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How to Write a Great Introduction for IELTS Writing Task 2
Introduction is the first paragraph of your writing task 2 essay. It gives the first impression to the examiner how your essay is going to be. That's why you need to take a special care for this paragraph. On this page, we are going to show step by step how you can write a great introduction.
At first look at the 5 most common mistakes that you must avoid in the introduction paragraph:
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Trying to write too attractive sentences
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Using irrelevant sentences
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Not including a thesis statement
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Not giving the outline of the essay
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Using informal language
Let's discuss these points in detail:
1. Trying to write too attractive words/sentence
Don't get lost into using attractive words. The examiners will never judge how many fancy words you used in the introduction. Rather they will see how relevant your sentences are. In fact, if you spend time for sophisticated vocabulary, there is enough possibility of losing focus from the important points that you must address.
2. Using irrelevant sentence
You cannot afford to use irrelevant sentences. Because, you are asked to write only 250 words. If you write a few more, still you should never exceed 300. You cannot write more than 15-16 standard sentences with these words. That means every word is precious for you. If you write anything that is not related or less related to the question, you will run out of words when you really need them. Therefore, avoid wasting words with irrelevant sentences.
3. Not including a thesis statement
Thesis statement is the most important sentence of an IELTS Writing Task 2 essay. This is such a statement where you are picturing the whole essay in one sentence. By reading this sentence, examiners get the message how your essay is going discuss the issue. Because a thesis statement clearly states the position of the essay in response to question statement. Therefore, never forget to write a smart thesis statement in the introduction paragraph.
4. Not giving an outline of the essay
A paraphrased question sentence, a thesis statement and an outlining sentence, these three sentences must exist in your introduction paragraph. If you don't write one of these three sentences, you will lose marks for failing to meet the task achievement criterion, which is one of the four criteria for IELTS Writing exam.
5. Using informal language
You writing has to be a formal language. You must avoid informal expressions like gonna, wanna, gotta, folk, short forms like I'll, he'll, and I'm etc.
Finally, if you can avoid these 5 mistakes, you are definitely ready to write a great introduction.
We are going to construct an introduction paragraph addressing an actual test question. Make sure you go through all the stages for a complete understanding.
A Step by Step Construction of an Introduction Paragraph
Example Question
Reading books keeps a person’s mind active, whereas watching films and television is passive and does not require people to use their imagination.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
We are addressing this question to construct an introduction paragraph. You must have the following three sentences in an introduction.
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Sentence 1: Paraphrase the question sentence.
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Sentence 2: Write a thesis statement.
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Sentence 3: Write an outline sentence.
Let's see how you can construct these three sentences:
(We have a full article regarding how to write a thesis statement. We suggest you check it now, if you haven't already.)
First sentence is the paraphrase of the question statement. By reading this sentence, the examiner will get the perception whether you have properly understood the question or not.
This sentence is simply restating the question statement in your language. You can do this in many ways. For example, using synonyms, changing grammatical structures, using different word forms, and rearranging clauses etc.
Try to avoid the words that are already used in the question sentence, rather use synonyms. But remember, you should use synonyms only when you are 100% sure about the meaning. Because, the same word can convey a completely different meaning in a different context. We have given a detailed discussion how you can construct a sentence using paraphrases and synonyms. Check that discussion if you haven't already.
Thesis statement is the 2nd sentence. This is the most important sentence of your IELTS Writing Task 2 essay. This is such a sentence where you are picturing the whole essay. This sentence will demonstrate your position regarding the question statement, and it will also indicate how you are going to justify your position in the essay.
Remember, there will be only one thesis statement in an essay. In case of IELTS Writing Task 2 essay, the thesis statement should be in the introduction paragraph. From our Task 2 band 9 magic structure you already know that the Question Paraphrase is the first sentence of your introduction paragraph. The 3rd/final sentence of this paragraph will be an Outline Sentence, which states the key discussion points. The Thesis Statement will be the 2nd sentence in this paragraph, which is exactly in between the Question Paraphrase and the Outline Sentence.
Remember, you can incorporate both thesis statement and the outline part (the key discussion points) in the same sentence. In that case, you might complete the introduction paragraph writing only two sentences.
Let's apply our magic paragraphing technique for the introduction part:
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Sentence 1: Paraphrase the question sentence.
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Sentence 2: Write a thesis statement.
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Sentence 3: Write an outline sentence.
Sentence 1 (Paraphrase the question sentence)
"It is widely believed that reading books stimulate people’s imagination and expand their knowledge base, while watching movies is merely a momentary concentration."
Sentence 2 (Write a thesis statement)
"I completely agree with this statement because reading a book helps people to visualize at its best, whereas watching TV or film restrains them from thinking beyond the presented pictures or videos."
Sentence 3 (Write an outline sentence)
You can incorporate both thesis statement and the outline part (the key discussion points) in the same sentence. Here in case of this question, we have covered both areas in the second sentence of this paragraph.
The Complete Introduction
"It is widely believed that reading books stimulate people’s imagination and expand their knowledge base, while watching movies is merely a momentary concentration. I completely agree with this statement because reading a book helps people to visualize at its best, whereas watching TV or film restrains them from thinking beyond the presented pictures or videos."
Up next:
Just for a gentle reminder, We help students with a guarantee of 7+ band score in IELTS Writing. You can check how to avail the maximum benefit from our IELTS Writing Assistance.
Don't ignore the resources below:
Check the detailed discussion on all the types of IELTS Task 2 essays:
Don't forget to check the following resources as well: