IELTS and PTE · separate answer models

I would like to describe a teacher who helped me become more confident in English. She taught me at a small evening class a few years ago, when I was preparing for a job interview.

At that time, I knew quite a lot of grammar, but I found it difficult to answer questions aloud. I worried about every mistake and often stopped in the middle of a sentence. Instead of giving me long speeches to memorise, my teacher asked me simple questions about my work and daily life. She showed me how to give a direct answer, add a reason and include a short example.

One evening, we practised an interview question about solving a problem. I gave a very short answer, so she helped me organise the story into the situation, my action and the result. We repeated the question, and the second attempt felt much easier.

Her help mattered because she made practice feel manageable. She corrected important mistakes kindly and also pointed out what I had done well. I did not suddenly become a perfect speaker, but I learned to keep going and explain my ideas. I still use that approach when I prepare for an important conversation.

• Names the teacher and learning context
• Explains a specific occasion
• Uses a clear sequence
• Explains why the help mattered

Original fictional EWS example for comparison after your own attempt. Adapt the ideas to your life. No official IELTS band is assigned.

A useful skill I learned was giving a short presentation without reading every word from a page. I started learning it when I had to explain a small project to colleagues at work.

My first attempt was not very successful. I put too much information on the slides and wrote a full script. During the practice, I looked down so often that I hardly noticed the audience. A colleague suggested choosing one main message and using only a few keywords as reminders.

I then changed the presentation into three parts: the problem, the action we had taken and the result. I practised the opening aloud several times and recorded myself on my phone. Listening to the recording was uncomfortable at first, but it helped me notice that I spoke too quickly and repeated some phrases.

The hardest part was trusting myself to speak from notes. I was afraid that I would forget something. However, I discovered that knowing the order of my ideas was more useful than remembering a perfect sentence. If I lost a word, I could explain the idea another way.

I use this skill now in meetings and when I show someone how to complete a task. I still prepare carefully, but I can pay more attention to the people listening. That has made my explanations clearer and helped me feel calmer.

• Identifies the skill and context
• Explains how it was learned
• Develops the difficulty and improvement
• Connects the skill to present use

Original fictional EWS example for comparison after your own attempt. Adapt the ideas to your life. No official IELTS band is assigned.

One occasion when my plans changed was during a weekend visit to a coastal town with two friends. We had booked an early train and intended to spend most of Saturday walking along the beach before visiting a local museum.

When we reached the station, we discovered that our service had been cancelled because of a problem on the line. The next available train would have arrived much later than we had expected. At first, I felt frustrated because I had organised the tickets and wanted everything to run smoothly.

Rather than immediately looking for an expensive taxi, we checked the alternatives together. There was a bus leaving from a nearby terminal, but it would take a different route. We decided to use it and contacted the guesthouse to explain that we would arrive later. We also changed the order of our activities, moving the museum visit to Sunday morning.

The journey was slower, but it gave us time to talk, and we stopped for lunch in a place we would otherwise have passed. By the afternoon, I had stopped thinking about the lost time and was enjoying the trip again.

Looking back, I am pleased with how we responded. The experience reminded me that a good plan should leave some room for adjustment. It also showed me that sharing a decision can turn a frustrating situation into a manageable one.

• Explains the original plan and change
• Develops a specific response
• Uses a clear past narrative
• Reflects on the experience without an unrelated memorised ending

Original fictional EWS example for comparison after your own attempt. Adapt the ideas to your life. No official IELTS band is assigned.

Should universities provide more online classes? Give your view with reasons and examples.

Universities should offer more online classes, but they should use them alongside suitable classroom teaching. Online learning can improve access and give students greater flexibility, while some activities still benefit from direct contact.

One important advantage is that students can study without travelling to campus every day. This is particularly helpful for people who live far away or have work and family responsibilities. For example, a student with an evening job may be able to attend an online lecture from home and use the saved travel time to review the material. Recorded explanations can also help students revisit a difficult idea at their own pace.

However, moving every class online would create problems. Students may struggle to concentrate, feel isolated or lack a reliable internet connection. Practical subjects can be especially difficult to teach entirely through a screen. A chemistry student, for instance, needs supervised experience of handling laboratory equipment, rather than only watching someone else do it. Universities should therefore choose the teaching method according to the learning goal.

