writing task 2, which help to elevate your writing and make it sound more like a formal

writing of a native speaker. The good thing is, you don't need to memorise many new

words, just learn to use the most common IELTS words in a new way. And I'm also gonna give

you a downloadable pdf file with all the phrases and examples to repeat offline later, if you

wish. Okay, let's get started.

Let's begin with the word Advantage. Essays about advantages and disadvantages are common

in IELTS. And you may need to write something like that:

A big advantage of public transport is that it is cheap.

You can say exactly the same in a different way:

Public transport has a definite advantage of being cheap.

The words are almost the same but the sentence sounds more sophisticated, right? Here's

another example: A small car has the added advantage of being

cheaper to run. Note the adjectives in these examples. A definite

advantage means a clear, big advantage. If you've just mentioned one advantage and

now are adding another one, you can also say an added advantage. This phrase helps to vary

your vocabulary and also link sentences together.

When you're talking about disadvantages, you can use a phrase 'a disadvantage to'.

For example, you want to say: This plan has big disadvantages.

That's a very simple sentence. Or you can say

There are distinct disadvantages to the plan. Here's another example:

There are serious disadvantages to both approaches. Instead of saying a big disadvantage, you

may use words a distinct or a serious disadvantage.

The next expression is 'to support the view'. Your task may be: Consider both views and

give your opinion. Imagine, you're writing your body paragraphs and have just provided

an example. Then you can say This example supports the view that and then you state

what view it supports. This example supports the view that reforms

of tax systems can increase employment rates. This evidence supports the view that there

is too much violence on television. If the tasks asks to give your opinion, in

the introduction or conclusion you can also say

I support the view that… It's the same as saying I think that or In my opinion.

Another way to express your opinion is say I take the view. Instead of saying

I think that it would be wrong to interfere. You can say

I take the view that it would be wrong to interfere.

It sounds more formal. Here's another example I take the view that each individual is ultimately

responsible for his health and fitness. The best way to memorise a phrase is to use

it. Please comment below with your examples of how you could use these phrases.

Expressing your opinion or contrasting two sides of the argument is so common in IELTS,

that I'm gonna give you a couple more examples.

When you're writing your conclusion, or maybe an introduction, you can use this structure

Some people argue that … My own view is that… That's what I've done in this

example:

Some people argue that the government should promote healthy lifestyle options.

My own view is that each individual is ultimately responsible for his health and fitness.

Opinion is another very common word. Here're a couple of ways to use it:

Opinion is divided on the issue. It means that people are disagree. You could

say Should the government ban smoking in public places? Opinion is divided on this issue.

By the way, in all my examples I use common English words. If you need to get Band 6 in

writing, you may not be familiar with some of them. But for Band 8, you should know most

of the words.

In your conclusion, if you want to say in my opinion, that's fine.

In my opinion, everyone should have some understanding of science.

To make your sentence sound more complex, you can move it to the middle of the sentence:

Everyone should, in my opinion, have some understanding of science.

In this case, put commas before and after the phrase. Here's another one:

Each individual, in my opinion, is ultimately responsible for his health and fitness.

Have you noticed where I put these words? Just before the main verb.

If you've already used the word advantage, you don't want to repeat it several time,

say a benefit. Another advantage of public transport is low

cost. Or

Public transport has a benefit of low cost. You can also say Public transport has an advantage

of low cost. Those who have a benefit of a good education

are more likely to get a high-paid job. A synonym of the word disadvantage is a drawback.

This is the one major drawback of the new system.

The one big drawback with the plan is its high cost.

It's possible to say a drawback of the system. Or a drawback with the plan. Both ways are

correct.

If your task reads: Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? You could say:

The advantages of this system far outweigh the disadvantages.

But you would repeat a lot of words from your task. So, write these instead:

The benefits of this system far outweigh the drawbacks.

It's quite hard to substitute the verb outweigh as that's the one you normally use in this

situation. So we keep it. Or another way to avoid using words advantages

and disadvantages is strengths and weaknesses. This approach has its advantages and disadvantages.

This approach has its strengths and weaknesses.

It's also possible to use these words separately. A fundamental weakness of this approach is

its cost. Fundamental means the main or the greatest

weakness.

I like the phrase 'the strength lies'. Let's say, our sentence is

The strength of this solution is in its low cost.

Or The strength of this solution lies in its

low cost. Don't forget the preposition in Lies in.

When you want to introduce one side of the argument, you can say

Some people argue that laws are made by and for men.

Or It could be argued that laws are made by and

for men.

I chose this particular example to show you how you can use two different prepositions

in a row. The full phrase is by men and for men. Or you simply say By and for men.

You can download a list of all the expressions and examples used this video if you click

the button on the screen or a link in the video description below.

Don't forget to leave your examples of how you could use these phrases in comments. Thank

you so much for watching me. Good luck with your preparation and bye!