WRITING TASK 2

Hedging

1. We need to use hedging in our essays to:

a. address all parts of the task.
b. make sure we present a clear position throughout the response.
c. help us present, extend and support main ideas.
d. avoid over-generalising.
2-6. In the video, I showed you 5 methods that you can use to hedge. What were they?
(2) Add a q _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _(e.g. many)
(3) Add an a _ _ _ _ _ of f _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (e.g. generally)
(4) Add a _ _ _ _ _ of p _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (e.g. perhaps)
(5) Use a m _ _ _ _ v _ _ _ (e.g. could)
(6) Use a t _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ v _ _ _ (e.g. tend to)
7. Read the essay that we wrote in the last set of practice activities again and underline all the
examples of hedging. (Did you notice them the first time?!)

More and more school leavers are deciding to take a gap year before continuing their
education. While there are those who feel this trend has no benefits, I believe it is a positive
one for three reasons.

Firstly, taking a break from education can allow students to gain valuable work experience in
their chosen field. This gives them a real taste of employment, which cannot be gained at
school or university. Some may argue that many gap years are a waste of time as generally
they are used only to have fun. However, because of the rising cost of further education, many
students today are using this time to enter their professional field to ensure that they are
making the right career choice. Consequently, fewer students now make the costly mistake of
entering into the wrong degree course.
Another key reason is self-development. Many students who take a gap year often experience
true independence for the first time because they leave the family home and travel. As a result,
they usually gain valuable life skills such as how to adapt quickly in new situations. Moreover, if
the young person travels to a new country, they will gain a wider cultural understanding and
may sometimes even pick up a new language.
The main reason why I believe taking a break between school and university is a good idea is
academic burnout. While I concede that taking a year off may result in some previous
knowledge being forgotten, students who go directly from one academic institution to another
tend to find themselves feeling mentally exhausted moving the pressure of one set of exams to
another. In contrast, those who have spent a year away, often come back with a fresh attitude
and possibly a new appreciation of the value of education, they are much less likely to end up
dropping out of university.
In conclusion, not only does taking a gap year allow students the chance to taste a career, it
also reduces the chance of study burnout. Therefore, I disagree that they are as waste of time
as the practice offers students an invaluable opportunity for personal growth.

© 2017 My IELTS Classroom ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

8-15. Now let’s practice hedging. Look at the sentences, which all over-generalise. Make the
sentences less sweeping by adding hedges. You can add any of the types of hedging we
learned in the lesson but try to vary them as much as possible.

(8) Older people can’t use new technology.

___________________________________________________________________________

(9) Money is the main motivator for employees.

___________________________________________________________________________

(10) Parents try to control their children’s lives in some way.

___________________________________________________________________________

(11) Students who travel abroad to get a higher education get better jobs when they return
home.

___________________________________________________________________________

(12) People today have lost traditional handicraft skills like sewing and carving.

___________________________________________________________________________

(13) People who have a credit card have more debt than those who don’t.

___________________________________________________________________________

(14) Children in a home with two working parents don’t get the attention they need.

___________________________________________________________________________

(15) Advertising leads to people buying products they don’t want or need.

___________________________________________________________________________

Please note
Try not to add more than ONE piece of hedging to a sentence. For example, if you
use “may” and “sometimes” together, it can sound unnatural. Also, remember that
we only want to use this language before OPINIONS!

© 2017 My IELTS Classroom ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 ANSWERS & COMMENTS

1. d YES. This is the whole point of hedging. We mustn’t make sweeping statements in our
essay.
2. quantifier
3. adverb of frequency
4. adverb of probability
5. modal verb
6. tentative verb
7. More and more school leavers are deciding to take a gap year before continuing their education. While there are those who feel this
trend has no benefits, I believe it is a positive one for three reasons.
Firstly, taking a break from education can allow students to gain valuable work experience in their chosen field. This gives them a
real taste of employment, which cannot be gained at school or university. Some may argue that many gap years are a waste of
time as generally they are used only to have fun. However, because of the rising cost of further education, many students today
are using this time to enter their professional field to ensure that they are making the right career choice. Consequently, fewer
students now make the costly mistake of entering into the wrong degree course.
Another key reason is self-development. Many students who take a gap year often experience true independence for the first
time because they leave the family home and travel. As a result, they usually gain valuable life skills such as how to adapt quickly
in new situations. Moreover, if the young person travels to a new country, they will gain a wider cultural understanding and may
sometimes even pick up a new language.
The main reason why I believe taking a break between school and university is a good idea is academic burnout. While I concede
that taking a year off may result in some previous knowledge being forgotten, students who go directly from one academic
institution to another tend to find themselves feeling mentally exhausted moving the pressure of one set of exams to another. In
contrast, those who have spent a year away, often come back with a fresh attitude and possibly a new appreciation of the value of
education, they are much less likely to end up dropping out of university.
In conclusion, not only does taking a gap year allow students the chance to taste a career, it also reduces the chance of study
burnout. Therefore, despite others viewing the trend as a waste of time, I think the practice offers students an invaluable opportunity
for personal growth.

8. Older people often / generally /usually can’t use new technology.

Older people tend to not be able to use new technology.
Most/Many older people can’t use new technology.
9. Money is the main motivator for many / most employees.
Money is probably the main motivator for employees.
Money is generally / often / usually the main motivator for employees.
Money tends /seems / appears to be the main motivator for employees.
Money can be the main motivator for employees.
10.Many / Most parents try to control their children’s lives.
Parents generally / often / usually try to control their children’s lives in some way.
Parents tend /seem / appear to try to control their children’s lives in some way
11.Students who travel abroad to get a higher education generally / often / usually get better jobs when they
return home.
Students who travel abroad to get a higher education tend to get better jobs when they return home.
Many / Most students who travel abroad to get a higher education get better jobs when they return home.
Students who travel abroad to get a higher education can get better jobs when they return home.
12.Many / Most people today have lost traditional handicraft skills like sewing and carving.
13.Many people who have a credit card have more debt than those who don’t.
People who have a credit card often / usually have more debt than those who don’t.
People who have a credit card tend to have more debt than those who don’t.
14.Children in a home with two working parents generally / often don’t get the attention they need.
Children in a home with two working parents rarely get the attention they need.
Children in a home with two working parents possibly don’t get the attention they need.
15.Advertising leads to most / many / some people buying products they don’t want or need.
Advertising can / may/ might lead to people buying products they don’t want or need.
Advertising probably leads to people buying products they don’t want or need.
Advertising generally / often / usually leads to people buying products they don’t want or need.
Advertising tends to lead to people buying products they don’t want or need.
© 2017 My IELTS Classroom ALL RIGHTS RESERVED