Cambridge IELTS 15 Academic Writing Test 4 matches a Task 1 table with a Task 2 advantages-outweigh-disadvantages essay; together they cover the two skill sets the examiner cares about most. Task 1 asks you to summarise what Anthropology graduates from one university did after finishing their undergraduate degree course. Task 2 then turns to a discursive prompt: In some cultures, children are often told that they can achieve anything if they try hard enough.
Round large numbers when comparing — '£12.4 million, almost double the 1999 figure' beats four decimal places. Decide before you start whether the advantages or the disadvantages win, and signal that judgement in the introduction. Use a 'concession plus rebuttal' structure: acknowledge the weaker side first, then spend the longer paragraph on the side you support, ending with a comparative sentence that explains the imbalance.
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 advantages-outweigh-disadvantages essay, the conclusion is the only place the examiner reads your final position with full attention, so write it last and write it deliberately.
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