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.
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:
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:
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)Idea Generation for this IELTS Essay:
Essay Type: Opinion Essay (Give reasons). Main question of this IELTS Essay: A. Why people attend colleges or universities?Reasons: Why people attend colleges or universities?
- University degree nowadays is mandatory to apply for a good job. To find better job opportunity after graduation and having higher salary are thus the main reasons many students get enrolled in a college or university.
- This is the most common and perhaps the only method nowadays to enhance our knowledge and skills.
- Becoming familiar with the latest technology, including computer, digital systems, or medicine.
- Better social status. After graduation, socially they have higher prestige among their family, friends, or other people.
- More probable to be able to apply and become prosperous a highly qualified graduate abroad.
- To improve their social skills by meeting more educated people.
- To gain training and practical education.
- These days without the certification from colleges and universities it is almost impossible for someone to claim a good job or to be certified to practice in a specialized field of work.
- To learn the values, ideas, knowledge and skills.
- Sometimes promotion and increments are the reasons many professionals get enrolled in further studies in universities.
- Many people enroll in a special course offered by universities because of their interests in this subject or to gain the knowledge they need.
- Many people get enrolled in a college or university to maintain a status.
- For some this is an excellent opportunity to enhance their knowledge, skill and experience.
- University and colleges are the best places to learn about diverse culture, people and social skills.
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.[ pproximately 280 words ]
Model Answer 8: People attend colleges and universities for various reasons such as gaining more knowledge and enhancing their skills. In the universities people learn many new ways to learn things and improve their talent. Students after completing their schooling or under graduate courses opt for higher education in universities because of various circumstances around them.
Firstly, they prefer education in reputed universities in order to achieve their goals and dreams in life. People try to do their higher education for their career enhancement such as for promotions in the company they work. Usually persons with high level of knowledge in any field will be paid more than the other people with limited skills. This is also a major reason for a person to prefer higher education. For instance in the case of an Information Technology professional a person with higher level of knowledge and skill in designing a software will be paid more than a person who tests the developed product. In addition to that people pursue their education in universities in various other countries for the sake of exposing to the new environment, culture, customs and learn how to mingle with people. This scenario is generally seen in students trying to do their business degree. Students come know about the new trends across the world and learn how to deal with various kinds of businesses and improve the economy of their country. Moreover, learning the ways of interacting with the people is a good sign of a healthy society. On the other hand people not only attend the universities for gaining knowledge and improving their job position but also out of their immense interest in a particular field and curiosity to invent new things in that specific field. In my point of view I think people attend universities and colleges for the purpose of gaining more knowledge, experiencing various cultures and customs, improving their job position and their intense desire and passion towards a particular field. (Approximately 325 words)
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Academic IELTS Writing task 1 Sample 2 – Eating sweet foods produces acid in the mouth which can cause tooth decay
Describe the information below and discuss the implications for dental health. »You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. »You should write at least 150 words. Sample answer 1: The provided line graph illustrates the acid level in the mouth which is created by consuming sweet foods specifically sugar and honey and possibility of tooth decay because of this acid level. As is presented in the line-graph, the higher the acid level the lower the pH value and a pH level less than 5.5 is detrimental for the tooth and causes the tooth decay. The given graph shows that the initial pH level of our mouth is 7 which begin to fall after consuming sweet foods. When we eat sweet item like cane sugar, the pH level drops to 3.5 in 5 minutes and remain in danger level (below pH level 5.5) for more than 30 minutes. Consuming fruit sugar drops the pH level nearly to 4 and remains in danger level for about 20 minutes. And finally when we eat honey, the pH level fall below 5 and it remains under risk level for about 13 minutes. As the low pH level means higher acidity and causes tooth decay, cane sugar among the mentioned three food items is the most harmful for our tooth.(Approximately 186 words)
