Below are three IELTS model essays for IELTS essay questions that students have reported this month in their test. You can find the full list of 20 essay questions on this page: IELTS Essay Questions 2017. I did say that I would write only one model essay but, due to student demand, I have choose the three most popular essay questions.
Paragraphs: The model essays below all have two body paragraphs. Please note it is also possible to have three body paragraphs in IELTS writing task 2 – your choice depends on your ideas.
IELTS Essay Model Q#1
Nowadays young people lack an understanding of how to manage their finances after they finish high school. Explain why they do not know how to manage money and how this can be changed.
Below is an IELTS cause / solution model essay.
Many young people are leaving school without a basic and vital understanding of how personal finances ought to be managed in the adult world. This lack of knowledge is due to a lack of life experience and limited education which can be solved in two simple ways.
One main reason why so many young people are unable to manage their own finances upon finishing high school is that they have been living with their parents for free. As a result, they have never needed to earn a salary or save their money in order to pay bills. Another cause is that schools do not factor personal financial management into their curriculum. Schools focus instead on classic subjects, such as maths, geography, history and languages, which means important life skills are not being taught. Both teachers and parents are failing to prepare young people for the real world.
There are two options for solving young people’s inability to manage personal finances. Firstly, parents should spend time with their children teaching them how money is earned, budgeted and used for either savings or expenses. One simple step could be for parents to start by teaching young children how to manage their pocket money and, as their child grows up, expand into more serious household expenses. Secondly, schools should incorporate life skills into their curriculum for final year students. In this way, children will be able to learn in a supportive environment how their finances need to be budgeted and managed to avoid debt problems later in life.
In conclusion, young people lack financial management skills due to the negligence of parents and schools, which can only be solved if both take more responsibility for equipping school leavers with the right skills.
IELTS Essay Model Q#4
Advertising discourages us from being different and individuals eventually look the same. To what extent do you agree or disagree.
Below is a partial agreement (a balanced view) model opinion essay.
It is sometimes thought that advertisements result in people becoming increasingly similar and that they discourage individuality. In my opinion, advertising certainly does promote conformity amongst certain people but most people will always make their own individual choices which will make them appear different.
The role of advertising is to promote products in a way that encourages people to buy them and this in turn means that people inevitably end up buying the same things and appearing the same. This is particularly true of the fashion industry which tells followers of fashion what colours to wear in which seasons, what styles of clothes they should wear and even the length of their hair. The adverts put pressure on young people to look fashionable by following looks which have been planned by the fashion industry. As a result, those who are easily influenced by fashion trends will tend to appear more similar and with less individuality in an attempt to be considered fashionable.
However, the wish to appear fashionable and follow fashion trends with strict conformity only applies to a certain group of young “trendy” people. For others, the fashion trends are interesting but not something that should be followed religiously. For instances, while some of them may choose to follow the fashionable colour that season, they may prefer a different hair style which is more suited to their own face shape or character. Consequently, although some aspects of their dress may be similar, the majority of what they wear and how they wear it is different and shows their individual character.
In conclusion, although fashion victims follow trends and may appear similar, they are in the minority as most people prefer to select what they wear and how they look for themselves.
IELTS Essay Model Q#9
Some people believe that development of business results in a loss of cultural ties between countries. Other people contradict this belief. Give your opinion.
Below is a one sided model opinion essay.
The development of business, according to some, has had a negative impact on cultural ties between countries. I do not agree with this as international business can often encourage cultural ties and does not impact on existing ones.
Firstly, international business has resulted in new relationships between countries that previously had little contact. Consequently products from countries all around the world become available to the everyday person which raises their awareness of these countries. As awareness between countries grows, so too does cultural respect and interest. For this reason, there are more people travelling abroad today to experience new cultures than ever before. One good example of this is the long lasting cultural interest between China and Europe which was initially brought about by the silk trade.
