Jessica Beck
"Director of IELTS Training"
Aubrey Carter
"3 Keys IELTS Certified Coach"

You’ve likely heard that IELTS writing templates save time.

However, you may have heard some misinformation about them online!

Today we answer 2 student questions about IELTS writing.

We’ll share how to use templates and how they affect your score.

You’ll also learn about the need for a thesis sentence.

Stay tuned for these vital strategies!

Do you need a thesis sentence on Task 2?

The most important issue is always how something affects the score.

You need to know how your IELTS writing score is affected if your essay has no thesis sentence.

The thesis is your road map.

It creates clear organization in your essay.

For band 7 on Task 2, you must logically organize information and ideas.

This is much harder to do without a thesis!

Example essay

As an example, consider a topic about whether the government should financially support artists.

The introduction in paragraph 1 ends with, ‘However, I feel that it’s the government’s responsibility to sponsor artists.’

The first body paragraph begins with, ‘Some feel that artists must earn their own money to create…’

The second body paragraph begins with, ‘Nevertheless, I still feel that art is a noble pursuit and not a financially secure career, so governments should help those adding beauty to society…’

As you can see, the ‘clear progression throughout’ that is required by the scoring system is not here.

It’s confusing without the map provided by a thesis.

Where should the thesis be?

To optimize the organization of your essay, the thesis should be the last sentence of your introduction.

First, introduce the topic.

Second, share your opinion clearly and directly.

Third, include a thesis statement providing details about what will be included.

Remember that the Examiner is looking for specific things.

Rather than getting fancy in an attempt to impress, make sure the essay is organized.

A clear understanding of the scoring system is vital.

Strategies Created by a Former IELTS Examiner

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Can template sentences lower scores?

One of our students informed us that she read online that template sentences can lower scores.

The claim was that Examiners recognize them and they give a bad impression.

It’s important to be aware that templates are merely a structure.

They are not complete sentences.

Your own ideas need to be added to the linking words and phrases in templates.

For this reason, they only increase scores.

They help you save time by providing high-level linking phrases and vocabulary.

You then add topic-specific ideas.

However, if templates are used incorrectly, they can lower scores.

Linking phrases have meaning and must be used in the correct context.

Template sentence example

One template provided in our online course, 3 Keys IELTS, is ‘a shining example.’

The murals downtown, which attract loads of tourists and their money, are a shining example of how art boosts social development.

If this template is used incorrectly, it would affect the score.

A ‘shining example’ is always something positive.

The following sentence is an incorrect usage of it.

The increase in anxiety and depression is a shining example of this.

You must understand the vocabulary in template sentences so you use them correctly.

Takeaway

Both template sentences and thesis statements are vital in IELTS Task 2 essays.

However, you must know how to use both of these correctly!

Today’s tips give you the information you need to use these strategies in your essays.

Practice including a thesis in your essays!

Practice using templates to save time!

For high-scoring templates for every IELTS essay, sign up for our online course.

What questions do you have from today’s episode?

Please leave a comment below.

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