Opinion Essay Introduction: The Thesis Statement

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In an IELTS opinion essay for writing task 2, your introduction has a Background Statement and a Thesis Statement. You should aim for between 40 to 50 words for the length of your essay introduction. While the background statement introduces the topics, the thesis statement is your answer to the task given by IELTS. It should introduce the main points and show the direction your essay will take. Below are two possible introductions with different thesis statements for the following IELTS task.

IELTS Task 2

The increase in the amount of traffic is responsible for growing problems in many large cities and this has resulted in more traffic congestion, particularly at rush hour. What measures could be taken to deal with this problem?

IELTS Essay Introductions – Comparing Thesis Statements

The introductions below have different thesis statements. Which one do you think is the best?

1. The growth in the quantity of traffic in most major cities has led to problems of congestion in the peak travel hours. There are a number of solutions to this issue which I will discuss in this essay.

2. The growth in the quantity of traffic in most major cities has led to problems of congestion in the peak travel hours. This can be solved by having a traffic free zone and improving the public transportation system offered to the public.

ANSWER

Click below:

Answer

Number 2 is the best introduction because the thesis statement is more specific and directly related to the topic. 

Explanation:

  1. Introduction 1 contains what is called a “generic” thesis statement. This means it is a learned phrase which the writer has memorised to use for all solution essays. This is the type of sentence that isn’t useful for your score. All your sentences need to be relevant to the specific topic you have been given. This is a very common sentence that is taught by teachers who do not fully understand IELTS marking. Students like it because it’s easy to learn and easy to use – but it doesn’t help your score. 
  2. Introduction 2 provides a clear, relevant thesis statement. It introduces the main points clearly. This allows the reader to know what is about to be explained in the body paragraphs. It provides coherence for the whole essay. This will help your score.

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RECOMMENDED VIDEO:

This is an old video but it is good and still relevant over a decade later. Please watch to learn:

HOW TO WRITE AN INTRODUCTION FOR IELTS WRITING TASK 1

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IELTS Diagram: Introduction and Overview

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For an IELTS diagram, you need an introduction and overall paragraph containing the main features of the diagram or process in your report. The overview is one of the most important parts of your report and a full overview is essential for a high band score.

The diagram below is of the life cycle of a frog. Life cycles and other cycles, such as the water cycle, are quite common diagrams to get in IELTS writing task 1. The other common type is a process which shows how something is made or how it works.

Introduction and Overview for IELTS Bar Chart

Introduction Paragraph

The introduction paragraph for most diagrams in IELTS is short. Don’t try to make it longer. All you need to do is paraphrase the description given above the diagram.

Overview Paragraph

This is the most important paragraph is all writing task 1 (academic). This means you should aim to have a full overview with stages well summarised. This isn’t just about the number of stages, but an overview of what the main stages are. And yes, you can use the words given in the diagram. The words are given for you to use.

Model Answer Click Below:

Model Introduction and Overview

Introduction Options

  • The diagram illustrates the stages in a frog’s life time.
  • The diagram illustrates the different stages in the life of a frog.
  • The diagram illustrates the phrases that a frog passes through during its life time.

Overview Paragraph

  • Overall, a frog passes through eight stages which start with adult frogs mating and eggs laid in the water from which tadpoles emerge. Tadpoles pass through a number of stages before becoming a froglet, a young frog and finally an adult frog, starting the life cycle again.

Note: this overview is complete. It gives a full summary of the key stages without going into detail. All the detail is then given in the body paragraphs.

Full Model Answer

The diagram illustrates the developmental phases that a frog passes through during its life time.

Overall, a frog passes through eight stages which start with adult frogs mating and eggs laid in the water from which tadpoles emerge. Tadpoles pass through three stages before becoming a froglet, a young frog and finally an adult frog, starting the life cycle again.

