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IELTS Writing
Write clearly, organize your ideas and use a varied vocabulary.

Purpose of the test

The IELTS Writing test is designed to assess a wide range of writing skills, including how well you

 write a response appropriately

 organize ideas
 use a range of vocabulary and grammar accurately
This is the case for whichever version of the IELTS test you are taking.

Timing
The IELTS Writing test takes 60 minutes. Spend 20 minutes on Task 1, and 40 minutes on Task 2.

You will need to manage your own time, so make sure you move on to Task 2 after 20 minutes.

Two tasks
There are two tasks in the IELTS Writing test. You will be asked to write at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least
250 words for Task 2.

IELTS Academic Writing test

Write in a formal style in the IELTS Academic Writing test.

In Task 1 you will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram. You will be asked to describe, summarise or
explain the information in your own words. This might involve describing and explaining data, describing the stages of
a process or how something works, or describing an object or event.

In Task 2 you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. You should find the
issues interesting and easy to understand.

Marking
Your Writing test will be marked by a certificated IELTS examiner.

Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1 in the IELTS Writing test.

Scores are reported in whole and half bands.

Writing
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You will be allowed 1 hour to complete two tasks in the IELTS Academic Writing test.

The two parts of this practice Writing test are presented on two separate web pages. Make sure you move swiftly from one page to
the next so that your practice is as realistic as possible. If you prefer to work offline, download the test paper.

In the actual test you will do your writing in an answer booklet.

Timing
The total time allowed for the IELTS Academic Writing test is 60 minutes.

Time yourself and allow just one hour to complete both parts of the test.

Task 2 contributes twice as much as task 1 to the Writing score.

Writing task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on task 1

 write in a formal style

 write at least 150 words

Writing task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on task 2

 write in a formal style

 write at least 250 words

Instructions to candidates
In the actual test you will be given the following instructions:

 do not open this question paper until you are told to do so

 write your name and candidate number in the spaces at the top of this page
 read the instructions for each task carefully
 answer both of the tasks
 write at least 150 words for task 1
 write at least 250 words for task 2
 write your answers in the answer booklet
 write clearly in pen or pencil; you may make alterations, but make sure your work is easy to read
At the end of the test, hand in both the question paper and your answer booklet.

Writing TASK 1 Vocabulary

Similar words meaning “to become greater in number; to go up”:
to rise (v)
 Prices rose from $10 to $15 within 3 months. Prices rose by 50%.
 Note: Don’t confuse the verbs “rise” (to become more) with “raise” (to make something rise). Ex. School
fees are set to rise. Our school has raised their fees by 5%.
 As a noun: There was a rise of %5 in school fees.
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to increase (v)
 Birth rates in New Zealand stood at 20,000 at the start of this period and increased to a peak of 66,000 in
1961.
 You can use increase from (a number) to (a number); increase by ( number/percentage),
increase in value/price.
 Note: Don’t use “increase” to refer to the level or standard of something.
 As a noun: There was an increase in house prices for the first 5 years.
to grow (v)
 The population of internet users grew the fastest in Canada during this period.
 As a noun: Canada experienced the fastest growth in Internet usage.
to soar (v) - to fly upward, like a bird; rise to great heights
 While sales of Product B remained steady, sales of Product A soared during the fourth quarter.
to rocket/to skyrocket (v) - similar to soar – to fly upward to great heights
 By 2030 the elderly Japanese population is predicted to skyrocket 150% within one or two years. OR By
2030 the proportion of elderly Japanese is predicted to skyrocket to 25%of the population within one or two years.
to spike (v) - to increase quickly then fall down again
 On the other hand, house prices spiked in the first two months after the recession.
 As a noun: There was a spike in house prices in the first two months after the recession.
to jump (v)
 New gym memberships jumped 10% immediately after the Christmas holiday period.
 As a noun: There was a 10% jump in new gym memberships immediately after the Christmas holiday
period.
to hit/reach a peak (v) - a peak is the highest point/level
 From there, the audience level continues to rise sharply, reaching a peak of 45% of the population between
6 and 10 pm, also aptly known as “prime time”.
to reach a high (v) - similar to “reach a peak”
 Conversely, audience levels for radio reaches a high in the morning by 9 am.
an upward trend (n)
 The graph shows an upward trend in household access to modern technology in the UK from 1996 to 2003.
to double (v) – increase 2 times
to triple (v) – increase 3 times
 House prices nearly doubled in that time period.

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Similar words meaning “to lessen, diminish, go down”:

to decrease (v)
 From that point, marriages decreased steadily until 1970 hitting a low of about 250,000.
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 As a noun: From that point, there was a steady decease in marriages until 1970 when it hit a low of about
250,000.
to decline (v)
 Although Australian exports increased slightly in the first year to its peak in 1986, it gradually declined
to about 11 million tonnes in 1990, remaining the smallest of the three exporters.
 As a noun: Although there was an increase in Australian exports in the first year with a peak in 1986, there
was a gradual decline by 1990 and remained the smallest of the three exporters.
to drop (v)
 From 10 pm, audience levels drop dramatically to nearly 1% by 2 am.
 As a noun: From 10 pm there is a dramatic drop in audience levels to nearly 1% by 2 am.
to dip/ to take a dip (v) - to decrease but goes up again
 Between the 2nd and 3rd quarter, sales of Product D took a dip of 10%, but later regained growth by the
4th quarter.
 As a noun: There was a 10% dip in Product D sales between the 2nd and 3rd quarter followed by growth
by the 4th quarter.
to fall (v)
 From 10pm, audience levels fall sharply to nearly 1% by 2 am.
 As a noun: From 10 pm there is a sharp fall in audience levels to nearly 1% by 2 am.
to plunge (v); to plummet (v) - to fall quickly
to hit bottom (v); to reach a low (an all-time low) (v)
a downward trend (n)
 Overall, we can see a downward trend in marriages between 1951 and 2003.

