IELTS-Simon-Writing-Task2-Lesson-7 Discussion essays

Summary

This IELTS Writing Task 2 lesson focuses on crafting a discussion essay. It guides through understanding the prompt, planning with a four-paragraph structure, brainstorming ideas, and writing with a clear stance. The instructor emphasizes the importance of discussing both viewpoints and providing a personal opinion. The lesson highlights vocabulary enhancement and structured planning as keys to achieving a high band score.

Takeaways

• 📝 The lesson focuses on writing a discussion essay for IELTS Task 2, emphasizing the importance of understanding the question and planning the essay structure.
• 👥 It discusses two viewpoints: encouraging competition in children and teaching them to cooperate, highlighting the need to cover both in the essay.
• 💡 The planning stage involves noting ideas for the introduction, main body, and conclusion, with a focus on brainstorming good ideas and vocabulary.
• 📈 The essay structure consists of four paragraphs: an introduction, two main body paragraphs discussing each viewpoint, and a conclusion.
• 🔑 The introduction should include a topic sentence and an answer sentence, clearly stating the writer's opinion that cooperation is more important.
• 🚀 For the main body, paragraph two argues why competition in children should be encouraged, linking it to motivation, self-confidence, and preparation for adult life.
• 🤝 Paragraph three supports the view that teaching cooperation is crucial, using examples from the workplace and the value of collaboration over winning.
• 🔄 The conclusion reiterates the importance of both competition and cooperation but asserts that a cooperative attitude is more desirable in adult life.
• 📑 The lesson provides a full plan with numbered ideas to guide the writing of the main paragraphs, ensuring a structured and coherent essay.
• 🌟 It emphasizes the use of high-level vocabulary to achieve a Band 9 essay, such as 'competitive spirit', 'healthy rivalry', and 'team collaboration skills'.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the IELTS Writing Task 2 lesson 7?

The main focus of the lesson is to guide students through the process of writing a discussion essay, including understanding the question, planning, writing an introduction, main body, and conclusion, and highlighting elements that make a good essay.

What is the specific essay question discussed in the lesson?

The essay question is about whether children should be encouraged to compete or cooperate, and it asks students to discuss both views and give their own opinion.

How many main body paragraphs are recommended for the essay structure in this lesson?

The recommended essay structure includes two main body paragraphs, one for each viewpoint, in addition to an introduction and a conclusion.

What are the two key viewpoints that the essay should cover?

The two key viewpoints are encouraging competition in children and teaching cooperation.

What is the instructor's opinion on the importance of competition versus cooperation in children?

The instructor's opinion is that while competition can be useful, cooperation is more important for children.

How does the instructor suggest organizing the main body paragraphs?

The instructor suggests organizing the main body paragraphs by starting with a basic topic sentence, explaining the idea, and then discussing the results or consequences of that idea.

What is the purpose of brainstorming ideas during the planning stage?

The purpose of brainstorming ideas is to ensure that the essay has good ideas and vocabulary, which are essential for a high-scoring essay.

What is the role of the introduction in the essay according to the lesson?

The introduction should include a topic sentence and an answer sentence, where the latter states the author's opinion on the balance between the benefits of competition and cooperation.

How does the instructor emphasize the importance of vocabulary in the essay?

The instructor highlights the use of a variety of vocabulary from the word families of 'competition' and 'cooperation', as well as phrases that add depth to the essay, to achieve a high band score.

What is the conclusion of the essay as outlined in the lesson?

The conclusion accepts both views but states that a cooperative attitude is more desirable in adult life, reflecting the instructor's opinion that cooperation is better.

What is the final piece of advice given by the instructor regarding the essay?

The final piece of advice is for students to download and print the worksheet, which includes a task reviewing the good vocabulary and the essay's organization.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Introduction to IELTS Writing Task 2

The paragraph introduces an IELTS writing task 2 lesson focusing on a discussion essay. The instructor explains the process of understanding the essay question, planning the essay structure, and writing an introduction, main body, and conclusion. The specific essay question from Cambridge IELTS Book Five is presented, which discusses whether children should be encouraged to compete or cooperate. The instructor emphasizes the importance of understanding both viewpoints and providing a personal opinion in the essay.

05:01

📈 Planning the Essay Structure

This paragraph details the planning process for the essay's structure, which includes an introduction, two main body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The instructor discusses the importance of highlighting key parts of the essay question and planning the introduction with a topic sentence and an answer sentence. The main body paragraphs are planned to discuss the benefits of competition and cooperation in children, respectively, with the conclusion reiterating the importance of cooperation over competition.

