This guide quickly gets to your point: sample questions and complete model answers for IELTS writing task 1 and IELTS writing task 2, both Academic and General Training, current topics 2025, and how to earn a band 6 and up.
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Question: The bar chart below displays the percentages of the population in three age groups using the internet every day in one country in Europe in 2005, 2010 and 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
Model answer (Band 7+):
The bar chart shows the internet frequency (daily or not) for 3 age groups of citizens of a European nation over a period of 3 years: 2005, 2010, 2020.
In general, use of the Internet grew for all age groups over the 15-year period, and the youngest age group reported the highest levels of use at each time period. The largest increase took place in the oldest age band.
In 2005, approximately 35% of 16 to 24 year olds used the Internet daily, compared to just 20% of 25 to 54 year olds and a mere 8% of those aged 55 and above. These were up to 60%, 45% and 18% respectively in 2010, highlighting the fast adoption of digital technology across all groups.
The largest increase was between 2010 and 2020, where the daily amount of time spent on the Internet nearly tripled, as the 55 years older group went from 18% to 52%. Among those aged 16 to 24 and 25 to 54, the percentage identifying as Christian is 92% and 85%, respectively, suggesting that almost all members of the working-age population identify as Christian.
Word count: 172. Time target: 18 minutes.
Question: Below is the line graph representing the number of tourists that visited 3 South-East Asian countries from 2000 to 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
Model answer (Band 7+):
The line chart shows the number of tourists for Thailand and Vietnam in each year between 2000 and 2020, as well as for Cambodia in each year between 2010 and 2020.
Overall, the volume of tourists generally increased in all three countries during the observed period but at different levels. Thailand remained the biggest destination throughout the period and Cambodia saw the biggest percentage rise since it started with the lowest number of visitors.
Thailand was the target of about 10 million visitors every year in 2000, while Vietnam had around 2 million and Cambodia less than 500,000. Thailand’s numbers kept rising until about 2019 when there was a precipitous drop in 2020, which may have been due to the global pandemic.
In 2020, Vietnam experienced a comparable drop, after having grown consistently and sporadically from 2 million to 18 million visitors by 2019. In Cambodia, the increase was the most telling; it passed from less than 500,000 to approximately 6 million within a similar period of time prior to the turnaround of 2020.
The decrease in 2020 was significant in all three countries, with Thailand having the biggest absolute decrease because of its higher number of visitors before the pandemic.
Word count: 183. Time target: 18 minutes.
Question: The pie charts below represent the proportion of household energy use Australia used for a number of different purposes in 1990 and 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
Model answer (Band 7+):
The two pie charts are similar except that one depicts Australia’s household energy use by type in 1990 and the other in 2020.
The largest difference during the first three decades was the energy use for heating and cooling, from 25% of total energy use in 1990 to 40% in 2020. Of these, this change resulted in heating and cooling being the biggest single use in 2020 at 39%, displacing water heating which was the largest use back in 1990 at 35%.
The share of water heating dropped from 35% to 25% during this time period, indicating that water heating systems may have become more efficient or that household behaviours have shifted. Cooking and appliances was broadly stable accounting for around 30% of the total in both years, but the relative share of cooking and appliances varied slightly.
A significant decrease for lighting was observed, as it dropped from 15% in 2000 to 8% in 2016, which could reflect the current performance of energy-efficient LED technology that has gained widespread adoption during the years. All other applications in both years were relatively small.
Word count: 167. Time target: 18 minutes.
Question: The diagram below shows how chocolate is produced from the cocoa plant to the finished product.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
Model answer (Band 7+):
The process of making the chocolate is shown in the diagram, starting with the picking of the cocoa pods through to the packaged chocolate that is ready for sale.
It has seven production stages. The first part of this involves hand picking ripe cocoa pods from the trees and then opening up the pods to find the cocoa beans. Fermentation is then carried out for a few days that gives them their flavour and subsequently spread out and left to dry in the sun for one to two weeks.
The dried beans are taken to a factory where they are roasted at a heavy temperature. Once roasted, the outer shells are separated by a process called winnowing, which leaves the cocoa nibs. The nibs then go on to be ground down into a thick liquid, cocoa liquor, which is the base of all chocolate making.
The last step involves further ingredients, including sugar, milk powder, and cocoa butter, being added to the liquor, the chocolates being moulded and chilled, and then packaged.
Word count: 178. Time target: 18 minutes.
Question: You wined a bad order of products recently online. Send a letter to the Customer Service at the business.
