Cambridge IELTS Writing

Part1

Part2

Opinion Question Style(Usual)

(To what extent do you) agree / disagree?

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Positive or negative development?

Advantages outweight the disadvantages?

Analysis Question Style(Seldom)

Problems and solutions

Causes and effects

Structure

Five paragraphs

• The Beginning
• Point1 + Reasoning
• Point2 + Exemplification
• Point3 + Concession
• The End

350 - 400 words

Example

Prompt:

Women and men are commonly seen as having different strengths and weakness. Some people think it is right to exclude males and females from certain professions because of their gender.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Writing:

Social issues related to gender have been widely discussed among people over centuries. Due to gender differences, some people have claimed that certain jobs should accept either men or women. However, such a statement suffers from logical and factual problems. I hardly agree with this one-sided proposal.

To begin with, limiting the access to certain occupations on the basis of gender may ignore the individualities since the over-generalized characteristics of men and women are not always proper. Such an act may hurt the whole society. For instance, if females are only allowed to enter particular careers be them nurses, teachers or accountants, those who are unenthusiastic and unable to handle these jobs and rejected from other professions might take these important positions. Males that are authentically passionate about these jobs will be faced with the risks of being jobless. Hence, the overall domestic unemployment rate will increase.

Additionally, in a society where the exclusion of men or women from certain jobs is taken for granted by people, pre-existing gender stereotypes tend to be reinforced, which is undesirable for social equality. For example, in many parts of the world girls are either explicitly or implicitly barred from entering certain professions such as science. As a result, girls might be discouraged from taking science classes at an early age, and later have less chance of finding good jobs. Had it not been for such bias, the society would have been more productive.

Admittedly, females and males with naturally selected biological dissimilarities either on brain structures or genes grant differentiated cognitive skills or physical strengths. Hence, labor division according to genders might enable a society to achieve productive efficiency. However, the collaboration and cooperation between women and men making full use of their distinctive advantages might further facilitate the efficiency of working, which has been studied extensively by multiple groups of researchers worldwide.

In conclusion, having considered both sides of the statement, I still believe that in a diverse and dynamic society, people, regardless of their gender, ought to have equal opportunities and access to compete for the jobs that they desire for.

Prompt

Agenda:

• One or both sides? (Focusing on one side is easier)

• A reservoir of high-level points

• Prompt analysis

• Idea generation

Practice Prompt

Foreign vistors should pay more than local visitors for cultural and historical attractions.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?