How to Write an IELTS Introduction in Two Sentences

The IELTS Task 2 introduction has two jobs. Show the examiner you understood the question, and tell them what you think. Both jobs fit in two sentences.

Most candidates write five or six sentences instead. The extra ones are not neutral. They eat writing time, they repeat the prompt, and they often contradict the position the essay goes on to argue.

What the introduction is actually assessed on

Nothing in the public band descriptors gives marks for an introduction by itself. Your introduction is judged inside the four criteria that judge everything else.

1. Task Response asks whether you presented a clear position. If your introduction states one, this criterion starts well.
2. Coherence and Cohesion asks whether the reader can follow your organisation. A clear position at the start makes every later paragraph easier to place.
3. Lexical Resource notices whether you copied the prompt or reworded it. Words copied directly from the question are not counted as evidence of your own vocabulary.
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy counts errors here exactly as it does anywhere else. A long introduction is simply more surface area for mistakes.

That is the case for two sentences. Everything the introduction can earn, it earns in two.

The two sentence formula

Sentence one: paraphrase the question. Change the vocabulary and the grammar, keep the meaning identical.

Sentence two: state your position. Answer the question directly. If the question asks whether you agree, say how much you agree. If it asks for causes and solutions, name that you will discuss both.

Here is a question.

Some people think that all young people should be required to do unpaid community work in their free time. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

And a two sentence introduction.

It is sometimes argued that every young person should have to spend part of their free time volunteering in their local community. I largely agree, because the benefits to both the volunteer and the neighbourhood outweigh the loss of personal time.

Forty two words. The question has been reworded, not copied. The position is unambiguous, and the word "largely" tells the reader the essay will admit a limitation somewhere. The rest of the essay now has a clear job.

The bloated version, and what each extra sentence costs

Here is the same introduction as many candidates write it.

Nowadays, in this modern era, the topic of young people and community work is a very controversial issue which is widely discussed all over the world. Some people think that all young people should be required to do unpaid community work in their free time. Others disagree with this opinion. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this issue. In this essay, I will discuss both sides of the argument and then give my own opinion in the conclusion.

Eighty eight words, and it is weaker in every criterion. Look at it sentence by sentence.

The fourth sentence is the serious one. The question asked to what extent the writer agrees. This introduction promises a balanced discussion of advantages and disadvantages instead. If the essay follows that promise, it has answered a question that was not asked, and Task Response drops regardless of how good the English is.

Paraphrasing without breaking the meaning

Paraphrase is where introductions go wrong in the other direction. Changing words is only safe if the meaning survives.

Three safe techniques, in order of how reliable they are.

1. Change the word class. "Governments should regulate" becomes "government regulation of". This is the safest change because the meaning is carried by the same root word.
2. Change the voice. "Companies should reduce waste" becomes "waste should be reduced by companies".
3. Substitute a synonym you are certain about. Only for words you have seen used this way. An uncertain synonym is a Lexical Resource error, and it is more visible in the first sentence than anywhere else.

Some words should not be paraphrased at all. Technical or topic words such as "climate change", "public transport" or "university" have no safe synonym. Repeating them is normal and expected.

Two more worked examples

Question type: discuss both views.

Some people believe children should study a foreign language from primary school. Others think it is better to start in secondary school. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

There is disagreement about whether foreign language teaching should begin in a child's earliest school years or wait until adolescence. This essay will consider both timetables, and will argue that an early start produces better long term results.

Question type: problem and solution.

Many cities are becoming increasingly polluted. What are the causes of this and what measures could be taken to solve it?

Air quality in large cities has worsened steadily over recent decades. The main causes are private car use and industrial emissions, and this essay will argue that congestion pricing and stricter factory standards offer the most practical response.

Notice that in the problem and solution example the position sentence already names the two causes and the two measures. That is allowed, and it helps. The reader knows the shape of the essay before the first body paragraph starts.

What to do today

Take five Task 2 questions. Write only the introduction for each, and stop. Give yourself three minutes per introduction. Then check three things: is the meaning identical to the question, is your position stated, and is it under fifty words.

Doing this five times is twenty minutes of practice that changes the opening of every essay you write afterwards.

When you want a second opinion on a full answer, Bandly returns an estimated band for each of the four criteria with the reasoning attached, so you can see whether the introduction is helping your Task Response or quietly working against it. The scores are model generated estimates rather than an examiner's judgement, so use them to find the next thing to fix.