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Example Writing Answers for the ieltshelpnow.com Academic

Practice Tests 1 - 5
Below you will find example writing answers for all the writing questions in the ieltshelpnow.com
Academic Practice Tests, tests 1 to 5. All of these example reports and essays were written by an
IELTS examiner in order to give examples of good answers. Please refer to the question papers
while you are reading these reports and essays so that you understand the questions that are
being answered. We hope this will give you an insight into how the writing answers should be
written for IELTS Academic module. We must also point out that there are many ways of answering
the writing questions with band 9 quality and that we have only produced one example for each
question.

Academic Writing Practice Test 1

Task 1
This report will describe a bar chart that shows the estimated world illiteracy rates by
gender and region for the year 2000.
Figures for male illiteracy are shown in six areas. The lowest rates were in Developed
Countries, Latin America/Caribbean and East Asia/Oceania with rates of 1% (approximately),
10% and 8% (approximately) respectively. The rates for the next three areas were much
higher and quite similar to each other. Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab States and South Asia
had rates of approximately 31%, 29% and 34%.
Female illiteracy was much higher relatively in each area except Latin America/Caribbean
where it was only slightly higher. The lowest rates for female illiteracy were again Developed
Countries, Latin America/Caribbean and East Asia/Oceania with rates of approximately 2%,
12% and 20%. Again the rates for the next three areas were much higher and quite similar to
each other. Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab States and South Asia had rates of approximately
48%, 52% and 56%.
In conclusion, there is a worrying trend that female illiteracy rates are always greater than
male ones, although the male/female figures for Latin American/Caribbean countries are
similar. In general, richer and developed countries have better figures, although the Arab
States, some of which are very rich, have poor figures.
(202 words)

Task 2
What young people should study at school has long been the subject of intense debate and
this is a question that certainly does not have one correct answer.
Young people need to be given the best possible chance of doing well at school. In traditional
curricula, there is a wide variety of subjects with a mix of academic and non-academic

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subjects. In this way a young person is formed with a rounded education. Non-academic
subjects would include sports, cooking, woodwork and metalwork. Many people would believe
this is the best form of education. A young person should learn things other than academic
subjects. Sport is particularly important. Young people have to learn to love sport, so that
they can be fit and healthy later in life. If not, an obese and unfit generation will grow up in
todays society.
The point of view that education is so important that students must be pushed as hard as
possible to achieve their best is perfectly valid. It sounds a good idea to only expose the
students to academic subjects, as then they can spend all of their school hours on studying
areas that will get them into university and good jobs later in life. However, many people also
acknowledge that a more rounded education would produce a better individual. It is important
to remember too that a lot of people, maybe even most people, are not academically minded
and would benefit from a more vocationally based education. Forcing academic studies onto
them would lead to failure and the student leaving school too early.
In conclusion, it is clear that whereas a wholly academic curriculum would suit and benefit
some young people, non-academic subjects are still important inclusions for most students in
todays syllabi.
(293 words)

