Sample IELTS essays

Published on 17 May 2009 by Dominic Cole in writing

Sample essays

Click on the links below for sample IELTS essays

5 paragraph model

nuclear technology – with commentary

Families and modern lifestyles – with commentary and vocabulary quiz

4 paragraph model

Unemployment
Museums
Space exploration

Television

Education – school curriculum commentary here

Points to note in using the sample essays

Each essay follows the same basic 4 or 5 paragraph structure

How the introduction focuses on the question and introduces how the essay is going to be written

How each paragraph focuses on one main idea and expands it, using PEE (Point – Explain – Example)

How sentences within paragraphs are linked together using pronouns, linking words and repetition.

These essays are either argument based or opinion based

How to use the sample essays for vocabulary

One way to use these samples is to find vocabulary you can use for yourself. This vocabulary can be divided into:

topic vocabulary – specific vocabulary relating to the topic of the question
structural/organising vocabulary (eg “One point to note is..”)

Here is my link to useful vocabulary to structure an essay.

How to use the sample essays for essay structure

Another way to use these essays is to see how an IELTS essay is structured:

note how the introduction addresses the question and leads into the main body of the essay
identify the main point of each topic paragraph
note how the topic paragraphs link to each other (do they present similar or contrasting attitudes?)
note the functions of the conclusion: to summarise and/or present the answer to the question

How to use the sample essays for paragraph structure

Note how each paragraph focuses on one main idea and how that idea is expanded by the use of examples and reasons. You will find more about this under coherence.

Dominic Cole's IELTS Blog