Academic Writing - Model Answer (Task 2)

Every year several languages die out. Some people think that it is not important because life will be easier if there are fewer languages in the world. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Minority languages, particularly those spoken by indigenous people are becoming extinct and are being replaced by dominant ones such as English and Mandarin. Communication between nations has already become easier by the standardization of languages and by the fact that English is used as a global language.

A language is important for a community. It is what differentiates a people, shows their cultural roots, history and heritage. If their language dies out, the community that is held together by a common language will also disappear. It is a pity for a language that has deep roots and a long tradition to be erased in order to make life simpler for the majority who in many cases have imposed their language on others.

In a move towards globalization, there is an effort to unite the world through a single medium of communication. This certainly does make life more manageable. It removes barriers, translators, reduces cultural misunderstanding and gets things done faster. All business transactions would be speeded up and travelers would experience fewer problems when travelling abroad.

However, I feel that it is much better to have a multitude of languages. Every culture should have its own identity which is expressed through their language. It is exciting and challenging for people to learn a new language and the world would be a very monotonous and boring place to live in if we deprived people of their unique language. It is sad that languages are becoming extinct and governments need to try and preserve them in every way possible.

Question taken from Cambridge Practice Test, IELTS 9, p.102

General Training Writing – Model Answer (Task 1)

An Australian friend is coming to visit you, and it will be his/her birthday during the visit. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter.

• Say how you feel about the visit
• Suggest what you could do on his/her birthday
• Try to find out what your friend thinks of your idea

 Dear Samantha,

How are you? I hope the heat in Australia is not unbearable this year! I’m so excited that you are coming to stay with me in Barcelona for a month. I can’t wait to see you and spend time with you. As this is your first time we’ll have so many activities to do.

I know that your birthday is coming up soon and I have a couple of options on how we can celebrate it. We could go out for a fancy meal followed by a drink at a nice bar or we could go to a popular night club. I will be inviting some of my other friends that you met while we were in Melbourne. You remember Xavier, Lara, Emmanuella, Carlos and Juan don’t you?

Please let me know what you think about my idea. I will need to book a table at the restaurant as it gets quite busy. The bar also requires making a reservation but the night club is massive so there is no need to make a booking.

See you soon,

Isabelle

Question taken from Exam Essentials IELTS Practice Tests p.184

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