Writing Question

You have moved abroad for a new job. Write a letter to your friend to provide an update. In your letter, describe life in your new country, provide details about your new role and make arrangements for your friend to visit.

You should write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write your own address. Begin your letter as follows: Dear …,

Sample Essay

Dear Priti,

Hope you’ve been well! I’m writing to you from Hong Kong where I have been living for the past two weeks. So far, living here has been amazing! Hong Kong is an island unlike any other—the skyline is utterly mesmerizing with towering skyscrapers in the foreground and tropical greenery and mountains in the background. Adjusting to life here has been easier than I initially thought due to the convenience of retailers being open around the clock.

This ‘open-all-hours’ attitude also extends to the work ethic in Hong Kong. I started working as a senior associate at Murs & Opal a week ago. It’s a full service international law firm with headquarters in Detroit, a city in the US. I’m working in the mergers and acquisitions division and it is quite standard for all associates to work 21 hours a day.

However, in the last two weeks of October, I will be on leave and would love to show you the sights around Hong Kong. If you are free, there are daily flights that leave Melbourne and you’ll be able to stay at my place. As you know, my cooking isn’t culinary standard, but I know a few excellent restaurants that you’ll certainly enjoy.

Let me know if you can visit and until we see each other again, take care of yourself.

Warm regards,
Mohil.

Writing Question

People often try to look younger than they really are. Do you think that this is a good thing/bad thing? What reasons do people have for doing this?

Write at least 250 words.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Sample Essay

The emerging age of beauty products, skincare, plastic surgery, and obsessive gym routines denotes the scrambling effort of generations to appear younger, healthier, and more attractive than they are. While the media does generate unrealistic and damaging beauty standards within our society, criticisms of vanity in response to those curating a better appearance neglect to consider the resultant health benefits and mental improvement.

The increasing pressure on individuals to look and appear younger and better is evidenced by the myriad of ways that individuals attempt to keep up with societal standards. While some methods such as plastic surgery may be less beneficial to the body, others like haircare, skincare, and regular exercise provide many benefits. Subsequently, in attempting to look younger, people often improve their body, skin, health, and fitness.

An individual’s desire to look younger and better is often driven by the crushing standards of modern beauty and the intense fear of aging and subsequent death. This societal pressure weighs heavily on individuals and can often cause them to feel self-conscious and undesirable. Therefore, the ability to use their own bodily autonomy to improve their appearance can often strengthen their mindset, self-confidence, and outlook on life. Outer appearance can often reflect our own mental state, and those who spend time dedicated to selfcare are often happier and less self-conscious.

Therefore, until society stops presenting unachievable ideals of beauty, those striving to reach these goals in looking younger and more attractive can reap the benefits by an improvement in the health of their body and mind.

The writing component of IELTS is split into 2 sections. In IELTS Writing Task 1, you will be presented with a situation. You will then be asked to personally respond to this situation by writing a letter which explains the situation or requests more information regarding the situation. The letter may be formal, semi-formal or informal. You will be told what information needs to be included in your response.

For example, you may be asked to write a letter to your landlord requesting permission to have a pet on your property.

In your letter, you may be asked to:

• Introduce yourself
• Explain why you want a pet
• Request written permission from your landlord

The style of your letter (formal, semi-formal or informal) will be based on who you are writing to. If you are asked to write a letter to a friend, you would write informally. In a letter to your landlord or to a business, you would be expected to write in a more formal manner.

You should write at least 150 words, or you will be marked down.

You will have 1 hour to complete both tasks. How much time you spend on each task is your choice, however, it is recommended that you do not spend more than 20 minutes on task 1. This is because your score from task 2 counts for more of your overall mark.

What You're Assessed On (How Your Band Score is Determined)

For Writing Task 1, you will be assessed on four criteria:

In Writing Task 2, you will be given a problem, argument or viewpoint. From this, you may be asked to discuss various positions, provide information or present a solution or opinion and give your reasoning for this. Task 2 is generally written in a formal manner.

For example, you may be given a statement like:

Some people believe following a vegetarian diet is healthier than following an omnivorous diet, while others believe that eating meat is essential for human growth.

You may then be asked to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each diet. You would be expected to provide comprehensive reasoning and relevant evidence or examples. You may also be asked to provide your own opinion on the matter.

In task 2, you are expected to write at least 250 words. It is recommended that you allocate 40 minutes to this task.

What You're Assessed On (How Your Band Score is Determined)

In Writing Task 2, you will be marked in a similar manner as Writing Task 1. However, instead of task achievement, you will be assessed on how well you respond to the set task.

If the style you write in does not match the information given to you, it is unlikely you will receive a high score. In Task 1, think about who you are addressing and answer accordingly. Task 2 will generally be written in a formal manner regardless of the prompt given, but you are expected to paragraph your response and have a correct structure.

Writing less than 150 words in Task 1 or 250 words in Task 2 will mean you are penalised. Too few words also mean it is unlikely you have properly addressed each part of the question. However, if you write too much you risk running out of time and it may mean you have unnecessary and distracting information. For Task 1, aim to write between 150-200 words. For Task 2, aim for 250-400.

Responses which include dot points or note formats will also be penalised. Your ideas should be connected and communicated in a comprehensive manner. Start by using the 2-3 requirements in the question and plan (in one sentence) so that each point represents 1 paragraph. Check to make sure your point relates to the topic.

In both tasks, you will be expected to demonstrate a diverse understanding of the English vocabulary and use a range of grammatical devices. More complex and varied language will result in higher scores.