Why do you have to take time to analyze the question in IELTS Writing Task 2 !
Most people who take the IELTS writing test are not aware of the many techniques that need to be understood in order to write a good essay. Here you will find out what needs to be done to really answer the question as we touch on some useful tips to help you do just that.
The main reasons students fail in IELTS Writing task 2
One of the main reasons students fail in writing task 2 is that they don’t analyze the question effectively. I see students all the time who have great vocabulary and grammar but unfortunately make this mistake. They don’t read and think about the question and therefore don’t fully understand what it requires from them. This sort of student, and believe me there are many, typically go into the exam confident that they will do well but because they do not properly understand the requirements of the question don’t get the score that they should. It can result in students getting a Band 6 when in fact it should have been much higher – they should have got at least a 7 or 8. “Everything You Need To Know About IELTS Writing Task 2”. Check the title.
Many students assume that by analyzing the question, they are wasting valuable time in the exam. In reality, they don’t end up answering the question as well as they could, and it’s often because they’ve misunderstood the question in the first place. I know a lot of teachers tell you to read the question, but what does this mean?
The exam will check to see if you understand the question, and a failure to take that extra time could result in a lower Band Score.
Although some students manage to get through, why is it that others do not? From my experience there are 4 key reasons:
- Rushing and therefore not reading the question carefully enough
- Taking a general approach to the question rather than being specific
- Not identifying what type of question is being asked
- Misunderstanding the question
So let’s look at what needs to be done to combat these problems. Fortunately there are some fairly straightforward steps you can take to help you get better at analyzing the question and so helping you to get the score that you want, and probably deserve!
Find out more about “A Great Writing Plan For The IELTS Test”. Tap on the title.
Here are three easy steps to help you get started. “IELTS Writing”
You must identify:
- words that show what topic the question is about
- words that give you the ‘aspect’ of the topic
- words that give you the instructions
So how do we use these 3 steps?
Well first we need to understand what’s in a typical IELTS Task 2 Writing question.
As I’m sure you’ve worked out by now, it’s always a good idea to review what different kinds of question come up in the exam, knowing exactly what to expect will go a long way in helping you to be prepared – and what’s more you’ll make sure that there are no unwelcome surprises on exam day!
The typical Task 2 question is made up of either one or two statements, followed by a set of instructions.
Now that we’ve understood the format, let’s get started by analyzing the question.
1. Words that show what topic the question is about – ‘the topic words”
When we’re writing our essay, we must figure out what the general topic is.
Here’s an example question.
‘Some people think that economic growth is the only way to end world poverty and hunger. Others think that economic growth is causing damage to the environment and should be stopped now. Discuss both views and give your opinion.’
So what is the topic here in this question? It’s pretty obvious that it’s ‘economic growth’. However, it’s important to realize that many students will write about the topic without linking it back to the rest of the question. If you want to score highly on your exam, always refer back to the specific words from the question and link your writing back to them. And so we need to look out for words that provide us with the ‘aspect’ of the topic.
2. Words that give you the ‘aspect’ of the topic
These words make clear what aspect of economic growth the question wants you to write about, and tells you what exactly the examiner is looking for. The words might give an opinion on the statement or clarify it in some way or ask you to focus on a particular aspect of the topic
As you can see, you should only include things in your essay that have to do with the words that define the aspect of the topic. If we discuss anything else, like the advantages and disadvantages of economic growth in general, then our answer would be much less relevant.
Here’s another question:
‘The best way to deal with the rising problem of traffic and transportation is to encourage people to live in cities rather than in the suburbs or in the countryside. To what extent do you agree? ‘
The main topic is the problem of traffic and transportation. We can’t talk about this in general; we have to look at later in the sentence for the words that show us which aspect of traffic and transportation we should write about, and in this question these show us that we should talk about the solution of encouraging people to live in cities as opposed to settling them in the suburbs or countryside.
Do not write on the topic in general, make sure you identify the words that show what aspect of the general topic you should write about,
3. Words that give you the instructions
The next thing we need to do is work out what the question wants us to do and therefore what the examiner wants us to do. There are several different things the question could ask us to do, it could be to give an opinion on a particular topic, discuss the advantages and disadvantages, or talk about the problems and solutions of an issue.
Let’s have a look at our original question again:
‘Some people think that economic growth is the only way to end world poverty and hunger. Others think that economic growth is causing damage to the environment and should be stopped now. Discuss both views and give your opinion.’
This is a ‘discuss both views’ question, so we will have to follow that format, anything else and we will lose marks for not answering the question properly. We also have to, of course, support our answer by giving reasons and examples.
You’re now equipped with the basic tools to help you make your answer relevant to the question.
Later on as you are writing, you can always refer back to the prompt to remind you to stay on track, this helps you to avoid talking off the specific aspect of the topic you are being asked about.
– There are more things while you are writing for more information about Paragraphs, SPaces, Pencils, Or Pens? “IELTS Writing Test”. visit the link.
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