how to write a conclusion in ielts essay

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IELTS Writing Task 2: How to write a good conclusion

The conclusion is an important part of your IELTS Writing Task 2 response. A good conclusion is not just a summary of information presented in your essay, but also helps emphasise the importance of the main points or opinions in your essay and gives the reader a sense of closure.

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When writing a conclusion (closing paragraph) in Writing Task 2, there are a few things that you should do (or avoid) in order to make your conclusion a more effective one. Knowing what to include or avoid in your closing paragraph can help you get a higher band score in IELTS Writing. So, let’s look at some tips you can practice and implement in your response.  

Tip 1: Refer back to your introductory paragraph

You may want to think of your introduction and conclusion as two pieces of the same puzzle because they should be closely linked. Make sure you: 

Return to the idea(s) that you presented in your introduction  

And add further insight obtained after writing the body of your essay. 

Tip 2: Summarise your essay’s main arguments

It is very important to provide a summary of your essay’s main points in your conclusion. But make sure you avoid repeating things. Instead, show the examiner how the arguments you made and the supporting details you used all fit together. 

Tip 3: Avoid repetition

When summarising the main points in your essay, don’t repeat the language you use in your body paragraphs. Vary your language so that you don’t repeat the same words and sentence structures again and again. This will show the examiner that you can use a wider range of vocabulary and grammatical structures. 

Tip 4: Give your own opinion

In Writing Task 2, you will always be asked to give your opinion in essay form. If you get to your final paragraph and realise that you haven’t given your opinion, make sure you include it in your conclusion so your opinion is clear. 

Tip 5: Don’t introduce a new argument

Make sure you do not raise new points in your conclusion. Remember that your closing paragraph is where you bring closure to your essay and not where you introduce new ideas. 

How to put these tips into action

Now that we have looked at strategies for writing an effective conclusion, let’s see how these strategies work together to bring an essay to a cohesive end. 

Take a look at the sample question, sample introductory paragraph and conclusion below. And see how this test taker has put the 5 tips mentioned into action to write a cohesive conclusion.

Example - Writing Task 2 question

The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace. Nuclear power provides cheap and clean energy. 

The benefits of nuclear technology far outweigh the disadvantages. 

To what extent do you agree or disagree?  

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.  

Write at least 250 words. 

Writing Task 2: Sample introduction

Nuclear technology has been around for many years. Whether this technology is used for weapons of mass destruction or as a source of energy, many are of the belief that the use of nuclear energy has more advantages than disadvantages. In my opinion, nuclear technology can indeed be a very efficient energy source. However, nuclear weapons possess such enormous destructive power that any benefits that this technology may offer to humankind are not enough to counter its potentially devastating effects. This essay will address why the drawbacks of nuclear technology outweigh the benefits and will include relevant examples to support this position. 

Writing Task 2: Sample conclusion

Nuclear technology is extremely dangerous. Even though nuclear weapons have only been used twice, on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, evidence from these actions, as well as from nuclear accidents such as the Chernobyl disaster, are irrefutable proof of the disastrous effects of nuclear technology. Even in the absence of nuclear accidents, nuclear power inevitably produces radioactive waste, which is severely damaging to our bodies. Our best protection against these dangers is to simply not use nuclear technology. Instead, we should look for alternative ways to produce sustainable energy and to achieve world peace through spreading a message of tolerance, kindness and non-violence. 

If you review the main points in the example conclusion above: 

The destructive power of nuclear weapons 

The disastrous consequences of nuclear disasters 

The harmful effects of radioactive waste. 

You will see the writer reminds the examiner (reader) the strength and importance of their main ideas, while summarising how this point fit well with the examples provided in the body of the essay.  

To finish, you can see the writer highlights their proposed course of action, which helps end the essay on a more positive note.

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IELTS Charlie

Your Guide to IELTS Band 7

Writing The Conclusion To Your Essay: Tips, Examples and Problems

In this lesson, you’re going to learn how to write the kind of conclusion you see in essays that get a high band score . You will also get some tips for writing conclusions, some examples , and the common problems with conclusions that you need to avoid.

What is the Conclusion?

The conclusion, or concluding paragraph, is not simply the last paragraph of your essay.

A good conclusion should do 2 things:

• remind your reader of your answer(s) to the essay question(s)
• refer to the main reasons for your answer(s)

For most IELTS essay questions, you can do this in just one or two sentences.

Having a conclusion is really important! If you don’t have a conclusion , then your band score for Task Response will be limited to Band 5 at best.

Look at this task:

In the future, nobody will buy printed newspapers or books because they will be able to read everything they want online without paying. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

(Cambridge IELTS 15 Academic Test 2)

Let’s say I strongly agree with this statement. That’s my answer to the essay question. That needs to go into the conclusion.

And I must also remind my reader (the IELTS Examiner!) of the reasons for my view. Let’s say I agree with the statement because: (1) it’s more convenient to get information online when compared to printed materials, and (2) books and newspapers are quite expensive.

So here is one possible conclusion to my essay:

“In conclusion, I strongly believe that everyone in the future will get all their information online for free because reading information online via phones and tablets is so much easier than through bulky books and newspapers, and also because books and newspapers are quite expensive.”

In the above conclusion, I presented my answer to the essay question, and I reminded my reader of the reasons for my view.

Tips for Writing the Conclusion

• restate your answer to the essay question
• summarise your main ideas from the body paragraphs
• 1-2 sentences is usually sufficient, but will probably be longer in a ‘Discuss Both Views’ essay.

Here are 2 more examples of good conclusions.

“In the future, more people will choose to go on holiday in their own country and not travel abroad on holiday. Do you agree or disagree?”

(Cambridge IELTS 15 General Training Test 3)

My answer. Let’s say I broadly agree with the statement, but that I think it depends on where holidaymakers live. (That is my answer to the essay question.)

My reasons. Why do I think this? Here are my main reasons:

• domestic holidays can be cheaper
• overseas travel can be inconvenient
• it depends where people live because people in cold countries want to go to warm ones.

So my conclusion can go like this:

“In conclusion, I feel that people will be more likely to take holidays in their own country because they are generally cheaper and more convenient than foreign holidays. However, it does depend, to an extent, on where people live, as people living in countries with cold climates will continue to want to take holidays somewhere warm.”

I’ve restated my opinion (my answer to the question), and I’ve also referred to my main ideas from the body paragraphs. You will also see that my conclusion is only 2 sentences long.

The concluding paragraph of Discuss Both Views question needs to be a little different.

“Some people say History is one of the most important school subjects. Other people think that, in today’s world, subjects like Science and Technology are more important than History. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.”

(Cambridge IELTS 13 Test 3 – Academic)

For most IELTS questions, you just need to restate your answer along with your main reasons / main ideas. But with Discuss Both Views essays you also need to present your own opinion . You can present your own opinion in a separate paragraph, but you can also include your opinion in the concluding paragraph .

In a Discuss Both Views essay, you would normally discuss the first view in Body Paragraph 1, and the second view in Body Paragraph 2.

In the conclusion, I’m going to say what I think: I think that history is an important subject, but because teaching time is limited, science and technology should be prioritised because of the need to teach job skills.

“In conclusion, there are clearly convincing arguments for both views. However, personally, I believe that while history is very important and should never be omitted entirely from the curriculum, there are only a limited number of teaching hours available, and for this reason, science and technology should be prioritised. After all, it is essential to provide young people with the technological and scientific skills and knowledge needed for life and work in the modern world.”

This paragraph refers very briefly to the 2 different views in the body paragraphs:

“There are clearly convincing arguments for both views…”

Before going on to present my own opinion.

Many people find it difficult to give their own opinion in a Discuss Both Views essay. They often agree strongly with one side, but that’s not always the best option, especially if you are aiming for a high band score. So here a couple of tips for Discuss Both Views essays.

Tip #1: Point out the weaknesses of the view you disagree with

I think one good way of presenting your opinion in a concluding paragraph is to point out the weaknesses in the view that you disagree with.

In the conclusion above, I’ve pointed out that I think history is important, but you have to prioritise science and technology because teaching time is limited.

Tip #2: Say what you REALLY think

My opinion for this essay is what I REALLY think. I’ve not made up my opinion! And because it’s actually my opinion, it’s much easier to explain.

Conclusions: Common Problems

If you are aiming for a high band score, you need to avoid the following common problems

Problem #1: Inconsistent Position

An inconsistent position is when your position seems to change during your essay . This is sometimes because your view in the conclusion seems to be different from your view in the introduction. For example, in your introduction you might write: “ I strongly agree ,” but in the conclusion, you write things that suggest you only “ partly agree ” or even “ disagree .”

An inconsistent position will probably limit your band score for both Task Response and Coherence and Cohesion to Band 5 or Band 6.

Solution : an inconsistent position is usually the result of bad planning , so make sure you plan your essay before you start writing.

Problem #2: Presenting New Ideas in the Conclusion

A second common problem is presenting new ideas in the conclusion , such as new reasons for your view.

You should present the reasons / main ideas (eg advantages or reasons for a view) in the body paragraphs.  The conclusion is not the place for new ideas.

I think this problem happens because test takers suddenly think of great new ideas while writing the conclusion.

Solution: Again, this problem can usually be avoided with good planning before you start writing.

Problem #3: Long Conclusion

I often see conclusions that are simply too long. Remember, you only need to present your answer(s) and reasons again, briefly. You can do this in 1-2 sentences. The only reason for writing more than 2 sentences is if you are presenting your own opinion in a Discuss Both Views essay.

Solution: keep the conclusion short and concise.

Problem #4: Unclear Conclusion

If your conclusions are unclear, then Task Response is going to be limited to Band 6. Make sure you write a clear conclusion, clearly present your explicit answer along with your main reasons.

Problem #5: No Conclusion

If there’s no conclusion – in other words, if you do not present your explicit answer to the essay question – then Task Response will be limited to Band 5 at best.

A conclusion in Task 2 is a little bit like the overview paragraph in Task 1. So, if you don’t have a conclusion (or an overview in Task 1), it’s going to keep your band score down.

Problem #6: Unnatural / Informal Transition Signals

I often see unnatural / informal transition signals at the start of conclusions, for example:

• “to recapitulate”
• “in conclusion, in my opinion.” (either write “in conclusion” OR “in my opinion”, but NOT both!)
• “to bring it all together”

A simple “in conclusion” is all you need at the start of your conclusion.

Key Points To Remember

• present your answer to the essay question(s) in the conclusion, along with brief reference to the reasons for your answer
• keep it short: 1-2 sentences is usually enough
• in a Discuss Both Views essay, you can present your own view in the conclusion
• in a Discuss Both Views essay, point out the weaknesses in the view you disagree with in the conclusion
• do not present new ideas in the conclusion
• use “in conclusion” at the start of your conclusion

I hope that helps! Good luck with your IELTS preparation.

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Discover the 7 STEPS to BAND 7 in IELTS Writing Task 2

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How to Write a Perfect Conclusion in IELTS Essay

Hey there, aspiring IELTS candidates! One of the most critical parts of your IELTS Writing Task 2 essay is the conclusion paragraph. Yes, you heard that right—the final impression you leave can make or break your score. So, how do you craft an IELTS essay conclusion that not only summarizes your points but also leaves the examiner impressed? That’s exactly what we’ll dive into today. And if you're looking for more comprehensive guidance, don't forget to check out our eBooks covering all IELTS modules, including the nitty-gritty of essay writing.

Importance of a Great Conclusion in IELTS Task 2 Essay

If you're thinking that writing a conclusion paragraph in an IELTS essay is all about just a wrap-up and not much else, think again! Here’s why you should pour an equal amount of attention into your conclusion as you do into your introduction and body paragraphs:

The Ultimate Lasting Impression

When you’re striving for that elusive band 9 score, the way you conclude your essay is your final pitch, your last opportunity to persuade the examiner of your argument's validity. While you've had the entirety of the essay to showcase your analytical prowess and command of the English language, this is where you seal the deal. Crafting a well-thought-out conclusion not only ties up all your points in a neat bow but also shows that you're adept at summarizing complex ideas concisely—a skill that IELTS examiners highly value.

The Key to Coherence and Cohesion

A well-crafted conclusion serves as the anchor that ties together the entire landscape of your argument. It ensures that your essay doesn’t just ramble on, but builds up to a convincing, logical finale. By summarizing your main points and restating your thesis in a fresh way, you’re demonstrating excellent cohesion—a vital aspect that can substantially improve your IELTS writing band score. And trust us, you don't want to lose precious points for lacking coherence; it's like building a complex puzzle and then failing to put in the final piece.

Your Secret Weapon for a High Band Score

You might be surprised how many people underestimate the conclusion and miss out on its band score-boosting potential. Think of it as the cherry on top of your IELTS essay sundae. It might be a small part, but it can massively affect the overall taste—err, we mean, score! By restating your thesis, summarizing your arguments, and providing a thoughtful final insight, you're showcasing the kind of task response and analytical depth that examiners are looking for.

