Section №3

Writing

Model answers and strategies for both tasks.

Task 1 — Report writing

№1Task 1 (General): A Short Note to Your TeacherA1general · read →№2Task 1 (General): Email to a Visiting FriendA2general · band 6 · read →№3Task 1 (General): Letter of Complaint to a HotelB1general · band 8 · read →№4Task 1: Thank-You Letter to a FriendB1general · band 7 · read →№5Task 1 (Academic): Coffee Consumption per Person, 2010 vs 2020B2academic · band 8 · read →№6Task 1 (Academic): Global Water UsageB2academic · band 7.5 · read →№7Task 1 (Academic): Household Internet Access, 2000–2020C1academic · band 8 · read →

Task 2 — Essays

№1Task 2: Should Community Service Be Compulsory at School?B2either variant · band 8 · read →№2Task 2: Reducing Traffic Congestion in CitiesB2either variant · band 7.5 · read →№3Task 2: International Tourism Advantages and DisadvantagesC1either variant · band 8 · read →№4Task 2: Does Technology Make Us More Alone?C1either variant · band 8.5 · read →№5Task 2: Does Globalisation Erode or Enrich Local Cultures?C2either variant · band 9 · read →

Notes on technique

A Reliable Task 2 Structure

Examiners reward essays that are easy to follow. A four-paragraph structure works for almost every Task 2 question:

Introduction (2–3 sentences). Paraphrase the question, then state your position clearly. Don’t save your opinion for the end — Task 2 is not a mystery novel.
Body paragraph 1. One main idea, stated in the first sentence, then explained and supported with a developed example.
Body paragraph 2. Your second main idea (or the opposing view, if the question asks you to discuss both sides), handled the same way.
Conclusion (1–2 sentences). Restate your position in fresh words. Never introduce new ideas here.

Two well-developed ideas beat four shallow ones. Before writing, spend three minutes planning: choose your position, your two ideas, and one example for each. Those three minutes routinely buy a higher band score than three extra minutes of writing.

Task 1: Always Write an Overview

In Academic Task 1, the single most important sentence is the overview — a summary of the main trends without specific numbers. Examiners look for it directly, and you cannot reach the higher bands without one.

A simple four-part shape works for almost any chart, graph, or table:

Introduction. Paraphrase the title in one sentence — what the visual shows, and over what period.
Overview. Begin with “Overall,” and state the big picture: which figure is highest or lowest, what rose or fell, where the largest change happened. No data here.
Detail paragraph 1. The most striking figures, with exact numbers.
Detail paragraph 2. The remaining figures and comparisons.

Resist the urge to describe every single number. Select the features that matter and group them, then support them with a few well-chosen figures. And if the data covers two time points or more, make sure your verbs show change — rose, declined, levelled off, overtook — rather than just listing static values.