FOUNDATION 2

UNIT 8
WRITING
Exercise 1. Match the words with the definitions
family friends friendship grandparents parents
relations/ relatives relationship

1. members of your family: Relations/ relatives

2. a situation in which two people are friends: friendship
3. people you know well and like but who aren’t usually members of your family: friends
4. the way two (or more) people feel and behave towards each other: relationship
5. a group of people who are related to each other, e.g. a mother, a father and their children: family
6. your mother and father: parents
7. the parents of your mother and father: grandparents

Exercise 2. Read the IELTS Writing Task 2 question.

It is sometimes said that old friendships are as valuable as family relationships. Do you agree or
disagree?
Then read the information. Complete the conclusion. Use the words in the box.

You should always write a conclusion to your IELTS Writing Task 2 essay. The conclusion
should be two or three sentences long and refer to the main points in your essay. It should be
include your opinion.
You can use the essay question to help you check if you have referred to main points in your
conclusion.

agree disagree family old friendships opinion valuable

Conclusion:
In conclusion, I agree that old friendships are extremely valuable but I disagree that friends are as
important as relatives. In my opinion, nobody can replace your relations because family are the most
valuable people in the world.
Exercise 3. Read the information. Then read the student’s essay for the same Task 2 question.
What information should the student include in the conclusion? Read the sentences and choose
the correct answers.

UNIT 8_WRITING_KEY 1
FOUNDATION 2

For some people, it is true that their friends are as important as their family. Personally, I need my
friendships a lot but I do not think they can ever replace the connection with my relatives. In this
essay, I am going discuss both sides of the argument before coming to a conclusion.
On the one hand, I think that old friendships are very valuable. You can talk to friends who you have
know for a long time about anything and they give you advice from experience. In addition, some
people do not enjoy spending time with their ralations because they are too strict or argue a lot.
Unfortunately, certain people do not have family because they died or moved away. For them,
friendship are invaluable.
On the other hand, I disagree that friends are as important as relatives. In my opinion, nobody can be
as valuable as family. Your parents work hard to help you and bring you up. Your grandparents did
the same for your parents in the past. My family is particularly close because we live in the same
street. Athough I see my friends most days, I see my family every days. I eat with my grandmother
at least twice a week and at weekends the whole family, all 25 of us, eats together.
1. I agree that old friendships are valuable

●Yes ○ No
2. Friends can often talk to you about anything.

○Yes ● No
3. Some people’s relations are too strict or argue a lot.

○Yes ● No
4. Some people do not have family because they have died or moved away.

○Yes ● No
5. I disagree that friends are important as relatives

●Yes ○ No
6. In my view, nobody can be as valuable as family.

●Yes ○ No
7. Your parents work hard to help you

○Yes ● No
8. My family all live in the same street.

UNIT 8_WRITING_KEY 2
FOUNDATION 2

○Yes ● No
9. I see my family every day.

○Yes ● No
10. I eat with my grandmother twice a week.

○Yes ● No
Exercise 4. Read the essay questions and the conclusions. Then choose the purpose of each
sentence.
1 Some people think it is better to speak privately to friends while others tell personal things to
their family only. Discuss the two different views and give your opinion.
In conclusion, sometimes people are more comfortable sharing personal details with friends because
they are embarrassed to talk about their feelings with their parents or their family would not want to
hear about problems. (A summary sentence of whether effects are good or bad/ A summary sentence
of first point view)
On the other hand, other people speak to family because they feel they can trust them more than
anyone else. (A summary sentence of alternative point of view/ A summary sentence of first point of
view) Personally, I think that relatives are the best people to tell private information. (My opinion/ A
summary of main effects)
2 The internet has changed the way friends communicate. What effects does the web have on
friendships? Are these effects good or bad?
To conclude, communicating through email or websites means that friends can easily keep in contact
but might not see each other as often (A summary of main effects/ A summary sentence of first point
of view). The internet has, therefore, had both positive and negative effects on friendships (My
opinion/ A summary sentence of whether effects are good or bad ). At the end of the day, however, I
believe that it offers more good points than bad points. (My opinion/ A summary sentence of main
effects).
Exercise 5. Read the IELTS Writing Task 2 question
The internet has changed the way friends communicate. What effects does the internet have on
friendships? Are these effects good or bad?
Read the information. Then read the student’s essay. Highlight five unnecessary pieces of
information in the conclusion.

