How to Write an IELTS Essay

In this introductory lesson you will find some guidance on how you should write an IELTS essay.
There are then more lessons on the following pages for different types of essay and different
questions, with lots of tips and strategies for achieving a high score.
It is important to learn about IELTS essays because there are different essay types, and these will
require different ways to answer them.
However, as you will see from the guidance on this page, they can all follow the same basic
structure.
These are some of the types of IELTS essays you can get in the test:

 Agree / disagree
 Discuss two opinions
 Advantages & disadvantages
 Causes (reasons) & solutions
 Causes (reasons) & effects
 Problems & solutions
Not every essay will fit one of these patterns, but many do.
You may get some of these tasks mixed up. For example, you could be asked to give your opinion
on an issue, and then discuss the advantages or disadvantages of it.
The golden rule is to ALWAYS read the question very carefully to see exactly what you are
being asked to do.
The second lesson explains more about analysing essay questions.

How do I Write an IELTS Essay?

In order to answer this, lets first look at a sample question:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

In the last 20 years there have been significant developments in the field of information

technology (IT), for example the World Wide Web and communication by email. However,

these developments in IT are likely to have more negative effects than positive in the future.

To what extent do you agree with this view?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or

knowledge.

Write at least 250 words.

An IELTS essay is structured like any other essay; you just need to make it shorter. There are three
key elements:
1. Introduction
2. Body Paragraphs
3. Conclusion
We will look at each of these in turn, using the essay question above as an example.

1) Introduction
You should keep your introduction for the IELTS essay short. Remember you only have 40 minutes
to write the essay, and some of this time needs to be spent planning. Therefore, you need to be able
to write your introduction fairly quickly so you can start writing your body paragraphs.
You should do just two things:

 State the topic of the essay, using some basic facts (that you may be able to take from the
question)
 Say what you are going to write about
Here is an example introduction for the above essay question about IT:
The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way people's lives are affected
by IT, with many advances in this field. However, while these technological advances
have brought many benefits to the world, it can be argued that these developments in
IT will result in more negative impacts than positive.

As you can see, the first sentence makes sure it refers to the topic (IT) and uses facts about IT taken
from the question. Note that these are paraphrased - you must not copy from the rubric!
The second part then clearly sets out the what the essay will be about and confirms the writers
opinion (some questions may not ask for your opinion, but this one does).
View this lesson for more advice on writing IELTS essay introductions.

2) Body Paragraphs
For an IELTS essay, you should have 2 or 3 body paragraphs - no more, and no less.
For your body paragraph, each paragraph should contain one controlling idea, and have sentences to
support this.
Lets look at the first paragraph for the essay about IT. The essay is about the benefits and
drawbacks of IT, so these will need to be discussed in separate paragraphs.
Here is the first body paragraph:
 To begin, email has made communication, especially abroad, much simpler and faster,
resulting in numerous benefits for commerce and business. Furthermore, the World
Wide Web means that information on every conceivable subject is now available to us.
For example, people can access news, medical advice, online education courses and
much more via the internet. It is evident that these improvements have made life far
easier and more convenient for large numbers of people and will continue to do so for
decades to come.

The controlling idea in this first paragraph is the 'benefits of IT', and there are two supporting
ideas, which are underlined. No drawbacks are discussed as the paragraph would then lose
coherence.
Most of the essay will focus on the negative aspects of IT, as the writer says there are more negative
effects in the introduction. So the next two paragraphs are about these.
The topic sentence in the next paragraph therefore tells us we are changing the focus to the negative
points:
Nevertheless, the effects of this new technology have not all been beneficial. For
example, many people feel that the widespread use of email is destroying traditional
forms of communication such as letter writing, telephone and face-to-face conversation.
This could result in a decline in people's basic ability to socialize and interact with each
other on a day-to-day basis.

The final body paragraph gives the last negative effect:

In addition, the large size of the Web has meant that it is nearly impossible to regulate
and control. This has led to many concerns regarding children accessing unsuitable
websites and viruses. Unfortunately, this kind of problem might even get worse in the
future at least until more regulated systems are set up.

3) Conclusion
The conclusion only needs to be one or two sentences, and you can do the following:

 Re-state what the essay is about (re-write the last sentence of your introduction in different
words)
 Give some thoughts about the future
Here is an example:
In conclusion, developments in IT have brought many benefits, yet I believe
developments relating to new technology are likely to produce many negative effects in
the future that must be addressed if we are to avoid damaging impacts on individuals
and society.