In your letter:
Model answer (Band 7+):
Dear Customer Service Team,
I would like to notify you of a problem that I encountered on your website on 12 March of this year with an order I placed. Order of Reference: 87345-AU.
I ordered a kitchen appliance set made out of stainless steel, I received on 18 March. When I opened the packaging, I noticed that the larger mixing basin had a crack visible along the bottom, and the lid of the cup storage packaging was broken in the hinge and wouldn’t close very well.
I have retained the packaging and have photographed the damaged products which I will be happy to send on request. The damage seems to be a combination of poor packaging in transit, and not a fault prior to shipping.
I would like to get them replaced or for the entire order to be refunded. If you are able to provide one, then I expect a response within 5 business days, confirming which one you are able to provide.
Thanks for your attention on this. Looking forward to a response from you!
Yours faithfully, Alex Tran
Word count: 168. Time target: 18 minutes.
Question: Your friend is considering a new hobby. Take some time to write a letter about your favorite hobbies that you like.
In your letter:
Model answer (Band 7+):
Dear Minh,
I hope you’re feeling better. When I received your sister’s message about a pastime for your evenings, I thought of trying out your new hobby, and that has to be photography, to which I have taken myself fairly seriously for about three years now.
It’s fun to me for several reasons. The first thing that I’m realizing, and which I’m telling myself, is that it gets me out of the house, into places I might not otherwise look at when I’m on foot. I also find it to be really calming, however. You can’t be thinking about anything else when shading for something that you’re trying to capture in a better way. Nice break from mental noise.
If you want to begin with an expensive camera, it is not essential. Your phone’s camera will be enough for you to master the most important skill in composition and lighting, and that is all it will take in the beginning. I would recommend taking the app Snapseed which works as a basic editing app and finding a couple of street photography tutorials on YouTube. When the time comes to invest in a true camera, the most affordable possession is typically an old camera body that is a mirrorless model.
If you would like to go out with me at the end of the day on a weekend, please inform me. I can show you some things, I would be happy.
Best wishes, Linh
Word count: 212. Time target: 18 minutes.
Question: Some people believe that the main purpose of schools is to prepare young people for employment. Still others feel that the schooling process must be much more broad-based in its educational functions.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples. Make an essay of 250 words or more.
Model answer (Band 7+):
Whether or not to emphasize preparation for employment instead of general education is a real question on the purpose of education in learning institutions. I think the best educational strategy is to combine vocational preparation with more encompassing schemes of learning for intellectual and personal growth.
Those who claim that as a main aim of schooling it should focus first on preparing pupils for their jobs are referring to the economic constraints on the majority of graduates. The skills and qualities sought in candidates are becoming a growing demand of employers in a competitive labour market, including relevant subject knowledge, digital literacy and practical skills. Countries with strong overall investment in vocational education, and training in parallel to academic education like Germany and Switzerland, have relatively low levels of youth unemployment, indicating that school-related vocational-related employment training can have tangible social returns.
But to think of school as a tool for the labour market is to miss out on what school has long been known for. A critical thinking mindset, access to or consideration of a variety of viewpoints, and the ability to participate effectively as participants in civil society demand a wider base of learning that is not always obtained by a narrowly-focused curriculum. A system of education which yields people who are technically qualified, but not adequately qualified to assess information material, consult and cooperate in a democratic manner, nor to live their lives adaptively when needed is rendering poor service to individuals or society as a whole.
I believe the best schools strive for both, but don’t recognize the two as mutually exclusive. While preparing students for employment is a valid goal of schooling, it works best when it is part of a larger development of the intellect. An understanding of the principles of a skill, rather than the way it’s used, can help students to adapt as the role of work evolves.
Word count: 264. Time target: 38 minutes.
Question: An increasing number of businesses are letting their staff act as one-year-round remote business or work from home. What are the pros and cons to this trend for employers and employees?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples. Write at least 250 words.
Model answer (Band 7+):
The trend towards remote work has increased a lot more in the past couple of years because of necessity at first, and by the new value that it provides to firms, as well as their employees. But there are difficulties in the arrangement as well that should be admitted along with its benefits.
The main advantages from the employer’s point of view are cost savings and having access to talent. Flexible employers can save on office space costs and can move beyond location barriers when hiring by offering flexibility for jobs that are not in person. But several multinational organizations have indicated that remote working can still retain or enhance productivity in a variety of different professions and job types; with varying degrees of success across different sectors.
