IELTS Writing.
In this video we're going to look at some very practical, very useful sentences that
you can use in your IELTS essay.
Hi there.
My name is Ben.
You know me from the IELTS Podcast website, and probably a few other English-learning
websites.
In this video we're going to look at a couple of sentences you can start incorporating into
your essay.
Now, don't just copy-paste them.
Maybe some of them you could.
But learn them (learn the structures) and then start adapting them.
Because if you just copy-paste, the examiners are going to know what you're up to.
He's gonna spot your game.
He's gonna call you out.
He's gonna take you up, smack you in...
No, he won't, really.
But he will probably mark you down (or she will mark you down), okay?
So what you want to do is learn the structures and learn them well.
The first sentence that we can use or memorize is this one:
"This essay will analyze this issue using the examples from wartime countries and conflict
zones to demonstrate points and support arguments."
But like I said before, we have to adapt it.
And the good thing about this sentence is that it's easy to adapt.
All we have to do is interchange the examples.
And the examples (obviously) are going to be the ones that we use later in the body
paragraphs.
So we'll say:
"This essay will analyze this issues using the examples from..."
"Canada," and "Rwanda," (or whatever) "...to demonstrate points and support examples."
"...or support arguments (I'm sorry)."
Another case:
"This essay will analyze these issues using examples from higher education institutions
and local government education policy, to demonstrate points and prove arguments."
So you've basically got a grammatically perfect sentence there which you can adapt to almost
any essay.
You just gotta make sure that it's coherent.
And making it coherent means putting in the examples that you're going to use later at
the body paragraphs.
Hopefully, you're writing this down.
Like I said a million times before, let's change this lesson into an active learning
lesson.
Rather than just sitting there looking at the screen, grab a pen, start writing them
down.
It'll increase the chances of memorizing them then it's gonna be easier to use them in your
actual essay writing.
Another example:
Say if we want to say "However," and then just start going on to a different point,
we could squeeze in another 5 words.
Another 5 words in there.
And you're probably going to say that less communicating, less...
using the same amount of words is better.
However, this one is mainly for the students who are struggling reaching the word limit.
And what we can say is (after you say "However" or "But" we could say):
"However, it should not be forgotten..."
"However it should not be forgotten that..."
And then we're going to the next point.
And we've just managed to squeeze in another 4 words.
And the advantage of this (like the other one), you get these words in order.
That's another 4 or 5 words you've just put down in paper in perfect grammatical order.
And okay, it's only 5 words.
But it's small steps and it takes a lot of small steps (small perfect steps, better said).
Small perfect steps in the right direction to your target band (which is what we want).
More sentences:
"For example, a recent study by Harvard University showed..."
And this is exactly like the other one.
This is another (maybe) 8 or 9 words.
If you've memorized that whole sentence it's another 8 to 9 words that you can just knock
off the 250 word limit, and you've got them in perfect order.
Another small step.
And you can adapt it.
So you say:
"For example, a recent study by the IMF showed..."
"For example, a recent study by the U.K. government showed..."
And this is now for the students who are really struggling.
Get in these grammatically perfect sentences in your essay will help a lot.
Another one:
"There is an ample evidence to suggest that scientists will promptly discover..."
"There is ample evidence that local governments will be implementing new policies..."
The key there: "There is ample evidence."
"Is" ample evidence, never "are" evidence.
Next one:
"Take for instance the recent study by the U.N. that clearly showed..."
Exactly like the other ones.
"Take for instance a recent study by the I.M.F. that clearly showed..."
"Take for instance a recent study by the Canadian government that showed..."
All of these are just small steps, stacking the deck, and getting things working in your
favor to help take you nearer.
Now then, like I said before and I have to say it again because it's incredibly important:
Adapt them.
Don't just copy-paste them.
Adapt them to your essay.
Now then, final one...
No, final 2 and then I'll give you another tip...
So the final sentence:
"Numerous studies have consistently found that..."
And then you say what you want to say.
"Numerous studies have consistently found that children from economically advanced countries..."
"Numerous studies have consistently found that students who learn 3 languages have a
reduced chance of contracting Alzheimer's (or getting Alzheimer's) at an elderly age."
Whatever.
But the key there is the beginning of the sentence: "Numerous studies have consistently
found that..."
So that's another structure.
Now the final one which will also help you increase the amount of words you're putting
down on paper and will also help your vocabulary score (your lexical resource), is that...
What I want you to do is start incorporating lists.
So if you say "Recent electronic gadgets have dramatically increased work productivity,"
that's okay.
We need to finish it off of course but we could also say:
"Electronic gadgets such as the smartphone, the laptop, and the 3D printer have drastically
increased worker productivity."
And it's what it is.
It's just squeezing in 3 words (probably collocations, hopefully...
they don't have to be).
But squeezing in 3 words that are relevant to that topic.
Or that are specific to that topic.
And that's going to increase our lexical resource score 'cause we've just shown the examiner
we know what we're talking about and we've given the examples "such as...".
Or I'll give you another example:
"Serious diseases are a recurring matter or a recurring expense for many governments."
How would we improve that sentence?
Well we could say:
"Serious diseases such as Malaria, Ebola, and Dengue Fever are serious expenses..."
And we put in 3 words that are specific to this topic.
And when you are making a list, usually they come in threes.
So you say "x,x, and x."
"Malaria, Ebola, and Dengue Fever."
And doing this will (like I said before) increase your lexical resource.
Now, super advanced tip (if you want to take that further) make sure the lists are parallel.
And we'll look at that in another video.
But if you are super keen you can have a look in the list and you'll see a video about parallelism.
Okay, if you want to take this even further, or if you've got any questions, you know where
to go.
You can subscribe, get all the videos, get all the new update, notifications, all the
rest of it.
And you can also get my email.
Send me an email, ask me a question.
The important thing (like I said a million times before) take action, do something everyday,
little by little you will get there.
All the best.
And good luck if your exam's coming up next Saturday.
All the best.