How to write ielts writing task 2

Introduction - introduce topic and give your clear answer to the task question I fully agree or disagree with the claim 2.. Both schools and parents are equally responsible for solving

IELTS WRITING TASK 2

INTRODUCTION

TYPES OF IELTS QUESTIONS

1.Agree or Disagree

2.Advantages/Benefits outweigh

Disadvantages/Drawbacks

3.Discuss two views plus your opinion

4.Discuss two views only (no opinion)

5.Causes/Problem and Solution

6.Two questions/ two-part questions

7.Opinion

1 AGREE OR DISAGREE

1 Some people think that scientists experimenting with animals in a

laboratory is the only way we can guarantee new products will be safe for human use To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

2 Fatherhood ought to be emphasized as much as motherhood The

idea that women are solely responsible for deciding whether or not

to have babies leads on to the idea that they are also responsible for bringing the children up To what extent do you agree or disagree?

3 Currently there is a trend towards the use of alternative forms of

medicine However, at best these methods are ineffective, and at worst they may be dangerous To what extent do you agree or disagree?

2 ADVANTAGES/BENEFITS VS

DISADVANTAGES/DRAWBACKS

1 In some countries, governments are encouraging

industries and businesses to move to regional areas outside the big cities Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

2 Unemployment is one of the most serious problems

facing developed nations today What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of reducing the working week to thirty five hours?

3 DISCUSS 2 VIEWS PLUS YOUR OPINIONS

1 Some people say children no longer need to develop

handwriting skills Others believe that handwriting is still important Discuss both these views and give your opinion

2 Some people think children in secondary school should study

international news as part of the curriculum Others think that this would be a waste of time as there are already too many subjects for children to concentrate on Discuss both views and give your own opinion

4 DISCUSS TWO VIEWS ONLY (NO OPINION)

1 Many people believe that an effective public transport

system is a key component of a modern city Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of public transport

2 In some countries people pay different rates of tax

depending on their salary, in other countries everyone pays the same rate Which do you believe is the best system?

5 CAUSE/PROBLEMS AND SOLUTION

1 Crime rates tend to be higher in cities than in smaller towns

Explain some possible reasons for this problem and suggest some solutions

6 TWO QUESTIONS OR TWO-PART QUESTIONS

1 To some people studying the past has little value in the

modern world.  Why do you think it is important to do so? What will be the effect if children are not taught history?

7 OPINION

1 Research indicates that the characteristics we are born with

have much more influence on our personality and development than other experiences we may have in life Which do you consider to be the major influence?

HOW TO WRITE IELTS

WRITING TASK 2

INSTRUCTIONS

HOW TO WRITE THE AGREE

OR DISAGREE ESSAY

• For the agree/disagree essay, I think it’s probably easiest to

just completely agree or completely disagree because

you just need to have 2 reasons to support why

• Remember, the examiner is marking you on how you express,

organize and support your ideas They aren’t judging you

on your opinion As long as it’s logical and cohesive (your

argument is supported and your ideas stick together) and written clearly, you will get a higher mark

1 Introduction - introduce topic and give your clear answer

to the task question (I fully agree or disagree with the claim)

2 Main Reason #1 why you agree or disagree - give

examples and supporting details

3 Main Reason #2 why you agree or disagree - give

examples and supporting details

4 Conclusion - restate your opinion (this is a very short

paragraph – probably 1 to 2 sentences)

SAMPLE WRITING TASK

Many children these days have an unhealthy lifestyle Both schools and parents are equally responsible for solving this problem.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

SAMPLE OUTLINE

1 Introduction – Write a sentence about the topic,

paraphrase the claim and give my opinion.

E.g.:

I completely disagree I think only parents are

fully responsible for solving this problem.

SAMPLE OUTLINE

2 Main Reason #1 

I believe parents are fully responsible for solving this problem

•main caregiver and spend the most time with their kids

•should be the primary role model of living a healthy lifestyle

•most effective because parents provide child’s food/meals

and guidelines for child’s free time and activities

SAMPLE OUTLINE

3 Main Reason #2

Schools should not be responsible for solving this problem

•Schools should focus on academics – reading/writing/maths and science

•Teachers have a relatively small amount of time with each child – they have to worry about a classroom full of 30+ children

•least effective because they don’t provide for the child’s regular diet

SAMPLE OUTLINE

4 Conclusion – restate my opinion that I completely

disagree and believe that only parents, rather than parents and schools equally, are responsible for changing children’s unhealthy lifestyles

SAMPLE ANSWER

In the media we often hear or read about the rising trend of children leading unhealthy lifestyles While many believe both schools and parents share equal responsibility for solving this problem, I disagree and feel that parents are fully responsible for changing the unhealthy lifestyles of their children.

As the main caregiver and educator, parents spend the most time with their children and therefore are the biggest influence on the way their child eats and acts The best way to solve this is to be a role model for their child, by making healthy choices on what to eat and how much activity or sports they take part in If

a child sees their parent eating vegetables or goes for a walk with them after dinner, their habits will change for the better Besides, with parents in control of providing the child’s day-to-day food and organizing their child’s free time activities, they are the most effective ones to tackle this problem.

Because the primary purpose of school is to focus on academics and learning development, schools should not be responsible for solving the problem of children’s unhealthy lifestyles Moreover, with 20 students or more in a classroom, teachers already have a relatively small amount of time with each child

to actually influence their decisions on what to eat and what to do In short, schools would be the least effective because they have no control or means over what each child eats or how they spend their free time.

To sum up, I believe that only parents, rather than parents and schools equally, are responsible for changing children’s unhealthy lifestyles. As primary caregivers and role-models, parents, rather than schools, are closest and most influential to each child.