By the way, if all this talk of thesis statements, coherence, and cohesion feels overwhelming, you're not alone. We offer a tailored IELTS Essay Correction Service , complete with detailed insights and a band 9 sample response. It's almost like having an IELTS examiner walk you through your mistakes and guide you towards perfection. If you're committed to nailing every aspect of the IELTS essay, including the all-important conclusion, then our in-depth eBooks and essay correction services can be your go-to resources.

The Sample Question

Let’s take a real-life sample question from a past IELTS exam to demonstrate:

Question: “In some countries, the number of people choosing to live by themselves is increasing rapidly. What are the causes of this trend, and what are its potential effects?”

The Elements of a High Band IELTS Essay Conclusion

1. restate the thesis.

Your thesis statement isn't just the opening act; it's the foundational element that orchestrates your entire essay. This concise but impactful sentence sets the tone, lays out your central argument, and guides the reader through the labyrinth of your ideas. Therefore, when crafting the conclusion for your IELTS Task 2 essay, it's crucial to circle back and rephrase this pivotal statement in a fresh and engaging manner.

For instance:

Original Thesis Statement: " The escalating trend towards living alone is predominantly fueled by a thirst for independence and evolving societal landscapes."

Restated Thesis: " The growing trend of solo living stems from deeper societal shifts like the desire for personal freedom and evolving norms."

Notice the word choice and phrasing here? It's not a mere repetition but a thoughtful reiteration that casts your original thesis in a new light. This strategy not only rejuvenates your conclusion but also shows the examiner your lexical resourcefulness—a significant criteria in boosting your band score.

Now, if you're scratching your head wondering how to ingeniously rephrase your thesis or if you're stuck navigating the maze of essay writing, our IELTS Essay Correction Service could be your guiding star. With detailed feedback from seasoned examiners, you'll understand precisely what aspects need refining.

The nuances involved in rephrasing a thesis are often underestimated. Our comprehensive eBooks delve deeper into this topic, offering step-by-step guidance and examples that help you grasp the subtleties of constructing and rephrasing thesis statements for a higher IELTS band score. All of these invaluable insights are smoothly integrated within the content, enabling you to optimize your preparation for the IELTS Writing Task 2.

2. Summarize the Main Points

As you navigate the final stage of your IELTS Writing Task 2 essay, summarizing your main points becomes a critical exercise in clarity and concision. This is not the section for elaborate explanations; rather, it's where you distill your arguments into their purest form, creating a cohesive snapshot that reinforces your thesis.

Summary: "While this brings emotional liberation, it also poses challenges such as social isolation and financial strain.”

Notice how this summary not only encapsulates your points but also ties them back to your restated thesis? It's an essential IELTS strategy for amplifying your band score in both Task Response and Coherence/Cohesion.

If summarizing your arguments effectively feels like trying to capture smoke, our Essay Correction Service is here to guide you. Our examiners will pinpoint areas for improvement, helping you refine your summarization skills—and they'll do so with the level of detail that can illuminate the path to a higher band score.

Furthermore, for those of you yearning for a comprehensive breakdown on how to concisely yet powerfully summarize your arguments, our well-curated eBooks are packed with actionable advice and real-world examples. These invaluable resources seamlessly weave into your IELTS preparation journey, enriching your essay-writing skills from the ground up.

3. Provide Implications or Recommendations

To finish your IELTS essay with finesse, you'll want to discuss the broader implications or possible recommendations stemming from your arguments. This shows the examiner that you're not only aware of your topic's importance but also engaged in pondering its future ramifications—a crucial aspect that examiners value.

Implications: “Swift societal changes, like improved mental health support and economic adjustments, are vital.”

These implications not only wrap up your essay but also resonate with broader societal issues, showcasing your understanding of the topic's complexity. Discussing them adds a layer of sophistication to your essay that could be the ticket to achieving a higher IELTS band score.

Should you feel uncertain about weaving implications or recommendations effectively into your conclusion, remember our Essay Correction Service is always available to offer deep insights and actionable feedback, helping you craft essays that meet or even exceed IELTS standards.

For those looking to take a deep dive into the art of impactful essay conclusions, our enriching eBooks offer step-by-step strategies and examples, making it easier for you to articulate your thoughts in the most compelling way possible. These resources naturally complement your IELTS preparation, filling in the gaps that general study might miss.

Remember, addressing the implications or recommendations doesn't just offer closure; it opens a door to a deeper level of understanding and discussion, amplifying your essay's impact and your potential band score.

4. Write the Final Sentence

As the curtain draws on your IELTS Writing Task 2 essay, the final sentence serves as the encore—a chance to leave a lasting impression on your audience, in this case, the IELTS examiner. This concluding line should encapsulate your thesis, summarize your main points, and resonate with the reader, all while exuding a sense of completeness.

Final Sentence: "As society evolves, proactively addressing these issues becomes crucial for collective well-being."

See how this sentence harmonizes your restated thesis and summary, creating a powerful coda that reverberates long after the examiner has finished reading? Crafting such a compelling final statement is a nuanced skill, one that can accentuate your band score by encapsulating Task Response, Coherence, and Cohesion in a single sentence.

If you find yourself grappling with the intricacies of forming such an impactful final sentence, our Essay Correction Service can offer nuanced feedback that will pinpoint exactly what you need to refine. The depth of our analysis could be the catalyst you need to ascend to higher band scores.

Moreover, for those who seek an in-depth understanding of how to tie up all the loose ends and craft a captivating conclusion, our comprehensive eBooks delve into this subject with actionable insights, offering you the keys to master this essential component of IELTS essay writing.

In sum, a well-crafted final sentence isn't just an end; it's the echo that resounds in the examiner's mind, reinforcing the strength and depth of your arguments. By mastering this crucial aspect, you don't just complete your essay—you elevate it.

IELTS Essay Conclusion: Detailed Breakdown

Combining all the elements, your conclusion for the sample question might look like this:

"In summary, the growing trend of solo living stems from deeper societal shifts like the desire for personal freedom and evolving norms. While this brings emotional liberation, it also poses challenges such as social isolation and financial strain. Swift societal changes, like improved mental health support and economic adjustments, are vital. As society evolves, proactively addressing these issues becomes crucial for collective well-being."

Let's break down how the revised, concise conclusion fulfills the essential elements for crafting a stellar IELTS conclusion as discussed earlier.

Skillfully Restated the Thesis:

"In summary, the growing trend of solo living stems from deeper societal shifts like the desire for personal freedom and evolving norms."

This sentence restates the thesis that the increase in solo living is driven by a quest for personal freedom and social changes, effectively recapping the essay's main argument.

Concisely Summarized the Main Points:

"While this brings emotional liberation, it also poses challenges such as social isolation and financial strain."

This sentence serves as a brief recap of the main points (let’s say we’ve discussed throughout the essay) highlighting both the positive and negative aspects of the trend toward solo living.

Provided Implications or Recommendations:

"Swift societal changes, like improved mental health support and economic adjustments, are vital."

Here, we outline the implications of the growing trend and recommend actionable steps, focusing on the need for societal adaptations such as better mental health services and financial policy adjustments.

Crafted a Memorable Final Sentence:

"As society evolves, proactively addressing these issues becomes crucial for collective well-being."

This sentence serves as a compelling closer, emphasizing the ongoing relevance and urgency of the subject matter.

Incorporated within this concise paragraph are all the key elements that contribute to a high-scoring IELTS essay conclusion. Mastering the art of concluding your IELTS essay can elevate your writing from good to exceptional. And remember, practice makes perfect. You can find extensively detailed guidance in our eBooks, and examiner’s reviews in our Essay Correction Service where we provide in-depth feedback along with a band 9 sample response to set you on the path to success. Happy writing!

How to write an IELTS essay conclusion

Home  »  IELTS academic task 2 » How to write an IELTS essay conclusion

• State your opinion in a crystal clear way. Usually, you express it in one short sentence. This way your essay will have a good finish. It becomes succinct and your thoughts are condensed. This will definitely help to get a high score for your essay.
• Put a small prediction in your conclusion. For example: “It is predicted that the trend of global warming will continue long into the future unless governments take decisive action”. Or: “It is predicted that parents and children will continue to use electronic devices to communicate and this can only strengthen their bonds”.
• Keep an eye on your grammar accuracy and the range of the grammar structures and vocabulary you use. These aspects also considerably increase your chances for getting a high score.

What not to include in your IELTS essay conclusion!

• New arguments. If there are any arguments that pop up in your head while writing conclusion, ignore them. You should have control over your mind and stay focused. This is the way to a successful conclusion.
• New evidence for the arguments. This point corresponds with the previous one.
• Repetitions . Try to avoid saying what you’ve already mentioned. This refers to the logic used as well as evidence and arguments that were pointed out. Your range of words in the language should also help you avoid word repetitions. Also, sometimes by looking for synonyms you can make the conclusion sound over complicated and confusing to the reader. Do not try to find a synonym if it simply doesn’t exists.

- - Examples of conclusions

Let’s have a look at the following two examples of conclusions . Say, you are dealing with the essay on positive and negative aspects of globalization and you have to introduce your opinion.

You write about the positive effects of it (nowadays there are more ideas, the spread of which leads to the spread of language). You also give examples from different countries.

Possible conclusion №1.

“It is necessary to spread ideas, language as well as culture. It will also start to be more tolerated in the future as it becomes more common. In the future , I sincerely hope , the governments will take effective measures to improve the progress of globalization”.

Why does the conclusion sound a bit incohesive and unconvincing? Pay attention to the following points:

• “ It will also start to be more tolerated in the future...” Of course, you are writing about globalization, but the pronoun “it” makes it unclear. You force the reader to make assumptions, creating a strain for a reader, since they have to determine what you’re saying.
• There is a repetition of the phrase “in the future”.
• The phrase “I sincerely hope...” sounds like “I think it is...”. The following is better in terms of how convinced the author is: “I strongly believe...”, “Therefore, I am convinced that globalization is a necessary form to...”.
• There are no new arguments mentioned - it’s good.
• Even though there are two sentences about the future, they are quite weak. The author could have made at least one of them stronger.

Possible conclusion №2.

“ In conclusion , globalization is, undoubtedly , a positive driver in disseminating ideas, language and culture. It is predicted governments will enact further measures to facilitate its progress”.

• Actually, the conclusion is quite successful and convincing. Probably, there is no need to say “In conclusion”. The position is crystal clear since it is stated that it is “a positive driver”. There is no ambiguity that this is an opinion.
• There is new information that was not included earlier, in the body paragraphs: “It is predicted...”.
• There are neither new arguments nor fresh evidence in the example provided. By saying “undoubtedly”, the author pushes the ideas and what he/she was talking about before into a more positive light. It is, for sure, the position of the author.

Sometimes, the author may make use of quotations with the view of improving the quality of the essay. Personally, I think this is dangerous because the quotation can easily be reproduced incorrectly or mistakenly attributed to someone else.

If you are struggling writing your IELTS Task 2 essay do not worry you are not alone! So many students find this the most challenging part of the IELTS exam .

Where do I place my ideas?

My mind goes blank?

These are very common challenges and surprisingly simple to solve. The key is having a system to follow so you know exactly what to write when you see a Task 2 question .

When you have a system and know the steps, and the sentence structures it definitely becomes a lot easier.

Have a look at this online course which includes all the chapters you need to pass IELTS.

Tutorials and Tips to Prepare for Task 2

• How to Get Ideas for Task 2
• Band 9 Sample Essay
• Extremely Useful Sentences for Task 2
• Five Powerful Sentence Structures to use in your IELTS Writing test
• How to use comparisons in Task 2
• Concession Paragraphs for “do I agree/disagree essays”
• How to write an IELTS Essay Conclusion
• IELTS Cohesion and Coherence
• 3 ways to paraphrase for your Task 2 introduction
• Marking Criteria for IELTS Writing
• Topics Sentences for Your Essays
• 7 Ways to Improve your Sentences in Your IELTS Essays
• Grammar for IELTS Writing
• Academic Collocations for Task 2

• Free Essay Band Score Evaluation
• Sign up to claim your free IELTS materials
• Jump to Band 7 or it’s Free
• IELTS Writing Evaluation
• IELTS Band Score Calculator
• Book Your Online IELTS Test
• Sample Topic Answers
• Useful Sentences
• Sample Task 2 Questions 2022
• Introduction to Paraphrasing
• Model Band 9 Essay
• Five Band 9 Words
• Model Band 7 Essay
• Differences Band 9 vs Band 7 Essay
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IELTS Writing Task 2: How to Write an IELTS Conclusion

by Dave | Writing your conclusion | 65 Comments

Your IELTS conclusion is on a mission should you choose to accept it.

