IELTS Task 2 Life in the present or future

I know I have not been able to post much in the last few days (but will be back in a few days with an overview of Task 1 of the writing test). Today's blog post has another model answer on the topic of present V future, which do you think is more important. The question asks "to what extent do you agree or disagree" so there is a lot of scope in any answer which can take a balanced view or agree or disagree 100%! 

My answer seeks to take a more balanced approach and starts with a quote, the full quote being: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

Starting an essay with a quote from a famous person is quite a good way to start an introduction!

Question: Some people think it is best to think about the present and consider any thought about the future to be a complete waste of time and effort. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

To paraphrase John Lennon, life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. It is clear that some people live only for the present moment and pay scant regard for the future. This kind of person is more often than not, satisfied in a spontaneous life of hedonistic experience. There are also however, other kinds of people who spend their time living in and contemplating possible or potential future eventualities that may or may not come to pass. Neither way of thinking is satisfactory is it is pursued to the exclusion of the other, it is always better to live in the present moment whilst at the same time keep one eye focussed on future opportunities and plans that require thought and time in order to achieve short term and long term goals.

It is in fact essential to dedicate some time and effort with all due diligence to the present. Every single human being has certain needs that must always be satisfied within the scope of the present. Necessities such as food, shelter and clothing as well as more abstract needs like belonging, esteem are all needs that cannot be catered for if a person lives only for tomorrow. There are also certain aspects of life such as family, work and education that cannot be neglected and require almost constant attention in the present although this does not necessarily mean that one should therefore start to ignore possible future opportunities or possibilities; there is a clear need to prioritise current undertakings in order to facilitate future opportunities.

Putting in place plans and mechanisms to achieve future success is also important. Goals and ambitions are an inherent aspect of the human condition. Most individuals will aspire to something that will hopefully allow them to move onwards and upwards to something bigger, better and ultimately more fulfilling and challenging. Most things that are aspirational and have value in a person’s life are predicated upon the requirement of investing a large amount of effort over a sustained period of time. It is therefore necessary to think about the future in order to be able to set achievable goals can thus enable people to progress in their work and educational lives.

To conclude, there is not perfect way to divide a focus on living in the present and/or living in the past; the appropriate ratio of division will differ from person to person. What is true however is that no single individual should dedicate all their thoughts and efforts to either living in the moment or planning exclusively for the future. Life is all about a balance or equilibrium that is individually determined between the two dichotomies which should be achievable by each and every one of us.

How to write a good IELTS Writing Task 2 Part 2

Last week we looked at the first two steps in how to write a task 2 essay and this week I will finish explaining a good process approach in being able to write a great task 2. Next week, I will explain how to do an excellent task 1 essay!

Step 3 - Planning your essay

Now that you have looked at the question and got the information you need about exactly what the question is asking, the next stage is to make a plan and start putting ideas together. This is a challenge but really the hardest part of understanding the question has been done already. 

Many students think that writing a plan is a waste of time and that the time they spend planning would be better used writing! A good plan will make your essay coherent and structured and very easy for the examiner to read. If you think you can’t spare the time to plan, practice your writing so that you can write enough in the time left after you have planned your essays. Planning is essential.

There are several different parts of an essay that are all required; Essays always have three parts; an introduction, the main part, and a conclusion.

What are the functions of each part of the essay?

• Introduction – (1 Paragraph) - Comment on the subject and the way you are going to approach it. Define any key terms. This should be one paragraph.

• Main part – (2-3 Paragraphs) - Present your main points, argument, and supporting evidence as logically and clearly as possible. This should be two or three paragraphs.  For a higher band score (7 or more) you might need to have longer body paragraphs or maybe even 4 or 5 paragraphs to extend and support your ideas

• Conclusion (1 Paragraph) - Bring your ideas together into a conclusion, clearly state your opinion and add any final comments or opinions. This should be one paragraph.

When planning, the main part will need the most thought. It is necessary to plan a logical and coherent argument which will lead to your conclusions.  Make a plan including all the issues you wish to raise and the evidence you will use to support them.  We will look at planning and the functions of each part of the essay (inroduciton / body / conclusion) in future posts.

Step 4 - Writing your essay

Once you have an essay plan and as you are writing for an exam it is important to get the essay started with a good introduction. The body paragraphs should start with one of the issues in that you feel really comfortable with. This will give you the confidence to go on and write the rest.  Organize your topics into a logical order. An essay should be a coherent piece of writing. If your essay is not well organized the examiner will find it hard to understand it, even if the points you raise are good and well supported. 

Use language that is easy to understand. Try not to repeat the same word in a paragraph; instead try to think of alternative words (synonyms) to express the same idea. In an academic essay try to avoid using “I” and “you” and try to avoid writing expressions such as “I think that” or “In my opinion” as they are unnecessary and are not suitable for academic writing.

Exam tip! Do not use abbreviating words, such as hasn’t, didn’t. Write them in their full form, has not, did not = these are only used in informal or spoken styles of English

Things to be aware of when writing:

• Avoid repeating yourself to make the essay longer. This tactic will be spotted immediately and will gain you no marks. 
• Do not copy the wording and phrasing from the essay question
• Do not memorize whole paragraphs or long phrases e.g. some people might agree with this but others may hold the opposite contention.

• Vary your vocabulary where possible using synonyms where you can.
• Do not use “I”, “we”, or “you” in your essay because these words are not suitable for the tone of an academic essay.
• Do not obviously state your opinion; “In my opinion”; “I Think that…”. The examiner will know your opinion from your writing and this just wastes time.
• Do not use abbreviations or contractions.   E.g. it’s, they’re
• Write on every line unless you are leaving a gap to show that the end and start of a new paragraph.

Step 5 - Reviewing and correcting your essay

We all make mistakes when we write. Even native speakers! So when you have completed your essay re-read it and look for any mistakes you may not have noticed while you were writing it. Look for any spelling or grammatical errors and correct them. Use the checklist on this page to be sure you have thought of everything. Now that you have checked and corrected your essay it is ready to hand in. Remember to put your name and student ID number on your exam paper before you hand it in.   

Writing Essays - A Review Checklist:

1, Are there any errors in grammar? 

1. Subject and verb agreements
2. Tense usage Missing words
3. Is the punctuation and spelling correct?

2. Have any words been repeated too often?

1. Can I think of any synonyms for repeated words?

3. Have I covered two or three main ideas in the body?

1. Does each main idea have its own paragraph?
2. Have I given enough detail to support my ideas?

4. Have I written enough? Remember the word length target is a minimum not a maximum!

5. Is the style appropriate?

1. Are there any slang words? If so change them
2. Is the essay clear? 
3. Is the essay easy to read for the examiner?

6. Does every sentence make sense? If one doesn't, rewrite it so it does

7. Are the paragraphs properly laid out, with a one line gap between each paragraph? Is there a clear topic sentence as the first sentence of each body paragrpah 

8. Is there the right number of paragraphs, and are they the right size? 

9. Are the introduction and conclusion effective and contain an opinion? 

1. The introduction must set out what the essay will be about
2. The conclusion should show that you have dealt with the topic intelligently.

10. Does the essay answer the question? If it does not you need to change the thesis statement in the introduction and the restatement of the thesis in the conclusion.

Exam Tip The minimum word count for an essay is a minimum. You should always aim to exceed the minimum and try to write ten to twenty words more than is required. Remember that words you copied from the question will not be counted.