The full IELTS Essay:

The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way people's lives are affected by IT, with
many advances in this field. However, while these technological advances have brought many
benefits to the world, it can be argued that these developments in IT will result in more negative
impacts than positive.
To begin, email has made communication, especially abroad, much simpler and faster, resulting in
numerous benefits for commerce and business. Furthermore, the World Wide Web means that
information on every conceivable subject is now available to us. For example, people can access
news, medical advice, online education courses and much more via the internet. It is evident that
these improvements have made life far easier and more convenient for large numbers of people and
will continue to do so for decades to come.
Nevertheless, the effects of this new technology have not all been beneficial. For example, many
people feel that the widespread use of email is destroying traditional forms of communication such
as letter writing, telephone and face-to-face conversation. This could result in a decline in people's
basic ability to socialize and interact with each other on a day-to-day basis.
In addition, the large size of the Web has meant that it is nearly impossible to regulate and control.
This has led to many concerns regarding children accessing unsuitable websites and viruses.
Unfortunately, this kind of problem might even get worse in the future at least until more regulated
systems are set up.
In conclusion, developments in IT have brought many benefits, yet I believe developments relating
to new technology are likely to produce many negative effects in the future that must be addressed
if we are to avoid damaging impacts on individuals and society.
(287 words)

Improve your Information Technology Vocabulary

Comments
The IELTS essay introduction talks in general about the increasing use of IT, thus introducing the
topic well. The thesis then clearly sets out the writers opinion.
The following paragraph mentions the present benefits of these developments, but the opening
sentence in the third paragraph is a qualifying statement (Nevertheless, not all the effects...), so
the writer can now focus on the negative elements.
The fourth paragraph provides two other negative examples (lack of regulation, viruses). Both
paragraphs suggest that these problems will continue in the future.
The essay concludes with a clear opinion that agrees with the statement.
Overall, it is a well-balanced text that mentions the present situation (...this has made life...) but
importantly, also refers to the future of IT (...likely to increase..., might get worse...).
Identify the Topic:
Writing Task 2 - Lesson 1
In the writing for task 2, one of the first things you need to do is identify the topic of the essay.
If you write about the wrong topic or go off topic when you write your answer, this is likely to
substantially reduce your band score.

How do I identify the topic?

Remember, in IELTS writing, you are usually presented with some issue or problem that is
currently affecting society and you need to discuss it.
So you need to read the question carefully and identify what the issue is. You will normally only be
looking for one or two key words.
Have a look at the following question. What is the issue?

The crime rate among teenagers has increased dramatically in many countries.

Discuss some possible reasons for this increase and suggest solutions.

You should have identified teenage crime as the topic.

The crime rate among teenagers has increased dramatically in many countries.

What if I identified ‘crime’ as the topic?

Your essay would be wrong if you wrote about crime generally. When you have a topic, it may
require you to talk about a particular area, group of people or place.
In this case, the question specifically wants you to address the issue of TEENAGE crime.
When you identify the topic, always look carefully to see if it is being narrowed down to a
particular area that you need to focus on.

Identify the Task (Lesson 2)

Once you have identified the topic for your essay, you need to identify the task.
The ‘task’ is the part of the question that tells you what you have to doto answer it.
This is one of the most important things you will have to do when you analyze the essay question.
Why?
Because 25% of your grade for the essay is based on ‘Task Response’ - how you have responded to
the task.

How do I identify the task?

In order to grade your task response, the examiner will be looking to see if you have answered the
question.
If you have only partially answered the question, this will decrease your grade for this criteria.
Let’s look at the same essay question we looked at in lesson 1 when you identified the topic:

The crime rate among teenagers has increased dramatically in many countries.

Discuss some possible reasons for this increase and suggest solutions.

