IELTS Aid (Practice Essays)

Sample: One major problem our world is experiencing is unemployment. As time passes by, more and more people find it hard to get jobs worthy to sustain a living. This essay will present the possible causes of the high unemployment rate as well as the probable solutions to this issue. Population. This is the biggest contributing factor to joblessness. The total number of humans has increased tenfold since the era of industrialization. Although population growth means our lifestyle and medical technology is better, we cannot deny the fact that it also results in a lack of work opportunities. More people means more competition. Another reason for unemployment is the fact that there are fewer businesses and work opportunities available. It is a common idea that it is easier to find jobs in urban cities. This prompts people from rural places to move to cities to try their lucks in applying for work there. However, not everyone can be blessed to find a job and they end up being stuck in ...

More and more people believe that smart individuals are more likely to be successful. In contrast, some people say that a person’s achievements cannot be the only factor to consider to see his or her intellect. This essay will explain that intelligence can be objective and subjective therefore there are many ways on how it can be gauged. It has been long believed that intelligence is the ability of a person to attain high grades in school. This makes intelligence objective. In many educational institutions, educators and students often think highly of exceptional individuals who perform well academically. They often put these special students on a pedestal and give them pressure by saying their expectations to them. Many teachers even provide their recommendations for these students to certain companies to help them land a job easily. A good job means a successful life. This may sound unfair to many but this is still practiced in schools all over the world. But are all of them succes...

Sample essay: More and more university students these days prefer to study overseas. This is contrary to the more traditional approach of finishing school in your home county that was popular a long time ago. This development in education has opened many doors to the students not only personally but also professionally. This essay will explain the reasons why the gains far exceed the drawbacks. Although school fees are definitely more expensive, many believe that the promise of a better life can only be attained when a person starts a new life in another country. Many third-world countries like the Philippines suffer from a social issue called “brain drain”. This is the phenomenon where professional workers leave their own countries for better opportunities abroad. This problem has the tendency to get bigger if studying in universities abroad becomes the norm. The lack of a highly-qualified professional workforce can affect a country negatively in many ways. On the contrary, ...

Writing can be intimidating and demotivating. Most people try to shy away from doing writing tasks. However, this should not be the case. Here's a list of common mistakes seen in writing task outputs. 1. Using the same words from the task topic Writing an introduction usually takes much time for IELTS test-takers. This is because they are told to paraphrase the topic as their introduction. Many candidates probably have a list of common words used in both the writing task 1 and 2 and the synonyms for each of these words. Due to the overload of vocabulary, or lack thereof, IELTS takers contemplate too much on how they would start. As time passes though panic will overcome their feelings. As a result, they had no other choice but to use the same words from the task topic. Solution: Change the word forms if you have not enough synonyms. Learn to make use of the other forms of words -noun, adjective, adverb, etc.- you have shortlisted in your vocabulary study. Just remember tha...

Sample report: The visual data represents the generation and use of electricity of ten countries in 2014. Overall, the electrical production slightly exceeded the consumption in all countries except Germany. The top countries that manufactured electricity the most were China, the United States, and Russia. China registered an electricity generation of almost 5,400 (billion kWh). A rate that is two times bigger than Russia and a thousand kWh more than America. The lowest electricity production was in the Republic of Korea with just 485.1 billion kWh. As for electrical consumption, the top countries were the same. The rate gaps of the production and use were all minimal. Moreover, the country with the lowest electricity utilization was also the Republic of Korea. It should be highlighted though that one country, Germany, showed a different graph. Among all ten countries, this nation consumed more electricity that its production. The production was about 530 billion ...

Writing an essay is a challenge for both experienced and inexperienced writers. One reason is paragraphing. Most test takers know the basics of the task and they know what to expect. What they usually don't know how to figure out is how to start the essay. In my experience, I have often recommended my students to understand the different words and/phrases often used in the test. Furthermore, I ask them to broaden their knowledge on myriads of topics by reading a lot, watching news, and even by discussing them with other people. Well, that's just the "input" process.  Next, they are tasked to write down their ideas on the topic within a time limit to help them develop their critical thinking and decision-making skills. The catch is to ask them to write as honestly as possible and to stick with what they already now. That is easier said than done because most of my students concentrate too much on making an "impact". That is, they want to write somethi...

Sample essay: The advent of technology has made it possible for most workers to opt to work as freelancers than to be employed in a company or organization. This essay will discuss the reasons for this growing trend and its possible disadvantages. More and more working individuals are getting attracted to work for themselves due to one big reason – convenience. Self-employment offers benefits like flexible working hours, reduced risk for burnout from shorter working time, and of course, fast and high payment. Freelancers, depending on their skills and experience, can demand for a certain wage per work to their customers. Moreover, due to the nature of their job, tasks can be done quickly and easily. This is one reason why some companies nowadays prefer hiring freelance workers. Although the benefits of this work seem to be endless, this type of work also has drawbacks. One is the uncertainty of work availability. Since many young professionals prefer to work on their ...