Another point to consider is that cultural ties that already exist between countries are not necessarily disturbed by business. Most cultural ties have actually been established due to the development of transportation which has enabled people to travel further distances from their homes. For decades, if not centuries, the British were known to travel to France and even as far as Egypt to enjoy warmer climates as well as to appreciate their culture. Regardless of business or business problems which came later, these cultural ties continue to exist today. In other words, although business may throw a spanner in the works with regards to international relationships from time to time, it cannot undo the deep cultural connections between these countries that have evolved and been enjoyed over time.
To conclude, business mostly certainly does not cause a loss of cultural ties between countries and can, in fact, be the root of establishing new ones.
IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips & Lessons
You can find writing task 2 tips and more model essays on this page: IELTS Writing Task 2 Main Page
Hi liz I have a task 2 opinion question
Rich countries often give money to poor countries, but it does not solve the poverty. Therefore, developed countries should give other types of help to poor countries rather than financial aid.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Here I am confused. Do I need to elaborate why situation is as it is or describe and explain other possible types of help that can tackle the situation more effectively?
The first sentence in this question is a statement of fact. The second question is an opinion – do you agree with the opinion or not? Change it into a direct question: Do you think developed countries should give other types of help to poor countries rather than financial aid?
Hello Liz
how are you? Hope you are feeling better now and You are the best teacher I have ever seen.
I have some confusion you have written examples in model answer Q9 but it is an opinion essay we can not write examples in opinion essay right? we can only give our opinion whether we agree or disagree
Of course you can use examples to illustrate your views.
Dear Liz, Kindly check the following letter for mistakes and how much band you will for this.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing in order to express my dissatisfaction concerning a
terrible experience which I had with the hotel’s management and incompetent
display of hospitality by your hotel’s staff yesterday.
We had scheduled a very important meeting of our company at your
hotel yesterday. We booked your conference hall a month in advance and conveyed
all our requirements clearly to the management, to avoid any discrepancies for
this important meeting.
There was no internet connectivity inside the conference room
and even our wireless devices that we had brought along could not gain
connectivity since the conference room was located in the basement of the
hotel.
To make matter worse, the seats were uncomfortable and the
cooling system in your basement was not working properly and this causes considerable
inconvenience to all the attendances.
Also, the refreshments which were served were not from the menu
which we have selected. The drinks were served hot and there was no ice
available to put in our drinks.
I was, therefore, wondering how it could be possible for a
reputed five-star hotel to make such slipups! This ridiculous show of
hospitality service warrants an apology from you and a full reimbursement of
the costs incurred by our company.
A swift response is greatly appreciated.
Yours Faithfully,
Hi Liz,
Thank you for the helpful model answers. I think I found one typo in the first model answer.
In the first model answer, the end of the first sentence of the first paragraph reads “… they have been living alone with their parents for free.” Did you mean to say “… they have been living along with their parents for free.”?
Thank you,
Thanks – definitely a typo 😉
Hello liz
Was going thru the 100 essay questions . Wanted to know if I can get the answers for the above so we can get ideas ….
Thanks
I don’t have model essays for all questions. Only model essays on my main writing task 2 page.
Hi liz! I just noticed that almost all of your conclusion paragraphs are constructed with only one sentence. Is that okay maam? Thanks in awful lots for all of your efforts in trying to educate many students as much as you can. You’re a gift from heaven.
It is 100% fine to have one sentence for your conclusion. Occasionally I write two sentences. Both are fine.
Dearest Teacher Liz,
Hello again! Thank you for your kind response to my previous concern. Can I ask another question maam? In this task description, ‘These days technology performs many kinds of work that people once performed. Many workers have lost their jobs and lack the necessary training to get a new job in the new technological economy. What should be done to solve this problem?’
I believe that the question prompt only asks for the solution. So, If I were to write my 2 body paragraphs, my discussions will only tackle solutions? No need to discuss for reasons? TIA. 🤗
If you wrote about the reasons, you would get a very low score. The instructions ask for solutions only so that is what you write about. It is essential you follow the instructions.
