How to Improve Your IELTS Writing Task-2 (From 5.5 to 7)

Pay Attention! 

Can you guess what these facts imply?

Well, first of all, you can see: the greater the degree of English language proficiency a person has, the more likely that he is ready to be employed in an overseas profession. And second of all, a very few 17 % professional IELTS test takers could ever touch that required band score.

You can say, on an average, a staggering 83 percent professional fail to score band 7 in each module.

And who knows…. that 83% could be in trouble with their current job. May be, they are dreaming to get out of the rut and work in a country that is offering better payment, security and amenities.

No matter what could be the reason, all they want is to improve their living.

And the only obstacle stay between them and their dream is a band 7.

I don`t know…every year…how many dream just drained away like this…how many father and mother are suffocating with their job for earning bread for their family …for poor scoring in the IELTS  test over and over.

The thing is :

The odds are stacked against us

…but I believe we all have the opportunity to, as I call it, be in the 17% exception.

Because, like most caring teachers, I am emotional about my "students." I love it when they succeed. I love it when morning sun (on their way to work) on their shoulders makes them happy.

Once I understood how much (how very much) a band 7 score was worth to them, I burn with desire to be a really great teacher!

You know. I have been teaching students IELTS for a decade. During this journey I came up with great ideas...ideas that may solve a major problem for them.

Well, after all, that`s all about what is means by Task Achievement.

For instance, suppose the question ask you to write about effects of TV on children. But, when your answer is focusing the effect of watching too much television on adults then you are moving away from the key point of the question…how can you expect a high band score?

You may also struggle with answering questions on a less familiar topic. Even you may have a hard time answering the brain storming questions. 

It may happen as you already know not having enough ideas to complete the essay is normally top of the list for most candidates.

One way to overcome this problem is to find a list of the most frequent essay topics that appear past in writing task 2 and practice developing ideas around them.

And, since I'm not inclined to give you much trouble... well... maybe I'd better give you the list right now.

Listen up: Technology, Health, Education and the Environment are the most common topics that are featured regularly in the IELTS test.

I give you some examples:

• Technology: The internet has a bigger impact on people’s lives because it is more popular than television. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support you position.
• Health:  Today more people are overweight than ever before. What in your opinion are the primary causes of this? What measures can be taken to overcome this epidemic?
• Education: Online education is becoming more and more popular. Some people claim that e-learning has so many benefits that it will replace face-to-face education soon. Others say that traditional education is irreplaceable. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
• Environment: Water pollution has been an increasing problem over the last few decades. What causes water pollution? How can we prevent this problem?

Some say that public health is important and there should be more sports facilities. Others say that they have small impact on individuals.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

That piece of writing, more than any other writing you are likely to read, vividly illustrates one of the most important things you MUST do if you want to write a top scoring body paragraph. 

Can you guess what that thing is? Do you think you know the answer?

If so, you`re a top-notch genius.

Don't worry if you don't get it right. Try one more time.

Now, would you like for me to explain the secret?

You would?  

Ok, then, I'll tell you all about the secret this particular example so brilliantly demonstrates. I just need you to be a little patient.  You see, in the meantime, I would like to share with you, a debate of prestigious Oxford Union Society that I stumbled upon several years ago. 

In this video what I enjoyed most is that the contestant deliberately quoted and disproved the opposition claims in a row.

Well, I can say you that`s the real art of a debate- state the opposition`s claims and next prove it false.

Remember, you can state your point view, no matter how may times...support it with strong reasoning and examples..after all those of your attempts, people may deny it by asking you question like “what if…..”.  

So, the best idea is to tell the counter point of view by yourself before critics raise them and respond it in your own way. This single piece of act will weaken opposing viewpoints and strengthen your own.

It is true in debate and so it is true in academic essay.  

Try this act of refutation in your task-2 essay. Your IELTS examiner would love to see this. And..

What they do is state their own point of view by not including any counter point of views.

Anyway, come back to the body paragraph example. Remember... what I said we are looking for a "top scoring element" here…the “stand out” reason that makes it identical from a low scoring essay.

Well, the stand out feature in this particular paragraph is very much the same to the stand out feature which made the Oxford Union debate marvelous.

And the REAL answer, the STAND OUT feature of my paragraph is...

For example, when I described-increasing sports facilities could be beneficial to public health, I did mention that not all people would be benefited from it which was the opposite argument. Next I refute this by saying it would not help every people but sport facilities would certainly serve a big portion of the society.  

You know, I've often regret about giving out valuable advice like this when few will follow.

In other words, if you use this advice in your writing you can move up your band score.

