Let's compare the 'template' language that I used to organise the ideas in my two most recent essays.
Essay 1
In last week's permissive parenting essay, I didn't use much template language at all. Here are the linking / organising phrases from that essay. I don't think we can really call this a 'template'.
..........
It is true that
In my opinion,
I believe that
Having + past participle (personal example)
In my view,
The first and most obvious
One consequence of
A second negative
This may lead, for example, to
In conclusion, … should …, and I do not believe that…
..........
Essay 2
Now look at the homework essay that I wrote back in June. In that essay I used a more typical 'template' structure.
..........
People’s opinions differ as to whether or not
While there are some strong arguments against….., I still believe that
There are several reasons why people might argue that
Firstly,
Secondly,
Finally,
In spite of the above arguments, I support the view that
The main benefit of
For example,
In my view,
In conclusion, ….. certainly has its drawbacks, but I believe that the benefits outweigh them in the long term.
..........
Question:
What do you think we can learn by highlighting the 'template' language from my essays in this way?
hi Simon, greeting from South Korea.
I was looking for templates for writing and luckily could find your website.
Highlighting would be really helpful for me.
looking forward to having next lessons..
you are the best teacher.
Posted by: vivi | September 06, 2017 at 14:49
I don't think 'template' is a good idea for English leaner . In the period of practicing essays writing , the chance of brainstorming will be limited .
Instead of fully copying all the template from Simon or books , I suggest you can make a slight change in some words or forms .
We are learning a language , not making a copy.
Posted by: Stan | September 06, 2017 at 15:51
Good day Simon!
In my perspective, I believe that it would be easier for us to organize our essays with the use of these templates. I find it very beneficial.
Posted by: alexa | September 06, 2017 at 20:50
Highlighting the template can be of great help in organizing your thoughts to make the best writing output. However, in my view, there are two issues that we need to look into it. Firstly, you need to know what is the task requiring you to do, is it a one-sided argument (" In your opinion") or a two-sided argument ("discuss both views")? Because the given types were very different in terms of answering the given task. Secondly, the given types have different highlights in writing your essay. This means that you need to identify first which type of essay you are going to answer.
Posted by: KP | September 07, 2017 at 02:49
One of the 4 criterias of ielts marking is coherence and cohesion . Template helps in organising information and ideas .appropriate use of cohesive devices as mentioned by simon makes the essay 'flow'.
Posted by: Sobirif | September 07, 2017 at 10:59
I believe that your template ideas are very useful in terms of organising essay structure. Without them, it would be quit challenging to write an essay in 40 minutes. I always follow your idea of template, therefore I am able to compleat a task in time.
Posted by: Tae | September 07, 2017 at 12:23
FROM SIMON:
Thanks to the people who shared ideas in the comments above. I agree with all of you, and I think that the key message is this:
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 how good your answer is, and 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.
Posted by: Simon | September 07, 2017 at 19:26
Dear Sir
I have been following your posts since last few weeks and pleased to inform that I got CLB 10 and 8 bands in IELTS,
Thanks alot
Posted by: Sandhu | September 12, 2017 at 07:29
Could i ask a silly question plz? Uwhat do you mean by 'template'? Is that like a 'sample'?
Posted by: Kevin | September 16, 2017 at 03:23
Kevin,
I think we could describe a template as an essay outline, using linking or organising words/phrases.
Posted by: Simon | September 19, 2017 at 13:21
i'd like to say that the templates are very helpful to me. I wonder how level it is to be versatile applying to all the writing test 2?
thank you in advance teacher
Posted by: Amanda | November 25, 2017 at 09:38
can we use these templates in every discussion essay?
Posted by: sam | January 20, 2018 at 06:19
Honestly speaking, these templates are tons useful, especially for me who have no idea AT ALL on what im gonna do, where to start. Ever since I familiarized myself with the structure and repeatedly practice every single day (yes, that's how bad my basics are and how desperate I am to learn now :)) it somehow bacame my habit to automatically write transitions and linking structures. Which is a great help lessen my time on thinking what to use next. Thanks simon. Your essays and tips but mostly THE "sample essays TASK 2" are magic!
ps. Sad to realized that the consequences of being a lazy student during elementary and hishschool english lectures are slapping me now :)) HARD. T_T
Posted by: N | January 10, 2019 at 13:55