Hi Liz,
Could you help me with the following essay.
“As the number of cars has increased, so too has the level of pollution in many cities. What can be done to tackle this commonly increasing problem?
my idea to write an essay about this topic is
1. introduction
2. first body paragraph about the problem caused by increasing number of cars which is air pollution and problems related to air pollution i.e health problems and environmental problems.
2. second body paragraph : Solution to overcome this problem is to put heavy taxes on cars so that the sales could be reduced and to overcome pollution we should plant more trees. Is this the right way or should I just focus on the first part of question which is about cars and give solution to
3. Conclusuion
The instructions ask for solutions, not problems and solutions.
Dear Liz,
I think there is a typo in the first model answer.
It should be ” how their finances need to be budgeted and managed ” instead of “how their finances need to budgeted and managed”
Or there is a piece of grammar which I don’t know here
Thanks – well spotted 🙂
Hi Liz,
Would you please be able to provide some pointers on the following essay topic:
Overcrowding has caused many people to live in houses with little or no outdoor spaces.Do you think it is a positive or negative trend ?
See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/city-housing-and-trees-essay-question/
Hi Liz
I’m so confused about the forst body para is it right or it’s like the advantages of young leadership
Nowadays managers and team leaders in different organisations are much younger compared to the past. What are the causes of this ? Is this a positive or negative development?
Recently , various organisations have young leaderships in comparison with the past. Youngsters are full of energy and more creative than elders , so they are preferred . Personally , I am against this development because it is unethical .
Companies choose youngsters as their bosses because of the following few reasons . One of the main causes is that the young people are generally more energetic and teams usually need a leader who is active and quick in every aspect instead of a dull or boring old man. In other words , young brains have more innovative and creative ideas to add a boost to their organisations . Another factor is that only those people manage to reach a top post at a young age who are hard working, motivated and devoted to their field of work from an earlier age. Hence they are more inspirational than the aged people of the same level . Canadian prime minister is the best example in this regard whose personality and leadership is motivational for the youth as well as for his country’s progress .
However , I consider this a negative development to make only young people a manager or a leader . Firstly , it is unjust to replace an older person with a younger one as no one wants to be replaced . For example , if a person deserves a position which he is not given because of his age is definitely against ethics and justice. Secondly , the knowledge and practical skills which elders have learnt through their experiences are incomparable with a smaller age person . Finally , an elder boss will have a better control and hold on all the members because of he has achieved this goal after passing through all the stages which they are going through now .
In conclusion , creativity and motivation force organisations to welcome young people as leaders , I however , believe that it is unfair to deprive greying individuals of their rights.
hello liz,
my ilets exam in on 14th of october in india.. can u pls suggest few essay topics to practice in this last week…thanx…
dr.dimple
See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/100-ielts-essay-questions/
Hi liz, I have a question. If the type of essay is advantages and disadvantages. Is it OK of I only give 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage? Will I be penalized for that? Thank you.
It’s fine. But you will need to develop each one sufficiently to hit 250 words.
Hey Mam
My ielts exam for academic is on tomorrow October 5 and little worried about reading part and writing task 2.
What should I study today?
Thanks
Review your strengths and weaknesses.
what is meant by cultural ties?
cultural relationships
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Good day Ms Liz. I just took the recent test (Sept 2017) and the question was,
The best way to eliminate crimes committed by young people is to teach parents good parenting skills. To what extend do you agree or disagree
I am worried about how I paraphrased my statement. If i could remember clearly, i wrote:
The most effective method to eradicate the crimes involving young individuals is through educating parents better parenting skills. It is certainly an essential way to eliminate crimes. However, incorporating moral values at schools is also vital.
How do you think of this maam?
Sorry I don’t comment on writing.
Kathleen…
Good paraphrase. Keep it up…. Well done. I really felt it’s band 7 intro. All cheers buddy!! Good luck!
