IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer: Problems with Purchasing Cars (Real Test)

by Dave | Oct 8, 2019 | Real Past Tests

This is an IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer about purchasing cars in developing countries from the real IELTS and it’s a very good question to practice on!

If you want to get over your IELTS fears and achieve your dreams (of going abroad or getting a better job), I now offer online lessons complete with feedback, videos, workbooks and more!

Consider supporing my efforts to write these essays but signing up for my exclusive IELTS Ebooks here on Patreon.

The question is about the effects of purchasing cars and it is a two part IELTS question.

I really like this topic because I live in the city and see the effects of cars firsthand everyday!

I deal with a common question in this IELTS essay as well: Should you use statistics in your writing? What if they are not real?

Read below for some ideas, analysis and vocabulary practice!

Dave 

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer: Problems with Purchasing Cars (Real Test)

More and more people in developing countries are purchasing cars for the first time. What problems does this cause? What do you think are the possible solutions?

It is a pressing problem that increased automobile purchases in developing countries is leading to a host of problems that governments will have to deal with in the future. I believe that the biggest problems centre around traffic and governments can impose higher taxes and support public transport to minimise the impact.

The rise of the automobile as a popular means of travel in developing countries inevitably leads to worsening road conditions. This is because developing nations often have narrower roads and fewer lanes. Once the growing middle class in previously impoverished countries begins to replace buses, motorbikes, and bicycles with cars, there is often a concurrent rise in the number of gridlocked roads. For example, research from The Economist linked a 40% rise in traffic jams to a 15% rise in automobile purchases in 2017 in Vietnam.

To fully address this problem, there are two potential fixes that governments can apply. Firstly, governments should enact higher taxes on all automobile purchases to deter buyers. This has had a massive impact in cities like Singapore where purchasing a car is prohibitively expensive for most residents. Another solution would be to invest further in public awareness campaigns of alternative modes of travel. A standout example of this would be in Vietnam, where these campaigns coupled with reduced fares to make busing more affordable, have cut down drastically on the number of vehicles on the road.

In conclusion, traffic problems caused by cars are a serious issue that governments must work hard to combat. If efforts are made to reduce automobiles on roads in favor of more efficient transport they will see their initial investment returned many times over in improved, sustained economic growth.

Word count: 282

IELTS Examiner Sample Answer Analysis

1. It is a pressing problem that increased automobile purchases in developing countries is leading to a host of problems that governments will have to deal with in the future. 2. I believe that the biggest problems centre around traffic and governments can impose higher taxes and support public transport to minimise the impact.

1. My first sentence just restates the topic for the essay. Write this sentence quickly because the next sentence is much more important!
2. Next is the overall opinion. This is a two part question, so try to give an opinion for each part if you can (you don’t have to include your main ideas even though I do).

1. The rise of the automobile as a popular means of travel in developing countries inevitably leads to worsening road conditions. 2. This is because developing nations often have narrower roads and fewer lanes. 3. Once the growing middle class in previously impoverished countries begins to replace buses, motorbikes, and bicycles with cars, there is often a concurrent rise in the number of gridlocked roads. 4. For example, research from The Economist linked a 40% rise in traffic jams to a 15% rise in automobile purchases in 2017 in Vietnam.

1. My first sentence is a topic sentence that has the topic for that paragraph – worsening road conditions. Read more about topic sentences here.
2. The second sentence explains why this is common in developing countries. Be strict with yourself – focus on developing nations and don’t get off-topic!
3. My third sentence focuses specfically on what changes occur. Be as specific as possible to boost your task achievement, vocabulary, and cohesion/coherence scores at the same time!
4. The fourth sentence gives a statistic to support my opinion. In my opinion, using a statistic is fine but you should be careful about using them in both paragraphs. My statistic is not real but examiners will not bother to look it up – don’t use another statistic for your second paragraph though!

1. To fully address this problem, there are two potential fixes that governments can apply. 2. Firstly, governments should enact higher taxes on all automobile purchases to deter buyers. 3. This has had a massive impact in cities like Singapore where purchasing a car is prohibitively expensive for most residents. 4. Another solution would be to invest further in public awareness campaigns of alternative modes of travel. 5. A standout example of this would be in Vietnam, where these campaigns coupled with reduced fares to make busing more affordable, have cut down drastically on the number of vehicles on the road.

