WRITING TASK 2 By SIMON (160 trang)

Practice makes perfect

IELTS Academic Writing Task 2

In the second part of the IELTS Academic Writing Test, you have to write 250 words. You should spend 40 minutes on this task. Writing Task 2 is worth more than Task 1, so you need to do it well.

For IELTS Writing Task 2, you have to write an essay discussing a topic. You will be given an opinion/ argument, different points of view or a problem to discuss.

Most students prepare phrases for introducing and linking ideas. However, not many students prepare good ideas and opinions for IELTS topics.

We'll work on these areas:

How to structure a good Task 2 essay.

Preparation of ideas, opinions and good vocabulary for each IELTS topic.

How to build and link sentences to create coherent paragraphs.

Common mistakes in grammar and word usage.

Some hard work on these areas can make a big difference to your writing score.

IELTS Advice: the "Firstly, Secondly, Finally" structure

I've had some great responses about the video lesson, but some students were surprised that you can get a band 9 using "Firstly, Secondly, Finally".

Is the phrase "First and foremost" better than "Firstly"?

The answer is NO.

Using simple organising language like "Firstly, Secondly" makes you focus on the REAL CONTENT of what you are writing - topic vocabulary, collocations, examples. This is what the examiner wants to see.

Spend your time preparing ideas, opinions and examples for IELTS topics, not learning alternative ways to write "Firstly".

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'traffic' topic

Today I'd like to show you a good essay by one of my students. This is the essay question:

Traffic congestion is becoming a huge problem for many major cities. Suggest some measures that could be taken to reduce traffic in big cities.

I gave the student's essay a band 7, mainly because it contains some really good topic vocabulary. Open the file below to see the full essay, grammar corrections and my comments.

Download Essay

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Practice makes perfect

Hopefully you can see that the student has followed my advice. He focuses on answering the question, there is a clear structure, and there is enough 'band 7' vocabulary.

Try to focus on answering the question rather than using 'complex grammar'. I find it difficult to write a good essay if I'm only thinking about grammar - you should be thinking about your ideas and opinions.

Writing essays every day is only a good idea if you prepare properly for the essay topics. Are you learning anything new by writing so many essays, or are you just testing yourself? Remember, a test shows your level NOW, but it doesn't teach you anything new.

Simon

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'vegetarianism' topic

Today I asked my students about the vegetarianism topic. They found it quite difficult to give both sides of the argument. It's important to be able to discuss both sides of an issue, even if there are points that you don't agree with.

Here is a summary of the arguments in favour of a vegetarian diet, according to the speaker in yesterday's video:

A vegetarian diet is healthier.

Eating a hamburger a day can increase your risk of dying by a third.

Raising animals in factory farm conditions is cruel.

Meat production causes more emissions than transportation.

Beef production uses 100 times the amount of water that vegetable production

requires.

A vegetarian diet is cheaper.

So, basically he is saying that a vegetarian diet is healthier, kinder to animals, better for the environment and cheaper.

Now you need to think about the opposite argument. Feel free to discuss your ideas in the "comments" area.

PS. I've written about this topic in my ebook.

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