In my view, the best approach is a flexible combination. Lectures and individual revision can often take place online, while workshops, experiments and some discussions remain on campus. Universities should also provide clear schedules and technical support so that flexibility does not become confusion.

Overall, offering more online classes is sensible when it removes barriers and improves learning. It should expand students’ choices without removing the practical experience and personal support that they need.

One possible original EWS response. Other well-supported positions can be correct. This model does not have an official PTE score.

Should employers provide paid time for staff to learn new skills? Discuss your view with reasons and examples.

Employers should provide a reasonable amount of paid time for staff to learn skills that are relevant to their work. Such a policy can improve performance and support professional development, although companies need clear limits and practical arrangements.

The main reason is that organisations benefit when employees can use new methods confidently. Buying updated software, for example, achieves little if staff have no time to learn how it works. A short training session during working hours can prevent repeated mistakes and reduce the need for colleagues to solve the same problems. In this situation, learning is part of doing the job properly, so it is fair for the employer to provide time for it.

Paid learning time can also make development opportunities more accessible. Some employees have caring responsibilities or long journeys home, which make evening courses difficult. Allowing them to study during an agreed period avoids giving an unfair advantage to staff with more free time. It may also encourage experienced workers to remain with an organisation that invests in them.

Nevertheless, training must be planned around essential services. A small customer support team cannot close its telephone lines whenever everyone wants to study. Managers could arrange a rota, set a realistic annual allowance and agree on learning goals with each employee. Staff should then have an opportunity to apply the new skill and explain what they have learned.

Overall, I support paid learning time when it has a clear purpose and is organised fairly. The aim should be useful progress that benefits employees and the organisation, rather than simply recording how many courses people have attended.

One possible original EWS response. Other well-supported positions can be correct. This model does not have an official PTE score.

The lecture describes a university bicycle-sharing trial that ran for one term. Students could collect bicycles near the station and return them on campus. The scheme reduced short car journeys, but some bicycles were parked outside the marked areas. The university plans to continue the scheme and improve the parking signs.

Includes the trial, travel arrangement, benefit, parking problem and planned response. Does not invent a study result or reason.

This model matches the existing short classroom script. Use a current full-length Pearson task for a realistic timed assessment; do not stretch a short source with filler.

The speakers discuss extending the library’s opening hours. Ana argues that later access would help students who have evening jobs. Ben recognises this benefit but raises concerns about staff costs. He suggests testing longer hours during examination weeks first. Cara supports a short trial and proposes counting visitors and checking the effect on staff workload before any permanent change. The discussion therefore moves towards an evidence-based trial, rather than immediately committing to longer hours throughout the year.

Accurately attributes the three views, connects benefit and cost, and identifies the proposed trial. Does not invent a final budget or permanent decision.

This model matches the existing short classroom script. Use a current full-length Pearson task for a realistic timed assessment; do not stretch a short source with filler.

The lecture explains that remote work can improve employment access for people living far from cities, but its benefits are not equal for everyone. Poor internet access and the loss of informal support from colleagues can create difficulties. A company trial addressed these issues through a mixture of remote and office work, together with equipment loans. Managers plan to review productivity and staff wellbeing before deciding whether to extend the arrangement.

Preserves the opportunity, two limitations, combined response and future evaluation. The source has not yet established that the scheme improved productivity.

This model matches the existing short classroom script. Use a current full-length Pearson task for a realistic timed assessment; do not stretch a short source with filler.

The discussion concerns how student learning should be assessed. Mira favours regular projects because a single final exam may not show the full range of a student’s abilities. Owen accepts that projects are useful, but worries that group marks can hide differences in individual contributions. He therefore wants to retain some supervised assessment. Dr Perera proposes combining individual classroom tasks, a project log and a smaller final exam. Mira and Owen give conditional support: she wants projects to remain important, while he wants individual evidence to be checked carefully. They consider a mixed approach, but do not settle its exact weighting.

Reports each position and the conditions attached to support. Does not invent an agreed percentage or claim that the final exam is abolished.

This model matches the existing short classroom script. Use a current full-length Pearson task for a realistic timed assessment; do not stretch a short source with filler.