In IELTS Writing Task 2, the conclusion is a summary of the essay, you should not add any new
information.

It is certainly true that the invention of the internet has transformed communication within
friendships. In my opinion, overall it has more good consequences than bad. In this essay, I am going
to discuss the effects that the internet has had on the way friends communicate.
UNIT 8_WRITING_KEY 3
FOUNDATION 2

Before the internet was invented, friends used to speak on the phone or meet each other to talk.
Sometimes they even used to write each other letters. Now they email, send messages on smart
phones or communicate on online networking sites. On the one hand, this means that friends can
easily keep in regular contact with each other. However, on the other hand, it means that they might
not see each other as often.
The web has, therefore, had both a good effect and a bad effect on how friends communicate with
each other. A positive example is that friends who have not seen for a long time can contact you
online after several years, so you do not forget about each other. A negative example is that friends
might spend a lot more time alone now because they do not arrange to meet each other as often. Even
though you get a lot of texts or emails, you can still be lonely.

To conclude, I use two laptops, so I know that communicating through email or websites means that
friends can easily keep in contact but might not see each other as often. I email my friend in
Shanghai every day. The internet has, therefore, had both positive and negative effects on
friendships. Another negative effect is that people spend too much time looking at a computer
screen. At the end of the day, however, I believed that it offers more good points than bad points.
Another good point is that email is very quick. Another bad point is that phones or laptops can break.
Exercise 6. The first words of your conclusion should be In conclusion or a synonym of it.
Choose the correct prepositions to complete the words and phrases that are synonyms of In
conclusion.
1. In/ To conclude 5. In/ To finish
2. In/ To short 6. In/ To put it briefly
3. In/ To sum up 7. In/ To the end
4. In/ To summary 8. In/ To summarize

Exercise 7. Correct the mistakes. There is one mistake in each sentence.

1. To put it breifly, parents are more important to children than their grandparents
 briefly
2. In sumary, the best thing about friendship is feeling emotionally supported.
 summary
3. To short, you are lucky if you have lots of uncles and aunts.
 In
4. To summ up, you have to work at friendships like you have to work at marriage.
 sum
5. In an end, nobody should argue with their family.
 the

UNIT 8_WRITING_KEY 4
FOUNDATION 2

Exercise 8. WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Nowadays, in many families both parents need to have jobs. What are some of the problems
associated with both parents working, and what are some of the possible solutions?
Give reasons for your answers and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample response:

At the present time, it is true that families often need both the mother and father to work but that
childcare can then cost too much. In my opinion, the difficulties linked to both parents having jobs
are challenging but there are clear solutions to some of them. In this essay, I am going to discuss
some of the difficulties and suggest a few answers.
On the one hand, when both the mother and father are employed full-time certain problems occur. If
the parents need to leave the house early in the morning and get home in the late afternoon or early
evening, they might need someone to take their children to school or even take care of their children
at home. Childcare becomes very expensive. In addition, if both parents work, the family will
probably need to own two cars, which means spending even more money each year.
On the other hand, there are definitely solutions to some of these problems. Some adults share the
journey to work with other people, usually in a different person’s car each day. This means that each
family does not have to own two cars. In addition, in some countries working parents can apply to
the government for money to help with childcare so that they can keep going to work and paying
their income tax.
In summary, there are certainly problems associated with both parents working, including the cost
of childcare and transport. However, solutions include car-sharing and government benefits. In my
opinion, the challenges of a child’s mother and father having jobs are difficult but not impossible.
(266 words)

UNIT 8_WRITING_KEY 5