Video Lesson
Writing Task 2

Model answer
Question type: Opinion
Topic: Only Children
IELTS WRITING TASK 2

IN THIS PART…
GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY
TASK RESPONSE
COHERENCE AND COHESION
LEXICAL RESOURCE

LOOK AT THE TASK 2 QUESTION
‘Children who have brothers and sisters often have better
social development than an only child. The government
should therefore give money to parents to have two or
more children.’ What do you think about this proposal?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your
own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words
GET A HIGH IELTS GRADE

BAND 9 MODEL ANSWER (300 WORDS)
In the past, due to high levels of infant mortality and the unavailability of birth control methods, families tended
to be extensive. Recently, there has been a marked reduction in the number of babies born. The percentage of
children who are growing up without siblings is definitely on the rise and leading experts have suggested that
this trend could be damaging. However, I find the proposal to offer a financial incentive for parents to have
extra children quite frankly appalling and abhorrent.
The first point worth making is that even if it could be proved that those who grow up surrounded by siblings
are more mature and better adapted to society, it does not naturally follow that society would be healthier if
everyone had this background. Variety is necessary in order for a culture to be harmonious and successful. Even
though those from large families might have better communication skills, only children possess other abilities
like determination, independence or higher levels of concentration. It is precisely the interaction of individuals
with different strengths, weaknesses and character traits which makes society stronger.
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several unfortunate consequences. Parents who only
wanted one child might be attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one, resulting in
unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore, revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to
fight poverty or build infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used to incentivise
others to produce more babies.
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the size of their family. I would be upset
if any government attempted to implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
The combination of a passive and a modal helps to
achieve a formal style. Here we use could for possibility
and the passive form because the original subject/agent
(people) does not need to be mentioned

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
We use the conditional tense to describe unreal/untrue situations. We
do not always include the if-clause. Here, if it were used has been left
out. At the moment, this policy is not used. If it were used, it would
have several unforeseen consequences

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
We can use that-clauses after many verbs such as
argue; agree; admit; believe; claim; confirm; complain;
decide; guarantee; hope; know; learn; mean; promise;
reveal; understand

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies. This sentence works like a second
conditional sentence. We could re-write
it as: If there were parents who only
wanted one child, they might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a
payment for a second child.

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
The verb in this clause is in the subjunctive
because we are writing about an unreal situation
and its possible result. Even though there is no
if-clause, the sentence follows the same rules as
a second conditional

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
In the result clause we can use would. We
can also use might/could for possibility

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
This is another example of a passive form. We use by to introduce the
original subject. Obviously, we need to mention the original subject here
but we make the sentence passive because we want to focus on parents
and not the possibility of receiving a payment

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
We can use one and ones to avoid
repeating a countable noun. We
use one for singular nouns and
ones for plural nouns (ones)

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
Resulting in = which would result in. We can often use a
participle clause instead of a relative clause. Here the clause
refers back to the previous idea and this clause describes a
result. We can often use resulting in; leading to; causing in this
way. For example: Many migrants have arrived, leading
to/resulting in calls for controls on the number of people who
enter the country; Petrol prices have risen, causing real
economic hardship for drivers

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
When a verb follows a preposition, it is
nearly always in the –ing form

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
This even happens when there is a noun phrase
between the preposition and the verb. Here,
being born is a passive form

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
Again, using the passive with a modal verb is impressive.
We can use could to describe possibility. We use the
passive because the original subject (people; politicians)
does not need to be mentioned

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
This is an example of ellipsis. It is not necessary to repeat language
from earlier in the sentence. In compound sentences, it is often
possible to leave information out of the second clause

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
The structure to resent/dislike/disapprove of somebody doing
something is useful. Here it is used in a passive form

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
This is a passive form. Again, the subject (people; politicians) can be
understood by the reader. We do not need to write it

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
We can use infinitive forms to describe the purpose
or reason for doing something

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: PARAGRAPH 3
In addition, it could be argued that this policy would have several
unfortunate consequences. Parents who only wanted one child might be
attracted by the possibility of receiving a payment for a second one,
resulting in unwanted and unloved babies being born. Furthermore,
revenue wasted on this strategy could not be used to fight poverty or build
infrastructure. Finally, childless couples may resent public funds being used
to incentivise others to produce more babies.
The structure to incentivise/encourage/beg/plead with/force
somebody to do something is common. When you learn a new
verb, it is good to know which structures it is used with

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the
size of their family. I would be upset if any government attempted to
implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.
When we follow a preposition
like in, on, to, with, after, before,
despite with a verb, the verb is
usually in the –ing form

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the
size of their family. I would be upset if any government attempted to
implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.
To pay/expect/help/remind
somebody (not) to do something is a
very useful structure. A number of
verbs can follow this pattern

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the
size of their family. I would be upset if any government attempted to
implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.
This is a second conditional sentence.
Again, it is used to describe a situation
which is not real/true at the moment

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the
size of their family. I would be upset if any government attempted to
implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.
The result clause comes first here. It has
a verb in the conditional form (would
be). It does not usually matter which
clause comes first in a conditional
sentence but when the if-clause is first,
the two clauses are usually separated
with a comma

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the
size of their family. I would be upset if any government attempted to
implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.
The if-clause has a verb in the
subjunctive. The subjunctive nearly
always looks like the simple past tense.
Usually, the only difference is with to
be. We always use were and never use
was

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the
size of their family. I would be upset if any government attempted to
implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.
To attempt is one of the many verbs
followed by an infinitive in a two-
verb structure. Others include plan,
decide, fail, want, intend

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the
size of their family. I would be upset if any government attempted to
implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.
We can use this with a singular
countable noun or an
uncountable noun to refer
back to an earlier idea

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the
size of their family. I would be upset if any government attempted to
implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.
It is possible to use this and it to refer
back to an earlier idea. Both of these
words can be pronouns. In this case,
both are possible but we use it to
avoid repeating the word this

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the
size of their family. I would be upset if any government attempted to
implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.
The conditional verb is used here to refer
to an earlier if-clause. We are referring to
the result of an unreal situation. This
makes sense because it refers back to
the if-clause

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the
size of their family. I would be upset if any government attempted to
implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.
We could write the political leaders
who are concerned here, but a
participle clause often seems more
formal than a relative clause

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the
size of their family. I would be upset if any government attempted to
implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.
Concerned = who we are already writing
about; who are already in the situation
we are writing about. The information in
this clause defines the noun (political
leaders). Because the noun is defined we
can use the

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefits to paying parents to increase the
size of their family. I would be upset if any government attempted to
implement this approach. It would suggest to me that the political leaders
concerned did not have a fundamental grasp of how the world works.
We can often use how to mean the way in which. Question
words can often be used in other ways. For example: There
are many reasons why people migrate; it is difficult to know
what to do; we will only understand the importance of
climate change when it affects us directly; Many school-
leavers do not really know where they want to study; It is
worrying how often people misunderstand each other

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