IELTS Essay Samples of Band 8
Last updated: June 1, 2023
Here you can find IELTS Essay samples of Band 8 on many topics, written by students and graded by an IELTS teacher. Click on one of the topics below to jump to essays on that topic.
Celebrities
Crime and Punishment
Culture
Education
Environment
Family and Children
Food and Diet
Global Issues
Government and Laws
Health
Housing and Town Planning
Media and Advertising
Money
Reading
Society and Social Matters
Sport and Exercise
Technology
Tourism
Work
Young People
Note: the task prompt of each essay appears when you hold the mouse over the link. Every essay is checked, marked, has comments and suggestions. Hold the mouse over to see suggested corrections. The teacher’s summary is at the bottom of each essay.
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Celebrities
Celebrities earn more money than politicians (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 1
Celebrities can be poor role models for teenagers (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 2
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Crime and Punishment
Why criminals commit another offence after punishment – Sample essay 1
Crime rates are likely to decline due to the advancements in technology – Sample essay 2
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Culture
In the past people wore their traditional clothes – Sample essay 1
Museums and art galleries should present only the national art (agree/disagree)- Sample essay 2
People should follow the customs and traditions of their new country (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 3
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Education
Computers instead of teachers – Sample essay 1
Will computers replace teachers? – Sample essay 2
Financial education at school – Sample essay 3
Schools should select students by their academic abilities (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 4
Unpaid community work should be mandatory in high school (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 5
Teachers are more responsible for social and intellectual development of students than parents (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 6
Education in financial management should be a mandatory component of the school program, agree/disagree (from Target Band 7 book) – Sample essay 7
What are the difficulties of learning a foreign language, and how to overcome them? – Sample essay 8
Many university students nowadays live away from home and their parents (advantages/disadvantages) – Sample essay 9
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Environment
Some people believe that preserving natural environment is crucial but make no effort to do so (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 1
Who should be responsible for protecting the environment, individuals or the government? – Sample essay 2
The best way to solve environmental problems is to increase the price of fuel (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 3
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Family and Children
Children and rules – Sample essay 1
Children should be engaged in paid work (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 2
Children these days are suffering from obesity (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 3
Should children grow up in the city or countryside (advantages/disadvantages)? – Sample essay 4
Nowadays families move to different countries for work and some think it has a negative effect on children (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 5
Childcare training courses should be mandatory for all parents (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 6
Some think that children should leave their family home early – Sample essay 7
Children today are spending more time watching TV than in the past, is it a positive or a negative change? – Sample essay 8
Excessive use of modern technologies is negatively affecting the reading and writing skills of children (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 9
Who should discipline the children, parents or the government? (discuss + opinion) – Sample essay 10
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Food and Diet
Dieting can change a person’s life for better or worse (from Target Band 7 book) – Sample essay 1
Nowadays people waste a lot of food (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 2
Nowadays many people choose ready made food instead of cooking (advantages/disadvantages) – Sample essay 3
In many countries a lot of food is wasted (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 4
Many people today are drinking sugar-based drinks (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 5
Many people do not exercise enough and eat an unhealthy diet – Sample essay 6
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Global Issues
The good and bad of globalization – Sample essay 1
Rich countries should help the poor – Sample essay 2
The positive and negative sides of globalization – Sample essay 3
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Government and Laws
Some argue that governments should create nutrition and food choice laws to improve public health (discuss + opinion) – Sample essay 1
Many people believe that reducing speed limits is the best option for road safety improvement (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 2
Changing drivers age limits is the best way to reduce traffic accidents (from Target Band 7 book) – Sample essay 3
The education system is the only critical factor in the development of a country, agree/disagree (from Target Band 7 book) – Sample essay 4
Some people say that arts subjects are as essential as academic ones and should be part of school syllabus (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 5
Some believe the government should take care of retirees, while others think everyone should save for their own retirement (opinion) – Sample essay 6
Some people think that public health in a country can be improved by government making laws regarding nutritious food (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 7
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Health
Obesity is becoming common among children, give reasons and solutions (from Target Band 7 book) – Sample essay 1
Some people use the Internet to search for solutions to their medical problems, is this a positive or negative development? – Sample essay 2
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Housing and Town Planning