1. My first sentence is another topic sentence – this time focused on the second question: the solutions. Try to paraphrase words like solutions (fixes, changes, improvements, make better, reduce traffic, etc.). Flexible paraphrasing will boost your IELTS vocabulary score a lot!
2. The second sentence gives my first solution.
3. The third sentence gives a very specific and detailed example of how this has been effective in the past.
4. My fourth sentence gives another solution. It is best to focus on just one solution but the question ask for solutionS so to be safe I wrote about two solutions.
5. The fifth sentence develops my second solution with another specific and detailed example. Specific and detailed – that’s how you get a good score for task achievement!

1. In conclusion, traffic problems caused by cars are a serious issue that governments must work hard to combat. 2. If efforts are made to reduce automobiles on roads in favor of more efficient transport they will see their initial investment returned many times over in improved, sustained economic growth.

1. My first sentence restates my overall opinion and the main topic.
2. The second sentence gives an extra detail that lots of examiners will require for band 7+. You can read more about conclusions here.

Word count: 282

Aim for around 250-300 words. 250 is probably too short to fully develop your answer and over 300 is a waste of time – quality over quantity!

Sample Answer Vocabulary

What do the words in bold mean? If you’re not sure, don’t use a dictionary – try to figure out the meaning from the whole sentence then check your answers below!

It is a pressing problem that increased automobile purchases in developing countries is leading to a host of problems that governments will have to deal with in the future. I believe that the biggest problems centre around traffic and governments can impose higher taxes and support public transport to minimise the impact.

The rise of the automobile as a popular means of travel in developing countries inevitably leads to worsening road conditions. This is because developing nations often have narrower roads and fewer lanes. Once the growing middle class in previously impoverished countries begins to replace buses, motorbikes, and bicycles with cars, there is often a concurrent rise in the number of gridlocked roads. For example, research from The Economist linked a 40% rise in traffic jams to a 15% rise in automobile purchases in 2017 in Vietnam.

To fully address this problem, there are two potential fixes that governments can apply. Firstly, governments should enact higher taxes on all automobile purchases to deter buyers. This has had a massive impact in cities like Singapore where purchasing a car is prohibitively expensive for most residents. Another solution would be to invest further in public awareness campaigns of alternative modes of travel. A standout example of this would be in Vietnam, where these campaigns coupled with reduced fares to make busing more affordable, have cut down drastically on the number of vehicles on the road.

In conclusion, traffic problems caused by cars are a serious issue that governments must work hard to combat. If efforts are made to reduce automobiles on roads in favor of more efficient transport they will see their initial investment returned many times over in improved, sustained economic growth.

Answers:

pressing problem important problem

developing countries 3rd world countries

host of problems lots of different problems

deal with try to resolve

impose enact

minimise the impact lessen the effect

rise increase

inevitably leads to will defintely cause

worsening road conditions more and more traffic

narrower roads roads without much space

fewer lanes narrow roads

growing middle class more people with disposable income

previously impoverished poor in the past

concurrent related or caused by

gridlocked full of traffic

The Economist a magazine about economics

linked caused by or related to

To fully address this problem to fix this issue

potential fixes possible solutions

deterdisincentivise

prohibitively expensive too expensive to buy

invest further put more money into

public awareness campaigns information for the public with an important message

alternative modes of travel different ways of travelling

standout example good example

coupled with combined with

reduced fares less expensive tickets

affordable cheap

cut down drastically reduce a lot

serious issue important topic

combat fight

initial investment returned many times over get your money back and more

sustained long-term

Pronunciation

ˈprɛsɪŋ ˈprɒbləm

dɪˈvɛləpɪŋ ˈkʌntriz

həʊst ɒv ˈprɒbləmz

diːl wɪð

ɪmˈpəʊz

ˈmɪnɪmaɪz ði ‘impækt

raɪz 

ɪnˈɛvɪtəbli liːdz tuː

ˈwɜːsnɪŋ rəʊd kənˈdɪʃənz

ˈnærəʊə rəʊdz

ˈfjuːə leɪnz

ˈgrəʊɪŋ ˈmɪdl klɑːs

ˈpriːviəsli ɪmˈpɒvərɪʃt

kənˈkʌrənt

‘gridlɒkt 

ði i(ː)ˈkɒnəmɪst

lɪŋkt 

tuː ˈfʊli əˈdrɛs ðɪs ˈprɒbləm

pəʊˈtɛnʃəl ˈfɪksɪz

dɪˈtɜː

prəˈhɪbɪtɪvli ɪksˈpɛnsɪv

ɪnˈvɛst ˈfɜːðə

ˈpʌblɪk əˈweənəs kæmˈpeɪnz

ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv məʊdz ɒv ˈtrævl

ˈstændaʊt ɪgˈzɑːmpl

ˈkʌpld wɪð

rɪˈdjuːst feəz

əˈfɔːdəbl

kʌt daʊn ˈdræstɪk(ə)li 

ˈsɪərɪəs ˈɪʃuː

ˈkɒmbæt

ɪˈnɪʃəl ɪnˈvɛstmənt rɪˈtɜːnd ˈmɛni taɪmz ˈəʊvə

səsˈteɪnd

Listen and repeat:

Vocabulary Practice

Remember and fill in the blanks:

It is a _______________ that increased automobile purchases in _______________ is leading to a _______________ that governments will have to _______________ in the future. I believe that the biggest problems centre around traffic and governments can _______________higher taxes and support public transport to _______________.

