IELTS VIP Podcast: How to Write IELTS Essays Like a Native English Speaker
Summary
TLDRIn this Isles VIP podcast, Chris discusses the unique characteristics of Western essay writing, which often challenge non-native English speakers preparing for the IELTS exam. He emphasizes the importance of adapting to Western writing styles, such as getting to the main point early, using a clear and logical structure, and expressing individualistic viewpoints. Chris also highlights the need for precise, functional language and the purpose of essays in Western culture, which is to communicate clearly and argue a point with evidence. He encourages students to embrace these differences to succeed in the IELTS and in academic writing in Western universities.
Takeaways
- 🎓 The VIP podcast by Isles Vantage delves into the nuances of Western essay writing, which is crucial for IELTS preparation.
- 🌐 Cultural differences can significantly impact essay writing styles, and understanding these is key for non-native English speakers.
- 📝 Western essays typically start with a clear main point, which contrasts with other cultures that may save the thesis for later.
- 📈 The structure of Western essays follows a logical order: introduction, main body with detailed points, and a summarizing conclusion.
- 🔄 Repeating main points in both the introduction and conclusion is common in Western writing to reinforce the essay's argument.
- 🧠 A linear, logical progression of ideas is valued in Western essays, which differs from more meandering styles in some other cultures.
- 💭 Individualistic perspectives are common in Western writing, where authors often express a clear, personal opinion on the topic.
- 📚 The language used in Western academic writing is precise and functional, with a focus on clarity rather than poetic flourish.
- 📝 The purpose of an essay in Western culture is to communicate clearly and argue a point with evidence, rather than merely stating opinions.
- 🌟 Adapting to Western essay writing styles is essential not just for IELTS success but also for academic and professional writing in English-speaking countries.
Q & A
What is the Isles VIP podcast?
-The Isles VIP podcast is a weekly podcast where Chris from Isles Vantage works with a small number of students from their VIP course. Each week, students suggest topics, and Chris creates a 10-20 minute podcast delving deeply into a specific area of the IELTS test.
Why do many students struggle with IELTS writing according to the podcast?
-Students often struggle with IELTS writing not because of poor language skills, but because they are unfamiliar with the Western style of essay writing, which is different from what they might be accustomed to in their own culture.
How does Chris's wife's experience moving to Northern Ireland relate to the concept of cultural differences in writing?
-Chris's wife found certain cultural practices in Northern Ireland, like making appointments to visit family, strange because they differ from Vietnamese customs. This illustrates how cultural differences can lead to unfamiliarity and challenges when adapting to new ways of doing things, similar to the challenges students face when learning Western essay writing.
What is the typical structure of an essay in an English-speaking country?
-The typical structure of an essay in an English-speaking country involves an introduction where the main point is stated, a main body where the points are developed with details and examples, and a conclusion that summarizes the main points.
Why do some students find the Western essay structure challenging?
-Some students find the Western essay structure challenging because they are used to a different writing style in their culture, where the main point is revealed towards the end of the essay, not at the beginning.
How does the Western style of essay writing differ in terms of language use?
-In Western essay writing, language is used precisely and functionally to communicate ideas clearly. It avoids overly flowery or poetic language, focusing instead on clear and to-the-point expression.
What is the importance of having a clear opinion in Western essay writing?
-In Western essay writing, it is important to have a clear opinion and to state it upfront. This individualistic approach contrasts with more collectivist cultures where essays might present multiple viewpoints without a clear personal stance.
Why is the logical order of points important in Western essays?
-The logical order of points in Western essays helps to create a clear and structured argument. It allows readers to follow the writer's thought process easily, enhancing the essay's clarity and persuasiveness.
How does the purpose of essay writing in Western culture differ from other cultures?
-In Western culture, the purpose of essay writing is to clearly communicate with the reader and present a clear argument with justifications and evidence. This contrasts with cultures where the essay might serve different purposes, such as showcasing vocabulary or exploring ideas from multiple perspectives.
What advice does Chris give to students who are frustrated with the differences in essay writing styles?
-Chris advises students not to be frustrated by the differences in essay writing styles but to learn and adapt to the Western way of writing, as it is necessary for success in the IELTS test and for academic writing in Western universities.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Western Essay Writing in IELTS
Chris from Isles Vantage introduces the VIP podcast, which delves into specific IELTS topics suggested by students. This week, the focus is on the unique characteristics of Western academic writing, which often challenges non-native English speakers. Chris explains that the difficulty arises not from poor language skills but from unfamiliarity with Western writing conventions. He uses cultural differences, like his wife's experience moving from Vietnam to Northern Ireland, to illustrate the concept of culture shock in writing. The podcast aims to help students adapt to these writing styles, which are essential for success in IELTS and future studies in English-speaking countries.
🔍 Understanding Western Essay Structure and Language
Chris discusses the typical structure of Western essays, emphasizing the importance of introducing the main point early, often in the introduction. This contrasts with other cultures where the main point is revealed towards the end. He also touches on the repetition of main points in both the introduction and conclusion, which is common in Western academic writing to reinforce the argument. Chris points out the logical and ordered progression of ideas in Western essays, which differs from more meandering styles in other cultures. Additionally, he highlights the individualistic nature of Western writing, where clear opinions and arguments are expected, as opposed to a collectivist approach that presents multiple viewpoints without a definitive stance.