Initially, adult frogs mate and then the female frog lays eggs in the water, which are called frogspawn. Seven to ten days later, tadpoles emerge from the eggs which can swim and eat algae for food. Six weeks later, the tadpole grows and develop back legs. This development continues and nine weeks later it develops front legs. Its head and body also becomes more pronounced.

Twelve weeks after the tadpole stages, it becomes a froglet  which resembles a small frog. However, it still has a tail, although shorter than that of a tadpole. At this stage, it also develops pulmonary breathing which enables it to leave the water and breathe air on land. Over time, the froglet becomes a young frog and eventually, four years later, it is an adult frog ready to start the life cycle again.

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Common Topics for IELTS Speaking Part 1

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The key for success in speaking is to prepare the common topics which the examiner can ask you about in IELTS speaking part 1. You will be asked a total of 3 topic for IELTS speaking part 1. The examiner has a list of subjects to take the questions from so you need to prepare ideas for a range of different topics.

This video tutorial will explain what the common topics are for part 1 and which ones you should focus on for your preparation.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Common Topics

Transcript

Hello my name is Liz
in this lesson I’m going to look
at the types of topics
that the examiner could ask you
in IELTS speaking part 1
and at the end of this lesson
I’ll give you a link so that you can
take a look at the topics and questions
for yourself
the examiner will probably ask you
about 12 different questions
in speaking part 1
and these questions come from usually
3 different subjects these are all
familiar and they are topics that
are common to everybody
throughout the world
now the first IELTS speaking part 1 topic of these three
usually come from one of these
work study home and hometown
you will probably get
one of them for your first topic
work or study now if the examiner
decides to ask you about work or study
the first question that
the examiner will ask
is “do you work or do you study”
now the examiner is asking
this question
only because he or she needs
to know which
topic to choose to ask
the questions so with this question
you do not need to expand your answer
you can just say very clearly
“I work” or “I study”
now if you’re a students and
you’ve finished university
but you aren’t not working either
then you need to tell the examiner that
and you need to say “I’ve just finished
university but I don’t have a job yet”
and the examiner will then continue
and ask you about the topic of study. Now with
these topics the common questions
which the examiner could ask you is
where do you study or work
why did you choose that subject or job
the examiner might ask you about
your first day
about the people you that
you work or study with
and other things about your work
or your study
Now for the topic of home
this topic is all about where you live
so it could be about your house
or your apartment
and in that topic
the examiner can ask you
about the rooms in your house
how they are decorated
so what you can see on the walls
or what you kind of views you have
from the windows
the examiner might also ask you
about the people you live with
or the area and street that you live in
And the last topic hometown
now if you get the topic of hometown
this is about the place
where you were born or where you
spent your childhood
and for this topic
the examiner often asks you
about places in your hometown
for example buildings or
old buildings in your hometown
the examiner might ask you
about the weather
or transportation
in your hometown
or if you plan to still live
there in the future
so those are To read more, click here

Recommended

List of Topics and Questions for Speaking Part 1, click here
IELTS Video Tutorial for speaking part 1 1: What’s your favourite…?, click here

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IELTS Speaking Part 1: Error Correction

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The questions below are taken from various topics in speaking part 1. What problems can you find with the answers?

Can you swim?
I really enjoy swimming. In fact, I swim almost every day in my local pool.

Do you prefer eating at home or eating out?
I go out to restaurants a few times each week with my colleagues from work for lunch.

Have you ever been abroad?
Most holidays I travel to my hometown to see my family but one day I would really like to go to the UK and visit London.

Did you enjoy school when you were a child?
I was very active in school. I joined a lot of clubs and was a member of two sports teams as well. I’m still in touch with my friends from school.

Answers

None of the answers above give a direct answer to the question. It is important in IELTS speaking part 1 to give a grammatically correct direct answer to each question. Here is what the answers should have been:

Can you swim?
Yes, I can. I really enjoy swimming. In fact, I swim almost every day in my local pool.

Do you prefer eating at home or eating out?
I usually prefer to eat out. I go out to restaurants a few times each week with my colleagues from work for lunch.