10:01

🤔 Brainstorming Ideas for the Main Body

The paragraph outlines the brainstorming process for the main body paragraphs. The instructor and students generate ideas for why competition should be encouraged in children and why cooperation is more important. The ideas are organized in a step-by-step manner to create a logical flow in the essay. The paragraph also includes the actual brainstormed ideas, such as motivation, self-confidence, independent work, and preparation for adult life for competition, and teamwork, collaboration, and fostering a cooperative attitude for cooperation.

15:03

📖 Writing the Main Paragraphs and Conclusion

The paragraph describes the process of writing the main body paragraphs and the conclusion based on the previously brainstormed ideas. The instructor provides examples of how to express these ideas in sentences, using a variety of vocabulary to enhance the essay's quality. The conclusion paragraph is crafted to accept both views but ultimately supports the importance of cooperation. The instructor also reviews the use of high-level vocabulary that can elevate the essay to a Band 9 score.

Keywords

💡IELTS Writing Task 2

IELTS Writing Task 2 is a section of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam that assesses a test-taker's ability to write essays or reports. In the context of the video, it is the focus of the lesson where the instructor guides students through the process of writing a high-scoring essay.

💡Discussion Essay

A discussion essay is a type of academic writing where the writer presents arguments for and against a particular topic. The video script discusses the structure and content of a discussion essay, specifically focusing on how to address both sides of an argument and provide a personal opinion.

💡Cambridge IELTS

Cambridge IELTS refers to a series of books published by Cambridge University Press that provide practice tests and materials for IELTS preparation. The script mentions using a question from 'Cambridge IELTS Book Five' as the basis for the essay.

💡Planning Stage

The planning stage is a crucial part of essay writing where ideas are brainstormed and organized before writing. The video script emphasizes the importance of planning, including understanding the question, noting ideas, and structuring the essay.

💡Introduction

In essay writing, the introduction is the opening section that presents the topic and provides an overview of the essay's content. The script details how to write an introduction with a topic sentence and an answer sentence, setting the stage for the essay's argument.

💡Main Body Paragraphs

The main body paragraphs are the central part of an essay where the writer expands on the ideas introduced in the introduction. The script outlines how to develop these paragraphs with detailed arguments supporting each viewpoint on the essay's topic.

💡Conclusion

A conclusion in an essay summarizes the main points and restates the writer's opinion. The video script explains how to craft a conclusion that reflects the introduction and reinforces the writer's stance.

💡Competition

Competition, as used in the script, refers to the idea that children should be encouraged to compete with each other as a means to develop certain skills. The script discusses the benefits of competition in children's development.

💡Cooperation

Cooperation is the concept of working together for a common purpose, as opposed to competition. The video script explores the value of teaching children to cooperate, suggesting it leads to more useful adult skills.

💡Vocabulary

Vocabulary is the range of words that a person knows and can use. The script highlights the importance of using a rich and varied vocabulary in IELTS essays to achieve higher bands, providing examples of advanced words used in the essay.

💡Band Seven to Nine Vocabulary

Band Seven to Nine Vocabulary refers to the level of English vocabulary that can earn a candidate a score between 7 and 9 in the IELTS writing section. The script provides examples of such vocabulary used in the essay to illustrate how it can enhance the quality of the writing.

