Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic Writing Test 4

• Task 1: describe the chart/graph/table in your own words.
• Task 2: write an argumentative essay responding to the prompt.
• On submit, AI will score you on all 4 IELTS criteria with feedback.

Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic Writing Test 4 runs a Task 1 graph and then a Task 2 direct-question essay, which means switching registers from analytical neutrality to confident argument inside the same hour. Task 1 asks you to summarise the average monthly change in the prices of three metals during 2014. Task 2 then turns to a discursive prompt: In many countries, people are now living longer than ever before.

Lead with overall direction (rising, falling, fluctuating) and then group the lines or series by behaviour. Always include a starting value and an end value when describing a trend, and avoid copying numbers from the axis without paraphrasing the unit. Answer the question directly in the introduction and use each body paragraph to develop one main reason or example. Hedge sensibly with 'in many cases' or 'particularly' rather than absolutes — examiners reward measured argumentation.

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 a direct-question 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.

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