Duration: 40 minutes
Length/word limit: 250 words
Maximum score: 9 points
Types
Essay on a general topic.
Essay on an academic topic.
Most common IELTS essay types
1.Opinion (Agree or Disagree).
2. Advantages and Disadvantages.
3. Problems and Solutions.
4. Causes and Solutions.
5. Discussion (Discuss both view).
6. Two-part Question.
1. Agree or Disagree
You need to explain whether you agree or disagree on it. You can also partially agree and partially disagree on that statement. However, it is better to give strong and clear opinion. For example,
Crime rate has increased with the advancement of technology.
To what extent do you agree or disagree on this statement?
Structure
1. Introduction
Paraphrase the question.
Write a thesis statement (This essay agrees/disagrees…)
Write an outline sentence (This essay will discuss….)
2. Main Body
Paragraph 1
Write the topic sentence.
Explain the topic sentence.
Provide an example.
Main Body Paragraph 2
Write the topic sentence.
Explain the topic sentence.
Provide an example.
3. Conclusion
2. Advantages and Disadvantages
Example:
Online payment is increasingly becoming the most preferred method of payment than cash or other payment methods.
What are the advantages of making online payment?
What are its disadvantages?
2 subtypes:
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages.
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion.
Structure
1. Introduction
Paraphrase the question.
Outline the essay.
2. Main Body
Paragraph 1
State one advantage.
Expand/Explain the advantage.
Provide an example.
(State the result).
Paragraph 2
State one disadvantage.
Expand/Explain the disadvantage.
Provide an example.
(State the result).
3. Conclusion
Summarize the main body.
Express your opinion (optional).
3. Problem and Solution
You need to list out problems associated with a particular topic and suggest solutions to those problems. For example,
Traffic congestion has become one of the major issues in cities.
What are the problems people face due to traffic?
Discuss the possible solutions of overcoming it.
Structure
1. Introduction
Paraphrase the question.
Write an outline sentence.
2. Main Body
Paragraph 1
State the problems.
Explain the problems.
Show the result.
Provide examples.
Main Body Paragraph 2
State the solutions.
Explain the solutions.
Provide examples.
Conclusion
Summarize.
Give recommendation or prediction.
4. Causes and Solutions.
You need to list out causes of a particular problem and suggest solutions to the problem. For example,
Pollution has drastically increased with more and more people switching to personal vehicles.
What are the causes of pollution?
Discuss the solutions to overcome the problem of pollution.
Structure
1. Introduction
Paraphrase the question.
Write an outline sentence.
2. Main Body
Paragraph 1
State the causes.
Explain the causes.
Provide examples.
Main Body Paragraph 2
State the solutions.
Explain the solutions.
Provide examples.
3. Conclusion
Summarize.
Give recommendation or prediction.
5. Discussion (Discuss both views)
You need to discuss two opinions given in the question statement and give your personal opinion. For example,
Some people think that using animals for food and transportation should be completely banned. On the other hand, other people believe that using animals for meat and experiments is fair.
Discuss both the views and give your own opinion.
Structure
1. Introduction
Paraphrase the question and state both viewpoints.
Write a thesis statement.
Write an outline sentence.
2. Main Body
Paragraph 1
State the first viewpoint.
Discuss the first viewpoint.
Give reasons why you agree or disagree with the viewpoint.
Provide an example to support your view.
Main Body Paragraph 2
State the second viewpoint.
Discuss the second viewpoint.
Give reasons why you agree or disagree with viewpoint
Give an example to support your view
3. Conclusion
Summarize the body.
State which one is better.
6. Two-part Question
There are two different parts of the question which you must answer. For example,
Many children have become habitual about excessively using mobile applications day and night.
Why do you think this is so?
What parents can do to avoid this situation declining further?
Structure
1.Introduction
Paraphrase the question.
Write an outline sentence.
2. Main Body
Paragraph 1
Answer the first question directly.
Give reasons and grounds.
Provide an example.
Main Body Paragraph 2
Answer the second question directly.
Give reasons and grounds.
Provide an example.
Conclusion
Write a summary.
Tips
1) Identify the essay type, note if your opinion is needed or not (!).
2) Make your essay plan, think of the structure and ideas.
3) Make your essay cohesive, use linkers.
4) State your ideas clearly.
5) Double check after writing, scan the texts for possible mistakes.
6) Stick to the formal style of writing.
- Do not use contractions (don’t, can’t, I’m, it’s).
- Do not use brackets and exclamation marks.
- Do not start a sentence with and, but,also.
- Do not use informal vocabulary
e.g. informal nouns (kids, stuff), adjectives (cute), phrasal verbs (break up) etc.
informal introductory phrases, like well, to tell the truth, actually, anyway etc.
Replace them with neutral ones: really -> extremely, like -> such as etc.
