Reading the Question — Essay Writing 3 (C1)

ESSAY WRITING · LESSON 3

Reading the Question

C1–C2 · IELTS Writing Task 2 · 90 minutes

The myth: both sides, always

Task Alone: score the statement on the 1–5 scale and write your number down. Keep it for later. In pairs: explain your number. Then agree one reason why so many teachers give this advice.

1

strongly agree

2

mostly agree

3

on the fence

4

mostly disagree

5

strongly disagree

"Every essay must cover both sides."

Topic and task

Topic is what the essay is about. Task is what you must do with it. Two essays on the same topic can answer completely different tasks.

THE PROMPT

Many people believe that children today spend too little time outdoors. What are the causes of this, and what can parents and schools do about it?

WORKED NOTES

Topic

children spending too little time outdoors.

Task

explain causes, then propose solutions.

Parts

1. the causes; 2. what parents can do; 3. what schools can do.

Words to watch

"parents and schools" (two groups, so two kinds of solution); "too little" (the prompt treats it as a problem already, so don't spend a paragraph proving it).

Topic and task (2)

Under every Task 2 prompt sits a standing line asking you to "give reasons for your answer" and to include relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience (IELTS sample tasks). That is part of the instruction too.

Why misreading costs the most: an essay can be well organised, precise and accurate, and still be the answer to a different question. A misreading happens in the first two minutes, and no amount of good writing later can repair it.

TR

CC

LR

GRA

Task Response

Coherence and Cohesion

Lexical Resource

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

“Did it answer the question?”

“Can I follow it?”

“Is every word the right one?”

“Is every sentence under control?”

Five shapes

Opinion

Discussion + opinion

Advantages vs disadvantages

"To what extent do you agree or disagree?" or "Do you agree or disagree?"

Your job: a clear position on the claim, held from the first paragraph to the last.

"Discuss both views and give your own opinion."

Two jobs: present each view fairly, and say where you stand.

"Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?"

Your job: a verdict on the balance, not two lists.

Problem or cause + solution

Two-part question

"What are the causes? What can be done?"

Two jobs: explain, then propose. The solutions should answer the causes you gave.

Two direct questions in one prompt. Two jobs: answer each one directly, in the words of the question.

These are teaching labels, not an official IELTS taxonomy. They help you see the job quickly. Real prompts often combine them.

Sort the prompts

Task In pairs, write each letter (A–J) in one column of the table. Then choose ONE prompt you disagreed about, or prompt B if you agreed on everything, and write two sentences defending where you put it.

A.

Fewer young people now learn to cook at home. What problems does this cause, and how could they be solved?

B.

Some people think that hosting a major international sporting event brings more benefits than costs to a city. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

C.

Some employers now record how many hours their staff spend active at their computers. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

D.

Many national museums now offer free entry, paid for by taxes. Some people say this is a good use of public money, while others think visitors should pay. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

E.

Language-learning apps are now used by millions of people. Can they replace classroom teaching? What role, if any, should teachers play in the future?

Sort the prompts (2)

F.

In many large cities, young adults cannot afford to rent a home of their own. What are the causes of this, and what can be done about it?

G.

Some people believe that schools should stop setting homework for children under the age of twelve. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

H.

Many people today follow the news mainly through social media. Why is this happening? Is it a positive or negative development?

I.

Some people think the best way to reduce waste is to make products that last longer, while others believe recycling is more effective. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

J.

More and more people now work for several employers at once on short contracts, rather than for one company. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

Opinion

Discussion + opinion

Advantages vs disadvantages

Problem or cause + solution

Two-part question

The sort: the verdict

Opinion

Discussion + opinion

Advantages vs disadvantages

Problem or cause + solution

Two-part question

B, G

D, I

C, J

A, F

E, H

B talks about benefits and costs, but the task is to agree or disagree with a claim, so it is an opinion prompt. Your essay still has to weigh benefits against costs, because that is what the claim is about.

H ends like an opinion prompt, but it has two questions. An essay that only judges social media news has answered half of it.

E opens with a yes or no question, then asks a second one. "If any" lets you argue that teachers have no future role, but you still have to answer.

Slippery prompts

Qualifiers

Hidden two-part tasks

"Always", "only", "never", "all", "the main reason", "more than". The qualifier is part of the claim. If the claim says "the main reason", you are judging whether it is the main one, not whether it is a reason.

