sample essays for ielts pdf

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Sample Essays

IELTS Sample Essays

Here you will find IELTS Sample Essays for a variety of common topics that appear in the writing exam.

The model answers all have tips and strategies for how you may approach the question and comments on the sample answer.

You can also view sample essays with band scores on this page.

Looking at IELTS essay topics with answers is a great way to help you to prepare for the test.

These IELTS sample essays have been categorised in a way that makes it easy for you to see how certain essay question types require you to provide certain responses to ensure the question is fully answered.

Specifically these are:

Agree / Disagree
Discuss Two Opinions
Problems and Solutions
Advantages and Disadvantages
Other Types

Agree / Disagree Type Questions

In these types of question you are given one opinion and you then have to state the extent to which you agree or disagree with that opinion:

Advertising
Alternative Medicine
Spending on the Arts
Human Cloning
Social Interaction & the Internet
Airline Tax
Free University Education
Scientific Research
Banning Smoking
Employing Older People
Vegetarianism
Paying Taxes
Examinations or Formal Assessment
Multinational Organisations and Culture
Internet vs Newspapers
Technology Development
Dying of Languages
Animal Extinction
Truth in Relationships
Role of Schools
Return of Historical Artefacts

Discuss Two Opinions Type Questions

In this essay question type you are given two opinions, and you have to discuss both of these and then give your own view:

University Education
Reducing Crime
Animal Rights
Child Development
Diet & Health
Donating Money to Charity
Closing Zoos
Becoming Independent
Formal and Informal Education
Influence of Scientists and Politicians
Sources for Stories
Searching for Extraterrestrial Life

Cause Type Questions

There are a variety of 'cause type' essay questions. In these you first have to give the reasons why something has happened, in other words the causes, but then discuss a different aspect of it, such as the effects, solutions or the extent to whether it is a positive or negative development:

Causes & Effects:

Child Obesity
Skin Whitening Creams
Family Size
Having Children Later in Life
Time Away from Family

Causes and Solutions:

Youth Crime
Global Warming
Paying Attention in Class
International Travel & Prejudice
Museums & Historical Places
Disappearance of Traditions
Communication Between Generations

Causes, Pros & Cons:

Family Closeness
Living Alone
Rural to Urban Migration

Problems & Solutions Type Questions

In these type of questions, instead of discussing the causes of a problem, you need to discuss the problems related to a particular issue in society, and then suggest what can be to solve these problems:

Overpopulation
Competing for Jobs
Professionals Immigrating

Advantage & Disadvantages Type Questions

In these type of questions you are asked to discuss the positive and negative sides of a particular topic. You will usually be asked this in the context of giving an opinion ( e.g. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Is it a positive or negative development? ):

Traffic Problems
Food Additives
Computer Games
Age Discrimination at Work
Children using Tablets and Computers
Cell Phones, Internet, & Communication
Working from Home
Eating Locally grown Produce
Oil and Gas Essay
Peer Pressure on Young People
Online Fraud
Decreasing House Sizes

'Hybrid' Types of Essay Question

There are sometimes questions that don't fit easily into a particular category as above. I've called these 'hybrid', as they are of mixed character, are composed of different elements from other types of essay, or are perhaps just worded differently.

Protecting Old Buildings
Animal Testing
Fear of Crime
Communication Technology
Influence of Children's Friends

Sample Essays with Band Scores

You can also view some sample essays that have been written by candidates practising for the test and have band scores and comments by an experienced ex-IELTS Examiner based on the IELTS marking criteria.

IELTS Band 8 Essay Samples
IELTS Band 7 Essay Samples
IELTS Band 6 Essay Samples
IELTS Band 5 Essay Samples
IELTS Band 4 Essay Samples

Student Sample Essays

For more IELTS essay topics with answers you can also view essays that have been written by students. Some have feedback from other students or IELTS teachers:

Student Model Essays (with comments by other students)
Student Model Essays (with comments by IELTS buddy)

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