The _______________ of the automobile as a popular means of travel in developing countries _______________ _______________. This is because developing nations often have _______________ and _______________. Once the _______________ in _______________ countries begins to replace buses, motorbikes, and bicycles with cars, there is often a _______________ rise in the number of _______________ roads. For example, research from _______________ _______________a 40% rise in traffic jams to a 15% rise in automobile purchases in 2017 in Vietnam.

_______________, there are two _______________ that governments can apply. Firstly, governments should enact higher taxes on all automobile purchases to _______________ buyers. This has had a massive impact in cities like Singapore where purchasing a car is _______________ for most residents. Another solution would be to _______________ in _______________ of _______________. A _______________ of this would be in Vietnam, where these campaigns _______________ _______________ to make busing more _______________, have _______________ on the number of vehicles on the road.

In conclusion, traffic problems caused by cars are a _______________ that governments must work hard to _______________. If efforts are made to reduce automobiles on roads in favor of more efficient transport they will see their _______________ in improved, _______________ economic growth.

Listen and check your answers here:

Topic Practice from YouTube:

Watch the video above and use some ideas from here to practice your listening skills.

And a related speaking test here:

Reading Practice:

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2017/09/29/roads-are-becoming-more-deadly-in-developing-countries

Read the article above related to traffic accidents in developing countries and use some of the activities that I write about here to practice.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer: Studying Abroad (Real IELTS Test)

by Dave | Sep 30, 2019 | Real Past Tests

This is an IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer about students living abroad written by me, Dave, a former IELTS examiner.

I did this question with one of my classes and I found that it was a great teaching tool for two reasons.

Firstly, because students very slightly misunderstood the question. That slight misunderstanding led to lots of them getting band 5 for task achievement.

Here is the question:

Compared to the past, more people are now studying abroad because it is more convenient and cheaper than before. Do you think this is beneficial to the foreign student’s home country? Will this trend change much in the future?

Real Past IELTS Cambridge Tests

There is one tricky part. The topic is simple enough – more and more people study abroad now (you can ignore the convenience and cheaper part; it’s not important for the questions that you have to answer).

The tricky part is in the first question – will it be beneficial to the foreign student’s home country?

A lot of my students focused on individual benefits: a better career, more money, etc.

That is irrelevant to the question and will get you a band 4 or 5 for task achievement.

Instead, you must focus on the benefits for the home country: more specialised knowledge, more creative ideas, economic development, etc.

The second part of the question is simpler – just state whether or not you will think it will continue and why. For this part you could talk about individual benefits like making more money as the reason why the trend will continue.

Secondly, this question lends itself to a really detailed, specific answer and that is the most important skill to pracitce for your IELTS writing task 2.

I’m sure that you can think of lots of famous examples from your country of entrepreneurs, scientists, or politicians who studied abroad at some point.

Read below for my essay, analysis and more!

Consider supporing my efforts to write these essays but signing up for my exclusive IELTS Ebooks here on Patreon.

Dave

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer by Dave: Studying Abroad

Compared to the past, more people are now studying abroad because it is more convenient and cheaper than before. Do you think this is beneficial to the foreign student’s home country? Will this trend change much in the future?

Nowadays, there are more and more students choosing to study overseas due to a variety of benefits for their own future life and career. From my perspective, I believe that this trend can also be beneficial to the foreign student’s home country and will continue developing in the next few years because of these benefits.

I think it is beneficial to the foreign student’s home country because after they finish studying, they may choose to come back and contribute to their homeland. For example, Vietnamese Professor, Ngo Bao Chau was announced by the 2010 International Congress of Mathematics as one of four mathematicians to win the Fields Medal, which is the world’s most prestigious mathematics award. After returning to Vietnam, he started to help and encourage aspiring Vietnamese from universities to study mathematics further. He not only contributed directly to the burgeoning field of Vietnamese mathematics but also continues to serve as aspirational example to students of the rewards of studying abroad and then returning home.

