OMAN COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
General Foundation Program
Level 3 Writing
Topic/s: Good paragraph writing revision
Oman College of Management and Technology
Level-3 Writing
Good Paragraph Writing
This lesson will give you the basic tips on paragraph writing.
You should follow the same structure that you would for writing any paragraph when you write
an IELTS paragraph, though it may be shorter because of the limited time that you have.
This limited time and space means that you have to get your ideas across as clearly and
succinctly as possible.
If you have planned well before you write, then you should be well on your way to being able to
write your paragraphs quickly and clearly.
The following has all the components of a good paragraph.
Read it through and identify why this is.
Studying Abroad
Teenage crime has increased due to many reasons. One reason is
the break down in the nuclear family. The high divorce rates have meant
many children have been brought up in one-parent families with no father to
act as a role model which is detrimental to their development. This is
particularly important for boys, who without this guidance are easily led
astray by bad influences such as drugs and crime. Another factor is the lack
of things to do for the young. For example, in the UK, many television
programs about this issue have shown that teenagers hang around in the
evenings with little to do. When this happens, the boredom means they will
find their own entertainment, which is often crime. All in all many reasons
caused the rise of teenage crime.
The Three Parts to Good Paragraph Writing
1
OMAN COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
General Foundation Program
The 'text book' structure for a paragraph is as follows:

Topic sentence

Supporting sentences

Concluding sentence
1. Topic Sentence
The topic sentence states what the paragraph will be about. It gives the topic of the paragraph,
and it also restricts the topic to one or two main ideas which can be explained fully in the space
of one paragraph. The controlling idea is the specific area that the topic is limited to:
Topic
controlling idea
Teenage crime has increased due to many reasons
2. Supporting Sentences
Supporting sentences explain and develop the topic sentence. Specifically, they discuss the
topic sentence by explaining the main ideas and discussing those more fully using reasons,
examples, facts, results, statistics, or anything else that proves your ideas are true.
The supporting sentences that explain the reasons of teenage crime are:
Breakdown in the nuclear family (1st supporting idea)
- high divorce rates = no father as ‘role model’ (reason)
– boys go astray, drugs & crime (result)
Lack of things to do (2nd supporting idea)
- e.g. TV has shown nothing to do ( example)
– Children see crime as entertainment ( result)
3. Concluding Sentence (Optional)
A concluding sentence can be used to signal the end of the paragraph. It tells the reader the
important points to remember. It is often a paraphrase of the topic sentence.
. All in all many reasons caused the rise of teenage crime.
Concluding sentences are optional and paragraphs often do not have them. You won't get
marked down if you do not have a concluding sentence in IELTS, but it is a good way to add
coherence to your paragraph.
2
OMAN COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
General Foundation Program
Unity and Coherence
For good paragraph writing, there must also be unity and coherence. The examiner will assess
your IELTS paragraphs on their unity and coherence, which is clearly shown in the IELTS public
band descriptors under "Coherence and Cohesion" for what is required for a band 7:

logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout

uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately

presents a clear central topic within each paragraph
1. Unity
Unity means that you discuss only one main (central) topic area in a paragraph. The area that
you are going to cover is usually introduced in the topic sentence, and your supporting sentences
should only be used to develop that.
Even if there is no specific topic sentence (more advanced writers do not always have an obvious
topic sentence), the paragraph should still have one central topic area so it retains unity.
2. Coherence
Another element of good paragraph writing is coherency. This means your paragraph is easy to
understand and read because
(a) The supporting sentences are arranged in a logical order and
(b) The ideas are joined by appropriate transition signals.
(a) Logical Order
For example, in the paragraph about teenage crime, there are two main ideas: Breakdown in the
nuclear family, and Lack of things to do. Each of these ideas is discussed, one after the other,
with examples, reasons and results to support them. This is logical order.
(b) Transition Signals
Furthermore, the relationship between the ideas is clearly shown by using appropriate transition
words and phrases such as All in all Another factor ,For example, One reason Using such words
and phrases will guide the reader through your paragraph, making it coherent and, therefore, easy
to understand.
Read these sentences of Body 2 of the Teenage Crime essay. These sentences are in jumbled
order. Arrange them into correct order in your group.
3
OMAN COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
General Foundation Program
1
Ultimately, the onus is on them to ensure their children are brought up in a loving
environment which would make them less likely to turn to crime.
Firstly, the government should provide more support for families.
2
3
They could, for example, find a male relative to act as a role model.
4
5
There are, however, ways to tackle these problems.
They could, for instance, invest more into building and staffing youth centers which
would provide guidance through the youth workers and also enable teenagers to focus
their attention on sport and other activities.
To sum up, both government and individual have the duty to tackle the reasons for this
dramatic increase.
Parents should also be encouraged to take more responsibility for their children.
6
7
Answer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
4