Sample Response: The visual data illustrates the blueprint of a public park called Grange Park before and now. It can be noticed that the park’s overall design has changed drastically over the years. In 1920, the year when the park, Grange Park featured a few amenities like a stage for musicians located on the western area, a fountain in the middle, a small pond for water plants on the far right, and a glasshouse on the lower east side. The park also had seats and rose gardens located all around the park’s area. As time passed, the park went through a lot of renovations. Now, new facilities were added and some of the old features, like the glasshouse, were completely removed. The pond was replaced with a dedicated children’s play area and a café right beside it. Only one water feature can be seen on the extreme lower right side. The center of the park is now a rose garden with seats surrounding it. The former stage is now an ampitheathre for concerts. It is importa...

Being in the ESL world, I have probably discussed everything under the sun. In my experience, questions can seem too easy but quite difficult to provide plausible and comprehensible answers to. At times, one person can be knowledgeable in one topic whilst the other has completely no idea about it.  When preparing for the IELTS test, students are burdened to provide an answer that can be good enough for the target band score they need. Students may have a hard time learning too many things all at the same time. They are asked to respond to questions with fluency and coherence, wide lexical resource and grammar range, with a neutral accent. More often than not, I meet students who are good at one skill and terrible at the others. Does this sound like you? If so, fear not for you are not alone. Learning a language is a lifelong commitment.  Here are some ways you can do to help you study for your IELTS. 1. Be sure to have a strong English language foundation.  ...

Some questions here are tough to answer as it requires you to look back on your childhood. Also, part 3 questions are about issues we tackle every day. Practice your speaking skills by recording your responses. Have fun speaking English!

Here's a simple practice you can do to help improve how you organise your ideas and opinions. Video link

Answers: 21. A 22. C 23. B 24. C 25. B 26. G 27. C 28. H 29. A 30. E

Answers: 11. B 12. C 13. B 14. E 15. D 16. B 17. G 18. C 19. H 20. I

Sample essay: Education is, without question, one of the highly sought after rights we have. Since time immemorial, we have given it such value that questions whether it should start at home or at school became one of the most controversial. This essay will discuss the benefits of children learning at home and at school and some of my opinions regarding this matter. In the earlier times and until now, many of us believe that learning starts at home and the children’s first teachers are always their parents. Being the sole authorities at home, parents can provide focused learning to their children. This kind of strict environment is something that cannot be attained when studying at school wherein attention of the teacher is divided to almost all students. Moreover, most children can learn different life values that they can bring to use until they grow up. Such values include trust, loyalty, and kindness to name a few. Although learning at home provides a lot of reward...

Many English learners are well-versed when it comes to expressing their opinions verbally. Others are more into writing. For those who are more confident with their speaking skills, their one true challenge can probably be writing. I have met many learners who are impeccably great when it comes talking but lack the skills when it comes to writing. One of their dilemmas would be their use of "punctuation." Learning the "rules" of punctuation can be highly daunting and demotivating; however, it should not be that hard. Try checking this website that allows you to learn the basic rules of punctuation by playing a game. Here's the link:    BBC Bite-size (Punctuation game)

SECTION 4:     QUESTIONS 31 - 40 Questions 31 - 32  Complete the following sentences. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 31    The speaker identifies the following two differences between being a high school student and a university student: • the academic expectations of tutors and lecturers are.............................................. • students must take responsibility for their own learning. 32.    The speaker aims to get students to recognise exam stress and the way it can affect …………………………………………………………………………………………….. Questions 33-36  Complete the table below USE NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each  answer.  QUESTIONS 37-40  Complete the following notes. USE NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.  37     Time needed to study effectively will ........................................... according to individuals.  38     Time Management i...

SECTION 2:    QUESTIONS 11-20 Questions 11-16  Complete the table below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Questions 17-20 Match the names of the buildings with the letters on the map below. 17    The Library ................            18    Administration Building        ................ 19    Bookshop                     ………… 20    International Student Advisor ………….

PRACTICE TEST 1 - LISTENING SECTION 1: QUESTIONS 1 - 10 Listen to two students, Louise and Kerry, talking about their vacation.  Questions 1 - 4  Answer the questions below. USE NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer. Where did Louise spend her summer holidays?     ......................Europe…………………… 1. How much was a Eurailpass Youth Ticket? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2. How many European countries did Louise's ticket allow her to travel to? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3. Did the Eurailpass Youth Ticket include the train from London to Paris?………………………………………………………………………………………. 4. How old must you be if you want to purchase a Eurailpass Youth ticket? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Questions 5- 10  Complete the notes below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Points that Louise makes about Eurail: easy to travel to small towns easy to meet (5)……………………………………………… (6) ……………...

Write about the following topic. The internet has greatly increased our access to information. To what extent do you think this is a good thing? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.  You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Sample: The world has never been more informed because of the internet. The ability to access almost all kinds of information has become easier and faster. However, I do believe that there are also consequences and all good things come at a price. In this essay, I will be enumerating some of the negative effects we have to consider. People from different ages use the internet for the purpose of research and learning. Free tutorials of every kind of skill can be found and studied via the internet. This allows individuals who find it hard to enroll in an institution, due to different consequences, study and improve a skill they have been wanting to develop at the comforts of their...