There are 3 simple objectives on this mission:, 1. state your opinion/position, 2. give your main reason for this opinion, 3. add an extra detail, let’s look at these objectives more closely below., if you want to read more about conclusions, i recommend checking out some of my sample answers here ., be sure to avoid the mistakes that most students make on writing by signing up for my exclusive ielts ebooks here on patreon., this is the main mission for your conclusion. if you only accomplish one objective, it should be this one., the reason for it is in the band descriptors:, the key here is ‘presents a relevant position’. a position is the same thing as an opinion., if you don’t say your opinion it is impossible to get a band 6 or above. mission not accomplished., put in your conclusion and you can get at least a 6. so – just do it, for example, ‘in my opinion, smoking should be banned in public places’ or ‘i believe that all children should be required to take computer lessons in school.’, here is some vocabulary that will make your position crystal clear:, be careful – only use the ones in blue and red for writing . the pink ones are only for the speaking test ., (by the way, if you want more tips like this you can check out our  facebook group ), 2. give your main reason for this opinion, this one is pretty simple – just say why you have that opinion, don’t make up a new reason – use one that you already talked about in your writing., for example: ‘in my opinion, smoking should be banned in public places because it has harmful side effects for people who are not smoking ‘ or ‘i believe that all children should be required to take computer lessons in school because it will have a positive impact on their ability to get a good job later in life .’, 3. an extra detail, this one is a little controversial., normally, examiners mark everyone’s writing exactly the same., it doesn’t matter if you are in bangladesh or france or japan or antarctica – you get the same marks because every examiner follows the band descriptors, like a perfectly objective robot., but there are a few small areas where examiners do mark things a little differently. this is related to how long they have been marking, some unclear areas in the band descriptors, the person who trained them and even just human nature., in these areas of difference you should always choose the safe option., the safe option here is to include an extra detail to finish off your essay because some examiners will require you to have this for band 7+., what is an extra detail, it could be a solution, more support for your opinion, a prediction – anything really, here are a few examples of extra details:, prediction: if we ban smoking, people will lead longer, more productive lives and less money will be wasted on healthcare., further support: health is more important than anything else and any effort to improve people’s health, including banning smoking, is a positive step forward., solution: the best way for nations to begin to institute these bans is to first raise taxes which will result in fewer smokers overall before completely banning smoking sometime in the next 20 years., you do not need all 3 of those. 1 or 2 sentences with extra detail is enough to make sure you don’t get bumped down to band 6 because of a malfunctioning robot, here is a checklist from our instagram page :.

A Complete Conclusion

‘in my opinion, smoking should be banned in public places because it has harmful side effects for people who are not smoking. health is more important than anything else and any effort to improve people’s health, including banning smoking, is a positive step forward.’, opinion + main reason why + extra detail = mission accomplished, now it’s your turn comment below, write only the conclusion for the following topic in the comments below:, some people believe that we should have complete free speech and be allowed to say anything we want. others think that there should be some limits on free speech. discuss both views and give your own opinion., if you need some more information about conclusions check out this post ., recommended for you.

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65 Comments

Really it is useful in fact I made use of this processes thanks a lot again and again

Glad you found it useful! Thanks for the feedback.

I believe there ought to be certain boundaries to expression of opinions as otherwise it can lead to conflicts. Avoidong conflicts will lead to harmony and yield progress.

Well written!

Some corrections:

the expression, this can lead to

This is very much useful. Thanks for assisting and guiding IELTS students.

You’re welcome!

In conclusion, I am certain that people should screen their words to avoid hurt feelings and be more effective in communication. If every individual is mindful of what they say and be responsible for their speech, the society will become more inclusive and welcoming.

Awesome conclusion – jealous of it!

In conclusion, I am of the opinion that some restrictions ought to be imposed on free speech so that it does not violate social and cultural values or create a negative impact on the society. Government in consultation with active cultural groups should issue a broad framework and regulate the society.

Great work KS!

We just say regulate society – no ‘the’

What score are you aiming for?

In my opinion, free speech should not be restricted by anything because it is the basic right of any person. It is when people are banned from expressing their thoughts openly, many dictatorship regimes gain more power and can easily manipulate people.

Awesome conclusion, Viktor!

Personally, I believe both arguments make valid points, as anything can become damaging in excess, be it maintaining silence when a crime is committed or using free speech to manipulate the public, we must hold critical thinking at all times when it comes to this topic.

Hmmm, careful Lena, when you sit in the middle like that you risk a band 4/5 for task achievement.

Safer to just choose an overall side.

In my opinion,there should be some limits and prohibitions on free speech because saying what we think could sometimes lead to chaos and controversies whereas protecting the peace in society should always be the most important priority for governments.

Good! Make sure you include the first sentence as well, Amir!

I didn’t get it.What do you mean by including the first sentence?

means stand

Naleema Hettiarachchi Gamage In my view, there should be certain limitations in allowing people to talk freely as it may have and harmful impact for the society which could lead to conflicts among social groups. Mindful speaking will not only benefit the society it will also exacerbate the feeling of unity among people

impressive conclusion

To recapitulate, focusing on words that are spoken could prevent hurting the feelings of others. This would more likely have a good impact on others and create a healthy environment.

Good! Better to just use ‘In conclusion’ though!

Keep it up, Niraj – you can say positive impact to be more academic.

To recapItulate, both perspectives have negative and positive sides. while I agree everyone should have the right to express; however I believe that the dignity of others should not be compromised. A peaceful society with a high level of tolerance will certainly flourish at a greater pace.

Good try, Madiha, but that is too close to sitting in the middle.

Always, always, always choose an overall side so you don’t risk a low score for task achievement.

Write it again!

To conclude, I am certain that absolute freedom of speech is a lawful right of everyone in a democratic society, for this liberty to speak up against injustice of any kind keeps a check on the powerful people in a country. The world can be more livable if all the nation-states confer this fundamental right to their citizens.

I am not sure if a comma should be inserted before ‘for’ or not.

Great Harpreet! You don’t need the comma – that makes it sound more like speaking.

In my opinion, I am certain that people should restrict on free speech as it can hurt others feelings and emotions negatively. It is the responsibility of every citizen to be mindful of what they speak. therefore, free speech should be limited to make a happy society

Good work, CM!

The conclusion is a bit odd though – how would someone possibly police every single thing said to make sure it doesn’t hurt someone’s feelings?

At the end, I believe that there should be few restrictions on free speech because some people might hurt others feelings in the context of freedom of speech. This step will help to build a peaceful relationship between human beings.

Please comment !!

Good work, Shubham.

However, it’s a little informal – try to write a little more formally and use some academic collocations.

To conclude, it is better to have a restriction for freedom of expression. Because there is no use of it if it hurts other people sentiments.

Great, Tahzir!

It is a little informal though – try to write more academically!

It is readily apparent to me that free speech should not be restricted because it is the human’s basic right.  Leading to self-censorship, the restriction would also limit the expression of view.

Great conclusion, Anson!

In my opinion, consuming these products give people additional energy and refreshing feeling. However, I strongly believe that their price should be increased by the government as an amazing approach of promoting healthy lifestyle and encouraging people to manage their finances.

Good structure, Geekay.

Careful with your collocations, some of them are not natural.

Thank you Dave. Take care

It is my belief that free speech should be restricted especially online as this would help to fight online bully and insensitive comments from others who project their hurts on others. Limiting free speeches would foster a feeling of accountability in the speaker, which in turn would promote a better society.

Great vocabulary, Paris!

Some corrections: bullying, from those who seek to…, – maybe a healthier society is better at the end too.

Keep it up!

In my opinion,i think that the best way to make people feel relaxed and have a sense of belonging in the society is to make them have their freedom of speech.this will enable them to have mutual relationship among themselves,knowing fully well that their views are accepted by people

In my opinion,i believe that people can feel more relaxed and have a sense of belonging in the society when there is freedom of speech,leading to high rate of mutual relationship,because they feel accepted and not discriminated in the society

In conclusion, freedom of speech is very important in our society today essential the government that is democratic because it is the full right of every individual to speak but not to say things that will destroy the entire country.

Great but try to break it up into two sentences so that your grammar is more accurate, Ebuka!

Really it is useful in fact I made use of this processes thanks very user friendly

In my opinion, as we live in a democratic country where we are given rights to express our thoughts freely so we should always take benefit of that freedom. As speaking on a particular task always helps us to broaden our minds in and every aspect, otherwise it will not think properly and abandon our thinking abilities.

(Please review it for any mistakes)

in my opinion, though free speech allowed to speak anything it does not mean to lead to conflicts rather, think to maintain harmony which regulates the society

Good, try to write slightly more academically and be more careful with punctuation.

I believe that there should be constrains on the freedom of speech because, freedom of speech can result in wrongful and heavy consequences such as ‘defaming an innocent’. Overall, the government must surveil masses that promote loathsome speeches.

Great! Some vocabulary is too informal though, like ‘loathsome’.

Keep working hard, Hibba!

To recapitulate, I believe that freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right of every citizen however it should be utilized with great care and caution not to affect the sentiments of any section of the society. The administration should keep watch on the activities of people in order to maintain harmony among citizens.

Nice Dilip!

Careful with some words like keep watch and harmony though.

I therefore, stick to the opinion that, people should have a limit in what they speak about. In relation to politics, comments can be made to downgrade other candidates whereas competitors should be fair. Likewise in all aspects of human interactions, conversations must be guided by ethics and morals in order to promote fair values in business and relationships

Awesome work, Suzie!

In conclusion, I believe that people ought to be able to express their opinions freely as long as they take responsibility for their words. This is important because if people are not held accountable for their words, chances of conflict within the society may rise. At the end of the day, responsible articulation of ideas is necessary to improve the society as a whole.

Nice Mohamed!

In conclusion, it is readily apparent to me that free speech without limit is harmful to society as a whole because It can lead to undesirable results such as invasions of privacy and massive false reports. Therefore, moderations need to be adopted for the public interest.

in my opening,i do believe people should have freedom of speech as it is one’s write .allowing people to have freedom of speech brings and unites people

To conclude, i believe people should be granted a freedom of speech without limitation so as to understand people feelings and emotion.When people can freely explain their selves without limitation problem can be solve promptly and effectively.

1. Isn’t restating the general topic necessary? 2. Is it possible that examiners might reduce our score due to the extra detail as a new idea

Not the general topic necessarily but you have to summarize your ideas, Ali.

The extra detail is not in the band descriptors but I know some examiners require it. To be safe, include it but don’t make it too outlandish.

Is that all clear, Ali?

very useful! thanks a lotttt!

It is readily apparent to me that every single person should be able to voice out their concerns because it not only adds up to an individuals growth but it also adds up to every single one’s development. Nevertheless to avoid any disaster I would suggest voicing out every single person’s thoughts should be welcomed everywhere.

I believe, smoking should be forbidden in public places due to its effects in increasing the upper respiratory system infections rate for both active and passive smokers. I dream a day that by good education we can control this phenomenon and see our society without cigarette.

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How to Write a Great IELTS Conclusion

Posted by David S. Wills | Aug 31, 2019 | IELTS Tips , Writing | 1

When writing your IELTS task 2 essay, it is vital to have a good conclusion. However, many candidates don’t know how to do this. They wonder what a conclusion should include and what it shouldn’t include. The process of writing a good conclusion is, to many, a complete mystery.

In fact, the conclusion is usually the easiest part of your essay to write. There is no mystery to it, and in this article I am going to explain clearly how to do it. I will show you, step-by-step, the best way to write an effective conclusion for your IELTS task 2 essay.

What sort of essay requires a conclusion?

First of all, before we get into how to write an IELTS conclusion, I will tell you that you do not need to write a conclusion for task 1 . You only need to write a conclusion for task 2. This is because, for task 1, the information that would go in a conclusion could easily be stated within the introduction. You have to identify general trends and overall ideas about the data, and this really doesn’t need to be done in a conclusion. (Learn about task 1 structures here .)

As for task 2, it is very important. For both Task Response and Coherence and Cohesion , you would need at least some sort of conclusion in order to score highly. A conclusion functions as a way of reviewing and summarising the data included in your essay and adds to the value of the essay by formalising and improving its structure.

So, to review:

Writing a conclusion for IELTS

Every IELTS task 2 essay needs a conclusion. This should simply sum up the main idea of the essay and very briefly restate the main arguments. It can be as short as one sentence, although it may be better to write two or three .

Writing a good conclusion can seem a little difficult, and it is hard to teach because it depends on the type of question and also the content of your essay. However, some important points to consider are that it should be brief , contain no new information , and avoid repeating anything from the rest of the essay . It is also very important to make sure that your position in the conclusion is the same as in the rest of your essay.

Let’s examine an example answer to see how the conclusion matches the rest of the essay.

The prevention of health problems and illness is more important than treatment and medicine. Government funding should reflect this.

To what extent do you agree?

