# ielts-academic-writing-sample-tasks-2023 - **Original Source:** `ielts-academic-writing-sample-tasks-2023.pdf` - **Category:** `writing` - **Original Format:** `.pdf` --- Page 1 of 26 IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council; IDP IELTS; and Cambridge University Press & Assessment IELTS.org IELTS Academic Writing Sample Tasks The IELTS Academic Writing test includes a variety of tasks. In Task 1, test takers are asked to describe some visual information (graph/table/chart/diagram) in their own words. They need to write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. In Task 2, they respond to a point of view or argument or problem. They need to write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. Read the details of each task type on our Test format page. Page 2 of 26 IELTS.org Contents Academic Writing Sample Task – 1A ................................................................ ................ 3 Academic Writing Sample Task – 1B ................................................................ ................ 4 Academic Writing Sample Task – 1C ................................................................ ................ 5 Academic Writing Sample Task – 2A ................................................................ ................ 6 Academic Writing Sample Task – 2B ................................................................ ................ 7 Sample Candidate Writing Scripts and Examiner Comments ................................ ....... 8 Academic Writing Sample Task – 1A – Sample Script A ................................ ................. 9 Academic Writing Sample Task – 1A – Sample Script B ................................ ............... 10 Academic Writing Sample Task – 1B – Sample Script A ................................ ............... 11 Academic Writing Sample Task – 1B – Sample Script B ................................ ............... 12 Academic Writing Sample Task – 1C – Sample Script A ................................ ............... 13 Academic Writing Sample Task – 1C – Sample Script B ................................ ............... 14 Academic Writing Sample Task – 1C – Sample Script C ................................ ............... 16 Academic Writing Sample Task – 2A – Sample Script A ................................ ............... 18 Academic Writing Sample Task – 2A – Sample Script B ................................ ............... 19 Academic Writing Sample Task – 2A – Sample Script C ................................ ............... 21 Academic Writing Sample Task – 2B – Sample Script A ................................ ............... 23 Academic Writing Sample Task – 2B – Sample Script B ................................ ............... 25 Page 3 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 1A WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Write at least 150 words. The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Page 4 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 1B WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Write at least 150 words. The graph below shows radio and television audiences throughout the day in 1992. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Page 5 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 1C WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Write at least 150 words. The diagram below shows the process by which bricks are manufactured for the building industry. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Page 6 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 2A WRITING TASK 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic: Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words. Children who are brought up in families that do not have large amounts of money are better prepared to deal with the problems of adult life than children brought up by wealthy parents. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Page 7 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 2B WRITING TASK 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic: Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words. International tourism has brought enormous benefit to many places. At the same time, there is concern about its impact on local inhabitants and the environment. Do the disadvantages of international tourism outweigh the advantages? Page 8 of 26 IELTS.org Sample Candidate Writing Scripts and Examiner Comments Both the Academic and General Training Writing Modules consist of two tasks, Task 1 and Task 2. Each task is assessed independently. The assessment of Task 2 carries more weight in marking than Task 1. Detailed performance descriptors have been developed which describe written performance at the 9 IELTS bands. These descriptors apply to both the Academic and General Training Modules. Task 1 responses are assessed on the following criteria: • Task Achievement • Coherence and Cohesion • Lexical Resource • Grammatical Range and Accuracy Task 2 responses are assessed on the following criteria: • Task Response • Coherence and Cohesion • Lexical Resource • Grammatical Range and Accuracy Candidates should note that responses will be penalised if they are a) partly or wholly plagiarised, b) not written as full, connected text (e.g. using bullet points in any part of the response, or note form, is not appropriate). Task 1 Task Achievement This criterion assesses how fully, appropriately, accurately and relevantly the response fulfils the requirements set out in the task, using the minimum of 150 words. Task 1 Academic is a writing task which has a defined input and a largely predictable output. It is basically an information-transfer task, which relates narrowly to the factual content of a diagram, graph, table, chart, map or other visual input, not to speculative explanations that lie outside the given data. Coherence and Cohesion This criterion is concerned with the overall organisation and logical development of the message: how the response organises and links information, ideas and language. Coherence refers to the linking of ideas through logical sequencing, while cohesion refers to the varied and appropriate use of cohesive devices (e.g. logical connectors, conjunctions and pronouns) to assist in making clear the relationships between and within sentences. Lexical Resource This criterion refers to the range of vocabulary the candidate has used and the accuracy and appropriacy of that use in terms of the specific task. Grammatical Range and Accuracy This criterion refers to the range and accurate use of the candidate’s grammatical resource within the