IELTS General Training
Writing Sample Tasks
The IELTS General Training Writing test includes a variety of tasks.
In Task 1, test takers are asked to respond to a situation, for example, by writing a
letter requesting information or explaining a situation.
In Task 2, test takers write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or
problem.
Read the details of each task type on our Test format page.

IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council; IDP IELTS; andCambridge University Press & Assessment

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Contents
General Training Writing Sample Task – 1A .................................................................... 3
General Training Writing Sample Task – 1B .................................................................... 4
General Training Writing Sample Task – 2A .................................................................... 5
General Training Writing Sample Task – 2B .................................................................... 6
Sample Candidate Writing Scripts and Examiner Comments ....................................... 7
General Training Writing Sample Task 1A – Sample Script A ........................................ 8
General Training Writing Sample Task 1A – Sample Script B ........................................ 9
General Training Writing Sample Task 1B – Sample Script A ...................................... 10
General Training Writing Sample Task 1B – Sample Script B ...................................... 11
General Training Writing Sample Task 1B – Sample Script C ...................................... 12
General Training Writing Sample Task 1B – Sample Script D ...................................... 14
General Training Writing Sample Task 2A – Sample Script A ...................................... 16
General Training Writing Sample Task 2A – Sample Script B ...................................... 18
General Training Writing Sample Task 2B – Sample Script A ...................................... 20
General Training Writing Sample Task 2B – Sample Script B ...................................... 21
General Training Writing Sample Task 2B – Sample Script C ...................................... 23

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General Training Writing Sample Task – 1A
WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You live in a room in college which you share with another student. However, there
are many problems with this arrangement and you find it very difficult to work.
Write a letter to the accommodation officer at the college. In the letter•••

describe the situation
explain your problems and why it is difficult to work
say what kind of accommodation you would prefer

Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

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General Training Writing Sample Task – 1B
WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Your local public library wants to make improvements to their services and facilities.
In order to get ideas from the public, they have asked library users to send themsuggestions in writing.
Write a letter to the librarian. In your letter•••

describe what you like about the library
say what you don’t likemake suggestions for improvements

Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

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General Training Writing Sample Task – 2A
WRITING TASK 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:

In Britain, when someone gets old they often go to live in a home with other oldpeople where there are nurses to look after them. Sometimes the government has topay for this care.
Who do you think should pay for this care, the government or the family?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge orexperience.
Write at least 250 words.

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General Training Writing Sample Task – 2B
WRITING TASK 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:

Shopping is becoming more and more popular as a leisure activity. However, somepeople feel that this has both positive and negative effects.
Why is shopping so popular?
What effects does its increase in popularity have on individuals and on society?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge orexperience.
Write at least 250 words.

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Sample Candidate Writing Scripts and Examiner
Comments
Both the Academic and General Training Writing
Modules consist of two tasks, Task 1 and Task
2. Each task is assessed independently. The
assessment of Task 2 carries more weight inmarking than Task 1.
Detailed performance descriptors have beendeveloped which describe written performanceat the nine IELTS bands. These descriptors
apply to both the Academic and General
Training Modules.
Task 1 scripts are assessed on the following
criteria:

Coherence refers to the linking of ideas throughlogical sequencing, while cohesion refers to thevaried and appropriate use of cohesive devices (e.glogical connectors, conjunctions and pronouns) toassist in making clear the relationships between andwithin sentences.
Lexical ResourceThis criterion refers to the range of vocabulary thecandidate has used and the accuracy andappropriacy of that use in terms of the specifictask.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy• Coherence and Cohesion

This criterion refers to the range and accurate useof the candidate’s grammatical resource within thecandidate’s writing at sentence level.

• Lexical Resource

Task 2• Task Achievement• Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Task 2 scripts are assessed on the following
criteria:• Task Response• Coherence and Cohesion• Lexical Resource• Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Candidates should note that responses will be
penalised if they are a) partly or wholly
plagiarised, b) not written as full, connected text
(e.g. using bullet points in any part of the
response, or note form, is not appropriate).
Task 1
Task Achievement
This criterion assesses how fully, appropriately,
accurately and relevantly the response fulfils therequirements set out in the task, using theminimum of 150 words.
General Training Writing Task 1 is a writing taskwith a largely predictable output in that eachtask sets out the context and purpose of theletter and the functions the candidate should
cover in order to achieve this purpose.
Coherence and Cohesion
This criterion is concerned with the overall
organisation and logical development of themessage: how the response organises and links
information, ideas and language.

