IELTS Practice Test 1: Writing
Two tasks, sixty minutes, and one of them is worth twice as much as the other. Most candidates spend their time the wrong way round.
Unofficial original RCF practice material
Original RCF English work in the published IELTS Academic Writing format. Not an official IELTS test, and not endorsed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia or Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
All figures in the Task 1 table are invented for this exercise. They do not describe any real country or any real dataset.
Instructions
You have 60 minutes for both tasks.
Spend about 20 minutes on Task 1 and about 40 minutes on Task 2. Task 2 is worth two thirds of the Writing mark.
Write at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 words for Task 2. Under-length answers are penalised; there is no upper limit, but very long answers usually contain more errors.
Write in full sentences. Notes and bullet points score very low.
Writing Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The table below shows the number of visitors, in thousands, to four types of tourist attraction in one country in 2005, 2012 and 2019.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Visitors to four types of tourist attraction (thousands)
| Type of attraction | 2005 | 2012 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Museums and galleries | 6,800 | 9,100 | 12,400 |
| Theme parks | 5,400 | 5,900 | 5,500 |
| National parks | 4,200 | 5,600 | 8,300 |
| Historic houses | 3,100 | 2,700 | 2,200 |
What Task 1 is marked on
Task Achievement - did you give an overview, cover the main features, and report accurately? An answer with no overview paragraph is capped low, however good the English.
Coherence and Cohesion - is it organised into paragraphs, and does it flow?
Lexical Resource - the range and accuracy of vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy - the range of structures and how accurately you use them.
Each criterion is worth 25% of the Task 1 mark. Do not give opinions or reasons in Task 1: there are no marks for explaining why the figures moved.
Writing Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic.
Some people believe that the most effective way to reduce crime is to give longer prison sentences. Others argue that there are better alternatives.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
What Task 2 is marked on
Task Response - have you answered the whole question, taken a clear position, and developed your ideas? This instruction has two parts: discuss both views and give your own opinion. An essay that discusses both views and never states an opinion cannot reach Band 7 on this criterion.
Coherence and Cohesion - paragraphing and logical progression.
Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy - as in Task 1.
Each criterion is worth 25% of the Task 2 mark, and Task 2 is worth two thirds of the whole Writing score.
End of the Writing test
Model answers for both tasks, with notes on why they score what they score, are on the answer page.
There are ten further Task 2 essays, covering every question type, on the model essays page.
Next
Speaking
Three parts, 11 to 14 minutes.
IELTS Writing guidance
Both tasks and the marking criteria in detail.
IELTS graphs and charts
The language for describing every Task 1 visual type.