IELTS Academic Writing - Question Types by James O'Hearn

IELTS Academic Writing Question Types

Table of Contents TASK 1 ...........................................................................................................................................................................3 TASK 1 EXAMPLE QUESTION .........................................................................................................................................................5 TASK 1 BAND DESCRIPTORS .........................................................................................................................................................6 IDENTIFYING RUBRICS ....................................................................................................................................................................7 UNDERSTANDING THE DATA .........................................................................................................................................................8 PLANNING THE ANSWER ................................................................................................................................................................9 TASK 2 ........................................................................................................................................................................ 10 TASK 2 EXAMPLE QUESTION ...................................................................................................................................................... 12 TASK 2 BAND DESCRIPTORS ...................................................................................................................................................... 13 IDENTIFYING RUBRICS ................................................................................................................................................................. 14

*Note – All materials in this document originate from the IELTS.org website. The information was made freely available to teachers and students.

Task 1 What are candidates required to do? In this part candidates may be asked to describe facts or figures presented in one or more charts, graphs or tables on a related topic; or they may be given a diagram of a machine, a device or a process and asked to explain how it works. Candidates should make sure to include the most important and the most relevant points in the diagram. Some minor points or details may be left out. How long does it take? Candidates should not spent more than 20 minutes on this task. What skills are being tested? Candidates will be assessed on their ability to choose and clearly describe the most important and relevant information on the diagram or chart. They will be assessed on how well they can organise the information as well as the accuracy of their use of language. The register or style of Task 1 is academic, so an academic writing style should be used. Candidates are also asked to write at least 150 words and will be penalised if their answer is too short. However, candidates will not be penalised for writing more than 150 words, but they should remember that a longer Task 1 answer may mean that they have less time to spend on Task 2 and so they may lose marks there. Remember that Task 2 is worth more marks and candidates should make sure that they have left themselves an adequate amount of time. How is Task 1 assessed? Examiners assess the answer according to these criteria: 1)

Task Achievement (i.e. how effectively the candidate has identified, illustrated and reported the key features of the information in the task)

Coherence and Cohesion (i.e. how well the information and ideas are organised, and how well the information is linked)

Lexical Resource (i.e. the range of vocabulary used, how accurately it is used and how appropriate it is for the task)

Grammatical Range and Accuracy (i.e. the range of structures used, how accurately they are used and how appropriate they are for the task)

Are there any other regulations candidates need to know? -

Candidates must write their answers on the Answer Sheet provided. If they write less than the minimum word limit they will be penalised. They will be penalised for irrelevance if the response is off-topic. They will be severely penalised if their writing is plagiarised (i.e. copied) They will be penalised if their answer is not written as full, connected text (e.g. using bullet points in any part of the response, or note form etc.)

Understanding the Task For Writing Task 1 it is very important that candidates are able to understand information that is presented in diagram/graph/chart/table form. They must also be able to choose the most significant information to include in their description and be sure to focus on the overall trends within the data (if data is presented) in order to give an overview of it.

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They may also need to compare and contrast information. To understand better how candidates need to approach this task, it may help you to do the task yourself and analyse what you had to do to provide a good answer. Look at this sample Writing Task 1. Complete the task, thinking about how you are doing it.

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Task 1 Example Question

#$!%&#$'(!%)*+(!,-#$.!/0!12+$.*%!#+!.&2%!.,%34! You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

"#$!%#&'(!)$*+,!-#+,-!(#$!./0)$'!+1! 0$.!&.2!,+0$.!3.!1/'(#$'!$2/%&(3+.!3.! 4'3(&3.!3.!(#'$$!5$'3+2-!&.2!,#$(#$'!(#$6!,$'$!-(/263.7!1/**8(30$!+'!5&'(8(30$9! The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time.

:/00&'3-$! (#$! 3.1+'0&(3+.! )6! -$*$%(3.7! &.2! '$5+'(3.7! (#$! 0&3.! 1$&(/'$-;! &.2! Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make 0&<$!%+05&'3-+.-!,#$'$!'$*$=&.(9! comparisons where relevant.

562.*!,.!'*,%.!780!9#6(%4

Write at least 150 words.

