Look at the IELTS essay question below:

An increasing number of professionals, such as doctors and teachers, are leaving their own poorer countries to work in developed countries. What problems does this cause? What can be done to deal with this situation?

What do you think?

1. What type of essay is it?
2. How many paragraph will you have?
3. What content will you put in the essay?

Answers

THE ANSWER IS AVAILABLE NOW.

TO SEE THE ANSWER, CLICK HERE: PROBLEM SOLUTION ESSAY

Below are the answers to your concerns about IELTS essay instructions.

In writing task 2, it is essential that you understand the instructions given to you. It will affect your score for Task Response, which is 25% of your marks.

Are the following instructions different?

1. Do you agree or disagree?
2. Do you agree?
3. To what extent do you agree?
4. What is your opinion?

Are they the same or are they different?

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers.

Answers

 

 

In the last few months, the topic of maternity leave was given in IELTS writing task 2. Maternity leave means paid leave given to women who are going to have a baby. They are paid during the months they do not work by the company they work for and can return to their position at the end of their paid leave.

Below are some ideas that you can use for this topic.

Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments box below.

Question: What are the advantages and disadvantages to maternity leave?

Advantages of Maternity Leave

• Women no longer need to choose between a career and having a family.
• Women will be able to enjoy time with their newborn baby without financial concerns.
• Parents will be better able to afford the necessary medical care for both mother and baby.
• Companies will be able to keep a good member of staff.

Disadvantages of Maternity Leave

• Small companies are not able to afford to pay women for maternity leave.
• Companies will need to find a temporary replacement for the work which might not be easy.
• When mothers return to work they will not be up-to-date with recent developments in the company.
• Maternity leave encourages women to continue working rather than staying at home to raise a child.

Can you think of more advantages and disadvantages?

Post your comments below.

 

Below you can find various introductions for this essay:

Some people think that the most important things in life are free and cannot be bought. To what extent do you agree?

Sample Introductions

Not everyone agrees whether the best things in life are available for free and that money cannot buy them. I believe that most basic human necessities in life require money to obtain them and only a few things are completely free.

While some people believe that the best things in life do not require money to be obtained, others disagree. In my opinion, happiness, family and health, which are the most important aspects of life, are completely free for all people.

Although there are people who consider that most good things in life are free for both rich and poor, other people believe this is not the case. I think that the things central to a good life need to be bought and only happiness can be attained without money.

People have different views about whether the best things in life can be obtained without money. In my opinion, the things that are crucial to human survival must be paid for, except happiness and health.

Comments

You can see the various options for background statements and different ways of expressing your views in the thesis statement.

A number of students reported this essay question in IELTS writing task 2. Many of you have asked me for ideas and tips about this essay. You can find step by step tips below. The essay below is called an Opinion Essay (however some teachers called it an “argumentative essay” or “agree/disagree essay”).

IELTS Essay Question

Some people think that the most important things in life are free and cannot be bought. To what extent do you agree?

Tips for this IELTS Essay

1. Please note that the wording of the essay is “important things” not “important services”. You need to pay close attention to the words used in the essay so that you don’t change the meaning.
2. You need to make a list of things that are important in life and are free:
   1. family
   2. health
   3. appreciation of nature
   4. love
   5. Each of the above cannot be bought using money – they are available to rich and poor alike.
3. This essay is not about WHY they are free. You need to be very clear what the aim of the question is. The question is “do you think the most important things are free or do you think the most important things are not free and must be bought.
4. You need to think of things that are not free and must be bought:
   1. food
   2. housing
   3. education
   4. health care
   5. clothes
   6. cars
   7. electricity
   8. these items must be bought using money. Rich people get better quality food, housing, education etc than poor people who sometimes can’t afford even the most basic human necessities.
5. Now you have brainstormed your ideas. What is your opinion? Do you think the best things in life are free? Or do you think the best things in life are not free?
6. Your opinion must be written clearly in the introduction and explained in the body paragraphs.
7. Your thesis statement:
   1. The thesis statement should be one sentence that presents your position (your opinion).
   2. You can start this sentence with : In my opinion or I think or I believe or something similar that shows YOUR own personal opinion. Don’t start it with “this essay”.
8. Model Introduction
   1. See a range of different introductions for this essay question: Model Introductions

IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Essays

You can find more tips, free videos and model essays on this page: IELTS Writing Task 2.

You will get a lower score in IELTS writing task 2 if you don’t fully address the task in the essay question. This means you need to check your essay plan before you start writing your essay.

