Many IELTS examinees find essay writing difficult. It really is! If the examinee does not read a lot, chances are he will struggle to answer this task.

Add to this the lack of knowledge of the fundamentals of essay writing. Writing an essay is a skill that can not be developed overnight. It needs a lot of practice to hone your skills. Developing this habit and knowing the structure of an essay give you a chance to improve your writing skills.

The overall structure of an essay needs the following:

The Introduction

This is the first paragraph of your essay normally 3-5 lines long. It is probably one of the most important parts because it sets out the theme of your essay. It is also the basis on how your next paragraph will be written because all parts must be coherent or sticking together. Reader also decides whether to continue reading your essay or not based on your introduction.

Example: Parents should be told of the sex of their unborn child. Do you agree or disagree?

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Before the advent of scanners, parents had no idea at all as to the sex of their unborn child until the birth itself. But nowadays, it is possible to know what the child's sex is even after just several weeks from conception. This is due to the advances in medical technology. This brings out the question of whether parents should be told or not.

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If I were the one reading this introduction, I would definitely continue reading until the end. Why? It is because I want to find out which side, for or against, the writer takes and what arguments does he presents.

The Main Body

This is where all your arguments are presented logically and in a coherent way. The body must have at least 3-4 paragraphs each slightly dealing with a different aspect of the main argument. Now, this part is quite tricky because most likely the question has a follow-up statement that says something like "include any relevant examples from your own personal experience." In this case, you need to use your own experience to support your argument and your personal observation you had in your community to further strengthen your argument.

One simple advice: Sometimes,the answer to the topic is not about your personal stand on the issue. Your choice on which side you take (for or against) is based on how deep, comprehensive, and exhaustive your supporting arguments. This is specially true when moral issue is on the plate.

The Conclusion

The purpose of a conclusion is to refresh in the mind of the readers what your argument is. It is the part where you leave a footprint in their minds. Rounding off your writing is very important here. You wrap it up what you said in the introduction.

In the example given in the introduction, the last statement was, "This brings out the question of whether parents should be told or not."

Now, if your argument is against, the last part of your conclusion might read like this.

"...and therefore, sex should not be disclosed."

Disclosed was used instead of TOLD to show your range of vocabulary.

Following this structure will make essay writing a breeze.

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