IELTS Classroom:Academic Writing Task 2

10 practical tips for writing better exam essays

1. Read – write – read – write – read – write – read – write – read – write – read

What does this mean? It means that you should go back and read the paragraph you have just written before you start the next one. You may think this is a waste of time. If so, you’d be wrong.

1. It’s important to link your paragraphs together – what more practical way to do that than just read what you have written?
2. It helps you with words for the next paragraph – it is good to repeat some words as this improves your coherence.

2. Don’t be smart, be clear – select your best idea

This advice is particularly important for candidates who come from an academic background where they are used to being graded on quality and quantity of ideas. IELTS is different: it is quite possible to write a band 9.0 essay and not include some key “academic” ideas, let alone all the ideas. The practical advice here is to select your best idea and write about that. That means not writing everything you know – leave some ideas out. Don’t worry if it is not your best explanation, worry about whether it is your clearest explanation.

3. Write about what you know – relax about ideas

This is a similar idea. IELTS is an international exam (that’s the “I” in IELTS) and the questions are written to be answered by anyone around the world. Some people stress about finding ideas. They shouldn’t. The ideas you need are generally simple (eg”I disagree”, “This is not a good idea”). The practical solution is to think about what YOU know and what YOUR experience is. If you look at the question, this is what it tells you to do. If you come from Bonn, write about Bonn; if you come from Ulan Bator, write about Ulan Bator!

4. Examples are easier to write than explanations

In an exam you are under pressure. You want to make things as easy for yourself as possible. One practical idea to achieve this is to focus as much on examples as explanations when you write. Why? It’s simply harder if you only think “because”. Some of the ideas may be very complex and, under pressure, it can be difficult to explain these with reasons. What may happen is that your sentences become too long and the ideas confused. The practical bit is to concentrate as much on examples. This is a good idea as examples tend to be easier to write as you are simply describing situations. You should also note that the instructions tell you to use examples! All you need to do is make sure that your examples are relevant to the main idea.

5. Don’t write too much – the examiner is paid by the minute

There is no upper word limit I know of, but it really isn’t a good idea to write 350 words or more. Here’s why:

1. Examiners will only spend so much time looking at any essay. Write too much and they will read what you wrote “less carefully”. It is easier to read/grade a 300 word essay than a 400 word essay!
2. The more you write, the more likely you are to make language mistakes.
3. The more you write, the more likely you are to go off topic. The examiner won’t read/grade anything that doesn’t directly relate to the question.
4.  If you write less, you give yourself more time to choose the best words – and that’s what you are being graded on.
5. If you write less, you give yourself more time to go back and check what you have written.

6. Writer – know yourself

One of the most famous philosophical thoughts is “know yourself”. How does this apply to exam writing? Did Plato really have IELTS in mind when he wrote his dialogues? Well, no, but… The idea is that you should check for your mistakes when you write. The practical part here is that you shouldn’t check for mistakes generally – that’s too hard and probably a waste of time in the exam. What isn’t a waste of time though is to look for mistakes you know you can correct – the ones you normally make! The really practical thing is to have your own checklist in your head before you start writing

7. See the whole essay in your head before you start writing

It’s very important that your essay is a whole – that all the bits fit together. If you don’t do that, you may lose significant marks for both coherence and task response. This means planning of course. Planning bothers some people and bores others. There are different ways to do this, but at the very least have a map of your essay in your head.

8. Focus on the backbone of your essay

This is a related point. All the essay matters of course, but perhaps some bits matter more than others. I’d suggest the practical thing to do is concentrate on the backbone of your essay, the bits that help you write better and the examiner to understand better. The backbone is:

1.  The introduction: this should identify the question and outline your position. Don’t rush it as it is the first thing the examiner will read. First impressions count.
2. The first/topic sentences of each paragraph: these should be clear and to the point. They should identify exactly what that paragraph is about and show how it relates to the rest of the essay. The practical tip is to keep the detail/clever ideas for the body of the paragraph. Start off general and then build towards the specific.
3. The conclusion: this is the easiest part of the essay normally. Most often, all you need to do is go back to the introduction and rephrase it

Get these bits right and the rest of the essay tends to take care of itself.

9. Don’t just practice whole essays

The best way to learn to write essays is to write essays? True or false? My answer is a bit of both. Yes, you do need to practise writing complete essays, but it may be a mistake to do only that. The different part of essays require slightly different skills. To write an introduction, you need to be able to paraphrase the question. To write a body paragraph, you need to be able to explain ideas. To write a conclusion, you need to be able summarise. The practical suggestion is to practise writing introductions, body paragraphs and conclusions separately. Focus on skills.

