IELTS General Training Writing Practice Test (PDF with Answers)

Taking a practice test is one of the best things you can do to prepare yourself for the IELTS General Training test. When it comes to writing, though, practice is especially important! In this post, we’ll share an IELTS General Training Writing practice test PDF with answers that you can use to develop your skills before test day. So take a look at the IELTS General Writing Task 1 Practice Test (with Answers) PDF, then come back when you’ve finished your essay for info about scoring!

IELTS General Training Writing Practice Test (PDF with Answers)

Ready to start practicing? In this PDF, you can read the sample questions, write your own essays, and then them to the model essays and scoring advice in the document. Here’s the IELTS General Training Writing practice test PDF for download:

How should I score this practice Writing section?

Once you’ve finished your section, it’s time to score the tasks. First things first: review the band descriptors for Task 1 and Task 2.

Then, take a closer look at your essays, rereading them to evaluate how well they meet the criteria in each of the four categories.

It can be very difficult to score your own essay objectively, so working with a scoring partner is useful here. That said, if you’re scoring your responses on your own, you can ask yourself the following questions to help determine your band level for each criterion:

Did your Task 1 word count exceed the 150 word minimum, and did your Task 2 word count exceed the 250 word minimum? If not, do not give yourself full points for “Task Response.”
Did you address each part of the task? Break down the prompt into different parts. Then, match each part of the prompt to part of your essay. If you did not address one or more parts of the task, do not give yourself full points for “Task Response.”
Does each paragraph have its own clear topic sentence and supporting details? If not, then take some points away in “Coherence and Cohesion.”
Do the tasks use adequate transitional language to tie paragraphs together and move from the paragraph to the conclusion? If not, do not give yourself full points for “Coherence and Cohesion.”
Do you use vocabulary clearly and fluently, avoiding serious errors in word choice, and varying word choice to avoid repetition? If not, your self-score in “Lexical Resource” should not be perfect.
Do you use grammar with confidence and skill, with no serious mistakes? And do you use a variety of sentence structures? If the answer to any of that is “no,” give yourself a less-than-perfect score in “Grammatical Range and Accuracy.”

Additional Practice Writing Tests for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training

Sitting down to complete this IELTS General Writing Task 1 Practice Test (with Answers) PDF is a great first step. However, the key to really boosting your score on this section of the IELTS is regular practice. With that in mind, here are more resources where you can find more sample writing tasks for IELTS Writing!

In our IELTS Writing practice test post, you’ll find the full Academic Writing section in PDF form, another in video form, as well as an additional full General Training Writing section! Keep in mind that while the Task 1 question types differ between Academic and General Training tasks, Task 2 is the same in both versions. In other words, no matter which test you’re taking, all of the task 2 prompts in these links are useful practice.

Magoosh’s IELTS Academic Writing practice test is also useful for the same reason! Again, if you’re taking the General Training exam, skip the first task, replacing it with a GT prompt (such as those you’ll find on the Magoosh blog!).

Additional Practice Questions

If you prefer to go through individual questions rather than whole Writing sections, take a look at the following resources! Keep in mind that their usefulness will vary, depending on which test you’re taking. (Also, some of these questions can be found in the PDFs as well, while others are wholly unique.)

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Map With Model Answer — When you need practice with map questions specifically for the IELTS, this sample prompt and answer show you what a high-scoring response look like.

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Process Diagram with Model Answer — Process diagrams on Task 1 can scare students, but they get a lot easier with practice!
IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Line Graph with Model Answer (Band 9)— What does a high-scoring response on this common Academic Task 1 task type look like? Our experts show you here.

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Pie Chart with Model Answer — When the test asks you to analyze a pie graph, what should you do? This sample prompt and response will help you prepare.
IELTS Writing Task 2: Causes/Solutions Sample Essay — How can you get a high score on a causes/solution essay? Take a look at this sample prompt and response to find out.
IELTS Writing Task 2: Agree/Disagree — We also have a sample question and model response for the common agree/disagree question type!
IELTS Writing Task 2: Advantage/Disadvantage Learn how to discuss advantages and disadvantages with a question and sample response for this variation of Task 2
IELTS Writing Task 2: Two-Part Essays — With an example question and an example response, learn how to answer two-part IELTS Writing Task 2 questions.
The Discussion IELTS Writing Task 2 Question Type — Learn how to discuss both sides of an issue in IELTS Writing Task 2 with a question and example response.

More Resources for IELTS Writing

Finally, make sure you’re prepared for the official IELTS exam by familiarizing yourself with the IELTS, from task types to the question types you can expect to see on the exam! Once you’ve finished the IELTS General Training Writing practice test PDF with answers, take a look at the following to polish your writing even more.

What do you need to know about IELTS Writing? Make sure you have the basics covered with this overview of the IELTS Writing tasks.
Taking the Academic test? Here’s your complete guide to IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic).
No matter which test you’re taking, make sure you’re prepared for the second task with the complete guide to IELTS Writing Task 2!

What types of questions can you expect to see on IELTS Writing Task 2? Find out with our guide to Task 2 question types!
Looking to practice with Academic Task 1? Here are sample Academic Task 1 prompts you can use for this!
Taking the General Training test instead? Enjoy Task 1 tips for writing a great letter!

Magoosh’s IELTS Essay Scoring Service

Last but not least, you may want to consider getting your essays scored by Magoosh IELTS instructors. Subscription prices and plans can be found at this page for Magoosh IELTS Essay grading.

Author

Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Rachel is a Magoosh Content Creator. She writes and updates content on our High School and GRE Blogs to ensure students are equipped with the best information during their test prep journey. As a test-prep instructor for more than five years in there different countries, Rachel has helped students around the world prepare for various standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT, and she is one of the authors of our Magoosh ACT Prep Book. Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Brown University, an MA in Cinematography from the Université de Paris VII, and a Ph.D. in Film Studies from University College London. For over a decade, Rachel has honed her craft as a fiction and memoir writer and public speaker. Her novel, THE BALLERINAS, is forthcoming in December 2021 from St. Martin’s Press, while her memoir, GRADUATES IN WONDERLAND, co-written with Jessica Pan, was published in 2014 by Penguin Random House. Her work has appeared in over a dozen online and print publications, including Vanity Fair Hollywood. When she isn’t strategically stringing words together at Magoosh, you can find Rachel riding horses or with her nose in a book. Join her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!

View all posts