
The charts below show some information about electricity generation in the United States.

WRITING TASK 2
at 70 years old.
experience.

Success in IELTS Academic Writing

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Success in IELTS Academic Writing

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Script – course overview and how to benefit

© 2014 Expert English Page 1

In Section 3 we move on to cover all aspects of the assessment on Task 1,

In Section 5 we move on to cover other aspects of the assessment on Task 2,

© 2014 Expert English Page 2

The course is divided, as we saw, into Task 1 and Task 2. It is important to

© 2014 Expert English Page 3

1. Start at the beginning and do the lessons step by step.

2. Don’t do the course all at once! Take a couple of weeks.

3. If you don’t understand a lesson well, go back and repeat it.

5. Make sure to follow all the ‘tips’ in Section 6.

7. Get feedback on your writing from IELTS teachers.

© 2014 Expert English Page 4

There are two different IELTS exams – Academic and General.

So, are you doing IELTS Academic or General training?

If you don’t know, you had better find out!

You will find out in this video.

Let’s look at the goals for this lesson:

© 2014 Expert English Page 1

Well, let’s check those basic facts now.

The format of Task 1 is a report, it’s completely objective, reporting on some

So take a note of that.

© 2014 Expert English Page 2

Now Academic Task 2 and this is what we get:

So that website again, http://www.ieltsessentials.com

The question will be something like:

© 2014 Expert English Page 3

© 2014 Expert English Page 4

So what kind of question will you find in Task 2?

© 2014 Expert English Page 5

Actually 3 of them are True and 3 are False.

Number 6.... True or False? Of course it is True! It is very important to answer

© 2014 Expert English Page 6

Let’s look at the goals for this video:

- Learn about exactly how your writing will be assessed.

Can you answer these questions about IELTS writing assessment?

1. What is ‘Task Achievement’?

2. What is ‘cohesion’ in writing?

3. How many grammar mistakes can you make?

4. What is ‘lexical resource’?

© 2014 Expert English Page 1

1. You have to answer the question completely and answer it well.

© 2014 Expert English Page 2

• addresses all parts of the task

• presents a clear position throughout the response

• Do what the question asks.

• Present all main points (task 1)

• Present and support several main ideas (task 2)

© 2014 Expert English Page 3

For a Band 7 in Coherence and Cohesion, it says:

• Logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression

• Uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be

• Organize information and ideas properly.

• Use appropriate linking words and markers.

© 2014 Expert English Page 4

• uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision

• may produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word

So, it is clear that you need to:

• Use a wide range of words

• Not make many mistakes

• uses a variety of complex structures

• produces frequent error-free sentences

So you need a variety or range of sentence types and grammar. ‘Complex