IELTS Simon

IELTS Writing Task 2: topic sentences

The first sentence of a main body paragraph is often called the 'topic sentence'.

There's a simple reason why topic sentences are important in IELTS essays: Examiners want to see a "clear central topic within each paragraph" (band 7 descriptor for coherence and cohesion). So if you start your main paragraphs with a topic sentence, you can make sure that the "central topic" of each one is clear.

Task:
Have another look at the essay plan that I wrote for last week's lesson. Can you write a topic sentence for each of the two main paragraphs?

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'small families' essay plan

In many countries today, people in cities either live alone or in small family units, rather than in large, extended family groups. Is this a positive or negative trend?

Here's my plan for a 'strong opinion' answer:

Course: Band descriptor secrets!

Course title:

Understanding and using the band descriptors for IELTS writing task 2.

What you get:

- 7 video lessons
- worksheets for each lesson
- one of your essays checked

Course aim:

By the end of the course, you will understand the band descriptors and how examiners use them to score your writing. You will be able to use this understanding to analyse and improve your own essays.

Some positive feedback from people who took the course:

"For me, the most important thing I learned from the course is knowing how to mark and improve my own essays, which I couldn't do before."

"I know now that I would have regretted it if I didn't sign up for the course. It helped me to figure out my strengths and weaknesses, and understand what IELTS expects."

"It was a pleasure to take this informative course from an authentic (ex-) examiner!"

"The course has been a real eye-opener for me because I now understand the criteria much better."

Payment

- The full course package costs £80.
- Click on the 'pay now' link below, and complete the payment process.
- You will receive an email from me with all of the materials within 24 hours.

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IELTS Writing Task 2: 'small families' topic

Here's an exam question that a student sent me. We'll work on it over the next few weeks.

In many countries today, people in cities either live alone or in small family units, rather than in large, extended family groups. Is this a positive or negative trend?

..........

PS. If you missed my 7-day IELTS writing course, I'll make it available again later today.

IELTS Writing Task 2: the BIG mistake

A student asked me the following question:

If the question asks "To what extent do you agree or disagree?", can I discuss the two views of other people and end with my opinion in the conclusion?

I hope most of you know that the answer is NO. This is the big mistake that so many people make - they write a "discussion" essay instead of an "opinion" essay.

When the question asks "To what extent do you agree or disagree?", you should state your view in the introduction, support it in the main body paragraphs, and repeat or summarise it in the conclusion. The whole essay needs to be about YOUR views, not the views of other people.

IELTS Writing Task 2: four 'rules' for introductions

Here are four 'rules' to follow when writing an introduction for a task 2 essay:

1. Write two sentences: introduce the topic, then give a general answer.
2. In those two sentences you should briefly mention everything that the question mentions.
3. Demonstrate that you can paraphrase the ideas in the question.
4. Don't save any surprises for the conclusion; give your opinion in the introduction if the question asks for it.

PS. Today is the final day for joining my new writing course. I'll remove the sign-up link at 10pm (UK time).

7-day writing course update

My new writing course starts on Monday 10th June, but the final day for signing up to the course will be Wednesday 5th June. So, there are just four days left if you want to join.

Here are some of the things that I'll cover on the course:

• An overview of how IELTS essays are scored
• Understanding the four criteria on the band descriptors table
• Addressing the task, developing and supporting your ideas
• Presenting a clear position
• Paragraphing, coherent development of ideas
• Different types of linking
• Planning ideas
• Clear, logical thinking
• Topic vocabulary, collocations and 'less common' vocabulary
• The problem with 'academic' / 'big' words and 'phrases for any essay'
• Vocabulary range and flexibility of vocabulary use
• The true measure of your level of English
• How to practise paraphrasing and work on your vocabulary range
• Grammar: true understanding of accuracy, range and complexity

Of course, I'll use examples of good writing to demonstrate everything, and we'll score and rewrite a student's essay so that you can see exactly how I use the band descriptors.

For more information or to sign up, click here.

IELTS Writing Task 2: it's only 13 sentences!

It surprises some people when I tell them that they only need to write 13 sentences for writing task 2:

• Introduction: 2 sentences
• First main body paragraph: 5 sentences
• Second main body paragraph: 5 sentences
• Conclusion: 1 sentence

If you look through my lessons here on the blog, you'll see that I usually manage to write 250 words or more in this way. I think it seems a lot less scary if you think that your task is to write just 13 sentences!

