Perfect IELTS Writing Task 2 Introduction

[0:00]Let me show you how to write a perfect introduction to your IELTS writing task two essay with my three-step formula.

[0:10]It's easy to follow and it works for every essay type. This is an in-depth lesson, so get your pen ready, download the slides for this lesson and let's get started. The first part of your essay is an introduction. Its goal is to introduce what you're going to write about, that's it. And this is why your introduction should be short. 40 to 60 words is enough. Writing a longer introduction means that you're taking valuable time away from more important paragraphs. Let's take a topic, and I'll show you how to write your introduction, and then we'll practice writing a couple of them together. In some countries, an increasing number of children are overweight or obese as a result of eating too much fast food. Banning fast food from school canteen is the best way to fight this problem. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? For introductions, I recommend the TTP formula: Topic, Task, Position. First of all, you should introduce the topic. Give a general statement, what is this essay about? Here, you can talk about the importance of the topic, or its current state. Is it a big problem? Is it a recent problem, or has this problem been there for a long time? For example, excessive weight gain and obesity have become major issues among children. This is the current state of the issue. Then, focus on the topic question. What are you actually asked about? One way to write the statement is to paraphrase the topic sentence. Mine is, it is argued that schools should not be allowed to sell fast food in order to reduce the rates of childhood obesity. Finally, present your position. If you are required to express your opinion, then do that. If not, provide an outline explaining what you're going to write about in your essay. An outline is a sentence that usually begins with this essay will discuss. In this essay, I'm giving my opinion. Even though a straightforward ban on fast food in the school cafeteria seems to be a positive step, I do not agree that this is the most effective measure to alleviate this problem. Okay, the introduction is ready. At the moment, you can see three separate sentences. But of course, your introduction should be written in a single paragraph without any gaps. Mine is 66 words long. Now, let's write a couple of introductions together. That's how we do it in my courses. You learn what you need to do, you actually go and do it, and then you compare your result to the model answer to see how you can improve further. In the course, we do it for every paragraph of the essay, an introduction, so that's the lesson you're watching, body paragraphs, most important, and a conclusion. And you learn how to write each type of essay too. Now, let's practice. The first topic is two views and your opinion essay. Some people think that children should only read academic books. Others believe that reading books for pleasure is equally important. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. At this point, my course students would already have their ideas ready. But you can use ideas from my essay plan. Pause the video and write your introduction using the TTP formula. Ready? Here is mine. The topic. My general statement is very short. Children are often encouraged to read. This is the current state of the issue. Now, the task. However, there is a debate regarding the kind of books that is best for them. Should children only read for educational purposes or should they also read for fun? Here I'm asking a question. You are allowed to use questions in your essay as long as you don't just copy them from the task. This question presents the two views we'll be discussing in the essay. Now, the position. In this essay, you are required to choose which view you agree with. Here is my opinion. In my opinion, both categories of books are equally important for children's development. The introduction is ready, it's 48 words long. Now, the next topic. The best way to motivate employees is to increase their salaries. Do you agree with this statement? Are there any other ways to encourage employees to work more efficiently? In this essay, we need to answer two questions. The first one is about your opinion. This means that you should give your opinion in the introduction. As for the second question, you should offer some other ways to encourage employees to work more efficiently. Again, you should mention this question in your introduction. Now, write your introduction using the ideas from your idea generation template or from mine. Okay, pause the video now. Ready to continue? Here is my introduction. The first sentence presents the topic. Companies across the globe recognize the importance of motivating their staff to work more productively. This is the current state of the issue. Now, let's focus on our question. Some think that increasing salaries is the most effective incentive. This is the key statement. And now my position. I disagree with this opinion and argue that other methods tend to yield even better results.

[7:07]Here I give my opinion about the first question, do you agree with this statement? I also partly answer the second question. Yes, there are other methods to motivate employees. But I'm not saying what methods these are, I'm keeping this information for my conclusion. Okay, this introduction is 41 words long. Are your introductions similar to mine, or are they quite different? Remember, there are many ways to write a great essay introduction. Now, let's talk about some do's and don'ts of writing introductions. Don't make it too general. Let me show you an example. This is our topic about motivating employees. Let's read the introduction. Companies across the globe recognize the importance of motivating their staff to work more productively. After all, companies' profits depend on how well their employees work. Businesses, therefore, try to encourage their people to work more efficiently.

[8:18]Okay, is it a good introduction? The answer is no. It's too general. Here, we have three sentences explaining why motivating staff is important. But that's not the question. One general statement is enough to introduce the topic. Then you should immediately address the essay question or questions. I know that writing these general sentences may be easier and quite tempting, but you don't have time for that. So try to get straight to the point. The next tip is don't make it too long. Write between 40 and 60 words.

[9:06]And definitely avoid the situation when your introduction is the longest paragraph of your essay. Your body paragraphs should be the longest, not your introduction. Next, don't use memorized templates. Write your essay from scratch. Don't try to learn some impressive sentences because IELTS examiners can easily spot them and you'll be penalized for using memorized content. The next tip is what you should do. Do state your position. Your position should be clear throughout your essay, and it's easier to do that if you start from your introduction. Let's summarize. I suggest using the TTP formula for your introduction: Topic, Task, Position. Here are a few tips. Don't make it too general. Don't make it too long. Don't use memorized templates, but do state your position. And one more thing I haven't mentioned. When you're writing your introduction, try to include everything you need and finish quickly, so you can move on to the more important parts of your essay, your body paragraphs and conclusion. If you enjoyed this free preview lesson, I'll be happy to see you on my courses. So far, we've had over 30,000 students and their reviews we're getting are truly heartwarming. Whether you're just starting your preparation or you need to improve your score from the previous attempt, these courses can help you prepare for your IELTS exam step by step, save time, and achieve a higher score. And there is a special offer for you in the video description. That's where you can download the slides from this lesson too. Thank you so much for watching me today. Good luck with your preparation and your exam. Bye.