Giving personal opinion in an IDEAS type task. Check if the task is asking for your opinion or not. The first question you
should ask yourself is ‘Is this an OPINION or an IDEAS task?’
Telling stories about your personal history, friends or family. The task tells you to use ‘examples from your own experience,’ but this does not mean describing stories from your life or people you know. It means describing examples of things
in the world that you know about, have studied or have learned about in the media.
Giving evidence which is too detailed or specific to a subject. You may be an expert in a particular social or scientific field,
but the examiner probably has a different specialty. You need to make your ideas and examples accessible to a general reader. For
example, if the Task topic is about money and you are an accountant, do not use specialized accounting terms.
Being emotional or too dramatic when giving your opinion in an OPINION task. You may feel strongly about issues such
as animals or crime, but academic writing must be unemotional. So avoid phrases such as ‘a disgusting idea’ or ‘I detest this concept.’ It is much better to say ‘an unacceptable idea’ or ‘I disapprove of this concept,’ which is more impersonal and
academic; similar to the type of writing that people use in business reports or university essays.
Not following the basic structures presented in this book. The examiners want to see a clear, well-structured essay that is
easy to read. They are accustomed to seeing the structures we have presented in this book, and they will feel more positive about
your essay if they can recognize these structures in what you write. Remember: the topic under discussion will be different every
time, but the basic concept behind the task and the essay will be the same. Give the examiners what they want, and they will
reward you with a high score, even if there are some grammatical mistakes in your English.
