So, you’re sat in your IELTS exam and you are faced with the question for Writing Part 2.
You’re tired and feeling the pressure. You’ve already endured the listening and reading parts, as well as describing a chart in part 1 – your brain has had enough! But now you have an essay question to answer, using only 250 words, in less than 40 minutes…
So if I told you the best thing you can do right now is take a moment to plan, you’d say I was crazy, right?
I would completely understand why you’d think this was a strange thing to do, with so little time to write your essay. But taking just five minutes to make some notes can make all the difference.
Firstly, it creates a structure for your essay, something to hang all your ideas on. Secondly, it prevents mindless waffle and word-spill, creating a clearer, concise answer that will gain you higher marks.
So how do we do this?
Start with your question: What do you have to answer? A typical IELTS Writing Part 2 question is about expressing your opinion. Look for clues such as “Do you agree or disagree?” or “Give your view on…”.
No need to plan your introduction: This part always follows the same format of paraphrasing the question, stating your opinion and explaining what the essay will achieve.
Your task is to write the body of the essay, so you need to choose your side. Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Even if you are impartial, try to be decisive and opt for one or the other, as it’s easier to form a strong argument when you’re not sitting on the fence.
Once you’ve taken sides, you need to think of two reasons why you have this opinion, as well as give clear examples. Simply right down a few words in your five minutes of planning, as you don’t need sentences (they take too much time to write!).
Next, think of just one contrasting view, with an example. This shows the examiner that you can see both sides of an argument.
Finally, your conclusion should return to your opinion, summarising all the points that support your view. And that’s your essay done!
Let’s look at an example as a guide. You have the following question in the test: “Zoos have no useful function. Do you agree or disagree?”
It’s time to plan. What is your stance? You choose to express agreement with this statement, as you think zoos are terrible places. Now to think of your reasons why. You believe zoos are cruel, as the caged animals have no space or natural environment to live in. For instance, polar bears are wandering animals that need several thousand square kilometres of territory to hunt in. A zoo cage is completely unnatural for them (reason + example).
Another reason you agree that zoos are pointless is because the animals’ behaviour isn’t natural either. Consider how leopards pace up and down all day, bored witless and desperate to catch their food instead of being fed by a keeper (another reason and example).
Lastly, you need a contrasting view. Why are zoos useful? You could say that they’ve successfully saved some species from extinction. Breeding programmes could reintroduce them back into the wild. This happened with a rare species of deer that died out in China, but was found wandering around in a UK wildlife park! (contrasting reason and example).
“But that’s loads of writing!” I hear you cry, “It’s practically a complete essay!” This is because I haven’t written it in note-form. Your 5-minute plan should look something like this:
P1 – not natural space. E.g. polar bear, huge territory, wanderer
P2 – not natural behaviour. E.g. leopard bored, pacing, not hunting
P3 – (contrast) save species, breeding program. E.g. deer extinct in China. Found in UK.
The above shorthand typically takes no more than 5 minutes to think up and write down, and if you can’t think of any real facts as examples, make them up: The examiner is looking at your English, not your general knowledge!
A plan like this will help you warm up before tackling a long essay. It will provide a framework for you to express your ideas in a logical order, with all the elements you need for a high mark in IELTS (i.e. your viewpoint, reasons and examples). You’ll feel less panicked about what you need to write and can focus on your vocabulary and grammar.
If you found this IELTS advice useful, why not seek out a teacher to take you further? There are plenty of tutors with experience and resources in teaching IELTS. You can browse them here and book a free trial lesson!