Have you ever been abroad?
No, I haven’t. Most holidays I travel to my hometown to see my family but one day I would really like to go to the UK and visit London.

Did you enjoy school when you were a child?
Yes, I did. I was very active in school. I joined a lot of clubs and was a member of two sports teams as well. I’m still in touch with my friends from school.

 

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IELTS Listening Table Completion: Practice and Tips

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Table completion questions in IELTS listening are quite common and can appear in any section of the listening test. Spend time preparing the headings and the predict the missing content of the table. Pay attention to the number of words possible for the answers. This listening exercise is a similar level to section 4 of the listening IELTS test.

Essential Tips for IELTS Listening Table Questions

Read the points below to learn how to tackle Table Questions in IELTS Listening. These questions are known as “Table Completion” questions.

  1. Tables can appear in any section of the IELTS Listening Test.
    • However, they are most common in section 2 and section 4.
      • Section 2 is based on social situations and is one person talking about a place, a service – something specific.
      • Section 4 is based on an educational lecture. This is one person speaking who is giving a lecture. All lectures have introduction, middle (with main points and examples) and a conclusion.
      • Both of these sections are often very structured in content which is why table questions are so suitable.
    • However, tables can appear in Section 1 and 3 – but they are less common in those sections.
  2. The table will usually have a title.
      1. This is useful because you will know what the table questions relate to.
      2. Table questions do not cover all questions for one single listening section. They will only cover about 5 questions out of 10 for that section.
      3. This means during the recording you might have to listen carefully to the information to know when to move to the table questions. The title will help you with this because it will tell you what the questions relate to.
  3. Tables are organised logically and labelled with either rows, columns or both.
    1. You must read those headings carefully because they tell you the content of each question.
  4. The questions will come in order in the recording.
  5. Notice which direction the question take in the table – do the questions follow the rows or the columns? Notice this quickly so that you do not get lost during the listening.
  6. The recording will follow the organisation that exists within the table.
  7. Notice how the other answers are given already in the table. It shows you the type of answers you will need to write down. Often the answers do not require “a” or “the”. You can usually see this by the examples of information already given in the table. 
  8. Always pay attention to how many words you can have for the answer. If it asks for no more than two words, it means you can have one word, two words but not three words.
  9. Spelling counts. You’ll lose marks if you spell the word incorrectly.

Practice Lessons for IELTS Listening Table

These practice lessons are at various levels of difficulty so that you have realistic practice for the difficult in different sections of the listening test. You can only listening once in the real test and you can’t pause the recording in your actual test. You will always have a short amount of time to read through questions and get familiar with the table before the recording starts.

Listening Table:  Practice Lesson 1 

The level of this listening table practice lesson is similar to a section 4  of the IELTS listening test.

Introduced species of the British Isles

Questions 1-5: Write no more than three words for each answer.

IELTS Listening Table Question

RECORDING:

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TABLE ANSWERS & TRANSCRIPT

Click below to read the transcript and see the answers.

The transcript is to be used for checking your answers and also reviewing the recording word for word after you complete the lesson to see precise why you got an answer right or wrong.

TRANSCRIPT

Islands, such as the British Isles, can be adversely affected by the introduction of non-native species. Many species have been introduced to Britain during historical times. Some species have been introduced with no adverse consequences. However, others have had a severe impact both economically and ecologically.

