Golden Belt IELTS Training Center IELTS Writing Task2

What is IELTS Writing Task 2?

Ø 250 words
Ø 4o minutes
Ø 66.6% of total mark
Assessment Criteria
Criteria Content Requirement of Band 9
Task - Response to question in - Fully address all parts of the
Response the topic task
(25%) - Introduction - Clear presentation of fully
- Relevant ideas developed position in answer
- Supporting details to question with relevant, fully
(examples and extended and well supported
explanation) ideas
- Length of essay
Coherence & - Easiness to read and - cohesion that attracts no
Cohesion understand along with attention
(25%) handwriting and language - skillfully manages
use paragraphing
- Response on-topic - one main idea per paragraph
without irrelevant and
redundant ideas or details
Lexical - effective and accurate use - use lots of vocabulary with
Resources of vocabulary very natural and sophisticated
(25%) - big words and phrases control of lexical features
might lead to forced and - rare minor errors
unnatural essay
Grammatical - flexibility and accuracy in - use a wide range of structures
Range & grammar structure - error-free sentences
Accuracy - sentence structures - only very occasional errors or
(25%) - tenses inappropriacies
- control of grammar
- punctuation
- number of mistakes

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Golden Belt IELTS Training Center IELTS Writing Task2

Donts
1. Do not use first person (I, me, my, mine), second person (You, your, yours), instead
you can use third person (they) or people or cyclist or public depending on your topic.
But you can/must use first and second person in one sentence of first and last paragraphs
(introduction and conclusion)
Or, you can use, “there is/are..”, “it can be said that,,,”, “it is true that,,,”, or “in passive
voice”.
2. Do not use short forms “don’t, can’t, it’s” at any time
3. Do not use same words many times
Dos
1. Think about the concepts or ideas in the topic and judge which side you will stand
depending on your ides (sometimes even though we personally agree one side, if we do
not have enough idea, we need to be on other side to argue that)
2. Answer the question in first paragraph
3. Second paragraph should be what you agree and third paragraph is what you do not
agree
4. Conclusion should conclude your ideas mentioned above and repeat your decision in
the last sentence
5. Use a lot of grammar/sentence structures as many as possible and vocabulary/synonym
as well
6. Try to include conjunctions between paragraphs as well as sentences
7. In each body paragraph, start with the topic sentences which tell the readers what this
paragraph is about (advantages, or disadvantages or problems or solution or your
agreement or disagreement), follow by 2 or 3 main ideas with supporting sentences or
clauses for each idea.
8. Try to write compound and complex sentences (combine at least 2 or 3 sentences) as
many as possible instead of writing simple sentences

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Golden Belt IELTS Training Center IELTS Writing Task2

General Tips 1

General Tips 2
1. Read sample answers to get the ideas
2. When you think about the topic (eg. Cycling, TV, Internet, Crime, GM food,
transportation, tourism etc,) make a note of vocabularies, related verbs (commit crime,
surfing the net), concepts and try writing in flowering way
3. Write at least 3 essays per week which are in different formats
4. Be careful with grammar, sub-verb agreement and not to use same word, you can check
when you finish and if you see same word you can replace with synonyms

3 Skills which are most important factors in writing IELTS essay

1. Brainstorming
2. Paraphrasing
3. Sentence Building skills

1. Brainstorming skills
Step 1- identify the key features or key words, think of a real example of given situation
Step 2- from example, think about what’s going to happen and form some ideas and
explanations
Step 3- choose some ideas that are easy to write

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Golden Belt IELTS Training Center IELTS Writing Task2

Ways for Brainstorming

Ø Listing
Ø Mind Mapping
Ø Making Table

Activity for Brainstorming

1. The increase in food production owes much to fertilizers and better machinery, but
some people think that it has a negative impact on human health and community.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
2. Some people argue that teaching children of different abilities together benefits all of
them. Others believe that intelligent children should be taught separately and given
special treatment.
Discuss both views and how do you think about it?
3. Some people have great ambitions in life, others don’t.
Do you think ambition is important to succeed in life?
Is it a positive or a negative quality to have?
4. Some countries and individuals try to deal with the problem of animal extinction.
Others think it is more important to deal with problems of human beings.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
5. We have entered a throw-away society and fill the environment with rubbish.
What are the causes and what are your solutions?
6. There are an increasing number of anti-social behaviors in recent years; People
generally believe that the society is to blame.
What do you think the causes are and who is responsible for this?
2. Paraphrasing Skills
Ability to express the same idea in different words, sentences and structures (You don’t need
to replace all words and phrases in the original sentence).
- Active to Passive Structure
- word forms (Verbs to nouns, nouns to verbs)
- Dummy-Subjects (It is….that.. or There is…)
- Use complex and compound sentences
- Use synonyms
3. Extending your sentences

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Golden Belt IELTS Training Center IELTS Writing Task2

- Using relative causes (which, that)

- Giving an example (for example, such as)
- Using clauses of results (which emphasizes/highlights the need for/necessity)
- Using clauses of purposes (act as an effective way of)
- Using clauses of reasons (because, therefore, thus)
General Format of Writing Task 2
The Introduction (2 sentences)
Ø Sentence 1: Paraphrase the background information given in the topic
Ø Sentence 2: Give a clear answer to the question (thesis statement).
The Body (2 paragraphs with 4-6 sentences in each)
first paragraph:
Ø Sentence 1: the topic sentence
Ø Sentence 2: 2-5/6: give SPECIFIC examples and explanations to support the idea
Second paragraph:
Ø Sentence 1: the topic sentence
Ø Sentence 2: 2-5/6: give SPECIFIC examples and explanations to support your idea
The Conclusion
Ø The restatement: repeat your answer to the question
Writing Introduction, Body paragraph and Conclusion
How to write a good introduction?
- Introduce the topic (From a broad, general statement to Specific Topic)
Simply paraphrase the given topic (“There has been an….”, “It is mostly accepted that…”,
“over a decade, ….has been popular”, “it is generally believed by many people that..”)
- Give a clear answer the question (a thesis statement)
An outline can be optionally added in the thesis statement. Make sure your outline is written
in a parallel structure. (“From my perspective,..”, “this idea is completely flawed,,,”, “My
opinion is that….”)