Please note: It is not a 'rule' that you must write 13 sentences. This is just my approach or method.

IELTS Writing Task 2: using the band descriptors

Here's a quick example of what I'll be looking at on the writing course next month:

How does your introduction paragraph contribute to your score? How does it help you to meet the criteria shown on the band descriptors document?

There are two main things that I try to do when writing an introduction:

1. address all parts of the task
2. present a clear position (my view or my overall answer)

The two phrases above come from the 'task achievement' column of the band descriptors table. Notice how they match the advice that I've given many times in my lessons:

• Your introduction only needs to contain two sentences
• First introduce the topic (address the task)
• Then give an overall answer to the question (address the task, present your position)

I'll talk about this in more detail on the course. Note: the 25% discount will end at midnight tonight, UK time.

IELTS Writing Task 2: vocabulary and grammar review

Let's review some of the good topic vocabulary from the three media essay that I shared recently.

Remember: these are collocations and phrases, not big or 'academic' words.

• the most powerful of these media
• not the best medium
• a much more effective medium
• the most dynamic of these media
• its ability to communicate information
• the communication of up-to-date information
• reliable sources of information
• research a subject in depth
• news broadcasts
• what the broadcaster is describing
• events as they happen
• events as they take place
• no visual element
• brings us closer to reality
• the body language of a politician
• interrupted by advertisements
• presented in limited depth
• excellent communication tools
• an even greater impact on the viewer

And here's a task for grammar fans. Can you find the following in the essay?

1. a noun phrase added on the end of a sentence (after a comma)
2. a compound sentence
3. a complex sentence
4. three different verb tenses
5. three pronouns that refer back to nouns
6. a relative pronoun
7. two examples of passive verbs
8. extra information surrounded by commas
9. use of a semicolon to link two related sentences
10. an extra clause added on the end of a sentence (after a comma)

New IELTS writing course

Here are the details about the 7-day course that I announced yesterday.

Please note: this course is now full.

Title: Using the band descriptors to improve your writing score (task 2)

Who is this course for?

• Anyone who wants to understand the IELTS writing band descriptors and use them to become a better essay writer.
• Both academic and general IELTS candidates. This course will be for writing task 2 only, which is basically the same in both tests.
• You can access this course from any country*. Lessons will be delivered by email and video. *If YouTube works in your country, you'll be able to watch the videos. If it doesn't, you'll need to contact me.

Course aims:

• The main theme of the course will be this: using the writing band descriptors to improve your essays. I'll show you how to fulfil the scoring criteria for task response, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary and grammar.
• I'll also talk about some of the myths and misinformation regarding IELTS writing. Many students and teachers have the wrong idea about how to write a good essay, so I want to separate the good advice from the bad.
• By the end of the 7-day course, you should know exactly how to write the kind of task 2 essays that examiners want to see.
• I'll also check one of your essays at the end of the course, to make sure that you've followed the lessons properly!

Dates and prices:

• 10th to 16th June. Lessons will be available for access at any time during that week, so don't worry about time zones.
• The full course price is £80.

This course is now full.

7-day IELTS writing course (task 2)

How exactly do the writing band descriptors work? What are the most important things to focus on if you want to improve your writing score? How do you write the kind of essay that examiners want to see?

These are the questions that I’ll be answering on a new 7-day writing course (task 2 only, academic and general) that will take place from June 10th to 16th.

Through video lessons, worksheets and daily homework tasks, I’ll show you how to meet the band descriptor requirements. There will be no secret tricks or techniques, just a proper explanation, and plenty of examples, of how to write with the scoring criteria in mind. I’ve never taught IELTS writing with such a close analysis of the scoring system before, so I’m looking forward to trying something new!

You’ll be able to sign up to the course from tomorrow, and I’ll give you some more details (including prices).

IELTS Writing Task 2: two unusual things

Did you notice the two unusual things about the essay that I shared in last Wednesday's lesson?

1. The first unusual thing was that I wrote five paragraphs instead of my normal four. If you read the question, it should be obvious why I wrote three main body paragraphs instead of two.
2. The second unusual thing was that I began the essay with the phrase This essay will discuss. I don't usually write a 'thesis statement', but I think it works well for this particular task.

If you have time, compare my 'three media' essay with any other essay that you find here on my blog. I wrote almost all of the other essays using my normal method.

PS. I'll be announcing a new IELTS writing course this weekend. The course will be in June and it will last 7 days, with daily lessons delivered by email and video. I'll also check one of your essays at the end of it. I'll tell you more on Saturday.

