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IELTS Writing Samples

IELTS essay samples (writing task 2), report and letter samples (writing task 1) with Band Scores, marked by IELTS teachers, including comments and suggestions on how to increase your score

IELTS essay, topic: Some parents encourage young people to leave home while others think they should stay with the family, discuss and give your opinion

Many parents encourage young people to leave home when they become older, while others think they should stay at home with the family. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

With the tremendous influence of modernisation, remarkable changes have taken place in the family structure to such an extent that nowadays, youngsters are motivated by their parents to live alone as they grow up. However, some people are of the view that it is more practical for a youngster to live with their family.

On the one hand, there are many positive aspects to youths living away from their parents at young age. This provides the opportunity to young people to live a life on their own terms and make any decisions without the interference of their parents. Besides, living alone not only makes them independent but also makes them self-reliant, which is a crucial life skill to their successful career. For instance, managing all the house chores such as cleaning, paying bills, cooking and so on will make them well experienced at learning and managing diverse activities and will also boost their confidence.

On the other hand, there is no denying the fact that youngsters living away from their family may find themselves in circumstances that may adversely affect their life. Naïve and inexperienced young people in the absence of parental supervision are more likely to fall prey to bad influence and dangerous activities, such as drugs or alcohol consumption, which may jeopardise their career or lead them astray from moral values. However, this situation is less likely to take place with youngsters still living with their parents. Besides, emotional bonding and family relationships can be maintained better if everyone is living together under one roof.

In my opinion, although encouraging youngsters to live alone may lead them to learn various life skills, negative aspects and risks associated with living alone can far outweigh the benefits.

This response covers the task topic well, by discussing the positive and negative aspects of living alone as a young adult, and the writer’s opinion has also been included. Paragraphing helps to present ideas in an orderly way, and cohesion and coherence are maintained throughout the essay. There is some repetitive use of the word ‘make’ in the first body paragraph, which could have been avoided. Apart from that, the writer’s vocabulary seems to be quite rich and allows them to communicate ideas precisely and clearly. Overall, this essay seems to be worthy of IELTS Band 8.

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IELTS Report, topic: Table describing data on home schooled children (from Target Band 7 book)

This report was written on a topic from “Target Band 7” book (page 44, reprinted with permission).

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task

The table below describes the percentages of home schooled students in SomeCountry in 1999-2004.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown.

Write at least 150 words

Table describing data on home schooled children, from Target Band 7 book

The table illustrates the proportion of students who were given home schooling in SomeCountry in the period from 1999 to 2004.

From the very start of the period, kindergarten students were home schooled the most and their proportion remained the highest until 2004. Students in grades 1-2 and 5-6 were the least home tutored in 1999 and the figures fluctuated over the period; by the end of 2004 those in grades 1-2 constituted the lowest percentage.

A noticeable trend in home schooled kindergarten students was evident, where their proportion rose steadily from 2.4% to nearly 3% between 1999 and 2004. Similarly, in grade 3-4 also showed a steady upward movement and the rate rose from 1.6% in 1999 to 2.2% by 2004.

Students in the other three grade levels showed some fluctuation between 1999 to 2004. The percentage of home schooled students in grades 1-2 was at 1.5% at the start and dipped to 1.2% in 2000. Afterwards, the figures increased and reached well above 2% in 2004. The proportion of home schooled 5th and 6th graders initially started at 1.5%, then remained constant at 1.3% before finally reaching 2.6% in 2004. Students in 7th and 8th grade were home schooled at a rate of 1.6% in 1999 which remained steady until 2001, and following that climbed up to 2.5% at the end of the period.

Overall, the proportion of home schooled students at all grade levels in 2004 was higher compared to 1999.

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‘the figures for students’ is the right expression to use here