IELTS Writing Task 2: examples give you ideas

If you can't think of any good ideas for an essay, try thinking about some examples first. Plan your essay around the examples. Take this question:

Some people believe that hobbies need to be difficult to be enjoyable.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Use examples to give you ideas:

• Make a list of some hobbies: either your own hobbies, or some typical hobbies that you can easily write about. Label each hobby 'easy' or 'difficult'.
• Look at your list. Is there a balance between easy and difficult hobbies, or is your list one-sided? The answer to this question will give you your overall opinion.
• Finally, write down a few reasons why each hobby is easy or difficult. Is there a connection between the difficulty of the hobby and the enjoyment you get from it?

Comments

[bhavini bhatt]

Amazing idea! Thanks Simon...

[TAHIR]

SIMON MEANS S=SUPERB I=IELTS M=MENTOR 0=OF N=NEW ERA

[Giao Nguyen]

Hi Simon, it is a privilege for me to know this wonderful website. I am extremely grateful to your hard work and dedication. Through this website, I can see "THE POWER OF DAILY LESSON". So let's enjoy this difficult but enjoyable hobby. I am in :) thank you again

[Ben Worthington]

Great exercise, I'll be doing this with my students. Cheers Simon.

[mehran]

hi simon,I want to start writing task 1 ;which chart is the best and easiest for me?

[Jay]

I have never seen such tutor like Simon in the world for IELTS..

u r great

[gangchil]

favourite hobby differ from person to person.we do this work from our heart,and dont think about its way whether easy or difficult to do.some people find Gardening is very hard job while others think it is very enjoyable and easy to do.However some people think Painting is very difficult and tough work,but for a painter it is the inner acceptance of his heart.same can be apply in Woodworking stamp collecting and writing.

[chopstix]

some people believe that hobbies need to be difficult to be enjoyable. This mean that do our interest or the activity we like to do should be only dangerous to have lot of fun? Dangerous mean adventurous, life threatening, expensive, exciting for gaining invigorating experience. like sky diving, formula one racing, bungee jumping and spending lavishly on a holiday. OR couldn't we enjoy simply by doing simple things that we are inclined to like listening music, reading novels and magazines or playing sports.

Am I correct? Couldn't we write basically as
Para 1- intro paraphrase however i think there are some other ways as well which provides a great sense of satisfaction.
para 2- supporting points for your views with examples
para 3- few points supporting the question's view with examples
para 4- conclusion paraphrasing 1 and 2.

JUST STRUCTURE IT OUT BUT IDEAS AND VOCABULARY YOU NEED TO MAKE STRONG WHICH I'M NOT SO GOOD AT!

Let's try out this essay!!!!!!!

[laarni]

My introduction:

People have different hobbies and interests. Some hobbies that people enjoy are singing, dancing, painting and many more. Hobbies can be any form of activities as long as you are having fun with it. While some people believe that hobbies should be difficult to be more enjoyable, I believe that this doesn't matter as long as you like what you are doing.

--Hi everyone. Please feel free to comment on my intro. I will take IELTS exam on 14th April 2012 this Friday. huhu :(

[laarni]

BODY:

Hobbies can be either easy or hard. Choosing a difficult hobby doesn't guarantee happiness. The only thing that matters is that you love what you are doing. For instance, my favorite hobby during leisure time is singing. Singing is quite easy but I am still enjoying it. Some of the easy hobbies that I do include writing poems, painting and dancing. For some people, these activities may be difficult. But for me, I consider them as easy hobbies simply because It is where my heart is.

On the other hand, choosing a difficult hobby can a challenge for some. People have different personalities and some people strive hard to continually challenge themselves. With this, choosing a hard hobby can be very rewarding for them especially when they are able to achieve their goals. A good example is noted for people who love rock climbing. This hobby requires a great deal of effort, time, money and passion about adventure. This can be a difficult hobby but they love the challenge and they love the idea that they are able to surpass it.

In conclusion, it seems to me that choosing a difficult hobby is not important and it doesn't matter how hard or easy it is. The only thing that matters is that you love what you are doing and you're happy with it.

