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IELTS Writing Task 2 • 55 minutes

Module 1: Warm-up

Warm up with the words, phrases and patterns you need for the essay.

💡 How to use this lesson

👩‍🏫 For Teachers

• Plan 55 minutes: about 15 for Module 1, 30 for the essay in Module 2 and 10 for the model essay in Module 3.
• Check Module 1 together using the feedback, then read each essay and look for the four starters and the Unit words.

🎓 For Learners

• Do Module 1 first, so the words and phrases are fresh before you write.
• Then write your essay in Module 2 and read the model essay in Module 3 to compare.

A. Word forms

Write the correct form of the word in brackets.

1. The newspaper is known for its _____ cartoons about politicians. (satire)

____ (Type your answer...)

2. Her _____ reply, "Thanks a lot for your help," made him angry. (sarcasm)

____ (Type your answer...)

3. The comedian said a joke should never turn into _____ of people who are already sad. (mock)

____ (Type your answer...)

4. The _____ of the situation made the whole room laugh. (absurd)

____ (Type your answer...)

5. It would be _____ to ban every joke about every subject. (ridicule)

____ (Type your answer...)

B. Collocations

Choose the word that fits best.

6. The audience laughed as soon as she delivered the _____.

____ a. caricature ____ b. punchline ____ c. sarcasm

7. The show uses sharp political _____ to laugh at the government.

____ a. punchline ____ b. witty ____ c. satire

8. The cartoonist drew a cruel _____ of the president.

____ a. caricature ____ b. punchline ____ c. irony

9. Critics called the film a gentle _____ of old detective stories.

____ a. sarcasm ____ b. parody ____ c. witty

10. It was a _____ remark that made even the judges smile.

____ a. parody ____ b. caricature ____ c. witty

C. Essay phrases

Fill each gap with one phrase from the box. Use each phrase once.

By contrast It could be argued that Notwithstanding Consequently Admittedly

11. _____ the strict rules of the festival, a few performers still broke them.

____ (Type the phrase...)

12. Some jokes are gentle and kind. _____, others are made to hurt.

____ (Type the phrase...)

13. _____, the show was popular, but many viewers felt it went too far.

____ (Type the phrase...)

14. Every ticket sold out in an hour. _____, the theatre added a second night.

____ (Type the phrase...)

15. _____ every group should be treated in the same way in public debate.

____ (Type the phrase...)

D. Paraphrase

Choose the sentence that says the same thing in different words.

16. Original: "Some comedians go too far when they make fun of people."

____ a. Some comedians cross the line when they laugh at others. ____ b. Some comedians are too far from the people they laugh at. ____ c. Some comedians make fun of people who go too far in life.

17. Original: "Jokes about serious subjects can hurt people who have lived through them."

____ a. Jokes about serious subjects are always kind to the people who lived through them. ____ b. People who have lived through serious events can be hurt by jokes about them. ____ c. Jokes about serious subjects can be hurt by people who have lived through them.

18. Original: "Although many people enjoy dark humour, it is not to everyone's taste."

____ a. Dark humour is liked by everybody, so it suits every taste. ____ b. Many people dislike dark humour, although it is to everyone's taste. ____ c. Dark humour is popular with many people, yet not everyone likes it.

E. Grammar recap

Three quick questions about the chatty markers.

19. Which marker goes after ONE example that you are not sure about?

____ a. and so on ____ b. or something ____ c. as it were

20. Which sentence adds a point that goes against what you just said?

____ a. The sketch was long. Mind you, the final joke was brilliant. ____ b. The sketch was long. You know, the final joke was brilliant. ____ c. The sketch was long. As it were, the final joke was brilliant.

21. Which marker is fine in a formal essay?

____ a. kind of ____ b. you know ____ c. and so on

🎭

Module 2: The Writing Task

Now it's time to put your ideas into practice and write a complete IELTS Task 2 essay.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Prompt

"Some people believe that comedians should be free to make jokes about any subject, while others think that some subjects should never be made fun of. To what extent do you agree or disagree?"

Write at least 250 words.

📌 Your 4-Paragraph Essay Plan

Use these exact paragraph starters to structure your essay clearly and maintain a coherent progression.

Paragraph 1: Introduction

"It is often argued that ..."

