Looking up and preparing with IELTS practice tests is the best way to improve and get ready for the exam. In this section you will find several IELTS practice tests for the General Writing Task 1. Feel free to check out our main IELTS practice tests page as well if you wish to train for all the sections of the exam.
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Free IELTS Practice Tests: General Training Writing
IELTS Academic Writing – Practice Test #1
IELTS Academic Writing – Practice Test #2
IELTS Academic Writing – Practice Test #3
IELTS General Training Writing Task 1: Free Practice Tests
Down below you will find practice tests for the IELTS General Writing Task 1, ranging from easy to hard:
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You are a student at a language school in Scotland studying on an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. Part of the course is a summer school. You have just learned that this summer school might be cancelled.
Write a letter to the Director of studies. In your letter:
- give your reason for writing
- describe the problem and your concerns
- explain what you would like the Director of studies to do.
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Mr Terry,Explanation:
This letter details the situation in the task and uses appropriate style and tone to request a refund using conditional sentences, comparatives and standard letter phrases. It’s very important for candidates to learn standard formal letter phrases in order to do well in the writing test.
Model Answer:
Dear Mr Terry,
I am writing this letter to express how extremely disappointed I am with the news that the summer school may be cancelled this summer.
One of the main reasons I chose to study English at your school in June was so that I would already be there to go to the summer school. There are many English schools in Scotland that have EAP courses, but there aren’t many that have a summer school programme. Your course is more expensive than some of the other schools, but I thought it was worth paying extra because of the summer school. Now I hear that this may be cancelled so the situation has changed.
If the summer school is definitely not going ahead then I will no longer be interested in attending the EAP course and I would like to request a full refund. I will try to find another school that has some kind of summer programme as I already have my flight tickets for the dates I had planned.
Please could you confirm whether the summer school is cancelled or not.
I look forward to receiving your reply.
Yours Sincerely,
Brian Simpson
Explanation:
Use formal English and no contractions as this is a letter of complaint. Use one paragraph for each point and focus on using verb forms correctly. For example, use past simple to explain what caused the problem, then to express action required use structures like, please arrange, and modals, such as ‘must’ and ‘should’.
Model Answer:
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to you concerning a serious problem with delivery of a Garden-Plush set of furniture. When I placed this order at your store over two weeks ago, delivery was guaranteed within five working days, yet I only received it yesterday. Furthermore, on opening the boxes I discovered that several items were missing, even though they are listed on the invoice. I have only received two armchairs instead of four and none of the cushions for the two sofas.
As there was no reply when I phoned your office, I left an urgent message, but no-one has called me back. I am afraid that this level of service is simply not acceptable. Please arrange for immediate delivery of the aforementioned items and confirm the exact date by phone or email.
I ordered this luxury garden furniture set ready for a special birthday party that will take place in ten days’ time. I must therefore insist that all these items are delivered by next Friday at the latest. In view of these problems, I also feel I should be entitled to some form of compensation.
Yours faithfully,
Sarah Myers
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Write a letter to a client apologizing for a mistake made in the delivery of a key product.
- Apologize for the problem
- Provide an explanation for the cause
- Offer some kind of compensation
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Mr. Beauregard,
Explanation:
For an apology letter, use expressions that show how sorry you are. Do not forget to use linking words and phrases such as “regarding” or “in relation to”.
Model Answer:
Dear Mr. Beauregard,
I am writing to offer my apologies for the terrible mistake that took place in the delivery of the F45-G66 pieces.
An unfortunate misunderstanding took place on our side when the orders were processed, and they were evidently mixed up. I am well aware that the resulting damage cannot be undone and I take full responsibility for this unacceptable incident. Since we value your business, I hope you will accept my offer to make up for the losses.
We would like to provide you with the correct parts (as per your order # 12909 issued on the 4th of April 2020) at no cost whatsoever, to supply you with the same order or a similar one, and free shipping.
We cannot express how sorry we are for this incident. Rest assured that it will not be repeated.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Frank Will
Sales Manager
What Is the Format and the Instructions for the IELTS General Writing Task 1?
The IELTS General Training Writing section lasts one hour and has two questions – Task 1 and Task 2. You should spend a maximum of 20 minutes on Task 1 and the rest on Task 2. Why? Because Task 1 is worth a third of the result, while IELTS General Writing Task 2 is two-thirds!
It’s important to know how your work is evaluated. Examiners will look at the following points:
- Task Achievement: Did you answer all parts of the question? Was the tone appropriate?
- Coherence and Cohesion: Is the information logical and clear?
- Lexical Resource: In other words, your vocabulary!
- Grammar Range and Accuracy: How many different tenses you use and how precisely you write.
Each element is worth 25% of your final score, so they’re all equally important.
For the IELTS General Writing Task 1, you’ll need to write at least 150 words for a formal letter. The letter could be an apology, a complaint, or even an invitation. You may be writing to a school teacher, a company, a friend or a family member. You need to make sure you use the correct language and tone for the situation.
Think about focusing on the IELTS Writing section structure as well to enhance your prep
What’s the best way to improve your IELTS General Writing paper result?
The best way to improve your writing is using IELTS General Writing practice papers and working on the different style of questions. This way you can be prepared for any question you may find in Task 1.
Key Things to remember for IELTS General Writing Task 1
- Read the question carefully before you start writing.
- Include all the points asked for in the question.
- Use the correct language and tone of voice.
- Don’t spend more than 20 minutes on Task 1
- Before you start writing, look how you can incorporate different vocabulary and grammar.
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