How to Write Writing Task 2?

How to Write Writing Task 2?

The Step-by-Step Approach

After you have read all that, you still have no idea how to start writing? Do not panic. The simple steps explained below will help you develop your essay in the Task 2.

But first, you must understand the type of essay topics. There are only 3 kinds of essay topics in the IELTS Writing test. Let’s call them A, H and S.

• Topic type “A” presents an Argument and you need to explore pros and cons, reasons for and against, while you support only one side.

• Topic type ‘H‘ presents a Hidden argument. These topics usually ask “To what extent…?”, “In what way…?”, “How has something changed…?”

• Topic type “S” presents a Situation and you need to explore reasons why it is what it is, assume what will happen in the future and suggest solutions to problems, if required.

So now, let’s plan the essay together.

First STEP

Read and classify the question. You need to decide what kind of topic you have got, an A, H or S. It will affect the way you plan your essay.

Example:

“Home schooling belongs to the past and is unacceptable in modern society. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Use your own knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence”

We can clearly see a hidden argument here. By revealing the real meaning of the topic, we get “Is home schooling acceptable in modern society?” This way it becomes an “A” topic, an argument with 2 sides – for and against home education.

Second STEP

Here you need to come up with ideas, thoughts and opinions on the given topic. The best way to do it is to think of some main ideas and then to write everything you can think of regarding those ideas. In case you are working on an essay of an “A” or “H” kind, you need to think about ideas for and against the topic. If you are working on an essay of kind “S” – you need to think about the reasons for the situation to be the way it is.

Example:

Let’s say that after some thinking you came up with the following ideas, and your opinion is against education at home.

Now you should think about what goes where in your essay. On the same draft paper where you have written the ideas, group them and decide which paragraph will describe which idea. If the topic is an argument (type A), remember to put the side you don’t agree with first and the side you do agree with second. Think about how to move from one paragraph to another. There should be a connective logical sentence that drives you towards the next paragraph’s topic.

Third STEP

It is time to write the answer. According to the plan you have made, start writing the essay. The first sentence of the introduction gives the main idea of the essay, either presenting sides of the argument or describing a situation. The last sentence of the introduction should naturally lead into the first paragraph of the body. Remember to keep the paragraph structure and to connect paragraphs so that one leads to another.

Important! Try to start body paragraphs with a linking word (like However, Therefore, Moreover, Nevertheless, etc.). It raises your score.

Example:

This is an essay written according to the ideas you came up with. The ideas are in bold font for easier understanding.

Everything has two sides and home schooling is not an exception. In the past it seemed like the most natural way of educating children, but today many people criticize it.

We must acknowledge that parents know their children best. That gives them a good chance of knowing how to make their child understand certain concepts. Using their child’s interests, parents can make the process of learning more enjoyable and effective. In addition, being at home makes a child feel safe, which contributes to his ability to concentrate better on studying.

Nevertheless, many people believe that teaching should be done by professionals only. There are many proven scientific approaches that produce good results and without those techniques, parents who teach their kids at home have no chance of success. Associative learning is a good example of such a technique. Showing the child images while learning the alphabet (apple for “a”, boy for “b”) makes him or her remember the letters faster and easier.

In addition, not every parent is capable of teaching his or her child at home because the blind cannot lead the blind. Parents cannot teach children something they don’t know themselves, and let’s face it – not all of us have a profound knowledge of history or geography even on a school textbook level. Eventually, even those mums and dads who succeeded at school could forget material with the passage of time.

In conclusion, I have more trust in the abilities and experience of professional teachers than I do in my own.

And finally – read the essay carefully from the beginning and check it for errors.

40 minutes? Not enough!

Hardly anyone can get their first essays done on time. So, don’t be disappointed if it takes you an hour or even longer.

First try to get used to the Baby Steps process that is explained earlier. After a little bit of practice, you will start writing essays faster, and finally you will reach your goal – an essay in 40 minutes. You should work with a clock all the time – this is the only way for you to monitor your progress.

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