- Do not use commas before because, that.
- Use commas after introductory phrases (Firstly, …, Besides, … etc.)
- Avoid oversimplified short sentences.
- Do not use sensational, overemotional language (hate, despise, stupid etc.).
- Use passive voice to make the writing more formal (e.g. It is stated/argued that…)
Assessment
Task Response – max 9
Coherence & Cohesion – max 9
Lexical Resource – max 9
Grammatical Range & Accuracy – max 9
Total Score for Task 2: 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 = 36
average
36/ 4 = 9
1.Opinion (Agree or Disagree).
1) Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programs (for example working for a charity, improving the neighborhood or teaching sports to younger children).
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
2) Schools should do more to teach students about their health and wellbeing.
Do you agree or disagree?
3) Some say that music, art and drama are as important as other school subjects, especially at the primary level.
Do you agree or disagree?
2. Advantages and Disadvantages.
1) Multinational companies are becoming increasingly common in developing countries.
What are the advantage and disadvantages of this?
2) A growing numbers of cities are making their centres pedestrian-only zones.
What are the advantages and disadvantages?
3) Online payment is increasingly becoming the most preferred method of payment than cash or other payment methods.
What are the advantages of making online payment?
What are its disadvantages?
3.Problems and Solutions
1) Nowadays more and more people have to compete with young people for the same jobs.
What problems does this cause?
What are some possible solutions?
2) It is becoming increasingly popular for people to travel to tourist destinations during public holidays.
What problems does this cause?
What solutions are there to these problems?
3) Traffic congestion has become one of the major issues in cities.
What are the problems people face due to traffic?
Discuss the possible solutions of overcoming it.
4. Causes and Solutions
1) Some people feel unsafe when they are in public and at home.
What are the possible causes for this and what are some possible solutions?
2) In some countries levels of health and fitness are decreasing and average weights are increasing.
What do you think are the causes of these problems and what are some possible solutions?
3) In many countries schools have severe problems with students behaviour.
What do you think are the causes of this?
What solutions can you suggest?
5. Discussion (Discuss both view)
1) Some people believe that capital punishment should never be used. Others, however, argue that it should be allowed for the most serious crimes.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
2) Some people believe the purpose of prison is to punish, while other would argue that rehabilitation is its primary role.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
3) Nowadays many people work part or full time from home. Some people say that working from home has many benefits while others disagree.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
6. Two-part Question.
1) As most people spend a major part of their adult life at work, job satisfaction is an important element of individual well-being.
What factors contribute to job satisfaction?
How realistic is the expectation of job satisfaction for all workers?
2) At present the media affects people’s lives significantly.
What impact does this have on society? Is it a negative or positive development?
3) People prefer to watch foreign films rather than locally produced ones.
Why do you think this happens? Should the government support local film makers financially?
(some tasks are taken from https://www.ieltsadvantage.com/2015/07/15/100-ielts-writing-sample-questions/)
Education
- University students must pay all tuition fees, because it benefits mostly them individually, rather than the society as a whole.
Do you agree or disagree?
- Some say that music, art and drama are as important as other school subjects, especially at the primary level.
Do you agree or disagree?
- Some people believe that studying history is very important and we must study the past to understand the present. Others say that it is useless and should not be studied at all.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
- Some teachers tend to reward students who achieve high academic results. Others, however, support and reward students that show the most improvement.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
- Giving lectures in halls to large numbers of people is an outdated method of teaching. With the technology available today there is no justification for it, and everything should be done online.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
- In most universities students focus on specialised subjects, however some people believe that universities should encourage students to study a wider variety of subjects.
To want extent you agree or disagree?
- It is generally believed that some people are born with certain talents, for instance for sport or music, and other are not. However, it is sometimes claimed that any child can be taught to become a good sports person or musician.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
- Some people think that universities should provide graduates with the knowledge and skills needed in the workplace. Others think that the true function of a university should be to give access to knowledge for its own sake, regardless of whether the course is useful to an employer.
What, in your opinion, should be the main function of a university?
- Some parents think that childcare centres provide the best services for children of pre-school age. Other working parents think that family members such as grandparents will be better carers for their kids.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
- Governments should spend more money on education than on recreation and sports.
Do you agree or disagree?
- Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programmes (for example working for a charity, improving the neighborhood or teaching sports to younger children).
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
- Some people think that it is better to educate girls and boys in separate schools. Others, however, believe that boys and girls benefit more from attending mixed schools.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
- Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
- Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
- In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?
- Some people think that a sense of competition in children should be encouraged. Others believe that children who are taught to co-operate rather than compete become more useful adults.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
- Some people believe that children are given too much free time. They feel that this time should be used to do more academic work.
How do you think children should spend their free time?
- In many countries schools have severe problems with students behaviour.
What do you think are the causes of this?
What solutions can you suggest?
