Types of questions on

IELTS part 2
What is a thesis statement?

Thesis- An idea put forward for consideration, especially one to be discussed or analysed

A thesis statement is the most important sentence in your IELTS writing task 2 answer. It is
contained in the introductionand each introduction should have one; along with a paraphraseof
the question and an outline statement.
 5 question types

1. do you agree or disagree?

2. Discuss the advantages and disadvantagesand give your own
opinion.
3. Discuss both sides of this argument and then give your own
opinion.
4. Problems and solutions
5. Causes and solutions
 1 Agreeing/disagreeing
There is a good deal of evidence that increasing car use is contributing to global
warming and having other undesirable effects on peoples health and well-being.

You have a choice. Which one is the best choice?

1. I Agree

2. I disagree

3. I both agree or disagree

Which sentence is better as a thesis statement?

A. I agree that global warming affects our heath.

B. This essay describes why global warming affects our heath.

2. Discussing advantages and
disadvantagesand giving your own opinion.

Computers are being used more and more in education.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantagesand give your own opinion.
In this kind of question we need to state what we think the main advantage is
and what the main disadvantage is.
Thesis Statement: The principal advantage is the amount of information
instantly available to students and the main disadvantage is the lack of discipline
and motivation provided by computers.
3.Discuss both sides of this argument and
then give your own opinion.

Computers are being used more and more in education. Some people say that this is a positive
trend, while others argue that it is leading to negative consequences.
Discuss both sides of this argument and then give your own opinion.

For this kind of question we need to ______ state both sides of the argument and ________ our own
opinion. We do this by simply ___________ the question; thus stating both sides, and then giving our own
_______. Our own opinion will be just one side of the argument.

1. state 2. clearly 3. opinion 4. paraphrasing

Even if you favour both sides of the argument, just state one. This leads to a clearer answer.

Thesis statement: Some argue that schools and universities increasing use of computers is a beneficial
trend, while others are opposed to this view. This essay agrees that growing use of technology by educators
is a positive development.
 4. Problems/solutions

Students are becoming more and more reliant on computers.

What are some of the problems associated with reliance on computers, and what are some of the
possible solutions?

Our thesis statement will need to state one main problem and one main solution. We recommend choosing
two good ideas that should be developed fully.

Thesis statement: The principal problem is students allowing machines to do all the work for them without
thinking for themselves and a possible solution is to have stricter supervision from teachers and parents.
5. Cause and Solution

Cause and Solution Question

In some countries the average weight of people is increasing and their levels of health and fitness
are decreasing.

What do you think are the causes of these problems and what measures could be taken to solve
them?

Thesis statement: The principal cause of this problem is peoples sedentary lifestyles and a possible
solution is to educate society about the dangers of not keeping fit.
 Writing conclusions

The conclusion briefly supports your thesis. It

reminds the reader of your intentions. It returns the
idea you presented in your introduction and uses
them to conclude with a restatement, summary,
generalisation, prediction question or
recommendation