Your plan must address all issues in the question.

I hope you find this lesson useful 🙂

IELTS Essay Question

• The main topic is: how children spend their leisure time
• The IELTS essay question below has two issues that need addressing: homework and sport

Essay Question:

Some people think that children should spend their free time doing homework, while others believe it would be better for children to participate in sports activities instead. What is your opinion?

One Sided Opinion

If you agree with one side, for example that sport is more important, then you must still address both issues.

Plan 1:

BP1 – I believe that sport is the best way for children to spend their leisure time because it promotes health.

BP2 – I also think sport is good because students can avoid stress and enjoy their free time.

Comments: This plan is WRONG!!!!! If you agree with one side ( that sport is important), you can’t ignore the issue of homework. Your opinion must address both sport and homework – in the body paragraphs as well as the introduction. This essay would get a low score for Task Response, which is 25% of your marks.

Plan 2:

BP1 – I believe that sport is the best way for children to spend their leisure time.

BP2 – other people think that homework is more important

Comments: This plan is WRONG!!!!! This is an opinion essay, it is not a discussion. This means the instructions are asking for YOUR opinion, not other people’s opinions. Writing a full body paragraph about other people’s opinions is irrelevant to the instructions and will lower your score.

Plan 3:

BP 1 – I believe that sport is the best way for children to spend their leisure time as it promotes health and reduces stress.

BP 2 – I think children should not do homework in their free time because they already spend six hours a day studying and should not do more educational work.

Comments: This is correct. Your opinion has been given on both issues. But personally, I wouldn’t take this approach to this essay question. See below:

Partial Agreement (Balanced View)

For this essay question, I would recommend a balanced view (a partial agreement). This does not mean you agree with both sides equally. It means you present a specific view which is quantified.

Plan

Thesis Statement =  In my opinion, while some homework is useful, the amount should be limited and children should spend more time playing sport instead.

BP 1 = children should spend only a small amount of their free time doing homework and the length of time should limited to avoid pressure and stress.

• homework is an essential part of educational development
• homework should be limited to avoid stress which has an adverse effect on school performance
• parents and schools should help children limit this time

BP 2 = the main focus of children’s leisure time should be on sport because ….

• children need to enjoy life outside their educational studies for their own welbeing
• children can benefit through improved health
• having an interest outside school helps reduce stress and encourages them to meet new people

Comments: There is a clear opinion which has been fully explained and addresses all issue.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips & Models

You can find writing task 2 tips and model essays on this page: IELTS Writing Task 2 Main Page. All my writing task 2 lessons are for GT and Academic students.

 

Here is a list of IELTS writing task 2 questions which students have reported this month, September 2017.

Can the same questions and topics be used? Yes, they can. Sometimes they are new topics and sometimes they are old topics which have been reworded. To prepare fully for IELTS writing task 2, you need to prepare both common and current topics.

September 2017 IELTS Writing Topics

Please remember, these are not predictions. These are IELTS essay questions that students have had so far this month. It is possible for topics and questions to be repeated. Your should prepare both common topics and the topics below. Get common IELTS essays questions here: 100 IELTS Essay Questions

1.  Nowadays young people lack an understanding of how to manage their finances after they finish high school. Explain why they do not know how to manage money and how this can be changed.
2. Many forms of advertisement are very powerful and they have a harmful effect on some people. Why is this the case? What solutions can be implemented to solve this problems.
3. A very high percentage of television advertisements are aimed at children. What is the effect on children? Should there be more control of advertisement?
4.  Advertising discourages us from being different and individuals eventually look the same. To what extent do you agree or disagree.
5. English is now considered to be a global language. Do you think the advantages of the spread of English as a global language outweighs its disadvantages?
6. Some people think that children should be punished when they commit crimes. Others think that their parents should be punished. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
7. In some countries, the amount of garbage has become an increasing problem. What are the causes of these problems? What can be done to solve this problem?
8. Is it important to have huge public spaces like parks and squares in towns and cities. Do you agree or disagree?
9. Some people believe that development of business results in a loss of cultural ties between countries. Other people contradict this belief. Give your opinion.
10. Some people believe that children of different ages should be put together in the same class .What is your opinion?
11. Some people think that nowadays children have too much freedom. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
12. Some people think all students should do some community service (unpaid). What is your opinion?
13. Some people say that schools should teach good behaviour to children and introduce them to ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. Parents should not be the only ones responsible. Do you agree or disagree?
14. In some schools, sports lesson are included in the curriculum. How important is it for girls and boys to do sports activity at schools ?
15. Nowadays, people are doing work at home using computers and telephones. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?
16. Some people get involved in sports that are dangerous for them. Why do some people get involved in such sports? What could be done to mitigate the danger involved?
17. Some people believe job satisfaction is more important than job security. Others feel that one’s job need not be satisfactory and that having a permanent job is more important. Do you agree or disagree?
18. Mobile phone enables us to take work or personal calls anywhere anytime. Do you think it has positive or negative impact on individuals and society?
19. Some people think that university education is important to have a successful life , while others think it is not needed nowadays . Discuss both points of view and give your opinion.
20. Usually directors are paid much higher salaries than ordinary workers. Some people agree with this but others believe it is unfair. Discuss both views and give your own opinion on this topic.