HI Kathleen,
Your intro looks great. What was your writing score?
Hai Liz,can you please post essays for october..i am eagerly waiting to do my practise..please post asap..thankyou
All topics are first posted on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/recent-ielts-questions-and-topics/
Hi Liz, thanks for sharing the model essays. I am taking my IELTS test on 5th October
Good luck! Make sure you review all my tips on my main writing task 2 page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/. If you can afford my advanced lessons, they are also very worth getting: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/
Dear Liz,
How is the below introduction for IELTS essay model #9 question posted above?
While certain people are of the belief that flourishing business amounts to weakening of cultural ties between nations, others are against this view. In my opinion, engaging in business ties aids to the strengthening of cultural relationship between nations, however, prior assessment of the investment needs to be made.
Tnx Liz, I will be having my ielts this coming November, this kind of material helps a lot… More Power…God bless
Thanks, very useful, Nice to hear that you have been in Vietnam
Yes – I lived in Hanoi for 8 years 🙂
Hi Liz, how are you doing?
I just want to know that in writing task 2 “agree or disagree” essays. Is it possible to do “partially agree” with the statements?
As you see above, I have written two opinion essays – one as a one sided agreement and one as a partial agreement.
Nice solution,
Really appreciate the effort you’ve put to provide us.
I do have one question where in your solution you have mentioned a simple phase of language flow in terms of gramer and vocabulary. So this same patten can we adopt for final IELTS exam and yes you have not used much complex vocabulary so we can do the same too.?
My model essays are estimated band 9. So, they provide a good example of how natural language should be. Language does not need to be complex, it needs to be less common with awareness of collocations which my essay show. Example: “factor into the curriculum” or “incorporate into the curriculum”- these are considered high band score because they show 100% appropriate language with perfect collocations and use of language as well as paraphrasing skills.
Hello Liz
Thank you so much for all the effort u have been putting in. Your tips are extremely useful.
Hello mam..
In discuss both views n give your opinion question type, Can i write 3 body paragraphs including one for one view, nxt for nxt view and last for my opinion about choosing any one of them with a specific reason??
You have a third body paragraph when your opinion does not agree with either side.
ohh.. Thank you soo muchh mam.. 🙂
Hi, Liz,
thanks for your great effort, my exam this Saturday and I need to know whether in
q7 about garbage I can write about littering and bins or is it different?
thanks in advance, keep up the good work.
Littering is rubbish that is thrown on the streets. Garage is mostly household waste which is on a much bigger scale. People throw away bags and bags of rubbish each week and it is rarely recycled. So, you see that the issues with garbage is not quite the same as the issues wit littering which is about the lack of bins available.
Thanks Liz. Would you please recommend any videos for task 1 if it is a technical drawing or a diagram. I need some more in this. Thanks
See my main writing task 1 page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-1-lessons-and-tips/
Liz,
You’re really great
hi liz
I really appreciate you effort for us..
regards
Raj
Hi liz, thank you very much for these essays. You’re so generous. You are a GEM (Generous English[ielts] Mentor).😊
Thanks 🙂 I’ve never been a GEM before 🙂
Thanks Liz!
My Ielts exam comes up 30th of Sept. In U.A.E this is helpful. Thanks Liz.
Good luck!
Hello Liz
Thanks for all you are doing, but I am confused as, I was told by one of my friends that if I write one sided essay then I need to write one paragraph against it at the end before conclusion. Is it necessary to do so? Or I can continue to stick to one side and then write conclusion?
Thanks
The instructions ask for your opinion – so your entire essay will contain your opinion and nothing more. Just follow the instructions – they are very clear. If IELTS want both sides, they will write “Discuss both sides…”
Thanks mam …thanks for solutions ….
Thank you, Liz, for such great essays examples!
Thank You, Liz, I have my exam on 30th sept and this what I needed.
