Thesis Statement In IELTS Writing

When writing an introduction to an IELTS Task 2 essay you want to include 3 things:

• Paraphrase the question

• Thesis statement

• Outline statement

This post is for anyone who is unsure of what a thesis statement is or how they should write one. By the end of this post, you will know exactly why a thesis statement is important and how to make sure you are writing them correctly. On top of that, you will be able to write a brilliant introductory paragraph every time.

Let us look at an example question.

This is an opinion essay question:

Some people think that governments must insist on preserving the traditional appearance of old buildings undergoing renovation or redevelopment.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?

I will write the introduction paragraph by doing 3 things; paraphrasing the question, writing a thesis statement and writing an outline statement.

Paraphrasing the question

You paraphrase the question by saying a similar thing but using different words and phrases. This is a good way to start your essay and ensure that you are talking about the correct topic.

It is only the first part of the question that we paraphrase. If I were to paraphrase the above question, I may say something like this.

This is the original question:

Some people think that governments must insist on preserving the traditional appearance of old buildings undergoing renovation or redevelopment.

But I don’t want to use the same words as the questions so I use synonyms instead.

Many people believe that governments should ensure that historic buildings maintain their original aesthetic appearance.

This sentence says the same thing as the first part of the question but it is going to impress the reader (examiner) because it uses different language.

What is a thesis statement?

The thesis statement tells the reader (or IELTS examiner) what the essay will be about and introduce the main ideas. Also, if the question is asking your opinion this is where it should first be included. It is typically just 1 or 2 sentences and is going to act a little like a topic sentence for the whole essay.

If you don’t know about topic sentences, follow this link.

How to write a thesis sentence

The thesis statement introduces what the essay will be about but it may be slightly different depending on the different types of essay questions.

This is a summary of things that you may want to include in the topic sentence for each essay type:

Opinion Essay – Write 1 or 2 reasons for your opinion (you don’t need to explain further at this stage)

Advantages & Disadvantages – Write and advantage and disadvantage

Problem & Solution Essay – Give 1 or 2 problems and a solution

Discussion Essay – Talk about both sides of the argument and give your opinion (if asked).

Double Question Essay – Answer both questions but only briefly.

Let us have a look at an example question, I’ll paraphrase the question and write a thesis statement for it.

My thesis for the question that we talked about may look something like this:

I absolutely agree that preserving historic buildings is a vital part of protecting a country’s historical culture for future generations.

The above is the thesis statement, it tells the reader what I think.

The outline statement

Finally, you must outline the things that you will talk about in the rest of the essay. This gives the reader (examiner) an idea of what will be covered in the essay and helps keep you focused on your writing.

An outline statement for our example question in the introduction paragraph may be something like this:

This essay will explore the reasons why protecting old buildings is so important, the main reason being to safeguard an area’s history.

Now let us see this all together. Firstly, let us look at the question again.

Some people think that governments must insist on preserving the traditional appearance of old buildings undergoing renovation or redevelopment.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?

This is my introduction paragraph including the thesis statement and outline statement.

Many people believe that governments should ensure that historic buildings maintain their original aesthetic appearance. I absolutely agree that preserving historic buildings is a vital part of protecting a country’s historical culture for future generations. This essay will explore the reasons why protecting old buildings is so important, the main reason being to safeguard an area’s history.

The thesis statement is in bold.

Your turn

This is a discussion essay question, write the introduction paragraph by paraphrasing the question and adding the thesis statement.

Some people think that getting a degree from a university is the best way to guarantee a good job, others believe that it would be better to go straight into work and get experience instead.

Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Tell me your thesis statement in the comments below.

Next time you are writing an IELTS writing task 2 essay (or any essay) make sure to include a thesis statement to help the reader to know exactly what your answer will be about.

To find out how I would plan an IELTS Task 2 essay, follow this link.