In the future, I believe that this trend will continue as both foreign and domestic countries will support students through scholarships. For example, in Vietnam it is common for students to apply for scholarships to study in countries like the USA, the UK, Australia, France, and so on. These countries have the means and are willing to support students from foreign countries because it enhances the diversity of their campuses. Additionally, the government in Vietnam encourages studying abroad through scholarships for underprivileged students. They do this because students who study abroad typically return to Vietnam and help push forward economic development, as in the case of Ngo Bao Chau.

In conclusion, I feel that there are clear advantages for the foreign student’s home country because of their potential academic and economic contributions after coming back home. Developing nations in particular should invest heavily in programs to send students abroad, besides funding their own educational infrastructure, if they want to have the kind of secure foundation that will allow the country to flourish for many years.

Word count: 340 (a bit high – aim for 300!)

Analysis

1. Nowadays, there are more and more students choosing to study overseas due to a variety of benefits for their own future life and career. 2. From my perspective, I believe that this trend can also be beneficial to the foreign student’s home country and will continue developing in the next few years because of these benefits.

1. My first sentence is a topic sentence that lays out the topic for the whole essay. Don’t waste much time writing this sentence, just quickly paraphrase the general topic for the essay.
2. The second sentence gives my opinions about the two questions asked. This is important for your task achievement and cohesion/coherence scores. You don’t have to include your main ideas in your introduction.

1. I think it is beneficial to the foreign student’s home country because after they finish studying, they may choose to come back and contribute to their homeland. 2. For example, Vietnamese Professor, Ngo Bao Chau was announced by the 2010 International Congress of Mathematics as one of four mathematicians to win the Fields Medal, which is the world’s most prestigious mathematics award. 3. After returning to Vietnam, he started to help and encourage aspiring Vietnamese from universities to study mathematics further. 4. He not only contributed directly to the burgeoning field of Vietnamese mathematics but also continues to serve as aspirational example to students of the rewards of studying abroad and then returning home.

1. The first sentence is my topic sentence for this paragraph which contains two parts: the topic (benefits to the home country) and my main idea (come back and contribute. Keep this sentence short, simple and clear!
2. My second sentence begins my example. Don’t waste any time getting to your example. The faster you start writing about it, the more you will be able to develop it fully.
3. The third sentence continues my example. Don’t run away from your examples – keep developing them fully because it will help your task achievement, cohesion and coherence and force you to use more good vocabulary.
4. My final sentence concludes the paragraph and adds further detail to my example. The more you develop your example, the higher your task achievement score will be!

1. In the future, I believe that this trend will continue as both foreign and domestic countries will support students through scholarships. 2. For example, in Vietnam it is common for students to apply for scholarships to study in countries like the USA, the UK, Australia, France, and so on. 3. These countries have the means and are willing to support students from foreign countries because it enhances the diversity of their campuses. 4. Additionally, the government in Vietnam encourages studying abroad through scholarships for underprivileged students. 5. They do this because students who study abroad typically return to Vietnam and help push forward economic development, as in the case of Ngo Bao Chau.

1. My first sentence is a topic sentence that contains both the topic and the main idea for the whole paragraph. Focus on one main idea so that you can develop it 100%!
2. The second sentence begins my example right away – just like in the last paragraph.
3. My next sentence develops my example.
4. The fourth sentence further develops the example – keep developing!
5. The fifth sentence further supports my main reason by detailing the reason why countries invest in scholarships.

1. In conclusion, I feel that there are clear advantages for the foreign student’s home country because of their potential academic and economic contributions after coming back home. 2. Developing nations in particular should invest heavily in programs to send students abroad, besides funding their own educational infrastructure, if they want to have the kind of secure foundation that will allow the country to flourish for many years.

1. My first sentence is a topic sentence that lays out the topic for the whole essay. Don’t waste much time writing this sentence, just quickly paraphrase the general topic for the essay.
2. The second sentence gives my opinions about the two questions asked. This is important for your task achievement and cohesion/coherence scores. You don’t have to include your main ideas in your introduction.

Vocabulary Practice

Try to write a definition or a synonym for the vocabulary in bold below.

Nowadays, there are more and more students choosing to study overseas due to a variety of benefits for their own future life and career. From my perspective, I believe that this trend can also be beneficial to the foreign student’s home country and will continue developing in the next few years because of these benefits.

I think it is beneficial to the foreign student’s home country because after they finish studying, they may choose to come back and contribute to their homeland. For example, Vietnamese Professor, Ngo Bao Chau was announced by the 2010 International Congress of Mathematics as one of four mathematicians to win the Fields Medal, which is the world’s most prestigious mathematics award. After returning to Vietnam, he started to help and encourage aspiring Vietnamese from universities to study mathematics further. He not only contributed directly to the burgeoning field of Vietnamese mathematics but also continues to serve as aspirational example to students of the rewards of studying abroad and then returning home.

