Mini Lesson 1: How to make your IELTS essay flow

Lesson objective: How to write with flow and improve your essay coherence. Read the example essay question and the teaching point underneath the essay.


Some people spend a lot of money on tickets to go to sporting or cultural events.

Do you think this is positive or negative development?

Large amounts of money are spent by certain groups of people on purchasing tickets to enter sporting and cultural events. Personally, I feel this is a positive development for society and this essay shall outline the main reasons for this stand point.

Firstly, money spent on such activities is a great boost for an economy. These events employ millions of people across the globe and if people did not attend them then unemployment levels would increase dramatically. For example, the 2018 football world cup in Russia is expected to generate over $500 million dollars in gate receipts and all of this money can then be paid out in wages to local people who can then use the money to support their own families.

Furthermore, cultural and sporting activities can bring a great sense of pride and joy to a nation. Most people are extremely proud of their own countries cultures, traditions and sporting achievements. These feelings can build a strong identity in a nation’s population and motivate them to lead productive and fulfilling lives in turn. For instance, when England won the 2004 rugby world cup the ‘feel good factor’ of the nation was enormous and inspired many people young and old to have a go at the sport of rugby. This led to an improvement in the nations physical health but also their mental health too as they had a new outlet for the frustrations of modern day to day living.

Overall, the combined boost to an economy and a nation’s sense of self is a very positive trend. Governments around the world should actively pursue a policy which encourages regular sporting and cultural events.

276 words

Teaching point: Use a range of different connecting words and phrases so that your essay fits together and flows well and so that the examiner can see that you know a range of different words and are not restricted by a lack of vocabulary. A classic error is when a candidate keeps writing ‘and then’, or ‘and also’, this approach will not help your band score.

Now, go back to the IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay main page here for more lessons.