essay writing for ielts general training pdf

• IELTS General Writing Task 2: Essay Sample Answers

The 2nd task in IELTS General Writing is to write an essay. Here are the examples of successful responses for a high score. Pay attention to the structure of the answer and how paragraphs composition; main ideas and the examples they are supported with.

IELTS General Writing Task 2 looks like this (part in bold changes).

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic: Some people think that the teenage years are the happiest times of most people's lives. Others think that adult life brings more happiness, in spite of greater responsibilities. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

In this task you should:      Explain the first point of view      Explain the second point of view      Add your opinion

Sample answer:

What's the happiest time in people's lives: youth or old age; school, career or retirement? All of these have been suggested, but teenage years and adulthood both have many supporters.

Those who believe teenagers are the happiest people cite their lack of responsibilities as a significant factor. They are supported financially and emotionally by their parents, and although they may be included in family decisions, they're not ultimately responsible. However, adolescents are on the threshold of adult life: they're old enough to get a part-time job, so they can enjoy their first taste of financial independence, and their future study and career lie ahead.

Away from these serious concerns, young people have an active social life with their friends, often simply by hanging out with them. And of course, there’s the excitement of first love and first heartbreak. With all this to experience, teenagers see their parents' lives as boring and stressful.

However, the reverse is also true. Adults see anxious, self-dramatising adolescents, and appreciate the joys of maturity. These may include a contented family life, long-lasting friendships and a career. Long-term relationships may not have the fireworks of adolescence, but are stronger for it, because of the wealth of shared experience. At work, many of us are challenged and stimulated by the increasing, professional skills we acquire, which ensures that our jobs remain interesting.

The greatest benefit, though, is that maturity gives you greater confidence in your own judgement, in all areas of life. You’re not afraid to express your opinion when others disagree and, unlike a teenager, you know when to let things go.

Both these periods can be happy times, but I look back at my own teenage years, with no desire to go back. Adult life may be less dramatic, but fireworks don’t keep you warm

In cities and towns all over the world the high volume of traffic is a problem.

What are the causes of this and what actions can be taken to solve this problem?

It is undoubtedly the case that urban areas around the world increasingly suffer from congestion. In this essay, I examine the reasons for this trend and suggest some practical policies the authorities could implement to reduce the level of traffic in our cities.

The first step is to understand why traffic has increased in towns and cities. Broadly speaking, there are three main reasons for this. One is that cars have become more affordable for the average consumer and they are no longer a luxury item, but something that most families expect to own. A second reason is that public transport has become increasingly unreliable in recent years, not least because many bus and train services have been reduced because of the difficulty in funding them. The third reason is that society has in general become more mobile and this means more people are prepared to commute to work by car than they were before.

There is almost certainly no one solution to this problem given the complexity of its causes. However, one option has to be to improve the reliability of public transport to encourage people to take the bus or the train rather than get in the car. It would also be possible to discourage people from driving to work by introducing special tariffs for using the roads, especially during peak periods. A successful example of this is the congestion charge scheme in London which has certainly reduced the level of trafficin inner-city areas.

In conclusion, there are a variety of different factors that have led to rising levels of traffic in urban areas. While it may not be possible to find a complete solution, any action should probably involve encouraging greater use of public transport and making it more expensive for the motorist to drive in urban areas.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic: Some people believe that children should be allowed to stay at home and play until they are six or seven years old. Others believe that it is important for young children to go to school as soon as possible. What do you think are the advantages of attending school from a young age? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

Here we write about the benefits. Remember: 1 advantage = 1 paragraph.

In many places today, children start primary school at around the age of six or seven. However, because it is more likely now that both parents work, there is little opportunity for children to stay in their own home up to that age. Instead, they will probably go to a nursery school when they are much younger. While some people think this may be damaging to a child’s development, or to a child’s relationship with his or her parents, in fact there are many advantages to having school experience at a young age. Firstly, a child will learn to interact with a lot of different people and some children learn to communicate very early because of this. They are generally more confident and independent than children who stay at home with their parents and who are not used to strangers or new situations. Such children find their first day at school at the age of six very frightening and this may have a negative effect on how they learn. Another advantage of going to school at an early age is that children develop faster socially. They make friends and learn how to get on with other children of a similar age. This is often not possible at home because they are the only child, or because their brothers or sisters are older or younger. So overall, I believe that, attending school from a young age is good for most children. They still spend plenty of time at home with their parents, so they can benefit from both environments.