In the previous lesson, we identified the topic for this question as‘teenage crime’.
The task - or ‘what you have to do’ - is usually at the end of the prompt.
As you can see, you are being told to ‘Discuss some possible reasons for this increase and
suggest solutions’.
It’s very common in task 2 IELTS essay questions to get asked to do two things, and this question
is a good example of this:
1. Why teenage crime has increased
2. Ways to solve this problem
You MUST discuss both those things to ensure you have fully answered the question and you must
write roughly equal amounts about each part.
Doing any of the following things will reduce your score for task response, and hence may reduce
your overall score:
1. Only writing about reasons or only solutions
2. Writing most of your essay about reasons and only a small part on solutions (or visa versa)
3. Writing about the reasons and solutions for crime in general, and not referring
to teenage crime (the topic)
4. Writing about neither reasons nor solutions
This is why it is so important to spend some time at the beginning making sure you identify the
task so that you know what you have to write about.
A Common Mistake
It is a common mistake for students to rush at the beginning to start writing as they are worried
about not finishing, and then write about the wrong thing.
For example, when you have finished identifying the task, you will brainstorm your ideas. You may
come up with reasons for an increase in crime such as ‘lack of parental
supervision’ and ‘boredom’.
However, I have seen students come up with problems of teenage crime, such as ‘more young
people being put in prison' and ‘stress for their parents'.
This particular task asks you to write about ‘reasons’, not ‘problems’(though being asked to write
about 'problems and solutions' is common).
So if you do this you will not be answering the question. This comes from rushing and not taking
enough time to identify the task properly.

Other Question Types

The previous question was fairly easy, so to identify the task was hopefully not too difficult.
Some questions, though, will take more thought in order to identify what you need to write about.
Here is another example:

Advances in technology and automation have reduced the need for manual labour. Therefore,
working hours should be reduced.

To what extent do you agree?

Again, look to the end of the prompt to identify the task.

You have to say if you agree or disagree with working hours being reduced, or, in other words,
automation (machines) taking over from some human’s duties.
You must also say how much you agree or disagree ("to what extent").
Let’s assume you want to look at both sides of the issue. You therefore need to discuss the
reasons why you agree, and the reasons why you disagree. Or put another way:
1. The advantages of reducing working hours
2. The disadvantages of reducing working hours
And of course in the introduction or conclusion you need to make it clear what your opinion is.
If you do all of these things then you will have answered all parts of the prompt. If you find more
reasons to agree than disagree, then you can write more about this side of the argument, or visa
versa.
Brainstorming and Planning:
Lesson 3
Once you have analysed the question in the IELTS test you need to brainstorm some ideas to
include in your answer.
Lets look at the same question we looked at in the first two lessons:

The crime rate among teenagers has increased dramatically in many countries.

Discuss some possible reasons for this increase and suggest solutions.

Brainstorming is an important part of the planning process.

In order to get a good score it will not be enough just to put a list of ideas - you need to extend and
explain those ideas.
If you look at the IELTS prompt, it says this:
"Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own
experience or knowledge".

So you need to support your ideas using reasons and examples.

Developing Focus Questions

For this question, you need to write about reasons for the increase in teenage crime and solutions.
In order to make sure you fully answer the question it is a good ideas to develop some focus
questions i.e. questions that will help you focus on what you need to write.
These are possible focus questions for this essay question:

 Focus question 1: Why has teenage crime increased?

 Focus question 2: What can be done about it?
You then need to brainstorm answers to these questions:
Why has teenage crime increased?

 Breakdown in the nuclear family

 Lack of things to do
What can be done about it?

 Government - Provide better support for families & stricter punishments

 Individuals – take responsibility
[Nuclear family is a term used to define a family group consisting of a pair of adults and their
children, as opposed to single-parent families].

Extending and Supporting your Ideas

However, you now need to think about how your are going to extend and support those ideas you
have brainstormed. In other words, you need to ask yourself further questions about each of your
ideas. For example:
Why has there been a breakdown in the nuclear family?

What is the effect of this?

What is a good example of it?

Answering questions like these will make sure you have fully supported and explained all your
points.
For example:
Why has there been a breakdown in the nuclear family?

- high divorce rates

What is the effect of this?

- no male role model; boys go astray & may commit crime

Planning
When you have extended your main ideas, this then provides the basis for your plan.
Here is an example of the brainstormed ideas with further support, which has now become the plan
for the essay:

Essay Plan

Why has teenage crime increased?

1) Breakdown in the nuclear family

- high divorce rates = no father as ‘role model’

 – boys go astray, drugs & crime

2) Lack of things to do

- e.g. TV has shown nothing to do

– children see crime as entertainment

What can be done about it?