💬 The Purpose and Style of Western Academic Writing
In the final paragraph, Chris addresses the language used in Western essays, advocating for precise and functional language over flowery or poetic expressions. He stresses the importance of clarity in communication and the need for a clear argument, supported by evidence and justification. Chris encourages students to understand these differences not as superior but as a necessary adaptation for success in IELTS and academic writing in Western cultures. He concludes by inviting feedback from students and directing them to resources on the Isles Vantage website and social media channels for further assistance.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡IELTS
💡Western essay writing
💡Academic writing
💡Cultural shock
💡Introduction
💡Conclusion
💡Structure
💡Individualistic
💡Collectivist
💡Functional language
💡Argument
Highlights
Introduction to the Isles VIP podcast and its focus on in-depth discussions on specific IELTS topics.
Explanation of the cultural differences in essay writing and their impact on IELTS performance.
The importance of understanding Western essay writing characteristics for IELTS success.
Anecdote about cultural shock and adapting to new ways of doing things, such as in Vietnam and Northern Ireland.
The Western essay writing approach of stating the main point at the beginning of the essay.
The structure of an English-speaking essay: introduction, main body, and conclusion.
The purpose of each section in an essay: introduction to state the topic, main body for detail, and conclusion for summary.
The challenge for students from different cultures to adapt to the Western essay structure.
The concept of logical order and clear progression in Western essays.
Cultural differences in expressing opinions in essays: individualistic vs. collectivist approaches.
The expectation in Western essays to have a clear and personal opinion on the topic.
The role of language in Western essays: precision and functionality over poetic or flowery language.
The purpose of writing an essay in Western culture: clear communication and argumentation.
Advice for students to learn and adapt to the Western essay writing style for IELTS success.
Encouragement for students to embrace the differences and apply them to improve their IELTS writing.
Offer of help and resources for students on the Isles Vantage website and social media channels.
Transcripts
everyone Chris here from Isles Vantage
with the Isles VIP podcast so let me
explain what the VIP podcast is so we
work with a very small number of
students in our VIP course and once a
week we ask them for an idea for a
podcast so this is their chance for me
to go really really deep on one specific
topic and do like a 10 20 minute podcast
on one very very particular area of the
IELTS test and we are a really good
suggestion this week which is the the
particular characteristics of western
essay writing or academic writing and
this is a really really good topic
because it's one of the main reasons why
many of you struggle with IELTS writing
and it's not because you're bad at
writing or even that your language is
bad per se it's because you are
unfamiliar with how people in the
Western world or the english-speaking
world whatever where you want to talk
about it is the way that they write
essays and this is much like like
culture shock if you move to a country
that is completely different to your
country then they might do things a
little bit differently to you now that
doesn't mean one is better than the
other or even that everybody does it
that way but it will just be unusual to
you so my wife is from Vietnam and when
she first moved here to Northern Ireland
there were a few things that she found
really strange for example whenever we
were going to call Ryan - a member of my
family we would call ahead and I kind of
make an appointment where she find that
really really strange because in Vietnam
you just go around and hang out with
your family you don't need to make a big
deal of it and the same thing is when I
moved to Vietnam one of the strange
things for me was at dinner time
everybody kind of eats from the from the
food in the middle of the table no one
really has their own meals and again
this is not one is better than the other
it's just through thousands of years of
culture that's the way people do things
and the same is is it it's exactly the
same when it comes to writing so I'm not
going to go into
the way that every single culture writes
or writes an essay what I'm going to
talk about are the distinguishing
characteristics of Western essay writing
especially the ones that my students say
are quite strange or they find it
difficult to grasp and that will help
you compare that to how you write in
your culture and and because at the end
of the day the IELTS test is designed
for people who want to move to the UK
Ireland Canada Australia so the wrong
thing to do is be like I don't like that
way and I write my way and in my country
I write that way if you have that
attitude you're never going to get the
score that you need you have to learn
and you have to adapt just in the same
way as if you do get the IELTS score you
need you're going to have to adapt to
the country that you're moving to so one
of the things that many many students
find difficult to grasp is the fact that
in in Western essays or English speaking
essays people generally get to the main
point at the very very beginning of the
essay so this could be a thesis
statement or this could be you the main
ideas right in your introduction and
many students find this very very
strange it's like why are you basically
answering the question in the first
sentence or the first paragraph because
they have been taught that you only
really reveal the answer or the thesis
or the main point towards the end of the
essay so that can be quite strange for
many people and I've even had students
argue with me that you shouldn't do that
you should never do that and and this
comes from just their their teachers and
their their high school or the primary
school teaching that and it's kind of
ingrained in them so that is the first
point and that is a bit strange so it is
getting used to how an introduction is
its formed and what are the purpose of
an introduction and improving that and
improving your ability to write that and
then also the overall structure of an
essay in an english-speaking country
will generally be you introduce it then
the main body will be
you develop it or you go into detail on
your main points and then the conclusion
will be a summary of your main points so
the best way to think about it is the
introduction is telling the reader the
this is what I'm going to talk about
this is really me answering the question
and then the main body is this is the
detail or this is the evidence here's my