One sentence, two jobs. "Why do people do this, and is it a good thing?" needs reasons AND a judgement. Count the question marks, and the word "and".

"To what extent" vs "do you agree"

Both ask for your position. "To what extent" openly invites a degree, such as largely or only partly, so say how far, and say it clearly. "Do you agree" sounds like yes or no, but a qualified answer is still an answer if the position is clear.

"Outweigh"

A scale with two pans. The task is the verdict: which side is heavier, and why. Describing both sides equally and stopping there leaves the question unanswered.

Slippery prompts (2)

Task In pairs, dissect both prompts. For each one, write short notes in your own document: Topic, Task, Parts (numbered), Words to watch, and one sentence beginning "A complete answer must…". About 4 minutes per prompt.

PROMPT 1

Some people argue that the main purpose of a university education should be to prepare students for employment. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

PROMPT 2

Many people now buy cheap clothes that they wear only a few times. Why do people shop like this, and do the advantages of cheap fashion outweigh the disadvantages?

Diagnose: the drift

Task In pairs, answer in your own document. 1. Which question does Introduction A answer? Write it as a prompt. 2. Which part of the real task is missing? 3. Rewrite the last sentence as a position that answers the real prompt, without giving your reasons (15–25 words). About 6 minutes.

THE PROMPT

Some people say that the main reason young people leave the countryside is the lack of well-paid jobs. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

INTRODUCTION A · 47 words

Across much of the world, from rural Portugal to northern Thailand, villages are emptying as young adults move to the cities. They leave for three main reasons: the shortage of well-paid work, the distance from universities and colleges, and the wider social life that a city offers.

The drift: what the examiner saw

The question it answers: "Why do young people leave the countryside?" That is a cause question. The thesis lists three reasons and treats them as equal.

What is missing: the task. The prompt makes a claim, that jobs are the MAIN reason, and asks how far you agree. Introduction A never judges the claim. It has turned "the main reason" into "a reason", and the essay it promises would explain the problem without answering the question.

ONE POSSIBLE FIX (PARTLY AGREE)

ANOTHER (AGREE)

The lack of well-paid work matters, but I do not believe it is the main reason most young people leave.

I agree that, for most young people, the lack of well-paid work is the main reason they leave.

Choose your portfolio prompt

Some people think that public money spent on space exploration would be better spent on solving problems on Earth. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some people say that the only way to improve public health is to make unhealthy food more expensive. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

1

2

Some people believe that teenagers should be free to choose most of the subjects they study at secondary school, while others think adults should decide for them. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

In many cities, older buildings are being replaced by modern high-rise developments. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

3

4

In many workplaces, employees feel they are expected to answer messages outside working hours. What problems does this cause, and what could employers or governments do about it?

More people than ever are taking short holidays abroad. Why is this the case? What effects does it have on the places they visit?

5

6

Choose your portfolio prompt (2)

Task Choose ONE prompt. This is your portfolio essay for the rest of the course. In your own document, write your dissection notes: Topic, Task, Parts (numbered), Words to watch, and one sentence beginning "A complete answer must…". About 60–80 words of notes, 10 minutes. When you've finished, read the prompt again, word by word, and check every part is in your notes.

Today's notes come before word one of your essay. They decide what your introduction must promise and what each body paragraph must cover.

Introduction

Body 1

Body 2

Conclusion

40–50

100–110

100–110

30–40

0

100

250 minimum

200

~320 ceiling

~300 target

Swap and check

1

Task Partner

2

Task Writer

Compare your partner's list with your notes. Did you both find the same parts? Agree on one strength in your notes and one thing to add. Then swap roles.

Your partner tells you their prompt number. In 2 minutes, list every part of the instruction you can see, and any words to watch.

Back to the myth

Task Score the statement again on the 1–5 scale. Has your number moved? Why?

1

strongly agree

2

mostly agree

3

on the fence

4

mostly disagree

5

strongly disagree

"Every essay must cover both sides."

Before Lesson 4

Read the task, not just the topic: every part of the instruction is a promise your essay has to keep.

TR

Task Response

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

The prompt decides whether you need both sides, a verdict, a solution or two separate answers. Your notes are the checklist your finished essay will be measured against.