candidate’s writing at sentence level. Task 2 Task Response Both the Academic and General Training Writing Task 2 require the candidates to formulate and develop a position in relation to a given prompt in the form of a question or statement, using a minimum of 250 words. Ideas should be supported by evidence, and examples may be drawn from a candidate’s own experience. The other criteria for Task 2 are the same as for Task 1 (Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy). Writing responses are marked by trained and certificated IELTS examiners. Scores may be reported as whole bands or half-bands. On the next 17 pages you will find candidates’ answers to five sample Writing tasks. There are answers for each Writing task. Each answer has been awarded a band score and is accompanied by an examiner comment on the candidate’s performance for that task. The examiners’ guidelines for marking the Writing scripts are very detailed. There are many different ways a candidate may achieve a particular band score. The candidates’ answers that follow should not be regarded as definitive examples of any particular band score. Please refer to the publicly available IELTS Writing Key Criteria on our website. Page 9 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 1A – Sample Script A Examiner comment Band 5 There is a good attempt to describe the overall trends but the content would have been greatly improved if the candidate had included some reference to the figures given on the graph. Without these, the reader is lacking some important information. The answer is quite difficult to follow and there are some punctuation errors that cause confusion. The structures are fairly simple and efforts to produce more complex sentences are not successful. Page 10 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 1A – Sample Script B Examiner comment Band 6 The candidate has made a good attempt to describe the graphs looking at global trends and more detailed figures. There is, however, some information missing and the information is inaccurate in minor areas. The answer flows quite smoothly although connectives are overused or inappropriate, and some of the points do not link up well. The grammatical accuracy is quite good and the language used to describe the trends is well-handled. However, there are problems with expression and the appropriate choice of wo rds and whilst there is good structural control, the complexity and variation in the sentences are limited. Page 11 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 1B – Sample Script A Examiner comment Band 6 The answer has an appropriate introduction which the candidate has attempted to express in their own words. There is good coverage of the data and a brief reference to contrasting trends. The answer can be followed although it is rather repetitive and cohe sive devices are overused. In order to gain a higher mark for content, the candidate would be expected to summarise the most important features of the graph in an overview, for example, ‘audiences for radio peak in the morning, and for TV, in the evening’. There is some flexibility and precision in the range of vocabulary used. Sentences are long but do lack complexity. To score more highly there would be fewer errors in tense, verb form and spelling which interfere slightly with the flow of the answer. Page 12 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 1B – Sample Script B Examiner comment Band 7 The answer deals well with both the individual media trends and the overall comparison of these trends. The opening could be more fully developed with the inclusion of information relating to the groups studied and the period of time during which the study took place. There is a good variety of cohesive devices and the message can be followed quite easily although the expression is sometimes a little clumsy. Structures are complex and vocabulary is varied but there are errors in word forms, tense and voice though these do not impede communication. Page 13 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 1C – Sample Script A Examiner comment Band 5 Although the basic process is accurately described, this script fails to present an overview and some of the key features are not adequately covered. The first sentence may have been an attempt at an overview but it simply causes confusion and detracts fro m the answer. Despite this, the overall progression is clear and there is effective, though mechanical, use of linkers and sequencers. There are also examples of substitution and referencing, although sentences are not always well linked. The vocabulary is minimally adequate for the task. Spelling is generally accurate but there are inappropriate word choices, omissions and errors in word form. Some attempts at subordination and complex nominalisations are made, but generally the structures are limited and there are frequent errors. Overall this is a good example of a Band 5 performance. Page 14 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 1C – Sample Script B Page 15 of 26 IELTS.org Examiner comment Band 7 This test taker uses an inappropriate format at times (e.g. the letter -style opening and personal comments) and this limits the band for Task Achievement. The process itself is adequately described, although some irrelevant information is included and there is no clear overview. Information is logically organised and there is a clear progression throughout the response. A range of cohesive devices is used appropriately, although there are occasional errors in referencing and linking, and paragraphing would have helped convey a clearer description of the stages. A w ide range of sophisticated lexis is used to convey meaning with precision, but there are also occasional flaws in word choice that lead to some slightly awkward expressions. A wide range of structures is also used fluently with only occasional slight error and the majority of sentences are error -free. In spite of the high level of language proficiency, the flaws in format and organisation limit the rating for this response to Band 7. Page 16 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 1C – Sample Script C Page 17 of 26 IELTS.org Examiner comment Band 8.5 This response fully satisfies the requirements of the task. All key features of each stage of the process are appropriately and accurately presented. There is an overview in the first paragraph indicating that there are ‘seven consecutive steps’ however for the highest score, a fuller overview would be needed, to summarise those key stages, for example; extracting the clay, then