Cambridge IELTS 13 Academic Writing Test 1 places a Task 1 map before a Task 2 opinion (agree/disagree) essay, and the candidates who score band 7 here are the ones who plan both responses before writing either. Task 1 asks you to summarise road access to a city hospital in 2007 and in 2010. Task 2 then turns to a discursive prompt: Living in a country where you have to speak a foreign language can cause serious social problems, as well as practical problems.
With maps, group changes into structures added, structures removed and structures relocated, then describe each group together. Use compass directions and fixed reference points (the river, the road, the boundary) so the examiner can re-draw the map from your description without seeing the original picture. State a clear thesis in the introduction — partial agreement is acceptable, but the position must be unambiguous.
Twenty minutes on Task 1 means committing to your groupings within the first five — do not change your structure halfway through. Task 2 needs forty disciplined minutes: ten to plan and outline, twenty-six to write, four to edit. On an opinion (agree/disagree) essay, the conclusion is the only place the examiner reads your final position with full attention, so write it last and write it deliberately.
New to this skill? Read the Writing question types guide for tactics, scoring rules, and frequency analysis across Cambridge 10–20. Or browse all Writing practice tests.
Looking for written strategy? See the IELTS Blog for in-depth posts.
Unlock this test (and all 132 Cambridge tests plus AI essay scoring) with AcademIELTS Premium.