WRITING TASK 1

Model response:

The pie charts provided present a number of reasons why flights were delayed in a particular
country in two years, 2015 and 2016. We can see that there were five main reasons for
delay, namely airline operations management, bad weather, air traffic control, airport security
and military factors.

Overall we can see that, for both years, airline operations management was by far the most
important factor. Bad weather remained constant, while the impact of air traffic control and
military factors reduced and that of airport security increased. Other factors had a very
minimal impact.

In 2015, we can see that 40% of the delays were due to airline operations management, and
this rose to 46% in 2016. Thus in both years this factor took up the largest share.

Air traffic control caused 25% of delays in 2015 before falling to 12% the following year. In
2016 it was replaced by bad weather as the second most common reason, which rose slight
from 21% to 23%. Airport security also noticeably gained in frequency as a reason, rising
from 4% to 13%. However, military factors declined in importance over the two years, falling
from causing 10% of delays to only 6%.

[199 words]

Task Commentary:
Overall band 7.5

Examiner Comments:

The candidate covers the requirements of the task and presents a good overview of the
main trends. Key features of the bar charts are highlighted but they could be further
developed. The information given is logically organised with clear progression and the
candidate uses a range of cohesive devices in the report. There is a sufficient range of
vocabulary and some use of less common items, however there are occasional errors in
word choice and spelling. There are a range of grammar structures presented and only
minor errors.

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WRITING TASK 2

Model response:

Nowadays it is generally accepted as scientific fact that fossil fuels (such as coal and gas)
are harmful for the environment. This is borne out in daily life, for example many countries
suffer from serious pollution, which not only reduces people’s quality of life but also creates a
lot of additional problems for governments, such as the citizens’ health.

As a result, many people believe that we should not delay in switching to renewable energy
sources, which are clean and do not have the negative effects of fossil fuels. No matter the
extra cost in the short term, if it improves people’s life quality and stops them getting sick it
will be worthwhile.

In addition, if there was a strong effort to stop using fossil fuels, governments and
businessmen would invest a lot of money to produce energy from renewable sources. In the
long term, increased competition in the industry would lead to prices would come down,
creating new jobs, reducing people’s fuel bills and stimulating the economy.

On the other hand, it cannot be denied that it would not be easy to completely avoid the use
of fossil fuels in the near future. For one thing, a sharp rise in the price of energy would place
a heavy burden on people’s budgets. Furthermore, there is still a large supply of coal, oil and
gas that has not been used, and many countries’ economies depend on the sale of these
resources to maintain their standard of living. For these reasons, it will not be easy to get rid
of them completely.

Overall, I think it is best to have a process where fossil fuels are gradually replaced by
renewable energy sources, so that different countries can prepare their societies and
economies at the pace that is appropriate for them.

[299 words]

Task Commentary:
Overall band 7.5

Examiner Comments:

The candidate addresses all parts of the task sufficiently and arguments are well developed
with supporting ideas. There is a clear progression throughout the essay, a range of
cohesive devices used and paragraphing is logical with a clear central topic. The candidate
uses a good range of vocabulary and some less common language is included, however
there are some errors in spelling. There is a wide range of grammar structures used and the
majority of sentences are error free.

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