Tips for Writing Task 2 - Essay

You don’t have to be a writer to write a good essay. This task may look even harder than the letter, but it is only a first impression. Just follow the rules, keep the right structure, use some “smart” words and practice a little. This way you can easily reach a level, where no matter what topic they give you, after 40 minutes you turn a beautiful 2 pages long essay and walk out of the room with a huge smile on your face.

Structure of essay

Every essay should have this exact structure: introduction, body and conclusion.

It is very important because your grade is affected by it. Introduction usually takes one paragraph, body – two or three paragraphs and conclusion – one paragraph.

Essay topics – 3 different kinds

There are only 3 kinds of essay topics in IELTS, let’s call them A, H, S.

Topics “A” present an Argument and you need to explore pros and cons, reasons for and against, while you support only one side.

Topics “H” present a Hidden argument. These topics usually ask “To what extent

…?”, “In what way…?”, “How has something change…?”.

Topics “S” present a Situation and you need to explore reasons why it is what it is, assume what will happen in the future and suggest solutions to problems, if required.

The following examples demonstrate the difference between topics of A, H or S kind:

A: “Modern society benefits greatly from computer technology. However, becoming more dependent on computer has its disadvantages. Discuss threats of computers.” Here the 2 sides of argument are the advantages and disadvantages of computers.

H: “To what extent should television participate in our children’s education?”

What they really ask here is whether the television should educate the children or not.

S: “Due to change of women’s role in modern society, men are now the ones suffering from sexual discrimination. Do you agree?”

Here you can see the description of situation and you have to write what you think about it.

Essay of A(rgument) kind

1. Introduction paragraph must clearly state the argument, both sides of it.

Do not simply copy the topic from instruction, write it in other words. Don’t give your opinion, save it for later.

2. Body paragraphs (at least 2) must refer to each side of the argument. Write first paragraph about the side you disagree with. The side you do agree with should be in the last body paragraph, because this way it naturally leads to conclusion.

3. Conclusion paragraph should contain summary of the points you were making. Never mind if the paragraph turns out to be short, the important thing is that you kept the structure of the essay.

Essay of H(idden Argument ) kind

1. Introduction paragraph must define the question. You need to reveal the hidden argument. Rewrite the topic, so it will say what it really means:

from “to what extent something affects…?” to “Does something affect…?” from “in what way something contributes?” to “does something contribute?” from “how does something influence…?” to ”does something influence …? Now it became an argument with two sides, and you write essay of kind “A”.

Essay of S(ituation) kind

1. Introduction paragraph must state the situation and explain it. Don’t give your opinion here.

2. Body paragraphs (at least 2) should describe reasons that lead to the situation, making it like it is now. Each paragraph should talk about one reason.

3. Conclusion paragraph should summarize the points of the essay. If the task requires suggesting solution to problems, recommendations, advice - this is the place for it. If your opinion is required – you should also give it in conclusion paragraph.

General suggestions

· Write on given topic directly, don’t slide to another theme.

· Write in general, not about your personal experiences, but what is going on in the world.

· Read task instructions and write about every little thing that is requested. If the task requires suggesting solution – do it.

Don’t forget to give recommendations or advice, if requested.

Baby Steps through essay

After you have read all that, you still have no idea how to start writing. So let’s do it together:

First

Read and classify the question. You need to decide what kind of topic you have got, an A, H or S. It will affect the way you plan an essay.

Example:

“Home schooling belongs to the past and is unacceptable in the modern society. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Use your own knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence”

We can clearly see a hidden argument here. By revealing the real meaning of the topic we get “Is home schooling acceptable in modern society?”. This way it becomes an “A” topic, an argument with 2 sides – for and against home education.

Here you need to come up with ideas, thoughts and opinions on the given topic. The best way to do it is to think of some main ideas and then to write everything you can think of regarding those ideas. In case you are working on essay of “A” or “H” kind, these ideas are opposite sides of the argument .If you are working on essay of kind “S” – it is the reasons for the situation to be what it is.

Example:

Let’s say that after some thinking you came up with the following ideas, and your opinion is against the education at home.

