IELTS Writing Task #122 Writing Tip In task you have to give a fairly technical description In task you must write an essay or argument for a university teacher, or an essay for a non-specialist reader For both tasks you must use formal academic English Write formally even when stating your own ideas; make use of the passive for descriptions and use full forms (e.g they are rather than they’re) You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The table below shows the worldwide market share of the notebook computer market for manufacturers in the years 2006 and 2007 Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant Write at least 150 words The table gives information on the market share of notebook computer manufacturers for two consecutive years, 2006 and 2007 In both years, HP was clearly the market leader, selling 31.4% of all notebook computers in 2006, and slightly more (34%) in 2007 This is a greater market share than its two closest competitors, Dell and Acer, added together Dell increased its market share from 16.6% in 2006 to 20.2% in 2007 In contrast, Acer saw its share of the market decline slightly from 11.6% to 10.7% The other companies listed each had a much smaller share of the market Toshiba’s share increased from 6.2% in 2006 to 7.3% in 2007, whereas Lenovo’s decreased slightly from 6.6% to 6.2% FujitsuSiemens’ share more than halved from 2006 to 2007: from 4.8% of the market to only 2.3% Other notebook computer manufacturers accounted for 22.8% of the market in 2006 – more than all the companies mentioned except HP However, in 2007 the other companies only made 19.3% of notebook computer sales – less than both HP and Dell (174 words) IELTS Writing Task #121 IELTS Tip • You will increase your Writing Band Score in Academic Writing Task if you: Mention all the major features of the statistics or charts • Make sure you describe the statistics accurately • Paraphrase the information in the question • Avoid repeating the same words and phrases and try to vary the sentence structures you use • Give an overview of the most important trends or patterns You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The graph below shows the number of books read by men and women at Burnaby Public Library from 2011 to 2014 Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant Write at least 150 words Model answer The graph gives information about Burnaby Public Library between 2011 and 2014 It shows how many library books people read over this four-year period As can be seen from the graph, there were different trends for men and women The number of books read by men increased steadily between 2011 and 2012, from about 3000 to 4000 After that, the number rose dramatically to 14000 books in 2014 This was the highest figure in the period Women started off reading more books than men, but their numbers followed a different pattern Between 2011 and 2012, there was an increase of 3000 from 5000 books to 8000 books, and then a gradual rise to 10000 books in 2013 However, in 2014, their numbers fell back to 8000 again Overall, there was a strong upward trend in the number of books read by men Although women read more books than men in 2011, their reading fell to below the level of men in 2014 (162 words) IELTS Writing Task #120 IELTS Tip Note that the number of words in this sample is 178 Always write at least 150 words but not go much over this figure as you will not get any extra marks and you will use up time which you can better spend on doing Task You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The diagrams below show the changes that have taken place at Queen Mary Hospital since its construction in 1960 Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant Write at least 150 words Model answer The diagrams show Queen Mary Hospital at three different stages in its development: 1960, 1980 and 2000 In 1960, the hospital was build close to a main road and next to a shopping centre A large area behind the hospital was turned into a car park, while the area behind the shopping centre was farmland By 1980, the shopping centre had been demolished in order to make way for two additional hospital building which became a pharmacy and a cancer centre Furthermore, the hospital gained the farmland and converted it into a nursing school In 2000, the main hospital building remained unchanged but the cancer centre was extended to cover the entire nursing school As a result of this, the original car park was divided into two so that it provided a smaller car park and a small nursing school During this period, the hospital has increased in size and, in addition to a new nursing school, a cancer centre has been created and extended Hence the capacity of the car park has been reduced by a half (178 words) IELTS Writing Task #119 IELTS Tip: Useful language for describing trends to experience a(n) [increase/decrease/rise/fall/drop in/of] to [increase/decrease/rise/fall/drop by/from … to] to fluctuate / undergo a change / remain [stable/steady] / stagnate / dip / peak / increase [twofold/threefold] / surge a [less/more] marked [increase/decrease], etc (occurred / took place) [less/more] significant / steady / especially strong growth a parallel [rise/fall] to expect / predict / forecast You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The line graph below shows the percentage of