Highlights

Introduction to IELTS Writing Task 2 Discussion Essay

Understanding the essay question and identifying key parts

Planning the essay structure with four paragraphs

Writing an introduction with a topic sentence and an answer sentence

Discussing the benefits of both competition and cooperation

Brainstorming ideas for the main body paragraphs

Organizing ideas into a coherent paragraph structure

Exploring the reasons to encourage competition in children

Discussing the outcomes of fostering competition

Arguing that cooperation is even more important for adult life

Providing examples of cooperation in the workplace

Emphasizing the value of collaboration over winning

Fostering a cooperative attitude in young people

Concluding the essay by accepting both views but favoring cooperation

Highlighting the use of advanced vocabulary to achieve a high band score

Providing a worksheet for practice and review

Announcing the next lesson on problem and solution essays

Transcripts

ielts writing task 2 lesson 7 discussion

essay

in this lesson similar to the last one

we're going to go through a full essay

we'll look at the question we'll make

sure we understand it see what it's

asking us to do then we'll go through

the planning stage noting ideas and then

we'll use those ideas to write an um an

introduction main body and conclusion

and at the end we'll check everything

and i'll highlight a few things that i

did that made it a good essay so let's

get started with this discussion essay

now

the question that i'm going to use in

this lesson comes from cambridge ielts

book five it's test three in that book

let's look at how my students and i

wrote a full essay for this question

here's the question first

some people think that a sense of

competition in children should be

encouraged

others believe that children who are

taught to cooperate rather than compete

become more useful adults discuss both

these views and give your own opinion

let's go through the planning steps

first first

read and understand the question and

highlight or underline key parts

i've highlighted both views

because it's very important that we

write a good paragraph about the two

viewpoints

then what are the two viewpoints well

i've highlighted the keywords

competition

and cooperate we're

discussing whether children should be

taught

one or the other of those things and we

also have to give our own opinion that's

important you need to make it clear in

your essay what you think as well as

well as discussing the two viewpoints

now on to step two in our planning

process which is

plan your essay structure the four

paragraph structure here are the four

paragraphs

introduction

two main body paragraphs and conclusion

and let's plan the introduction first we

need two sentences just a topic sentence

and an answer sentence

the topic of this essay is going to be

competition or cooperation

and the answer

benefits of both cooperation more

important that's the answer that my

students and i decided we would give

then let's jump in our planning to the

conclusion we just need to repeat that

answer in a different way so we'll say

something like this

accept both views and cooperation is

better in our opinion

and then in the middle the most

important part we've got the main body

paragraphs paragraph two is going to be

about one viewpoint which is

why encourage competition in children

and of course paragraph three will be

why teach cooperation and we'll make it

clear that that's our view as well

that's the structure

planned

now on to step three in the planning

process which is plan ideas for the two

main paragraphs and spend about six

minutes for this this is a very

important part of your planning

and of the whole test really because if

you don't have good ideas good

vocabulary you don't have an answer you

have nothing so it's very important to

spend some time brainstorming and

getting good ideas let's look at the

ideas that my students and i had

the topic of paragraph two is why

encourage competition in children here

are the ideas that we had

motivation to work harder be better than

other children

self-confidence

independent work

faster progress

competitive situations when children

leave school for example job interviews

prepared for adult life

that's the result of our brainstorming

now if we put numbers next to those

ideas we can think about how the

paragraph will be organized

we thought this isn't

a collection of separate ideas it's not

going to be a firstly secondly finally

paragraph really it's just one idea and

what happens as a result of that idea so

we thought that

the main reason why

we would like to encourage competition

in children is to motivate them so we'll

start with that as a basic topic

sentence

what will we motivate them to do we'll

motivate them to work harder because

they might want to be better than other

children

the next step after that is what will

this cause what will the result be

well it might cause them to have more

self-confidence

to work independently and to progress

faster if they're trying to compete

then we move on to what will happen

after school

well they'll have to compete in this

example for job interviews when they

leave school and finally that prepares

them well for adult life so as you can

see instead of having separate ideas we

think these are all related ideas going

step by step

through

why

competition is a good thing for children

if we do the same thing for paragraph

three

why teach cooperation

we'll start with the the ideas we had

cooperation is even more important

for example at work you work in teams

you follow a boss's instructions or you

help

other staff maybe junior staff

collaboration is more useful than

winning

better attitude for young people

working together

if we put these ideas

in order with numbers we thought the

basic idea is that cooperation is even

more important than

uh competition

and we went into an example then

um of what happens later in life so

instead of starting when children are

young we've gone straight to

the adult life why they need to be able

to cooperate at work working in teams

etc

and as a result of that we'll say that

this collaboration is more useful than

winning

so for young people it's better to teach

in them this um

cooperative attitude

and we'll finish with an idea that we

get children working together because

that's what they're going to do later in

life

so that's the full plan there with

numbers and that's what we're going to

use to write our main paragraphs in a

moment but first we need to go back to

the introduction

we've already planned the introduction

let's look at the question again

and our introduction plan just two

sentences a topic sentence

and an answer sentence

here's the topic sentence that we wrote

people have different views about

whether children should be taught to be

competitive or cooperative

notice the phrase people have different

views is a nice easy phrase that i often

use for discussion questions when it's

some people other people

notice also i've used competitive

instead of competition and cooperative

instead of cooperate or cooperation

so just changing the words

makes your introduction slightly

different from the question

now we need an answer and we have to

mention the benefits of both but our

