The following detailed instructions will help you write a good introduction to the Task 2 essay of the IELTS writing test.

An essay usually has three parts including an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Part one is the first thing the examiner will look at when marking papers. The first good impression will last forever. Also, if you have a good introduction, it will be a good impression to the examiner when they read the next two sections. An impressive introduction is always a top priority when I write my essay.

I often tell my students that a bad start to the IELTS essay is like going into a speaking test and immediately being rude to the examiner. No matter how good you are for the rest of the test, the examiner will still feel uncomfortable. Therefore when I write my essay, I always try to give the best introduction

However, despite these warnings, many contestants continue to write poor introductions with many errors in them.

Common errors:

1. In a way that is too general about the main topic

Most essays of this type begin with “Nowadays …” or “In modern life …”, following by general information about the topic. For me, when I write my essay, I rarely use these words. In my opinion, this is the worst way to open cards. Remember that what you need to do is answer the question of the problem, not write around.

2. Does not offer a thesis statement

A “thesis statement” is the most important sentence in an essay. If you do not make this right in the lesson, you will lose points. This issue will be discussed further below.

3. Can’t outline what you are about to write below

Without a sentence to outline the main ideas of the essay, the examiner won’t really know what you are about to write in the next section. This is also a factor in losing points. I will show you how to write the outline below.

4. Try to write something fun or skittish

Remember that this is an IELTS exam, not a college essay. The examiner will not plus points to you just because you try to be interesting. In fact, sometimes “boring” is useful. Writing simple sentences will help you avoid fancy, colorful expressions.

5. Using informal style

You must always remember who is reading this essay. Therefore, it is necessary to write in an academic style.

Compare the good and not the good beginning:

Topic: There is a good deal of evidence that increasing car use is contributing to global warming and having other undesirable effects on people’s health and well-being.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Good Introduction

Rising global temperatures and human health and fitness issues are often viewed as being caused by the expanding use of automobiles. It is agreed that increasing the use of motor vehicles is contributing to rising global temperatures and certain health issues. Firstly, this essay will discuss the production of greenhouse gases by vehicles. Secondly, it will discuss other toxic chemicals released by internal combustion engines.

Bad Introduction

Nowadays, cars are a very popular way of getting around. Day by day many more people drive cars around but others feel that they cause global warming. Global warming is one of the most serious issues in modern life. They also affect people’s health and well-being which is also a serious issue.  

As we can see, the bad opening talks about the main topic in a very general way. It transcribes words and phrases in the essay and not give a thesis or outline sentence.

If you often write down the preamble like the example the second example, don’t worry, most people who learn English write like that when they start practicing IELTS writing. The following guidelines will help you gradually improve your introduction:

The structure of a good introduction:

If you follow the instructions below, not only will score higher scores but also save time for each writing. They are some tips I used to use to write my essay After thorough training, the introduction will become extremely simple. Then for most types of topics, you will only need a few minutes to complete.

An introduction to the Task 2 IELTS article should consist of 3 sentences:

– Paraphrase question

– Thesis statement

– Outline statement

Here, we go into the details of each sentence

1. Paraphrase Question

This sentence is to re-explain the problems raised by the topic again. But instead of repeating words or phrases while I write my essay, I use synonyms and can reverse the order of the sentences together.

For example:

Topic: There is a good deal of evidence that increasing car use is contributing to global warming and having other undesirable effects on people’s health and well-being.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Reinterpret:

Rising global temperatures and human health and fitness issues are often viewed as being caused by the expanding use of automobiles.

Synonyms used in this sentence:

– Increasing- expanding

– Car use- use of automobiles

– Global warming – rising global temperatures

– People’s health and well-being- human health and fitness

As you can see, I have reversed the order of the ideas in the paraphrase of the topic. Thanks to that, I proved to the examiner that I know how to interpret the topic and that I own a rich vocabulary. These are two requirements that the examiners seek in your writing. By achieving these two factors, you will gain extra points.

2. Thesis Statement

This is the most important sentence in your essay. Thanks to this sentence, you will show the examiner how you understand the topic. Besides, it shows that you will write a clear, coherent essay.

Let’s look back at the thesis statement in the above example:

Thesis statement:

It is agreed that increasing the use of motor vehicles is contributing to rising global temperatures and certain health issues.

Your argument should always be wrapped up in one sentence, so you need to learn how to summarize your ideas. In just one sentence, you have to come up with important keywords, not to mention the main topic in general.

You should start this sentence with:

– It is agreed that … .. or it is disagreed that … .. (In the opinion essay)

– The main cause (s) of this issue is… .. (In the essay on causes and solutions)

– The principal advantage (s) is (xxxxx) and the main disadvantage is (xxxxxx). (In the essay about Benefits and Disadvantages).

In an essay that discusses both sides of an issue, you should point out both sides clearly.

Take a look at the following examples:

Some aspects of celebrity culture have a bad influence on young people.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

To make your writing simple, you should choose one of the following two ways:

– Agree with the topic

– Disagree with the topic

I choose one way is to agree with the topic to write my essay. Therefore, my thesis statement will be: It is agreed that some famous people’s lifestyles have a detrimental effect on the youth of today.

I assert my opinion and use synonyms to ensure that I do not repeat any words in the text.

The thesis statements are particularly important, but only in propositions that require opinion. Some IELTS writing questions don’t require you to state your opinion, and in that case, you can skip this sentence.

3. Outline Statement

Now that you have finished reinterpreting the question and tell the examiner what you think in the thesis statement. Next, you will tell the examiner what you will discuss in the body of the text. In other words, you will outline for the examiner what they are about to read. This sentence should only be wrapped up in one sentence.

Topic: There is a good deal of evidence that increasing car use is contributing to global warming and having other undesirable effects on people’s health and well-being.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Outline statement:

Firstly, this essay will discuss the production of greenhouse gases by vehicles, and secondly, it will discuss other toxic chemicals released by internal combustion engines.

So, when I write my essay, I tell the examiner what my body of the article will include. Normally, you should implement only one idea in each paragraph. Following the sentence above, the examiner understood that I would have two main paragraphs in the body of the text.

Paragraph 1: production of greenhouse gases by cars.

Paragraph 2: toxic chemicals produced by car engines.

With two types of essays “Advantages and Disadvantages”, Problems and Solutions, you can write an outline like this:

Essay “Advantages and disadvantages”:

This essay will first discuss the (main advantage (s)) followed by an analysis of the (main disadvantage (s)), and finally will come to a reasoned conclusion.

Essay “Problems and solutions”:

This essay will analyze the principal problem (s) and offer solutions to this issue, before coming to a reasoned conclusion.

Final example:

Topic: Learning to manage money is one of the key aspects to adult life. How in your view can individuals best learn to manage their money?

Good introduction:

One of the keys to adulthood is appreciating how to budget your finances. It is clear that the best way someone can learn this is by managing money during childhood. Firstly, the essay will discuss the importance of parental involvement during childhood and secondly, the essay will look at the importance of having a part-time job during childhood.

As you can see, the prologue follows the guidelines I have used to write my essay and they may support you to have a good essay by yourself.