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'three media' essay

Today I'm attaching my full sample essay for the "compare three media" question that we saw in a recent lesson.

Download Three media essay

Which TWO things make this essay different from my usual essays?

IELTS Writing Task 2: improve the sentences

Here are some sentences that people wrote below last Wednesday's lesson. Each sentence is 'awkward' in some way, so can you rewrite and improve them?

1. It is true that media communication has several types such as books, radio and television.
2. As far as I am concerned, I think that the most advantageous is television.
3. I, however, prefer mostly TV is the best choice of communication's tools.
4. Different types of medium have their own benefits and drawbacks based on their own features for communication of information.
5. It is true that the media plays a major role in communications in recent years.

IELTS Writing Task 2: a rare 5-paragraph essay

I almost always write 4 paragraphs, but sometimes the question requires a different approach. For example, a student asked me to return to the question below (from Cambridge IELTS 4). I wrote a couple of lessons about this topic back in 2012, but we didn't finish the full essay.

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of three of the following as media for communicating information. State which you consider to be the most effective.

• comics
• books
• radio
• television
• film
• theatre

Here are my three main body paragraphs.
Can you add the introduction and conclusion?

The main advantage of books is that they are usually considered to be reliable sources of information. People tend to refer to books when they want to research a subject in depth, and for this reason they continue to play an important role in education. On the other hand, books quickly go out of date, and therefore they are not the best medium for communicating news stories.

Radio is a much more effective medium than books for the communication of up-to-date information. We can listen to news broadcasts about events as they happen, and a key benefit of radio is that we can listen to it while doing other activities, such as driving or working. The main drawback of radio, when compared to books or television, is that there is no visual element; we cannot see what the broadcaster is describing.

In my opinion, television is the most effective of these three media because it brings us closer to reality than a book or radio programme ever can. For example, we can watch events as they take place on the other side of the world, or we can see the body language of a politician who is being interviewed. The disadvantages of television are that programmes tend to be short and interrupted by advertisements, meaning that information is presented in limited depth.

IELTS Writing Task 2: how many ideas per paragraph?

A student asked me this useful question:

In writing task 2, isn't it better to write about just one idea in each main body paragraph? If we put two or three ideas in the same paragraph (e.g. firstly, secondly, finally), we can't explain each idea in as much detail.

Here's my answer to this question:

Some questions require you to put more than one idea in each main paragraph. For example, if the question asks you to explain the advantages, disadvantages, reasons, causes or solutions, you must give more than one. Therefore a "firstly, secondly, finally" paragraph structure is perfect. If the question doesn't contain a plural word, one idea per paragraph is fine.

To learn the two methods that I use for writing paragraphs, study this lesson.

IELTS Writing Task 2: advice for different scores

Depending on what scores my students are aiming for, I give different advice.

If you are aiming for band 5, 5.5 or 6:

You can reach band 6 with fairly 'easy' language if your essay structure is good, your ideas are relevant to the question topic, and you write at least 250 words. Look through the writing task 2 lessons on this website to learn how to write introductions, main paragraphs and conclusions, and work on writing short, simple sentences to express your ideas.

When people get band 5 or below, it is often because they don't finish their essays, they go off-topic, they have no idea about good essay structure, or they try to use 'difficult' language and therefore make lots of mistakes. For bands 5 to 6, keep your essays simple and clear.

If you are aiming for band 7 or higher:

First, you need to do everything that I mentioned above: you need relevant ideas, a good essay structure, and you must write at least 250 words.

But to reach the higher scores, your essays need more 'depth'. You need to explain your ideas in more detail, using a wider range of vocabulary. At this level, good essay structure is not enough, and memorised linking phrases won't help either. Your focus should be on real content.

IELTS Writing Task 2: make your 'position' clear

One of the key principles that you should remember when writing a task 2 essay is this: make sure that your position is clear throughout the essay.

Your "position" is your overall answer to the question. It is an expression of where you stand on the issue or topic.

Notice also my use of the word "throughout". Your position should be made clear in the introduction, supported in the main paragraphs, and restated in the conclusion.

Task:
Look again at this essay. Which phrases did I use to make my position clear?

