WRITING
Body Paragraphs 7: Relating back to the question
In order to score the highest bands for Task Response in IELTS Writing Task 2, it is very important to show the examiner that your ideas are relevant and clearly answer the question (see IELTS Writing Task 2 band descriptors here).
Previously, we discussed how important the first sentence of each body paragraph (the topic sentence) is to achieving this. But, you can also improve your essay by ending your body paragraphs with a sentence that clearly relates back to the question asked.
To do this, think about why your main idea is relevant to the question. Ask yourself why your main idea answers the question. Then end the body paragraph with a sentence that directly connects what you said in the paragraph to the task question, saying why it is relevant.
Have a look at the examples below:
Example Question: As well as making money, businesses also have social responsibilities. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Essay Body Paragraph 1: The primary aim of a business is to generate revenues from selling products or services. If a company doesn’t make a profit, it cannot survive and so of course, it is always necessary for business owners and managers to consider the profitability of their actions. Furthermore, in a free market with intense competition, a company must carefully consider the financial implications of every decision. Only by making a profit can a business hope to continue doing business in the long term, and so it must be the top priority.
Essay Body Paragraph 2: However, despite the fundamental importance of making money, environmental and social considerations are also crucial to a business. Firstly, the actions of a company can have a large impact on the environment. For example, waste materials and gases from factories and plants can seriously damage the local ecosystem if they are not properly disposed of. For this reason, as members of the communities in which they operate, businesses should do everything they can to prevent such pollution. Moreover, companies should protect the safety of their employees and treat them in a fair and respectful manner. Not only is this a moral responsibility, but it will reduce staff turnover and attract talented employees. Thus, by protecting both the local environment and its employees, a business can thrive over the long term.
In each body paragraph, the final sentence connects the main idea of the paragraph to the question. You can clearly see why the main idea is relevant and therefore, why the paragraph is relevant.
Exercise:
Choose the best sentence to end the following body paragraphs from the selection below.
1. More and more business meetings are taking place online. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?
BP1. Holding business meetings online makes it unnecessary to travel, saving participants and their companies time and money. In the past online meeting technologies were not sufficiently developed to enable productive meetings. Face-to-face meetings were much preferred and as a result business people often spent many hours each week on the road in order to meet clients and colleagues.
BP2. However, even with very clear video and audio quality, online meetings cannot transmit all of the communication possible in a face-to-face meeting. When meeting with someone in person it’s possible to pick up on many non-verbal cues, especially from body language. A person’s posture, gestures and other mannerisms can be revealing, and these are more difficult to perceive in an online meeting.
2. Companies should provide sports and fitness facilities for their staff. To what extent do you agree?
BP1. Companies that provide health and fitness facilities for their staff can benefit from a healthier workforce. Many people don’t have the time or motivation to visit a gym or other fitness facility after work. Heavy urban traffic, combined with the many responsibilities most people have, makes it very difficult to find the time. By offering employees on site facilities a company can make it much easier to access fitness facilities and will no doubt lead to a larger proportion of employees exercising regularly.
BP2. Furthermore, providing additional perks such as health and fitness facilities is a great way to attract and retain employees. High calibre people can be attracted to this kind of perk. If you look at the top companies, especially in tech industries hunting for the best and most proficient people, they tend to have campuses with not only excellent office spaces, food and beverage establishments, but also health and fitness facilities.
Ending sentences:
A. Furthermore, when meeting a customer or colleague in person, it’s possible to spend more time together interacting and socialising, which often leads to better rapport.
B. This was a large expense for businesses and so modern online meetings offer a way to make significant savings and improve the use of employee time.
C. This clearly benefits the employees and will have knock-on benefits for the company as a fitter and healthier staff will need less time off for sick leave, and will have more energy for their work.
D. While modern online meeting applications now offer good quality video and audio, they still can’t match the level of communication possible when in the same room.
E. Clearly these companies have understood the importance of such additional benefits in giving them a competitive advantage when recruiting their employees.
F. This meant that employees were at risk of road accidents or could suffer excessive stress and anxiety as a result of regularly being away from their families.
Activity:
Now write your own ending sentences for the following body paragraphs:
1. Government should help small businesses so that they can compete with large corporations. To what extent do you agree?
BP1: Small businesses are essential to a successful and resilient economy. Small businesses tend to be more dynamic and innovative than large well established businesses. Their small size makes them more flexible and able to change and adapt to markets more quickly. As a result they are important drivers of cutting edge ideas, products and strategies in businesses.
Ending sentence:
BP2: Small companies also generate a lot of local jobs and can contribute greatly to a country's economy. Due to their nature, they don’t have headquarters or offices based abroad, and they tend to rely more on local suppliers and services. As a result they usually generate much more local employment opportunities than a large company offering similar services.
Ending sentence:
2. If the product is great and meets customer needs, then advertising is not necessary. What is your opinion?
BP1: A great product will usually, over time, sell itself. When a customer discovers a new product by chance and really likes or enjoys it, he or she will often tell friends, relatives and colleagues about it. As a result, the product will grow in popularity thanks only to word of mouth recommendations. For example, an excellent new restaurant will, over a one or two year period, find a loyal customer base, provided the food is of high quality and good value.
Ending sentence:
BP2: On the other hand, advertising can greatly help to draw attention to a new product or service. This means that the time it takes for sales to rise is much reduced compared to word of mouth marketing. Furthermore, good advertising can help a product reach its target market quickly. For instance, on social media, it's possible to run advertising campaigns that target specific customer groups based on age, interests and other factors.
Ending sentence:
Exercise Answer Key:
Exercise 1:
1. BP1 - B, BP2 - D
2. BP1 - C, BP2 - E