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Task Response
Both the Academic and General Training Writing
Task 2 require the candidates to formulate anddevelop a position in relation to a given prompt in
the form of a question or statement, using aminimum of 250 words. Ideas should be
supported by evidence, and examples may be
drawn from a candidate’s own experience.
The other criteria for Task 2 are the same as for
Task 1 (Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical
Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy).

Writing scripts are marked by trained andcertificated IELTS examiners. Scores may bereported as whole bands or half-bands.
On the next 17 pages you will find candidates’
answers to four sample Writing tasks. There areanswers for each Writing task. Each answer has
been awarded a band score and is accompanied by
an examiner comment on the candidate’s
performance for that task.
The examiners’ guidelines for marking the
Writing scripts are very detailed. There are manydifferent ways a candidate may achieve aparticular band score. The candidates’ answers
that follow should not be regarded as definitive
examples of any particular band score.
Please refer to the publicly available IELTS
Writing Key Criteria on our website.

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General Training Writing Sample Task 1A – Sample
Script A

Examiner comment
Band 5.5
This response does address the requirements of the task and appears in a letter format. The second
bullet point is well covered, with multiple ‘problems’ presented. However, overall there is some
repetition of the task rubric, and there is room for more detail to be included, for example, coverageof the third bullet point. The organisation of ideas is not wholly logical and points are not always
linked together well. Despite these problems, the introduction to the letter is appropriate and the
purpose of the writer is clear. There is a range of vocabulary which is generally adequate andappropriate for the task. Complex structures are attempted but, overall, sentences are kept quite
simple, grammatical errors are frequent and they do cause some difficulty for the reader.

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General Training Writing Sample Task 1A – Sample
Script B

Examiner comment
Band 7The content of the letter is relevant to the task. The first two bullet points are covered in detail, withseveral ‘problems’ given; the third bullet point could be more fully illustrated, with details of what kind ofaccommodation (not just a single room). The information in the letter is logically organised and theappropriate use of linking devices means that it reads quite fluently. Vocabulary is used well, spelling isaccurate and there are some less common words and expressions [borrows | having to share]. There isevidence of more complex sentence structures but also some grammatical errors, although these do notaffect the reader greatly.

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General Training Writing Sample Task 1B – Sample
Script A

Examiner comment
Band 3
With some effort, the reader can discern ideas related to two of the bullet points but the first bullet is notcovered. There is a definite attempt to address the task but the purpose of the letter is not clear andthere is repetition of the minimal ideas produced. The ideas in the response are not organised in any
logical way and, although linkers are present, they are not always used correctly and fail to help thereader follow the message. The lexical resource is inadequate for the task. Errors in word choice andspelling do impede meaning; some words cannot be deciphered. There is an attempt to produce
sentences but this is often unsuccessful. Overall, errors predominate and there are no correctsentences, other than those that rely on the input material. This is a good example of a Band 3
performance.

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General Training Writing Sample Task 1B – Sample
Script B

Examiner comment
Band 5.5
This is a good attempt at addressing the task but unfortunately the first bullet point is completely omitted
and the letter format is incomplete, as there is no ‘closing’ (e.g. Best wishes, Yours Faithfully). Theseerrors reduce the rating for Task Achievement. The other bullet points are highlighted and well covered.
The response has quite a natural, clear progression, although paragraphing would assist this. There is agood range of cohesive devices that have been used appropriately and some good examples ofreferencing. Despite the range and effective use of lexis, there are noticeable spelling errors, but they
only rarely impede communication. Sentence types are mixed and there are many attempts at complex
structures, but control is uneven and there are punctuation errors. Although the response shows somefeatures of higher-level performance, the omission of bullet point one and the incomplete letter closing
limit the overall rating.

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General Training Writing Sample Task 1B – Sample
Script C

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Examiner comment
Band 6
The test taker covers the task requirements and the content of the letter is relevant. The format of theletter is incomplete as there is no ‘closing’ (e.g. Yours Faithfully, Best wishes), this impacts Task
Achievement. All bullet points are covered and the purpose is clearly presented. The tone, thoughassertive, is consistently polite. There is a clear overall progression, but the arrangement of ideas withinparagraphs at times detracts from the clarity of the letter. At other times, the sentences are not as
fluently linked as they might be. There is a good range of vocabulary that is more than adequate.
Although there are errors in collocation and word choice, there are also many examples of accurate
choice and appropriate modification. A mix of simple and complex structures is used, but mistakes inpunctuation and in areas such as article use and subject-verb agreements, limit the rating for thiscriterion. This response shows some features of higher-level performance, but weaknesses in format,
organisation and grammatical control limit the overall rating to Band 6.