 10. Focus on the question and refocus on the question

I have left this one to last as it is for me the most important idea. Essays go wrong for different reasons. Some of these you may not be able to avoid: the quality of your English may not be good enough yet. The one mistake you can always avoid is that you didn’t answer the question. Too many essays go wrong because candidates didn’t read and think about the question properly. The practical suggestion: before you write each paragraph, refer back to the question to remind yourself about what you are meant to write about. It is very easy to get carried away in exams. You may start off on topic, then you have a “good idea” as you write. So you write about that. Sadly, that “good idea” may not fully relate to the question. Big problem.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample 1 – People attend colleges or universities for many different reasons

IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic:

People attend colleges or universities for many different reasons (for example, new experiences, career preparation, increased knowledge etc.). Why do you think people attend colleges or universities?

You should give reasons for your answer using your own ideas and experience. Write at least 250 words. Model Answer 1: People mainly get enrolled in a college or university to achieve the necessary education and degree they require to get a job or to build a career. Having a good career is one of the main reasons people spend their time in colleges or universities but there are other reasons as well. The current society and educational structure is far different than it had been a century back when a self-educated person could gain a good career and parents could arrange private tutors to ensure their children’s education. But in today’s world colleges and universities are the authority to declare a person to have the necessary education to be ready for the job sector and without the certification from colleges and universities it is almost impossible for someone to claim a good job. People are going to colleges and universities because this is the most common way of getting education and they have no alternatives like the people of past century had. Most people are learning in colleges and universities and getting themselves ready for the future. The sole purpose of a college or university is to ensure the proper theoretical and moral education to build the ideal citizens the country needs and this is system which is unquestionably accepted by the society and people. People who do not have plan to use their certificate to get a job either because they have other career plans or may be blessed with inherited fortune. They go to these educational institutes to learn the values, ideas, knowledge and education they require to be good human. In fact education is a border line between a savage and a good man and this is another reason the society has adopted  the idea of education for all and the colleges and universities are the places to get this education in the current age. Some people go to universities to get further education to enhance their horizon or to improve their job position & salary. Others go to the colleges and universities to let the world know that they are educated. Funny this may seems, but many people simply consider the higher education as the status they require to get higher position in the society. Colleges and Universities nowadays offer specialized courses like technical courses or creative courses and  many people attend those courses simply because of their pure interests on these subjects or to gain the knowledge they need. In my opinion, getting education, learning new things, experiencing diverse cultures and customs, getting prepared for the future career, improving job position, subject matter interests and social status are the main reasons for people to attend colleges and universities. (Approximately 440 words) Let consider one who comes to school for the just experience.  I believe his or her intention is not just to meet new friends because this can be done anywhere else. He or she wants to understand different behaviours and interact with persons from different areas, and various levels of intelligence. By so doing, he or she gradually imbibes knowledge at different levels and at different points. Take for instance, I know of a very good friend who always wanted to attend higher institution. When I enquired as to the particular school he wanted, her reply was simple; “ I do not have any school in mind, all I want is to go get new experience and change my environment”. However, after four years in the university, I observed that her attitude, intelligence, abilities and sagacity has increased greatly. This shows me that the ultimate end of going to the university is to acquire knowledge. Also, for those who think that their reason for going to school is for career preparation. Statistics suggests that over 70% of the persons who studied a particular course or discipline in Nigeria, do not end up practicing the same course, and are never found along the career line throughout their lifetime. Evidences abound of various micro biologists who are chief editors in news paper agencies across the nation. My best Ifeanyi, he studied petroleum engineering but he is currently working with First Bank Nigeria. In conclusion, a university for me is like a crucible, a furnace where minds are molded with the fire of knowledge in other to adapt to the outside world. We may have different reasons why we enter the colleges and universities, but one thing and only but one thing is for sure, the core reason why people attend the university and college is to increase knowledge. Alternative Answer 3: A University offers highest level of education as well as valuable degree required for the students to build their careers. University degrees are essential for the job market, to be versed in a specialized field or to be prepared for the further educations. People attend colleges or universities for lots of different reasons.  