Click on the links below for sample IELTS essays.
4 paragraph model
A series of sample essays following a 4 paragraph model
- The dangers of advertising
- Dangerous sports
- International sporting events
- Promotion at work
- Exams and continuous assessment
- Computer technology and the future
- Cultural globalisation
- Factory farms
- Refugees
- Newspapers and books
- Fuel and the environment
- Salaries
- Unemployment
- Museums
- Space exploration
- Television
- Education – school curriculum
- Houses and apartments
- Arts and sciences
- Overpopulation
- Technology and education
5 paragraph model
A series of sample essays following a 5 paragraph model
Write essays yourself
I suggest you try these exercises from the Academic Word List to improve your vocabulary
Essay writing exercises from the AWL
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..”)
- academic vocabulary
Here is my link to useful vocabulary to structure an essay. You can practise the academic vocabulary on my Academic Word List page where you will find an interactive quiz on each 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.
Dear Dominic,
I appreciate your hard work and thanks for this wonderful blog. I have an exam next month can you please go through this essay and give me a brief idea about how far do I need to work to get a 7 band.
Thanks in anticipation
Q: Some businesses now say that no one can smoke cigarettes in any of their offices.Some governments have banned smoking in all the public places. Do you agree or not. Give reasons.
Public smoking is an issue with growing concern and several actions are expected to work in place. It has now been prohibited by some governing bodies to smoke in public and many organizations have restricted its use in offices. I am in favour of the changes implemented by the authorities however this essay intends to view both sides of the issue.
The proponents put forward strong arguments based on several major consequences. Firstly, smoking in public has direct affect on the health of surrounding people as they are forced to inhale carcinogenic air as a result of passive smoking. Secondly, the work environment is disturbed by smokers leaving the work place occasionally for smoke breaks. The third reason lies to the fact that cigarette smoke is deteriorating the atmosphere by adding harmful inhalants in the air.
On the contrary, the opponents argue on the basis of liberty on making personal choices. The reasoning behind this debate is that smoking is an individual choice, businesses and government should refrain from such amendments. They emphasize that it has no affect on their work effectiveness instead it is a medicine for anxiety and depression. Furthermore, neurological research favours them by asserting that nicotine present in cigarette relieves short term work stress.
However, my prospective, after assessing both aspects of the situation, leads me to believe that the favouring argument out weights the opposite. This is because smoking has ill effects not only on the person inhaling it but also on the whole immediate environment and the people. Hence the ban on public smoking helps all those who choose not to smoke.
I think your essay is worthy to be marked 7 band score. clear ideas, no gramatical mistakes. all in all very good essay
The quality of health care a person receives should not depend on the size of their bank balance. The government is responsible for providing a high level of health care for all its citizens. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement
Dear Dominic,
thank you for your wonderful assistance. I no longer carryout research but relying completely on IELTS BLOG. I wish to have more sample essays, listening, reading and speaking test. for I am writing in January
Hi
the plan is a new essay, reading and listening practce each week.
I know that this is hard advice to take but if you are a month or so before the exam, I really do believe in quality of practice over quantity of practice. Spend plenty of time doing English language things, but put the pressure on yourself with the IELTS Exam practice. If you only allow yourself to do one a day or so, then you concentrate and are much more likely to improve. There’s a real danger that if you practise too much, you stop Improving because you know you always have another chance.
In the past age, computers are playing increasing role in our livs.
You are doing a great job here.Thanks
thanks dominic thats a very good blog really
thanks.for.posting.these.essays.hope.it’ll.help.me.alot.cheers!
that is a real site which i was lookig for. it could be the base for ielts worms. only one month is quite enough to achive 7 band individually . i dont have words to adulate the generator of this site.
hi dominic, i just took the Gen one and it frustrates me to have 6.5 on writing even though i got a band score of 7, I tried to study hard in writing but i always end up losing ideas when the topic in essay is bit tricky. Can you please give me tips or advise just to help me get through this ;(
My advice comes in 2 parts.
1. You don’t really need many ideas for essays. You only need one idea per content paragraph which means 2/3 ideas for the essay and these ideas are big ideas like “I agree” and “I disagree”. What you do need are reasons and examples to support those ideas. I often find in class that students are much happier trying to think of reasons (“Why do I think that?”) and examples than ideas.
2. A practical tip is to brainstorm vocabulary before writing. This will not just help the vocab in your essay but can also help with ideas. You see a word and then get an idea fro the essay from it.