Model Essays: You can find model essays for questions #1, #4 and #9 on this page: IELTS Model Essays Sept 2017

IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips

You can find IELTS writing task 2 tips, model essays and free lessons on my main IELTS writing task 2 page.

All of my writing task 2 lessons are for both GT and Academic IELTS students. My lessons are aimed at learning the right techniques to achieve a high score.

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Yesterday, I gave you the essay question below to paraphrase:

Essay Question: Artists need a certain amount of freedom to develop their creativity. Some people think that artists should have total freedom to express any thoughts and ideas. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

On this page you will find

1. model background statements for the above essay question
2. good background statements posted by students
3. a list of common mistakes
4. a full model introduction
5. useful link for writing task 2

Please let me know if you find this lesson useful

Model Background Statements

1. As artists need freedom for their creativity, it is thought that there should be no limits to their freedom of expression.
2. Some people believe that artists require freedom to be creative and therefore should have complete freedom to express any idea they have.
3. Artists having complete freedom to convey any belief is thought by some to be paramount to an artist’s creative development.
4. It is thought that without complete freedom of expression, an artist will not be able to be develop their creativity.

Interesting Background Statements from Students

1. While it is generally understood that in order to be creative an artist must have some liberty to develop impulses and ideas creatively , some would argue that they should have full, and unrestricted, creative licence.
   1. Comment: This is a good background statement but too long. It’s a waste of time to write a long background statement and it won’t boost your score. But otherwise, this is well written with great vocabulary.
2. It is considered by some that artists, in order to amplify their creativity, should be totally free to express their ideas and thoughts.
   1. Comment: This is the right length and well written. Just one mistake – the word “amplify” is incorrect. Avoid over paraphrasing – just use the word “develop”.
3. Since art requires a level of freedom to be creative, some believe that artists ought to be granted all the freedom of expression they need.
   1. Comment: This is a great background statement. It’s written very well. The only thin I would change is the last word. I would change it from “need” to “want”.
4. It is true that a level of liberty is required by artist to enhance their imaginative skills, but some people believe that artists should have unrestricted freedom in giving voice to their opinion and believe.
   1. Comment: I like this background statement. Nicely written. However, there are grammar mistakes: required by artists (plural needed) / to voice their opinions and beliefs (plurals needed).
5. It is widely believed that artists ought to be given absolute freedom of expression, because freedom is essential in the development of their creative process.
   1. Comment: Well done 🙂

Common Mistakes in Paraphrasing

• Artists = creators
  • this is wrong. The word artist means artist. You don’t try to paraphrase this.
• Artists = people from art sphere
  • A mistake. It is obvious that paraphrasing the word “artist” is difficult. In fact, you shouldn’t try. Not all words in English can be paraphrased.
• Some people = few people
  • this is wrong. You could write “a few people” but not “few people”. The term “few people” means “not enough people. It has a different meaning entirely.
• It is always a topic of debate that
  • this shows the examiner you can’t write your own sentences and need to memorise phrases from a book. It will not help your score.
• creativity = ingeniousness
  • completely wrong. Never paraphrase unless you are 100% sure. Mistakes will lower your score.

Full Model Introduction

Here is my model introduction. My thesis statement presents a partial agreement.

Some people believe that artists require freedom to be creative and therefore should have complete freedom to express any idea they have. In my opinion, while freedom of expression is important, art must be censored for violent or dangerous content.

Please let me know if you find this lesson useful.

Useful Link for IELTS writing task 2

Get all my IELTS writing task 2 tips & model essays

My writing task 2 lessons are for both GT and Academic students.