In my opinion three most common reasons for people to join a college or a university are to prepare for a prospective career, to have new experiences, and to increase their knowledge. But there are some other reasons like improving the current job position, to be specialized in a specific subject, to earn a degree to join a job or run a business etc. Career preparation is probably the primary and most important reason for people to attend colleges and universities. A college or university degree gives more opportunity to have a full-time and stable job. In comparison a university degree holder is offered a better job that pays better than others. The job market is very competitive now a day compared to any other time in past. Careers such as telecommunication, information technologies etc. need many new employees. At colleges and universities, students can learn new skills for these careers and increase their opportunities for the future. In the whole academic years, the students learn not only the theory but also practical aspects for their future job needs. The universities prepare a structured and coherent syllabus for the students and without these experience and knowledge it is almost impossible for anyone to make himself prepared for the job and the knowledge he/she required for the specified job position. Students also go to colleges or universities to have new experiences. For many, it is their first time away from home and they have to live among strangers. At colleges, they meet new people from many different places, races and cultures. They can see what life is from a different perspective. They can learn to live on their own and take care of them without having their family always nearby. The students have lots of opportunities to face the real-life situations while staying at a college or university. They learn to face the harsh situation, learn to treat the superiors, learn how to work to gain a desired aspiration, learn to work as a team member and many more. In short, colleges and universities offers so many different experiences that a student cannot get from anywhere else. At colleges and universities, students have the opportunity to increase their knowledge about technology, art, history, about themselves and outer world which are impossible to achieve staying outside the campus. As they decide what they want to study, pursue their studies, and interact with their classmates, they learn a lot about themselves. They also, of course, have the opportunity to learn about many subjects in their classes. In addition to the skills and knowledge related to their career, college students also have the chance to take classes in other areas. For many, this will be their last chance to study different subjects. Colleges offer much more than career preparation. They offer the opportunity to have new experiences and to learn many kinds of things. Many job holders, housewives even businessmen get themselves admitted into universities or colleges for a diploma courses. These courses are essential in many different perspectives, like: to learn a new technology (for example: Computer related diplomas), to train up for a new career (for example: photography courses), or to make them ready for more challenging jobs (for example: MBA in Agriculture). I think all these are major reasons why people attend colleges and universities. (Approximately 600 words) (This model answer has been prepared by the site developer. However, please note that this is just one example out of many possible answers. You should be able to pick up the main points from this essay and organize in your own style) Sample Answer 4: Every human being with an ambition of getting higher knowledge requires attending colleges or universities. The main reason of attending universities or colleges may differ man to man. Someone may aspire to achieve greater knowledge, someone may just want to earn a certificate or someone might attribute it as a step towards career development. Whatever the reason people refer to attend universities – I would like to elaborate it as a step which is necessary for career development to grasp a required level of knowledge. I believe more or less people attend universities or colleges to gain knowledge. In university level people scatters in different groups for different subject areas of studies. Someone selects science someone selects arts. Every human being has their own selection base to get their assumed knowledge which is mandatory to accomplish their ultimate goal in career development. University or college provides a new level of experience which develops self-actualization and confidence in human being as we know the proverb, “knowledge is power”. Knowledge gives us strength and endows with skills that mold our future for betterment. People usually select their career path before entering university or college courses, for example an aspirant doctor selects medical subject as university course and therefore they join medical college. Similarly a future entrepreneur joins business school to study business in university level. I would like to elaborate before enrolling in universities or colleges we decide our future goal. Once our future goal is set we thrive to achieve it. I would like to illustrate whatever the reason people may attributes with university selection, it is always refers to achieving new experience, knowledge or a process to start a career. Well, it is sometime different for few people who has different ambitions but studying different subject matter unrelated to their goals. People attend universities and colleges for further education to ensure their job promotions. There are no alternatives to the colleges and universities to get higher degrees and thus people attend there to get the education they need to secure jobs. Interest is a subject is another reason people go to the higher educational institutes. Sometime few people attend universities as a tradition which has been referred as mandatory by society or family. A mere certificate is enough for them rather a means of gaining greater knowledge. Though, it is a rare case which represent a niche segment but as a whole we human being usually attend university or college as a hope of achieving greater understanding, new skill so that we can construct a good career in future. At the end it is essential to pronounce that whatever the reason we believe behind attending universities or college’s maximum people take it as a step towards a better future to educate ourselves with knowledge. [Approximately 460 words ]

Model Answer 5: College education is a highly revered benchmark around the world. In many countries, without a college level degree, a citizen is not considered eligible for state jobs. People attend colleges for many reasons but career preparation is the most important goal among them.

Most students enroll in colleges for bright career prospects and they study professional and job oriented courses. If achieved successfully with threshold scores, these courses increase industrial employability of learners by training them with the skills industries need. For example, many companies organize direct campus selection programs in colleges, offering professional courses, to hire ready to utilize resources with rewarding salary packages. To add to this, in many cases, based on education, employees get different remuneration for the exact same job, and college education degrees play pivotal roles in accelerating promotion processes too.

Some people also attend higher university courses to enhance knowledge. Students under this section mostly pursue challenging master and doctorate degrees in their fields. Most of these learners turn researchers and help the progress of the world. Some governments offer enticing whooping packages to the best minds to convince latter to select this study stream.

Finally, considering all reasons to attend colleges or universities, it is clear that the paramount reason is career growth. However, ‘gaining new experiences’ and ‘enhancing knowledge’ are also prodigious reasons. ]]>