Guides
IELTS writing, explained by the mark scheme
Worked samples, band criteria in plain English, and the specific sentences that cost you a band.
Latest
Animal Testing IELTS Essay: Both Sides, With a Full Sample Answer
Argument banks for both sides of the animal testing question, a complete Task 2 sample answer, and the reasoning behind every paragraph choice.
Complaint Letter About a Neighbour's Barking Dog: IELTS General Training Sample
A full General Training sample letter about a neighbour's barking dog, plus the complaint skeleton that also works for noise, parking, rubbish and building work.
IELTS Pie Chart Sample Answer: How to Group Percentages Instead of Listing Them
The same pie chart answered twice, once by listing every slice and once by grouping them. See exactly which sentences cost a band and why.
How to Mark Your Own IELTS Essay Against the Four Criteria
A repeatable four pass method for marking your own IELTS essay, one criterion at a time, with the question to ask at each pass.
IELTS Bar Chart Sample Answers: Band 6 vs Band 8, Sentence by Sentence
Two answers to the same bar chart, one weak and one strong. Compared sentence by sentence, with the reason each version scores what it scores.
IELTS General Training Formal Letters: Openings, Closings and the Three Bullet Points
In IELTS General Training, the three bullet points are the marking scheme. How to map each to a paragraph, plus greetings and sign offs that pair correctly.
Worked essay topics
General Training letters
Complaint Letter About a Neighbour's Barking Dog: IELTS General Training Sample
A full General Training sample letter about a neighbour's barking dog, plus the complaint skeleton that also works for noise, parking, rubbish and building work.
IELTS General Training Formal Letters: Openings, Closings and the Three Bullet Points
In IELTS General Training, the three bullet points are the marking scheme. How to map each to a paragraph, plus greetings and sign offs that pair correctly.
IELTS Letter to a Neighbour: Formal, Semi-Formal and Informal Versions Compared
One situation, three registers, three letters. How to choose the right tone for a General Training letter to a neighbour, and what the wrong tone costs.
How to Start an IELTS Letter: Dear Sir, Dear Mr Smith, or Dear John?
The greeting you choose in IELTS General Training Task 1 sets the register for the whole letter. Here is how to pick it, and the sign-off that has to match.
Task 1 charts and diagrams
IELTS Pie Chart Sample Answer: How to Group Percentages Instead of Listing Them
The same pie chart answered twice, once by listing every slice and once by grouping them. See exactly which sentences cost a band and why.
IELTS Bar Chart Sample Answers: Band 6 vs Band 8, Sentence by Sentence
Two answers to the same bar chart, one weak and one strong. Compared sentence by sentence, with the reason each version scores what it scores.
IELTS Line Graph Sample Answer: The Overview Sentence That Decides Your Band
One line graph, four different overview sentences ranked from weakest to strongest, with the reason each version scores what it scores.
The Water Cycle Diagram in IELTS Task 1: A Full Band 8 Answer, Explained
A complete IELTS Task 1 answer for the water cycle diagram, plus the sequencing and passive voice patterns that transfer to any process question.
Scoring and band descriptors
Task 2 essay types
IELTS Opinion Essay Sample: A Band 8 Answer With the Thinking Shown
A full IELTS opinion essay, then the plan that produced it, then the three positions you can take on any prompt and when each one is easiest to defend.
IELTS Advantages and Disadvantages Essay: Structure, Sample and the Question Trap
Two different IELTS questions hide behind the same words. Answer the wrong one and Task Response is capped. Here is how to tell them apart, with a full sample.