Aims: w ords describing fam ilies and relationships • m odal verbs • Structuring paragraphs and essays • Structuring a Task 2 opinion essay Part 1: Language development Howard Susan

The first line of each paragraph below is missing. Write a first line which summarizes the
main idea of the paragraph. The first one is done for you.
1 
.. Once, the traditional structure of
tw o parents w ith tw o children was the most common family type in Western countries 
like the UK and the USA, but this is changing. New family structures include one-parent 
families and families w ith children from more than one marriage. These new family 
types are becoming increasingly common. Different family structures mean that many 
children live w ith a variety of full, step or half brothers and sisters.
If more women go out to work, this could affect the children in the family because they are 
not receiving the attention they need. Many people claim that children are happy when both 
their parents are working, but someone needs to look after the children and the home, and 
women are often better at this role.
Having brothers and sisters means that a child learns how to socialize w ith other 
children from a young age and this is incredibly beneficial for them. They also grow up 
and grow old w ith an existing support network around them, which people w ith no 
brothers and sisters may not have. An only child can also be very lonely.
4
It is not a child's job to cook, clean or help in the home. Children should be playing 
and having fun because childhood is the only tim e when they will be free from work. 
Children should be developing rather than becoming tired doing housework. Although 
many argue that helping in the home teaches children to look after their environment 
and to be clean, children can learn these things in other ways than through housework
Exam information I Structuring an essay
Structuring an essay is an important part of writing for IELTS. For a Task 2 essay, use 
a standard essay structure consisting of separate paragraphs: an introduction (one 
paragraph), followed by the main body of the essay (two or three paragraphs), then a 
conclusion (one paragraph).