LR

Lexical Resource

Next lesson: Taking a Position. Your dissection becomes a thesis you can defend and a five-minute plan, and we test the advice to sit on the fence.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Homework

Task Dissect your portfolio prompt fully, in your own document. Write notes on: the shape (which teaching label, or which mix); the topic; the task; every part of the instruction, numbered; every word to watch, and why; and one way an essay on this prompt could drift. Then write two full sentences on what a complete answer must do. About 100 words of notes plus the two sentences (30–50 words), 20–30 minutes. No essay yet: these notes come before word one of your ~300-word budget.

About 100 words of notes plus the two sentences (30–50 words)

20–30 minutes

TEACHER'S REFERENCE · SKIP OR DELETE BEFORE CLASS

Answer key (1)

THE SORT: THE VERDICT Sort the prompts

• A. Problem or cause + solution. Problems caused, then solutions; the solutions should answer the problems named.

• B. Opinion (disputed). The words "benefits" and "costs" pull it towards advantages vs disadvantages, and pairs who put it there have a point: the essay must weigh them. But the task is to agree or disagree with someone else's claim, so the thesis is a position on the claim, and "more benefits than costs" is the thing being judged. "A city" also matters: benefits to the host city, not to the country or to sport.

• C. Advantages vs disadvantages. "Outweigh"; and "record how many hours staff spend active" is narrower than "monitor staff".

• D. Discussion + opinion. Two views stated, plus "give your own opinion": both views fairly, then a position.

• E. Two-part question (disputed). Some pairs call it opinion because "Can they replace classroom teaching?" invites agree or disagree. But there are two direct questions, and the second (the teachers' future role) needs its own answer. "If any" permits the answer "none", but not silence.

• F. Problem or cause + solution. Causes, then solutions; "of their own" narrows the topic (not housing in general).

• G. Opinion. One claim, "to what extent". Watch "under the age of twelve": the essay is about younger children, not all homework.

TEACHER'S REFERENCE · SKIP OR DELETE BEFORE CLASS

Answer key (2)

• H. Two-part question (disputed). Part 1: why it is happening. Part 2: a judgement (positive or negative). It is often sorted as opinion because the second question looks like one. "Mainly" matters: the topic is people for whom social media is the main source, not people who use it at all.

• I. Discussion + opinion. Two views, plus your opinion. Watch "the best way": both views are claims about which method is best, so the opinion has to rank them, not just say both help.

• J. Advantages vs disadvantages. "Outweigh".

SLIPPERY PROMPTS

• Prompt 1. Topic: the purpose of a university education. Task: judge a claim and say how far you agree. Parts: 1. your position on the claim; 2. how far you agree, made clear. Words to watch: "main purpose" (the claim is not that job preparation is a purpose, but that it should be the main one; arguing that universities should ignore jobs entirely attacks a claim nobody made); "should" (what ought to be, not what universities do now). A complete answer must say how far the writer agrees that preparing for work should come first, and what, if anything, should rank alongside it or above it.

TEACHER'S REFERENCE · SKIP OR DELETE BEFORE CLASS

Answer key (3)

• Prompt 2. Topic: buying cheap clothes worn only a few times. Task: explain, then weigh. Parts: 1. why people shop like this; 2. a verdict on whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Words to watch: "like this" (cheap AND worn only a few times, not all clothes shopping); "and" (the hidden second job); "outweigh" (a verdict, not two lists); advantages for whom (shoppers, workers, the environment: the writer chooses, but should say). A complete answer must explain the reasons in its first part and give and defend a clear verdict on the balance in its second. Note for the myth: here both sides are required, but only in the second part.

DIAGNOSE: THE DRIFT

1 Introduction A answers "Why do young people leave the countryside?" (a cause question).

2 Missing: the judgement of the claim. The prompt asks how far the writer agrees that jobs are the MAIN reason; the thesis gives three reasons of equal weight and takes no position. The qualifier "the main reason" has been read as "a reason", and "to what extent" has been dropped.

3 Any position that states how far the writer agrees that jobs are the main reason is acceptable; the reasons belong to the body paragraphs, not the introduction (Lesson 5): see the two fixes on "The drift: what the examiner saw". A position that ranks the reasons ("jobs matter most, followed by education") does answer the question, if it is explicit that jobs come first. A position that adds a fourth reason has not fixed the drift.