IELTS Academic Writing Practice Test 1
Academic Writing in the official format: Task 1 describes a bar chart of household technology, and Task 2 is an essay on free university education. 60 minutes, with model answers.
How this practice matches real IELTS use
Writing is not marked automatically. After you submit, compare your answer with a model answer and tick a self-check list based on the public IELTS marking criteria.
How to use this practice set
1. Attempt seriously
Use realistic timing, avoid random guessing, and finish the set as one focused session.
2. Review by skill gap
Separate vocabulary gaps, concentration errors, weak task strategy, and careless mistakes instead of looking only at score.
3. Repeat with purpose
After review, move to the next related IELTS section or repeat weak-question types until your accuracy becomes stable.
Writing
Before you start
- Questions
- 2
- Time
- 60 minutes
- Parts
- 2
- The timer starts when you press Start. When it reaches zero, your answers are submitted automatically.
- Use the numbered navigator to move between questions, and flag any you want to come back to.
- For typed answers, keep within the word limit. Answers over the limit are marked wrong, as in the real test.
- You can submit early. Your score, the correct answers and explanations appear straight away.
IELTS Academic Writing Practice Test 1: all 2 questions with answers
Prefer to work through the test on paper? Answer the questions, then open “Show answer” to check.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Q1.The chart below shows the percentage of households in one country that owned four types of digital device in 2005, 2012 and 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Households owning each type of device (%) - Desktop computer
- Laptop
- Smartphone
- Tablet
Show answer
Model answer
The bar chart compares the proportion of households in one country that owned four types of digital device in 2005, 2012 and 2020.
Overall, ownership of portable devices rose dramatically over the period, while desktop computers became less common. By 2020, smartphones were by far the most widely owned device.
In 2005, desktop computers were the most common device, found in 62% of households, compared with just 18% for laptops and 8% for smartphones. No households owned a tablet at that time. By 2012, laptop and smartphone ownership had risen sharply to 47% and 52% respectively, almost catching up with desktops, which had fallen slightly to 55%. Tablets had also appeared, in just over a fifth of homes.
These trends continued over the following eight years. Smartphone ownership climbed to 89%, and laptops reached 68% of households, while tablet ownership roughly doubled to 44%. In contrast, the share of homes with a desktop computer dropped to 31%, around half of its 2005 level.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Q2.Write about the following topic:
Some people believe that university education should be free for everyone, while others think students should pay for their own studies.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Show answer
Model answer
In many countries, the cost of higher education has become a major political issue. Some argue that university should be free for all students, while others believe that those who benefit from a degree should pay for it. In my view, university education should be largely funded by the state, although students who can afford to contribute should do so.
Those who support free university education point out that talent is spread evenly across society, but money is not. When fees are high, many capable young people from low-income families decide not to apply, which is a loss both to them and to the wider economy. Furthermore, society as a whole benefits from a well-educated population: graduates become the doctors, engineers and teachers that every country needs, and they usually pay more tax over their working lives.
On the other hand, there are strong arguments for students paying at least part of the cost. Graduates tend to earn considerably more than non-graduates, so it seems fair that they should contribute to an investment that mainly benefits them. In addition, free tuition must be paid for through taxes, including those paid by people who never attended university.
Having considered both views, I believe the best approach is a mixed system. Tuition should be free or very low for students from lower-income households, while others could repay part of the cost through a loan that is only recovered once they earn above a certain salary. This would keep university open to everyone while sharing the cost fairly.
In conclusion, although graduates gain personally from their degrees, education is too important to be limited by family income, and governments should make sure that money is never the reason a capable student does not go to university.