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Task 1 Band Descriptors High Level

IELTS Task 1 Writing band descriptors (public version) Band

Task Achievement

! fully satisfies all the requirements of

the task

! clearly presents a fully developed response

Coherence and Cohesion

! uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention

Lexical Resource

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

! uses a wide range of vocabulary with

! uses a wide range of structures with full

! uses a wide range of structures ! the majority of sentences are error-free ! makes only very occasional errors or

very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’

! skilfully manages

flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’

paragraphing

! covers all requirements of the task

! sequences information and

! uses a wide range of vocabulary fluently

! presents, highlights and illustrates key

! manages all aspects of

! skilfully uses uncommon lexical items but

sufficiently

features / bullet points clearly and appropriately

ideas logically cohesion well

! uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately

! covers the requirements of the task ! (Academic) presents a clear overview

! ! ! !

! !

of main trends, differences or stages (General Training) presents a clear purpose, with the tone consistent and appropriate clearly presents and highlights key features / bullet points but could be more fully extended addresses the requirements of the task (Academic) presents an overview with information appropriately selected (General Training) presents a purpose that is generally clear; there may be inconsistencies in tone presents and adequately highlights key features / bullet points but details may be irrelevant, inappropriate or inaccurate

! logically organises

information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under-/over-use

! arranges information and

ideas coherently and there is a clear overall progression uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical may not always use referencing clearly or appropriately

and flexibly to convey precise meanings

there may be occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation produces rare errors in spelling and/or word formation

! uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision

! uses less common lexical items with

some awareness of style and collocation

! may produce occasional errors in word

inappropriacies

! uses a variety of complex structures ! produces frequent error-free sentences ! has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors

choice, spelling and/or word formation

! uses an adequate range of vocabulary

! uses a mix of simple and complex sentence

! attempts to use less common vocabulary

! makes some errors in grammar and

for the task

but with some inaccuracy

! makes some errors in spelling and/or

forms

punctuation but they rarely reduce communication

word formation, but they do not impede communication

Low Level

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! generally addresses the task; the !

! 4

! ! !

! !

format may be inappropriate in places (Academic) recounts detail mechanically with no clear overview; there may be no data to support the description (General Training) may present a purpose for the letter that is unclear at times; the tone may be variable and sometimes inappropriate presents, but inadequately covers, key features / bullet points; there may be a tendency to focus on details attempts to address the task but does not cover all key features / bullet points; the format may be inappropriate (General Training) fails to clearly explain the purpose of the letter; the tone may be inappropriate may confuse key features / bullet points with detail; parts may be unclear, irrelevant, repetitive or inaccurate fails to address the task, which may have been completely misunderstood presents limited ideas which may be largely irrelevant/repetitive

! !

some organisation but there may be a lack of overall progression makes inadequate, inaccurate or over-use of cohesive devices may be repetitive because of lack of referencing and substitution

! presents information and

ideas but these are not arranged coherently and there is no clear progression in the response uses some basic cohesive devices but these may be inaccurate or repetitive

! does not organise ideas logically

! may use a very limited

range of cohesive devices, and those used may not indicate a logical relationship between ideas has very little control of organisational features

! answer is barely related to the task

! answer is completely unrelated to the

! fails to communicate any

! does not attend ! does not attempt the task in any way ! writes a totally memorised response

task

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! presents information with

message

! uses a limited range of vocabulary, but !

this is minimally adequate for the task may make noticeable errors in spelling and/or word formation that may cause some difficulty for the reader

! uses only basic vocabulary which may be !

used repetitively or which may be inappropriate for the task has limited control of word formation and/or spelling; ! errors may cause strain for the reader

! uses only a very limited range of words !

and expressions with very limited control of word formation and/or spelling errors may severely distort the message

! uses only a limited range of structures ! attempts complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences

! may make frequent grammatical errors and punctuation may be faulty; errors can cause some difficulty for the reader

! uses only a very limited range of structures with only rare use of subordinate clauses

! some structures are accurate but errors predominate, and punctuation is often faulty

! attempts sentence forms but errors in

grammar and punctuation predominate and distort the meaning

! uses an extremely limited range of

! cannot use sentence forms except in

! cannot use sentence forms at all

vocabulary; essentially no control of word formation and/or spelling can only use a few isolated words

memorised phrases

Identifying Rubrics

Are the instructions for this task printed in normal type? Yes. All instructions in IELTS Academic Writing are printed in normal type except for the instruction to candidates to ‘Summarise the information...’ which is in italics.