[cherrychen]

Hi, Simon,

It’s really good to have you in my ‘ielts life’ ~~

I am still not quite sure whether I present my own opinion correctly or coherently, especially when the question contains some extreme words like ‘everyone’, ‘always’, ‘only’, ‘ban’, 'rather than', 'instead', etc, and I want to be neutral or slightly leaning to one side...
Would you help to check if I am expressing my view right for below questions?

Regarding this lesson’s question:
Introduction: People have a variety of different interests. Some people think that should enjoy hobbies with certain difficulty. I disagree (Or should I partly agree?) with this view because I believe that we can enjoy both difficult and simply activities in our free time.

Main para1: On the one hand, people can have a great sense of enjoyment or excitement by participating in challenging activities…(e.g. climbing, the higher you climb, the more difficult you will feel while the greater pleasure you can get…)

Main para2: On the other hand, there are many simple and enjoyable hobbies in our daily life…(like jogging, walking, and fishing, etc…)

Conclusion: Paraphrasing the argument and my view…

Some other questions:
Q1: Some people think that the development of technologies has made people’s life more complex, and the solution to this is to let everyone have a simpler life without using technologies. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Introduction: Technology is one of the key words in the modern society. Some people believe that we should let all people give up using technologies in order to lead a simpler life. I disagree (Or should I partly agree?) with this view, even though I accept that sometimes people can feel a sense of complexity.

Main para1: There are various advantages of technology in daily life and it seems impractical to stop people using it…

Main para2: Admittedly, technology has made people feel complicated by providing too many choices in people’s everyday life…

Conclusion: Paraphrasing the argument and my view…

Q2: The money given to help poor countries does not solve the problem of poverty, so rich countries should give other types of help instead. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Introduction: Nowadays the developed countries often provide the developing countries with financial support. Some people think that the rich countries should consider other forms of help rather than money. I partly agree (Or should I disagree?) with this view because I believe that economic aid is still necessary in many cases.

Main para1: On the one hand, financial aid is not the best way to address the poverty situation in the long term…(e.g. sending teachers/experts to give local people knowledge and skills, then they can help themselves get rid of poverty in the future…)

Main para2: On the other hand, economic aid is still indispensable in solving some pressing problems…(e.g. poor people who are suffering hunger or illnesses need money immediately to buy food, drinkable water and medicine, etc…)

Conclusion: Paraphrasing the argument and my view…

Q3: Water is a natural resource that should always be free. Government should ban the sale of bottled water. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Introduction: As water is an essential natural resource. Some people think that the authorities should prevent bottled water from being used to make a profit. I disagree (Or should I partly agree?) with this view even though I accept that water has a special place in our society.

Main para1: On the one hand, many people believe that water should not be free and a blanket of bottled water is not recommended…(talking about the reasons why water should not be free, and the advantages of bottled water, comparing with tap water…)

Main para2: On the other hand, it can be argued that water should be free and people should not consume bottled water…(talking about the special nature of water and the environmental problems brought by bottled water…)

Conclusion: Paraphrasing the argument and my view…

Q4: Environmental problems are too big for individual countries and individual persons to address. We have reached the stage where the only way to protect the environment is to address them at an international level. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Introduction: Nowadays environmental problems are increasingly serious. Some people think that we can only solve them through international co-operation. I partly agree (Or should I disagree?) with this view because I believe that some environmental damage can be reduced by individual nations or residents.

Main para1: On the one hand, global co-operation can play an indispensable role in environmental conservation…(e.g. some problems like carbon dioxide emissions causing global warming and need to be talked by joint forces of all countries…)

Main para2: At the same time, it can be argued that some environmental problems are more closely connected with individual countries and individual persons…(e.g. water pollution in a small river in one particular region and individuals’ lifestyles/habits such as more walking instead of driving, buying products with less packaging…)

Conclusion: Paraphrasing the argument and my view…

Thank you very much for your help!!

[hussain]

i knw full vocabulary bt still i find difficulty in adjusting assay,what is the reason behind this

[Aileen]

Hi Simon
Hi everyone

Got my IELTS exam yesterday. Here's my question for task 2

"Men and women now both work the same. Is it logical for men and women to do household tasks equally also? (cleaning, taking care of children).

