What is an Introduction?

The essay's beginning, known as the introduction, is a brief section that presents the subject and key points. It aims to engage the reader, give context to the subject, and reveal the essay's main argument, also known as the thesis statement. This sets the stage and guides the reader through the essay.

Is an introduction necessary?

An introduction in an essay is like a map. It shows what the essay is about and what to expect. It also shares the main point or argument of the essay. It's important because it grabs the reader's attention and guides them through the essay. But, the thing with IELTS is that the questions are very close ended so an elaborate introduction is not necessary.

So, what can serve as an introduction?

A direct answer to the question, or one-sentence introduction will definitely serve the purpose without affecting the scoring in anyway. In the following section, you can see a Band 9 answer that does not have much of an introduction and yet would score close to a Band 9.

The question is in the image above.

Sample Response

Some believe that learning about other subjects in addition to your main subjects is advantageous.

They believe that it gives you an opportunity to explore other potential paths and interests that may enrich your personal and professional development. This will also allow them to draw insight from exploring a topic from perspectives, which can enhance creativity, and problem-solving skills.

Having multiple competencies can help you adapt to new challenges and take advantage of opportunities. Further, such an endeavour will open up a wide range of careers both within and beyond your field of study. In fact, research supports the notion that generalists more easily find jobs than specialists do.

However, this is not without its share of disadvantages.

Balancing your workload and deadlines can become a challenge. The associated stress can rob you not just of your focus but also of happiness and peace of mind. Choosing to pursue multiple subjects might also reduce the depth of knowledge in the main subject even as you strive to increase the breadth. In some cases, lack of depth could cost you important opportunities.

In some cases, encountering contradictory or incompatible information across different subject can be a source of confusion and conflict. In the most extreme of cases, it can make it harder for you to decide on a career path. In other words, it can create the problem of plenty.

Personally, I love being a generalist and would prefer to learn as many subjects as I can. That said, I also understand that this approach might not suit everyone in every field. 

Trainer Comments

The task starts off directly by answering a part of the question. 

This is perfectly alright because:

• It gives the reader an idea of what the topic is about.
• It tells the readers what to expect.
• It shares the main point of the essay - that it is about learning about subjects other than the main subject.

The single sentence therefore serves all purposes of a good introduction..

What about the one-line paragraph?

In the response above, the writer uses a one-line paragraph - However, this is not without its share of disadvantages. This is perfectly fine, and is perfectly acceptable. In fact, any good writing instructor will tell you that you can write one sentence paragraphs for emphasis. But it should be used sparingly and done primarily for emphasis.

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