General Training Writing – Model Answer (Task 1)

You recently visited a tourist attraction and you were very pleased by the help given to you by the staff. Write a letter to the head of staff at the tourist attraction. In your letter.

• Give details of the circumstances of your visit
• Describe the help given to you by the staff
• Say what you want the head staff to do

Dear Sir/Madam,

I was part of a tour group that visited Topkapi Sarayi Museum in Istanbul on the 17^th of May. It was an exceptional visit and everyone in the group had positive comments to make about the wealth of information available at this attraction, the spectacular displays as well as the service provided by the staff members.

The ticket attendants issued out entrance tickets fast considering the long queue of tourists waiting to get in. The security officers were extremely polite as well. Our guide was well-informed, providing us with details of all exhibits on display. She was patient with our disabled group member, even taking the initiative to push the wheelchair around the exhibit halls.

I would appreciate it if you could personally thank the staff members on behalf of our group. We would like to thank them for their warm hospitality and care. We will be recommending your services to all our friends at home.

Yours faithfully

Mark Lewis

Question taken from Exam Essentials IELTS Practice Tests p.197

General Training Writing - Model Answer (Task 2)

Many young people today are too worried about the way they look and this causes problems. Do you agree or disagree? What is the situation in your country?

Young people are under a lot of pressure to fit in and be exactly like everyone else their age. As well as hanging out at the same places and listening to the same music as their peers, they also want to look cool by wearing the latest fashion and have the appropriate body type to pull off fashion trends.

Taking care of your appearance can be costly. In keeping up with changing trends it is necessary to purchase branded products which may cause a financial strain on parents. If a young person doesn’t have what others do, they will feel left out and depressed. There is further tension when a young person has a different style but conforms to a certain style just to be accepted in the group.

The same applies to body image but this may lead to worse results. If a young person believes they are overweight they will begin excessive dieting and exercising that will lead to fatigue, mood swings and in some cases may lead to anorexia or bulimia.

In countries like China, shopping is one of the favorite pastimes of young people. Shopping malls, high streets and boutiques are crowded with young people looking for the latest fashion. Many people also spend their time in gyms working-out, at the hairdressers, beauticians and spas. They strive for perfection and the ideal image, at the expense of character development and core values. The latest craze is having cosmetic surgery in order to make their eyes look larger as this is believed to make a woman beautiful.

It is important to be healthy and take care of your body and maintain high levels of personal hygiene. However, if people are too consumed with what they look like this may be dangerous for them.

Question taken from Exam Essentials IELTS Practice Tests p.185

Academic Writing - Model Answer (Task 1)



The line graphs show the fines issued as a result of speeding and the number of fatalities caused by driving too fast over a span of eight years, while the table shows what people think about the use of speed cameras.

The number of fines issued for speeding have risen over the eight year period. In the first year of installation the fines stood at 200,000. After year six they increased sharply from 800,000 to 1,600,000. Speeding led to the death of about 3,000 people in year one and this figure fluctuated between 3,000 to 3,500 deaths over the eight years.

More than half the respondents in the survey thought that speed cameras did not lessen road accidents while 32% believed they were effective. Money was thought to be the motivation behind the camera installations (71%) whereas 26% of the respondents said it was to improve road safety. A little over a half (56%) of the respondents believed there was an excess of speed cameras. 19% thought there were not enough cameras and 2% less were of the opinion that there were just enough speed cameras.

Although speed camera fines are on the rise, road accident fatalities fluctuate at the same level. The majority of people that were asked, answered that the reason for installing cameras was to raise revenue, thought there were too many cameras and don’t think they reduced accidents.

Question taken from Exam Essentials IELTS Practice Tests p.108

Academic Writing - Model Answer (Task 2)

Schools should prepare pupils for their future lives and for the world of employment. Learning about history is not necessary and more emphasis should be placed on other school subjects. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Getting a job has become highly competitive and students should be able to use the skills that they learn at school and university in their workplace. In recent years the school curriculum has changed to include subjects that will be useful later on in life such as Typing, Computers, Marketing, Bookkeeping, Foreign Languages etc.

First of all, we need to think about the main aim of schools. In other words, is their aim to provide general education to students or to provide specialist knowledge. The world of employment is constantly changing and some subjects have become more important than others. For example it has become very important for employees to be fluent in more than one language. It is for this reason that schools wish to produce employable adults rather than focusing on subjects that are viewed as looking at the past such as history.