opinion that cooperation is more

important here's the first part of our

answer

while a spirit of competition can

sometimes be useful in life

then the second part

i believe that the ability to cooperate

is more important

if you've watched my lesson about

introductions you'll have seen that i

like to use these while sentences

because you can contrast two different

things in the same sentence

so i've talked about the spirit of

competition being useful that's a good

phrase

but on the other hand the ability to

cooperate is more important so i've

mentioned both views and my opinion all

in the introduction so i've covered

everything the question asks me to cover

next we need to use the ideas that we

planned to write our main paragraphs

let's go to paragraph two first of all

the first idea for our topic sentence

was

why encourage competition we thought the

the first step the main reason was

motivation for children here's a

sentence to put that idea together

on the one hand competition can be a

great source of motivation for children

notice i've used on the one hand because

we're discussing

the two different points of view later

we'll use on the other hand

so we've started with this idea that

competition is a great source of

motivation for children then our next

idea was because they will work harder

try to be better than the other children

when teachers use games or prizes to

introduce an element of competitiveness

into lessons

it can encourage children to work harder

to outdo the other pupils in the class

you can see that i've added things there

i've added

what kind of competition this could be

so we thought we we should put something

like games or prizes that's what the

competitiveness could mean

then this phrase introduce an element of

competitiveness is a nice way of saying

bring competition into the classroom

and then we've got what we had in the

plan encourage children to work harder

and instead of the phrase be better than

other children i gave my students the

word out do

to out do someone means to to do better

than them

that was the second idea and then the

next step was

this would cause or result in self-conf

confidence independent work and faster

progress so let's express that in a

sentence

this kind of healthy rivalry may help to

build children's self-confidence while

pushing them to work independently and

progress more quickly

again there's some good vocabulary there

healthy rivalry rivalry is another word

competition between people

and we've put build self-confidence

pushing them to work independently and

progress more quickly

the next idea was

competitive situations when leave school

so we're going on to why children need

this competitive spirit when they leave

school and we wrote

when these children leave school their

confidence and determination will help

them in competitive situations such as

job interviews

so we've expressed that idea we've used

a good word there in determination

and finally

prepared for adult life so like a

concluding sentence this com

competition or competitive nature will

prepare them for adult life we wrote

it can therefore be argued that

competition should be encouraged in

order to prepare children for adult life

that's the paragraph finished it's five

sentences and it's 102 words long

let's do the same thing for paragraph

three

we'll start with the idea

cooperation is even more important we

wrote

on the other hand because

we're comparing here the two viewpoints

it is perhaps even more important to

prepare children for the many aspects of

adult life that require cooperation

so what we're saying here is

although

competition is sometimes useful there

are many more

times in life many aspects of adult life

that require cooperation

the next idea

was straight into this example work in

in work we work in teams

here's what we wrote

in the workplace adults are expected to

work in teams

follow instructions given by their

superiors or supervise and support the

more junior members of staff

all of those are cooperation

elements so workplace is a good word to

use there work in teams follow

instructions instead of bosses i used

the word superiors i gave that word word

to my students as a nice alternative

and

supervising support instead of just help

good words

um to substitute there for the word help

and junior members of staff i think

junior members of staff is a nice phrase

the next point was

collaboration is more useful than

winning so we expressed that in a short

sentence

team collaboration skills are much more

useful than a competitive determination

to win

and then we moved on to this is a going

to be a better attitude for young people

this is the attitude that i believe

schools should foster in young people

um attitude that i believe school school

should foster we say to foster an

attitude which is to create an attitude

and notice that i put i believe in this

sentence

it's nice to have

this um

making this clear that this is our

opinion on my opinion in this paragraph

and the last idea

working together we said we were going

to finish just in a general way talking

about children and adults working

together

instead of promoting the idea that

people are either winners or losers

teachers could show children that they

gain more from working together

that's again five sentences and we

finish that paragraph in

99 words

and the last paragraph of course is the

conclusion if we go back to the plan

that we wrote for the conclusion we're

going to say

that we accept both views but we think

cooperation is better

first i'll show you half a sentence

where i accept the other view

in conclusion i can understand why

people might want to encourage

competitiveness in children

by saying i can understand why i'm

accepting

the view that competitiveness could be

useful

but notice the sentence isn't finished

we've got a comma there

but it seems to me that a cooperative

attitude is much more desirable in adult

life

so we're saying that cooperation is

better i've used more desirable instead

of better and that's the full essay

finished you can read the full essay by

downloading the worksheet that is

attached to this

next to this video but first let's

quickly review the good vocabulary the

band seven to nine vocabulary or some of

it from this essay the the vocabulary

that the examiner would really notice

well first we had

these words all the time competition and

cooperation but instead of just using

those same two words i also used

competitive cooperative cooperate and

competitiveness

so some variety in the different types

of words that you can use in that word

family

a spirit of competition

a source of motivation

introduce an element of competitiveness

outdo other pupils healthy rivalry

build self-confidence determination

aspects of adult life

superiors junior members of staff

team collaboration skills

attitude that schools should foster

promoting the idea

and

a cooperative attitude is more desirable

it's that good vocabulary that really

makes this a band 9 essay

that's the end of this lesson and as i

said before you should

print the worksheet download it and

print it and do the um the small task on

there that reviews some of the good

vocabulary

and the way the essay is organized

next week we'll do the same thing but

with a problem and solution essay