IELTS writer's block
Feb 22, 2024
Audio: 5 min. 46 sec.
One of the biggest problems people have when they sit the IELTS exam is something called “writer’s block”.
Writer’s block is like a brain freeze that happens when you sit down to write something, and can happen for a number of reasons.
We all know that sitting the IELTS exam, and the writing section in particular, is an incredibly stressful experience.
In fact, if you have never had a job interview or don’t have kids, it may be the most stressful event in your life so far.
This stress is what leads to “writer’s block”.
You sit down at your desk, open the test booklet, and something terrible happens – you cannot focus on the question, and NO IDEAS come into your head about the topic.
The more you try the worse it becomes; your heart starts beating quickly, you can’t stop swallowing, you start sweating.
What a disaster! Lucky for you, we have a solution to IELTS writer’s block called ... brainstorming and planning for IELTS task 2.
Step 1 – Gather your resources
The first thing you need to do is go to your local library and get 5 copies of the Cambridge IELTS test books (CLICK THE LINK ABOVE).
Each of these books contains 4 complete IELTS tests for Academic candidates, as well as the reading and writing modules for General Training candidates.
We are going to use the task 2 writing questions that are at the end of each test.
If you plan to do the Academic test, you should use Academic questions, and if you plan to do the General test, you should use General questions.
Step 2 – Buy a notebook
The next thing we need is a notebook that we can write inside.
Once you have bought a notebook, you can write each IELTS task 2 question at the top of a different page.
An example of a task 2 question (test 4 from Cambridge IELTS 9) would be:
Each year several languages die out. Some people think that this is not important because life will be easier if there are fewer languages in the world. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Step 3 – Brainstorm ideas
Now comes the tricky bit – we will have to actually start thinking about ideas that we can use in this task 2 response.
The question above is asking us to agree or disagree with the idea that it is OK if languages die out. We could agree, disagree, or explore both options.
At this point we simply need to come up with some ideas, so let’s have a go…
Agree: (i) It will be easier to talk with people from anywhere, (ii) it will be easier to move around the world, (iii) we will not need to spend so much time on translating texts, (iv) signs won’t need to be in different languages everywhere.
Disagree: (i) The world will become a lot less diverse, (ii) some people will be left out of this revolution due to age/unfortunate circumstances, (iii) a great cultural inheritance will be lost, (iv) language binds communities and generations together.
Step 4 – Make a plan
After brainstorming some great ideas, we need to choose the best ones that we will use in our essay.
Our essay plan does not need to be a long, detailed document, but it does need to be able to get us from the introduction all the way to our conclusion.
A good essay plan will include two ideas for each body paragraph, and might also include the topic sentences for each body paragraph and examples to support each idea.
Let’s take a look at a simple plan below. It uses the four ideas from the brainstorm in step 4.
Opinion: Disagree
BODY 1 topic sentence: On the one hand, life will definitely be easier with fewer languages in the world.
Idea 1: It will be easier to move around the world
Support 1: Highly educated people from poorer countries will find it much easier to work elsewhere
Idea 2: Signs won’t need to be in different languages everywhere
Support 2: Signs at airports or on the street can be smaller and cheaper
BODY 2 topic sentence: On the other hand, having a variety of languages makes the world more diverse and binds communities together.
Idea 1: The world will be more diverse with more languages
Support 1: One of the most exciting parts of visiting a foreign country is hearing a new language
Idea 2: Language binds communities and generations together
Support 2: If grandparents and grandchildren speak different languages, their connections will be broken
Step 5 – Write 20 plans in your notebook
On each page of your notebook, write three things:
- A task 2 question at the top of the page
- A brainstorm in the middle of the page
- A plan at the bottom of the page
Once you have 20 or more plans, review them before the test, and you will already be 5 steps ahead of everyone else taking the IELTS exam!!!
