Original independent EWS assessment practice with 11 Speaking and 8 Writing questions. It is not an ETS test, official score report or calibrated predictor. Scenarios, organisations, names and events are fictional.
Write your own answers before viewing the separate models. The five picture items share eight minutes; each email has ten minutes; the essay has thirty minutes. Overall Writing administration is approximately one hour.
Attempt the task first, compare with a model, then revise. Models illustrate suitable responses and are not official scored performances. Teacher feedback is required for readiness decisions.
The five picture questions share 8 minutes in total. You may change the forms of the two required words and place them in either order. Do not restart eight minutes for each picture.
Write one sentence about picture C. Include both of these words or phrases: pour; glass.
Use both: pour · glass
Questions 1–5 share one 8-minute timer. Do not restart it for each photo.
One possible response / review guide
The server is pouring water into a glass.
Write ONE complete sentence.
Use BOTH required words or acceptable changed forms of them.
Make the sentence relevant to visible details in the picture.
Check grammar, capital letters, spelling and final punctuation.
Alternative accurate sentences may be correct; there is no single compulsory model.
2. One sentence for picture D
The five picture questions share 8 minutes in total. You may change the forms of the two required words and place them in either order. Do not restart eight minutes for each picture.
Write one sentence about picture D. Include both of these words or phrases: point; while.
Use both: point · while
One possible response / review guide
A man is pointing at a bar chart while his colleagues watch.
Write ONE complete sentence.
Use BOTH required words or acceptable changed forms of them.
Make the sentence relevant to visible details in the picture.
Check grammar, capital letters, spelling and final punctuation.
Alternative accurate sentences may be correct; there is no single compulsory model.
3. One sentence for picture E
The five picture questions share 8 minutes in total. You may change the forms of the two required words and place them in either order. Do not restart eight minutes for each picture.
Write one sentence about picture E. Include both of these words or phrases: water; flowers.
Use both: water · flowers
One possible response / review guide
The gardener is watering the flowers with a green watering can.
Write ONE complete sentence.
Use BOTH required words or acceptable changed forms of them.
Make the sentence relevant to visible details in the picture.
Check grammar, capital letters, spelling and final punctuation.
Alternative accurate sentences may be correct; there is no single compulsory model.
4. One sentence for picture F
The five picture questions share 8 minutes in total. You may change the forms of the two required words and place them in either order. Do not restart eight minutes for each picture.
Write one sentence about picture F. Include both of these words or phrases: read; table.
Use both: read · table
One possible response / review guide
A woman is reading an open book at a table in the library.
Write ONE complete sentence.
Use BOTH required words or acceptable changed forms of them.
Make the sentence relevant to visible details in the picture.
Check grammar, capital letters, spelling and final punctuation.
Alternative accurate sentences may be correct; there is no single compulsory model.
5. One sentence for picture G
The five picture questions share 8 minutes in total. You may change the forms of the two required words and place them in either order. Do not restart eight minutes for each picture.
Write one sentence about picture G. Include both of these words or phrases: wait; suitcase.
Use both: wait · suitcase
One possible response / review guide
Two travellers are waiting on the platform beside their suitcases.
Write ONE complete sentence.
Use BOTH required words or acceptable changed forms of them.
Make the sentence relevant to visible details in the picture.
Check grammar, capital letters, spelling and final punctuation.
Alternative accurate sentences may be correct; there is no single compulsory model.
6. Confirm a training workshop
Use up to 10 minutes to read the incoming email, plan, write and check your reply. The sender, organisation and booking are fictional EWS practice details.
Incoming email
From: Kiran, Harbour Skills Centre
To: Training Coordinator, Rivergate Design
Subject: Your team workshop enquiry
Dear Training Coordinator,
Thank you for enquiring about a workplace writing workshop for your team. We can offer a session on Friday 14 August, either from 9:00 a.m. to noon or from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Both options use the same programme, and the maximum group size is twenty people.
Please tell us which session you prefer and how many colleagues would attend. We would also like to know whether your training room has a projector. Printed learning materials will be supplied by our tutor.
If you have any questions about the arrangements, please include them in your reply. We will then send a booking confirmation.
Best wishes,
Kiran
Harbour Skills Centre
Your task facts
Preferred session: morning, 9:00 a.m. to noon.
Expected attendees: sixteen.
The training room has a projector.
The inbound email does not explain the break arrangements; ask about them rather than inventing a schedule.
Reply as the training coordinator at Rivergate Design. Give three pieces of information: your preferred session, the number of attendees and whether the room has a projector. Ask one question about break arrangements. Use the task facts supplied below.