One good example of an invasive species is the gray squirrel which, at the turn of the 20th century, was introduced into South Africa, Ireland, and England from North America. On mainland Britain, it has almost entirely displaced the populations of native red squirrels. Schemes have been introduced to control the population in Ireland to encourage the native red squirrels. In the wild, gray squirrels can be found living in large areas of mature, dense woodland. These forests usually contain large amounts of dense understory vegetation that provides them sufficient amount of food sources and favorable shelters. On very rare occasions, when their usual food sources are scarce, gray squirrels will eat insects and small birds. However, in general gray squirrels exist mainly on nuts and seeds. They even have a high enough tolerance for humans to inhabit residential neighborhoods and are known to raid bird feeders.
Among those species which have been introduced with little harm to the local ecosystem is the rainbow trout which is native only to the rivers and lakes of North America but its value as a hard-fighting game fish and tasty meal has led to its introduction throughout the world. Rainbow trout are gorgeous fish, with coloring and patterns that vary widely depending on habitat, age, and spawning condition. They are members of the salmon family and, like their salmon cousins, can grow quite large. They prefer cool, clear rivers and lakes and survive on insects and small fish.
Adapted from the following sources:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_gray_squirrel, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introduced_species_of_the_British_Isles

ANSWERS
  1. gray squirrel / grey squirrel
    • you can have either US or UK spelling
  2. (mature) (dense) woodland  / forest
    • either word is fine
  3. seeds (and) nuts
    • you can either have the word “and” or not. It isn’t common that the word and is included in an answer for IELTS listening.
  4. rivers (and) lakes
  5. insects (and) fish / insects small fish
    • you could have:
    • insects fish
    • insects and fish
    • insects small fish

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Listening Table: Practice Lesson 2

The level of this table listening lesson is similar to a section 2 of the IELTS Listening Test.

London Attractions

Questions 6-10: Write no more than two words and / or numbers for your answer.

IELTS Table Listening Questions

RECORDING

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TRANSCRIPT & ANSWERS

Click below to reveal the transcript and answers.

Transcript

London has uncountable attractions for first time visitors but for those of you looking for interest and history, Hampton Court Palace and Madame Tussauds are unmissable. Hampton Court Palace, which was the favourite royal residence of Henry VIII, boasts 60 acres of formal gardens as well as the famous maze and Great Vine. For adults the price for an entry ticket is 16.50 but a child’s ticket is 8.25 although if your child is under 5, it’s free. If you are only interested in the gardens rather than entering the court itself, then you can get a garden ticket only. It opens daily at 10 in the morning, last admissions are at 5pm and closing time is at 6.

Another popular favourite place to put on your London itinerary is Madame Tussauds. Filled with life size wax models of celebrities, there are 14 interactive zones as well as the amazing Marvel Super Heroes 4D movie experience. Why don’t you take a walk down the red carpet and strike a pose next your favourite film star. Tickets are 28.00 for an adult and 22.50 for all children. That may sound like a steep price but it really is a once-in-a-life-time experience. Doors open at 9.30 each morning and close at 5.30pm.

Answers
6. free
7. 10am   6pm (you need both answers correct)
8. 28
9. 22.50
10. 5.30pm

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IELTS Essay Length: Video Lesson Advice

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Learn about the recommended number of words you should write for your essay in IELTS writing task 2. You must write over 250 words and if your essay is under the word count. you will be penalised. Watch this lesson to find out what is the best length to aim for in task 2.

[su_youtube url=”http://youtu.be/TcQKUwmOMFo”]

Recommended Lessons

IELTS Video: How to write an essay introduction, click here
IELTS Writing Task 2 Video Lesson: Ideas Tips, click here
Model Opinion Essay Band Score 9, click here