Similar words/expressions that mean ” to stay the same”:

to stabilize (v) - to hold at a steady level
 After a 10-year period of fluctuations, the total value stabilized at roughly 30% until 2005.
to remain/hold steady (v) ; to remain stable (v); to remain/stay constant (v) ; to remain/stay the same (v)
 By contrast, the figures for Japan remained steady just under 5% until the early 2000s.
 Remarriages, on the other hand enjoyed a slight increase from 1971, but overall remained
stable throughout the century, reaching around 100,000 by 2003.
to remain flat (v) - show no growth or little change
to level off (v) - after a period of change or shift, there is little movement and stays level
to plateau/to reach a plateau (v) - to reach a stable level
to bottom out (v) - to descend to the lowest point possible, after which only a rise can occur
 Exports continued to grow until it plateaued in 2002 for 5 years, after which it fell and then bottomed out by
2009.

Other useful vocabulary:

to fluctuate (v) - to change continually shifting up and down
 Student enrollment fluctuated wildly, but the trend was clearly upward.
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 As a noun: There were wild fluctuations in student enrollment, but the trend was clearly upward.
to surpass (v) - to pass another and go beyond in amount, level or degree
 Although mobile phones started with the lowest accessibility in 1996, it surpassed the usage of home
computers at the beginning of 1999.
to exceed (v) - to go beyond in quantity, amount or degree
 In terms of following their budgets, Project X came in under their budget by 5K, whereas Project
Y exceeded their budget by 25K.
Writing TASK 2 Vocabulary
One of the criteria for assessing your IELTS essay is cohesion and coherence.
Coherence refers to the linking of ideas in a logical sequence or order. Cohesion refers to the organization of
sentences and ideas in your essay working together as a whole within their paragraphs. They hold together
by cohesive devices (transitional words and expressions). This makes it very easy for the reader to follow your
presentation of information in the essay. They don’t get lost or confused. Did you write in clear paragraphs that
are organized around central ideas? It’s like listening to a story that’s smooth and easy to follow.

ADDITION:
 also, again, in addition, additionally, furthermore, further, moreover, as well as, what’s more, besides
this/that,
CONTRAST (show two things are different):
 on the other hand, however, despite this, conversely, in contrast, on the contrary, although, while, though,
compared with, in comparison with, rather, whereas, but, instead of, in spite of, still, nevertheless, regardless,
otherwise
COMPARE (show two things are similar/alike):
 likewise, similarly, also, in the same way, in comparison to

SEQUENCE:
 first, second (etc.), to begin with, initially, at first, then, next, from there, and then, following this, finally,
lastly
EXAMPLES:
 for example, for instance, a good example of this is, such as, to illustrate, in particular, particularly, namely,
specifically
CONSEQUENCE:
 therefore, as a result, thus, so, consequently, admittedly, so that, depending on
EMPHASIS/CERTAINTY:
 indeed, certainly, in fact, of course, undoubtedly, plainly, obviously
CONDITION:
 if. . . then, unless, whether, provided that,
SUMMARY:
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 in summary, in conclusion, overall, in short, in brief, to sum up, in other words, all in all, to put it
differently, to summarize, on the whole,
REASON:
 because, since, as, so, due to, owing to, the reason why
CONCESSION (accepting/acknowledging something is true):
 granted, naturally, of course

This is not a complete list and of course, many words can link ideas in different ways depending on how they
are used.

Writing test advice

Follow this Writing test advice, and make sure you know how to manage your time.

Write your answers in pen or pencil. You may write entirely in capital letters if you wish.

You may make notes on the question paper, but nothing you write on the question paper will be marked.

Make the most of your Writing test:

 analyse each task properly and spend some time making notes

 highlight or underline key words in the tasks to make sure that you focus on what you have to do

 plan your answers

 use paragraphs clearly; put one idea in each paragraph

 do not repeat ideas using different words

 do not copy whole sentences from the question – you will receive no marks for this

 keep to the topic; do not write about unrelated subjects

 manage your time; remember, Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1

 spend approximately 20 minutes on Task 1 and approximately 40 minutes on Task 2

 learn to recognise how long 150 and 250 words look in your handwriting; you will not have time to count during the test

 you must write your answers in full; answers written in note form or in bullet points will lose marks

 pay attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation; you will lose marks for mistakes

 avoid informal language

 do not memorise model answers; examiners are trained to recognise them and your test will be invalid
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 spend several minutes re-reading and correcting your answer