I am going to give you my sample answer here, and below I will format it into a table so that you are able to see an explanation for each sentence:

In many countries, government spending on healthcare is a major economic burden.  Problems like obesity and heart disease are crippling healthcare systems, and some people suggest that rather than raise taxes to pay for treatments, more money should be invested in preventing these illnesses in the first place.  This essay will argue that prevention is better than treatment.  The most obvious benefit of putting prevention before treatment is the reduction in human suffering that would inevitably result.  Some of the biggest health problems in modern societies are utterly preventable, and therefore it is reasonable to suggest that money spent this way would cause less anguish.  Government campaigns to reduce smoking would reduce cancer rates and this would increase people’s quality of life, and of course end the suffering of people who lose loved ones.  From a purely financial standpoint, it is beneficial to focus on preventing sickness rather than curing it.  The cost of treating sick people with expensive medical procedures, equipment, and medicines is vastly higher than the cost of educating people not to smoke, eat unhealthily, or otherwise lead unhealthy lifestyles.  Government campaigns have led to huge decreases in smoking in many Western countries, and it is likely that similar campaigns would yield similar results elsewhere. It would be wise for other countries around the world to implement this sort of system. In conclusion, preventing a disease makes more sense than waiting to treat it.  The benefits to average people and also to governments are significantly higher than simply investing in treatments.

Here, I will put the same answer into a table. In the right-hand column, you will see an explanation of the sentence in the middle.

Further Notes on the Conclusion

Looking at this conclusion, we can see that it is short and simple, yet very effective. In just 30 words, it reflects the whole of the essay. Although it presents no specific details, it alludes to everything that can before it in quite general terms. It also presents us with a simple structure for making a good conclusion:

Just remember that you don’t have to say everything again! Notice that in my second sentence, I don’t completely rewrite the ideas from my body paragraphs, but instead allude to them by saying “the benefits to people and governments…” The word “people” refers to paragraph two and “government” refers to paragraph three. Without repeating myself or writing too much, I have concisely summarized my essay.

Finally, you may have noticed that in my example essays, I use “In conclusion” to start almost every conclusion. You may wonder if this is too basic or too boring. Of course, it may seem repetitive in a book with many essays, but for IELTS you are only writing one conclusion, so it doesn’t matter. Some students think that they need “more exciting” language for their essay, so they try to think of a new phrase to begin their conclusion. However, “In conclusion” is perfectly fine. It is simple yet effective. You could also use:

• To conclude

I have seen some people write “All in all” and “In a nutshell”. These are not acceptable, as they are too informal. My advice is to use “In conclusion” because it is easy and always appropriate.

Here is my conclusion to this article on conclusions 😄:

5 Things to Remember about Conclusions

• You should always write a conclusion at the end of an IELTS writing task 2 essay.
• Summarize your essay without repeating.
• Refer to your main ideas.
• Try to write 1-3 sentences.
• Never try to include some new ideas in your conclusion.

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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How to write an effective IELTS conclusion

A guide to writing a good conclusion for an ielts essay..

Updated:  April 2024

The conclusion is very important in an IELTS essay because if you do not write one you could lose a whole band score in task response.

Conclusions are pretty easy to write. You just need to rephrase your main points and restate your opinion. One way to do this is to paraphrase the thesis statement again. No new information should be added to the conclusion and it must be concise and to the point. Do not copy your thesis statement word for word either, do not repeat whole sentences or it will lower your score. Work on paraphrasing your thesis statement from the introduction.

If you prefer, you can watch the video below.

5 key points when writing a conclusion.

1. Do not add new information to the conclusion . Any new ideas or main points should be covered in the main body paragraphs.

2. You can re-paraphrase the thesis statement from the introduction. This will show that you have a good understanding of vocabulary and it will leave a good impression on the examiner. Just remember that it is not necessary to paraphrase everything.

3. Do not go into too much detail, conclusions should only be about 2 or 3 sentences long. Keep it short and concise.

4. You need to use a cohesive device when starting the conclusion. There are 3 choices below.

To sum up To conclude In conclusion

Do not to use informal cohesive devices to start the conclusion such as these listed below. They are just too informal or inappropriate in the conclusion.

I reckon  (informal)

In the end  (informal), all in all     (informal), generally speaking    (too vague for a conclusion), finally    (this means you are making another final point), lastly   (this means you have a last point to make), all things considered   (informal).

5. Do not use memorised ‘stock sentences’ in an IELTS essay. I sometimes see these in my students essays. This is because of bad advice being given on the internet. These kinds of memorised sentences are not necessary and may affect your score. See below:

In conclusion, I firmly agree with the aforementioned statement….

To conclude, as stated above, i think…., to sum up, i wholeheartedly agree with the above mentioned points in this essay…, to reiterate, according to the aforementioned points…., taking my above views into consideration…., in a nutshell…, the crux of the matter is…, as outlined above…..

Click here to see a lesson on memorised or cliched phrases I often see in IELTS essays

How can you tell if it’s a good conclusion?

If you were to just read the conclusion only and not the essay, then you should be able to get a very good idea of what the essay was about without even reading the main body paragraphs. It should re-paraphrase your thesis statement and briefly summarise your main points. Let’s see some examples.

Some people prefer to spend their lives doing the same things and avoiding change, whereas others think that change is always a good thing. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Introduction:

Many individuals would rather go through life staying the same, while other people like the idea of facing new challenges. This essay agrees that change is beneficial to our lives because we can expand our worldview and gain new experiences.

Red = Paraphrased task question     Blue = thesis statement

Conclusion:

To conclude, although some prefer to shy away from new ideas because they feel comfortable with routines, I believe that change is advantageous for developing an open mind and experiencing new things.

Green = cohesive device   Red = re-paraphrased background statement from the introduction
   Blue = thesis statement paraphrased again.

A more concise conclusion:

In a discussion essay, you can use a much more concise and direct conclusion that briefly refers to the differing views and a restated opinion.

To sum up, despite differing views on whether change is beneficial, I think that change is important for developing an open mind and experiencing new things.

Green = cohesive device   Red = referring to the different views    Blue = opinion restated

As you can see there is a lot of paraphrasing going on here. This is the key to getting a good band score in vocabulary and task response. Paraphrasing needs a lot of practice and it must be done right.

One of the major problems facing the world today is the growing number of refugees. Some say developed nations of the world should tackle this problem by taking in more refugees. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

A major global issue recently is the increasing amount of refugees. Some believe that developed countries ought to deal with this by accepting more refugees. I hold the view that developed nations should not take in more refugees as it puts a burden on the welfare state and causes unease among local communities.

Red = Paraphrased task question    Blue = thesis statement

In conclusion, although there are people who feel that developed nations must allow additional refugees to enter their countries, I do not agree, as this would put extra pressure on social systems and could create resentments in local neighbourhoods.

Green = cohesive device    Red = re-paraphrased the background statement from the introduction     Blue = thesis statement paraphrased again.

I kept the keyword ‘refugees’ I could use ‘asylum seekers’ but there is a slight difference in meaning so I didn’t change it. Remember: you don’t have to paraphrase everything. Be careful of synonyms as sometimes they carry a different meaning.

Key points:

If your conclusion is too long it could become irrelevant and lose marks. I advise a word count of under 45 words or 3 sentences in a conclusion. (this is just my rule to keep you on track)

You do not have to be an expert on the topic to write about it, the IELTS exam is not a general knowledge test. You do not have to personally agree or disagree, just give an opinion.

The whole point of giving your opinion and giving specific examples is to show the examiner how well you have understood the question, that you can paraphrase, explain and support your ideas. Use grammar and vocabulary accurately. In the conclusion you need to summarise and be concise.

I advise practicing as much as possible with paraphrasing introductions, thesis statements and conclusions. On this blog there are more articles on thesis statements and practice for paraphrasing.

Any questions?  leave a comment below.

Leave a comment cancel reply.

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IELTS Writing: How To Write A Good Conclusion For Your IELTS Essay

Being able to write a good conclusion paragraph is a skill that most IELTS candidates are unaware of and is an important skill to master. Having a good conclusion can help to prove to the examiner that your score should be more than what they initially decided it should be. However, a poor conclusion can have the quite opposite effect. In this article, we will take a look at all the aspects that need to be included in a good conclusion.

What Should A Good Conclusion Include

In order to write a good conclusion, you need to know what to include and what to avoid in order to write a high scoring essay.

A good conclusion will:

• Neatly end the essay
• Link all your ideas together
• Sum up your argument or opinion
• Answer the question

Why Is A Good Conclusion Important

It's important for both the task achievement and cohesion criteria. It serves to summarise the contents of the essay and to emphasise the main opinion of the writer.

Some Tips To Write A Good Conclusion

Here are some tips about what to include in your conclusion, in order to make it an effective one. Firstly your conclusion should refer back to your introduction paragraph. The introduction paragraph is basically just a paraphrase of the question statement, and the first sentence of your conclusion (the summary sentence) will be a paraphrase of your introduction. Therefore your introduction and conclusion are always closely linked.

Once you have done this you should summarise the main points of your essay but remember to do this in a way that does not repeat the same vocabulary of phrases that you used in your main body paragraphs. This will signal to the examiner that you have a wide enough vocabulary for the task. Your summary should only include the main ideas and not any supporting ideas or examples, as this will make your conclusion too long and/or confusing.

The last sentence of your conclusion should either be a recommendation sentence or a prediction sentence.

A prediction is a statement about what you think will happen in the future.

A recommendation is a statement about what you think should happen in the future.

Do not add any new points in your conclusion, especially those that could have been added into the main body paragraphs. Remember your conclusion is meant to round up your arguments and emphasise your main opinion. Therefore, it is definitely not the time it introduces new arguments.

Let’s look at how to put these tips into action. Below is a sample IELTS question along with a model introduction and conclusion paragraph. Notice how both the introduction and the conclusion contain phrases that paraphrase the main question statements

For Example:

Some people believe that technology has made our lives too complex and the solution is to lead a simpler life without technology. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Introduction:

There are those who feel that technology has negatively impacted our lives by overcomplicating them and believe that we should eliminate it from our lives. This essay argues that in fact, quite the opposite is true since improved technology has actually made our lives simpler and has greatly improved our quality of life.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I totally disagree with the opinion that we should turn away from technology because it overcomplicates our lives. We should rather learn to use technology wisely, as it has become an invaluable tool in almost every aspect of our lives.

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First, you should start with a linking phrase, but some are better than others. Here are some examples:

• In a nutshell
• In conclusion
• To conclude

Finally  isn’t really suitable because it indicates that you are making a final point and therefore a new idea.  Finally  belongs in the main body of your essay, not the conclusion.

In a nutshell  is too informal and we should never use it in IELTS conclusions.

In general  tells the reader you are going to talk generally about a topic. This is not what we are going to do in our conclusion and we should therefore not use it.

In conclusion  and  to conclude  are the only two linking phrases you should use to start your conclusion. They tell the reader exactly what the paragraph is about and they are formal. You will only write one conclusion, so simply pick one and stick with it.

How to Write a Good Conclusion

There are two elements to a good conclusion:

• Summarising the main points of your essay
• Varying your vocabulary by paraphrasing

Luckily we have already stated our main points in the introduction, so all we have to do is look back at the conclusion and paraphrase this.

Let’s look at some examples:

Introduction

It is argued that students should be taught real-life skills, like how to look after money. This essay agrees that they should be part of the curriculum because everyday competencies benefit people later in life and not being taught how to manage money at an early age can lead to dangerous consequences in adulthood. 

I have completed an effective introduction by doing three things:

• Paraphrasing the question
• Stating my opinion
• Outlining what I will talk about in the rest of the essay or in other words, the main points I’m using to support my opinion.

In conclusion, this essay supports the idea that teenagers ought to be taught functional subjects like financial planning because it helps them in adulthood and a lack of education related to these topics can have serious consequences. 

So all I have done is restate my opinion and included my main supporting points. However, I have not simply copied all the words, I have used synonyms and paraphrasing to vary my language.

Note that I have repeated some words. Paraphrasing does not mean change every single word. If you cannot think of a way to change every word, feel free to repeat that word. In general, you should try to vary your vocabulary as much as possible, but it is often impossible to change every single word. Better to repeat a word accurately than change it to something that is wrong.

Here are the paraphrases I used:

This essay supports- This essay agrees

should- ought to

students- teenagers

functional subjects- real-life skills

look after money- financial planning

later in life- adulthood

Let’s look at another example :

Contemporary advances have a serious effect on the planet. While I appreciate that critics may hope that people will shun the latest developments, I believe that technology itself can give us an answer.  This essay will first discuss how not using electronics is unfeasible, followed by a discussion of how science is now coming up with ways to reverse global warming and pollution. 

This introduction does three basic things:

1. Paraphrases the question

2. States opinion

3. Outlines what the essay will discuss

In conclusion, this essay acknowledges that technological progress does jeopardise the planet, but cutting-edge discoveries can actually halt and even heal this destruction. 

Again, all I have done is to repeat what I said in the introduction using paraphrasing.

Adding a Prediction or Recommendation to Our Conclusion 

We can also add a prediction (what we think will happen) or a recommendation (what we think should happen) to our conclusion.

This is totally optional. I teach students how to write these because it allows them to write something at the end of the essay if they are worried about not making it to 250 words. Only use these if you have no other option to get you over the word count. 

Here are my two previous conclusions with one added sentence:

In conclusion, this essay supports the idea that teenagers ought to be taught functional subjects like financial planning because it helps them in adulthood and a lack of education related to these topics can have serious consequences.  It is recommended that governments make this a compulsory part of the education system. 

