Introduction to IELTS and Academic Writing.

The kind of writing we are going to describe here is ONLY suitable for IELTS Task 2 Writing and not TASK 1.

Why?

Because in Task 1, you are not required to add additional opinion, or comment or speculate on why figures or numbers might be so.

In Task 1, you should only report the figures you can see.

You should not speculate, predict or introduce personal experience in your writing.

Task 2 Writing

For Task 2, often your writing can be improved substantially by providing support to your ideas, your opinions or when answering the prompt given.

Providing Support

Academic writing tends to be impersonal in style in order to be objective.

This may make it appear formal.

Unfortunately, too many IELTS Candidates write in a subjective style.

The result can be:

If an IELTS Task 2 appears too subjective, this can affect the tone of the writing and lower the Score.

Therefore, it is important to notice how academic writers express themselves and support their opinions.

Support consists of evidence.

Here are four kinds of evidence to make your argument stronger:

1. Example: from your own experience or from what you heard or read.

2. Common Sense: things that you believe everybody knows.

3. Expert Opinion: the opinions of experts or professionals

(e.g. scientists or doctors) — this comes from research.

4. Statistics: numbers (e.g 75% ) — this also comes from research.

Task: Read the arguments for the following statement:

Here is the statement to consider.

Statement: “Smoking should be banned in all public places”

This is the position I am going to take.

Position: Agree

So, now I am going to agree with this statement by providing an example.

1. Example:

For example / for instance / let me give an example

“Let me give an example: Whenever I go to a restaurant or bar and there are people smoking near me, I feel that I am breathing in their smoke. This makes me a smoker even though I don’t want to be”.

or by providing a shared belief.

2. Common Sense:

Everyone knows / it’s common knowledge that / it’s no secret that

“It’s common knowledge secondhand smoke is very unhealthy for nonsmokers”.

or by providing figures or percentages.

3. Statistics:

“Secondhand smoke causes about 250,000 respiratory infections in infants and children every year, resulting in about 15,000 hospitalizations each year”.

or by providing the voice of another.

4. Expert Opinion:

According to…/ to quote…/ the book _____ says…

“According to the Environmental Protection Agency, secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers each year”.

For the IELTS test, there is not enough time or number of words to allow completely for this academic style, so although IELTS writing is not informal, it is much more semi-academic in style.

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