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.
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