IELTS Writing Task 1
200+ Sample Answers
DR VISHAL GOYAL
Ex Lecturer in English
M.Phil., Ph.D. (English), BCCIT, London (UK)
VISHAL ENGLISH, IELTS & PTE INSTITUTE, YAMUNANAGAR
More Sample Answers
(Writing Task-1)
34. The tables below give information about sales of Fairtrade-labelled coffee and bananas in 1999 and 2004 in five European countries.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
The tables below give information about sales of Fairtrade-labelled coffee and bananas in 1999 and 2004 in five European countries.
Sample Answer 1
Band 8.5
The table compares the sales of Fairtrade-labelled coffee and bananas in millions of euros in five European countries in 1999 and 2004. It is evident from the table that both products experienced a substantial increase in sales in all countries over the five-year period.
In terms of coffee sales, Switzerland showed the most remarkable growth, from 3 million euros in 1999 to 26 million euros in 2004, an almost ninefold increase. The UK also saw a significant rise in coffee sales, from 15 to 20 million euros. Denmark and Belgium had more modest increases, while Sweden had the lowest growth rate, from 1 to 2 million euros.
Regarding banana sales, the UK was the leading country, with a surge from 15 to 47 million euros, more than tripling its sales. Switzerland and Denmark also had impressive growth rates, from 2 to 9 million euros and from 1 to 4 million euros respectively. Belgium and Sweden had smaller increases, but still doubled their sales of bananas.
Overall, the table illustrates the growing popularity and consumption of Fairtrade-labelled products in Europe, especially in the UK and Switzerland.
More Sample Answers
(Writing Task-1)
Sample Answers
(Writing Task-2)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (7 Answers)
2. In some countries, owning a home rather than renting one is very important for people.
Do you think this is a positive or negative situation? (7 Answers)
3. In some cultures, children are often told that they can achieve anything if they try hard enough.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of giving children this message? (4 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (8 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? (8 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? (6 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (6 Answers)
8. Some people believe that we have too many choices these days.
To what extent do you agree or disagree? (3 Answers)
What could be the disadvantages of being self-employed? (5 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? (5 Answers)
To what extent do you think laws are needed to make people recycle more of their waste? (2 Answer)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (3 Answer)
Do the advantages of this situation outweigh the disadvantages? (2 Answer)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (4 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (4 Answers)
16. Governments should spend money on railways rather than roads.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? (2 Answer)
Discuss both views and give your opinion. (2 Answer)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (7 Answers)
19. In spite of the advances made in agriculture, many people around the world still go hungry.
What can be done about this problem? (5 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (4 Answers)
Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages? (4 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (5 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Do you think this is a positive or negative development? (4 Answers)
25. Nowadays the way many people interact with each other has changed because of technology.
In what ways has technology affected personal relationships?
Has this become a positive or negative development? (4 Answers)
26. Many museums charge for admission while others are free.
Discuss both views and give your opinion. (6 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? (7 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree? (4 Answers)
Discuss both views and give your own opinion. (8 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?
What other measures do you think might be effective? (3 Answers)
Discuss both views and give your opinion. (3 Answers)
What factors contribute to job satisfaction?
How realistic is the expectation of job satisfaction for all workers? (2 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (4 Answers)
Discuss both ideas by giving your opinion. (2 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your opinion. (5 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (5 Answers)
What, in your opinion, should be the main function of a university? (4 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree? (2 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (3 Answers)
Which do you consider to be the major influence? (2 Answers)
43. Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject.
To what extent do you agree or disagree? (3 Answers)
Discuss advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this. (4 Answers)
45. In many countries schools have severe problems with student behaviour.
What do you think are the causes of this?
What solutions can you suggest? (3 Answers)
Comics, books, radio, television, film, theatre (1 Answer)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? (3 Answers)
48. Happiness is considered very important in life.
Why is it difficult to define?
What factors are important in achieving happiness? (1 Answer)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? (1 Answer)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? (2 Answers)
51. In the modern world it is no longer necessary to use animals for food, clothing or medicine.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of giving children this message?
53. Nowadays the way many people interact with each other has changed because of technology.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
How can we deal with those causes?
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Do the advantages of this situation outweigh the disadvantages?
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
59. Today more people are overweight than ever before.
What in your opinion are the primary causes of this?
What are the main effects of this epidemic?
61. Most people do not care enough about environmental issues.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
62. Fast-paced modern lifestyles have led to people eating more and more fast food at the expense of more traditional meals.
Do the advantages of eating more fast food outweigh the disadvantages?
64. As countries have developed there has been a trend towards smaller family sizes.
Why does this happen? How does this affect society?
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a solution?
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
69. Many criminals commit further crimes as soon as they are released from prison.
What do you think are the causes of this? What effects will this have on society?
How could these problems be reduced?
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
75. Motorways help people travel quickly and cover long distances but they also cause problems.
What are the problems of motorways and what solutions are there?
76. Most writers of fiction do not earn enough money to live from their writing.
Do you think the government should give them financial assistance to help encourage good literature?
Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.
