Simon’s ielts writing task 2

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Wednesday, August 09, 2017 
IELTS Writing Task 2: one-sentence conclusion 
Some students learn to write two or three-sentence conclusions that contain future predictions or 
recommendations. Personally I think this is an unnecessary waste of time, and it may even have a 
negative effect on your essay (if the question doesn't ask for a prediction or recommendation, you're 
going "off topic"). 
I advise my students to write simple one-sentence conclusions, and spend more time perfecting the 
main body paragraphs. 
Task:
Look at the question and introduction in last week's 
lesson
. Can you write a simple one-sentence 
conclusion that answers both parts of the question? Avoid using "showy" language, but aim to make 
your sentence completely error-free! 

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Wednesday, August 16, 2017 
IELTS Writing Task 2: templates and 'firstly, secondly, finally' 
Here's a question that someone asked me yesterday (I've rewritten it in my own words to make it 
shorter): 
I've heard that examiners in China are lowering scores when candidates use prepared writing 
templates. The linking words "firstly, secondly, finally" are considered as 'template words' for writing 
task 2, so how can we replace them to avoid getting a lower score?
First, there are a couple of problems with this question: 

It assumes that examiners in one country have decided to create their own rules about how tests 
should be marked. This is not true! All examiners are trained to use the band descriptors in the 
same way. 

It implies that the use of just three simple words (firstly, secondly, finally) will automatically bring your 
score down. This is also wrong! Your score will not be lowered on the basis of just three words. 
Next, let's look at what the band descriptors say about this issue: 

The band descriptors refer to "over-use of cohesive devices" at band 5 level. In other words, if you 
use too many linking words or template phrases, you're in danger of entering band 5 territory for 
"coherence and cohesion", which is worth 25% of your score. 

On the other hand, if we look at the descriptor for band 7, we can see the phrase "uses a range of 
cohesive devices appropriately". This tells us that we do need to use some linking words, but only 
where they help the flow of ideas. 

No specific examples of good or bad linking or 'template' words are given in the band descriptors, so 
there is nothing inherently wrong with using "firstly, secondly, finally". Personally I dislike the 
word 
'moreover'
, but I've never lowered a candidate's score just because he/she used this word 
once or twice. 
To sum up, here's a more direct answer to the student's question: 
Examiners in every country (not only in China) want to read essays that are full of 
'real content'
; they 
don't like essays that mainly consist of 
'phrases for any essay'
. I think it's true that too many 
candidates rely on templates, and I believe that people should focus on preparing topic ideas instead. 
Having said that, you 
do
need to link and organise your ideas, and simple words like "firstly, 
secondly, finally" can help you to do that. These words will only have a negative effect on your score 
if you overuse them, or if you use them wrongly. But if you still want to avoid using "firstly, secondly, 
finally", there are plenty of other ways to organise your ideas (
click here
and 
here
to see some 
examples).