Task 1 will require you to look at an image, and then construct an explanation about what you see. 

Task 2 will consist of the following:

You’ll be given a statement or question, and then asked to write 250 words discussing this in essay format, using formal language. You will be marked on your ability to argue for/against in a persuasive fashion, using evidence, and examples based on your own personal experience too.

You’ll have a total of 40 minutes to complete the assessment. Again, falling under the word count will result in you being penalised. The marks for task 2 are twice that of task 1, meaning that failure to complete this exercise will greatly harm your chances of scoring highly.

During this assessment, the main elements that are being tested are in relation to the fluency of your writing and vocabulary. You are also being tested on how well your response is structured, how well it uses persuasive language, and how well it cites information and ideas. Basically, you need to put together a coherent and logical response, paying attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation, whilst addressing the main statement from the question.

‘Technology is harmful to human interaction.’

In the wake of Lenin’s death, a power struggle emerged within the Bolshevik party of the Soviet Union. On the one side, was Joseph Stalin. Cold, mechanical and more ruthless than anyone could have imagined, Lenin’s deathbed testament warned the other members of the Politburo against the General Secretary. On the other side, Leon Trotsky. Arrogant, brash but infinitely more idealistic than Stalin, the general expectation was that Trotsky would be the natural successor to Lenin. As it happened, Stalin astutely outmanoeuvred Trotsky, and the latter was exiled from the country.

On the face of it, it is quite shocking that Trotsky failed. Here was an astute, Jewish politician (widely regarded as far more intelligent than Stalin) who had been personally recommended by Lenin’s testament; theoretically Trotsky should have naturally stepped into the space left by the former.

There are several reasons why this did not happen.

Firstly, the testament of Lenin was hidden by Stalin and other members of the party. The letter (although excusing them) drew attention to Kamenev and Zinoviev’s doubts over the 1917 revolution, and thus it was beneficial for them to aid Stalin in covering this up. Together, the three formed a ‘troika’ against Trotsky – who inexplicably chose to remain on holiday after Lenin died, and failed to make any kind of public eulogy. This was compounded by Trotsky’s notoriously prickly and over-confident nature, which riled the other members of the Politburo. Indeed it was perhaps this over-confidence which led Trotsky to underestimate Stalin, and fall for extremely basic deception – such as being given the wrong date for Lenin’s funeral.

More importantly, Trotsky’s own ideology posed another problem. An idealist, Trotsky wanted to expand the socialist revolution throughout the world, and cause an international uprising. Stalin’s ideas were centralised at home; he believed that concentrated socialism in the anti-Semitic USSR would make Mother Russia stronger in the long run. Stalin used Trotsky’s ideas against him, claiming that they were a threat to the nation.

Ultimately, Stalin capitalised where Trotsky could not. He recognised an opportunity to consolidate power, using the name of Lenin to back himself, and carried this out with ruthless effectiveness. By 1940, Trotsky was dead – exiled and assassinated at Stalin’s command. So too were Kamenev, Zinoviev, Bukharin and Rykov. With nobody left to oppose him, Uncle Joe had won.

Now answer the following IELTS questions based on the passage:

Q1. Which of the following is NOT given as a reason for Trotsky’s failure?

A – Trotsky severely underestimated Stalin, due to his own overconfidence.
B – Trotsky was Jewish, in an anti-semitic country.
C – Stalin lied to Trotsky, and gave him the wrong date for Lenin’s funeral.
D – Trotsky’s foreign policy.

Q2. Which of the following best summarises the author’s views towards Trotsky?

A – Trotsky was a highly capable and intelligent politician, who severely underestimated his opponent.
B – He was an arrogant and overconfident fool, who turned everyone in the party against him.
C – Trotsky was the victim of a Politburo-wide conspiracy, and was forced out of the party by underhanded tactics.
D – Trotsky failed to recognise the needs of the Russian people, and therefore was ousted from his seat in government.

Match the idea presented with the paragraph in which it appears.

Q3. The majority of people expected that Trotsky would be the successor to Lenin.

Q4. Trotsky did not make any public statement following Lenin’s death, expressing his sorrow.

In Task 1, you will be given a specific situation, and will then be asked to write a response to this, in 150 words or more. Your response will be in the form of a letter, which can be either formal or informal depending on the subject, and will generally be written in response to an everyday, common situation – for example, making a complaint to someone, or writing a letter to your landlord.

Here’s a classic example of how a question of this type might look:

You are the leader of a team in your workplace. Your team has been tasked with showing prospective investors why they should invest in your company. Your head of department has asked you to write the investors a short letter, explaining the benefits of investing.

In your letter, you must explain:

— What bonuses the company can offer investors.
— What the financial rewards of investing with your company would be.
— Your company’s ethos and philosophy.

Your answer should be 150 words or more. It should start with the words, ‘Dear Mrs Marsham…’

After each question, you will be given 3 bullet points which explain the type of information that must be included in the response. For example, you might be told, ‘you must include the time of the meeting in your response.’

Part of the skill of this exercise involves identifying what tone to take in your letter. You need to establish what the correct approach is, either formal or informal, and then write in a style which is appropriate for the audience. For example, if you were writing to your boss then you would take a formal approach. If you were writing to a close friend, you will take an informal approach.

You have 20 minutes to construct your response to this question. As in the IELTS Academic, Task 1 is worth half as much as Task 2.

Task 2 is highly similar to task 2 of the Academic Writing, where you will be asked to write a discursive essay, of 250 words or more. The question will give you a point of view, subject, or argument, and then ask you to discuss this. The topics are of general interest; For example, they may discuss subjects like whether Britain should have a monarchy, the logic behind patriotism, environmental problems, smoking in public places, etc.

For example, you might be asked:

‘Many people believe that social media is having a dangerous and negative impact on human interactions, and is harmful for our long-term future.

In 250 words or more, discuss your views on this.’

In your response, you need to argue for/against a particular view. Although it’s always good if you can acknowledge counter arguments, you have 40 minutes and 250 words to do this, so usually it’s better to focus on one side of the argument, whilst trying to be as persuasive, logical and fluent as possible. Your writing quality and your vocabulary are being assessed in this exercise, so it’s important that you can put together a coherent and logical response, paying attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation, whilst addressing the main statement from the question.

For more practice questions and answers, check out our fantastic IELTS study guide!