explanations and my examples my main
points and then the conclusion is here's
a summary of what what just happened
above and for many people they find that
that difficult to understand because a
they just don't use that structure they
use a different a different way of
writing an essay but many people think
that that's unusual because they think
you're repeating yourself
and in some cultures you were taught to
not repeat the same points and to
meander through the essay and just talk
about different things at different
times so especially when it comes to the
same points being in the introduction
and the conclusion many people have a
problem with that and they say well why
did you talk about both and if you go
and look at you know any Journal article
like an academic article that you'll
find in any if you study in university
you'll look at the beginning it'll be a
summary of the of the main points on the
at the end it'll be a summary of the
main points so they are repeating
themselves and it's really just it to
help the reader understand what is going
on and that's why most essays are are
ordered and that brings me on to the
next point that there generally will be
a very logical order to what is going on
and as I've just mentioned introduction
introducing the points and then in order
this is point number one this is you
deal with that this is point number two
you deal with that this is point number
three you deal with that so there it's
very ordered and very structured and
there's a logical progression to the
essays where in some cultures that isn't
really valued it isn't about having a
logical order or logical structure and
other things are valued and such as you
know showing off your vocabulary which
we'll come to in a second or just
discussing things from many many many
different angles in many different
to view again I'm not going to talk
about every single way of writing an
essay from every single part of the
world and how it would be impossible but
that is one of the hallmarks of a
western-style essay which is a clear
linear progression the other thing that
you'll find in Western countries is
they're more individualistic compared to
some countries in the East which will be
more collectivist and because of that
people in the West will in their essays
will tend to have very very clear-cut
opinions on things whereas if you come
from a more collectivist society you
might talk about things from many many
different angles and not really have a
very very clear opinion a personal
opinion on something so you might talk
about some people like this some people
think this some people think that and
not really say what you think whereas
you know a Western essay might do that
as well you know this side thinks this
side thinks that but they will also have
a very clear-cut
opinion and it will be very clear what
their position is on the question and
this used to drive me crazy when I was
teaching students like why didn't you
answer the question why did you not tell
me what you think about the question and
it took many years to realize that they
had just been taught from a very young
age not to do that not to have that
clear opinion again not this not every
single student is like that and not
every culture is like that but it is it
is a problem that I recognized in in
some cultures the second-last difference
will be the difference in the type of
language that you use in some cultures
you AC essays is a chance to be poetic
or use very flowery language and to show
off their their their nice poetic prose
whereas if you're at university for
example in the West and if your
university in London or Toronto or
whatever that's not really valued you
are using very precise functional
language you're not showing off your
vocabulary
my that doesn't mean that you know
Western essays don't have very
high-level vocabulary in them but that
it's only used when it has to be used
most of the time it will be very
functional and very to-the-point type
language whereas if you a lot of the
students who start working with me one
of the very first things we do is just
like stop showing off stop using very
flowery poetic language understand that
vocabulary and grammar is used in the
West just as a tool to to clearly
communicate what you're thinking about
and/or what your argument is and that
brings me on to the last point which is
in Western culture the purpose of
writing an essay is basically twofold
one to clearly communicate with the
reader so that the reader understands
what you you think about this and a lot
of the time it's also to have a very
clear argument this is what I think not
argue as in you know punching people are
shouting at people but thinking think
about yourself as more more like how a
lawyer would argue their case in court
this is exactly what I think here are
the reasons and then therefore you have
to justify your positions you don't just
say I think this without explaining why
you think this and providing evidence so
that's why a lot of people have
difficulty with explanations and
examples they'll say I think this I
think this I think this but there won't
be any explanation or any evidence to
support that which is something that you
must put into a task 2 essay so
hopefully that makes sense it would be
great to hear from you guys to
understand the differences in your
culture and how you have maybe have been
taught to write an essay that's very
very very different to that and again I
think it's worth reiterating the point
that don't get frustrated and just think
oh it's so different why do they do it
that way that they're not you're not
going to change thousands of years of
culture and I alter not gonna change
their test because you have been taught
a different way it would be impossible
to have like a universal global way
writing because everyone is so different
you know that that's a valuable thing
but if you want to be doing the IELTS
test you have to learn the IELTS way of
doing it and it's not really the IELTS
way of doing it it's you know how
writing is supposed to be generally
supposed to be in western
english-speaking cultures and it's very
very useful to know that as well because
especially if you're moving and do to a
western country I'm attending a
university for example or doing
postgraduate studies or something like
that you will be expected to write that
way and and you will improve your your
university grade by doing it that way so
hopefully that was interesting as always
will be interesting to see your comments
and thank you very much guys if you need
any help feel free to go to our website
altitude Vantage com where you'll find
all the free help that you need and
check out our Facebook page or YouTube
channel and if you need extra help feel
free to get in touch via email chris at
IELTS advantage com
thank you very much boy
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