Good luck! See my last minute tips for each part of the test: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-exam-tips-on-the-day/ and review any information you are still not sure about: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-help-faq/
Thanks Liz for your great efforts. I just have a question about the two body paragraphs. Can I make them more than two in Writing task 2? Thanks
Please look again at the top of this page, there is a note about paragraphs.
Thanks Liz you made these tasks simpler to approach and with definite specifics to serve as guard and guide towards my test on 30th september( in 3 days).
Thanks and GOD bless
Great !
Thanks a lot!
Hi Liz thanks so much, an grateful, in the case of number 4,which has a balanced view, is it okay to indicate thesis statement as “i partly agree and disagree with the statement” THANKS
It’s better to state your opinion directly rather than infer it. Your score depends on a very clear opinion being given and your option doesn’t actually make it clear – it doesn’t clarify it.
Thanx Liz for sharing these essays m looking forward for rest of the essays
thank you liz 🙂
Hi Liz,
I have seen many if your video lessons , especially ones about agree/disagree essay. You mostly teach us to focus on either completely agree or disagree but warn us to be partial . In essay number 2 you have done partial agreement. What do I do ? I’m confused now.
Let me explain. To do a partial agreement is 100% fine in IELTS writing task 2. But many students don’t know how to do this correctly. Instead of a partial agreement, they write a discussion essay without a clear opinion – in that case, they will get a very very low score. So, my advice is:
If you haven’t been trained how to write a partial agreement, be careful. It is easier to write a one sided essay and it will give the same marks. If you know how to write a partial agreement – go for it.
Does that make it clearer for you to understand. I am giving recommendations only depending on your level of exam skills.
Thanks so much dear Liz.You are an amazing human being.I thank God for you.
I have really benefited .kindly post the link for the types of opinion essay.
TIA
Liz!
You are a strong woman!!
I first registered to receive your sessions 5 months ago. You have continously improved your relevance to the needs of IELTS candidates.
Keep it up!!!
Dr. John Barry Omara
Thank you 🙂
is it ok to use informal idioms like ‘throw a spanner in the works’ as in the 3rd essay?
thanks
It’s an example of an idiom which is suitable to use. Most idioms are not. I wouldn’t recommend students using idioms in writing task 2 unless they are fully convinced they are appropriate. You can, however, use idiomatic language, such as “the key to success”.
ok thanks for your advice.
Hi Liz
Thank you so much for writing this essay.
I have a query for #4, don’t you think that it is more inclined towards the fashion and trends rather than discouragement form advertising for not being unique. Also, throughout the essay, there is just an elaboration of fashion’s example and this is in conclusion too.
I didn’t get that properly. Could you please provide your expertise on this ?
Thanks
Barinder
Thank you liz for your helping.i got benefit from your lessons.our writing task 2 was the same second topic on september.in kurdistan iraq
I’m glad these models helped 🙂
Yayyyy!!!!Thank you so much Liz! I had been waiting eagerly for your essay. But you surprised us with 3 !!! You are an amazing soul!
You’re welcome 🙂
Excellent Writing!!!
Hello,
Thanks for these model answers. I think there is a mistake here:
“Consequently products from countries all around the world become available to the everyday person which raises their awareness of these country.”
Should be “countries”, right?
That’s right. Thanks 🙂
Thank you Liz my exam date is on oct 5th . I feel little nervous .
Thanks for your incredible work
Keep focused 🙂
thanks a lot for your great effort and precious time for us…
Hi Liz. Is writing examples in each body paragraph compulsory for Task 2?
Tanks in advance.
No. It is not a requirement to write examples. It is your choice to use them when you want or not use them.
Thanks a bunch!!! You are very supportive!!! 🙂
There is a typo in the introduction of the third essay. It should be “has had a negative impact”, not “has has” 🙂
Thanks. I appreciate students helping my proof read my typos 🙂
Thank you
Thanks
Thanks Liz for sharing this with us