78. In many countries, schools have severe problems with student behaviour.
What do you think are the causes of this?
What solutions can you suggest?
What problems does this cause?
What are the possible solutions?
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
The tables below give information about sales of Fairtrade-labelled coffee and bananas in 1999 and 2004 in five European countries.
Sample Answer 2
Band 8.5
The table presents the sales figures of Fairtrade-labelled coffee and bananas in five European countries in two different years, 1999 and 2004. A clear trend that emerges from the table is that both products witnessed a remarkable rise in sales in all countries during this period.
Looking at coffee sales, Switzerland had the highest increase, from a mere 3 million euros in 1999 to a staggering 26 million euros in 2004, an increase of 23 million euros. The UK followed with an increase of 5 million euros, from 15 to 20 million euros. Denmark and Belgium also had positive growth, while Sweden had the smallest increase, from 1 to 2 million euros.
As for banana sales, the UK dominated the market, with a phenomenal increase of 32 million euros, from 15 to 47 million euros, accounting for more than half of the total sales in 2004. Switzerland and Denmark also performed well, with increases of 7 and 3 million euros respectively. Belgium and Sweden had lower growth rates, but still managed to double their sales of bananas.
To sum up, the table shows the increasing demand and consumption of Fairtrade-labelled products in Europe, with the UK and Switzerland being the most prominent consumers.
More Sample Answers
(Writing Task-1)
Sample Answers
(Writing Task-2)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (7 Answers)
2. In some countries, owning a home rather than renting one is very important for people.
Do you think this is a positive or negative situation? (7 Answers)
3. In some cultures, children are often told that they can achieve anything if they try hard enough.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of giving children this message? (4 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (8 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? (8 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? (6 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (6 Answers)
8. Some people believe that we have too many choices these days.
To what extent do you agree or disagree? (3 Answers)
What could be the disadvantages of being self-employed? (5 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? (5 Answers)
To what extent do you think laws are needed to make people recycle more of their waste? (2 Answer)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (3 Answer)
Do the advantages of this situation outweigh the disadvantages? (2 Answer)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (4 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (4 Answers)
16. Governments should spend money on railways rather than roads.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? (2 Answer)
Discuss both views and give your opinion. (2 Answer)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (7 Answers)
19. In spite of the advances made in agriculture, many people around the world still go hungry.
What can be done about this problem? (5 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (4 Answers)
Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages? (4 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (5 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Do you think this is a positive or negative development? (4 Answers)
25. Nowadays the way many people interact with each other has changed because of technology.
In what ways has technology affected personal relationships?
Has this become a positive or negative development? (4 Answers)
26. Many museums charge for admission while others are free.
Discuss both views and give your opinion. (6 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? (7 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree? (4 Answers)
Discuss both views and give your own opinion. (8 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?
What other measures do you think might be effective? (3 Answers)
Discuss both views and give your opinion. (3 Answers)
What factors contribute to job satisfaction?
How realistic is the expectation of job satisfaction for all workers? (2 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (4 Answers)
Discuss both ideas by giving your opinion. (2 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your opinion. (5 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (5 Answers)
What, in your opinion, should be the main function of a university? (4 Answers)
To what extent do you agree or disagree? (2 Answers)
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (3 Answers)
Which do you consider to be the major influence? (2 Answers)
43. Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject.
To what extent do you agree or disagree? (3 Answers)
Discuss advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this. (4 Answers)
45. In many countries schools have severe problems with student behaviour.
What do you think are the causes of this?
What solutions can you suggest? (3 Answers)
Comics, books, radio, television, film, theatre (1 Answer)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? (3 Answers)
48. Happiness is considered very important in life.
Why is it difficult to define?
What factors are important in achieving happiness? (1 Answer)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? (1 Answer)
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? (2 Answers)
51. In the modern world it is no longer necessary to use animals for food, clothing or medicine.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of giving children this message?
53. Nowadays the way many people interact with each other has changed because of technology.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
How can we deal with those causes?
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Do the advantages of this situation outweigh the disadvantages?
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
59. Today more people are overweight than ever before.
What in your opinion are the primary causes of this?
What are the main effects of this epidemic?
61. Most people do not care enough about environmental issues.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
62. Fast-paced modern lifestyles have led to people eating more and more fast food at the expense of more traditional meals.
Do the advantages of eating more fast food outweigh the disadvantages?
64. As countries have developed there has been a trend towards smaller family sizes.
Why does this happen? How does this affect society?
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a solution?
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
69. Many criminals commit further crimes as soon as they are released from prison.
What do you think are the causes of this? What effects will this have on society?
How could these problems be reduced?
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
75. Motorways help people travel quickly and cover long distances but they also cause problems.
What are the problems of motorways and what solutions are there?
76. Most writers of fiction do not earn enough money to live from their writing.
Do you think the government should give them financial assistance to help encourage good literature?
Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.
78. In many countries, schools have severe problems with student behaviour.
What do you think are the causes of this?
What solutions can you suggest?
What problems does this cause?
What are the possible solutions?
To what extent do you agree or disagree?