- University students should pay in full for their own education instead of the society funding their studies. The reason is that individuals tend to benefit after graduation more than the society.
To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give your own opinion.
- Some people believe that students should be allowed to evaluate and criticise their teachers to improve the quality of education. Others think this is disrespectful to teachers.
Discuss both views, give your opinion and include relevant examples.
Work
- Unemployment is one of the biggest problems of contemporary?
What do you think are the main causes of unemployment?
What solutions can you suggest?
- Some people think one should stay all their life in the same job, whereas others advocate changing jobs from time to time.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
- Some people think that a person should change a career at least once, while others think that it is better to stay in one job for a lifetime.
What is your opinion?
- Some argue younger people are not suitable for important positions in the government, while others think this is a good idea.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
- Some people believe that eventually all jobs will be done by artificially intelligent robots.
What is your opinion?
Health
- Some people say that the best way to improve public health is by increasing the number of sports facilities. Others, however, say that this would have little effect on public health and that other measures are required.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
- In some countries levels of health and fitness are decreasing and average weights are increasing.
What do you think are the causes of these problems and what are some possible solutions?
- Research indicates that the characteristic we are born with have much more influence on our personality and development than any other experiences we may have in our life.
Which do you consider to be the major influence?
- Schools should do more to teach students about their health and well-being.
Do you agree or disagree?
- More and more schools allow fast food restaurant to sell their products to their students.
Is it a positive or a negative development?
Environment, Climate change
- Some people think that instead of preventing climate change, we need to find a way to live with it.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
- Climate change is a phenomenon that affects countries all over the world. Many people strongly believe that it is the responsibility of individuals, rather than corporations and governments, to deal with this problem.
To what extent do you agree?
- Influence of human beings on the world’s ecosystem is leading to the extinction of species and loss of bio-diversity.
What are the primary causes of loss of bio-diversity?
What solutions can you suggest?
- Production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases has a heating effect on the atmosphere and results in global warming.
Why global warming is considered one of the most serious issues nowadays?
How can this problem be solved?
- Forests produce fresh oxygen and participate in regulating climate. But every year tree cover of our planet is lessening due to deforestation.
What are the primary causes of deforestation?
To what results may it lead?
- Pollution of air, water and soil has become critical in last years and it takes millions of years to recoup.
What are the main causes of pollution?
How can we tackle this problem individually and globally?
- Nowadays genetically modified food is widespread all over the world. While proponents of GM crops ensure that these foods are safe for human consumption and help to increase food supplies, others argue that their effects on health have not been studied long enough.
Describe pros and cons of genetically modified foods.
Books. Reading.
- Some people think that books are losing importance as a source of information and entertainment.
To what extent do you agree?
- Children who start reading earlier in life, perform better later on their school studies.
How important are early reading skills in a child’s academic performance?
What other preschool factors influence a child’s later academic achievements?
- Some people think that children who spend a lot of time reading children’s story books are wasting their time which could be better used doing other more useful activities.
To what extent do you agree?
- Some people think that e-books are the death of paper books while others think that paper books will never disappear.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
- Public libraries will soon no longer be housed in a building as all facilities and books will be available online for all to access.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of public libraries existing online.
Crime
- Some people think certain prisoners should be made to do unpaid community work instead of being put behind bars.
To what extend do you agree?
- Many offenders commit more crimes after serving the first punishment. Why is this happening, and what measures can be taken to tackle this problem?
- Without capital punishment our lives are less secure and crimes or violence increase. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
- In many cities crime is increasing. Why do you think this is happening? What can governments do to help reduce crime levels?
6. Two-part Question
Millions of people every year move to English-speaking countries, such as Australia, Britain or America, in order to study at school, college or university. Why do so many people want to study in English? Why is English such an important international language?
A lot of people leave their homeland to study in English-speaking countries, such as Australia, the USA and the UK. This trend is related to the high level of education that is offered to students in these countries and people’s desire to live in developed countries.
To begin with, modern people aim to be well-educated and have an opportunity to be competitive in the global labor market. Regarding this, English is an essential tool to get high qualification for a future job. Nowadays a lot of scientific research is conducted in English, so students should be fluent to conduct their own research. Also, many students plan to stay in developed countries after getting a degree in English-speaking countries. All these factors make students choose these countries for studying.
It is no doubt true that English is a widespread language around the world. There are several reasons causing the high value of this language. Firstly, English is an international language of traveling as well as education and business. Many global companies use this language to develop their business. Additionally, computer programs are written in English. Thus, it is seen that English has become an important language for anyone to learn and make a bright career.
To sum up, in the modern world, a well-educated person should speak English well to succeed in life. This is the main reason why many people move to English-speaking countries is to get education in English for more career prospects due to the fact that English has become one of the most widespread languages of education and business.
(Ann Sorokina, 2019)