The “Exam Attack” Approach

City centers are very crowded with cars. They often cause a great deal of pollution. Cars should be banned
from all these centers.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

1. Which of the following 50-word paragraphs (A, B, or C) do you like best? Why?

A Cars should be banned and eliminated from cities. Not only should they be banned but also not tolerated, and
thrown from the lives of all urban dwellers. Such removal from society allows for cleaner air, purifying what we
breathe, purging an evil from society and a burden from our existence.

B I think cars should be banned from cities. One reason for this is to improve the air quality, which surely would
follow. Another reason is to reduce car accidents, and this in turn would save society a great deal of money. These
reasons alone are sufficient to justify removing cars.

C Cars multiply as flowers do. As flowers are thought of as good, if they grow over a farmer's field so thickly to
replace the rice, then their beauty is not considered. Animals can eat flowers, but not always--so farmers, animals,
and flowers must have a proper balance in this world.

2. Which of the following lines (1, 2, or 3) best shows the way each paragraph makes its point?

3. Which of the paragraphs do you think would be best in an IELTS test, and in western universities?

Each paragraph—A, B, and C—has good points. Paragraph A makes its point in a pattern like Line 3—a series of similar
structures. The point is clear and repeated in similar ways with some force and interesting images. Paragraph B makes its
point like Line 1—a straight line. It makes a clear point at the beginning, argues it logically, and repeats it at the end.
Paragraph C makes its point like Line 2—a spiralling line. The point is not so clear, but the writing is creative and makes
the reader think about the subject in different ways.

Some people think that Paragraphs A, B, and C are typical of Arabic, Western, and Asian writing styles respectively. Each
of these paragraphs could be good writing in the right situation; however, in the situation of an IELTS test, and in western
universities, it is the second paragraph, with straight-line logical sequence, which is judged as better. Looking at the public
version of the IELTS band descriptors, writers are advised to do the following:

 present a clear position

 sequence information and ideas logically
 present, extend, and support main ideas
 present a clear central topic within each paragraph

So, it is the straight-line logic of the second paragraph that we will work towards in this book. This might be difficult or
unfamiliar to you, for example, if you do not like giving a direct opinion, or arguing it strongly, or disagreeing with others,
or if you prefer long and imaginative sentences mixing together many ideas. But to repeat, in an IELTS test, the direct and
straight-line model is the one you will need to become used to if you want to achieve higher band scores. So, let us now
look at argument essays and how to organize them using this straight-line logic.