tourists to England who visited four different attractions in Brighton Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant Write at least 150 words Model answer The line graph shows the percentage of tourists to England who visited certain Brighton attractions between 1980 and 2010 We can see that in 1980 and in 2010 the favourite attractions were the pavilion and the festival In 1980 the least popular attraction was the pier but in 2010 this changed and the art gallery was the least popular During the 1980s and 1990s there was a sharp increase in visitors to the pavilion from 28% to 48% and then the percentage gradually went down to 31% in 2010 The trend for the art gallery was similar to the pavilion Visitors increased rapidly from 22% to 37% from 1980 to 1985 then gradually decreased to less than 10% over the next twenty-five years The number of tourists who visited the Brighton Festival fluctuated slightly but in general remained steady at about 25% Visitors to the pier also fluctuated from 1980 to 2000 then rose significantly from 12% to 22% between 2000 and 2010 (163 words) IELTS Writing Task #118 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The two pie charts below show some employment patterns in Great Britain in 1992 Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant Write at least 150 words Employees and self-employed: by sex and occupation, 1992 Model answer The charts provide information on the proportion of males and females in employment in broad categories, divided into manual and non-manual occupations In general, a greater percentage of women work in non-manual occupations than work in manual occupations, and the reverse is true for men In the non-manual occupations, while a greater percentage of working women than men are found in clerical-type positions, there is a smaller percentage of women than men employed in managerial and professional positions The percentage of women employed in other non-manual occupations is slightly larger than the percentage of men in these occupations In manual employment, the biggest difference between the two sexes is in the employment of craft workers, where males make up 24% of the workforce and females just 3% Furthermore, the percentage of women working as general working as general labourers is very small, only 1% There is not a great deal of difference between the percentage of men doing other forms of manual work (26%) and women in other manual work (27%) In summary, the two charts clearly show that women not have the same access as men to certain types of employment (194 words) IELTS Writing Task #117 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The diagram below shows the production of electricity using a system called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below Write at least 150 words How Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) works Source: Daily Telegraph - 8th Jan 2008 Model answer Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) is a system that converts heat energy into the electric power using the temperature difference between surface seawater, which can be up to 29 degrees Celsius, and deep seawater, which is only degrees Celsius The main components of the system are an evacuated evaporation chamber, a turbine and a condensing chamber The solar energy of the sun heats up the surface water and this warm water is introduced into the evacuated evaporation chamber, where it boils As it boils, salt is deposited and water vapour is generated This vapour then drives a turbine to generate electricity After it powers the turbine, the water vapour enters the condensing chamber, which is cooled by the water from the depths of the ocean The water vapour is condensed in this chamber, producing drinking water Meanwhile, waste salt water is discharged into the ocean and the process can be repeated (152 words) IELTS Writing Task #116 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The Table below shows the results of a survey that asked 6800 Scottish adults (aged 16 years and over) whether they had taken part in different cultural activities in the past 12 months Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant Write at least 150 words Participation in cultural activities, by age 16-24 25-44 45-74 All aged 16 and over % % % % Any performance* 35 22 17 22 Undertaking any crafts 11 17 22 19 Cultural purchases 11 17 18 16 Any visual arts 30 16 11 15 Any writing 17 Computer based 10 * Dancing, singing, playing musical instruments and acting Model answer The table shows details of participation in a variety of cultural activities over a year, according to the age of the participants Overall, any performance, which includes dancing, singing, playing musical instruments and acting, had the highest level of participation, with 22% of respondents participating in the previous 12 months By contrast, computer based activities had the lowest level of participation (6 per cent) People aged between 45 and 74 years old were most likely to undertake any activity to with crafts (22 per cent), while performances were more likely to be participated in by those aged 16 to 24 (35 per cent) The differences between age groups were particularly marked in the case of visual arts and writing categories, where participation rates were around three times higher for younger people than for the older