Lindsay McMahon
"The English Adventurer"

On IELTS Writing Task 2, students are always asking for help with examples.

Do you struggle with this too?

Teachers always tell students that they have to add  specific details and examples in their IELTS Task 2 essays, but teachers don’t always tell students how to do this.

First of all, let’s back up a bit, to the stage in the writing process before you begin to write your essay.

This stage is the planning stage- and it’s part of a 3 step process.

The three steps are planning, writing and, very importantly, checking.

On our podcast, we talk about how important this process is, and how to manage your time while using this process for Writing Task 1 and Task 2.

The planning stage is what we’re focusing on today.

This is where you take 5 minutes to brainstorm your ideas and organize them before you write.

When you are trying to come up with ideas, try to be as specific as possible.

You can do this by thinking of information that would give further explanation regarding the who, what, when, where and why of the topic.

Here are a few examples:

If you are trying to come up with advantages for driving a hybrid car, you can try and think of answers to questions like:

  • Who would benefit from driving hybrid cars?
  • What does a hybrid car do for the environment?
  • When would it be beneficial to drive a hybrid car?
  • Where would it be beneficial to drive a hybrid car?
  • Why should people consider buying a hybrid car?

These are the questions that I think of to help my mind come up with more specific reasons and examples.

My brainstorm notes would look like this:

Advantages of hybrids:

  • environmentally-conscious people would feel good about themselves
  • cars use less fossil fuels, decrease pollution, CO2
  • people should start now
  • useful in places with high fuel prices, like $10/gallon
  • should buy to save planet

Now, the above ideas are only the beginning.

You now need to use your own life experience and knowledge to add more specifics.

This strategy is also useful on the IELTS Speaking Exam.

Advantages of hybrids:

  • environmentally-conscious people would feel good about themselves- my friend Tania carries a lot of environmental guilt, would be very depressed without her hybrid
  • cars use less fossil fuels, decrease pollution, CO2 
  • people should start now My neighbor just bought a Toyota hybrid last week.
  • useful in places with high fuel prices, like $10/gallon
  • should buy to save planet

But wait, there’s more!

You can also make up specific details and examples on the IELTS Writing Task 2 essay.

Yes, that’s right, you can lie on IELTS!

Remember, the examiner doesn’t care about the truth of your ideas- they only want to see your writing in English.

As long as those made-up facts are presented in an organized way, using interesting vocabulary, you will get a high score.

So, if we add some more made up facts, my brainstorm would look like this:

Advantages of hybrids:

  • environmentally-conscious people would feel good about themselves- my friend Tania carries a lot of environmental guilt, would be very depressed without her hybrid
  • cars use less fossil fuels, decrease pollution, CO2 I read an article in the New York Times that said if just 50% more people drove hybrids, it would decrease daily CO2 vehicle emissions  by 75%.
  • people should start now My neighbor just bought a Toyota hybrid last week.
  • useful in places with high fuel prices, like $10/gallon In the Netherlands, as of July 2015, gas prices had topped $10 a gallon. If I had to pay those prices, it would cost me $140 to fill up my gas tank every week.
  • should buy to save planet

Of course, your brainstorm will not be as complete as the above example.

However, as long as you have 3 of these ideas in your brainstorm, you will have a very strong, well-supported and high scoring IELTS Writing Task 2 essay.

Your next step from here is to practice!

Look at some example IELTS Task 2 questions, and give yourself unlimited time to brainstorm specific reasons, details and examples.

At this stage, you don’t even have to worry about writing the essay- just focus on practicing this one specific step in the writing process.

The more specific, the better!

You can learn more about Writing Task 2 in our IELTS course, 3 Keys IELTS.

Do you have any questions or ideas about today’s post?

Leave us a message in the comments below!

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