One of the biggest problems that students face while writing or speaking is that their mind suddenly goes blank and they can’t think of anything.
This is commonly known as the “block”. You might’ve heard the term being referred to by artists and writers as “I’ve got the artist’s block” or “he’s going through a severe writer’s block”. When your ideas get blocked, you can be like a walking zombie. Alive? maybe, but moving without any direction? Certainly.
In terms of IELTS, generating, selecting, organizing and summarizing your ideas is the most important skill to have. And here’s the catch, if it is a skill, you can most certainly learn it. Now read that again.
And as we all know, the best way to learn a skill is to practice. You must prepare yourself against the infamous “block” and be ready for it.
How to Practice Idea Generation:
I’ll start with objects first. This will set the stage for you.
Exercise – Look at your desk. Pick an object, any object. Now think of every single thing you can possibly discuss about this particular object.
Example – Wallet.
I’ll write down by describing its shape, color, size, smell and other physical features. Something I explore in detail in my description method video, alternatively titled how to write. You can check it out here.
Blue, small, rectangular, rexine material, sturdy, compact, many pockets, button, stitched, folded.
Takeaway? Learn adjectives and their degrees. Find out new ones, replace the ones you already know with better ones. Check out my document named “Lexical Resource Guidebook” for more information, it’s free.
These are all I can think of when I look at my wallet. But what about things that aren’t visible? What about the wallet’s:
- Origin -> How it came to be. What the raw materials looked like? How much did it have to travel as a finished product to get to me?
- Manufacturer -> Mind you, I’m broke; it was made in China.
- Use case -> Regular use, I carry it everywhere. It carries my cards and cash.
- Lifespan -> It has served me well for over 5 years.
- Replacement -> Are you kidding me? I don’t wanna make it jealous. At least not yet.
And so on and so forth, as many points as you can imagine.
Takeaway? Learn adverbs. Sorry to sound robotic, but find out new ones, replace the ones you already know with better ones. Check out my document named “Lexical Resource Guidebook” for more information, it’s free.
What I am trying to tell you, is to think and create frameworks. These frameworks will act as a vanilla or reference guide which you can then use in the real exam. You can take a framework, add on it, remove from it, and essentially customize it for any specific elaborative essay.
So, lets try this approach on a real question.
This is from Cambridge IELTS Book 19 Academic.
Ideally your question should be, how the hell did I come up with those ideas and how you can do the same?
I already gave you the answer. It’s a framework. I put myself in the position where I am young and have the option to save. You should do the same. Now think, really think. Think hard. What are the merits of saving money from a young age and vice versa. This is called narrative thinking. It follows a narrative, a story, it has a foundation, flow, logic and future prospects.
Likewise, think against it now. Imagine if you were to put 50% or more of your monthly income into savings, and not touch that money, how would that affect your daily life? Your living standards?
It’s easy to come up with solutions once your problems are well defined. Hence, you need such frameworks.
Your next question should be, which one of these should I go forward with? Sorry to sound robotic, I already answered that. Whichever position you can develop elaborately. 3rd question, how? How can I proceed further with these baseline ideas and develop them into fully expanded theories? Good question.
In the sister article to this one, we will breakdown each idea and give it depth. Essentially, you will learn how to expand your ideas. Breathe life into them by describing their origin, giving them logic and divide them between viably practical ideas and utmost certain failures. Read that one here:
Written by Awais Ahmed
IELTS With Awais
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