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On Cambridge IELTS 16 Academic Writing Test 1, candidates face a Task 1 process diagram followed by a Task 2 two-part question essay — a combination that rewards planning more than raw writing speed. Task 1 asks you to summarise the changes in ownership of electrical appliances. Task 2 then turns to a discursive prompt: In some countries, more and more people are becoming interested in finding out about the history of the house or building they live in.
Use the passive voice consistently and chain stages with sequencers like 'subsequently', 'once' and 'at this point' rather than counting 'firstly, secondly, thirdly'. Answer the two questions in order with one body paragraph each. The introduction should paraphrase both questions and signal the structure; the conclusion should answer both, not merely summarise the prompt.
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 a two-part question 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.
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