Recent IELTS Writing Test (Task 1 & 2) with Band 8 Sample Answer

In IELTS Writing Task 1 of the Academic section, there will be a visual representation or a diagram on which you have to write a paragraph. While in IELTS Writing Task 2, students are asked to write a formal essay of at least 250 words, in 4-5 paragraphs based on the given IELTS Writing Task 2 essay topics.

Given below are some examples with sample answers that will help you to practice and get a good score.

IELTS Writing Task 1 – Bar Charts

Report Plan:

• Paraphrase: illustrate>compare; number of people>how many people; cities>urban areas; four types>four sources
• Overall/summary paragraph 1: people in cities are affected more by noise
• Paragraph 2: Traffic is the main source of noise pollution
• Paragraph 3: compare traffic noise day and night in cities and rural areas. Then compare train noise. Give figures.
• Paragraph 4: compare aircraft noise day and night in cities and rural areas. Then compare noise from the industry. Give figures.

Sample Answer:

The bar charts compare how many people in urban and rural areas were affected by noise pollution from four sources during daytime and nighttime in 2007.

Overall, it is clear that more city people experience all types of noise pollution than rural areas. In both charts, traffic was the chief source of noise pollution at all times.

Daytime noise from traffic affected 64 million people in cities and 34 million in rural areas. At night, traffic noise affected 48 million city residents, double the figure for rural areas. Noise pollution caused by trains affected slightly more people in cities than in rural areas, at 10 million and 8 million respectively during the daytime, and 8 million and 6 million respectively at night.

The remaining two sources of noise pollution were less significant. In cities, daytime aircraft noise affected 4 million people, and half that number in rural areas. The figure at night for cities and rural areas was 1 million. Those living in rural areas were not affected by noise from industry. However, 1 million city residents experienced industrial noise pollution in the daytime, four times the number affected at night.

IELTS Writing Task 2:

For school children, their teachers have more influence on their intelligence and social development than their parents. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Essay Plan:

• Introduction: (1) refer to the task question (2) my opinion – teachers have more influence on intelligence, parents have more influence on social development
• Paragraph 2: (1) teachers are trained to impart knowledge to children and stimulate their intelligence – for example – dedicated teachers who inspire youngsters (2) parents may play a supporting role
• Paragraph 3: parents have more influence than teachers on the social development of their children. (1) parents spend more time with their children than children spend in school (2) parents can be role models for their children in a wide range of social situations – give examples
• Conclusion: re-state the opinion given in the introduction, paraphrasing some words.

Band 8 Sample Answer:

School children are indeed at an impressionable age, and two strong influences on their intelligence and social development are teachers and parents. While I accept that teachers may have more influence on their pupils’ intelligence, I would argue that parents probably exert a greater influence on the social development of their children.

In terms of encouraging the intellectual development and stimulating the intelligence of school children, I believe that teachers play a major role. While not all teachers can inspire their students, they are trained to impart their knowledge of their subject areas in challenging and imaginative ways. For example, some students owe their lifelong love of a subject to dedicated teachers who taught this discipline in secondary school. Of course, at home, parents may also reinforce this passion by encouraging study habits during the formative years of their children. Such support is vital for academic achievement.

From the perspective of social development, I think that parents are mainly responsible for guiding their children. Firstly, they spend far more time with their children than any individual teacher can do. They can therefore monitor the activities of children outside school hours, at weekends, and during holidays. Secondly, parents can provide role models in a whole range of situations. These might include respecting elders, choosing friends, or proper behavior in public when eating out in restaurants.

In conclusion, although teachers probably have a greater effect in stimulating the intelligence of school children, parental influences on the development of children are stronger in social situations.

Vocabulary for IELTS

1. impressionable [adjective]:

• Meaning: easily influenced or affected by somebody or something
• Example: Advertising is often targeted at impressionable age groups, such as children and adolescents.

2. To exert influence on [expression]:

• Meaning: to use one’s power to affect somebody or something
• Example: Rock music exerted a strong influence on me when I was a teenager.

3. To impart their knowledge [expression]:

• Meaning: to pass knowledge to other people
• Example: Good teachers are inspired to impart their knowledge of their subject to their students.

4. Dedicated [adjective]:

• Meaning: working very hard at something, because it is important to you
• Example: John is a very dedicated student, so he deserves to be successful.

5. Discipline [noun]:

• Meaning: a subject that people study or are taught
• Example: The school has excellent teachers in various scientific disciplines, such as physics and chemistry.

6. To reinforce [verb]:

• Meaning: to make a feeling or an idea stronger
• Example: To reinforce her understanding of mathematics, Ann is taking a course at night school.

7. Formative years [expression]:

• Meaning: having an important and lasting influence on the development of something or somebody’s character
• Example: Parents should supervise their children closely during the formative years of their adolescence.

8. To monitor [verb]:

• Meaning: to watch and check something over some time
• Example: As a security guard, his job is to monitor who comes into the building.

9. Elders [noun]:

• Meaning: people of greater age, experience, or authority
• Example: When we were children, our parents taught us to respect our elders, because they were older and wiser than us.

10. To eat out [phrasal verb]

• Meaning: to have a meal in a restaurant, not at home
• Example: Last night, Caroline and I ate out at a Chinese restaurant.

Also check :

• IELTS Writing tips
• IELTS Writing recent actual test
• IELTS Writing Answer sheet
• IELTS map vocabulary
• IELTS Writing Task 1 Connectors