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Task 2 - Topic sentences
Tip: for band 7 in coherence and cohesion, you need to present a clear central topic within each paragraph. A topic sentence is an easy way to do this.
What is a topic sentence?
A topic sentence is the introductory sentence of a paragraph that lets the reader clearly understand what the paragraph is about.
Why do I need to write topic sentences?
It helps the reader to follow your essay more easily. It helps your coherence and cohesion score.
How do I write a topic sentence?
You just need to be clear about what the main idea of the paragraph is and that there is more to be said about it.
Include these 3 parts:
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A reference to the topic of the essay
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The main idea of the paragraph
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An indication that there is more to be said - you can use quantifiers for this.
Common main ideas in IELTS
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Advantages/ benefits/ positive aspects
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Disadvantages/ drawbacks/ negatives aspects
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Reasons to agree/ arguments in favour of
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Reasons to disagree/ arguments against/ opposing
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Causes/ contributing factors/ reasons why
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Effects/ results/ consequences
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Solutions/ ways to reduce/ mitigate/ alleviate
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the first view
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the second view
Quantifiers
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some
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several
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a lot of
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many
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a number of
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numerous
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a variety of
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various
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(2, 3) main ......
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a few
Writing topic sentences:
Noun structure:
There + be + quantifier + main idea + preposition + topic.
There are several advantages of living in a house.
There are many reasons to argue for free university education.
There are a few solutions for pollution.
Verb structure:
Topic + verb + quantifier + main ideas
Living in a house has several advantages.
Free university education has many supporting arguments.
Pollution results from a variety of contributing factors.
Passive voice verb structure:
Topic + be + past participle + main idea + quantifier completion.
Free university education can be argued for in several ways.
Pollution can be solved by a number of actions.
Crime can be caused by a variety of factors.
Adjective structure:
Topic + be + adjective (main idea) + quantifier completion.
Owning a car is beneficial in several ways.
The issue of obesity is solvable through some government policies.
Free university is arguable due to a number of reasons.
Using complex structures:
To help improve your grammatical range and accuracy, you can use some complex structures for your topic sentences. The following are some useful ones you can use:
Relative clauses when/ why
When university education is provided for free, it can lead a number of clear benefits.
When an individual purchases a car, there are many burdens they will have to endure.
There are many reasons why buying a car is a good idea.
There are strong reasons why some argue for university education to be provided for free.
Using a conditional structure (If)
If certain measures are taken, the issue of air-pollution in major cities can be reduced.
If an individual rents accommodation rather than owning it, they can benefit in several ways.
If university education is provided for free, it can be argued that several negative consequences will occur.
Using concession structures to start the second body paragraph:
Even though there are those benefits, the drawbacks resulting from owning a car need to be considered.
While those arguments are compelling, some possible opposing reasons need to be taken into account.
Despite the many causes of air-pollution, several solutions are available to mitigate this issue.