Cambridge IELTS 13 Academic Writing Test 2 matches a Task 1 chart with a Task 2 opinion (agree/disagree) essay; together they cover the two skill sets the examiner cares about most. Task 1 asks you to summarise the percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011. Task 2 then turns to a discursive prompt: Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices.
Group the data into two or three clear bands rather than reading each segment in turn — examiners reward grouping over listing. Pick two contrasting figures for the body and leave smaller detail for a closing comparative sentence. State a clear thesis in the introduction — partial agreement is acceptable, but the position must be unambiguous.
Budget twenty minutes for the Task 1 report and forty for the Task 2 essay, and resist the temptation to keep polishing Task 1 once your overview and two body paragraphs are in place. On an opinion (agree/disagree) essay, the introduction and conclusion deserve at least seven minutes of focused work between them — they frame the marker's first and last impression of your Coherence and Cohesion.
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.