Academic writing has certain rules which must be followed when presenting your discussion and opinions in the IELTS exam. The introduction (first sentence/paragraph) is particularly important as it sets the tone of your essay and gives the examiner a good first impression of your ability.

IELTS examiners often complain that students use ‘lazy’ or inappropriate words and expressions for the first line of their essay. To avoid these errors, here are three bad examples you should avoid.

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3 words to avoid in IELTS academic writing

1. Nowadays

This is often overused as it is not specific and can be used for any essay topic. Because of this, it shows no understanding or knowledge of the question.

2. Some people

You should never start an essay with an opinion. This is because you may need to express this later, but it is never appropriate for the first line.

3. I think

In many of the question types for Writing Task 2 on the IELTS exam, you should not use ‘I think’ at all, because it presents too personal or subjective perspectives. Even when you do, this needs to come later in the essay.

Remember, these three words/expressions are fine to use in the rest of your essay, just not in the first sentence/paragraph!

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