Mini Lesson: Essay introduction writing tips
Lesson objective: To know how to write the first line of your introduction
The large amount of time and money that is spent on conserving wildlife would be better spent on improving the lives of humans.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
In recent years a lot of time and money has been spent on attempting to preserve endangered animals rather than be used to aid human needs. Personally, I disagree with this philosophy and the remainder of this essay shall outline my reasons for this position.
Firstly, the value of a human life is greater than the value of an animal’s life. Every person that has ever been born has had a loving mother, or father who cared deeply about them. Most people also enjoy close relationships with other relatives and friends too. Therefore when any human life is destroyed it impacts upon more than just that one individual. However, when an animal dies the impact is not the same because animals do not possess the same level of consciousness as humans. For instance, humans hold funerals and gather to mourn, whereas animals generally continue with their lives as normal.
Furthermore, if a particular species needs help to survive then surely it is only a matter of time before it becomes extinct anyway. The Giant Panda is a great example of an animal that has basically been prevented from becoming extinct by the efforts of humans alone. The panda itself is poorly adapted to life in the world’s current environment and any attempts to preserve this beast will eventually be proved futile. The Chinese government spends over $12 million US dollars per year trying to keep alive a species which will probably eventually die out anyway.
In conclusion, humans lives are of greater importance and species that are dying out should be allowed to do just that. Government around the world need to recognizes the importance of human lives over animal lives.
281 words
Teaching point: Always start your essay with an introduction which rephrases the original question. You should try to use different words i.e. synonyms and paraphrases of the original words in the question so that you can show to the examiner that you have a good range and level of vocabulary.
However, do not try to use words that you are not confident with as it is better to use words that are correct rather than trying to 'show off' higher level words inaccurately.
The remainder of the introduction should give your own opinion if you are asked for it and then say what the rest of your essay will do. In this way you are building a logical introduction which will score highly for 'coherence and cohesion'.
Now, go back to the IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay main page here for more lessons.
IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic)
Discover how to describe all types of visual data that you may see in this part of the test.
Sshhhhh! Listen closely, here are some valuable tips, techniques and strategies for maximising your listening band score.
IELTS Writing Task 1 (General)
Discover how to write in the correct format and tone for this part of the test.
Learn 'what' to say and 'how' to say it in each part of the test to impress the examiner.