In conclusion, this essay acknowledges that technological progress does jeopardise the planet, but cutting-edge discoveries can actually halt and even heal this destruction. It is predicted that climate change will be successfully tackled with such inventions. 

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How to Write an IELTS Essay

In this introductory lesson you will find some guidance on how you should write an  IELTS essay .

There are then more lessons on the following pages for different types of essay and different questions, with lots of tips and strategies for achieving a high score. 

You can also watch a video of this lesson:

Essay Types

It is important to learn about IELTS essays because there are different essay types, and these will require different ways to answer them.

However, as you will see from the guidance on this page, they can all follow the same basic structure.

These are some of the types of IELTS essays you can get in the test: 

• Agree / disagree
• Discuss two opinions
• Advantages & disadvantages
• Causes (reasons) & solutions
• Causes (reasons) & effects
• Problems & solutions

Not every essay will fit one of these patterns, but many do.

You may get some of these tasks mixed up. For example, you could be asked to give your opinion on an issue, and then discuss the advantages or disadvantages of it.

The golden rule is to  ALWAYS read the question very carefully  to see exactly what you are being asked to do.

The second lesson explains more about analysing essay questions. 

How do I Write an IELTS Essay?

In order to answer this, lets first look at a sample question:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

In the last 20 years there have been significant developments in the field of information technology (IT), for example the World Wide Web and communication by email. However, these developments in IT are likely to have more negative effects than positive in the future.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

Write at least 250 words.

An IELTS essay is structured like any other essay; you just need to make it shorter. There are three key elements:

• Introduction
• Body Paragraphs

We will look at each of these in turn, using the essay question above as an example.

1) Introduction

You should keep your introduction for the IELTS essay short. Remember you only have 40 minutes to write the essay, and some of this time needs to be spent planning. Therefore, you need to be able to write your introduction fairly quickly so you can start writing your body paragraphs.

You should do just two things:

• State the topic of the essay, using some basic facts (that you may be able to take from the question)
• Say what you are going to write about

Here is an example introduction for the above essay question about IT:

The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way people's lives are affected by IT, with many advances in this field. However, while these technological advances have brought many benefits to the world, I strongly believe that these developments in IT will result in more negative impacts than positive.

As you can see, the first sentence makes sure it refers to the topic (IT) and uses facts about IT taken from the question. Note that these are paraphrased - you must not copy from the rubric!

The second part then clearly sets out the what the essay will be about and confirms the writers opinion (some questions may not ask for your opinion, but this one does). The writer clearly agrees as he/she thinks there will be more negative impacts.

View this lesson for more advice on writing IELTS essay introductions.

2) Body Paragraphs

For an IELTS essay, you should have 2 or 3 body paragraphs - no more, and no less.

For your body paragraph, each paragraph should contain one controlling idea, and have sentences to support this.

Lets look at the first paragraph for the essay about IT. The essay is about the benefits and drawbacks of IT, so these will need to be discussed in separate paragraphs.

Here is the first body paragraph:

On the positive side, email has made communication, especially abroad, much simpler and faster. This has resulted in numerous benefits for commerce and business as there is no need to wait weeks for letters or take time sending faxes, which was the case in the past. Furthermore, the World Wide Web means that information on every conceivable subject is now available to us. For example, people can access news, medical advice, online education courses and much more via the internet.  These developments have made life far easier and more convenient for many.

The controlling idea in this first paragraph is the 'benefits of IT', and there are two supporting ideas, which are underlined. No drawbacks are discussed as the paragraph would then lose coherence.

Most of the essay will focus on the negative aspects of IT, as the writer says there are more negative effects in the introduction. So the next two paragraphs are about these.

The topic sentence in the next paragraph therefore tells us we are changing the focus to the negative points:

Nevertheless, the effects of this new technology have not all been beneficial. For example, many people feel that the widespread use of email is destroying traditional forms of communication such as letter writing, telephone and face-to-face conversation. This could result in a decline in people's basic ability to socialize and interact with each other on a day-to-day basis.

The final body paragraph gives the last negative effect:

In addition, the large size of the Web has meant that it is nearly impossible to regulate and control. This has led to many concerns regarding children accessing unsuitable websites and the spread of computer viruses. Unfortunately, this kind of problem might even get worse in the future at least until more regulated systems are set up.

3) Conclusion

The conclusion only needs to be one or two sentences, and you can do the following:

• Re-state what the essay is about (re-write the last sentence of your introduction in different words)
• Give some thoughts about the future

Here is an example:

In conclusion, developments in IT have brought many benefits, yet I believe that these are outweighed by the drawbacks. In the future these will need to be addressed if we are to avoid damaging impacts on individuals and society.

The Full IELTS Essay

The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way people's lives are affected by IT, with many advances in this field. However, while these technological advances have brought many benefits to the world, I strongly believe that these developments in IT will result in more negative impacts than positive.

Nevertheless, the effects of this new technology have not all been beneficial. For example, many people feel that the widespread use of email is destroying traditional forms of communication such as letter writing, telephone and face-to-face conversation. This could result in a decline in people's basic ability to socialize and interact with each other on a day-to-day basis.

(290 Words)

The IELTS essay introduction talks in general about the increasing use of IT, thus introducing the topic well. The thesis then clearly sets out the writers opinion.

The following paragraph mentions the present benefits of these developments, but the opening sentence in the third paragraph is a qualifying statement (Nevertheless, not all the effects... ), so the writer can now focus on the negative elements.

The fourth paragraph provides two other negative examples (lack of regulation, viruses). Both paragraphs suggest that these problems will continue in the future.

The essay concludes with a clear opinion that agrees with the statement.

Overall, it is a well-balanced text that mentions the present situation ( ...this has made life.. .) but importantly, also refers to the future of IT (. ..likely to increase..., might get worse. ..).

Now you know the basics of writing an IELTS Essay, you can go on and look at further sample essays or if you prefer, check out the next lessons for Writing Task 2.

More Task 2 IELTS Lessons:

Generating ideas for IELTS essays for writing task 2

Generating ideas for IELTS essays for writing task 2 can be difficult but complex ideas are not expected.

The 3 Types of IELTS Opinion Essays in IELTS

IELTS opinion essays in IELTS can be placed into three types. This lesson explains the different types and how to analyse these essay questions.

How to use brainstorming and planning to generate essay ideas.

Brainstorming and planning is a key step in developing your IELTS essay. This lesson has tips on how to coming up with ideas and organising them.

IELTS Task Response - 25% of your essay grade

The IELTS Task Response criteria in the scoring makes up 25% of your band score for your essay.

Requirements for IELTS Band 7 in Writing

Getting to an IELTS Band 7 is a struggle for many candidates. This lesson explains exactly what you have to do to reach this band score.

Transitional Phrases for Essays

Learn transitional phrases for essays to get a band 7 or higher in your IELTS writing for coherence and cohesion.

Thesis Statement Tips for IELTS Essays

Your thesis statement in an IELTS essay should be written quickly and concisely. Use these tips to do that.

Can you use Personal Pronouns in Essays for IELTS?

Learn how to use personal pronouns in essays for IELTS correctly. Can you use "I", "we" and "you"?

How to Identify the Topic of an IELTS Essay Question

In IELTS you must identify the topic of your essay as this is a key to making sure your essay is on topic.

Paragraph Writing for IELTS: Building strong arguments

This paragraph writing lesson provides tips on constructing the best paragraphs for your IELTS essay.

Using Substitution in IELTS to Improve Writing Coherency

You can use substitution in your IELTS essays in order to improve coherency and coherence.

Writing an IELTS Essay Introduction

Tips on how to write an introduction for an IELTS essay introduction in a quick and easy way.

Tips on How to Score IELTS Band 8 in Writing and Speaking

To score IELTS Band 8 you need to understand exactly what is in the IELTS Band Descriptors for an 8 for writing and speaking first.

How to Identify the Task in an IELTS Essay

Learn how to identify the task in an IELTS task 2 essay question. This is one of the most important steps in responding to an essay question.

IELTS Music Essay: Understanding a Complex Question

An IELTS essay about music is used to show you how to answer a more complex IELTS essay question that does not have a clear 'task' given to you.

Improving Writing Coherence for IELTS essays

25% of the writing grade is on how you organise your essay so this lesson shows you how to improve your writing coherence.

Writing an IELTS Essay Conclusion

The IELTS essay conclusion is the final part of your IELTS essay. This lesson guides you on how to write a conclusion quickly but effectively.

Using Pronouns to Improve IELTS Essay Coherency

Find out how to use pronouns to improve your coherency for IELTS task 2 essays.

IELTS Advantage Disadvantage Essay Tips and Strategies

An advantage disadvantage essay is one type of essay that you may get in the test. This lesson shows how to write a pros cons essay.

IELTS Problem Solution Essay Strategies and Tips

In IELTS problem solution essays you have to discuss a particular issue and present ideas to solve that problem.

Any comments or questions about this page or about IELTS? Post them here. Your email will not be published or shared.

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How to Write Effective IELTS Conclusions

This post will help you write effective conclusions for IELTS writing task 2 essay questions. It is suitable for both General Training and Academic candidates.

The conclusion is the easiest paragraph to write because, in many ways, you are just using ideas you have already mentioned in your introduction and main body paragraphs . However, this is the last thing the examiner will read, and it is, therefore, crucial that you finish strongly.

You will probably not have much time remaining when you are writing your conclusion, so you must practice them and learn how to write them quickly. I will show you how below.

IELTS Conclusion Quick Tips

• Never write any new ideas in your conclusion. A conclusion should always restate your ideas in the rest of the essay. New ideas should be in the main body and not in the conclusion.
• Make sure you answer the question in the conclusion. The conclusion should state your thoughts about the question and clarify your feelings about the issue.
• Vary your language. Just because you are restating your ideas in the rest of your essay doesn’t mean you use the same language. Instead, you show the examiner you have a wide vocabulary by paraphrasing .
• Don’t try to include everything . You are not required to go into detail; you have already done that in your main body paragraphs. Instead, you will summarise your main points.
• Always write one. It isn’t easy to get a good score in task 2 if you haven’t finished your essay with a conclusion. Even if you are running out of time, make sure you write one.

Linking Phrases

First, you should start with a linking phrase, but some are better than others. Here are some examples:

• In a nutshell
• In conclusion
• To conclude

Finally  isn’t really suitable because it indicates that you are making a final point and therefore a new idea. Finally belongs in the main body of your essay, not the conclusion.

In a nutshell  is too informal, and we should never use it in IELTS conclusions.

In general  tells the reader you are going to talk generally about a topic. This is not what we will do in our conclusion, and we should not use it.

In conclusion and to conclude  are the only two linking phrases you should use to start your conclusion. They tell the reader exactly what the paragraph is about and are formal. You will only write one conclusion, so pick one and stick with it.

How to Write a Good Conclusion

There are two elements to a good conclusion:

• Summarising the main points of your essay
• Varying your vocabulary by paraphrasing

Luckily we have already stated our main points in the introduction, so all we have to do is look back at the conclusion and paraphrase this.

Let’s look at some examples:

Introduction

It is argued that students should be taught real-life skills, like how to look after money. This essay agrees that they should be part of the curriculum because everyday competencies benefit people later in life, and not being taught how to manage money at an early age can lead to dangerous consequences in adulthood. 

I have completed an effective introduction by doing three things:

• Paraphrasing the question
• Stating my opinion
• Outlining what I will talk about in the rest of the essay or in other words, the main points I’m using to support my opinion.

In conclusion, this essay supports the idea that teenagers should be taught functional subjects like financial planning because it helps them in adulthood, and a lack of education related to these topics can have serious consequences. 

So all I have done is restate my opinion and included my main supporting points. However, I have not simply copied all the words; I have used synonyms and paraphrasing to vary my language.

Note that I have repeated some words. Paraphrasing does not mean changing every single word. If you cannot think of a way to change every word, feel free to repeat that word. In general, you should try to vary your vocabulary as much as possible, but it is often impossible to change every single word. Better to repeat a word accurately than change it to something wrong.

Here are the paraphrases I used:

This essay supports- This essay agrees

should- ought to

students- teenagers

functional subjects- real-life skills

look after money- financial planning

later in life- in adulthood

Let’s look at another example :

Contemporary advances have a serious effect on the planet. While I appreciate that critics may hope that people will shun the latest developments, I believe that technology itself can give us an answer.  This essay will first discuss how not using electronics is unfeasible, followed by a discussion of how science is now coming up with ways to reverse global warming and pollution. 

This introduction does three basic things:

1. Paraphrases the question

2. States opinion

3. Outlines what the essay will discuss

In conclusion, this essay acknowledges that technological progress jeopardises the planet, but cutting-edge discoveries can halt and even heal this destruction. 

Again, all I have done is repeat what I said in the introduction using paraphrasing.

Adding a Prediction or Recommendation to Our Conclusion 

We can also add a prediction (what we think will happen) or a recommendation (what we think should happen) to our conclusion.