( 287 words)

HOW TO WRITE THE

INTRODUCTION

• The introduction should be clear and concise It doesn’t need to be very long and grand since this is a short 250-word essay Here’s what it should include:

• a paraphrase (use of different words but same meaning) of the topic and

issue presented in the task question Write a sentence introducing the

topic and giving some background facts about it.

• your opinion (if it is asked, please see the different types of Task 2 questions)

Tell the reader what you are going to be writing about

• It should be 2 -3 sentences.

THESIS STATEMENT

• A thesis statement is a sentence (or two) that states what you are going to do in your essay It is a kind of asignpost – something that tells you where to go- or a map that shows the reader what direction your essay will take It usually comes at the end of the

Introduction

This essay looks at ideas in favour of and against early marriage.

This essay will discuss the benefits of having universal free health care.

THESIS STATEMENT

In the media we often hear or read about the rising trend of

children leading unhealthy lifestyles While many believe both schools and parents share equal responsibility for solving this problem, I disagree and feel that parents are fully responsible for changing the unhealthy lifestyles of their children

Early technological developments helped ordinary people and changed their lives more than recent developments To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Modal answer:

Our lives have greatly benefited from technological

developments throughout history While some people feel that early inventions helped ordinary people more than recent

technological developments, I feel both early and recent

advances have had an equally significant impact on ordinary people

OTHER SAMPLE

Blood sports have become a hot topic for debate in recent years

As society develops it is increasingly seen as an uncivilized activity and cruel to the helpless animals that are killed Blood sports should be banned To what extent to you agree or disagree?

Model answer

Despite the fact that killing animals for sport is popular in modern society, it remains a contentious issue I believe that blood sports are cruel and uncivilized and so should be banned

as soon as possible

OTHER SAMPLE

Currently there is a trend towards the use of alternative forms of medicine However, at best these methods are

ineffective, and at worst they may be dangerous To what extent do you agree with this statement?

2 ADVANTAGES/BENEFITS VS DISADVANTAGES/DRAWBACKS

In some countries, governments are encouraging industries and businesses to move to regional areas outside the big cities Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

Modal answer:

As  business growth becomes a priority worldwide, industries and businesses in some countries are  being encouraged to relocate away from the big cities to regional areas While this may have some disadvantages, I feel there are more advantages to benefit everyone

• Some people think children in secondary school should study

international news as part of the curriculum Others think that this would

be a waste of time as there are already too many subjects for children to concentrate on Discuss both views and give your own opinion

• Model answer

• While some people are of the opinion that it would be useful to

include international news as a subject in the school curriculum,

others believe that this is a waste of students time because they are already overloaded with subjects to study This essay will examine both sides of the issue.

3 DISCUSS 2 VIEWS PLUS YOUR OPINIONS

EXERCISE

OTHER SAMPLES

• http://www.scribd.com/doc/43595978/Conclusion-Vocabulary

GOLDEN RULES

• make sure you answer the question

• either summarize or restate your position

• do not use new information

• aim for 2/3 sentences

• Make sure you answer the question as it is asked For example,

if the question asks you “to what extent”, make sure your

conclusion says how much you agree

• Balance your introduction and conclusion – using the sandwich technique

• Vary your vocabulary: do not repeat the language of your

introduction or the question word for word

• Do not try and include too much information: state your

position and choose your best argument for or against Do not try and summarize all your arguments

OTHER SAMPLES

• Currently there is a trend towards the use of alternative forms of medicine However, at best these methods are ineffective, and at worst they may be dangerous To what extent do you agree with this statement?

• Model answer

• To sum up, I strongly believe that conventional medicine and alternative therapies can and should coexist They have different strengths, and can both be used effectively to target particular medical problems The best situation would be for alternative therapies to be used to support and complement conventional medicine

OTHER SAMPLES

OTHER SAMPLES

• Maternity leave

• Mothers generally stay home to take care of their children after pregnancy

Do you support the opinion that these mothers should be compensated by the government?

• In summary, I firmly believe that in the 21st century women on maternity leave should receive benefits from the government the only question to be resolved is for how long those benefits should last That will depend on the policies in individual countries.

Currently there is a trend towards the use of alternative forms of medicine

However, at best these methods are ineffective, and at worst they may be

dangerous To what extent do you agree with this statement?

• Model answer

•Alternative medicine is not new It is accepted that it pre-dates conventional medicine and it is still used by many people all over the world I am

unconvinced that it is dangerous, and feel that both alternative and

conventional medicine can be useful.

OTHER SAMPLES

Currently there is a trend towards the use of alternative forms of medicine However, at best these methods are ineffective, and at worst they may be dangerous To what extent do you agree with this statement?

•Model answer

•To sum up, I strongly believe that conventional medicine and

alternative therapies can and should coexist They have different

strengths, and can both be used effectively to target particular medical problems The best situation would be for alternative therapies to be used to support and complement conventional medicine

HOW TO WRITE FULL ESSAY

AGREE/DISAGREE

WRITING TASK

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Present a written argument to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic.

In the last 20 years there have been significant developments in the field of information technology (IT), for example the World Wide Web and

communication by email However, future developments in IT are likely to have more negative effects than positive.

To what extent do you agree with this view?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own

experience or knowledge.

You should write at least 250 words.

1) INTRODUCTION

You should do just two things:

•State the topic of the essay, using some basic facts (that you may be able to take from the question)

•Say what you are going to write about

Here is an example introduction for the above essay question about IT:

The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way

people's lives are affected by IT, with many advances in this

field However, while these technological advances have brought

many benefits to the world, it can be argued that future IT developments will produce more negative effects than positive ones.