Reasons for Not Using ‘I’ in IELTS Writing Task 2

Reasons for Not Using ‘I’ in IELTS Writing Task 2 is a topic in IELTS Writing. This is an opinion-based essay. This topic contains the essay types and their definition that students can face in the exam. The topic also states when, where and how “I” can be avoided. it also provides justification and reason as to why and where it can be used.

IELTS writing task 2 evaluates candidates based on the knowledge and views they have expressed. The IELTS exam assesses the proficiency of the candidates in the English language. The areas that candidates are assessed on are grammar, vocabulary, and style.

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IELTS Essay Types

IELTS Writing Task 2 has different types of essays like:

• Opinion essays
• Direct question essays
• Discussion essays
• Advantages and Disadvantages IELTS essays
• Cause and Solution essays

Opinion Essays

This is the most common type of question in IELTS task 2. The questions are stated in a particular opinion and the applicants need to agree or disagree with the opinion with suitable reasons.

Direct Question Essays

There can be one or several questions asked. Applicants must cover all the questions in the given time of 40 minutes without exceeding the word limit which is 250. If there is only one question then the whole must cover only one question.

Discussion Essays

In this type of essay, the applicants need to write the essay from both a positive and negative point of view. The discussion should be from both sides of an argument.

Advantage and Disadvantage Essays

This is also a two-part essay. Both the advantages and disadvantages of a topic, event, etc should be mentioned. However, the essay should not be opinionated. It should be informative and precise.

Cause and Solution Essays

A statement is given to the applicant. The applicant must analyze and interpret the statement wisely and write the causes of the event with its solution. If there are any precautions they should also be mentioned.

Reasons to Avoid Using ‘I’ in the Writing Task 2

The writing task 2 essays are formal essays and they need to be concisely written which means the fewer the words the better it is. The essay is written in a formal format. That is why the use of I should be avoided or its alternative should be used which makes the essay stronger and more formal. In fact, avoiding using “I” in the writing context is such a well-known rule, to the point that Google provides nearly 200 million results if I type it in the search bar.

When you have already started your point of view or a fact in the essay then the use of I is pointless. It weakens your side of the argument. Instead of ‘I’ words like from ‘my perspective’, ‘in my opinion’, ‘personally’ should be used. Words like ‘I believe’, and ‘I guess’ should be avoided. It makes your facts less believable and the stance of the statement gets weaker. It is critical to differentiate between the facts (the truth) and opinion (the writer’s perspective which may or may not be true) while writing an essay.

For example, “Wild animals should not be domesticated.”

The above sentence conveys the fact clearly and it can be conveniently believed that it is true. But what if it is framed in a different way like;

“I think wild animals should not be domesticated”

Now, the above statement conveys the opinion or a particular belief of the writer. Because of the addition of ‘I’ this statement loses its credibility. It becomes less believable. Hence, the addition of ‘I’ in a sentence makes the argument weaker.

When can ‘I’ be used in Writing Task 2? 

As stated above, there are different types of essays in the writing task. When there is an opinion essay use of I is a must because it states your opinion clearly. However, the use of I should be limited and not excessively used or it should not be repetitive. Always look for an alternative for the words.

For example, “In my opinion, the health benefits of living in the countryside far outweigh the range of opportunities available in cities.”

The above-mentioned sentence can also be framed as,

“Some residents are afraid that the influx of tourists would increase local animosity toward visitors rather than foster shared cultural understanding. However, this notion can be disproved since there are numerous statistics to support this inter-country growth.”

This explains that the use of ‘I’ is not necessary and it can always be replaced by framing the sentences in a different way with good vocabulary. This makes your essay look more formal and effective.

It is also always advisable to use personal pronouns like he, she, they, etc in IELTS exams. Do not use them so much that the essay becomes casual and loses its IELTS academic writing style. It can be used in introductions, and conclusions of an opinion essay which makes your opinion very clear.

For example,

“In my opinion, students should not have to wear school uniforms".
"I do not believe that students should wear school uniforms".
"I agree that wearing school uniforms is necessary for the following reasons".

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