Writing Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The table below gives information on consumer spending on different items in five different countries in 2002.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Percentage of national consumer expenditure by category – 2002
Writing Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
It is generally believed that some people are born with certain talents, for instance for sport or music, and others are not. However, it is sometimes claimed that any child can be taught to become a good sports person or musician.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Cambridge IELTS 7 Academic Writing Test 1 Task 1 Model Answer (172 words)
The table provides a snapshot of consumer spending habits in five different countries in 2002.
Overall, all five countries spent the most on food, drinks, and tobacco. The percentage of spending on this category ranged from 15.77% in Sweden to 32.14% in Turkey.
Turkey had the highest spending on food, drinks, and tobacco, followed by Ireland, Spain, Italy, and then Sweden. This suggests that there may be cultural or economic factors that lead Turkish and Irish consumers to spend a larger proportion of their income on these items.
Italy had the highest spending on clothing and footwear, followed by Spain, Turkey, Ireland, and then Sweden. This could be due to a number of factors, such as the importance of fashion in Italian culture or the fact that Italy has a large clothing manufacturing industry.
Sweden had the highest spending on leisure and education, followed by Italy, Spain, Ireland, and then Turkey. This suggests that Swedish consumers may place a higher value on leisure activities and education than consumers in the other countries.
Cambridge IELTS 7 Academic Writing Test 1 Task 2 Model Answer (281 words)
The relative importance of natural talent and training is a frequent topic of discussion when people try to explain different levels of ability in, for example, sport, art or music.
Obviously, education systems are based on the belief that all children can effectively be taught to acquire different skills, including those associated with sport, art or music. So from our own school experience, we can find plenty of evidence to support the view that a child can acquire these skills with continued teaching and guided practice.
However, some people believe that innate talent is what differentiates a person who has been trained to play a sport or an instrument, from those who become good players. In other words, there is more to the skill than a learned technique, and this extra talent cannot be taught, no matter how good the teacher or how frequently a child practices.
I personally think that some people do have talents that are probably inherited via their genes. Such talents can give individuals a facility for certain skills that allow them to excel, while more hard-working students never manage to reach a comparable level. But, as with all questions of nature versus nurture, they are not mutually exclusive. Good musicians or artists and exceptional sports stars have probably succeeded because of both good training and natural talent. Without the natural talent, continuous training would be neither attractive nor productive, and without the training, the child would not learn how to exploit and develop their talent.
In conclusion, I agree that any child can be taught particular skills, but to be really good in areas such as music, art or sport, then some natural talent is required.
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