Writing
Forty words, a paraphrase and a direction, and the first thing an examiner judges. With a practice exercise.
The IELTS Task 2 introduction is the first thing an examiner reads, and it is where they form an initial judgement about your level. It does not need to be clever. It needs to do two jobs: restate the question in your own words, and show where the essay is going.
It should also be short. Forty words is plenty. A long introduction eats time you need for the body paragraphs, which is where the marks actually are.
What goes wrong
Here is a real example of the opening candidates write under pressure, on the question: should we be less concerned with exercise?
No, I don't agree. I don't think we should worry about exercising. I think people should live how they want and that's it. Just a bit of running isn't going to help much.
It reads like speech. IELTS Task 2 is a formal essay, and casual phrasing costs marks under Lexical Resource whatever the ideas are.
Don't, isn't, that's. In formal writing these are wrong, and they also make your answer shorter when you need the words.
Four simple sentences in a row. Combining them with relative clauses would show the grammatical range the higher bands require.
Nothing tells the examiner what the essay will cover. The reader should finish the introduction knowing what is coming.
It is arguable that being overly concerned with exercise is not necessarily worthwhile. More importance should be given to living comfortably, as there is often insufficient time to follow an effective regime, as will now be discussed.
Method
Four things to do, two to avoid.
Reword the statement using different vocabulary and a different structure. Rejected becomes insufficiently practical to pursue. Do not copy the question.
If the question asks whether you agree, your introduction should signal your position. If it asks for solutions, signal that solutions are coming.
Something like as will now be discussed, or a brief indication of the two areas you will cover. The examiner should know what is coming.
Two or three sentences. Anything longer takes time from the body paragraphs, which carry the argument and most of the marks.
Copied words are excluded from your word count and score nothing. It is also immediately obvious to the examiner.
Statistics you have made up add nothing and can look careless. State the issue and move on.
Practice
For each pair, choose the stronger opening.
Task: The arts should be rejected in favour of more practical studies. Do you agree?
A strong introduction paraphrases that statement, signals a position, and points forward. It does not copy, and it does not run to eighty words.
1Which opening paraphrases the question best?
B. Rejected becomes insufficiently practical to pursue, and the structure is changed. A copies the question, C changes the meaning, and D announces the essay rather than restating the issue.
2Which sentence best shows your position?
B. It states a position and gives the reason in the same sentence. The other three fill space without committing to anything.
3How long should a Task 2 introduction be?
No more than 40 words. Two or three sentences. Longer introductions take time from the body paragraphs, where the argument and most of the marks are.
4What is wrong with copying words from the question?
They are excluded from the word count. Copied wording earns nothing and signals to the examiner that you cannot paraphrase, which is itself assessed.
5Which is the better final sentence of an introduction?
B. It points forward and tells the examiner the essay has a plan. D belongs in the conclusion, and A and C are empty.
A common pattern is a beautiful introduction followed by two rushed body paragraphs. The introduction is worth forty words, not ten minutes.
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No more than about forty words, which is two or three sentences. A longer introduction takes time and words away from the body paragraphs, where the argument is.
No. Words copied directly from the question are excluded from your word count and score nothing, and the inability to paraphrase is itself assessed.
If the question asks for your opinion, yes. Stating your position early makes the essay easier to follow and easier to mark.
Yes, sparingly, particularly when the question asks for your opinion. What to avoid is a conversational tone built on repeated I think.
No. Openings like in today's modern world are so common that examiners see them constantly, and they use words without saying anything.
Full membership
You can compare your opening against the rules on this page. Judging the whole essay against four criteria is what an examiner does, and it is not something you can do for yourself.
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