1) Govt - Provide better support for families

- e.g. more youth centres

– guidance and activities, sport

2) Parents – take responsibility

- provide loving environment, relative as role model

The essay can now be written. Here is an example essay written from the plan, with the main
supporting ideas highlighted in bold:

Sample Essay
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

The crime rate among teenagers has increased dramatically in many countries.

Discuss some possible reasons for this increase and suggest solutions.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or

knowledge.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer
Over the last decade there has been a massive rise in the level of crime committed by teenagers in a
number of countries. It is important to establish why this has happened and to look at ways to solve
the problem.
One reason is the breakdown in the nuclear family. The high divorce rates have meant many
children have been brought up in one-parent families with no father to act as a role model which is
detrimental to their development. This is particularly important for boys, who without this guidance
are easily led astray by bad influences such as drugs and crime. Another factor is the lack of things
to do for the young. For example, in the UK, many television programs about this issue have
shown that teenagers hang around in the evenings with little to do. When this happens, the
boredom means they will find their own entertainment, which is often crime.
There are, however, ways to tackle these problems. Firstly, the government should provide more
support for families. They could, for instance, invest more into building and staffing youth centers
which would provide guidance through the youth workers and also enable teenagers to focus their
attention on sport and other activities. Parents should also be encouraged to take more
responsibility for their children. Ultimately, the onus is on them to ensure their children are
brought up in a loving environment which would make them less likely to turn to crime. They
could, for example, find a male relative to act as a role model.
Therefore, it is clear that there are various reasons for this rise in crime, but solutions are
available. If we begin to tackle the issue now, we may be able to prevent the situation from
declining further.
(294 Words)

A common mistake is to have lots of ideas that are not explained properly.
However, you can see that as a result of brainstorming some key ideas and making sure you have
explained each of them, you have a fully supported and well organized essay.

Essay Writing Coherence:

Lesson 4
Your writing coherence is important because you are marked on this as part of the IELTS grading.
Your work is coherent if it is easy to read and follow your ideas.
One way to improve the coherency of your writing is to use transition words to guide the reader
through what you are saying.
Here are examples of common transition words that will improve your writing coherence, and
their meanings:
COMMON TRANSITION WORDS
Listing Points to Show New Ideas:
Firstly,
First of all,
To begin,
Secondly,
Finally,
Furthermore,
In addition,
Also,
Moreover,
Showing an Example:

For example,
For instance,
To illustrate,
A case in point,
Showing Contrast:

However,
On the other hand,
In contrast,
Showing a Result:

Therefore,
As a result,
Consequently,
Thus,
Showing time: (commonly in essay introductions)

These days,
Nowadays,
At present,
To introduce concluding comments:

To conclude,
In conclusion,
In brief,
All in all,,

Here is an example of them in use in an essay:

Some people believe the aim of university education is to help graduates get better
jobs. Others believe there are much wider benefits of university education for both
individuals and society.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

These days, more and more people are making the choice to go to university. While some people
are of the opinion that the only purpose of a university education is to improve job prospects,
others think that society and the individual benefit in much broader ways.

It is certainly true that one of the main aims of university is to secure a better job. To begin, the
majority of people want to improve their future career prospects. Attending university is one of the
best ways to do this as it increases your marketable skills and your attractiveness to potential
employers. For example, in Europe, further education is very expensive for many people, so most
would not consider it if it would not provide them with a more secure future and a higher standard
of living. Also, universities have their reputation to consider. They definitely want to ensure that
their students are going to get the best jobs as this will affect future funding and university
applications.

However, there are other benefits for individuals and society. Firstly, the independence of living
away from home is a benefit because it helps the students develop better social skills and improve
as a person. Many students, for instance, will have to leave their families, live in halls of residence
and meet new friends. As a result, their maturity and confidence will grow enabling them to live
more fulfilling lives. Secondly, society will gain from the contribution that the graduates can make
to the economy. We are living in a very competitive world, so countries, especially developing
countries, need educated people in order to compete and prosper.

To conclude, I believe that although a main aim of university education is to get the best job, there
are clearly further benefits. If we continue to promote and encourage university attendance, it will
lead to a better future for everyone.

