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IELTS Writing Samples

IELTS essay samples (writing task 2), report and letter samples (writing task 1) with Band Scores, marked by IELTS teachers, including comments and suggestions on how to increase your score

IELTS Letter, topic: Requesting information about a foreign language course

This is a model response to a Writing Task 1 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is close to IELTS Band 9.

Set 2 General Training book, Practice Test 6

Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have seen an advertisement for an evening course to study a foreign language. Write a letter to the institution offering the course.

In your letter,

– ask for details of the course
– ask if the course teachers are qualified native speakers
– request that the institution sends you their brochure

You should write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir / Madam,

Sample Band 9 Letter

Dear Sir / Madam,

I have recently read about the evening course on the French language that your institution is offering and I have a few questions.

As I am an advanced speaker in French and have read that the Course “B1” is offered for this level, I would like to know what this course comprises, so that I will be able to decide whether this matches my abilities or whether I would need to sign up for another course. I would also like to know if the teachers giving the lessons are qualified native speakers, as I believe this is very important in order to get an authentic insight into the cultural context of the language studied. A native teacher has the greatest knowledge and understanding possible of the language he or she is teaching.

Lastly, I would like to ask for you to send me a brochure of the different courses offered at your institution, using the address I have sent this letter from as the recipient address.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Harris

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IELTS essay, topic: The number of advertisements for charities is increasing, what is causing this?

This is a model response to a Writing Task 2 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is close to IELTS Band 9.

Set 5 General Training book, Practice Test 21

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

The number of advertisements for charities on television and the Internet seems to be increasing. What is causing this? Is this a positive or a negative development?

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

You should write at least 250 words.

Sample Band 9 Essay

It indeed appears true that the frequency with which advertisements for charities appear both on television and the Internet seems to be increasing. There can be various explanations for this and it can be seen in both a positive and negative light.

One explanation for the increase in the number of charity advertisements is that the charities themselves are becoming more aggressive in their marketing. This can also be seen in the common strategy nowadays to encourage a monthly donation, rather than a one-off donation. The increased marketing is apparent too in the increased numbers of ‘street salespeople’, who stop passersby and try to get them to commit to this monthly payment.

A second reason for the increase could also be that there have been more charities started and the number of advertisements would therefore increase and become more noticeable. If these charities are all legitimate, this would mean that more help will be getting to causes that need it. The increase in charities could also be explained by a possible increase of humanitarian awareness. People might be now adopting different ideologies that take into account people in less advantageous positions.

If the number of advertisements for charities has risen due to the fact that there has been a positive shift in people’s compassionate principles, this surely has to be seen as an optimistic development. If it is due to the fact that governments have been cutting back, it could be seen as a pessimistic development. In addition, if there are more charities asking for more money, this will inevitably mean that the amount of money donated will have to be more thinly spread, which would be a negative development.

There could be several reasons for why there are more charity advertisements today. Whatever the reasons, as long as any money is helping people in disadvantageous positions, it must be seen as a positive development.

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