Do what extent do you agree or disagree?

[hussain]

THIS IS MY STYLE OF GIVING ANSWER AILEEN DO YOU AGREE OR NOT WITH THIS ANSWER.......................In today`s era men and women both are working for living good desirable life and they balance their household work according to their work schedule.some people think that only women has to do household work other hand other think that both have to do household work equally.In my final analysis,I believe that both have to do household task equally.

Firstly,In 21st century,people`s lifestyle has changed due to advance technology and there is no difference between men and women.Both are working for fulfill their desire and this is acceptable worldwide,so both have to manage their household work.for example,If men are working from morning to evening at that time women has to manage their household work like cleaning the house and take care of children And from evening to night women has to work when men come back to home likewise,they have to arrange their work and live happy prospective life.and also if they work together at the same time they can manage their homework by dividing the work before go to work or after come back from work and these all things are happening nowadays and people are accepting these kind of situation.
on other hand,if men work alone so women can manage household work properly by giving good quality time to their children and help them in their school homework and also thought them good discipline by completely involving.
for all above mention reason,i believe that for living fashionable amenity life they both have to manage household work equally.

[Cuong]

I really hope that you will continue to post your sample essays about a variety of topics as much as possible! They are essential resources for my writing study. Just about ten complete essays in your web until now is just not enough for me!^^

Thank you so much!

[hussain]

plzzzz comment on my answer

[kristine estana]

hussain..
based on your introduction, it seems that you agreed to the statement.

paragraph 1.household work. On the other hand, others think that....-you can make two sentences to avoid confusion.

paragraph 2. you can start the topic by saying " it is believed that sharing the load of household chores between couples have several reasons. Firstly...
--the word work is repeated many times. try to use other words such as jobs or in other case responsibility, task arrangement.

paragraph 3. once you agreed to the statement, you dont have to discuss the other argument. all you have to do is to explain why you agreed. This will make your essay more consistent.

lastly, put a conclusion. just paraphrase your introduction.

hope this helps...im also a student..

[hussain]

thx a lot kristine but my teacher told me that make a ratio of 80/20 percentage while you agree with the statement but again thanks thanks

[kristine estana]

dear simon.

i have a question on writing 2 essay.

this is about agree/disagree question.

1. some questions offer one view. so its easy to answer.

ex. Studying the English language in an English-speaking country is the best but not the only way to learn language. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

2. others have two opposite views. In my introduction, do i have to state that i agree to one and disagree to the other. Or just present the view that i agree and disregard about the other.

ex. In the last century, the first man to walk on the moon " said it was a giant leap for mankind". However, some people think that it has made little difference to our daily lives.Do you agree or disagree?

Thanks much simon.

I decided to agree to the first sentence. How should i approach this kind of question.

[Nirmal]

Here is my essay. can anyone rank it?

Depending on the individual's choice, hobbies can be either easy or hard. The people who are living sedentary life set their hobbies extreme adventure to add more memories and fun in their life. I totally agree that the more adventure we do the more enjoyable moment we have in life.
To create great memory, we have to do something different from our daily activities. Most of the people prefer to choose risky activities in their leisure time. For example, in the world today, bungee jumping, rafting, trekking have become the first choices of holiday activities for the people. I have also experienced many trekking and expeditions, which are the most memorable moments of my life so far. In addition, five minutes bungee jump was the shortest and most extreme event I have ever done. I believe these types of extreme activities eliminate usual minor fears of our life.
On the other hand, some people choose easier entertaining activities. They think taking high risk in life can be hazardous; the climax might be disaster. Singing, dancing and playing cards inside a close room can be a great fun for those people. That type of activities gives different type of pleasure. It's easier to gather people for such type of events, while very few people want to join adventure. Furthermore, many office workers like to hang out in pub and restaurant bar in their weekend; they don't want to get tired by strenuous tour.
I believe that the hobbies should be physically and mentally challenged; more difficult than the work we do in our daily life. From those extreme adventurous events we can make our life's moments more memorable and enjoyable.

[hussain]

nirmal i dint find any mistake in ur assay

[Simon]

Hi Kristine,

Just present the view you agree with, and support/explain that.