shaping, drying and delivering the bricks. The message is very easy to read with seamless cohesion. Paragraphing, linking and refe rencing are all skilfully managed. The language used is very fluent and sophisticated. A wide range of vocabulary and structures are used with full flexibility and accuracy within the scope of this task. Only rare minor errors can be found and these do not detract from communication or the high rating. This item is a good example of a very high-level response. Page 18 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 2A – Sample Script A Examiner comment Band 4 While it is obviously related to the topic, the introduction is confusing and the test taker’s position is difficult to identify. Ideas are limited and although the test taker attempts to support them with examples from experience, they remain unclear. There is no overall progression in the response and the ideas are not coherently linked. Although cohesive devices are used, they assist only minimally in achieving coherence. The range of vocabulary is basic and control is inadequate for the task. Language from the input material is used inappropriately and frequent errors in word choice and collocation cause severe problems for the reader. Similarly, the range of structures is very limited, the density of grammatical and punctuation error is high and these features cause some difficulty for the reader. Attempts to use complex structures, such as subordination, are rare and tend to be very inaccurate. Page 19 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 2A – Sample Script B Page 20 of 26 IELTS.org Examiner comment Band 6.5 The arguments in this response are generally well developed, ideas are appropriate and there is a clear position. (It is a shame that the first paragraph, and beginning of the second are mainly copied from the rubric.) Better use of paragraphing would have allowed a clearer focus to some of the supporting points and prevented the lapse into generalisation towards the end. Nevertheless, there is a generally clear progression with a good arrangement of opposing arguments. Referencing is usually accurate and effective, but better use of linkers would have improved the cohesion. Vocabulary is varied and used with some flexibility. The choice is not always precise but the test taker can evidently incorporate less common/idiomatic phrases into the argument and there is a good range that is generally accurate. The repetition of language from the rubric, while integrated, reveals a lack of ability to paraphrase. Regular errors detract from the use of a range of structures, although they do not detract from overall cl arity. This is a generally good response to the task, but the weaknesses in organisation and grammatical control limit the rating to Band 6.5. Page 21 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 2A – Sample Script C Page 22 of 26 IELTS.org Examiner comment Band 8.5 The topic is very well addressed and explored in depth. The position is clear throughout and directly answers the question. The ideas presented are relevant and very well supported, apart from some over-generalisation in the penultimate paragraph. However, there is no mention of how well children from ‘wealthy parents’ deal with problems. Although this is not a requirement, it could be added to further improve the response. The ideas and information are very well organised and paragraphing is used appropriately throughout. The answer can be read with ease due to the sophisticated handling of cohesive devices, with only minimal lapses (for example, the use of ‘e.g.’). The writer uses a wide and very natural range of vocabulary with full flexibility. There are many examples of appropriate modification, collocation and precise vocabulary choice. Syntax is equally varied and sophisticated. There are only occasional errors in an otherwise very accurate answer. Overall this is a very strong performance and a good example of Band 8.5. Page 23 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 2B – Sample Script A Page 24 of 26 IELTS.org Examiner comment Band 5.5 The first five lines of this response are directly copied rubric; no credit is given for copied rubric. The topic is addressed and a relevant position is expressed, although there are patches (as in the fourth paragraph) where the development is unclear. Other ideas are more evidently relevant, but are sometimes insufficiently developed. In spite of this, ideas are clearly organised and there is an overall progression within the response. There is some effective use of a range of cohesive devices, including referencing, but there is also some mechanical use of linkers in places. Paragraphs are sometimes rather too short and inappropriate. A range of vocabulary is attempted and this is adequate for a good response to the task. However, control is weak and there are frequent spelling errors that can cause some difficulties for the reader, thus keeping the rating down for the lexical criterion. The test taker uses a mix of simple and complex structures with frequent subordinate clauses. Control of complex structures is variable, and although errors are noticeable they only rarely impede communication. Although there are some features of a higher band in this response, flaws in the paragraphing and the errors in vocabulary limit this rating to Band 5.5. Page 25 of 26 IELTS.org Academic Writing Sample Task – 2B – Sample Script B Page 26 of 26 IELTS.org Examiner comment Band 7.5 The test taker addresses both aspects of the task and presents a clear position throughout the response. Ideas are relevant, well extended and supported, although there are occasional lapses in content (as in the opening of paragraph 2 and the tendency to ‘present solutions to the disadvantages’ in paragraph 3). However, ideas are logically organised and the re is a clear progression. A range of cohesive devices is used effectively, but some under-use of connectives and substitution and some lapses in the use of referencing are noticeable. A wide range of vocabulary is used flexibly. The test taker can convey precise meanings, and although awkward expressions or inappropriacies in word choice occur, these are only occasional and do not limit the rating for this criterion. Likewise, a good range of sentence structures is used with a high level of accuracy resulting in frequent error-free sentences. Minor systematic errors persist, however, and punctuation is unhelpful at times. The strength of the appropriate response to the task, and the lexical resource in particular, mean overall this response is a good example of Band 7.5.