Many IELTS candidates make the mistake of rushing into the writing of part 2. This may be because of the time limit to write 250. Rushing into the writing of part 2 can cause problems for the candidates. The first 5 minutes of part 2 in the writing test are very important. The work candidates do in this first five minutes sets the ground-work for the remainder of the writing and can have a very impact on your overall score. In this blog post we are going to look at how to effectively start the part 2 writing process, and illustrate how this can help your task achievement of the question.
First it important to highlight the 4 criteria in which your essay is marked by, and how these steps can help you score higher in 2 of the criteria.
1. Task Achievement / Response
- Did your answer address all of the points in the question?
- Did you provide a balanced argument and support your ideas with evidence and examples?
- Were all of your ideas relevant to the question?
- Did you write 250 words?
2. Coherence and Cohesion
- Is your writing easy to understand?
- Are your ideas well organised and clearly linked?
3. Vocabulary
- Did you use a wide range of vocabulary accurately and effectively?
4. Grammar
- Did you use a wide range of grammatical structures accurately and effectively?
To help you get started with the writing, we have created a system which gives structure to your overall essay and to your introduction paragraph. By following these steps you can achieve higher band scores in Task Achievement and Coherence and Cohesion. To explain this system in the easiest way, we will demonstrate it step-by-step with the following example essay question:
Writing Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Many museums charge for admission while others are free.
Do you think the advantages of charging people for admission to museums outweigh the disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.Write at least 250 words.
Step 1 - Analyse the essay question. (1 minute)
It is very important to look carefully at the essay statement and question, and to critically think about that the essay is asking you to do. If you don't analyse the essay statement and question, you may answer the question incorrectly which will result in you loosing points in your task achievement criteria. To analyse the essay question:
1. Note key words / phrases in the statement and think about what they mean. Try to note down how your could say these words / phrases in other words (paraphrase). Write down words that mean the same (synonyms).
2. Note the key words in the question. What are you being asked to do?
Step 2 - Brainstorm your ideas. (2 minutes)
Very quickly note down any ideas or examples you could use to speak about the topic. Don't worry about order or structure, just note down anything that comes into your mind. You can do this in a list or make a mind-map.
_____________________________________________________________
Step 3 - Make a plan. (2 minutes)
Look at your ideas and decide how you will answer the question (refer back to your analysis of the question). Then make a quick plan of the best way to present your ideas.
In your plan keep themes together, for example advantages or disadvantages.
Make sure you are not using the same idea twice as you do not want to have repetition in your essay. Refer to your brainstorm and check for examples you can use to develop your ideas. Work these examples and results into your plan.
So to quickly re-cap!
In the first 5 - 6 minutes of the IELTS Writing test part 2 you should:
Now you are ready to write!
The first thing you need to write is an introduction. An introduction should have the following:
So let's look at how you can you use the three steps above to shape your introduction.
1. A restate of the question in your own words.
2. You interpretation of the words or ideas used in the question
Or
A brief reaction to the question.
Or
A summary of the question or topic through a new question.
3. An explanation of what you intend to write about.
So let's look at how you can you use the three steps above to shape your introduction.
Restate the Question
Often museums and galleries have an entrance fee, but this is not always the case. There are both benefits and drawbacks to having entrance fees.
Reaction to question OR summary of question OR interpretation of words
Reaction to question: Museums are seen as places of education and wonder. Such places should be available widely to everyone who is interested in them. However, there are some considerations to think about when having museums items and art accessible to the public.
Explanation of what you intend to write
In this essay I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of entrance fees and free admission. In my discussion. I will show how the advantages of having fees in museums outweighs the disadvantages.
Let's bring our three part together to make our introduction.