• You are here:  
• Prepare for IELTS
• IELTS Writing
• How to check IELTS Results
• IELTS Academic and IELTS General: differences and similarities
• Computer delivered IELTS
• IELTS Band Scores and English levels comparison chart
• IELTS Exam: Test structure and Format
• Essay Structure
• Detailed Analysis
• Academic Task 1
• Academic Task 2
• IELTS Vocabulary
• IELTS Listening
• IELTS Reading
• IELTS Speaking
• IELTS Writing Course
• Punctuation Guide
• Teacher Training: How to Teach IELTS
• Teacher Training: IELTS Writing for Teachers

IELTS General Training Writing Practice Test (PDF with Answers)

Taking a practice test is one of the best things you can do to prepare yourself for the IELTS General Training test. When it comes to writing, though, practice is especially important! In this post, we’ll share an IELTS General Training Writing practice test PDF with answers that you can use to develop your skills before test day. So take a look at the IELTS General Writing Task 1 Practice Test (with Answers) PDF, then come back when you’ve finished your essay for info about scoring!

Ready to start practicing? In this PDF, you can read the sample questions, write your own essays, and then them to the model essays and scoring advice in the document. Here’s the IELTS General Training Writing practice test PDF for download:

How should I score this practice Writing section?

Once you’ve finished your section, it’s time to score the tasks. First things first: review the band descriptors for Task 1 and Task 2 .

Then, take a closer look at your essays, rereading them to evaluate how well they meet the criteria in each of the four categories.

It can be very difficult to score your own essay objectively, so working with a scoring partner is useful here. That said, if you’re scoring your responses on your own, you can ask yourself the following questions to help determine your band level for each criterion:

• Did your Task 1 word count exceed the 150 word minimum, and did your Task 2 word count exceed the 250 word minimum? If not, do not give yourself full points for “Task Response.”
• Did you address each part of the task? Break down the prompt into different parts. Then, match each part of the prompt to part of your essay. If you did not address one or more parts of the task, do not give yourself full points for “Task Response.”
• Does each paragraph have its own clear topic sentence and supporting details? If not, then take some points away in “Coherence and Cohesion.”
• Do the tasks use adequate transitional language to tie paragraphs together and move from the paragraph to the conclusion? If not, do not give yourself full points for “Coherence and Cohesion.”
• Do you use vocabulary clearly and fluently, avoiding serious errors in word choice, and varying word choice to avoid repetition? If not, your self-score in “Lexical Resource” should not be perfect.
• Do you use grammar with confidence and skill, with no serious mistakes? And do you use a variety of sentence structures? If the answer to any of that is “no,” give yourself a less-than-perfect score in “Grammatical Range and Accuracy.”

Additional Practice Writing Tests for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training

Sitting down to complete this IELTS General Writing Task 1 Practice Test (with Answers) PDF is a great first step. However, the key to really boosting your score on this section of the IELTS is regular practice. With that in mind, here are more resources where you can find more sample writing tasks for IELTS Writing!

In our IELTS Writing practice test post , you’ll find the full Academic Writing section in PDF form, another in video form, as well as an additional full General Training Writing section! Keep in mind that while the Task 1 question types differ between Academic and General Training tasks, Task 2 is the same in both versions. In other words, no matter which test you’re taking, all of the task 2 prompts in these links are useful practice.

Magoosh’s IELTS Academic Writing practice test is also useful for the same reason! Again, if you’re taking the General Training exam, skip the first task, replacing it with a GT prompt (such as those you’ll find on the Magoosh blog!).