In the future, I believe that this trend will continue as both foreign and domestic countries will support students through scholarships. For example, in Vietnam it is common for students to apply for scholarships to study in countries like the USA, the UK, Australia, France, and so on. These countries have the means and are willing to support students from foreign countries because it enhances the diversity of their campuses. Additionally, the government in Vietnam encourages studying abroad through scholarships for underprivileged students. They do this because students who study abroad typically return to Vietnam and help push forward economic development, as in the case of Ngo Bao Chau.

In conclusion, I feel that there are clear advantages for the foreign student’s home country because of their potential academic and economic contributions after coming back home. Developing nations in particular should invest heavily in programs to send students abroad, besides funding their own educational infrastructure, if they want to have the kind of secure foundation that will allow the country to flourish for many years.

Answers

variety lots of different kinds

From my perspective I think

trend general direction

beneficial good for

benefits the verb form meaning something is good for

contribute add to

homeland where you’re from

announced make public

mathematicians academics who study math

prestigious renowned/sought-after

encourage support

burgeoning emerging

aspirational something to look up to (adjective)

rewards benefits

scholarships money to study abroad

apply for scholarships ask for scholarship money

the means the ability to be able to

enhances makes stronger

diversity different races, genders, orientations, etc.

underprivileged students poor students

push forward economic development boost the economy

contributions efforts/help

invest heavily put money into

educational infrastructure schools in a country

secure foundation strong infrastructure that will last

flourish do very well

Pronunciation

vəˈraɪəti 
frɒm maɪ pəˈspɛktɪv
trɛnd 
ˌbɛnɪˈfɪʃəl
ˈbɛnɪfɪts
kənˈtrɪbju(ː)t 
ˈhəʊmlænd
əˈnaʊnst 
ˌmæθɪməˈtɪʃənz 
prɛˈstɪʤəs 
ɪnˈkʌrɪʤ 
kənˈtrɪbju(ː)tɪd 
ˈbɜːʤənɪŋ
ˌæspəˈreɪʃ(ə)n(ə)l 
rɪˈwɔːdz
ˈskɒləʃɪps
əˈplaɪ fɔː ˈskɒləʃɪps 
ðə miːnz 
ɪnˈhɑːnsɪz 
daɪˈvɜːsɪti 
ˌʌndəˈprɪvɪlɪʤd ˈstjuːdənts
pʊʃ ˈfɔːwəd ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk dɪˈvɛləpmənt
ˌkɒntrɪˈbjuːʃənz 
ɪnˈvɛst ˈhɛvɪli 
ˌɛdju(ː)ˈkeɪʃənl ˈɪnfrəˌstrʌkʧə
sɪˈkjʊə faʊnˈdeɪʃən
ˈflʌrɪʃ

More Vocabulary Practice

Nowadays, there are more and more students choosing to study overseas due to a ____________of benefits for their own future life and career. ____________, I believe that this ____________ can also be ____________ to the foreign student’s home country and will continue developing in the next few years because of these ____________ .

I think it is beneficial to the foreign student’s home country because after they finish studying, they may choose to come back and ____________ to their ____________ . For example, Vietnamese Professor, Ngo Bao Chau was ____________ by the 2010 International Congress of Mathematics as one of four ____________ to win the Fields Medal, which is the world’s most ____________ mathematics award. After returning to Vietnam, he started to help and ____________ aspiring Vietnamese from universities to study mathematics further. He not only ____________ directly to the ____________ field of Vietnamese mathematics but also continues to serve as ____________ example to students of the ____________ of studying abroad and then returning home.

In the future, I believe that this trend will continue as both foreign and domestic countries will support students through ____________ . For example, in Vietnam it is common for students to ____________ to study in countries like the USA, the UK, Australia, France, and so on. These countries have ____________ and are willing to support students from foreign countries because it the ____________ of their campuses. Additionally, the government in Vietnam encourages studying abroad through scholarships for ____________ . They do this because students who study abroad typically return to Vietnam and help ____________ , as in the case of Ngo Bao Chau.

In conclusion, I feel that there are clear advantages for the foreign student’s home country because of their potential academic and economic ____________ after coming back home. Developing nations in particular should in programs to send students abroad, besides funding their own ____________ , if they want to have the kind of ____________ that will allow the country to ____________ for many years.

Links

This is a video related to studying abroad. You can use some of the ideas here about listening to practice while you watch.