ones It is clear from the evidence that age plays a significant role in the popularity of the cultural activities listed (157 words) IELTS Writing Task #115 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The chart below shows the number of travellers using three major airports in New York City between 1995 and 2000 Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant Write at least 150 words Model answer The bar chart gives information about how many people visited New York City through three major airports, over a six-year period between 1995 and 2000 Overall, it can be seen that over the period, there was a fluctuant trend in the number of passengers who travelled via John F Kennedy airport, while the other two airports saw an upward trend Another interesting point is that LaGuardia airport was the most popular at the end Looking at the detail, the number of travellers at John F Kennedy airport started at 26m in 1995, and then increased remarkably to reach the highest point of 47m in 1997 In 1999, the figure dipped to 32m At the last year, there was a slight growth to 44m On the other hand, LaGuardia began at 35m in 1995, after that it rose remarkably for the next three years, at 46m In 2000, LaGuardia hit the peak point at 68m travellers However, if we look at Newark airport, it started at the lowest point of 16m passengers in the first year After this point, the trend increased significantly to 42m in 1998 In the last two years it remained stable at 42m travellers (197 words) IELTS Writing Task #114 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The line graph below shows the changes in the share price of Outokumpu companies in euros between January 2006 and December 2010 Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below Write at least 150 words Source: NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Model answer The graph shows the changes and a decline overall in the share price of Outokumpu in a five-year period from January 2006 through December 2010 At the beginning of this period the share price was at EUR 13 per share There were several fluctuations until late 2006 when there was a sudden increase from EUR 21 to EUR 31 This higher price did not last long, however, and it fell before rising strongly again in 2008 From mid-2008 there was a sharp downward trend through the end of the year when it fell to the lowest point in this period at just over EUR per share After that the share price recovered and, despite some fluctuations, continued to rise until it reached a peak of EUR 17 in early 2010 Until late 2010 the trend was downward again, ending the year at just over EUR 12 Outokumpu made significant gains and losses during this period but overall lost around EUR per share (164 words) IELTS Writing Task #113 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The graph below shows female unemployment rates in each country of the United Kingdom in 2013 and 2014 Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant Write at least 150 words are inspected and tested to maintain quality control l Those units that pass the inspection and testing stages are then packaged, despatched and offered for sale in retail outlets The level of sales, which is the end point of the manufacturing process, helps determine production planning A product's design is not only the result of product research, but is also influenced by testing and market research If the testing stage (after assembly and inspection) reveals unacceptable problems in the finished product, then adjustments will have to be made to the product's design Similarly, market research, which examines the extent and nature of the demand for products, has the role of guiding product design to suit consumer demands which may change with time Market research, while influenced by product sales, also serves to foster future sales by devising suitable advertising for the goods Thus the reality of consumer goods manufacturing goes well beyond a simple linear production process Academic Writing Sample Task #5 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task Eating sweet foods produces acid in the mouth, which can cause tooth decay (High acid levels are measured by low pH values) Describe the information below and discuss the implications for dental health You should write at least 150 words Anyone who has visited a dentist has been told that eating excessive amounts of sweets risks harming the teeth This is because sweets lower pH levels in the mouth to dangerous levels When the pH level in the mouth is kept above 5.5, acidity is such that teeth are unlikely to be in danger of decay Sweet foods, however, cause pH in the mouth to drop for a time, and the longer pH levels remain below 5.5, the greater the opportunity for decay to occur By comparing fruit sugar, cane sugar and honey, which are all common ingredients of sweet foods, we find that cane sugar lowers pH levels for the longest period, thus producing the greatest risk of the three Approximately five minutes aftfter consuming cane sugar, pH levels drop to as little as pH 3.5 They then begin to rise slowly, but not rise above pH 5.5 until at least 30 minutes have elapsed By contrast, fruit sugar, which causes the mouth's acidity to fall to just above pH 4, poses a danger for a shorter period: tooth decay is unlikely 20 minutes after consumption Honey