Transcript

hello in this lesson I want to look at a
very important question

that many students ask me about IELTS

writing task 2 here’s the question do I
get

a higher band score if I have

a longer essay now this is a very
important question

how long should you essay be there are a
number of points I want to explain to

you

about the length of your essay so

the first point is of course you must
write

over 250 words that

is the task given to you those are your
instructions

and if you write under that

there could be problems and yes the
examiner will check

how many words you’ve written number two
and here is a direct answer

to the question you do not get

more marks for a longer essay now

I know that for many of you at
University

if you write a longer essay you get
better marks

but this does not apply to IELTS

the examiner is not looking for

a long essay the examiner is looking for
relevant

ideas number three the other point

is you only have about 35 minutes to
write

you essay now they recommend

that you have forty minutes but at least

5 minutes should be spent planning your essay

you need to look at the statement given
to you

need to analyze it and you need to plan

relevant ideas for your answer

it’s very important to have

five minutes for planning your ideas and
you answer

are worth 25% if your marks so
that means

you only have about 35 minutes to

actually write your essay so

aiming for longer essay will not give
you more marks

and will be very difficult in

the time you’ve got the next point

is a lot of students when

they try to extend their writing to
write

over 300 words they put

lots of extra information in that essay

and this information is often a little
bit

relevant or it’s off the topic

now in IELTS you will lose

marks if you write irrelevant
information

or if you go off the topic in your essay

so is a very bad idea to try to write

300 words if the information you are

adding will go off topic so

the recommendation I recommend you aim

for between 260 and 280

that is enough words to extend

and develop each main idea

in order to get a higher band score
well

if you found this lesson useful please
share it with your friends

and don’t forget follow me on Facebook
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the regular lessons or check my blog and
you can find

all my free IELTS lessons see you next time

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IELTS Speaking Part 1 Model Answers: Topic Walking

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Do you often walk?
Not really. I don’t have a lot of spare time so I mostly use my bike to get around.

Did you walk much when you were a child?
Yes, I did. I had to walk to school almost every day as a child, which took me almost 20 minutes.

Do you think people walk more nowadays than they did in the past?
No, definitely not. In the past, there were few forms of transport to choose from so most people walked everywhere whereas these days hardly anyone walks anywhere. Most people have their own private car or bike which they use pretty much every day to get where they’re going and even if they don’t, there is plenty of public transport to use instead.

Recommended Lessons

IELTS Speaking Video Lesson: Part 1 What’s my favourite…?
IELTS Speaking Video Lesson: Greeting the examiner
IELTS Listening Video Practice: Names for Section 1

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Video Lesson: Conclusion Linkers

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Learn which are the best linkers to use to start your conclusion paragraphs for your IELTS essay. This lesson will show you which linkers to use and which you must avoid. Any mistakes with linkers will lower your band score so make sure you watch this lesson.

Recommended

How to write an introduction
What to do with the last 5 mins?

Transcript

hello in this lesson

we’re going to look at the best linkers
to use

to start your conclusion for your IELTS
writing

task 2 essay now I have a list

of linkers on the board and I have seen

students using these linkers for their
IELTS

academic essay now are they

good to use well I can tell you some

of these linkers are inappropriate

they should not be used for the
conclusion

in your task 2 essay now

let’s have a look we’ll start off with
this one here

finally now I know your conclusion

is the final paragraph but finally

does not indicate a conclusion

we use this linker to show

the final main point so that means

we use this linker in the last

body paragraph so you have

firstly secondly finally

and after that you have your conclusion

so please do not use this

for your conclusion now another one

let’s have a look at in a nutshell now

in a nutshell the meaning of this
is to summarize all the main points

briefly so the meaning is correct

but this expression

in a nutshell this is informal

and we mainly use this with speaking

or with some informal writing so that
means

it is wrong to use this kind of linker
with an

academic essay for IELTS it’s something that the
examiner

usually notices and it will

be a problem for your band score so
please

don’t to use in a nutshell for you IELTS

academic essay another one

in general again it does not

really indicate a conclusion

so that leaves 3

linkers we’ve got in conclusion to
conclude

to sum up now although

to sum up is OK I

still wouldn’t recommend using if
somebody asked me

for the best linkers to start the
conclusion

of course I would choose these

now a linker at the beginning

of the paragraph is there help

the reader to help the reader understand

the order of information and to

indicate what the information is so when
I am reading an academic essay

and I see in conclusion or

to conclude I understand this is the
conclusion

and that is good for an academic

essay so in conclusion

to conclude please choose one of them

to start your conclusion for your task
2

essay well that’s all for this lesson

I’ll see you again in another IELTS lesson

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