IELTS Writing Task 2 Academic & GT Essay Introductions
Hi guys, here are model answer introductions and essential tips for Tuesdays lesson on writing task 2 introduction paragraphs. I hope you find this lesson useful 🙂
1) How long should the introduction be?
Most essays will require only two sentences for your introduction paragraph. You will need to write a background statement and a thesis statement. There is no need to write more. It won’t help your score to add more to the introduction. Your introduction should usually be between 40-60 words. Below are details of the content of an introduction paragraph.
2) Background statement:
This is the first sentence of your essay and it paraphrases the essay question. This is the way to introduce the issue or issues given to you by IELTS because that is what your essay is responding to. Paraphrasing is a way to avoid copying directly from the essay question by using your own sentence. For example:
Essay Question: The government should allocate more funding to teaching sciences than on other subjects so that the country can develop. Do you agree or disagree?
Background: It is often thought that in order for the country to progress more funding ought to be allocated to teaching sciences instead of other subjects.
As you can see above, the background statement contains exactly the same information but written differently. It is an easy sentence to write if you practice your paraphrasing skills. You can find a useful page on paraphrasing here: Paraphrasing Background Statements and examples of background statements here: Background Examples
3) Thesis Statement
Your thesis statement will introduce your answer or your opinion. It is the second and final statement needed in the introduction. It shows the reader the direction you plan to take in your essay. Furthermore, it is important that you write this carefully and clearly because it will impact both Task Response and also Coherence and Cohesion which together count for 50% of your marks.
The thesis does not need to be detailed. It is possible to split it into two sentences if you need more space, but mostly it will be one sentence only. For example:
Essay Question: The government should allocate more funding to teaching sciences than on other subjects so that the country can develop. Do you agree or disagree?
Thesis Statement Agree: I completely agree that focusing on science subjects at school is essential for a country’s future.
Thesis Statement Disagree: In my opinion, funding should not focus on the sciences but should rather be allocated to maths, technology and languages.
Thesis Statement Partial Agreement: While I agree that the sciences do need extra funding, this should not be at the expense of other subjects which are also crucial to a country’s development.
As you can see above, each thesis statement is simply written and presents a clear opinion. Do not try to create a complicated thesis statement. Your opinion and having a clear position is more important.
Short thesis statements
Yes, it is possible to write just a few words: “I completely agree with this position.” or “I strongly agree with this opinion.” However, I personally prefer to showcase more language skills with a slightly longer thesis statement as shown above.
Below you can see a full introduction for a one sided approach:
It is often thought that in order for the country to progress more funding ought to be allocated to teaching sciences instead of other subjects. In my opinion, funding should not focus on the sciences but should rather be allocated to maths, technology and languages.
4) Giving Your Opinion in IELTS Essays
Yes, you need to give your opinion if the instructions ask for it. Using the words “this essay” does not represent your own personal opinion. If you are asked for YOUR opinion, you need to use I or MY – failure to do this will result in a lower score. See this page for more details: How to give your opinion
5) More Writing Task 2 Tips
You can find more IELTS writing task 2 tips, model essays and lessons on this page: IELTS Writing Task 2 . All main sections of this website are access through the RED MENU BAR at the top of the site.
High Band Score Essay Techniques: Advanced Lessons
If you are struggling to hit band 7 or you need more help understanding how to write a high band score essay, get my Advanced Writing Task 2 lessons which you can find here: Liz’s Advanced Lessons.
You can also find a useful e-book about Ideas for Essay Topics. Containing over ideas for over 150 essay topics. Ideas are presented as vocabulary exercises to help you improve your range and accuracy in English.
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6) How to Write an Introduction
Here is a useful video tutorial I made some time ago which helps you understand more about writing an introduction paragraph:
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Hey liz
your teaching style is fantastic.we find it difficult to get ideas(content) for the essays could u pls mk a video regarding to that? i mean what could be the way to compile contect for all the academic essay topics…
I have produced an e-book which is called Ideas for IELTS Essay Topics. You can find it available to purchase on this page: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/
HY LIZ
,THANK GOD I FOUND YOU
A FRIEND RECOMMENDE YOU TO ME
YOU ARE AWESOME,ESPECIALLY YOUR SMILES
AM LEARNING DIFFERENT TIPS FROM YOU,AM ALSO PRACTICING THEM
GOD BLESS YOU
Wishing you all the best 🙂
Liz, do I have to end the introduction with the phrase like ” In this essay I am going to prove prove my point of view”? I have the same question for a different type of essay, for example, about advantages and disadvantages “In this essay I am going to consider benefits and drawbacks of the topic discussed”.
No, that statement is completely unnecessary in IELTS. A statement of purpose is common in academic essays for university, but not for IELTS band score requirements at all.
It is certainly true that, government should not be fully funded for science, governments should spend money on some other areas too. This will help the development of whole country.
For the growth and development of our nation today, the state ought to invest more and More finances on science related courses rather than art subjects. In my opinion, I somehow agree to the fact that government should allocate more funding to teaching science notwithstanding, art courses should not be completed left out .
It is often thought that in order for the country to progress more funding should be allocated to teaching sciences instead of other subjects. While I agree that the sciences do need extra funding, this should not be an expense of the other subjects, which are also crucial for the country’s development.
I believe that scientific educations teach critical thinking science based on asking questions about the world that can be tested to find the answers that anyone can find for themselves. But also other subjects such as art, culture and language among others, are important to develop knowledge about creativity to produce art, culture to know our origin and ancestors and the importance to communicate in other language and have skill in their language.
However, the government ought to invest in education not only develop sciences subject as an education in general subject, as a result, is this will increasing educated people. In other words, having a greater resource of skilled and knowledgeable future professionals and this is a benefit for both individuals and society as a whole.
In conclusion, government funding should not be limited to science subjects. For overall of the country, the government ought to support the teaching of another subject as well to develop well as a nation.
Please, your response to the task is quite confusing. the question is not to what extent do you agree or disagree. so responding to the task by saying “I completely agree/disagree”, is not acceptable to my understanding. I stand to be corrected. Thanks for your selfless efforts.
The instructions ask for your opinion – nothing more. The instructions for an IELTS Opinion Essay are varied, but the meaning is the same. It might be “To what extent do you agree” or simply “Do you agree or disagree?” – they are both 100% the same in the eyes of IELTS.