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General Training Writing Sample Task 1B – Sample
Script D

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Examiner comment
Band 7This is a strong response, presented in an appropriate letter format. All bullet points are clearlypresented and illustrated. The presentation of information is clear throughout and cohesive devices,
referencing and substitution are flexibly used, with occasional error, although the absence of effective
paragraphing prevents the award of the highest ratings for this criterion. Vocabulary is also used withsome flexibility and there is a good range, with evidence that the test taker can use less common
expressions and has an awareness of collocation. There is occasional error in word form and choice.
Although a variety of structures is apparent, with a mix of simple and complex sentences, the level andregularity of errors in articles, prepositions and some verb phrases limit the rating for this criterion. The
density of grammatical error prevents this response from fully satisfying the descriptors of the higher
band.

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General Training Writing Sample Task 2A – Sample
Script A

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Examiner comment
Band 5
There are quite a lot of relevant ideas in the answer but they are not always well developed andsometimes they are unclear. There are some areas in the answer where the organisation becomes
weak and the reader finds the message difficult to follow. Linked to this, paragraphing is not very
helpful in terms of grouping ideas around a central topic. Nevertheless, the writer’s view is apparent
and there is a logical flow to the points given. Although there is some appropriate vocabulary, there
are a lot of errors throughout. There are some complex structures used but, overall, sentence control
is very weak and this makes some parts, such as the conclusion, very hard to follow.
Note: the corrections made by the test taker in this hand-written response make it difficult to read. It isbetter to cross out an error and rewrite the word so that the final response is clear.

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General Training Writing Sample Task 2A – Sample
Script B

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Examiner comment
Band 8This is a very well-organised response which analyses the topic from four different angles and fully
answers the question. The ideas are relevant and well supported. The answer is easy to read. There
are some inaccuracies in word choice but they have minimal impact on the reader. There are also
occasional errors in spelling and grammatical structure, which prevent the awarding of the highest
band scores.

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General Training Writing Sample Task 2B – Sample
Script A

Examiner comment
Band 4
The first part of the task (Why is shopping so popular?) is not addressed. The opening paragraphdescribes a large shopping centre but does not tell us why shopping is popular. The second paragraphpresents the effect on individuals, but not on society as a whole. We can see that the writer thinks
there are negative effects but the main ideas presented do not relate directly to this question. The
relationship between ideas can be followed but there is a lack of progression in relation to the question.
Some cohesive devices are used, but not always correctly and this leads to some repetition.
Spelling errors are intrusive and cause strain. There is some relevant vocabulary, but overall the range
is inadequate for the task. Frequent errors in syntax, verb phrases and articles keep the rating down,
despite basic structures being present. The failure to address the task and the weaknesses invocabulary and grammar limit this response to an overall Band 4.

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General Training Writing Sample Task 2B – Sample
Script B

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Examiner comment
Band 6The main parts of the task are addressed, although the first part (Why is shopping so popular?) ispresented more fully than the second (the effects). Ideas are relevant but there is a lack of clarity which
prevents a higher band score. Nevertheless, there is a clear overall progression in the response
because ideas are logically organised. A range of markers is used effectively to link ideas, although
there are errors in the use of some basic connectives.
The test taker attempts to use a range of vocabulary and introduces some less common expressions,although with mixed success. Some expressions remain unclear, while others are used repetitively.
Nevertheless, there is sufficient range and control to be adequate for the task. A mix of simple andcomplex structures is evident, but errors in grammar and punctuation occur and indicate limitations incontrol, although these errors generally do not reduce communication.

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General Training Writing Sample Task 2B – Sample
Script C

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Examiner comment
Band 8.5
This is a very strong response which directly answers the question. Each part of the task is explored in
depth, ideas are set out clearly and well-developed. There is a clear progression throughout the
response and lapses in coherence and cohesion are minimal. The personal comment in the final
paragraph means that the ending does not relate directly to the question, but this is considered a minor
lapse.
A wide range of vocabulary is used with flexibility and precision throughout the response and errors arevery rare. The occasional minor errors or omissions in structures do not detract from the wide range,
flexible and accurate use generally, and the majority of structures are error-free. This is a clear example
of a strong performance at overall Band 8.5.

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