Cambridge IELTS 14 Academic Writing Test 1 opens with a Task 1 process diagram and closes with a Task 2 discussion essay, so it stress-tests both data description and discursive argument in a single hour. Task 1 asks you to summarise the average percentages in typical meals of three types of nutrients. Task 2 then turns to a discursive prompt: Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money.
Use the passive voice consistently and chain stages with sequencers like 'subsequently', 'once' and 'at this point' rather than counting 'firstly, secondly, thirdly'. Use two body paragraphs, one per view, then a balanced concluding paragraph that explains why both perspectives have merit. Use evaluative connectors — 'while it is true that', 'a stronger case can be made for' — to keep the discussion analytical rather than purely descriptive.
Hold yourself to a hard twenty-minute Task 1 cap: planning two minutes, drafting fifteen, editing three. Move to Task 2 even if Task 1 feels unfinished, because the discussion essay carries double the weight. Reserve the last six minutes for a single read-through across both answers — almost every band-7 candidate fixes at least two grammar slips during that final pass.
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