Task 2 – Introductions – Single sex schools

Study the Writing Task 2 question below and follow the instructions given.
You should end up with an introduction.  
Write yours before you read mine.
Task 2 Question

Some people think that single sex schools are the best option for young people.  Others believe that co-educational schools are better.

Discuss advantages of both and give your opinion.

What is the question about?
It's about ...
Opinions are divided ...
I believe ...
Comments on Task 2 introductions

The purpose of an introduction 

After reading your introduction, the reader should know

  • what the question is and
  • what your position is

Give your opinion in the introduction 

You should know your position before you start writing, so don't keep it a secret from the examiner.

Make it easy for him to give you a 7 for Task Response (presents a clear position throughout) by telling him your position in the introduction.

 

 

Background statements

Background statements are useful but it is not necessary to write one.  Candidates attempting to write a background statement often fall into traps like these:

 

  1. They write a very clichéd sentence with phrases like  Nowadays in the world, with advances in technology and globalisation,  etc.  Examiners are not impressed memorised sentences.
  2. They copy the premise of the question without changing the wording sufficiently
  3. They end up using incorrect paraphrasing of the question.  Here's an example of poor paraphrasing in an introduction to this question:

The advantage of using opnions are divided is that once you've changed the structure, there is no longer the need to paraphrase everything, so you can repeat words from the question.  For the question above, it would be much simpler and better to say

Opinions are divided on whether job satisfaction is more important than job security.  I believe [...] 

A higher level candidate might say more:

Opinions are divided on whether job satisfaction is more important than job security, or whether having a permanent job is better. I believe [...] 

Note the second whether, which is necessary because there's a second subject - underlined.

Is it necessary to include all the ideas from the question?

No it's not.  Just give the most important information, and you should not copy the examples.  Here's an example of what not to do:

For 2 part questions, I prefer a simple 2 sentence introduction, with each sentence addressing one of the two questions:

 

Supporting ideas in the introduction

There is no need to give supporting ideas in the introduction - save them for the main body paragraphs.  You don't want to repeat information, and neither do you want to forced yourself to have to paraphrase.

For more on Task 2 see here

For Task 2 introductions, see here

For Task 2 topic sentences, see here

For Task 2 paragraph building, see here

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8 days ago

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UĞUR ONAR
UĞUR ONAR
8 years ago

Thanks for answering Teacher, ı’ve already seen your sentence , it is so clear to understand what is the question ? I was able to write your sentence in a different way. I understood your warnings which are related to my grammar mistakes 🙂 Thank you again .

UĞUR ONAR
UĞUR ONAR
8 years ago

My introduction sentences is :

People divide school education into two groups in respect of going to co-educational school or single sex school. In my opinion, registering children for co-educational college seems more advantageous than other option.

İs that useful for introduction ?

thank you

AWG
Admin
AWG
8 years ago
Reply to  UĞUR ONAR

Hi UĞUR ONAR

It looks too complicated to me.

They’re not really two groups of schools – they are different types.
Schools should be plural, not singular
With respect to is the correct phrase. However, in this case, I’d use namely co-ed and […]
College is not a synonym for school – we’re talking about children’s schools, not adult education.

I recommend “Opinions are divided on whether …”