Academic Writing Practice Test 2

Task 1
The chart shows how unemployed men and women from the UK spent their time in 1982.
In the morning, 19% of men do housework as opposed to 49% of women. In the afternoon,
this number is only 7% and 21% for men and women respectively. 20% of men and 26% of
women shop in the morning, but only 9% of men and 17% of women shop in the afternoon.
For job hunting, 22% of men and 16% of women do it in the morning and 12% of men and 13%
of women in the afternoon. 6% of men and 10% of women visit friends or relatives in the
morning and 12% of men and 17% of women do this activity in the afternoon.
The four activities described above are the most popular. There are others, however, with
smaller percentages: gardening, watching TV, reading, decorating, walking, doing nothing or
sitting around, staying in bed, visiting town, playing sport and drinking. Drinking is the least
popular activity, looking at the figures overall, with only 2% of men and 1% of women doing it
in the morning and 3% of men and 1% of women doing it in the afternoon.
In conclusion, the morning activities such as housework, shopping, job hunting and gardening
were the most popular, although housework figures for women and gardening figures for men
were much greater. In the afternoon, figures were more spread around the activities. The
figures in the top half of the table have higher figures though than the lower half.
(233 words)
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Task 2
Animal experimentation is a very difficult issue, with lots of people feeling very strongly
about it
Society uses animals for experimentation in different ways. One of most contentious issues
is testing cosmetics on animals. The images of animals with substances put in their eyes so
that it will improve peoples looks makes many people very angry. Is it necessary? Companies
such as the Body Shop say that they do not experiment on animals and they still produce
good cosmetics that make money. It cannot be right that making the cosmetics that make our
faces look nicer means animals must suffer in terrible ways.
More justifiable maybe is that animals are used for testing new drugs. Without these new
drugs, people would suffer and sometimes die. Some people believe that animals should not
suffer and die to avoid human death and suffering. This, however, is a very different issue
to cosmetic testing. It must be correct that most people who oppose drug testing on animals
would change their minds if it were they who were dying or one of their children.
It is certainly sad that animals have to suffer for the health of the human race, but this
suffering is justified. Are there any alternatives to animal experimentation. Monkeys are the
nearest animals to humans biologically and, without testing on them, one cannot be sure of
the effects of new drugs. There are tests on humans also, but these are only conducted when
it is known the drugs will not be a health risk to humans. Testing on humans without first
testing on animals could lead to unnecessary human deaths.
So, in conclusion, animal testing is not justified for non essential issues, but for essential
issues such as drug testing, there is no choice and it must be justified.
(300 words)

Academic Writing Practice Test 3

Task 1
This report describes two charts: a line graph and a pie chart. The line graph shows the
relationship between age and crime in the year 2002 and the pie chart shows the types of
crime in the UK for the same year.
The line graph shows that most crime is committed early in the lives of most criminals. From
birth to age 8 the crime rate is 0%. At 12 years old, crime is starting to be committed with
2% of 12 year olds taking part in crimes. There is then a huge jump at age 16 up to a rate
of 70%. This is even higher at age 20 with a rate of 80%. After age 20 there is a sharp fall
going down to 60% at age 24 and then an even sharper fall to 20% at age 28. From age 28 to
44, there is a slow decline in crime rate to 10%. From age 44 to 60 this decline slows further
finishing at 8%.
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The pie chart splits crime into four types. The biggest is violent crime at 46%, followed by
property crime at 23%. Drug crime is just below at 22% and the smallest is public order
crime at 9%.
In conclusion, it is no surprise that teenagers and those in their twenties commit the most
crime. There is no clear correlation between the two graphics, however, the ages of the
individuals committing the crimes in the pie chart can be estimated using the information
given in the line graph.
(230 words)

Task 2
The internet is still a relatively new technology. Not that long ago, there was no internet and
few computers. Today, of course, nearly everybody in developed countries has a computer and
most people have access to the internet.
People can now find most things that they need to know about on the internet. This includes
the information that people can find in newspapers, such as the news, sport, business
information, the weather and a range of other things. The newspapers themselves have their
own websites where you can access the pages that you can buy in the traditional paper form.
Will this mean the end of the newspaper? This will probably not be the case. Although access
to the newspapers and information is easy and cheap, this is not just what people want. People
like reading a newspaper. They do not necessarily want to sit at a computer screen in their
free time, especially if computers are part of their jobs.
In the future, things might be different. The revolution in micro technology and mobile
devices now means that access to online information is even easier. Newspapers can be
accessed on tablets and even smart phones. People today still love sitting down with a
newspaper at breakfast or at a cafe, but, once the youth of today, with their reliance on
technology and mobile devices, grow up, the days of the paper newspaper may be numbered.
So, in conclusion, some people will replace their need for a newspaper with a computer or
mobile device, but for the time being the world will need newspapers on paper. Newspapers
will not become a thing of the past, just yet, but, in another few decades, this might not be
the case.
(288 words)

Academic Writing Practice Test 4

Task 1
This report will describe 2 charts, a line graph and a pie chart.
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The line graph records the amount of money (in pounds sterling) spent on books on the
internet in the UK from 1997 to 2002. In 1997, 11 million were spent. This rises by 5
million by 1998. The increase in money spent then rises less rapidly through 1999 (19
million), 2000 (22 million) and 2001 (23 million) until 2002 when 24 million were spent.
This gives a total increase from 1997 to 2002 of 13 million.
The second chart is a pie chart that shows the relative percentages of books bought on the
internet in the UK individual countries. England is where by far the most books are bought
with 81% of the market. Wales comes next with 10% closely followed by Scotland with 8%.
Northern Ireland lies last with only 1% of the market.
In conclusion, the main relationship that is shown between the two charts is that the rise in
internet sales in the UK countries for the dates shown is mostly down to sales within England.
This can probably be explained by the larger population of England when compared to the
rest of the UK.
(179 words)

