Other Question Types

The previous question was fairly easy, so to identify the task was hopefully not too difficult.

Some questions, though, will take more thought in order to identify what you need to write about.

Here is another example:

Advances in technology and automation have reduced the need for manual labour. Therefore, working hours should be reduced.

To what extent do you agree?

Again, look to the end of the prompt to identify the task.

You have to say if you agree or disagree with working hours being reduced, or, in other words, automation (machines) taking over from some human’s duties.

You must also say how much you agree or disagree ("to what extent").

Let’s assume you want to look at both sides of the issue. You therefore need to discuss the reasons why you agree, and the reasons why you disagree. Or put another way:

1. The advantages of reducing working hours

2. The disadvantages of reducing working hours

And of course in the introduction or conclusion you need to make it clear what your opinion is.

If you do all of these things then you will have answered all parts of the prompt. If you find more reasons to agree than disagree, then you can write more about this side of the argument, or visa versa.

How do I Write an ielts Essay?

In order to answer this, lets first look at a sample question:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Present a written argument to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic. In the last 20 years there have been significant developments in the field of information technology (IT), for example the World Wide Web and communication by email. However, future developments in IT are likely to have more negative effects than positive. To what extent do you agree with this view? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge. You should write at least 250 words.

An IELTS essay is structured like any other essay; you just need to make it shorter. There are three key elements:

1. Introduction

2. Body Paragraphs

3. Conclusion

We will look at each of these in turn, using the essay question above as an example.

1) Introduction

You should keep your introduction for the IELTS essay short. Remember you only have 40 minutes to write the essay, and some of this time needs to be spent planning. Therefore, you need to be able to write your introduction fairly quickly so you can start writing your body paragraphs.

You should do just two things:

• State the topic of the essay, using some basic facts (that you may be able to take from the question)

• Say what you are going to write about

Here is an example introduction for the above essay question about IT:

The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way people's lives are affected by IT, with many advances in this field. However, while these technological advances have brought many benefits to the world, it can be argued that future IT developments will produce more negative effects than positive ones.

As you can see, the first sentence makes sure it refers to the topic (IT) and uses facts about IT taken from the question. Note that these are paraphrased - you must not copy from the rubric!

The second part then clearly sets out the what the essay will be about and confirms the writers opinion (some questions may not ask for your opinion, but this one does).