Skip to content

July 2011

IELTS Writing – Model Answer for an essay (from a recent exam in Singapore)

The topic below was seen in the Academic IELTS exam in Singapore, June 2011.

General Training Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

In most parts of the world people are living longer. What are the possible causes of this situation? Is this a negative or positive development?

You should write at least 250 words.

Model Answer

Longevity in the world over has been increasing for a variety of reasons. Babies born today enjoy much longer life spans than those of their parents. It is argued that this increase is a positive phenomenon and that the main causes of it are both the deepening of medical understanding and the sharing of such information between people via tools like the Internet. These causes will be examined in detail to prove their value in the lengthening of worldwide life spans.

Firstly, medical advancements over the last century have allowed people to postpone death. Among the more significant discoveries that made this possible is the development of antibiotics. Antibiotics, now available to most people the world over, dramatically lower incidences of infection and have thus greatly curbed the number of people the world over who die due to diseases once thought incurable. Thus, advancements in science can be seen as one of the more major contributors to the extending of worldwide life spans.

Secondly, the Internet and the information shared across it has made the debunking of ineffective medical practices much easier. For example, medical folklore in countries like Ghana and rural China dictate new mothers avoid washing themselves for a month after giving birth. Before tools like the Internet, ridiculous and unsanitary practices such as this were widely believed to be in the best interests of the mother’s health. Today, few people in either country would argue in favour of this postnatal tradition. Thus, the Internet has allowed people to share life-promoting information the world over.

In conclusion, human life is precious and the global extending of life spans should be seen as positive. It is hoped medical discoveries continue to increase in number and that access to the Internet continues to grow, allowing longevity to be a pleasure enjoyed everywhere.

This model answer was written for IELTS-Blog.com visitors by Ryan Higgins, an online IELTS instructor, blogger and author. For more of his free IELTS resources, visit his blog.

IELTS test in the Cayman Islands – June 2011 (Academic Module)

The IELTS exam below was shared by J from the Cayman Islands. Here are the sections she remembered:

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were asked to write a report about 4 bar graphs showing the number of overseas students (from China, Japan, USA and Russia) in universities of UK from 2004 to 2008.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Cultural traditions are being used for money making purposes, especially for tourists. Is this destroying the traditions or is it the only way to keep them alive?

Speaking test

Interview

– What is your name?
– Do you work or study?
– What part of your job is exciting?
– Which is more important – your job or the people you work with?
– Do you manage your time well?
– How do you do it?
– Do you like flowers?
– Are flowers important in your country?
– How are they important?

Cue Card

Talk about an interesting topic. Please say

– What topic is it?
– Why do you find it interesting?
– What can you learn from it?

Discussion

– What is more important: general or specific knowledge, in your opinion?
– How is general knowledge important to a country?
– Which person is more interesting to you: somebody has knowledge on many different subjects, or somebody who knows almost everything about certain topics?