This is totally optional. I teach students how to write these because it allows them to write something at the end of the essay if they are worried about not making it to 250 words. Only use these if you cannot get over the word count. 

Here are my two previous conclusions with one added sentence:

In conclusion, this essay supports the idea that teenagers should be taught functional subjects like financial planning because it helps them in adulthood, and a lack of education related to these topics can have serious consequences.  It is recommended that governments make this a compulsory part of the education system. 

In conclusion, this essay acknowledges that technological progress jeopardises the planet, but cutting-edge discoveries can halt and even heal this destruction. It is predicted that climate change will be successfully tackled with such inventions. 

If you found this article useful and want more help with writing task 2, please visit our task 2 page .

About Christopher Pell

My name is Christopher Pell and I'm the Managing Director of IELTS Advantage.

I started IELTS Advantage as a simple blog to help 16 students in my class. Several years later, I am very humbled that my VIP Course has been able to help thousands of people around the world to score a Band 7+ in their IELTS tests.

If you need my help with your IELTS preparation, you can send me an email using the contact us page.

How to Write an Effective IELTS Conclusion

When you are writing the essay for Task 2 of the IELTS Writing section, the last thing that you will include will be your conclusion. An essay’s conclusion has one job: To summarize the rest of the essay in a way that makes it sound even more persuasive. However, many IELTS test-takers forget this, and either write too much in their conclusion, or forget to write one, at all.

Here is what to include, in your IELTS essay conclusion.

A Concluding Phrase

The first thing to put in your conclusion is a signal to the reader that you are finishing your essay, and that they have come to the end. This is called the concluding phrase, and does not have to be longer than a couple of words . It tells the reader that you are done making your argument, and that you are now going to summarize your essay. Examples of good concluding phrases are:

• In conclusion,
• To summarize, or

On the other hand, there are some words that should not be used as a concluding phrase, like:

• Finally, or

These terms make it sound like you are going to make another point in your argument, which is not what the conclusion is for.

A Reminder of Your Thesis Statement

The second thing that you should do in your conclusion is tell your reader what you have just proven or shown. A good way to do this is to remind the reader what you thesis statement was, in your introduction . Your thesis statement, after all, is what your essay is all about.

Optional: Summarize Your Argument

If you have time, you can include a quick overview of your essay in your conclusion. This helps remind the reader why your thesis statement is correct. If you choose to summarize your argument in your essay’s conclusion, though, make sure not to go too much in depth: You should not write more than a sentence or two.

Say Why Your Essay is Important

Finally, you should include a sentence or two about why your essay is important. This makes the reader understand why they should take your essay to heart, and think about it. Mentioning why your essay is important also makes your argument sound much stronger, which is the point behind an argumentative essay .

The IELTS Conclusion

To summarize, your essay’s conclusion should recap the rest of your essay. It should include a concluding phrase, a reminder of your thesis statement, a few words on why your essay is important, and can also include a summary of your argument. By writing a good conclusion on Task 2 of the Writing section, you can earn a higher IELTS score.

Sean is a former IELTS administrator and an IELTS blogger for Magoosh. He has a degree in English literature from the University of New Hampshire, and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati. He has also studied abroad in Cambridge, England and in Botswana. In his spare time, he plays ultimate Frisbee, reads, plays guitar, and writes novels, though not all at the same time.

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How to write a perfect IELTS essay conclusion

Test your understanding of this English lesson

122 comments.

Hi Jade, I’ve been very glad to follow you (and your horse) in this video. A huge thank you, see you soon.

Thanks Jane, good lesson, i am proud of my result for an advanced lesson!! 6/9

Thanks Jade!!Nice to see your videos on EngVid again ;)

Good tips, I’m still fresh to take an IELTS but I am working in it. Thank you.

Thank you. But `children are tought` is past simple ?

i had the same doubt: it’s not past simple, but present passive!

No，she is using 2nd conditional here which means the thing won’t happen.

But in the video she said : first conditional. It appears to me that it is not a first conditional(if+present simple>>>+Will+base verb)

Very usefull class. Thank you so much!

i get it also useful . but am destitute in speaking and writting .i know i can improve my writting section by just practicing around home but speaking lil bit need someone to share with so can you tell me group that helps me to actively engage in speaking .

Hi Jade, am I wrong or did you say “past simple” in 1st conditional in conclusion 1?

you didn’t mishear, but she did say)

100 points :)

Hi Jade! Thanks for this lesson, it will be very useful when giving or writing a conclusion for an essay or at the end of a presentation.

Hi Jade,I din´t get it your accent, it´s quite hard, I´m not used to listening british people cos I live near of the USA. however I liked your classes.

It considered to be a quite useful lesson, but I couldn’t understand hardly anything. Yes I understand, that I have to get used to understand different speakers, with different pronunciations, but usually teachers try to speak more clear and enthusiastically… Anyway I understood, that my listening skills aren’t good enough for getting this lesson completely.

same here..

Dear,Jade:I interested your lesson, Thank you so much. I’m proud my result 6/9.However I still try to learnt English program everyday. Best Regard From: Sophorn

great job jade! simple and easy to learn!

Very interesting lesson, Jade. Thank you so much.

Thank you jade! Beautiful lesson.

This video was very interesting. I could to enjoy a lot. Thanks teacher, thanks guys.

oh im brilliant 9

Hi Jade! I’ve just started to watch your videos to improve my english! It’s a pleasure to have online support with teachers like you! I really enjoy your lessons:D Actually my dream is living in England one day, so I’m practicing english a lot of more extra hours by myself and with native speakers (friends of mine) apart from school, hope I can reach my goal in the future! I think this lessons will help me a lot:D

Good i get 5 of 9

Hi ppl i’m a new student here

thank you soo much for her Lectures effort. but generally very difficult to understand what she was saying about! Sorry but if as It seemed to anybody force her to tell us.

Thank u….

thanks a lot!

thanks jade, that was useful

very good lecture and i have learn lot from it. thanks for sharing these good practices.

Thnx a lot………

Sorry I can’t see and read the article

Our videos are all on Youtube, which may be blocked by the government where you live. You may have to use a VPN.

Really? I never know about it!, however, why should they ban the website?, this site only teaches people about English, I don’t get it!

my Aunt living sweden . Iman or Puan That Familiar you . Because Is Small Sweden

Nice to see you Jade <3

Your speaking english, helps me to improve My english in an easy way. thank you

Thanks Jade…I got the points…

As I have discussed, However I believe the good teacher is the most important issue in learning new language. If students are taught to take high score in IELTS exam, the examiners will be excited!

Thank you so much

Excellent session by Jade. Scored 8/9.

hi Jade. Speaking about the third conclusion of the essay,you said that the first conditional has a verb ( that you underlined) on the past simple tense: but indeed it is a passive present tense !!! Do you agree?

It was a good lesson to Borden our knowledge infarct inspiring to learn.

Before watching the video, 7/9

Thanks knight Jade!

As explained, your approach has advantages and disadvantages. However, I also believe a structured conclusion can impress the examinator. If everyone followed your advises, there would be less problems with the IELTS exams.

Nice comment…

i got 7/9 Thank you for your lesson,,

i need help to prepare a list of all issues in preparing joe and terri’s 2015 federal income tax return, and 2015

2015 stated of Illinois income tax return

thank you teacher i got 6\9

I got 7 out of 9 =))) It’s not a high score but I sure I’ll try later ˆˆ

Hello…..

hi Jade..Thank you so much for this video…i had one stupid mistake. I got the points in this lesson by my mistake. good job

Powerful and helpful , thank you a lot.

78% glad about it. Thanks very much for the lesson.

I got 7 out of 9.??

6/9,, hmm at least i know where to start now. thank’s a lot miss

Wow! it was quite impressive of me. but i need do better next time

I did excellently well this time. Thanks a lot guys!!!

Hi Jade, I love your accent :-)

I am a ielts student.I am very weak in reading section.how can I improve. can anyone one give me sagetion….

cool lesson thanks

If Ms Jade taught me to be good English writer, I will be thankful.

Thank you, Jade! It’s very helpful.

Thanks a lot for another great lesson Jade! Keep going my teacher!

Thank you so much for your lesson jade!keep going my teacher

that was good and I’m wondering is it possible if you could talk about a topic in video and ask few questions through quiz in order to test my own listening with very challenging words and accent , thank you ,

Thank you Jade. really very helpful and effective info about essay writing. I was totally unable to write a better essay. after watching your video i am working with essays good now.

Thanks a lot, Jade >> excellent But please, I think it will be better if you speak more slowly and clarify your sound while pronunciation and explanation.

I like it, thank you Ms jade

Thank you very much for your lesson. It is very helpfull to me!

Thank you Jade

i’ve got 9 correct out of 9.

Thank you jade, your video is definitely helping me for my ielts general writing.

Thank you Jade, now I learned last part of how to write an essay . Start practice your method =)

Thank you for the well explained estructure!

I can`t understand the biggest part of what she is saying :(

I had a problem on hearing. Could not catch her well.

Yeahh. I got 100. Nice quiz miss jade :)

thanks Jade also my grade was 6 out of 9 but it was very helpful thanks

8 correct out of 9. Thank you for the lesson. :)

8 out of 9! very informative lesson thank you.

I fall in love with the way you speak, and your horse is great, queen Jade!

Hi Jade! I’ve been enjoying all your lessons and I’m devoted fa. Could you make a lesson about “”Delexical Verbs”? Thank you in advance.

Hello, If you want to practice English speaking skill. please contact me. My Skype is [email protected] Thank you.

thank you very much dear

hello Jade thanj you for a video Exam results is very good ı have never try written a essay however at the time you can sure ı will try them.

I sow in this lesson, and also in the quiz, mixed verbs used in the if clause that I had never met before within a second conditional. These are “If school WERE TO TEACH this, …” in the video, and in the quiz: “If advertising to children WERE TO BE BANNED …” “If school WERE TO REDUCE the number of exams in the school year …”. Why not “Were taught” “were banned” and “were reduced”. Can anyone explain those verbal forms?

Sorry, I made a mistake. I wanted to ask: Wy not saying “If scool TAUGHT this, …”, “if advertisings to children WERE BANNED, …” and “if school REDUCED the number of exams …” ?

Hi Jade, thank you for the lesson.

Thanks, dear Jade. You teach really impressive

Very nice lesson. Thank you!

Thanks, Jade.

thank u jade

Jade is good at teaching of writing

I got 78% (7/9)

Hello, I’m Madaminbek. I’m new here, and I’m going to take the IELTS test in May 2018. By this time I need to learn English well. So I want an idea. If anyone has any suggestions, comment on me.

Thank you Jade, very useful lesson..wish me good luck..saturday I’m going to do my Ielts General Training exam..you’re an Amazing teacher

Good luck, ValeGreta! I hope you do well.

boring stuff, but it needs to be done :) My favourite are Jade’s historical lessons

Hello, what do you mean under the ‘historical lessons’? I haven’t found nothing related with history in Jade’s list of the videos on the web-site.

5 out of 9 and this is bad score. I need to review the video again.

good lesson!

I have a 100 :)

Thanks Jade a good lesson!

Thank you, Jade, for your lesson. A lot of people in comments are saying that they can’t catch you and recommend you speak more clearly, but I MUST say I love you accent due to the fact that: firstly it’s really beautiful and secondly it makes me feel more concentrated on studying. Thanks one more time!

Thank you 6/9. Good tips.

Hello everyone I want a private teacher for IELTS

can you guys suggest one for me, please?

Am glad I took my first quiz, and am looking forward for more

Thanks a lot! I’ve got 9/9 however it was a bit challenging of understanding your British accent)))

can we use ‘However’ and ‘but’ in the same sentence?

8 out of 9 Thanks

I got 8 out of 9

The lesson is useful!

Im my view, both conclusion llove, the first is as beauty as the second!

thank you dear Jade.

thats was great.

Great lesson, Thank you.

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IELTS Writing task 2 - Tips for crafting a strong introduction and conclusion

Find out the tips for crafting a strong introduction and conclusion in IELTS Writing task 2

Crafting a compelling introduction and conclusion is very important in IELTS Writing task 2 , as they serve as the gateway to engage the reader and leave a lasting impression. A strong introduction captures the reader's attention, establishes the topic's relevance, and presents a clear thesis statement, while a well-crafted conclusion provides a concise summary of the main points and offers a thoughtful final perspective. By following effective strategies and following essential guidelines, you can improve your IELTS Writing performance and maximise your chances of achieving success in this crucial section.

Tips for writing a strong introduction in the IELTS Writing task 2

Here are the 5 tips for you to consider when practicing writing a good introduction on the IELTS Writing task 2 :

Tip 1: Thoroughly read and analyse the question

To effectively address all aspects of the question or task in a meaningful manner, it is essential to dedicate time to carefully read and analyse the prompt. Your introduction acts as the initial step towards accomplishing this objective, as it introduces your response to each component of the question. Therefore, taking a moment to comprehend and dissect the task before commencing your writing allows you to fully grasp the precise focus and requirements of the prompt, enabling you to provide a comprehensive and relevant answer.