When new towns are planned, it is important to build more public parks or sports facilities than shopping centers (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 1
High-rise vs. low-rise buildings, which solution is better for a growing population? – Sample essay 2
Some say that new homes should be constructed in existing cities while others argue that new towns should be built (advantages/disadvantages) – Sample essay 3
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Media and Advertising
Advertising affects what people think is important and has a negative effect on their lives (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 1
Some people say that all popular TV entertainment programmes should aim to educate viewers about important social issues (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 2
Newspapers have a significant influence on people’s ideas and opinions (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 3
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Money
Should people spend a lot on weddings and birthday parties? – Sample essay 1
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Reading
People who read for pleasure develop their imagination more and acquire better language skills compared to people who prefer watching television (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 1
Public libraries should only provide books, not videos or DVD (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 2
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Society and Social Matters
Events bringing people together – Sample essay 1
Some people claim that it is acceptable to use animals in medical research (discuss) – Sample essay 2
Many museums charge for admission while others are free (advantages/disadvantages) – Sample essay 3
The proportion of older people is increasing (problems and solutions) – Sample essay 4
People should not work beyond the age of retirement (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 5
Nowadays more and more people want to live by themselves (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 6
Nowadays that many women have full time jobs, it is logical to share the housework evenly between men and women (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 7
Many people support animal testing while others believe it isn’t appropriate (discuss) – Sample essay 8
Some people believe that women should be treated as equal to men when applying for a job with the police or the military (opinion) – Sample essay 9
In the modern world it is possible to shop, work and communicate via internet without face-to-face contact – Sample essay 10
Some think that hosting an international sporting event is beneficial for a country while others disagree (advantages/disadvantages) – Sample essay 11
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Sport and Exercise
Some people think that it is fine for professional athletes to misbehave on or off the field (opinion) – Sample essay 1
Despite the benefits of walking, very few people walk nowadays (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 2
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Technology
The development of technology causes traditional skills to die out (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 1
Some believe that modern technology is increasing the gap between the rich and poor (discuss) – Sample essay 2
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Tourism
Many believe international tourism is bad for their country (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 1
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Work
Senior managers should have higher salaries than other employees (agree/disagree) – Sample essay 1
Should employers pay more attention to personal qualities rather than qualifications? – Sample essay 2
In many workplaces online communication has overtaken face to face meetings (advantages/disadvantages) – Sample essay 3
Many people try to achieve a work-life balance but fail (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 4
IELTS Model Essays on the Topic of Young People
Some parents encourage young people to leave home while others think they should stay with the family – Sample essay 1
In many countries young people start living on their own after high school – Sample essay 2
Some think that young people should be free to choose any career they like – Sample essay 3
Young people are finding it harder to find permanent jobs (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 4
Today’s young generation is facing many problems at school and at home (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 5
Young people aren’t spending their weekends doing outdoor activities such as hiking or mountaineering (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 6
Young people don’t communicate with older people as much as they used to (reasons and solutions) – Sample essay 7
Note: the essays were checked by an IELTS teacher, not an IELTS examiner or examiner trainer. All the band scores are approximate.
How To Write an IELTS Band 8 Essay
Essay samples are useful to get an idea what a Band 8 essay looks like, but how can YOU write a Band 8 essay? As you know, an IELTS essay is scored using 4 criteria:
1. Task Response
2. Coherence and Cohesion
3. Lexical Resource
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Many test takers are unsure what is wrong with their essay, why they keep scoring Band 6.5 and how to take their writing to Band 8 level. Is that how you feel, too? Keep reading then, because we are just about to analyse a Band 6.5 essay and show you what to change in it, to get a Band 8 score in IELTS.
Colours show elements relating to each criterion that affect the Band Score of this sample IELTS essay. Hold mouse over highlighted words (or tap on mobile) to see the comments, suggestions and corrections.
IELTS Essay Analysed and Rewritten from Band 6.5 to Band 8
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.
IELTS Sample Essay – Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion and Lexical Resource Analysis
1. Task Response Analysis: This essay follows the task requirements quite well. Both points of view are discussed (in paragraphs 2 and 3) and the writer’s personal opinion is offered (in the introduction, paragraph 4 and the conclusion). The opinion is clear. The paragraph on money is not very well developed and not entirely clear.
Approximate score for Task Response: Band 7.
