How to write a great supporting paragraph for IELTS

In this article I will cover

Teacher - Mr. Richard Forrest

1/  the structure of a good IELTS supporting paragraph 

2/  examples of good and bad supporting paragraphs

3/ transitional words and phrases to help you start your sentences 

In general IELTS writing task two essays use a 4 paragraph structure:

1/ Introduction paragraph

2/ Supporting paragraph 1

3/ Supporting paragraph 2

4/ Conclusion paragraph

Supporting paragraphs should be the largest paragraphs in your essay.  For this reason, they are often where the most points can be gained towards your score. 

The structure of a good supporting paragraph

A good supporting paragraph is made of three essential parts. There are some other sentence types you can add but they are optional and should only be done by those who are not struggling to finish their essay on time. 

1/ Topic sentence - introduces the main idea of the paragraph

2/ Explanation sentence- links the topic sentence to the thesis statement

3/ Example sentence - provide evidence in support of your point 

4/ Clarification / prediction / detail sentence (optional) 

Space exploration is much too expensive and the money should be spent on more important things.

What is your opinion?

Let’s assume we have already written an introduction and planned for the question above. 

Our introduction might look like this: 

INTRODUCTION 

 1It is the subject of much debate whether governmental institutions should continue to allocate financial resources to the pursuit of space research. 2From my perspective, we ought to persist with our current level of funding and perhaps even increase it. 3 In the following essay, I will first argue the case that space programs inspire many people to enroll in science and technology courses. 4Secondly, I will argue that such investment is worthwhile based on the fact that many technological innovations can be directly attributed to aeronautical institutions like NASA.

Sentences 3 and 4 are part of the outline statement in which we tell the reader HOW we will proceed to answer the question. Each supporting paragraph should have only ONE central idea. Therefore, we will discuss in our first supporting paragraph “the case that space programs inspire many people to enroll in science and technology courses”. 

Good and bad supporting paragraphs

I will now write two example supporting paragraphs for the above question. Can you tell which one is the best? 

A) First and foremost, projects that explore space capture the public’s imagination in a way that nothing else can: they serve to provide inspiration. Consequently, it would be foolish to not support such ventures as we depend on them to motivate our future generations of budding scientists. A poll recently published on the BBC’s website stated that the overwhelming majority of present-day scientists and technologists in American universities had decided to commit their lives to the sciences after watching the American moon landing footage. 

B) Many people are inspired by space exploration programs. They are inspired because they watch them and then later seek to imitate them and also to become astronauts. For example, a poll found that 63% of people who are interested in space are thinking about studying something related to space at University. The most popular option is astronomy with 7/10 people stating that is what they would choose in a poll conducted by Yale University in 2018.

The best paragraph here is paragraph A. It is the better of the two because it first introduces the main idea before clearly linking to the thesis in sentence 2. The explanation sentence makes it clear how the topic relates to the thesis statement. This is a highly important stage in constructing your supporting paragraphs and one that paragraph B fails to do.

It is useful to think about WHY we are writing the supporting paragraphs when we write our explanation sentence. The supporting paragraphs are there to support…OUR THESIS.

For this essay, we are trying to argue, in support of our thesis, that we should “persist with our current level of funding for space programs and perhaps even increase it”. In paragraph A, the logic for continuing the funding is made clear. In contrast, paragraph B only explains the topic and fails to make any sort of link to the financial funding element of the question. 

Finally, let's take a look at the examples and what makes a quality example in an IELTS essay. 

Paragraph A provides a specific example that includes a source and that illustrates the point made earlier in the paragraph. It is specific and yet not so specific that the examiner would assume that it is fake and a template.  

On the other hand, paragraph B contains clearly fake statistics and a fake source which could indicate to the examiner that you are just using a template copied from the internet. This would negatively affect the score.

What should I include in my IELTS examples? 

Your examples can be from your personal experience, though be careful that you do not make them too informal. You cannot say “My friend down the pub says that…”.

Your examples can also be from your general knowledge. Try not to state things as facts unless they are generally accepted by most people as true. For example, you could say that “most scientists agree that global warming is real” but you could not say “most scientists believe that if you eat cake every day you will live ten years less” as it is not really a fact and is not something accepted by everyone.

Additionally, if you are using evidence-based examples, try not to use very specific statistics or data as the examiner could assume you are using a template and therefore lower your mark. 

To remedy or fix this problem you can instead use vocabulary to approximate the statistic: 

• more or less 

• just under 

• virtually

• practically

• just over 

• well under 

• well over 

• roughly 

• almost

• nearly 

• approximately

• around about

EXAMPLE 

According to a recent poll undertaken at Harvard only approximately 1 in 10 patients feel that they were not given sufficient support at hospital.  

Or, perhaps you could simply describe the general information rather than being so specific. This option probably works better for most IELTS examples.

• Many studies have shown that

• The majority of 

• The minority of

• It is a well-known fact that

• It is well established that

EXAMPLES

The majority of people have experienced dissatisfaction while receiving healthcare in a hospital. 

It is a well-known fact that many people leave hospital feeling dissatisfied with their level of care. 

Useful transitions to start your sentences

Topic sentences

• Firstly 

• Secondly 

• First of all

• Second of all

• First and foremost

• Additionally / in addition

• On the one hand / on the other hand 

• In contrast (contrast)

• Having said that (contrast)

Explanation sentences 

• This is because (reason) 

• For this reason (reason)

• Therefore (cause and effect)

• In other words (clarification) 

• Of course (persuasion) 

• To clarify / To be clear (clarification) 

• So as to not leave you in doubt (clarification) 

• As a result ( consequence) 

• As a consequence (consequence) 

• Thus (consequence)

Examples 

• Based on self-reported survey results... 

• The strong negative correlation suggests that...

• This phenomenon can be seen/ observed when...

• By way of illustration, most new recruits do not feel prepared for…

• This conclusion hinges on... 

• To be specific, space exploration can... 

• In a normal scenario, antidepressants should…

• As a case in point, the last known survivor of…

• Markedly, the loss of rainforest in recent decades has…

• For example,

• For instance,

Next steps?

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this blog.  If you have any questions regarding the test or would like to inquire about my writing correction services or IELTS online classes please email me at info@lovetolearnenglish.com.