How to Write a body paragraph (PEE)

- Point- Describe what is the paragraph about
- Explanation- Explain the idea
- Examples- Give suitable examples to support the stated idea
How to write a good conclusion?

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Golden Belt IELTS Training Center IELTS Writing Task2

- Summarize the main ideas

- Restate the thesis statement

Language for Writing Language for Writing Body Language for

Introduction paragraph Writing
Conclusion
- N has gained - There are severe - Despite the
enormous problems/drawbacks/advantages N
popularity - Advocates of this idea might - Although the
- The unpopularity think that N, I am still
of N / Despite the - And for many people convinced
popularity of N - From one standpoint, that
- There is a common - Which might lead to - I believe
belief that - Reality has shown that there is no
- The recent upsurge - N is truly the root of absolute way
in the use of N has - N presents more detrimental to
provoked critical consequences concerning - Although it
controversy - From an opposite angle, From is
- There have been another angle undeniable
endless arguments - As a matter of fact, that
over the possible - It is also proved that
impact of N - However, those advantages
- In my opinion/it above still cannot overshadow
appears to me that, the disadvantages
this idea is rather
absurd/both of
these are equally
important
- There has been a
difference of
opinion regarding
N
- The question
whether …or.. has
drawn much
attention from the
public

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Golden Belt IELTS Training Center IELTS Writing Task2

Examples of Introduction and Conclusion

Example 1: There are many different types of music in the world today. Why do we need
music?
Is the traditional music of a country more important than the international music that is
heard everywhere nowadays?
Introduction: Other than writing and painting, music is another prevalent form of art, using
the artistic rhythm of sounds. Music is of great essence to us for various reasons, and I believe
traditional music is more important than the common international music.
Conclusion: In conclusion, music is undoubtedly necessary for human beings, and I always
believe that the role of traditional music should be more recognized than that of international
music.

Example 2: In recent years, the structure of a family and the role of its members are
gradually changing. What kinds of changes can occur?
Do you think these changes are positive and negative?
Introduction: In the past few decades, the patterns of a family have greatly diversified. There
are some changes regarding its organization and members’ role; and in my opinion, these
changes can be seen as a progress.
Conclusion: In conclusion, I think the changes occurring to a family’s hierarchy and members’
responsibilities are a positive step toward a better world.

Activity for Writing Introduction and Conclusion

1. Nowadays many parents are sending their kids abroad to acquire good education.
Discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of this trend.
Give your own opinion.
2. In some countries boarding schools are getting more popular.
Is it a positive or negative development?
What are the reasons behind it?
3. Sports help to a greater extent to build peace in world.
Do you agree or disagree?
4. Nowadays, children play less with others and this has an impact on their development.
What are the reasons for this?
Does it have a good or a bad effect on children?

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Golden Belt IELTS Training Center IELTS Writing Task2

5. Some people claim that public museums and art galleries will not be needed because
people can see
historical objects and works of art by using a computer.
Do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Organizing you answer


You need to make a plan for your answer. Here is an example.
Introduction
Expand the summary to re-phrase the question in your own words OR start
with a clear statement of your own about the policy. Useful expressions:
The question of whether or not …
I feel that language is …
Paragraph 1
Expand the first point on the ‘For’ side about the link between language and culture. Balance it with a counter
argument on the ‘Against’ side. Useful expressions:
Some people think …
It can be argued that …
However, …
Paragraph 2
Express an opinion on having a national language. Give your own view. Make it clear to the reader where
you stand or express an understanding of both points of view. Useful expressions:
While …, there may be an argument in favour of …
Paragraph 3
Include another point of your own based on your idea above. Useful expressions:
I tend to think that …
Generally speaking, …
Conclusion
End with a clear statement on how you feel about the issue OR summarise the two main sides of the argument.
Useful expressions:
To sum up …
Ultimately, it is important to consider …

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Golden Belt IELTS Training Center IELTS Writing Task2

Language for Introduction, Topic Sentences and Conclusion

Expressing Views
I would argue that
People argue that
I firmly believe that
It seems to me that
I tend to think that
It is understood that
It is generally accepted that
Refuting an argument Writing the conclusion
I am unconvinced that To sum up,
I do not believe that In brief,
It is hard to accept that As I have argued about,
There is little evidence to Thus, it can be concluded
support the..that that
It is unjustifiable to say that All in all, my conclusion
is that

Language for Supporting Statements

1. Explaining and 2. Giving Examples 3. Cause and Effect
defining
By this, I mean For example Since, because, as a
To be more precise To be specific result, therefore,
In other words As follows because of/due to +
By.. I mean For instance noun phrases, for
This is to say Like/such as this reason,
This means that One example of this is consequently, so.
Take
somebody/something
for example/as an
example

4. Compare 5. Contrast
Also, as..as, like, While/whilst, whereas,
similarly, likewise, as however, in spite of,
well as, in the same way nevertheless, even so,
X is similar to Y in that conversely, although,
they less..than, more..than,
Like X, Y + Verb different from, in contrast

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Golden Belt IELTS Training Center IELTS Writing Task2

One way in which X is to, in comparison with, on

similar to Y is that.. the other hand
Another way in which X
is similar to Y is that

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