2. Coherence and Cohesion Analysis: Most linking expressions are appropriate but two are not (see asterisk *). Coherence is concerned with the effectiveness of what the essay is trying to communicate. The essay is well structured – each paragraph announces its topic clearly [TS] and the introduction announces the opinion of the writer. Sometimes the ideas are not entirely clear inside the paragraphs (see NC). Also the writer has a tendency to be repetitive.
Approximate score for Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.
3. Lexical Resource Analysis: The use of vocabulary seems quite reasonable but attempts to use a wider range
are not always successful (see corrections above). Probably not quite good enough for a 7.
Approximate score for Lexical Resource: Band 6 or 6.5.
The same IELTS Sample Essay – Grammatical Range and Accuracy Analysis
Certainly, money is an important part in our lives. It is hard for any persons to accept a partner which does not have money or at least a job to take care of future family. Hence, said “marry for money” (#5) also has its right in some extent.
However, love should be the root of any marriages. Firstly, it is because love is such a glue to connect two persons which have their own lives, become one. So, they can share each other’s the sadness, happiness to overcome any difficulties in daily lives. Moreover, love makes people growing up because they do not only have responsibility to themselves, but also to their partners as well. That is why marrying with love is always encouraged.
In my opinion, I think that both love and money is both necessary. Marriage relying on money would be rapidly disintegrated when unfortunately the money is run out. In contrary, marriage relying on love would sometimes come to end when they could not earn money to carry out family, such as paying bills, buying food, etc. Therefore, love and money should stand together in marriage even though their contribution could be unbalanced.
As we have seen, marriage without either money or love would come to an unhappy ending. So I believe that they both have their own contribution to a merry family.
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy Analysis: Although the essay is quite easy to follow, it has too many grammatical errors in too many sentences to merit a 7 score (see corrections highlighted above). The range of grammatical constructions used seems quite good.
Approximate score for Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6 or 6.5.
Improving the Sample Essay to Achieve an IELTS Band 7
The same essay now at around a Band 7 level might look something like this. Read it carefully and compare it with the original:
Certainly, money plays an important part in our lives. It is hard for any persons to accept a partner who does not have money or at least a job to take care of their future family. Hence, it is said, “marry for money” is right in some extent.
However, love should be the root of any marriage. Firstly, it is because love is such a strong bond between two persons who have their own lives, and become one. So, they can share each other’s sadness, happiness to overcome any difficulties in their daily lives. Moreover, love makes people grow up because they do not only have responsibility to themselves, but also to their partners as well. That is why marrying for love is always encouraged.
In my opinion, I think that love and money are both necessary. A marriage relying on money would rapidly disintegrate when unfortunately the money ran out. In contrary, a marriage relying on love would sometimes come to end when they could not earn money to carry out family duties such as paying bills, buying food, etc. Therefore, love and money should stand together in marriage even though their contribution could be unbalanced.
As we have seen, marriage without either money or love would come to an unhappy end. So I believe that they both make their own contribution to a merry family.
Improving the Sample Essay to Achieve an IELTS Band 8
To turn the Band 7 sample essay into a Band 8 one would require further improvement in range and accuracy of grammar, greater clarity and better connection of ideas, and a wider range of appropriate, higher level vocabulary.
So the same sample essay now at around a Band 8 level might look something like this. Once again, read it carefully and compare it with the original:
Clearly, love should be the foundation of any marriage. This is because firstly, love is such a strong bond between two persons, who have their own lives, yet become one. They can share each other’s sadness or happiness in order to overcome any difficulties in daily lives. Moreover, love fosters maturity because each member of a couple no longer has responsibility only for themselves, but also for their partner. These are just two, key reasons why marrying for love should always be encouraged.
In my opinion, love and money are equally necessary. A marriage relying solely on money might rapidly disintegrate in the unfortunate event of the money running out. Similarly, a marriage relying on love alone might sometimes come to an end if the couple could not earn enough money to manage their family’s obligations such as paying bills, or buying food. Therefore, love and money should stand together in marriage, even though their contribution might often be somewhat unequal.
To summarise, marriage without either money or love could come to an unfortunate end. For that reason, I would claim that they both make their own, vital contribution to the creation of a happy family.
If after reading these sample essays you are still missing something and can’t write at Band 8 level, don’t panic. We have a book that can help to improve your grammar and sentence formation, teach you how to connect your ideas better and give you a wide range of appropriate, higher level vocabulary. Go here to discover the “IELTS Success Formula” book.
