IELTS 4 Writing Model Essay (Free sample)

Test 1 Task 2 Question

Test 1 Task 2 Model Essay by an Expert

The presence of media everywhere today can cause an information overload. Different forms of media bombard the average person with hundreds of pieces of information and advertisement on any given day. As a result, we must look harder at the technologies available if we are to know how we can most effectively communicate information to a wide audience. What technologies are best to insure our message does not get lost among this mass of competing media? In this essay I will examine the advantages and disadvantages of radio, television, and books respectively, and argue for the supremacy of the book as a medium.

The radio was the first major technological advance of modern media, and it has been extremely successful. Many families still keep the radio on all day in the background, and it was common practice in pre-television America for families to gather around their set together, to hear favourite programs such as The Shadow or Dragnet. Radio still has an advantage over other forms of media because it is so easy to access: no special attention or activity is required. If the majority of radio listeners in the West today are car drivers, this further demonstrates that the radio can find listeners without making demands other media make – like sitting still or getting rid of distractions. But the radio is a victim of its own success in this regard, as it also fails to captivate in the way that other media can. That very ease of access also means that the impact of information communicated by radio is lessened.

By contrast, television is extremely absorbing – so much so that it is often blamed for childhood issues like Attention Deficit Disorder. This absorbing quality allows its messages to be communicated extremely effectively, and as information is generally communicated in short bursts it is possible to watch for long periods of time without getting bored. As a result, it is said that an American child on average spends altogether an entire day out of every week watching TV. While this seems to suggest the power of television to grab and hold one’s attention, does this mean that it is an ‘effective’ medium of communication? People often discuss the problem of ‘passive viewing’, meaning that TV viewers are focused but do not necessarily remember or even process everything they see.

As a result, the book shows itself to be the most effective medium. While reading, we both devote our attention in a focused way and are active readers, so that we must participate in the message’s communication ourselves. Reading also gives the reader the option of pausing to reflect and consider, and of going back to re-read. As a result it is possible to remember vividly stories read in childhood, whereas so little television seems to have the same effect. As an old technology, it is also cheap and easy to create and publish text.

In a world saturated by media options, it is oddly enough the oldest technology which still proves the most effective. As a communicator, the book both holds focused attention and encourages us to receive information in an active, rather than passive, way. As technologies continue to develop, we must not forget the sometimes the low-tech option is best!

(548 words)

IELTS 3 Writing Model Essay (Free sample)

Test 4 Task 1 Question

The graph below shows the unemployment rates in the US and Japan between March 1993 and March 1999.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.

You should write at least 150 words.

Test 4 Task 1 Model Essay by an Expert

The graph shows the percentages of US and Japanese people out of work over a six year period. As a general overview we can see that although unemployment was much higher in the USA at the start of the period, these unemployment rates of these countries have become equal in more recent years.

While in 1992 the American unemployment rate was 4.5% higher than the Japanese, in the spring of 1998 the Japanese and American unemployment rates became equal at just over five percent. There is an inverse correlation between the changes in the unemployment rates between the two countries. For instance, between 1993 and 1994 the US rate dropped by an entire percentage point while the Japanese rate increased by approximately the same amount. This is also true in March 1996, where a spike in Japanese unemployment occurred during the period of steady decline in US rates. However, this does not remain the case after late 1996. As US unemployment became stable and remained around five percent of the work force in the years 1997-99, in the same period Japanese rates grew by over a half-percent. Late 1996 is the only period that shows a significant drop in both American and Japanese unemployment rates.

(205 words)

IELTS 3 Writing Model Essay (Free sample)

Test 1 Task 2 Question

Test 1 Task 2 Model Essay by an Expert

The audiences for international sporting events like the Olympics or the World Cup today number in the billions. In every corner of the world, television sets are switched on and people cheer for their national team. But do these events ease or increase the tensions and rivalries that exist between nations, as each team looks for victory? In this essay I will argue that though international sporting events are important for creating an international community, we must be aware of the tensions they can create as well.

Many people saw the 2008 Summer Olympics in China as an important step for China and the international community. China’s decision to host these games meant a new openness between China and the West. The presence of so many international spectators and journalists simply would not have been possible in the recent past. We must not too easily believe, however, that all international tensions vanish during Olympic events. Many will remember the controversy surrounding the Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen at the London 2012 Olympics. An American coach accused Ye Shiwen of having cheated, stating that such a remarkable victory would not have been possible otherwise. The event became a memorable part of the Olympics as it quickly became an international incident. While these games can promote openness between old rivals, they can also create further tensions.