Is there only one instruction here? No. There is 1 instruction telling you how long to spend on the task and, following the question, there is another instruction telling you how many words to write.

Is the question candidates must answer printed in bold italics? Yes. Bold italics are used to indicate the questions in IELTS Academic Writing. The question itself consists of two parts; 1) information about what the bar chart shows you 'The chart below shows ...' and 2) the question you must answer ‘Summarise the information ...'. Both parts are important to the question and you should be sure to read all of the information carefully.

Is the information about High School students? No. The information is about men and women studying in further education. The information in the first part of the question will help you to find out exactly who or what you are going to describe.

Should candidates just copy the information on the question paper for their introductory statement? No. Candidates should use their own words at all times. Words and phrases copied directly from the question paper will not be assessed. They should try to paraphrase the information written on the question paper.

Understanding the Data

Is the information about one period of time only? No. There are 3 different periods of time represented here 1970/71, 1980/81 and 1990/91. The students will need to compare and contrast this information. They should always be sure to look carefully at the information written along the bottom or along the sides of the chart, table, graph or diagram.

Does the data in the darker colour refer to full-time students? Yes. Candidates should always be sure to read any keys, labels or footnotes on the chart or table.

Do the first three pairs of bars and figures refer to men only? Yes. Make sure that your students understand how all of the figures relate to each other on the chart or table.

According to the table, were 200 males in full-time education in Britain between 1990 and 1991? No. The note along the side of the graph tells us that these figures refer to 'Thousands in further education', so there were 200,000 males in full-time education in Britain at this time. Candidates should always take care to present the data accurately and copy the information carefully.

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Planning the Answer

In this answer, can candidates choose to talk about either males or females? No. The table is used to compare figures for both men and women so they should describe the data for both men and women. The first part of this question also refers to 'the number of men and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; indicating they should write about both. For Writing Task 1 candidates should be prepared to compare and contrast the most significant information in order to give an overview of the overall trends. In order to describe the overall trends shown in this particular task, candidates will need to compare and contrast the data for: men and women; part-time and full-time education; the three different time periods.

Is it best to focus on one specific year in each separate sentence? No. Candidates may decide to organise their information according to different time periods, however, to describe the general trends of this particular bar chart, candidates will also need to compare and contrast the changes in different years.

Can candidates write their answer in bullet points or note form? No. Candidates should always present their information in the form of cohesive paragraphs. They will lose marks of they write in note form or provide a list of unconnected sentences.

Do candidates need to write an introduction or conclusion? Yes. Candidates will need to begin their descriptive summary with an introductory statement. Similarly, although they are not required to explain or draw any conclusions from the data, a final statement summarising the main trends or features would be an appropriate ending to the report.

Are spelling, grammar and punctuation important in Academic Writing Task 1? Yes. Spelling, grammar and punctuation are important in all parts of IELTS Academic Writing.

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Task 2 What are candidates required to do? In Writing Task 2 candidates are given a topic to write about. Answers should be a discursive consideration of the relevant issues, as required by the rubic. The writing style should be formal and academic. Candidates should make sure that they read and answer the question fully. If the topic is computers they should make sure they understand exactly what aspect of computers they need to discuss. They should not simply write about computers in general. Candidates should write at least 250 words. Is Task 2 compulsory? Yes, it is. Because Task 2 carries more marks, candidates who fail to attempt to answer this task will greatly reduce their chance of reaching a good band. How long does it take? Candidates are asked to spend no more than 40 minutes on this task. What style must candidates write in? Semi-formal/neutral. Discursive writing is usually written in this style, even when a specific reader is not identified. What skills are being tested? For this task candidates are assessed on their ability to present an argument clearly giving evidence or examples to support their ideas. They are also assessed on how well their ideas are organised and the accuracy of the language they use. They should make sure that each of their ideas is sufficiently developed and that all of their ideas are relevant to the question. Candidates are expected to write at least 250 words. Short answers will be penalised. Candidates will not be penalised if an answer is longer. However, if they write a very long answer they may not have time for checking and correcting at the end and some ideas may not be directly relevant to the question. They may also produce handwriting which is unclear. Candidates should try to discipline themselves to plan their ideas, select the most relevant ones and organise these so that they are presented as clearly and as accurately as possible within the time allowed. Finally candidates should make sure that they do not copy directly from the Question Paper because if they do, this will not be assessed. Candidates should use their own words when writing their answer. How are answers assessed? Examiners assess the answers according to these criteria: 1)

