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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 letter, topic: request for information about a seminar (from Ace the IELTS book)

This letter was written on a topic from “Ace the IELTS” book (page 42, reprinted with permission).

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You would like to participate in a work-related seminar in another country. Write a letter to the person in charge of the seminar and ask for detailed information on the dates, the program, the accommodation and the cost.

Write at least 150 words

You do not need to write your address.

Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir/Madam,

Dear Sir /Madam,

My name is Samuel Finn and I am writing regarding the upcoming seminar to be held in Toronto, Canada in November this year. I work as a senior executive in a pharmaceutical company and the content of this seminar will provide me with the expert knowledge necessary for my role.

As I live in Australia and it will be an overseas trip for me, I would like some further information about the seminar, such as the duration of the seminar (including the exact dates), and whether or not the agenda for each day and the speakers are different. Also, as I am looking for some inexpensive accommodation close to the seminar venue, it would be very helpful if you could suggest some options. Lastly, I would like to get some information on seminar fees, as well as the typical costs of meals and travel in Toronto. My company will be paying for these, however I need to prepare an estimate in order to get approval to participate in the seminar.

I am planning to finalise the details of my trip soon and it would be great if you could help me with my queries at your earliest convenience.

Yours faithfully,

Samuel Finn

Click here to see more IELTS letters of band 8

IELTS Report, topic: Double bar graph describing investment in stocks and bonds (from Target Band 7 book)

This report was written on a topic from “Target Band 7” book (page 42, reprinted with permission).

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task

The graph below shows the way people of Somecountry invested their money during the years 2001 – 2006.

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

Write at least 150 words

Double bar graph describing investment in stocks and bonds from Target Band 7 book

The bar graph illustrates the amounts of investment in bonds and stocks in Somecountry from 2001 to 2006. It is noticeable that the money used to buy bonds and stocks showed an upward trend throughout the entire period.

In 2001, stock investments started at 210 billion, which was almost double the amount of bonds, at 100 billion. The stock figures slightly rose by 6 billion in 2002, and in the following year continued to increase to 227 billion. Similarly, the amounts of money that were invested in bonds went up gradually in the two following years to 123 and 157 billion respectively.

There was a surge of investment stocks in 2004 (289 billion) before it continued to climb further and peaked at 311 billion in 2006. In contrast, only a small increase in money used to buy bonds was seen in 2004 (162 billion). The flow of funds to bonds then grew to 179 billion in 2005 before peaking at 188 billion in the last year of the period.

To sum up, stocks have been the most popular investment from 2001 to 2006.

This response includes a complete description of the amounts invested in stocks and bonds, as well as the comparison of their trends. The report is easy to follow and cohesion is well-maintained. The writer uses complex sentence structures and good range of vocabulary. The occasional errors in word choice don’t affect communication. Overall, this report seems worthy of Band 8.

Click here to see more IELTS reports of band 8

‘they’ is the right word to use here
‘in’ is the right preposition to use here
‘steadily’ is the right adverb to use here