Memorising set phrases for use in the IELTS test is a highly effective way of achieving a higher score. Try learning the following signposting language which will make you sound more confident and sophisticated when writing an opinion or argument essay in Task 2. As with our Task 1 useful language yesterday, for each function the language is graded approximately for level, from regular use (Bands 5-6) to higher-level use (Bands 7-9).

Introducing the topic

• Some people argue that…
• Have you ever considered… ?
• The question raises the issue of…

Stating an opinion (thesis statement)

• I believe that…
• It is my belief that…
• This essay will argue that…

Indicating the scope of the essay

• In this essay, I will state…
• This essay will examine…
• … will be covered in this essay.

Giving reasons

• One reason for this is that…
• This can be explained by…
• This can be attributed to the fact that…

Giving further reasons

• Not only that, but…
• A further reason is…
• It should also be stated that…

Citing general opinions

• It has been claimed that…
• It is widely believed that…
• There is a widespread belief that…

Refuting opinions

• I would dispute this, however.
• However, this is not necessarily the case.
• There are some faults with this reasoning, however.

Hedging strategies

• It could be argued that…
• One explanation might be that…
• This suggests that…

Strengthening an argument

• There can be no doubt that…
• Therefore, we can say beyond any doubt that…
• These are just some of the reasons why…

Concluding and summarising

• To sum up, … / In summary, … / In short, …
• Overall, … / On the whole, …
• To return to my original idea,…

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