From the comments that people wrote below Wednesday's lesson, it seems that many students find essay templates useful. However, I think it's important to repeat the warning that I gave in my own comment below that lesson.
Warning about templates:
Templates can certainly be useful, as they can help us to quickly organise our ideas. Also, it is inevitable that we will need to use some 'linking' words and phrases in our essays.
However, there is also a danger that people focus more on the template than on answering the question with good ideas. Templates and linking are not the secret to a high score in the writing test. They just do a simple job - they help you to organise your ideas, that's all. In the end, your score will depend on the quality of language that you use to express ideas, not simply to organise them.
So, learn some basic template / linking / organising language, but don't become obsessed with it. Spend most of your time working on topic vocabulary and your ability to express and develop "real" ideas.
Hi Mr.Simon, can you please make a lesson about those basic templates / linking or organizing language , which we can use in every essay, I hope you can summarize all of them in a basic lesson, thanks Mr.Simon.
Posted by: Duke | September 09, 2017 at 13:02
Hi. Simon. I have a question for you.
Some said that the real IELTS exam is getting harder and harder in recent years. Is that right? Examiners tend to give low marks due to more and more people need an IELTS to go study abroad.
Listening exam seems harder than it in the past.
Posted by: huong | September 09, 2017 at 13:14
My IELTS mentor always said that "Memorizing template for task 1 could be beneficial. However, creating mature ideas about the topic without logical fallacy and finding feasible solutions for problems are really important for task 2. Always show that you are a lenient person, never disrespect for other's opinions."
Posted by: Emre Oguz | September 09, 2017 at 14:10
I totally agree, I often see students memorizing templates but barely able to use them in the correct way. For me, these "templates" are merely for organizing to make Writing Task 2 "less difficult" in terms of getting your flow and speed things up.
Posted by: Yves | September 11, 2017 at 04:05
I often see that IELTS tutors are obsessed with templates down to minute details, because this ensures that student's score does not hit rock bottom. But with this, most bright students would lose score.
Posted by: Jims Varkey | September 16, 2017 at 09:27
Hi Mr.Simon,can you teach some vocabularies which seem more natural?I hope my essay won't use those"big words"and let my teachers feel unconfortably.Thanks Mr.Simon.
Posted by: ELaine | January 22, 2018 at 05:04