IELTS Vocabulary: 'choices' essay review

Here's a list of the 'band 7-9' vocabulary in my most recent essay:

• modern life presents us with
• an overwhelming number of choices
• the two major factors involved
• a dramatic expansion in
• online media options
• almost endless
• countless websites
• on-demand TV
• music streaming
• abundance of media
• on the part of the average user
• the content that we consume
• compounding this problem
• faced with a world of options
• limited but simple travel choices
• our grandparents' generation
• the same is true
• the increasing tendency for
• the opportunity for overseas study
• seems appealing
• which path to take
• more bewildering than beneficial

IELTS Writing Task 2: essay analysis

You can learn a lot by analysing a well-written essay. Here's a quick analysis of the essay that I shared last Wednesday:

Method
As usual, I wrote 4 paragraphs containing 13 sentences in total. If you always follow the same writing method, you'll feel confident that you know exactly how to write your essay in the exam. If you have time, look at my 13 sentences again and analyse what each one is doing.

Style
I consider task 2 essays (like the one I wrote) to be "high school style" essays, rather than "university level" essays. This is because we're writing about our own ideas and opinions; we don't have access to any research. Task 2 essays should be clear and easy to read, with a focus on relevant ideas and good 'topic vocabulary'. You won't have time to develop the kind of detailed arguments that a university teacher would expect, so imagine that you're writing for your high school teacher!

Focus
IELTS students often worry too much about grammar; they think that they need to fill their essays with passives, conditionals, compound sentences, complex sentences etc. I tell my students not to think about those things. Instead, we focus on vocabulary: expressing our ideas well and making sure that we answer the question. Vocabulary (ideas) was my main focus when I wrote the essay.

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'choices' essay

Here's my band 9 sample answer for the question below. I followed the essay plan that you can see in this lesson.

Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

It is often said that modern life presents us with an overwhelming number of choices. I completely agree with this, and I believe that the Internet and globalisation are the two major factors involved.

It is undeniable that the Internet has led to a dramatic expansion in the number of choices that are available to us. The number of online media options, for instance, is now almost endless. There are countless websites offering entertainment, news, videos, on-demand TV and music streaming, many of which are free. I would argue that this abundance of media leads to confusion on the part of the average user, as we have to make so many decisions about the content that we consume. A personal example of this trend would be the fact that I had a choice of just four TV channels when I was a child, whereas I now have access to thousands of films and series through services like Netflix.

Alongside the influence of the Internet, globalisation is making the world smaller and compounding this problem of too much choice. Cheap international flights have made overseas travel possible for millions of people, but this also means that we are faced with a world of options when deciding where to go on holiday or even where to live. We no longer have the limited but simple travel choices of our grandparents’ generation. The same is true if we look at the increasing tendency for young people to study abroad. While the opportunity for overseas study seems appealing, many students are confused about where to go and which path to take.

In conclusion, we are faced with a huge number of options in most areas of life nowadays, and this is often more bewildering than beneficial.

(293 words)

IELTS Listening and Writing: spelling tips

Spelling mistakes can affect your score in the listening and writing tests. If you have a problem with spelling, here are some tips:

1. Type your essays: your computer will find your spelling mistakes.
2. When writing by hand, use a dictionary to check difficult words.
3. Keep a list: write down any mistakes your computer/teacher finds.
4. Memorise: learn difficult words by heart.
5. Test yourself on words you previously spelt wrongly.
6. Never give your teacher an essay that you haven't checked.

If you find that spelling is a big problem, you should work on it every day. Keep a notebook or put posters on your walls. If you do nothing, you will not improve; there is no secret rule that will suddenly solve the problem!

IELTS Writing Task 2: opinion, not discussion

If the question asks whether you agree or disagree, it is asking for your opinion. You should express your opinion in the introduction, and support it in the rest of the essay.

Don’t structure an “opinion” essay like this:

1. Introduction
2. Paragraph supporting the opposite opinion
3. Paragraph supporting my opinion
4. Conclusion

The problem with this essay structure is that paragraph 2 is not consistent with my opinion. This is a “discussion” essay structure!

Think of it this way: your task when you answer an “agree or disagree” question is to persuade the reader that your view is right. Each paragraph should defend your opinion.

Note:
You can write about both sides of the argument if you say that you "partly agree". Go to this lesson to see some suggestions for essay structures.

IELTS Writing Task 2: introduction with main ideas

I don't usually present my main ideas in the introduction. However, if you look at the essay plan that I wrote last week, you'll see that there's a really clear main idea for each body paragraph.

Because of this, I found it easy to mention both points in the introduction below.

Here's the task again:
Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

And my introduction, with main paragraph ideas underlined:
It is often said that modern life presents us with an overwhelming number of choices. I completely agree with this, and I believe that the Internet and globalisation are the two major factors involved.