One possible response / review guide
Dear Kiran,
Thank you for explaining the workshop options. We would prefer the morning session, from 9:00 a.m. to noon, on Friday 14 August. Sixteen members of our team will attend. Our training room has a projector, so you will be able to use it for the presentation.
Could you please confirm whether a scheduled break is included in the morning session? This will help us plan the team’s work before and after the workshop.
Please let me know if you need any further details before confirming the booking.
Kind regards,
Nalini Perera
Training Coordinator
Use the role and facts supplied in the task.
Answer every requested information point.
Include each required question or request.
Organise the reply clearly with a suitable greeting and closing.
Check grammar, spelling, vocabulary and tone.
7. Resolve a faulty rental item
Allow 10 minutes for reading, planning, writing and checking. Use the facts in the task; do not promise a delivery or refund that has not been offered.
Incoming email
From: Devin Silva, Lakeside Community Centre
To: Rental Coordinator, ClearSound Rentals
Subject: Speaker replacement for order CS-271
Hello,
We booked two portable speakers and a wireless microphone for our community event on Saturday 22 August. We collected the equipment this morning, but one speaker made a crackling sound when we tested it. The other speaker and the microphone appear to work normally.
Our event is on Saturday morning, so we would prefer a replacement rather than waiting for a repair. What replacement arrangement can you offer? When could we collect it, and would there be an additional fee?
Please let me know what information we should bring when collecting the replacement.
Thank you,
Devin Silva
Lakeside Community Centre
Your task facts
A replacement speaker is available at the rental shop from 2:00 p.m. on Friday 21 August.
The customer should exchange the faulty speaker for the replacement at the shop.
There is no extra charge for the replacement.
The customer should bring order number CS-271.
Reply as the rental coordinator at ClearSound Rentals. Apologise, answer the customer’s three questions about the replacement, and ask the customer to bring the order number. Use the supplied service facts.
One possible response / review guide
Dear Devin,
I am sorry that one of the speakers is not working properly. We can replace the faulty speaker with another unit, and the replacement will be ready at our shop from 2:00 p.m. on Friday 21 August. Please bring the faulty unit with you so that we can make the exchange.
There will be no additional charge for this replacement.
Could you please bring order number CS-271 when you collect the replacement? That will help our counter team identify your booking quickly.
Kind regards,
Rina Perera
Rental Coordinator
Use the role and facts supplied in the task.
Answer every requested information point.
Include each required question or request.
Organise the reply clearly with a suitable greeting and closing.
Check grammar, spelling, vocabulary and tone.
8. When should job training take place?
Use 30 minutes for planning, writing and revision. Give your own view and support it. ETS describes a typically effective essay as containing at least 300 words; word count alone does not establish response quality.
Some people believe that employees should learn new job skills in their own time. Others think employers should provide training during paid working hours. Which approach do you think is better? Give reasons and examples to support your view.
One possible response / review guide
Employers should normally arrange essential job training during paid working hours. Employees also have a role in continuing their own learning, but asking them to complete every required course after work is neither practical nor fair. A clear shared approach can improve performance without placing an unreasonable burden on staff.
The strongest reason is that the organisation benefits directly from the training. When a company introduces a new booking system, for example, employees must learn to use it correctly so that customers receive accurate information. Treating this learning as part of the job recognises that connection. Managers can set aside a realistic period for instruction and practice instead of expecting people to master the system late at night. Staff are also more likely to ask questions and notice problems when a trainer or experienced colleague is available.
A second reason concerns equal access. Some employees have caring duties, long journeys home or other fixed commitments outside work. Their willingness to learn should not be judged only by how many unpaid evening hours they can offer. Providing a scheduled training session allows more members of the team to participate. The company can then assess their ability to apply the skill rather than rewarding only those with the most free time.
Of course, training must be planned around business needs. A small café cannot close its entire service counter whenever one person needs instruction. However, this does not mean all learning must happen outside paid hours. The manager could train employees in small groups during quieter periods, arrange short sessions across several weeks or provide supervised practice while another colleague covers essential duties.
There should also be a distinction between required training and optional personal study. If an employee wants to take a course unrelated to the present job, it is reasonable to discuss a different arrangement. Both sides should understand what support is available before the course begins.
Overall, I favour paid time for training that employees need to perform their jobs. With sensible scheduling and clear expectations, this approach supports capable staff, more reliable service and a fair opportunity to improve.
State and maintain a clear answer to the question.
Develop relevant reasons and examples instead of repeating the prompt.
Organise ideas into connected paragraphs.
Use vocabulary and grammar that communicate the argument accurately.
Plan, write and revise within thirty minutes.
Aim for at least 300 words, consistent with ETS guidance about a typically effective response.