appears an even less risky substance Though acidity falls to about pH 4.75 within five minutes of consumption, it returns to above pH 5.5 in under fifteen minutes The implications, then, are that people who insist on eating sweet foods should be aware of the ingredients, and that fruit sugar or honey appear preferable to cane sugar (242 words) Academic Writing Sample Task #4 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The graphs below show the numbers of male and female workers in 1975 and 1995 in several employment sectors of the republic of Freedonia Write a report for a university teacher describing the information shown You should write at least 150 words model answer: The two decades between 1975 and 1995 brought significant changes in the representation of women in Freedonia's work force, according to the graphs In 1975, for example, some 300 000 men and 250 000 women worked in the communications sector Twenty years later, though the number of men remained unchanged, the number of women rose to 550 000 A similar situation was seen in the wholesale and retail trade sector, where the number of women rose from about 550 000 in 1975 to almost 800 000 two decades later The number of men in this sector remained stable over the period, at around 700 000 Women also made gains in both the finance/banking industries and in the defence-related public sector Whereas some 125 000 women worked in finance and banking institutions in 1975, the number increased to 450 000 by 1995 The number of men grew only marginally from 425 000 to 480 000 over the same period In defence, the number of men declined from 225 000 to 200 000, while the number of women rose from 25 000 to over 100 000 Two sectors that retained stable employment numbers for both men and women were manufacturing, which had about 300 000 women and 650 000 men in both surveyed years, and the public sector (non-defence), which employed 650 000 women and 850 000 men Thus, women appear to have made gains in the Freedonian work force but not at the expense of men (243 words) Academic Writing Sample Task #3 The graphs below show the types of music albums purchased by people in Britain according to s3x and age Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below • You should write at least 150 words • You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The three graphs provide an overview of the types of music people purchase in the UK At first glance we see that classical music is far less popular than pop or rock music While slightly more women than men buy pop music, the rock market is dominated by men with 30% buying rock, compared to 17% of women From the first graph we see that interest in pop music is steady from age 16 to 44 with 20% of the population continuing to buy pop CDs after the age of 45 The interest in rock music reaches its peak among the 25 to 34 year olds, though it never sells as well as pop Interest also drops off after the age of 35 with an even sharper fall from age 45 onwards, a pattern which is the opposite to the classical music graph Academic Writing Sample Task #2 The chart below gives information about global sales of games software, CDs and DVD or video Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information • You should write at least 150 words • You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The chart shows the changes in the sales of video material / DVDs, games software and CDs around the world in billions of dollars over a three-year period It can be seen that the sales of videos / DVDs and games software have increased, while the sales of CDs have gone down slightly Between 2000 and 2003, the sale of videos and DVDs rose by approximately 13 billion dollars In 2000, just under 20 billion dollars worth of these items were sold, but in 2003, this figure had risen to a little over 30 billion dollars The sales of games software also rose during this period, but less sharply Sales increased from about 13 billion dollars in 2000 to just under 20 billion dollars three years later By contrast, during the same time period, the sale of CDs fell from 35 billion dollars in 2000 to about 32.5 billion dollars in 2003 Academic Writing Sample Task #1 The chart and graph below give information about sales and share prices for Coca-Cola Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below • You should write at least 150 words • You should spend about 20 minutes on this task The pie chart shows the worldwide distribution of sales of Coca-Cola in the year 2000 and the graph shows the change in share prices between 1996 and 2001 In the year 2000, Coca-Cola sold a total of 17.1 billion cases of their fizzy drink product worldwide The largest consumer was North America, where 30.4 per cent of the total volume was purchased The second largest consumer was Latin America Europe and Asia purchased 20.5 and 16.4 per cent of the total volume respectively, while Africa and the Middle East remained fairly small consumers at per cent of the total volume of sales Since 1996, share prices for Coca-Cola have fluctuated In that year, shares were valued at approximately $35 Between 1996 and 1997, however, prices rose significantly to $70 per share They dipped a little in mid-1997 and then peaked at $80 per share in mid-98 From then until 2000 their value fell consistently but there was a slight rise in mid-2000