I nte r nati o nal e n g LI s h lan g uag e testi n g syste m

Paragraph 1 - Introduction

•  Sentence 1 - Background statement

•  Sentence 2 - Detailed background statement

•  Sentence 3 - Thesis

•  Sentence 4 - Outline sentence

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IELTS Academic and General Task 2: How to write at a band 9 level

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Paragraph 2 - First supporting paragraph

•  Sentence 1 - Topic sentence

•  Sentence 2 - Example

•  Sentence 3 - Discussion

•  Sentence 4 - Conclusion

Paragraph 3 - Second supporting paragraph

•  Sentence 1 - Topic sentence

•  Sentence 2 - Example

•  Sentence 3 - Discussion

•  Sentence 4 - Conclusion

Paragraph 4 - Conclusion

•  Sentence 1 - Summary

•  Sentence 2 - Restatement of thesis

•  Sentence 3 - Prediction or recommendation

This essay structure contains a total of 15 sentences and will put your essay at 

roughly 250-275 words, which is ideal.  Each sentence should be short, written 

clearly and link to other ideas presented in the essay using cohesive phrases (see 

section 2.2).

Following an essay structure such as the above provides the IELTS student with 

numerous advantages.  For one, it allows the student to save time in the examina-

tion room, as a decision on essay format has been made ahead of time.  Secondly, 

this structure employs cohesion at the essay level, which directly benefits a student’s 

Coherence and Cohesion mark.  This in turn improves the student’s Task Achieve-

ment mark, as using the structure promotes a fuller response to the essay question.  

Finally, simply having a structure in mind can be a huge confidence boost for stu-

dents walking into the exam, and this always leads to better writing.  Being versed in 

a strong essay structure therefore eliminates many of the writing exam’s challenges 

and sets a foundation upon which a student can build their writing mark.

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IELTS Academic and General Task 2: How to write at a band 9 level

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1.3

A