In this lesson we’ll write a 5-sentence paragraph about the disadvantages of international tourism. Can you finish the last sentence?
Video Lesson: Conclusion errors
Here’s a video lesson in which I correct some useful mistakes in students’ conclusion sentences.
International tourism essay ‘skeleton’
I use the term ‘essay skeleton’ to refer to the main structural parts of an essay, or the ‘bones’ that hold the essay together. Let’s look at an example.
Writing Task 2: Easy introduction
In this lesson I’m going to try to write the easiest introduction that I can.
Writing Task 2: International tourism topic
Let’s start work on a new essay topic: Do the disadvantages of international tourism outweigh the advantages?
IELTS Grammar: passives, conditionals, subjunctives?
It seems that teachers in some countries are telling their students to fill their answers with “difficult grammar devices”.
Advantages / disadvantages essay: Video surveillance
I haven’t shared an ‘advantages / disadvantages’ essay here on the member site yet, so here’s a good one.
IELTS Advice: Be more than ready!
If you are able to get a band 7 score when you do a test at home, can you be confident that you’ll get a band 7 in the real test?
Model essay: Hot and cold climates
Here’s my band 9 answer for the ‘hot and cold climates’ task, plus my essay plan and a list of useful vocabulary.
IELTS Advice: How to write faster
A student asked me about how to write task 2 essays faster. Here’s my advice.
Writing Task 2: Finish my essay
Can you write one short, error-free sentence to finish my essay about hot and cold climates?
Writing Task 2: Correct the mistakes
Here are some sentences that members wrote below last Monday’s lesson. Can you find and correct the mistakes?
Writing Task 2: Positives of cold climates
Can you write two error-free sentences about the benefits of living in a cold climate?
Writing Task 2: Paragraph cohesion
A paragraph can be said to have good cohesion if the sentences within it are somehow linked and work together to form a unit.
Writing Task 2: Paragraph logic
In this lesson I’m going to test your logic using a quick exercise.
Writing Task 2: ‘Climate’ essay skeleton
Today I’m sharing my essay skeleton for a balanced opinion answer about the benefits of hot and cold climates.
Writing Task 2: 13-sentence outline
Let’s practise essay planning by writing a 13-sentence outline for a ‘discuss both views and give your opinion’ question.
Writing Task 2: Idea generation
This lesson contains five tips about the following problem: How can we come up with good ideas for an essay?
Model essay: Free nursing courses
Note: The quality of vocabulary in this essay is particularly high – above band 9.
Writing Task 2: Making paragraphs different
A common problem in students’ essays is that the same ideas are often repeated in both main body paragraphs.
Writing Task 2: Nursing paragraph
Try the quick vocabulary exercise in today’s lesson. Fill the gaps to complete my paragraph about the importance of nurses.
Writing Task 2: Nursing fees essay skeleton
Read my introduction, main body topic sentences, and conclusion (the essay skeleton) for a question about tuition fees for nurses.
Writing Task 2: New topic about nurses
Some people believe that nurses should not have to pay for their nursing degrees. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Positive or negative: Countries becoming similar
This lesson contains an essay that I wrote with a group of students. Can you fill the gaps to add your own examples?
Model essay: Music and arts
Note: The quality of vocabulary in this essay is particularly high – above band 9.
Writing Task 2: The best essay structure
In this lesson we compare three possible ways to structure a 4-paragraph essay. Let me know which way you prefer.
Model essay: Foreign language problems
Here’s another band 9 sample answer with essay plan and a quick vocabulary exercise.
Full essay: Traffic congestion
Here’s another band 9 sample answer with my essay plan and a quick vocabulary exercise.
Full essay: Best time to be alive
Here’s my band 9 sample answer for the ‘best time to be alive’ question, plus a quick vocabulary exercise.
Writing Task 2: Finish the paragraph
In this lesson we look at a more coherent plan for the “best time to be alive” question, and we start writing a paragraph for homework.