Day 5 IELTS Lessons: Writing Essay Structure for Academic (AC) and General Training (GT) focuses on teaching you the essential components of a well-structured essay. Learn how to organize your introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion effectively to improve your writing score.
What Should an Essay Look Like?
An academic/general essay follows a standard format or structure that writers are expected to adhere to. Here’s what you need to know:
- Full Sentences: Write in complete sentences. Avoid notes or bullet points.
- Paragraphs: Organize your essay into clear paragraphs.
For the IELTS Task 2 essay, which is only 250 words, four or five paragraphs are sufficient.
- Introduction: This should introduce the topic, provide some background information, state your position, and give a brief outline of the main points of your essay.
- Body: This part contains the main points supporting your position. Two or three paragraphs are enough, depending on how many main points you have.
- Conclusion: Sum up your main points and restate your position.
Let’s look at a sample essay to understand the structure better.
Sample Essay Question: Why do countries host large sporting events like the Olympics, even though they are very expensive?
Sample Essay: This essay is about 290 words long and is divided into four paragraphs.
Introduction: Introduces the topic and provides background information. It states the writer’s position and previews what the essay will cover. Notice how the writer rephrases information from the question.
Body Paragraph 1: Explains the first reason why countries want to host big sporting events. The use of signpost language clearly indicates that this paragraph will cover the first main point.
Body Paragraph 2: Explains the second reason. The writer refers back to the previous reason and signals that this paragraph will discuss another reason.
Conclusion: Uses a concluding linker, “In conclusion,” to signal the end of the essay and summarizes the main points.
By following this structure, you can create a well-organized and coherent essay.
