How to write a good IELTS Writing Task 2 Part 1

Most students find essay writing difficult, however it is frequently used in schools and universities to evaluate students’ knowledge and their ability to present it in a coherent way. It requires the use of many skills; analysis, interpretation, and expression Writing an essay in an examination is an even more difficult task as students have little time to think and produce an essay and exam nerves may cause people to not work as well as they could if they were not working under pressure.

What follows is my guide to the five simple steps that I use to help make the task of writing an essay in an examination a little easier.

Step 1 - Be Prepared

Before you even go into the exam room think about the common sorts of questions and topics that could be asked. The topics I will consider in future posting will all be common IELTS topics. The topics covered will be: 

• Education
• Technology
• Culture
• Society
• Global issues

Before actually starting to write an essay it is important to understand the common types of question words so that you can apply them. Below is a table of Explanations of common words found in Essay Titles (these are used in academic essays and some are not often used often in the IELTS test whereas others are a lot more common and occur almost every week!). Understanding the key question words helps candidates to answer the question fully. 

COMPARE	Look for similarities and differences, and perhaps reach a conclusion about which is best.
CONTRAST	Look at differences and conclude with which is best
CRITICISE	Give your judgement about the truth of facts, the merits of theories and opinions. Provide evidence to support your ideas.
DEFINE	Set down the precise meaning of a word or phrase and look at different definitions of the same thing.
DESCRIBE	Give a detailed or graphic account
DISCUSS	Give reasons for and against.
EVALUATE	Make an appraisal on the value of something
EXPLAIN	Give reasons for
ILLUSTRATE	Give examples to support something
INTERPRET	Clarify the meaning of something, and give your own judgement.
OUTLINE	Give the main features of something.

Step 2 - Tackling the question

Essay titles can appear impossible at first. Do not allow yourself to be put off by a hard or difficult essay title. Think about the question and what it is asking. Sometimes it is easier to break the question down into smaller questions. Avoid the trap of simply writing everything you know about the topic and remember to keep the essay on topic. Answer the question that has been asked and not the question you would like to have been asked!

I always try to break a question down into smaller questions and the answers for these questions are very useful when it comes to writing my introductions.

I will then paraphrase the main question so that I can answer it directly and this helps me to stay on topic.

Example one

Most people think that students should evaluate their schools and teachers. Do you agree or disagree?

First break the question down into smaller questions: 

• What is meant by students?
• What is meant by evaluate?

 For this type of essay it is important to decide whether:

You agree that evaluations of teachers and schools by students are a good idea and why 

Or            

You disagree that evaluations of teachers and schools by students is a bad idea and why.

Example two

Technology is always changing and has a direct effect on our daily lives. The internet is perhaps the most important invention ever, what do you believe to be more important?

The first sentence is just a general statement to introduce the topic of technology. First break the question down into smaller questions: 

• What is meant by technology?
• Is there any other type of technology that is more important than the Internet?

For this essay it is important to decide whether:

The Internet is the most important invention ever and why.

Or  

          

There are other technologies that are more important than the Internet. What they are and why they are more important.  

Example three

More and more students are choosing to leave their own countries and educational systems and go and study overseas. Do you think this is a good or bad thing?

First break the question down into smaller questions: 

• What countries do people go abroad to study in?
• What kind of students study abroad?
• Why do they study overseas?

 For this essay it is important to decide whether:

Studying abroad is beneficial for students and explain why

Or            

Studying abroad brings no great benefits and explain why 

Example four

Lots of students are choosing to study abroad either at school or at university. Discuss the benefits and disadvantages of overseas studies.

Give reasons for your answer and include relevant examples from your own experience and knowledge. 

This question is very different from example three which just wants an answer explaining whether overseas study is good or bad. This question although it looks very similar to question three and is asking for an essay giving both the benefits and disadvantages of studying abroad. 

First break the question down into smaller questions: 

• What countries do people go abroad to study in?
• Why do they study overseas?
• What are the benefits of studying abroad?
• What disadvantages are there of studying overseas?

For this essay it is important to decide whether:

This is an argument, discussion, or explanation essay: This example is a discussion essay

What information the question requires for an appropriate answer.

What the benefits are of studying in another country and what the drawbacks are

And

         

What the drawbacks are of studying overseas

Example five 

How has your thinking been influenced by the community around you? 

First break the question down into smaller questions: 

• What does the community consist of?
• Has the community influenced you?
• How has the community affected you?

For this essay it is important to decide whether:

This is an argument, discussion, or explanation essay: This example is an explanation essay

What information the question requires for an appropriate answer.

How your thinking been influenced by the community and how it has affected you.

Example six 

Technology can bring many benefits, however it can also cause problems. Should people focus on the advantages that technology gives or on the disadvantages?

First break the question down into smaller questions: 

• How do we benefit from technology?
• What are some of the benefits?
• What disadvantages are there of technology?
• Do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages?

For this essay it is important to decide whether:

This is an argument, discussion, or explanation essay: This example is an argument essay

Technology is of great benefit and people should ignore the problems.

Or

            

Technology is sometimes bad and that people should consider the problems that technology causes.

Exam tip

Everyone answers an essay question in a different way and there is no single correct answer as long as your essay is logical and your ideas are supported. If everyone approached every task in the same way the world would be a very boring place!  

Don't forget to read the second part to this blog post = the next steps in good essay writing.