How to use the words in sentences

As you now know, transition words are used to guide a reader through your writing and to make it
more coherent. The better your writing coherence, the easier it will be to follow your arguments in
your essay.
One important point though before we go on. If you over use transitions they can make your
writing look slightly mechanical as very good writers will need to use them less as they will have
the ability to cleverly guide someone through their writing without them.
It is quite a high level skill though. So it really depends on your ability. If you are at a lower level of
writing, you should make more use of them as they will make it easy for the examiner to follow
your ideas.
If you have more sophistication in your writing, you may not want to use them too much or it could
affect your style.
If you are unsure, it probably means you need to be using them! We'll now go on to look further at
how some of them are used.
Most of these transition words are used in the same way in sentences and are followed by a subject
and verb.

1) Full-stop, capital letter, comma

There are many ways to improve congestion. For example, some cities in The Netherlands have
pedestrian only city centres.

Many countries have now reduced their CO2 emissions. As a result, there is now less pollution.

OR
2) Semi-colon, small letter, comma

There are many ways to improve congestion; for example, some cities in The Netherlands have
pedestrian only city centres.

Many countries have now reduced their CO2 emissions; as a result, there is now less pollution.

Varying Position and Use of Transition Words

However, you do not want to use these words too ‘mechanically’ so you should vary their
position, and don’t repeat the same word too often. You can vary the position with the following
transitions:

1) Giving Examples
You can vary your use of ‘for example’ and ‘for instance’ by moving them to after the first phrase
of the sentence or to after the subject or verb.
There are many ways to improve congestion. Some cities in The Netherlands, for instance, have
pedestrian only city centres.

There are many ways to improve congestion. Some cities in The Netherlands have, for
instance, pedestrian only city centres.

2) Giving a Contrast or Result

Similarly, you can place contrast or result transitions further down the sentence:

Tokyo now has a Sky Train. Traffic problems, as a result/therefore/as a consequence, have
decreased significantly.

These can also be joined to the previous sentence with the conjunction 'and’:

Tokyo now has a Sky Train, and, as a result/therefore/as a consequence, traffic problems have
decreased significantly.

Note: you cannot join it to another sentence without ’and’:

Tokyo now has a Sky Train, as a result, traffic problems have decreased significantly. - this is
incorrect.

3) Listing Points
These can also be varied. For example:

Firstly, an advantage of a new public transport system is that it will reduce traffic congestion.

Again, to improve your writing, you should vary the way you use these. They can be changed so
they are no longer a transition but become part of the subject:

The first advantage of a new public transport system is that it will reduce traffic congestion.

This lesson has shown how you can use transitions to improve your writing coherence.
Make sure you find out more about these transitions so you know how to use them correctly, then
practice using them in your writing.
Writing an IELTS Essay Introduction:
Lesson 5
In the writing for task 2, you must write an IELTS essay introduction, but you only have 40
minutes.
In this time you need to analyze the question, brainstorm ideas to write about, formulate an essay
plan, and then write your response.
Even for a native writer of English, this is a lot to do in 40 minutes!
So you need to use your time carefully. You need a good IELTS essay introduction, but one thing
you do not want to do is spend too long writing it so that you end up rushing your paragraphs.
Your paragraphs are the most important thing as they contain all your supporting arguments and
demonstrate how good you are at organizing your ideas.
You therefore need a method to write your IELTS essay introduction fairly quickly. When you
write an introduction, you should make sure you do two things:
1. Write a sentence introducing the topic and giving some background facts about it
2. Tell the reader what you are going to be writing about
How you do this will vary depending on the question, but here is an example:

Example 1:
Question:

Blood sports have become a hot topic for debate in recent years. As society develops it is
increasingly seen as an uncivilized activity and cruel to the helpless animals that are killed. Blood
sports should be banned.

To what extent to you agree or disagree?

Sample IELTS essay introduction:

Despite the fact that killing animals for sport is popular in modern society, it remains a
contentious issue. I believe that blood sports are cruel and uncivilized and so should be
banned as soon as possible.

As you can see, the first sentence consists of the topic plus some background facts on the topic
which have been taken from the rubric.
The second sentence then gives the writers opinion and tells us that in the essay the writer will be
arguing the reasons why it is cruel.
The topic does not have to be in the first sentence, but it should be made clear somewhere in the
introduction. You must always have a thesis.