Task Response (i.e. how fully and appropriately the candidate has answered all parts of the task; the extent to which the candidate's ideas are relevant, developed and supported; the extent to which the candidate's position is clear and effective)

Coherence and Cohesion (i.e. how well the information and ideas are organised and presented, including paragraphing; how well the information is linked)

Lexical Resource (i.e. the range of vocabulary used, how accurately it is used and how appropriate it is for the task)

Grammatical Range and Accuracy (i.e. the range of structures used, how accurately they are used and how appropriate they are for the task)

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Are there any other regulations the candidate needs to know? -

They must write their answers on the Answer Sheet provided. If candidates write less than the minimum word limit, they will be penalised. They will be penalised for irrelevance if the response is off-topic. Any writing which is plagiarised (i.e. copied from another source) will be severely penalised. They will be penalised if their answer is not written as full connected text (e.g. using bullet points in any part of the response, or note form etc).

Understanding the Task To understand better how candidates need to approach this task, it may help you to do the task yourself and analyse what you had to do to produce a good answer. Look at sample Writing Task 2. Complete the task, thinking about how you are doing it.

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Task 2 Example Question You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic. The first car appeared on British roads in 1888. By the year 2000 there may be as many as 29 million vehicles on British roads. Alternative forms of transport should be encouraged and international laws introduced to control car ownership and use. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons f or your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

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Task 2 Band Descriptors High Level IELTS Task 2 Writing band descriptors (public version) Band 9

Task Response

! uses cohesion in such a way that it

! sufficiently addresses all parts of the task ! presents a well-developed response to the

answer to the question with relevant, fully extended and well supported ideas

Coherence and Cohesion

! fully addresses all parts of the task ! presents a fully developed position in

question with relevant, extended and supported ideas

Lexical Resource

! uses a wide range of structures with

! sequences information and ideas

! !

! uses a wide range of structures ! the majority of sentences are error-free ! makes only very occasional errors or

logically manages all aspects of cohesion well uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately

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! addresses all parts of the task ! presents a clear position throughout the

! logically organises information and ideas;

response

but there may be a tendency to overgeneralise and/or supporting ideas may lack focus

! presents, extends and supports main ideas,

! arranges information and ideas

! !

there is clear progression throughout uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under-/over-use presents a clear central topic within each paragraph

! addresses all parts of the task although

some parts may be more fully covered than others presents a relevant position although the conclusions may become unclear or repetitive presents relevant main ideas but some may be inadequately developed/unclear

! addresses the task only partially; the format !

may be inappropriate in places expresses a position but the development is not always clear and there may be no

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

! uses a wide range of vocabulary

attracts no attention skilfully manages paragraphing

! !

coherently and there is a clear overall progression uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical may not always use referencing clearly or appropriately uses paragraphing, but not always logically presents information with some organisation but there may be a lack of overall progression makes inadequate, inaccurate or over-

! ! !

with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’ uses a wide range of vocabulary fluently and flexibly to convey precise meanings skilfully uses uncommon lexical items but there may be occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation produces rare errors in spelling and/or word formation uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation may produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word formation

full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’

inappropriacies

! uses a variety of complex structures ! produces frequent error-free sentences ! has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors

! uses an adequate range of

! uses a mix of simple and complex

! makes some errors in grammar and

vocabulary for the task attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they do not impede communication

! uses a limited range of !

vocabulary, but this is minimally adequate for the task may make noticeable errors in

sentence forms

punctuation but they rarely reduce communication

! uses only a limited range of structures ! attempts complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences

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Low Level conclusions drawn

! presents some main ideas but these are

limited and not sufficiently developed; there may be irrelevant detail

use of cohesive devices

! responds to the task only in a minimal way

! !

