IELTS Aid (Practice Essays)

I have become so obsessed with trying to improve my writing skill by reading as much as I can. I’ve been reading all sorts of things from grammar books to self-help books, news articles and blog posts, but I never really tried “applying” whatever techniques I have learned (or observed) from all those reading. Lately, I couldn’t find time to actually write or when I’m in the mood to write, I can’t seem to find a good topic, supporting ideas or whatnot. This sucks. Such poor time management skill. I have let myself believe that acquiring more knowledge could actually help me improve my writing skill. I have forgotten that writing needs to be practiced. 

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...

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 3:    QUESTIONS 21-30 Questions 21-22  Choose the correct letter from A - C.  21    Rose's plan for the tutorial is to research and present A the differences between male and female children. B the different ways that male and female children are raised. C the differences between male and female parenting. 22    The British experiments that Rose refers to in the conversation A were carried out in 100 families. B observed girls and boys who were raised identically. C noted the different treatments males and females received. Questions 23 - 26  Choose TWO letters from A - E for each answer. 23 & 24   This tutorial will A require Marie and Rose to carry out research.                  B interest the tutor and their classmates. C be tested. D help Marie to catch up on her research work.              E benefit other assessment ...

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...

Sample: Dear James, Thank you for looking after my house while I'm away. I can't tell you how happy I was when you said you'll do it. Anyway, I have left the house key under the rug of the rocking chair on the porch. Please be careful not to misplace this because I have no spare. The plants need not be watered too often so you don't have to worry about that. For my cat, Lucy, she must be fed at least twice a day. Her food is stored under the sink and her bowl is just under the table in the kitchen. She enjoys the company of other people so I think you don't have to be afraid of her unless you have allergies. As for the mail, leave them beside the telephone in the living room. If there are emergencies of some sort, don't hesitate to contact me thru email. I really can't thank you enough for doing me this huge favor. See you after 2 weeks. Word Count: 168

When studying a language, we often have a lot of practices to improve our writing and speaking skills. However, for listening, it is often overlooked and sometimes, ignored. Unfortunately, most people do not realize that Listening is the most crucial skill to develop. Without this skill, a student will not be able to comprehend well, and definitely, won't be able to identify sounds which is important when practicing pronunciation. In my years as an English as a Second language teacher, I find it hard to teach this skill mostly because there are no shortcuts for this. The key is practice. One of my challenges is to teach this skill in as much fun as possible for students of varying age range and English levels. One effective technique for me is VIDEO WATCHING . The effectivity of any activity depends on the teacher's preparation.  To do this, I often look for a video online (TED videos are the most common) that is in line with my student's interest. First, I inform m...

Sample essay: The maps compare the physical features of Islip town center at present and its proposed refurbishment in the future. It can be highlighted from the visuals that there will be a lot of significant changes made in this area and that only a few establishments will remain. Looking at both maps, it can be seen that there will be commercial, residential and roadway improvements. At present, there are a few shops in between the main road and also some housing below the shops and near the school. In the proposal, the center will have a dual carriageway that will surround all the commercial buildings to be constructed in the center, making them more accessible. The main road will become a pedestrian road that will be next to a bus station, a shopping center, a carpark, and new housing. These buildings will be replacing the shops located on the northern side of the center. The shops below the main road will be unchanged. The school will remain in its original...

Part 2 Sample Task Card: Describe a person who has been an important influence in your life. You should say: Who this person is and how long you have known him or her Why you chose this person How this person has influenced your life And explain how you feel about him or her Sample Response: I'd like like to talk about my English teacher in high school. her name is Judy Price and I've known her for about 4 or 5 years now. I chose her to be the most influential person in my life for many reasons. for one, she inspired me to love the English language. her passion for teaching English to her students radiates through her every time. I have never met anyone who is as enthusiastic as her to share her knowledge of the language. I know well that teaching is not a walk in the park. It all started when I failed my test in her class. Instead of getting angry at me, she calmly asked me to stay and talk to her after class. I thought she'd scold me that time...

This is a simple checklist I made to help you assess yourself and/or your students' speaking skill. Feel free to utilize or edit this if needed (just don't forget to acknowledge the rightful owner of this assessment tool). Thank you.

This is a sample graph in the Cambridge Official IELTS guide book. It can be found on page 94 in the first chapter of the Writing skills unit. Sample response: The line graph provides data on the increase of car, train, bicycle and other public transport traffic in the Netherlands for five decades since 1950. According to the graph, all categories increased in value, in percentage, especially car traffic which showed the most significant rise over the years while the other public transport systems have always had the smallest proportion. In 1950, all modes of transportation were the same percentage. Within the first decade, there was a noticeable 20% climb in the number of car usage. The rate of growth of car traffic continued greatly year after year until it reached its peak at 140% in 2000. Train and bicycle traffic rose to an almost similar rate of about 8% while the other modes of transport showed the slowest gain to less than 5%. From 1960 to 1970, the percentag...

The line graph provides information about the typical carbon dioxide emissions of an individual in metric tonnes in four European countries every ten years from 1967 to 2007. Overall, it can be noted that among the four nations, the United Kingdom exceeded the carbon dioxide emissions per person from that of Sweden, Italy and Portugal despite the decreasing trend it exhibited throughout the years. From 1967 to 1997, Portugal and Italy showed a continuous rise in the average release of gas per body with less than 2 and 5 metric tonnes to almost 6 to 8 metric tonnes, respectively. This number has been constant until 2007. In the UK, however, the total gas released by Brits was slightly higher than the Swedes in 1967. Nonetheless, a notable gain can be seen in Sweden after a decade. This upsurge did not go long as the years went by because lesser gas was emitted since then. Word Count: 154

Art, in general, can be of many styles and forms and is seen everywhere. As the old saying goes, "Beauty is everywhere but not everyone can see it." Thus, saying that art is no longer in existence in our society seems to be, as for me, absurd. In the United Kingdom, a certain tech company invented virtual reality glasses that shows paintings and sculptures exhibited in one of the most popular museums in London. This invention was made for people who, because of certain reasons, cannot go to museums personally. According to those who tried this new gadget, who were mostly children, this invention made them more interested in visiting museums. As a result, despite of their young age, these children have expressed their appreciation of contemporary art through their excitement. Of course, it can also be said that if children can be impressed, older people can also have the same feelings. As technology plays a big role in information dissemination, various kinds of artworks a...