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English
It is the most serious mistake a person makes during IELTS writing exam, when they start writing without a clear plan. If you don’t have a plan, you can repeat ideas, use wrong examples, or even forget about the focus of the task altogether. So, take three minutes and spend this time brainstorming.
Step 1
Read the task very carefully and underline key words.
Here is an example:
Nowadays it is easy to apply for and be given a credit card. However, some people experience problems when they are not be able to pay their debts back. In your opinion, do the advantages of credit cards outweigh the disadvantages?
Step 2
Определите количество частей в задании и тип эссе.
Identify the number of parts in the task and the type of the essay.
Here the question is “do the advantages of credit cards outweigh the disadvantages?”, so you are supposed to cover three parts: advantages, disadvantages, your opinion. The type of the essay is discussion+opinion.
Step 3 (only for opinion essay)
Make up your mind about your opinion. You can strongly agree, partially agree or strongly disagree. You can decide that there are more advantages or that there are more drawbacks.
Step 4
Decide how many paragraphs you will have in your essay’s “body” (the text between introduction and conclusion). Here you can have two or three body paragraphs.
Step 5
Plan your paragraphs. To do so, ask yourself a question “Why?” Then put down a couple of ideas. Here is what I had at this stage:
BP1 (body paragraph 1)
advantages
– people can take a credit in case of emergency
– it’s possible to use a credit card abroad
BP2
disadvantages+my opinion
– people are enticed to overspend
– people can lose control of their personal finances – if they fail to repay, they may go to the court
– there are more disadvantages
Step 6
Now add a couple of examples.
BP1 (body paragraph 1)
advantages
– people can take a credit in case of emergency (Ex. urgent operation like a tooth implantation)
– it’s possible to use a credit card abroad (Ex. ATMs, pay in shops)
BP2
disadvantages+my opinion
– people are enticed to overspend (Ex. spontaneous purchases – clothes or electronic devices)
– people can lose control of their personal finances – if they fail to repay, they may face court proceedings
– there are more disadvantages
Step 7
Now you will need to reread the topic and check if your plan covers all the aspects and if it has the same focus.
Next, you can check the time and start writing your essay.