or the answer is tangential; the format may be inappropriate presents a position but this is unclear presents some main ideas but these are difficult to identify and may be repetitive, irrelevant or not well supported

! does not adequately address any part of the task

! does not express a clear position ! presents few ideas, which are largely

referencing and substitution may not write in paragraphs, or paragraphing may be inadequate presents information and ideas but these are not arranged coherently and there is no clear progression in the response uses some basic cohesive devices but these may be inaccurate or repetitive may not write in paragraphs or their use may be confusing

! does not organise ideas logically ! may use a very limited range of cohesive

devices, and those used may not indicate a logical relationship between ideas

undeveloped or irrelevant

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spelling and/or word formation that may cause some difficulty for the reader

! may be repetitive because of lack of

! uses only basic vocabulary

which may be used repetitively or which may be inappropriate for the task has limited control of word formation and/or spelling; errors may cause strain for the reader

! uses only a very limited range of

words and expressions with very limited control of word formation and/or spelling errors may severely distort the message uses an extremely limited range of vocabulary; essentially no control of word formation and/or spelling

! barely responds to the task ! does not express a position ! may attempt to present one or two ideas

! has very little control of organisational

! fails to communicate any message

! can only use a few isolated

but there is no development answer is completely unrelated to the task

! does not attend ! does not attempt the task in any way ! writes a totally memorised response

features

words

! may make frequent grammatical errors and punctuation may be faulty; errors can cause some difficulty for the reader

! uses only a very limited range of !

structures with only rare use of subordinate clauses some structures are accurate but errors predominate, and punctuation is often faulty

! attempts sentence forms but errors in

grammar and punctuation predominate and distort the meaning

! cannot use sentence forms except in memorised phrases

! cannot use sentence forms at all

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Identifying Rubrics

Is the text in normal print simply advice, or do candidates have to follow it? These instructions appear on each Academic Writing Question Paper and candidates need to follow them so that they answer the questions correctly.

Are there two sentences that give candidates instructions here? No. There are four separate instructions in this question: Spend about 40 minutes on this task Write about the following topic. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience. Write at least 250 words. These instructions will appear with each Writing Task 2 and there may be other specific instructions in the question itself. Candidates should always make sure to read all of the printed information carefully.

Is the writing in bold italics the question candidates have to answer? Yes. For each Academic Writing Question Paper, the Task 2 question itself is printed in bold italics.

Do candidates only have to answer the question ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree ’? No. The two sentences before this contain information which tells the candidates the exact topic that they need to discuss. They will need to present information which is relevant to the topic, in this particular case, the problems associated with the huge growth in car ownership and use, as well as evaluate the solutions proposed in the input prompt. Any views expressed will need to be supported using examples or evidence which are specifically relevant to the task set. Do candidates have to be able to talk about cars in Britain between 1888 and 2000? No. For Writing Task 2, there are often opening statements such as this to give candidates some background information about the topic. Candidates may use this information as ‘supporting evidence’ in their essay or they may prefer to give exmples of traffic problems in their own country. The second sentence in the input prompt indicates this when it talks about ‘…car ownership and use’ in general.

Do candidates have to talk specifically about cars and not trains or buses? No. The second sentence in this question refers to ‘Alternative forms of transport’, so candidates will need to discuss other means of transport such as trains and buses. Candidates should be sure to read all of the statements involved in the question very carefully and respond accordingly.

Is it enough for candidates to just give their own opinion about this topic? No. In this case candidates have to say how much they agree or disagree with the proposed soultions, and for each Writing Task 2 you must be sure to follow the instruction which says ‘Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience ’.

Do candidates have to pretend to be a specialist when they are writing their answer? No. Candidates answers should be formal and academic but they are not expected to be a specialist and should write in a non-specialist way so that their answer can be clearly understood by someone with no specialist knowledge of this topic. This is reinforced by the instruction to ‘include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience ’.

Do candidates have to write a formal letter to answer this question? No. Writing Task 2 requires a formal essay, not a letter.

Do candidates have to talk about problems with cars in the past as well as the future? No. The first statement in the question refers to the year 1888 in order to show that the number of cars has increased dramatically in a relatively short period of time. Candidates do not need to refer to the past for this particular question. Candidates should be made aware that the question often features statements which give general background information which help to establish the topic.