Sample Answer 2: The provided line graph shows the acid level of our mouth which is created from consumption of fruit sugar, cane sugar & honey and compares their effects on our tooth decay. When the pH level in the mouth is above 5.5, acidity remains in such a level that teeth are unlikely to be in danger from decay. Sweet foods, however, cause pH in the mouth to drop for a time, and the longer the pH levels remain below 5.5, the greater the possibility for decay to occur. The illustration compares the fruit sugar, cane sugar and honeys, which are the most common ingredients of sweet foods, causes the pH level to drop below the danger level after 5 minutes. Among these 3 sweet items, cane sugar decrease the pH level most quickly and causes to remain the level under the danger level for the longest period (over 30 minutes) and thus produce the greatest risk among the three. After consuming the cane sugar, the pH level drops to level 3.5 and remains there for over half an hour. On the other hand, fruit sugar causes the acidity level of mouth to fall under pH level 4 in 5 minutes and remains under threat level for 20 minutes. Finally the honey appears to be less risky among the three causes the pH level to drop to 4.7 in 5 minutes and proceed to above pH 5.5 level within 15 minutes of consumption. In conclusion all of the sweet items possess the possibility of causing tooth decay and honey and fruit sugar are likely to cause less decay than the cane sugar does. (Approximately 271 words) ( These 2 model answers can be followed as examples of standard answers. However, please note there are other good ways of writing possible good answer.)Tips for answering this Writing Task 1 Question:
1. Please note that the question asks you to “describe the information presented in the graph and also discuss the implications for dental health”. So you have to mention which food items creates more acid level for longer time and are comparatively injurious for teeth. You must classify which food items are comparatively safe as well. First compare the three food items in terms of the acid level they create in mouth and how long this acid level remains in danger level. Then suggest which food items among cane sugar, fruit sugar and honey is comparatively safe and which item/ items are not. 2. Notice the following trends from the given line graphs: a) Higher the acid level, the lower the pH level. b) pH level below 5.5 is dangerous for the tooth as the tooth decay occurs below 5.5 pH level. c) Honey is comparatively safer than other two food items as it decreases the pH level of the mouth slowly and the acid level goes to the safe level very quickly. On the other hand after consuming cane sugar the pH level falls under danger level quickly and remains there for the longest time among the three food items. 3. To answer this question first mention the acid / pH level which occurs the tooth decay and the level when it is safe. Now take the three given food items and mention them individually: how longer it takes to reach the pH level of mouth below 5.5 after consuming this food item and then how longer this level remains under 5.5. Finally suggest which food items are comparatively safer and which are not.Summary of the Line Graph:
After consuming different sweet food items, the acid level of our mouth increases. The higher acid level is presented by the lower pH value. When the pH value gets under 5.5, the tooth decay occurs. Among the given three food items i.e. cane sugar, fruit sugar and honey, the third item (honey) is comparatively safer for our dental health. This is because after consuming all the honey the pH level remains under danger level for about 12 minutes compared to the 20 minutes for the fruit sugar and 31 minutes for cane sugar. This also indicates that the cane sugar is more likely to damage our tooth among the provided three sweet food items.Sample Answer 3: The bar graph illustrates the acid level of mouth after consumption of three different nutrients such as fruit sugar, cane sugar and honey over the period of forty minutes. According to the bar graph, it is obvious that cane sugar is the most acidic nutrient.
After the consumption of cane sugar, acidity level of mount increased sharply in five minutes and reached 3.5 pH level. From now onwards acidity level of mouth decreases steadily and reached the normal level after thirty-five minutes. However, teeth remained in dangerous level more than 25 minutes.
Another acidic nutrient is fruit sugar. After the consumption, pH level of mouth decreased hurriedly and reached 4.25 in five minutes. After that, level of acidity of month reached normal level in 15 minutes. Therefore, teeth remained in dangerous level for 15 minutes. The last and the least acidic nutrient is honey, after the consumption of honey acidity level of mouth increased dramatically in five minutes and reached 5 pH level and then, plateau for 5 minutes and from now onward decreased moderately. However, teeth remained in an acidic environment for 10 minutes.
To conclude, the more hazardous nutrient for teeth is cane sugar because teeth remained in an acidic environment for more than 25 minutes.
(Approximately 208 words)
Sample Answer 4: The given line graph gives information on amount of acid produced in our mouth by eating sugar and honey made from three different resources namely fruit, sugarcane and honey. Also the graph estimates the time taken by them to reach different acid levels which is related to the tooth decay.
The maximum level of acidity produced by sugary content is reached 5 minutes after consuming them reaching up to 3.5 pH for sugarcane, 4 pH for fruit sugar and 5 pH for honey. After this time the acidity level declines for cane and fruit sugar, whereas it is sustained for 10 minutes for honey. Honey takes approximately 15 minutes to reach the pH of 5.5. It is at this pH at which tooth decay is unlikely. Fruit sugar takes 20 minutes and cane sugar takes the maximum time to reach this safety level. After 40 minutes all three sugars reach neutral pH that is 7.
Acidity promotes tooth decay which results in teeth cavities. Proper brushing and mouth washing can eliminate sugar particles and may protect teeth from the hazards of high acid levels.
From the given data it is clear that cane sugar has highest acidity and its acid content above safety level is sustained for the longest period in mouth. Therefore it should be avoided. Honey is the safest sugary food which causes least chances of tooth decay.