Paraphrasing
Another important point - don't copy from the question! You must paraphrase (put it in your own
words). To do this you can use synonyms and move the order of the sentence around.
Using some of the same words is acceptable, but don't copy whole phrases.
You can see how the question above has been paraphrased. All the information is from the question,
but it has been written in a different way and has not been copied.
Example 2:
Question:

Science and technology have helped the world make many advances. The Arts, such as
painting, theatre and dance, to name just three examples, however, are also valuable.

What things do the Arts provide to the world that Science and Technology do not?

Sample IELTS essay introduction:

Societies have developed rapidly over time due to the many advances in science and
technology. However, the arts are also very important and provide our world with many
things that science and technology cannot.

Example 3:
Question:

According to a recent study, the more time people use the Internet, the less time they spend
with real human beings. Some people say that instead of seeing the Internet as a way of
opening up new communication possibilities world wide, we should be concerned about the
effect this is having on social interaction.

How far do you agree with this opinion?

Sample IELTS essay introduction:

 A recent study has shown that as people use the Internet more, they are spending less
time with human beings. I believe that although this has increased the communication
around the world in positive ways, it has also led to negative effects on the day-to-day
social interaction of human beings.

Example 4:
Question:

Unemployment has become an increasing problem in the recent past.

What factors contribute to an increase in unemployment and what steps can be taken to
solve the problem?

Sample IELTS essay introduction:

Over recent years, the level of unemployment has been increasing at an alarming rate
in many countries around the world. This essay will discuss the reasons for this
increase and consider what practical solutions are available.

Example 5:
Question:

Some people think children in secondary school should study international news as part of
the curriculum. Others think that this would be a waste of time as there are already too
many subjects for children to concentrate on.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Sample IELTS essay introduction:

While some people are of the opinion that it would be useful to include international
news as a subject in the school curriculum, others believe that this is a waste of students
time because they are already overloaded with subjects to study. This essay will
examine both sides of the issue.
Writing a Thesis Statement
In this lesson we will look at what thesis statements are, and how you can vary the way you write it
according to the question.
They are a crucial part of writing an introduction.

What is a thesis statement?

Very basically, it tells the person reading your essay what will be in it. It may also give your
opinion if the question asks you for this.
It is the last sentence of your introduction.
Don't get it mixed up with the topic of your essay - this is usually at the beginning of your
introduction.

How do I write a thesis statement?

In order to make it effective, you must have first identified the task of the essay. If you are unsure
about this, check out this lesson on identifying the task.
The task is what you have to do, and is usually at the end of the rubric. For example, look at this
IELTS essay question:

As global trade increases, many goods including those we use on a daily basis are produced in
other countries and transported long distances.

Do the benefits of this trend *outweigh the drawbacks?

What you have to do (the task) is explain whether you think, overall, an increase in the production
of goods in other countries and their subsequent transportation over long distances is more
advantageous or disadvantageous.
So your essay is obviously going to be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of this issue,
and this is what needs to be made clear in your thesis statement.
It is also an opinion essay as it is asking you to make a decision on whether you think there are
more advantages or disadvantages. So you need to make this clear as well.
Here is an example introduction, with the thesis in bold:

Due to the increase in global trade, many of the goods that we consume every day are made in a
different country and then transported over a long distance in order to reach us. In my opinion,
this trend has more disadvantages than advantages.

You would then go on to write about the advantages and disadvantages of global trade (focusing
more on the disadvantages as you think there are more of these).
*Just a quick note on the word 'outweigh'. This word often confuses students and they end up
writing a thesis statement opinion that contradicts what they write in the essay.
The simple answer - don't use the word! It is just asking you if there are more advantages than
disadvantages. So just state what you think in the thesis without using the word, as in the example.

How does the thesis statement change with different types of question?
We will now look at how thesis statements can vary with different question types. However, you
should not try to learn set phrases or sentences to fit certain essays.
There are some broad types of essay question that are common to see, but they can all vary slightly.
The golden rule is to always read the question very carefully (never rush this as you may not fully
answer the question) and work out what you have to do.
Your thesis statement will then follow on from this, depending on what you have decided you need
to write about in order to answer the question.
So below are some suggestions of what you could do for certain common kinds of essay question,
but this is not to say these are right and other ways are wrong. There are numerous ways to write
good thesis statements and these are just possibilities.

1) Writing about Two Opinions

Some questions ask you specifically to discuss two opinions and to give your opinion.

