Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic Writing Test 1

• 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 19 Academic Writing Test 1 couples a Task 1 graph with a Task 2 discussion essay; the trick on this paper is to leave Task 1 cleanly rather than perfectly. Task 1 asks you to summarise information on the numbers of participants for different activities at one social centre in Melbourne. Task 2 then turns to a discursive prompt: Some people think that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing.

Lead with overall direction (rising, falling, fluctuating) and then group the lines or series by behaviour. 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.

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 discussion 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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