For: Against:

parents know their children no scientific approach (like associative learning) learning is more enjoyable not every parent is capable

children feel safe parents forgot the material

Now you should think what goes where in your essay. On the same draft paper you have written the ideas, group them and decide which paragraph will describe which idea. If the topic is an argument (type A), remember to put side you don’t agree with first and the side you do agree with second. Think how you move from one paragraph to another. There should be a connective logical sentence that drives you towards next paragraph’s topic.

Example:

Parents know their children -1st body paragraph – side you don’t agree with Learning is more enjoyable -1st body paragraph

Children feel safe -1st body paragraph

no scientific approach -2nd body paragraph – side you do agree with associative learning -2nd body paragraph

not every parent is capable -3rd body paragraph parents forgot the material -3rd body paragraph

Third

It is time to write the answer. According to the plan you have made, start writing the essay. First sentence of introduction gives main idea of the essay, either presenting sides of the argument or describing a situation. The last sentence of introduction should naturally lead into first paragraph of the body. Remember to keep the paragraph structure and to connect paragraphs so one will lead to another.

Important! Try to start body paragraphs with a linking word (like However, Therefore, Moreover, Nevertheless, etc.). It raises your score.

Example:

This is an essay written according to the ideas you came up with. The ideas are in bold font for easier understanding.

Everything has two sides and home schooling is not an exception. In the past it seemed like the most natural way of educating the children, but today many people criticize it.

We must acknowledge that parents know their children best. That gives them a good chance of knowing how to make child understand certain concepts. Using child’s interests, parents can make a process of learning more enjoyable and effective. In addition, being at home makes child feel safe, which contributes to his ability to concentrate on studying.

Nevertheless, many people believe that teaching should be done by professionals. There are many proven scientific approaches that produce good results and without those techniques parents who teach their kids at home have no chance of success. Associative learning is a good example of such a technique. Showing the child images while learning the alphabet (apple for “a”, boy for “b”) makes him or her remember the letters faster and easier.

Also not every parent is capable of teaching his or her child at home because the blind can not lead the blind. Parents can not teach the children something they don’t know themselves, and let’s face it – not all of us have profound knowledge of history or geography even on a school textbook level. Eventually, even those mums and dads who had succeeded at school could forget the material as the time went by.

In conclusion, I have more trust in abilities and experience of professional teachers then I do in my own.

And finally - read the essay carefully from the beginning and check it for errors.

40 minutes? Not enough!

Almost no one can get their first essays done on time. So don’t be disappointed if it takes you an hour or even longer. First try to get used to the Baby Steps process that I explained earlier. After a little bit of practice, you will start writing essays faster and faster, and finally you will reach your goal – essay in 40 minutes. You should work with a clock all the time – this is the only way for you to monitor you progress.

Helpful phrases

Usually people who don’t read and write in English every day have trouble expressing themselves in essay. So I enclose here a list of phrases to help you write more elegant sentences.

Phrases to show two sides of argument

· “Some people prefer …. Those who disagree point out that…”

· “We must acknowledge … Nevertheless, …”

· “No one can deny … However, …”

· “Many people hold the opinion… Others, however, disagree…”

· “Although it is hard to compete with …, some people still prefer …”

Phrases to add

· “Not only…, but…”

· “Also

· “Furthermore,”

· “In addition,”

· “Moreover,”

Phrases to deny what was said before

· “Although…”

· “However,”

· “Nevertheless,”

· “Even if…”

· “In spite of”

· “On the other hand”

Phrases for examples

· “For example,”

· “For instance,”

· “In particular,”

· “…, such as”

· “To illustrate …”

Phrases for results

· “As a result”

· “Therefore”

· “Thus”

· “So”

· “Eventually”

Phrases for conclusion

· “Lastly,”

· “Finally,”

· “To conclude with,”

· “In short,”

· “In conclusion,”

Practice, practice, practice!

My advice would be to practice on essays as much as you can. Your goal is to be able to write essay of 250 words in 40 minutes on any given topic. Topic doesn’t matter, the important thing is that you know and implement the technique you’ve learned.

So for those of you, who don’t take chances, follows list of topics similar to those you will get in IELTS. Practice with a clock and count words. Enjoy!

Topic 1

You are advised to spend the maximum of 40 minutes on this task.

Even though globalization affects the world’s economics in a very positive way, its negative side should not be forgotten. Discuss.