Some people think that young children should be allowed to do paid work, while others think
that this should be illegal.

Discuss both opinions and give your opinion.

There are various ways you could choose to write an introduction and thesis for this.
Example 1
You could begin by paraphrasing the two opinions, then stating in the thesis what you will do:

Some people believe that it is acceptable for young children to undertake jobs that they are paid
for, whereas others believe that this is wrong and should be illegal. This essay will discuss both
sides of the issue.

This is quite simplistic but it makes it very clear what you are going to do.
You will obviously need to give your opinion as well in the essay, but stating this in the thesis
("This essay will discuss both sides of the issue and then give my opinion") sounds awkward so it is
better without it.
Here is a sample essay with a similar thesis statement.
Example 2
Another possible way to do it is by having a sentence to introduce the topic first, and then
paraphrasing the two opinions to make them your thesis:

At present, more and more young children are becoming involved in paid work. Whilst some
people are of the opinion that this is an entirely acceptable practice, others believe that this is
completely wrong and should be made illegal.

This is fine as your thesis will match with your essay - you go on to discuss the first opinion and
then the second one.
Here is another model essay using such a thesis statement.
Example 3
Or of course you could modify this slightly to include your opinion:

At present, more and more young children are becoming involved in paid work. Whilst some
people are of the opinion that this is an entirely acceptable practice, I believe that this is
completely wrong and should be made illegal.

As long as you go on to discuss both sides of the argument, this is fine.

2) Agreeing or Disagreeing
Another type of question is when you are asked to agree or disagree with one opinion.

Currently there is a trend towards the use of alternative forms of medicine. However, at best
these methods are ineffective, and at worst they may be dangerous.

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

For this type of question, you need to state what your opinion is in the thesis statement.
Although you could feasibly do this in the conclusion, I think it is better to do it first so it is clear to
someone reading the essay what your opinion is upfront. It is not wrong though to put it in the
conclusion - this is your choice.
Your thesis statement here will depend on whether you agree, disagree, or partly agree. Here are
some examples of each:
A thesis statement that agrees with the opinion:

Alternative medicine is not new. It is accepted that it pre-dates conventional medicine and it is still
used by many people all over the world. However, I strongly believe that this form of medicine
does not work and is possibly a danger to those using it.

A thesis statement that disagrees with the opinion:

Alternative medicine is not new. It is accepted that it pre-dates conventional medicine and it is still
used by many people all over the world. I am unconvinced that it is dangerous, and feel that
both alternative and conventional medicine can be useful.

A thesis statement that partly agrees with the opinion:

Alternative medicine is not new. It is accepted that it pre-dates conventional medicine and it is still
used by many people all over the world. I agree that for certain conditions this type of medicine
is ineffective and could even be dangerous, but for some illnesses it is a good alternative
choice.

These examples illustrate why it is important to ananlyze the question carefully and brainstorm your
ideas first so you have a clear idea of what you will be writing and what your opinion is.
Here is a model essay answering the question.

3) Other Essays
Some other essays may not ask you for your opinion specifically, but may ask you to discuss, for
example, problems and solutions, causes and effects, advantages and disadvantages.
If you are asked to do this, then you should just clearly state that you will be discussing these two
things in your essay. Here are some examples:
Problems and solutions:

Overpopulation of urban areas has led to numerous problems.

Identify one or two serious ones and suggest ways that governments and individuals can tackle
these problems.

Sample thesis in bold:

Many countries of the world are currently experiencing problems caused by rapidly growing
populations in urban areas. Both governments and individuals have a duty to find ways to
overcome these problems.
 View model answer for this essay.

Causes and Effects:

The percentage of overweight children in western society has increased by almost 20% in the
last ten years.

Discuss the causes and effects of this disturbing trend.

Sample thesis in bold:

Over the last ten years, Western societies have seen close to a 20% rise in the number of children
who are overweight. This essay will discuss some reasons why this has occurred and examine
the consequences of this worrying trend.

View model answer for this essay.

Advantages and Disadvantages:

In order to solve traffic problems, governments should tax private car owners heavily and use
the money to improve public transportation.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a solution?

Sample thesis in bold:

Traffic congestion in many cities around the world is severe. One possible solution to this problem
is to impose heavy taxes on car drivers and use this money to make public transport better. This
essay will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of such a measure.

View model answer for this essay.