How to generate ideas for IELTS Writing Task 2

One of the biggest fears that most of the students have while appearing for the IELTS exam is the IELTS Writing Task 2 question. “What if the question is totally new and I have no idea what to write in it?

Idea generation could sound tricky but there are always some ways to handle such questions and write in an organised manner while using relevant vocabulary. Below we will discuss some workable ideas that you must try while practising for the exam and then, pick the one that suits best to your needs. 

For clarity purposes, we’ll take an example of a question and will try to fit in all the pointers given below. 

Q. “Some people believe that children should not be given homework everyday, while others believe that they must get homework everyday in order to be successful. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.” (Reported 2017, GT)

Now if we see, this question falls in the ‘Opinion Essay Questions’ category and they have clearly asked to discuss both the sides i.e. benefits of giving homework and benefits of not giving homework. And towards the end, you have to give your opinion on what you think will be better for the students. 

Note: Nothing is right and wrong in IELTS Writing Part 2. They will not judge you for your opinion but will evaluate your way of expressing your opinion. So feel free to write what you think. 

Let’s discuss the way outs to tackle this question. 

1. Mind mapping - Mind mapping is an effective technique that you could use to answer your questions. It is basically a way to organise your thoughts at one place, like a piece of paper and then write in a proper flow. It can be done quickly in a minute if you practice well beforehand with different questions. A lot of people love it because this technique helps them channelise their thinking and caters the ideas. But one flaw in this method is that students tend to waste a lot of time drawing a mind map. Remember this mind map is just for you and not the examiner, so keep it raw and quick. 
   
   The technique to draw a mind map is to keep the keyword in the centre and sub keywords on the branches. (Again, you don’t have to draw a proper tree but just an outline!!)
   
   So if you notice, you’re quickly jotting down all your points at one place and this gives you clarity on how you would like to answer the given question.
2. Personal opinion - This is one of the most effective ways to think of ideas for your answer. It is very fast and helps you think in line. So here you need to put yourself in the same shoes and then think of the answer. 
   
   How would you feel if you were given homework for school. Now don’t think of the easy way out and say ‘you won’t like it’. But think in a larger perspective and imagine, was it helpful in your studies or was it a burden for you when you were in school, did you miss on playing or doing other activities or you could make a balance between homework and other activities? So think of all these points and then answer the question.
3. 5 Questions technique - Now, this method is for those who think logically and already have an idea about the topic. If that is the case, this method can take you to the point. In this method you have to think about these 5 questions - who, what, why, when, how and around these questions, your answer revolves. Let’s try it out in this question!

Who gives the homework and to whom - School and teachers to the students 

What kind of homework do they give - written, projects etc. Now here you can think of some interesting ways to give the homework , instead of giving the written homework. 

Why - to enhance the learning of the students and to keep them focussed towards studying 

So that’s how you can frame the points and answer the given question. 

Using any of these ideas, you can certainly reach a good answer if you practice well. Also, note that it is quite possible that all the methods do not fit into 1 question so don’t keep yourself too rigid to focus only on 1 method. While you are practicing, try out all the methods and keep at least 2 methods handy!!