Tip 2: Start with a general statement and focus on the specifics of the question

In most instances, Writing task 2 usually starts with a general statement that gradually narrows down to specific points or inquiries pertaining to the given topic. Using a similar approach in your introduction can be an effective method to initiate your essay. However, it is crucial to ensure that your general statement maintains a clear connection to the topic and avoids being overly broad.

By striking the right balance, you can provide an engaging introduction that captures the reader's attention while remaining focused on the task at hand.

Tip 3: Use your original language

While it is undoubtedly acceptable for you to use the task structure as a guide for your introduction, it is important to avoid copying its content. Directly replicating the content raises concerns about your language proficiency and may impact your band score negatively.

Instead, try to rephrase the information, rearrange its structure, use synonyms, and express intricate concepts using your own words. Moreover, it is essential to steer clear of using memorised introductions that involve inserting preconceived phrases related to the question topic.

Skilled examiners evaluate numerous responses, enabling them to identify scripted responses, so prioritising originality should be your first concern when writing an introduction.

Tip 4: Clearly express your stance

When approaching the IELTS Writing task 2, it is crucial to delve into the various aspects of the task. Consequently, it is essential to express and state your opinions in the introduction.

Tip 5: Outline how you plan to approach your essay

While this approach may be seen as an option, providing a concise explanation of how you intend to expand on the topic can assist in structuring your writing effectively. Additionally, it serves as a helpful guide for the examiner, offering insight into the content you will address in your essay.

Review your introductory paragraph

Remember to reread your introduction after completing your essay. It is common for test takers to initially start with a specific argument or organisational structure, but as they explore the topic, they may change their perspectives. Hence, once you finish Writing task 2, it is crucial to ensure that your final draft aligns with your introduction.

Now that we have covered essential techniques for crafting a strong introduction in Writing task 2, let's proceed to examine a sample introduction. Begin by reading and analysing the prompt, as discussed in tip

Then, carefully examine the sample introduction, paying attention to the highlighted strategies.

Sample question

The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace. Nuclear power provides cheap and clean energy. The benefits of nuclear technology far outweigh the disadvantages. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.Write at least 250 words.

Sample introduction (Answer)

General statement:.

Nuclear technology has been around for many years.

Whether this technology is used for weapons of mass destruction or as a source of energy, many are of the belief that the use of nuclear energy has more advantages than disadvantages.

In my opinion, nuclear technology can indeed be a very efficient energy source. However, nuclear weapons possess such enormous destructive power that any benefits that this technology may offer to humankind are not enough to counter its potentially devastating effects.

This essay will address why the drawbacks of nuclear technology outweigh the benefits and will include relevant examples to support this position.

Similar to how a well-crafted introduction informs the examiner about the content of your essay, a strong conclusion serves to reinforce the key points presented and provides a summary of the essential aspects you want the examiner to retain from your writing. Be sure to read further for insightful information on effective strategies for composing a compelling conclusion!

Tips for writing a strong conclusion in the IELTS Writing task 2

Tip 1: connect your conclusion to the introductory paragraph.

Consider your introduction and conclusion as integral parts of a cohesive whole, as they should be closely intertwined. Ensure that you:

Revisit the concepts or themes you initially introduced

Provide additional perspectives gained from exploring the body of your essay.

Tip 2: Summarise the primary arguments of your essay

In your conclusion, it is crucial to offer a concise overview of the key points discussed in your essay. However, it is essential to avoid repetition. Instead, demonstrate to the examiner how your arguments and the supporting evidence seamlessly interconnect.

Tip 3: Steer clear of repeating things

While summarising the primary points of your essay, refrain from echoing the language used in your body paragraphs. Try to imply diverse vocabulary and sentence structures to avoid repetitive patterns. This approach will demonstrate to the examiner your ability to utilise a broader range of vocabulary and grammatical constructions.

Tip 4: Express your personal viewpoint

When undertaking Writing task 2, it is important to present your opinion in the form of an essay. If you reach the concluding paragraph and realise that you have omitted your viewpoint, ensure that you use it in your conclusion to ensure clarity.

Tip 5: Avoid introducing new arguments

Ensure that your conclusion does not introduce fresh points. Remember that the purpose of your closing paragraph is to provide a sense of finality to your essay, rather than introducing novel ideas.

To Implement these tips into practice

After exploring various strategies for crafting a compelling conclusion, it is crucial to understand how these techniques work together to seamlessly conclude an essay. To illustrate this, let's examine a sample question, introductory paragraph, and conclusion. Observe how to use all five tips to create a cohesive ending.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

Sample conclusion (Answer)

Nuclear technology is extremely dangerous. Even though nuclear weapons have only been used twice, in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, evidence from these actions, as well as from nuclear accidents such as the Chernobyl disaster, are irrefutable proof of the disastrous effects of nuclear technology. Even in the absence of nuclear accidents, nuclear power inevitably produces radioactive waste, which is severely damaging to our bodies. Our best protection against these dangers is to simply not use nuclear technology. Instead, we should look for alternative ways to produce sustainable energy and achieve world peace by spreading a message of tolerance, kindness, and non-violence.

If you review the main points in the example conclusion above:

The destructive power of nuclear weapons

The disastrous consequences of nuclear disasters

The harmful effects of radioactive waste

You will see the writer reminds the examiner (reader) of the importance of their main ideas while summarising how this point fits well with the examples provided in the body of the essay.To finish, you can see how the writer highlights their proposed course of action, which helps the essay end on a positive note.

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IELTS Conclusion Paragraph for Opinion Essay

This lesson looks at how to write an IELTS conclusion paragraph for an opinion essay given below. Before you practice the conclusion, make sure you have completed the other lessons for this topic:

• Finding Main Points
• Introduction Model
• Writing body paragraphs

Every one of us should become a vegetarian because eating meat can cause serious health problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

An IELTS conclusion paragraph should summarise the main opinion that you gave in your opinion essay – both in the introduction and the body paragraphs. The conclusion repeats the main points in brief and maintains your position.

This is the introduction for this essay: Eating meat is considered by some to damage our health and for that reason they believe all people should adopt a vegetarian diet. In my opinion, although a vegetarian diet is certainly a healthy option, having a balanced diet, which contains vegetables and some healthy meat, is the key.

The above introduction explains the main points and the position of this essay. Now you must restate the main points again for your conclusion paragraph. Use the tips below to help you.

Tips for an IELTS Conclusion Paragraph

• Paraphrase the main points introduced in your introduction
• Don’t put new main points in your conclusion
• Don’t change your opinion in the conclusion
• Don’t write over 40 words
• You can write either one or two sentences
• Can you have a concluding statement which is a predicting if you wish

Write your conclusion before you check the model. Model Conclusion In conclusion, by balancing both vegetables and healthy meats, for instance fish and chicken, people will be able to adapt their diet more easily in order to benefit their health.

Recommended Lessons

IELTS Video Lesson: IELTS Conclusion Linkers IELTS Video Lesson: Using the official answer sheet

Hi Liz, just finished my exam today. I did wrote a few sentences to conclude( therefore, I think that…). However, I did not write them as an independent paragraph. Is this ok? or an independent paragraph of conclusion is necessary? Thank you.

The conclusion is an independent paragraph. If you don’t use paragraphing well, it will affect your score for Coherence & Cohesion. Which score you will get in that marking criterion will depend on other factors as well as paragraphing. If the examiner can find no conclusion at all, you will score band 5 in Task Response which is 25% of your marks. If your conclusion is present but incomplete, there are no set rules for scoring this and your score will depend on a number of factors. I hope this helps. Good luck with your results !!

Hi Liz. I noticed a lot of my students introducing new ideas in their conclusions – often students would relent from their argument to add the down the middle: “but there are two sides to every coin”. I was preparing a lesson on essay writing tips to correct this habit. But while researching, I was reading a IELTS prep book which states that a “good conclusion generally includes”: 1) general summary 2) a focused summary 3) something new/your opinion

I can hardly believe it! “Something new”! What is this abomination? Can you shed any light? Would some IELTS essays benefit from adding a sprinkling of something new?

I suggest you stop using that book immediately. But let me give you some details first: 1) The conclusion must not include a new main point that has not been explained in the body paragraphs. If a student does this, they will struggle to get a high score in Task Response which is largely about expanding and supporting main points. That is the reason body paragraphs should be of equal length (more or less) – no main point should be less developed that another. 2) An IELTS essay is a short essay. It is usually between 13 and 15 sentences in length. The bulk of those sentences must be for the body paragraphs so that you sufficiently develop them. The introduction and conclusion provide specific functions only and should not be long. A long conclusion is not only a waste of time, it will lack focus which will lower your score. Adding more padding is great for IELTS Speaking and terrible for IELTS Writing. 3) The conclusion serves the function of restating (summarising) the main points you have already explained in the body paragraphs. This should be done in one sentence. It should be a very brief, focused summary. 4) You should not have two summaries of the same points – you do not have a general one and a focused one. You should have one only. One summarising statement. IELTS essays are all about each sentence being highly focused and highly relevant – without padding. A one sentence conclusion is 100% normal for IELTS. 5) It is possible to add a concluding statement, but it should not be a new main idea. If you are writing an opinion essay, which is all about your opinions, and then you add another new opinion in the conclusion, you will get a low mark in Task Response as I explained above. 6) If you are writing an essay without any opinion required at all, a concluding statement might actually be an opinion. 7) Most concluding statements are predictions. For example, “If XXX isn’t implemented soon, this problem is likely to continue or worsen.” This is not a new main point. It is simply an end of the conclusion which adds stress to what you’ve already said. 8) If students do not grasp the concept of a concluding statement and if they can’t write one safely, it is better to have no concluding statement at all. 9) Putting a concluding statement at the end of a conclusion will not increase a task 2 score. As I explained the conclusion serves a very limited function in an IELTS essay. 10) Direct your students to this page and this response if you need to. There is a lot of advice in books and online – be very careful what advice you follow. Not all of it will increase a task 2 score and some of it will actually lower a task 2 score.

Is there only one ideal answer for each question?

For instance, while attempting this essay, I wrote on the affordability aspect as well – not all societies can easily turn vegetarian as for many poor people, meat offers the best and the cheapest form of nutrition. And isn’t the affordability of food is also linked to health?

Well this is about diet and health problems. I’m not sure that affordability of food is relevant. Sometimes it depends on how you present your ideas. It’s how you link them to the issues in the question. No, there is not one possible answer. But if your ideas are not 100% relevant, then you will be marked down.

hi liz ,,would really aprreciate if u cud help me in formulating this phrase,,,what was outdated yesterday is a fashion in the tomorrow world,,,,is it correct or is there a different way of putting it,,thank you

Please do not learn phrases to use in your essay. Liz

Hello Liz, I think there is a typo somewhere at the very last sentence in the second option above. ‘a healthily’ Kindly help me and check it. Thank you Ma.

Well spotted! You are a good proof reader 🙂 Liz

Thank you Liz.

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IELTS Writing Essays How To Write a Task 2 Conclusion

If your introduction and main body paragraphs are structured correctly, writing conclusions to Task 2 IELTS writing essays is very simple.

This lesson follows on from those on how to write introductions and main body paragraphs so, if you haven’t already studied them, I recommend that you do so now. You’ll find them here:

How To Write a Task 2 Introduction

How To Write Task 2 Main Body Paragraphs

On this page, you'll learn:

• Why a good conclusion is important
• 4 common mistakes to avoid
• The structure of a good conclusion
• How to write the perfect conclusion

Want  to watch and listen to this lesson?

Click on this video.

Why a Good Conclusion is Important

High-scoring Task 2 IELTS writing essays have a simple 4 part structure:

1)  Introduction

2)  Main Body Paragraph 1 

3)  Main Body Paragraph 2 

4)  Conclusion

Although your conclusion will only be 1 or 2 sentences long, it’s as important as each of the other sections of the essay and you will miss out on valuable marks if you don’t include one.

A good conclusion will:

• Neatly end the essay
• Link all your ideas together
• Sum up your argument or opinion
• Answer the question

If you do this well, you’ll improve your score for both task achievement and cohesion and coherence which together make up 50% of the overall marks.

Without a conclusion, you’ll score below band 6 for task achievement.

4 Common Mistakes to Avoid

First, let’s consider what students should not do when writing conclusions to Task 2 IELTS writing essays.

You should not :

• Introduce new ideas.
• Introduce new evidence or examples.
• Write too much.
• Be too general

Do not add any new information. The purpose of this final paragraph is to summarise what you’ve already said, nothing else.

Many candidates write conclusions that are far too long. A lengthy conclusion isn’t necessary. Also, you won’t have much time left in which to write it, so keep it short. Follow the simple guidelines I’m about to give you.

Another common error is to write a concluding statement about the topic in general. A big mistake. You must be specific. Your conclusion must relate directly to the question and sum up the specific ideas in the main body of your essay.