(Approximately 230 words ) Model Answer 5: The given line graph gives information on the acid level produced in our mouth decay after consuming fruit sugar, cane sugar and honey and compares the possible implication those three sweet food items have on our tooth decay. As is observed from the given presentation, honey causes the least tooth decay while the cane sugar possesses the possibility of decaying our tooth among the mentioned three sweet foods. The graph shows that different acid level is created in mouth after we consume different sweet food items. High acid level is measured by low pH level and tooth decay is occurred when the pH level goes below the 5.5. After we eat fruit sugar, the pH level of our mouth declines below 5.5 in 5 minutes and remain in danger level until 13 minutes. Similarly Cane sugar causes the pH level to get under pH level 5.5 in 5 minutes but it remains in danger level for more than 30 minutes which shows the fact that can sugar can cause more tooth decay than the fruit sugar. Finally, in 5 minutes the pH level of our mouth reaches to danger level in 5 minutes after we take honey and this level remain in danger zone for about 20 minutes. The comparison of the three sweet items indicate that the honey is comparatively safer for our dental health as it posses the least possibility of tooth decay while cane sugar possesses the most danger to our dental health as it would possibly create the most tooth decay. (Approximately 225 words) Sample Answer 6: The given graph depicts comparison in acid level in mouth after consuming sugar/honey. One axis of graph contains PH level which measures acidic level and the other axis reflects time line after consuming, spaced out equally with 5 minutes gap. As per the graph, tooth decay starts when the PH level falls beneath 5.5 on the scale and it is quite clear that PH level falls rapidly after consuming all three commodities but took least time to recover in case of honey and the maximum is in case of cane sugar. To start with, the PH level is at 7 and begins to decline after consuming each item and the rate at which it falls is maximum in case of cane sugar. It crosses the danger level within a span of 5 minutes and by the end of 5 minute, PH level reaches its lowest point in case of cane sugar i.e. 3.5 and the same for fruit sugar and honey is 4.25 and 4.75 respectively. After 5 minutes has elapsed, the trend line tends to be inverted and from here on the PH level initiate its recovery in case of fruit/cane sugar though it remains at its lowest in case of honey for a further 5 minute period. On reaching 10 minute mark, PH level in case of honey seems to recover at brisk pace taking over the recovery of other items and reaching the safe zone within a span of 15 minutes. Fruit sugar PH level crosses the line before 20 minutes but cane sugar PH level took almost double the time of honey to recover from tooth decay. Honey PH level normalize by the end of 25 minute mark and the same is 32 minutes and 40 minutes in case of fruit sugar and cane sugar respectively. All in all it can be said that Honey is the least acidic food item and the fastest to recover among the three. On the other hand cane sugar is the most acidic and slowest to recover. Model Answer 7: The given line graph illustrates the various acid levels in the mouth related to three different sweet foods such as fruit sugar, cane sugar and honey. The first point to note is that acid levels due to these different sweets are at a level at tooth decay is unlikely to occur both at the time of eating and after 15 minutes of eating. At the moment of eating of three sweets, acid levels are very low and equal at 7 pH. Then after 5 minutes it dropped to a pH of 3.5, 4.5, and 5 by cane and fruit sugar and honey respectively. Acid levels in the mouth gradually decrease and reached to minimum value within half an hour of cane sugar eating. Acid variations in mouth after eating fruit and cane sugar are almost equal for the next 5 minutes and followed by a difference of 1 pH value for the next 20 minutes. However, after 30minutes of eating sugar and cane sugar, pH value raised and reached to 7 and the acid level hit to the lowest level. To sum up, it is clear from the graph that, the given sweets produces high levels of acids in the mouth soon after eating, but reaches to safe level which tooth decay is not likely to occur within 10-15 minutes. Model Answer 8: The provided line graph illustrates the acid level in the mouth which is created from the consumption of cane sugar, fruit sugar, and honey. As is shown in the graph, the higher the acid level, the lower the pH level. It is also illustrated that a pH level less than 5.5 is the stage when tooth decay occurs. It is significant that the initial pH level in our mouth is 7, and it drops the moment we eat sugar. In the first 5 minutes, the graph shows that eating cane sugar results in a major drop in the pH level which reaches 3.5 and then begins to increase very slowly in half an hour. During this phase, tooth decay is most likely to happen. It is almost the same when eating fruit sugar, as the pH level drops to less than 4.5 in 5 minutes, and remains in detrimental level for about 20 minutes. Moreover, the pH level drops to less than 5 when honey is taken, and it is possesses the threat of tooth decay for only 10 minutes. So, honey is the least dangerous among the three kinds of food items. In summary, it appears that cane sugar is the most detrimental one for our dental health while honey is the safest one. Model Answer 9: The given illustration demonstrates the acid level, which is inverse of the pH values, different sweet foods can create in our mouth and their possible implication for our dental health. As is given in the line graph, high acid levels are measured by the low pH level in mouth and the lower the pH level, it is more likely to decay the tooth. According to the line graph, fruit sugar, cane sugar and honey cause different acid levels in human mouth and their impacts last for five to 30 minutes. The pH level below 5.5 is detrimental for our tooth. When we consume honey, the pH level of our mouth decreases to below 5.5 within 4 minutes and that takes around 13 minutes to come out from the danger level. In case of fruit sugar, the pH level goes below 5.5 in 3.5 minutes and remains in danger level for about 20 minutes. Finally when we eat cane sugar, the pH level of our mouth goes in the danger level in 2.5 minutes and remains in danger level for about 32 minutes. In short, honey is the safest sweet food for our dental health while cane sugar is most detrimental for our tooth as it is likely to cause the maximum decay in our tooth.