Additional Practice Questions

If you prefer to go through individual questions rather than whole Writing sections, take a look at the following resources! Keep in mind that their usefulness will vary, depending on which test you’re taking. (Also, some of these questions can be found in the PDFs as well, while others are wholly unique.)

• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Map With Model Answer — When you need practice with map questions specifically for the IELTS, this sample prompt and answer show you what a high-scoring response look like.
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Process Diagram with Model Answer — Process diagrams on Task 1 can scare students, but they get a lot easier with practice!
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Line Graph with Model Answer (Band 9) — What does a high-scoring response on this common Academic Task 1 task type look like? Our experts show you here.
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Pie Chart with Model Answer — When the test asks you to analyze a pie graph, what should you do? This sample prompt and response will help you prepare.
• IELTS Writing Task 2: Causes/Solutions Sample Essay — How can you get a high score on a causes/solution essay? Take a look at this sample prompt and response to find out.
• IELTS Writing Task 2: Agree/Disagree — We also have a sample question and model response for the common agree/disagree question type!
• IELTS Writing Task 2: Advantage/Disadvantage Learn how to discuss advantages and disadvantages with a question and sample response for this variation of Task 2
• IELTS Writing Task 2: Two-Part Essays — With an example question and an example response, learn how to answer two-part IELTS Writing Task 2 questions.
• The Discussion IELTS Writing Task 2 Question Type — Learn how to discuss both sides of an issue in IELTS Writing Task 2 with a question and example response.

More Resources for IELTS Writing

Finally, make sure you’re prepared for the official IELTS exam by familiarizing yourself with the IELTS, from task types to the question types you can expect to see on the exam! Once you’ve finished the IELTS General Training Writing practice test PDF with answers, take a look at the following to polish your writing even more.

• What do you need to know about IELTS Writing? Make sure you have the basics covered with this overview of the IELTS Writing tasks .
• Taking the Academic test? Here’s your complete guide to IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic) .
• No matter which test you’re taking, make sure you’re prepared for the second task with the complete guide to IELTS Writing Task 2 !
• What types of questions can you expect to see on IELTS Writing Task 2? Find out with our guide to Task 2 question types !
• Looking to practice with Academic Task 1? Here are sample Academic Task 1 prompts you can use for this!
• Taking the General Training test instead? Enjoy Task 1 tips for writing a great letter !

Magoosh’s IELTS Essay Scoring Service

Last but not least, you may want to consider getting your essays scored by Magoosh IELTS instructors. Subscription prices and plans can be found at this page for Magoosh IELTS Essay grading .

Rachel is a Magoosh Content Creator. She writes and updates content on our High School and GRE Blogs to ensure students are equipped with the best information during their test prep journey. As a test-prep instructor for more than five years in there different countries, Rachel has helped students around the world prepare for various standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT, and she is one of the authors of our Magoosh ACT Prep Book . Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Brown University, an MA in Cinematography from the Université de Paris VII, and a Ph.D. in Film Studies from University College London. For over a decade, Rachel has honed her craft as a fiction and memoir writer and public speaker. Her novel, THE BALLERINAS , is forthcoming in December 2021 from St. Martin’s Press , while her memoir, GRADUATES IN WONDERLAND , co-written with Jessica Pan, was published in 2014 by Penguin Random House. Her work has appeared in over a dozen online and print publications, including Vanity Fair Hollywood. When she isn’t strategically stringing words together at Magoosh, you can find Rachel riding horses or with her nose in a book. Join her on Twitter , Instagram , or Facebook !

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• Preparing for IELTS
• Practice tests
• Free online IELTS Writing practice tests

Free online IELTS General Training Writing practice test - paper

You will be allowed 1 hour to complete two tasks in the IELTS General Training 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.

The total time allowed for the IELTS General Training Writing test is 60 minutes. Time yourself and allow just one hour to complete both parts. 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 personal, semi-formal or formal style
• write at least 150 words

Writing task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on task 2

• give reasons for your answer and include examples from your own knowledge or experience
• 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.

Once you have completed both tasks, review your work. Download the model answers to see good examples of how to complete the Writing test.