In the past such international events have been important for politicians and diplomats, too. One positive example is the famous use of ‘Ping-Pong diplomacy’ that was important for the meeting of Mao Zedong and Richard Nixon in 1972. The Ping-Pong team members were among the first Americans to visit China during the Cold War. This event lead to better relations between the two countries, but international sporting events do not always produce such positive outcomes. In Europe, the 1936 Olympics in Berlin were used by the Nazi Party to show the power and accomplishments of fascism. Many important political leaders were invited to be spectators, and the games were broadcast for the first time to many countries around the world.  Hitler and the Nazi Party were praised for their accomplishments. So while such sporting events can be used to create positive meetings between countries, they can also be used for negative ideological purposes.

Today when international sporting events are bigger and have larger audiences than ever before, it is essential to remember both sides of the story. These events have long been useful in creating good relations between rivals, but have also been twisted to serve the wrong purposes. They may be the cause of tensions themselves, but often they create a new openness between nations.

(440 words)

IELTS 3 Writing Model Essay (Free sample)

Test 4 Task 2 Question

Test 4 Task 2 Model Essay by an Expert

In a world which is more and more connected, in which cultural and geographical distance is less of a barrier than ever before, developed nations must undertake a renewed commitment to aid in poorer nations – an activity from which they also have much to gain.  This essay will examine three arguments in support of this commitment from economic, social, and ethical perspectives.

The major economic argument for aid is related to the so-called ‘development trap’ – as described by the economist Jeffrey Sachs – in which developing economies find themselves unable to grow from generation to generation because certain basic conditions are not met. Without outside help, these conditions keep reproducing themselves. Limited access to capital, corrupt governance, as well as poor healthcare and infrastructure are all elements that ensure this reproduction. The only way to promote growth – to end these cycles – is to encourage developed governments not simply to provide aid, but to substantially invest. If this were to happen, developed governments themselves might eventually earn returns on investment – one more reason such help makes sense economically.

Many social ills are also addressed by aid initiatives. The unfair treatment of women, for instance, is an area which investment in education can fix. Increasing female literacy rates and extending the period before marriage both empowers young girls and helps change social attitudes toward their sex. More, women who raise children are able to pass on the benefits of education, ensuring entire communities gain valuable skills and knowledge. The help provided by rich nations thus has the ability to change more that GDP values – social equity and tolerance are achievable goals for the foreign aid schemes of rich nations.

Related to the above are the ethical arguments for the provision of aid. We may debate about the economic advantages to global markets, but surely an empathetic appeal trumps all. What ‘responsibility’ means in this situation is – in part – a careful consideration of the role rich nations have played in creating the poverty of the global south. The excesses of colonialism and cold-war-era political strategies have left a legacy of poverty and violence. For instance, development struggles against the cultures of extremism caused by our own strategies of political intervention. In coming to understand our need to take responsibility, we should move beyond a simple sense of the need to help the poor. We must also realize that responsibility involves recognizing a debt that we have still to pay.

From a variety of perspectives, foreign aid simply makes good sense. A richer combined global community is the apple offered to us – and one without the social of inequities that follow on poverty.

(438 words)

IELTS 3 Writing Model Essay (Free sample)

Test 1 Task 1 Question

The charts below show the number of Japanese tourists travelling abroad between 1985 and 1995 and Australia’s share of the Japanese tourist market.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.

You should write at least 150 words.

Test 1 Task 1 Model Essay

The number of Japanese tourists engaging in international travel has shown a relatively steady upward trend from 1985 to 1995. In this ten year period, the number of Japanese tourists travelling abroad almost quadrupled, from just over 4 million in 1985 to around 15 million in 1995.

Similarly, the percentage of those tourists travelling to Australia has increased between 1985 and 1995, from 2% in 1985 to a peak of over 6% in 1993. 1994 saw a slight drop in percentage, down to 6%. The rise in percentage over the decade is generally steady, with a small drop in 1989 from approximately 4.8% down to 4.2%. This followed an unusually sharp rise in percentage from 1987 to 1988. After the drop, the percentage recovered to 4.8% the following year, and continued to rise thereafter.

Overall, it is clear that the number of Japanese tourists travelling abroad is increasing enormously, with millions more travelling internationally with each year. Of these international tourists, an increasing percentage are choosing to travel to Australia.