Introduce the debate and say whether you agree or disagree.

Paragraph 2: First Body Paragraph

"A further consideration is ..."

Give your first main point and explain it.

Paragraph 3: Second Body Paragraph

"Admittedly, ..."

Give a point for the other side, then answer it.

Paragraph 4: Conclusion

"On balance, ..."

Sum up your view in one clear final statement.

✅ Pre-Submission Self-Check List

Confirm that your draft fulfills all required constraints before submitting:

____ Word Count: My essay contains at least 250 words. ____ Grammar Constraint: At least 3 sentences use unit spoken markers or vague language (e.g., sort of, kind of, I mean, you know, mind you, to be fair, as it were). ____ Vocabulary Constraint: At least 5 Unit words are included (e.g., satire, parody, irony, sarcasm, punchline, witty, absurd, ridicule, mock, caricature). ____ Structure: All 4 required starters (It is often argued that ..., A further consideration is ..., Admittedly, ..., On balance, ...) are used to start paragraphs.

✍️ Write Your Essay

Compose your essay in the box below. Your essay is graded on these four things.

Task Response Coherence and Cohesion Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy

____ (Start writing your essay here using the four required paragraph starters...)

🌟

Module 3: C1 Model Essay

Here is a model essay of 274 words, written the way a strong C1 student writes. See how the Unit words, the essay phrases and the chatty markers fit together.

💡 How to analyze this model:

The Unit words, essay phrases and markers are in bold. A short note under each paragraph says why they work.

C1 Student Model Response Word Count: 274 words

It is often argued that comedians should be free to joke about any subject, and I mostly agree with this. Good satire and a clever parody can make people laugh at serious problems, and a witty line can start a real conversation. Humour is also a safe way to talk about difficult things, and it can be kind of healing. However, I do not think the freedom should have no limits at all.

📌 Why this works: "It is often argued that ..." opens the essay with a careful opinion. "Kind of" makes the adjective less exact, and satire, parody and witty are Unit words.

A further consideration is that jokes often work because they say what people are afraid to say. Irony and caricature let a comedian show a leader's weakness without a long speech, and the audience knows the picture is absurd on purpose. Consequently, banning whole subjects would take away much of what makes comedy useful. Politicians, judges, bankers and so on are easy targets, and most of them survive the joke.

📌 Why this works: "A further consideration is ..." adds a new point, "Consequently" shows a result, and "and so on" ends a list that could continue.

Admittedly, some comedians rely on cheap sarcasm or ridicule to get a laugh from a rude punchline. Notwithstanding the right to free speech, a joke that hurts someone who is already suffering can be bullying in a costume, as it were. Mind you, to be fair, most audiences sort of know when a joke has crossed the line, and they simply stop watching when a comedian goes too far.

📌 Why this works: "Admittedly" gives a point for the other side. "As it were" softens an unusual phrase, "mind you" adds a point against, "to be fair" adds a point in favour, and "sort of" makes "know" less exact.

On balance, I believe comedians should keep their freedom, because a free society needs people who can mock power. By contrast, rules that list forbidden subjects are hard to write and easy to misuse. The best answer is probably that audiences, not officials, decide what they are willing to laugh at, and that comedians accept the consequences when they get it wrong.

📌 Why this works: "On balance" gives your final view, and "By contrast" compares two ideas. "Mock" is a Unit word.

🎯 Summary of Target Features Used

📚 Unit Vocabulary (10/10)

• satire, parody, witty
• irony, caricature, absurd
• sarcasm, ridicule
• punchline, mock

🗣️ Spoken & Vague Markers

• kind of, sort of
• as it were, mind you
• to be fair, and so on

🔗 Essay Connectors & Starters

• It is often argued that ...
• A further consideration is ...
• Admittedly, ...
• Consequently, Notwithstanding, By contrast
• On balance

IELTS Writing C1: Comedy and Satire

Module 1: Warm-up

💡 How to use this lesson

A. Word forms

B. Collocations

C. Essay phrases

D. Paraphrase

E. Grammar recap

Module 2: The Writing Task

📌 Your 4-Paragraph Essay Plan

✅ Pre-Submission Self-Check List

✍️ Write Your Essay

Module 3: C1 Model Essay

🎯 Summary of Target Features Used

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