The Structure of a Good Conclusion

The ideal conclusion has 1 or 2 sentences:

• Sentence 1 – a summary of your main ideas.
• Sentence 2 – a prediction or recommendation statement. (optional).

This second sentence is optional but perfectly acceptable if you do want to add one. It is useful if you find that you’re just below the word limit when you finish your essay and need just one more sentence to get you over the minimum 250 words.

If your essay is already long enough, leave it out as it won’t earn you extra marks. Your time will be better spent checking your grammar and spellings.

The Summary Sentence

Your summary sentence is the one that’s essential, so we’ll begin with this. We’re going to add a conclusion to the essay we worked on in the lessons on writing introductions and main body paragraphs for Task 2 IELTS writing essays.

Here’s the question:

Here are the introduction and main body paragraphs:

The first few words of a summary sentence are extremely important. The good news is that you can use the same phrase for almost any Task 2 IELTS writing essay. I recommend that you use:

• In conclusion

        or

• To conclude

These cohesive devices do two jobs:

• They link this final paragraph to what has been written previously.
• They make it clear to the examiner that you are about to summarise your answer to the question.

There’s another piece of good news. If you followed my instructions on how to write a good introduction to your essay, your introduction will be a summary of what your essay is going to include .

Since your conclusion is about what the essay did include (your opinion and the main points), all you need to do now is to paraphrase this same information.

Here's the introduction:

Here's the same information formed into a conclusion:

Summary sentence: In conclusion, the significant rise in the average age of people living in rural areas has resulted in a lack of suitable people to fill the workforce and the closure of the majority of village schools, causing hardship to local communities.

Study the way I've used synonyms and a different sentence structure to form this conclusion from the introduction. This really is all you need to do.

The Prediction or Recommendation Sentence

Finally, let’s consider the optional prediction or recommendation sentence. What do these two words mean?

• A prediction is a statement about what you think will happen in the future.
• A recommendation is a statement about what you think should happen in the future.

Here are examples of each type of sentence that you could use for this Task 2 IELTS writing essay:

• It is predicted that there will be a steady increase in young families moving to country locations in the coming decade as parents seek a more relaxed lifestyle for themselves and their children.
• It is recommended that governments should improve public transport and provide affordable village housing to encourage young people back to rural areas.

Sometimes it will be appropriate to use ‘I predict that…’ or ‘I recommend that…’.

With our conclusion written, the essay is complete. Here is the final version. It is well over the 250 minimum word limit so, no prediction or recommendation sentence is needed.

         Finished essay

Learning to write good Task 2 IELTS writing essays takes a lot of practice. Use this lesson and the two on introductions and main body paragraphs to learn the technique, then do as much practice as you can on all five question types.

Take as long to plan and write your essays as you need to at first. Gradually speed up the process until you can finish your essay within the 40 minutes allowed.

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More help with ielts writing essays.

IELTS Writing Test  – Understand the format & marking criteria, know what skills are assessed & learn the difference between the Academic & General writing tests.

IELTS Writing Tips  – Top 10 tips to bring you success in your writing test. Essential information you need to know to achieve a high score.

How To Write a Task 2 Introduction  – Find out why a good introduction is essential. Learn how to write one using a simple 3 part strategy & discover 4 common mistakes to avoid.

How To Write Task 2 Main Body Paragraphs  – Learn the simple 3 part structure for writing great main body paragraphs and also, 3 common mistakes to avoid. 

IELTS Writing Task 2  – T he format, the 5 question types, the 5 step essay writing strategy & sample questions. All the key information you need to know.

The 5 Types of Task 2 Essay   – How to recognise the 5 different types of Task 2 essays. 15 sample questions to study and a simple planning structure for each essay type.

Understanding Task 2 Questions  – How to quickly and easily analyse and understand IELTS Writing Task 2 questions.

How To Plan a Task 2 Essay  – Discover why essay planning is essential & learn a simple 4 step strategy, the 4 part essay structure & 4 methods of generating ideas.

Task 2 Marking Criteria  – Find out how to meet the marking criteria in Task 2. See examples of good and poor answers & learn some common mistakes to avoid.

The 5 Task 2 Essay Types:

Step-by-step instructions on how to plan & write high-level essays. Model answers & common mistakes to avoid.

   Opinion Essays

   Discussion Essays

  Problem Solution Essays

  Advantages & Disadvantages Essays

  Double Question Essays

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Mastering IELTS Writing Task 2: Sample Essays on Space Exploration with Expert Analysis

Space exploration has been a fascinating topic in IELTS Writing Task 2 for years, challenging test-takers to showcase their analytical and writing skills. This article will provide you with high-quality sample essays on “ The Pros And Cons Of Space Exploration ,” along with in-depth analyses to help you understand the scoring criteria and improve your writing skills for the IELTS exam.

Analyzing the Topic: Space Exploration in IELTS

Space exploration is a recurring theme in IELTS Writing Task 2, appearing in various forms and contexts. Based on past exam trends and the increasing global interest in space missions, we can expect this topic to remain relevant in future IELTS tests. Let’s examine a typical question that you might encounter:

Some people think that space exploration is a waste of money and resources, while others believe it is essential for human progress. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

This question encapsulates the core debate surrounding space exploration, making it an excellent representation of how this topic might appear in your IELTS Writing Task 2.

Analyzing the Question

Before we dive into the sample essays, let’s break down the question:

• Topic: The value and impact of space exploration
• Task: Discuss both views (for and against) and provide your own opinion
• Arguments for space exploration (e.g., technological advancements, scientific discoveries)
• Arguments against space exploration (e.g., cost, immediate Earth-based priorities)
• Your personal stance on the issue

Now, let’s examine three sample essays that demonstrate different levels of writing proficiency.

Sample Essay 1: Band 8-9 Level

Space exploration has been a subject of intense debate, with proponents hailing it as a cornerstone of human progress and critics denouncing it as a misallocation of resources. While both perspectives offer valid points, I believe that the benefits of space exploration outweigh its drawbacks.

Those who support space exploration argue that it drives technological innovation and scientific discovery. NASA’s space programs have led to numerous advancements that benefit everyday life, from memory foam to satellite technology. Moreover, space exploration expands our understanding of the universe and our place in it, potentially uncovering resources and habitable environments crucial for humanity’s long-term survival.

On the other hand, critics contend that the enormous costs associated with space missions could be better spent addressing pressing issues on Earth. They argue that problems such as poverty, disease, and climate change deserve immediate attention and funding. This viewpoint emphasizes the moral imperative to prioritize current human needs over future possibilities.

While I acknowledge the validity of these concerns, I believe that space exploration is not mutually exclusive with addressing terrestrial issues. In fact, many technologies developed for space missions have direct applications in solving Earth-bound problems. Satellite imagery, for instance, plays a crucial role in monitoring climate change and predicting natural disasters.

Furthermore, the inspiration and unity that space exploration fosters should not be underestimated. The moon landing, for example, was a transformative moment for humanity, demonstrating our collective potential and spurring a generation of scientists and innovators.

In conclusion, while the cost of space exploration is significant, its contributions to technological advancement, scientific knowledge, and human inspiration make it a worthwhile endeavor. A balanced approach that invests in both space exploration and Earth-based initiatives is not only possible but necessary for holistic human progress.

Essay Analysis (Band 8-9)

This essay demonstrates excellent writing skills and would likely score in the Band 8-9 range. Here’s why:

Task Response : The essay fully addresses all parts of the task, discussing both viewpoints and clearly stating the writer’s opinion.

Coherence and Cohesion : The essay is well-organized with clear paragraphing. It uses a variety of cohesive devices effectively (e.g., “While both perspectives”, “On the other hand”, “Furthermore”).

Lexical Resource : The vocabulary is sophisticated and precise (e.g., “cornerstone”, “misallocation”, “proponents”, “denouncing”). The essay also uses topic-specific vocabulary effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy : The essay demonstrates a wide range of grammatical structures used accurately and appropriately. Complex sentences are handled with confidence.

Development of Ideas : Each main point is well-developed with relevant examples and explanations. The argument is logical and well-balanced.

Sample Essay 2: Band 6-7 Level

Space exploration is a topic that many people have different opinions about. Some think it’s a waste of money, while others believe it’s very important for human development. In my opinion, space exploration has both good and bad points, but overall it’s a positive thing.

People who support space exploration say it helps us make new discoveries and inventions. For example, many technologies we use today, like GPS and weather forecasting, came from space research. They also argue that exploring space could help us find new resources or even new places to live in the future, which could be important for our survival.

However, those against space exploration argue that it costs too much money. They think this money should be used to solve problems on Earth, like poverty and climate change. These are real problems that affect many people right now, so they believe it’s more important to focus on these issues.

While I understand the concerns about the cost, I think space exploration is still valuable. It not only leads to new technologies that can help us on Earth but also inspires people, especially young people, to study science and technology. This can lead to more innovations in the future.

Also, some of the things we learn from space exploration can actually help us solve Earth’s problems. For instance, studying other planets can help us understand climate change better.

In conclusion, although space exploration is expensive, I believe its benefits in terms of technology, knowledge, and inspiration make it worthwhile. We should continue to explore space while also working on solving problems on Earth.

Essay Analysis (Band 6-7)

This essay demonstrates good writing skills and would likely score in the Band 6-7 range. Here’s why:

Task Response : The essay addresses all parts of the task, presenting both viewpoints and the writer’s opinion. However, the ideas could be more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion : The essay is generally well-organized, but the use of cohesive devices is less sophisticated than in the Band 8-9 essay.

Lexical Resource : The vocabulary is appropriate and accurate, but less varied and sophisticated compared to the higher band essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy : The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures with generally good control, though there’s less variety than in the Band 8-9 essay.

Development of Ideas : Main points are supported with relevant ideas, but the level of detail and explanation is less than in the higher band essay.

Sample Essay 3: Band 5-6 Level

Some people think space exploration is a waste of money, but others think it is important. I will discuss both sides and give my opinion.

People who don’t like space exploration say it costs too much money. They think the money should be used to help poor people or fix problems on Earth. These are big problems that need to be solved now.

But people who support space exploration say it helps us learn new things. We can make new inventions from space research, like better computers. They also say we might find new places to live in space one day.

I think space exploration is good because it helps us learn new things. It can be expensive, but it can also help us solve problems on Earth. For example, satellites help us understand the weather better.

Also, space exploration makes people excited about science. This is good for education and can help more people become scientists.

In conclusion, I believe space exploration is important even though it costs a lot of money. It helps us learn new things and can solve problems on Earth too.

Essay Analysis (Band 5-6)

This essay demonstrates adequate writing skills and would likely score in the Band 5-6 range. Here’s why:

Task Response : The essay addresses the task, presenting both viewpoints and the writer’s opinion, but the ideas are underdeveloped.

Coherence and Cohesion : The essay has a clear structure, but paragraphing and use of cohesive devices are limited.

Lexical Resource : The vocabulary is simple and repetitive, with limited range and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy : The essay mainly uses simple sentence structures with limited variety. There are some errors, but they don’t impede communication.

Development of Ideas : Main points are present but lack detail and elaboration. The argument is simplistic.

Key Vocabulary for Space Exploration Essays

Exploration (noun) /ˌekspləˈreɪʃn/: The action of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it.

Innovation (noun) /ˌɪnəˈveɪʃn/: The action or process of innovating; a new method, idea, product, etc.

Resource allocation (noun phrase) /rɪˈsɔːs ˌæləˈkeɪʃn/: The assignment of available resources to various uses.

Technological advancement (noun phrase) /ˌteknəˈlɒdʒɪkl ədˈvɑːnsmənt/: The process of developing and applying new technologies.

Sustainability (noun) /səˌsteɪnəˈbɪləti/: The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level.

Extraterrestrial (adjective) /ˌekstrətəˈrestriəl/: Of or from outside the earth or its atmosphere.

Colonization (noun) /ˌkɒlənaɪˈzeɪʃn/: The action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area.

Space debris (noun phrase) /speɪs ˈdebri/: Defunct human-made objects in space, principally in Earth orbit, which no longer serve a useful purpose.

Interplanetary (adjective) /ˌɪntəˈplænɪtri/: Existing or occurring between planets.

Cosmic radiation (noun phrase) /ˈkɒzmɪk ˌreɪdiˈeɪʃn/: High-energy radiation originating outside the Earth’s atmosphere.

Writing about space exploration in IELTS Task 2 requires a balanced approach, considering both the benefits and drawbacks of this complex issue. By studying these sample essays and analyses, you can improve your writing skills and increase your chances of achieving a higher band score.

Remember, practice is key to mastering IELTS Writing Task 2. Try writing your own essay on this topic and share it in the comments section below for feedback and discussion. This active practice will help you refine your skills and prepare effectively for your IELTS exam.

As you continue to prepare, you might encounter related topics such as the role of space technology in monitoring climate change or the future of space exploration and colonization . Exploring these areas will broaden your understanding and vocabulary, further enhancing your ability to tackle a wide range of IELTS Writing Task 2 questions.

• IELTS essay samples
• Sample Essay
• Vocabulary List

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