Task 2
Over the last 150 years, medicine has made enormous advances and scientists have
discovered the cures for many previously incurable diseases. Now you no longer hear of
people dying of cholera, tuberculosis or any of the other killer diseases that used to be so
common.
One reason that so few people in the west die from these diseases nowadays is because
medicine is not expensive and easily available. Today we have other diseases to fight against,
for example AIDS and cancer. The drugs that are used to treat todays killer diseases and
slow their effects can be found in the west, but in poorer countries people cannot pay for
them so people die for no other reason than their poverty. It is clear that drug companies
should be obliged to make their products available cheaply in poor countries or allow cheaper
generic copies of the drugs to be manufactured under licence. They will still make reasonable
profits.
If the big drug companies do not allow their drugs to be available cheaply, companies based
in the poorer countries will produce the copies anyway. In India for instance many drugs are
copied and sold illegally. Even people from the rich, western countries go there to buy the
drugs they want at a cheaper price. Some drug companies have already promised that they
will give their drugs at a cheaper price. For example, a company promised AIDS retardant
drugs to South Africa. In spite of the promises there has been little action and no drugs go
for the thousands suffering from AIDS there.
Drug companies make the good point that the prices that they charge for their drugs lead
to more money and research taking place into current killer diseases. In spite of this, most
people must agree that drug company profits are sufficient from their western sales to fund
research and aid to poorer countries.
In conclusion, drugs companies should make available low cost drugs to poorer countries. At

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present it is a case of ignoring people who are dying in order to safeguard profits. This is
immoral and indefensible no matter what companies say about their business interests.
(358 words)

Academic Writing Practice Test 5

Task 1
This report will show the symbiotic relationship that exists between the processes that
occur when plants and human beings create oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Plants make oxygen through photosynthesis. To do this plants need certain things. Firstly
they take in water through their roots from the earth below. Secondly they take in carbon
dioxide from the air around them. Thirdly they absorb sunlight from the sun above. With
these three things plants are able to produce oxygen through photosynthesis.
Humans and animals perform an opposite process. Humans and animals take oxygen into their
lungs through breathing. When humans and animals exhale they breathe out carbon dioxide.
In conclusion, it can be seen that plants, humans and animals provide services for each other.
Humans and animals need the oxygen that plants produce in order to stay alive. When humans
and animals breathe out, they provide the carbon dioxide that plants need in order to survive.
If a catastrophe happened to one, then catastrophe must inevitably follow for the other.
(168 words)

Task 2
It is true that vast amounts are spent on space exploration for apparently little gain,
while people suffer from terrible poverty around the world. This has long been an area for
discussion and disagreement.
Supporters of space programs say that space exploration has brought inventions to the world
that we would not have had without it. The famous example is non-stick pans! Supporters also
point out that it is human nature to strive to discover the unknown and that we can progress
in all sorts of ways by unlocking the secrets of the stars. Supporters of space exploration
would therefore claim that to curtail our appetite for exploration would be a denial of what
makes up a human.
On the other hand, how can human beings justify the billions of dollars spent sending people
into space, so they can have non-stick pans, while millions of people around the world are
dying of disease and famine? With the money spent on space exploration, wells could be dug,
farmland could be developed, medicine could be bought, schools and colleges could be built,
and teachers, doctors and nurses could be trained. Even if the human race could justify
spending money on space exploration, would it not be better to spend the money on exploring
the sea on Earth, which could offer enough food to provide for the entire world?
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It seems that this essay agrees that money should be spent on other things than space
exploration. However, this is not the case. The reasons for diverting money away from space
exploration are clear, but it is vital that the human race should continually strive to develop
its technology and broaden its horizons. In the long run, the money is well spent on space
exploration.
(291 words)

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