History however should not be neglected as a school subject as it serves its own purpose. It is a useful subject in that it informs students about the past, their roots, reminds them of mistakes that shouldn’t be repeated, their heritage, civilizations, relationships with other countries etc. Let’s not forget that this subject is important to students who wish to become History teachers or to study related subjects like Law and Archeology.

I believe History should be a core school subject up until a certain level and then it should be optional, giving the opportunity to those wanting to follow the subject more closely a chance to do so. Priority should be given to current subjects so that students can be better prepared for their future.

Question taken from IELTS for Academic Purposes Student's Book p.97

Academic Writing - Model Answer (Task 1)



The bar graphs show the benefits and drawbacks of living in London as part of a three year survey. The line graph shows the respondents' thoughts on litter, air quality and noise in the city.

Over 40% of those asked over the three-year period liked London for the range of shops it offered. Job opportunities and living in a multi-cultural society featured at about 35% in the three years. Museums and art galleries gained popularity, increasing from 30% to 35%. Night life and transportation ranged between 20% and 25% as the best features of living in this city.

Traffic congestion and high costs of living made London less attractive as indicated by the high percentages (between 50% and 60%) in the three years. Even though 57% saw crime as a negative feature in year 1, the percentage dropped to around 40% in the following years. High housing costs stood at 35% during this time span, as did transport in year 1. 10% less respondents viewed transport negatively in year 2 and 3.

Litter was seen as a major problem in London by 70% of people answering “yes” in the survey in year 1 and 3 with slightly more in year 2. Air quality had a slight decrease from 65% to 62% as did noise from 59% to 58%.

While the variety of shops made London a good city to live in, the cost of living and traffic were viewed as bad characteristics of the city. Similarly, litter was also believed to be a major problem.

Question taken from Exam Essentials IELTS Practice Tests p.148

Academic Writing - Model Answer (Task 1)



The bar graphs provide information on how many children were spoken to in a French regional language and then carried on this tradition when they in turn became parents.

600,000 children were often spoken to in Alsatian and Occitan while about a half of this number habitually heard Breton. 100,000 adults were frequently spoken to in Creole and slightly less in Corsican. Occitan was occasionally spoken to over 1 million adults in their childhood, while only 400,000 were spoken to in Breton. The numbers that communicated occasionally using Creole and Corsican ranged between 100,000 and 120,000. Lastly those whose parents occasionally spoke Alsatian to them stood at 230,000.

Keeping with the trend of passing on a French regional language to their children, 400,000 adults spoke Alsatian to their children and 250,000 communicated in Occitan. The remaining three regional languages were not spoken as much. Less than 100,000 adults used them to speak to their children.

Although, Alsatian and Occitan were habitually used by French adults to speak to their children and Occitan was spoken occasionally to a greater extent than Alsatian, those who heard Alsatian in their childhood were more likely to speak it to their own children.

Question taken from Exam Essentials IELTS Practice Tests p.44

Academic Writing - Model Answer (Task 2)

There are many ways of preventing crime that are much better than prison. Do you agree or disagree with this view?

Being sent to prison is a form of punishment given to people who break the law. If people know that there is a possibility of being put behind bars for a crime they might not go through with it. In some countries there are severe forms of punishment such as capital punishment to ensure that criminals don’t commit serious crimes.

Some people might say that the idea of prison is not a way to prevent crime. Perhaps criminals don’t believe that they will ever get caught. When prisoners have served their time, they are likely to re-offend when they get out. Due to the fact that the environment inside prison is harsh, it is not the ideal place for a person to reflect on their actions and reform.

Increased security might prevent crime. Cities like London are full of CCTV cameras. Londoners know they are being watched constantly and that footage can be used in court. Many crimes have been captured on camera so this might make criminals cautious.

Capital punishment exists in some states in America and prisoners who commit serious crimes are executed. If someone knows they could lose their life for their wrongdoing they might think twice before taking that risk. There are of course much lighter sentences such as community service for less serious crimes, in which case an offender might not feel the weight of his wrongdoing.

Offenders are sent to prison after they have broken the law. It is the result of their actions rather than a preventative measure for crime. If the government wants to prevent crime they need to take other measures and look into the reasons behind criminal behavior and think of ways to increase security and safety.

Question taken from IELTS for Academic Purposes Student's Book p.33