IELTS Writing Actual Test in August 2017 with Sample Answers

One of the most effective ways to overcome anxiety about writing tasks in IELTS is by practicing with actual IELTS Writing test questions and model answers. Familiarizing yourself with real exam questions not only helps you understand the types of visuals, essay structures, and question styles but also provides insight into the IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 marking criteria and Task 2 evaluation criteria.

So, in this blog, we present the IELTS Writing Actual Test in August 2017, which featured two key questions - one based on a diagram showing the plans for designing a trade show floor (2009 vs 2010) and another essay discussing whether environmental protection should be handled by an organisation or by individual countries. Along with these real questions, you will find Band 7+ sample answers, structure guidance, and advanced vocabulary to help you write with clarity, coherence, and confidence in your next IELTS exam.

Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 Topic - Diagram showing the plans for designing a trade show floor from 2009 to 2010

This IELTS Writing Task 1 task asked candidates to summarise and compare the changes between two floor plans for a trade show (or trade conference) venue in 2009 and in 2010. The candidate needed to report on key layout changes, placement of rooms/areas, additions or removals, sub-areas, etc. 

Question for the Diagram showing the plans for designing a trade show floor from 2009 to 2010

Band 7.0+ Sample Answer for IELTS Writing Task 1 - Diagram showing the plans for designing a trade show floor from 2009 to 2010

The first map illustrates the layout of a trade show floor in 2009, and the second one shows several changes in its design in 2010.

In general, the configurations of the trade show looked more space-effective after one year. The main difference is the expansion and relocation of several facilities and rooms, while two gate entrances remained intact.

By 2010, the refreshment room had been between the main and side entrances, which experienced no change over the given period. The registration booth had been situated on the right side, attached to the balcony. However, in 2010, the positions of the refreshment and registration areas were swapped. Likewise, the conference hall and the exhibition zone also interchanged their locations, with the former decreasing and the latter increasing in size. Regarding seating in these two areas, the exhibition corner utilized display strands, while visitors can take seats to see the stage when coming to the conference hall.

Another striking feature is the elimination of the meeting room near the bottom left corner, which made room for the expansion of the exhibition area with much more display stands. In addition, a lounge was installed in the balcony, which remained its position on the left-handed side of the floor.

Academic IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic - Responsibility for the Protection of the Environment 

This IELTS Writing Task 2 question is a typical IELTS opinion essay. It asks for the opinion whether the environmental protection might lie with a transnational organisation or every national government. Candidates must discuss the issue and provide their own view.

Question for Responsibility for the Protection of the Environment 

Sample Answers for Responsibility for the Protection of the Environment 

The sample essays given below address the IELTS Writing Task 2 topic, 'The responsibility for the protection of the environment is by a transnational organization or every country'. Therefore, to reach your desired writing band score, make sure you carefully review the two IELTS Band 9 essay samples below.

Responsibility for the Protection of the Environment - Sample Answer 1

In recent decades, the degradation of the natural environment has escalated into a major global concern. While some argue that a transnational organisation should take primary responsibility for environmental protection, I believe that while international coordination is essential, individual countries must also shoulder a substantial share of the burden.

On the one hand, a transnational organisation has unique advantages when it comes to tackling environmental threats. Pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss do not respect national borders, so a global body can establish universal standards, enforce cross-border agreements and mobilise resources from wealthier nations to assist less-developed ones. For example, an organisation could impose binding targets for emissions or fund international clean-up programmes that single governments might struggle to support.

On the other hand, national governments are better placed to respond effectively within their own territories. Local authorities understand the specific needs, socio-economic conditions and cultural context of their populations. They can design and enforce regulations that reflect local realities and can be held accountable by their electorate. If each country fails to act, global efforts will falter because environmental protection fundamentally depends on national implementation.

In my view, the most practical and effective approach is a shared responsibility, which is a robust international framework guided by a transnational organisation, combined with committed action from every national government. The global body sets the rules and monitors compliance, while countries implement policies on the ground. This dual model harnesses the strengths of both scales of governance.

In conclusion, while an international organisation plays a vital role in coordinating and guiding environmental efforts worldwide, real change will only occur if individual nations actively participate, enforce regulations, and adapt solutions to their local contexts.

Responsibility for the Protection of the Environment - Sample Answer 2

Due to its devastating impacts, halting environment degradation has been one of the top priorities around the world. It is widely believed that such responsibility belongs to transnational organizations. While I do agree with the opinion, I suppose that local authorities should also join hands in such an effort.

It is undeniable that national governments hold the power to take concrete actions to protect the environment. The primary reason is that only the local authority of each country can have an insight into its own problems and the authority to devise feasible measures. For example, only government officers know exactly which part of the nation has its environment heavily damaged, thus offer practical schemes to fix the situation. Therefore, governments, but not any other entity, should assume the duty to prevent their own environment from degrading.

However, I am convinced that transnational organizations also play a crucial role in protecting the environment. International institutions could enable multi-national cooperation on a large scale. As a result, more global actions could be taken with the participation of different countries. This could guarantee sustainable and drastic impacts on our surroundings since environmental problems usually across borders and beyond the capability of any single nation to solve. For example, countries along the Mekong River, such as Vietnam, Laos, China, and Cambodia, have reached an agreement to establish a transnational entity named Mekong Committee with certain power to tackle issues related to the shared waters. The organization has successfully stopped plans to build hydropower dams in China or Laos to prevent foreseeable detriments to water conditions in the lower Mekong countries. This case has illustrated the indispensable role of international entities in making vital environmental protection decisions in the context that nations are divided by their interests.

In conclusion, each country’s authorities should bear the duty of keeping their countries from being environmentally degraded. However, it is the transnational organizations that play the deciding role with large-scale impacts.

Vocabulary to Use for Responsibility for the Protection of the Environment IELTS Writing Task 2

Here is a list of advanced vocabulary word list for IELTS, related to the topic ‘Responsibility for the Protection of the Environment’, as used in the model answers.

To conclude, preparing for the IELTS Writing paper demands both understanding of tasks and a strong ability to express ideas clearly, coherently and with sufficient lexical resource and grammatical range. So, use the IELTS Writing practice test August 2017 as a case study, and you can see how real-life tasks are framed and what level of response is needed for a band 7+ score. I hope this blog helps you prepare effectively.

Useful Links:

• Solving Environment Problems Should be the Responsibility of an International Organization - IELTS Writing Task 2
• 21+ Tips On How to Improve Your IELTS Writing Band Score
• Recent IELTS Writing Actual Test & Model Answers
• Recent IELTS Topics in Writing Task 2 for 2025
• IELTS Writing Answer Sheet