The employees’ most appreciated feature is flexibility. Avoiding commuting daily brings back hours per week from commuting for workers in major cities, and the flexibility to arrange working hours around family/childcare priorities is significantly valued by parents and carers. Even workers whose ability to meet the standards of a project is more vast endorse increased work satisfaction in an at-home job situation, however this is commonly among more experienced workers where a robust professional connection is already developed.
The drawbacks are no less severe. Trying to do this without a conscious effort on the part of the employer to build an effective communication network or management process is difficult. For staff, the transition from workplace to home personal lives is tricky enough for recovery to be actually challenging. Junior staff are especially impacted because they miss the informal mentorship and knowledge sharing that happens naturally from being around an experienced staff member.
The most successful companies seem to be using remote working as one scheme in their set of policies, and not an automatic office replacement.
Word count: 275. Time target: 38 minutes.
Question: In many cities around the world, traffic congestion has become a major problem. What are the causes of this problem and what measures could be taken to solve it?
Provide reasons in your answer and incorporate any relevant examples. Create a minimum of 250 words of writing.
Model answer (Band 7+):
In many cities around the world traffic congestion has become a critical issue, costing the cities millions of dollars in terms of productivity, environmental quality, including air quality, and the quality of life. To develop solutions that resolve the issue, it is crucial to grasp the underlying causes of the problem.
There are fewer bikes in urban areas than roads designed for in order to ease traffic clogs. The roads of major cities were laid out at a time when the numbers of cars on the road was very small and have not caught up with population expansion and increased car ownership. Add to this the high density of employment in the heart or centre of the urban area, which means one might expect mass peaks of employment in one direction at one time.
Secondary causes are the lack of public transport networks that are adequate or reliable, so that for many, it is impractical to use alternatives to a car as their mode of transport, despite wanting to do so. In many cities, urban sprawl has also led to rigid patterns of development that mean many trips cannot be undertaken by walking or cycling.
Effective solutions need to take a multi-level approach. At the infrastructure level, investing in some of the fastest transit modes, especially underground or dedicated lane routes which are not subject to road congestion, diminishes the margins for using the private vehicle for urban travel. The systems available to price include pricing via congestion charges in space and time, for example in London and Stockholm. Long-distance commuting is the result of urban planning policies which promote separation between home, employment, and services.
None of these measures by themselves provide a complete solution to urban congestion issues, but those that have implemented a series of these measures have yielded measurable, lasting results.
Word count: 278. Time target: 38 minutes.
IELTS writing task 1 needs at least 150 words. For task 2 of the IELTS Writing test, you have to write at least 250 words. Task Achievement penalties will be automatically given for responses of less than these numbers.
No limit, but once one gets to the point where one’s writing is much longer than it has to be, there may be more opportunities for errors that lead to less coherence. To aim for 170 to 190 words is a good length for Task 1. 250 to 290 words is the preferred word limit for IELTS writing task 2 writing as too many will detract from the score.
Topics in 2025 that most commonly appear in IELTS writing task 2 contain subjects such as: technology and society, access to education, funding for education, environmental responsibility, healthcare policy, immigration and the work landscape.
Education is found consistently across several countries, and for technology, the questions are found consistently. It is easier to prepare specific examples and evidence from 5-6 topic areas rather than to memorise model essays for the specific question(s), as the wording of the question(s) varies from question to question, even though the topic is the same.
Yes. In IELTS Writing Academic Task 1, you will be required to describe visual information like charts, graphs, diagrams or maps. Task 1 of the General Training type of writing involves writing a letter, on the question which can format either formal, semi-formal, or informal.
The IELTS writing task 2 is the same in both Academic training and General training: The essay types, word limit and grading criteria are the same. Task 1 is the most likely to differ somewhat between these two items; Academic fared significantly easier than letter writing in the graph description.
There are four criteria in both the IELTS writing tasks and each is graded on a band 1 to 9 scale: Task Achievement or Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
The final writing score will be based on a weighted average, where “IELTS writing task 2” is worth ⅔ of the total, and “task 1” is worth ⅓ of the total. This weighting implies that good or strong performance in Task 2 can partially balance out a poor performance in Task 1 but vice versa is not reciprocal.
Cambridge IELTS writes official sample answers for the IELTS writing task 2 in their official practice book series, where the writing task 2 responses are examiner marked and with explanations of band scores.
These are the most likely to be accurate resources as they are based directly on the mark scheme not an approximation. Sample answers have been put on the websites of the British Council and IDP as well. Lume offers IELTS writing practice with AI analysis tools to evaluate your writing and estimate your band score, for self-practice.
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