Task 2 – Introductions – Single sex schools

Comments on Task 2 introductions

The purpose of an introduction 

After reading your introduction, the reader should know

• what the question is and
• what your position is

Give your opinion in the introduction 

You should know your position before you start writing, so don't keep it a secret from the examiner.

Make it easy for him to give you a 7 for Task Response (presents a clear position throughout) by telling him your position in the introduction.

Background statements

Background statements are useful but it is not necessary to write one.  Candidates attempting to write a background statement often fall into traps like these:

1. They write a very clichéd sentence with phrases like  Nowadays in the world, with advances in technology and globalisation,  etc.  Examiners are not impressed memorised sentences.
2. They copy the premise of the question without changing the wording sufficiently
3. They end up using incorrect paraphrasing of the question.  Here's an example of poor paraphrasing in an introduction to this question:

The advantage of using opnions are divided is that once you've changed the structure, there is no longer the need to paraphrase everything, so you can repeat words from the question.  For the question above, it would be much simpler and better to say

Opinions are divided on whether job satisfaction is more important than job security.  I believe [...] 

A higher level candidate might say more:

Opinions are divided on whether job satisfaction is more important than job security, or whether having a permanent job is better. I believe [...] 

Note the second whether, which is necessary because there's a second subject - underlined.

Is it necessary to include all the ideas from the question?

No it's not.  Just give the most important information, and you should not copy the examples.  Here's an example of what not to do:

For 2 part questions, I prefer a simple 2 sentence introduction, with each sentence addressing one of the two questions:

Supporting ideas in the introduction

There is no need to give supporting ideas in the introduction - save them for the main body paragraphs.  You don't want to repeat information, and neither do you want to forced yourself to have to paraphrase.