IELTS Writing Recent Actual Test 20
WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task
The chart below shows a comparison of different kinds of energy production in France in 1995 and 2005.
Write at least 150 words.
WRITING TASK 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task
Write about the following topic:
The media should include more stories which report good news. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
SAMPLE ANSWER IELTS WRITING TEST 20
WRITING TASK 1The pie charts illustrates energy generation from five different sources in France in two years 1995 and 2005.
It is clear that while the percentages of energy produced from Coal, Gas, Nuclear and Other sources increased, the reverse was true for Petrol over the period shown. Additionally, Coal and Gas were the two most significant means of energy production in this country during the research period.
In 1995, Coal was the primary source of energy in France with the figure registering nearly 30%, while Gas and Petrol were used to create 29.63% and 29.27% of the total energy respectively. In contrast, only 4.9% of the total energy was manufactured from other sources compared with 6.4% by Nuclear power.
In 2005, the proportions of energy generated from Coal and Gas rose insignificantly to 30.93% and 30.31% respectively. By contrast, much less energy was produced from Petrol as illustrated by a dramatic fall of nearly 10% to only 19.55%. Meanwhile, there were considerable increases in the figures for Nuclear and Other sources to 10.10% and 9.10% respectively.
(176 words)
WRITING TASK 2A large number of media channels these days are too focused on negative news, probably to increase viewership. However, many people often say that they prefer more good news being covered in the media. I personally agree with this Idea and will explain my reasoning in my essay below.
Bad news dominating the headlines is having an undesirable influence on society. Psychologically, this type of news, unless managed properly, may keep readers in a state of stress and lead them to experience trauma. Stories about ISIS slaughtering innocent citizens for example caused massive damage to people’s mental states and instilled fear into their minds. Also, frequent exposure to negative news can distort readers’ perception of reality. In Vietnam for example, it seems that members of the media do not focus on keeping the public informed of current events anymore, both locally and globally. Instead, they are trying to publish articles with the primary aim of attracting more viewers and therefore increasing profits. This, unfortunately, shapes readers’ outlook on society in a negative way.
On the other hand, including good news in the media may have positive effects on the general public. It helps restore our faith in humanity, which inspires moral courses of action to uphold ethical social values. Media stories of good news, as opposed to bad news, can also have a positive psychological implication. Such stories can uplift people to become more optimistic and generally improve both physical and mental health.
In conclusion, I believe recounting more stories of good news can positively affect the moral behavior of a group of people and therefore should receive more attention. Although negative news still has an important place in our life, its severity should be realized so that readers can fully reap all the benefits that the media has to offer.
(301 words)