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'choices' plan

I've written a quick plan (see photo) for the 'choices' question below.

Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

I hope you can read my handwriting!

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'choices' topic

Here's an interesting question from Cambridge IELTS 13:

Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

I'm going to go with my instinct and say that I completely agree with this. I'll show you how I build my essay over the next couple of weeks.

IELTS Writing Task 2: very simple conclusion

If you've written a good essay, there's no need for a 'difficult' or 'impressive' conclusion. Just let the conclusion do its job: it should restate your position (answer) in a clear and simple way.

Here's a simple conclusion that finishes off last week's essay:

In conclusion, while some people are attracted to the latest fashionable hobby, others choose their pastimes for more genuine reasons.

IELTS Writing Task 2: conclusion mistakes

Can you find and correct the mistakes in the following conclusion sentences?

1. In conclusion, Following trends and fashions or not, it is up to people.
2. In conclusion, some hobbies can temporary popular while some can last for ages.
3. Some entertainment becomes old-fashioned these days but there are other popular entertainments that trends have not affected on them.
4. In conclusion, I could conclude that some people are too much trendy in term of their preferred interests.
5. In conclusion, some hobbies and interests are changable time by time according to individuals while some of them everytime are liked people doing.

IELTS Writing Task 2: write the conclusion for me!

I've almost finished the essay below, but can you write a one-sentence conclusion for me?

Popular hobbies and interests change over time and are more a reflection of trends and fashions than an indication of what individuals really want to do in their spare time. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some leisure activities become fashionable for a short time and then disappear when a new trend comes along, whereas others seem to be perennially popular. I can therefore only partly agree with the assertion that hobbies reflect changing fashions rather than our true interests.

On the one hand, it is true that many hobbies are simply passing trends. Children and teenagers, in particular, are attracted to whatever activity is currently popular among their peers. My 10-year-old niece, for example, seems to have a new interest every month, as she joins in with the latest craze that sweeps through her primary school. Over the last year or so, she has been obsessed with Rubik’s cubes, fidget spinners, squidgies and slime. In a similar way, there have been several different fitness trends for adults over recent years, from jogging to yoga to circuit training, and I doubt whether the majority of participants continued to enjoy those activities in the long term.

On the other hand, many people spend their free time doing popular activities that are far from trendy. One good example would be the game chess. Children and adults who enjoy playing chess are certainly not following a new fashion or wasting their time on something that they do not truly like. On the contrary, they are passionate about a game that has existed for hundreds of years, and they find it inherently fascinating and absorbing. I would say the same about many other hobbies, from reading to swimming.

In conclusion,.....

IELTS Writing Task 2: paragraph analysis

Here's a paragraph supporting the opinion that most hobbies are just trends (the full question is here).

On the one hand, it is true that many hobbies are simply passing trends. Children and teenagers, in particular, are attracted to whatever activity is currently popular among their peers. My 10-year-old niece, for example, seems to have a new interest every month, as she joins in with the latest craze that sweeps through her primary school. Over the last year or so, she has been obsessed with Rubik’s cubes, fidget spinners, squidgies and slime. In a similar way, there have been several different fitness trends for adults over recent years, from jogging to yoga to circuit training, and I doubt whether the majority of participants continued to enjoy those activities in the long term.

Let's analyse the paragraph:

• My position is clear, especially from these phrases: it is true that..., I doubt whether...
• Five sentences: 1) topic, 2) illustration using children and teenagers, 3) personal example, 4) personal example continued, 5) comparison with adults, examples and concluding view.
• Examples of passing trends are the key feature in the paragraph: Rubik’s cubes, fidget spinners, squidgies, slime, jogging, yoga, circuit training (7 examples in total). These examples really help to support the view given in the paragraph.
• Plenty of natural, appropriate 'topic' vocabulary: passing trends, attracted to, currently popular, among their peers, joins in with the latest craze, sweeps through her primary school, obsessed with, fitness trends, the majority of participants.
• Good coherence. For example, notice the use of the phrase 'In a similar way', which allows me to move from talking about children to talking about adults. Notice also the relationship between sentences 2, 3 and 4: children... my niece... she.
• Notice how I finish with a reference to the original question: "I doubt whether... in the long term" refers to the idea that "individuals don't really want to do these activities in their spare time".
• Grammar: there's a nice mix of long and short sentences, and I can't see any mistakes!