IELTS Writing Task 2 | Irrelevant Ideas and LINKING PHRASES Part 2

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Irrelevant Ideas and Linking Phrases Part 1

Let's remind ourselves of the task and band 9 model answer that we are studying:

Many students today may study abroad for a part or for all of their course. Although studying abroad has many benefits for the individual student, it also has a number of disadvantages.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this?
​
You should write 250 words.

​Recently a large increase can be seen in the number of students going abroad to study. This is partly because people are better off and partly due to the diverse range of different grants and scholarships which are available for overseas students. Although foreign study may not be advisable for some because of personal or financial reasons, the majority of students benefit a great deal from overseas study.

Studying in a foreign country has a number of benefits. For example, it could give students access to knowledge and facilities such as libraries and science labs which are not found in the student’s country of origin. Furthermore, students may have access to a wider range of courses in foreign countries than they do at home which could help them to find one that fits more closely with their individual interests and requirements. On the other hand, studying abroad can have some drawbacks. These can be categorized into personal and professional.

Firstly, studying abroad obviously requires the student to leave his family and friends for a long period, which may make the student lonely if he is unused to spending time away from his support network. Secondly, studying in a foreign country is almost always more expensive than studying in the student’s home country. Moreover, studying in a foreign country means the student will probably be studying in a foreign language, which may limit his performance and make studying and exams more stressful.

In my opinion, however, the drawbacks of studying abroad are usually only temporary since the student will return home after a year or two of foreign study. Students who study abroad usually become proficient in the language quickly and they have lots of experiences and meet lots of people that they would not encounter at home. What is more, the benefits of the international network of friends and increased knowledge will last the student all his life and is likely to make him more successful in finding a job.

​Activity 4

​We are going to think about the meaning of the linking words from the text above.

MATCH THE LINKERS TO THE MEANINGS
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Activity 5 - Focus on Vocabulary 

​While you are preparing to take the IELTS test you should be trying to learn around 10 to 15 new words a week. In the box below is some useful vocabulary found in the text we have already read. Can you match the vocabulary with the definition?

to categorize   ·  a support network   ·  a diverse range   ·  a drawback  

Click or touch a word above

Now click or touch a gap below

1.	is a group of people who help and look after you.
2.	is a negative result of something.
3.	is a transitive verb meaning to give something a category or class.
4.	means a wide variety.

​We hope you have found this lesson useful. For more writing task 2 tips, visit our writing task 2 page. 

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