This is exactly where they made the first mistake. They immediately write down that new idea in concluding paragraph.

You may wonder what`s wrong with this.

I`ll explain. But, before I explain it, let me ask for your attention in another matter. Here is this:

You must understand that writing an essay is an act of persuasion. We see the act of persuasion everyday in our life. 

Like a child is convincing father to buy her an ice-cream where the conversation between them would be something as:

“Father, I want an ice-cream.”
“You know, it`s a hot day and I`m thirsty.”
“ You see: So many children around the street are having fun with an ice-cream in hand.”
“ Why not me?”
“So, can you please buy me one?” 

The child is giving different reasons why she is craving for an ice-cream so that her father can buy her one. Believe it or not, you are doing the same thing in your IELTS essay.

You actually demonstrate the gentle art of excursing persuasion. For instance, look at this hypothetical essay:

Introduction

"I am going to discuss in this essay the reason behind traffic congestion in big cities."

Body -1

"Firstly, individual car ownership associated with externalities such as traffic congestions. For example, in recent years, many cities are suffering from 'one big traffic` jam in peak hours for booming private car ownership."

(Here you are perusing your reader why you think booming private car ownership is one of the big reasons behind traffic congestion-- This is your first persuasion).

Body -2

"Secondly, on-street parking is a significant cause of traffic congestion. For instance, illegal on-street parking habit in front of shopping centers narrow the street that lead to vehicles traffic congestion in the city "

(Here you are perusing your reader why you think on-street parking is one of the big reasons behind traffic congestion-- This is your second persuasion).

You see. The truth about any essay writing is that you are actually persuading the examiner that you are answering the question and you are doing it right.

In order to do this, you introduce your every single point of view in each body paragraph and thereby explain it further to make you claim stronger.

Remember this point where I said: You need to explain your every single point view with examples and further explanation.

Bearing this suggestion in your mind, read this concluding paragraph of our hypothetical essay:

Conclusion

"Overall, traffic is mainly caused by unauthorized car parking and growing people’s reliance on their own cars. On the other hand, faulty traffic signaling systems along with the efficiency of traffic police can make this situation even worse. It is to be expected that govt. implement appropriate measures to tackle these issues to reduce traffic on the street."

Can you spot anything wrong in this conclusion?

I bet you can. You do! 

Well, congratulation then.

You just made my day. After all, at last, someone can catch of the most important concept of writing conclusion that I am trying to reveal here.

In case you are still confused about the big mistake in this concluding paragraph, let me give you some supportive information.

You see: There is a link between the introductory and concluding paragraph. While the introduction rephrases the question, the conclusion contains the answer.

The perfect IELTS writing task 2 conclusions looks back at what has been said and makes some comments about future prospects about the main issue.

Having said that the examiner may look at the conclusion first to get a quick idea of the main arguments or points of your essay.

Enough of that information. Now, in your judgment, what I missed most in the above ending paragraph.

Well, I have summarized the main point by saying that-- Overall, traffic is mainly caused by unauthorized car parking and growing people’s reliance on their own cars. I also made some comment about future implication of the issue like where I said -- It is to be expected that govt. implement appropriate measures to tackle these issues to reduce traffic on the street.

However, even though I provide those invaluable must do things, you know what else I did?

I introduced a new point of view and that`s the single big mistake I was talking about…

You see, you can't just say,.” On the other hand, faulty traffic signaling systems along with the efficiency of traffic police can make this situation even worse.” Because, it demands some further explanation which I ignore.

But, ever if I didn`t write any explanation, can I did that in concluding paragraph?
The answer is no. As because, introducing a point of view and explaining it is the characteristics of body paragraph-not concluding paragraph.

Sounds horrible, doesn't it?

But wait. That's the good news. 

You still have a chance to talk about your new idea but remember to put this in a different body paragraph –not in conclusion.

For instance, I can write an extra paragraph with the topic— “faulty traffic signaling systems along with the efficiency of traffic police can make the congestion even worse “. And then explain it further like—“ For example, many cities in the world do  not have automatic traffic signaling system and specialized police who took that responsibility often lack of proper expertise to maintain it properly”

Are you still wondering about my point ? I tell you:

I can assure you that students who have less than an IELTS of 7.0 seldom make mistakes like this.

In a nutshell, finding the crucial element of every essay paragraph is what separates mediocre candidate and great ones.

Anyway, that's it for now. I write this staggering 5000-word practical guide about how to improve IELTS writing task-2- becasue I wanted to make sure you understand my points - and feel what I say.

If you think, you clearly understand all these...please:

Comment below to let me know.

Buy the way, you'll be hearing from me again soon.