Pre-writing is the process where the candidate figures out what the question is asking and plans their essay. If done correctly, this will save the candidate essential time. Writing block style for the IELTS is an effective way to complete Task 2. Block style organization has 4 parts as follows:

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- Paragraph 1: Introduction

- Paragraph 2: Body 1

- Paragraph 3: Body 2

- Paragraph 4: Conclusion

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Pre-writing is arguably the most important part of efficiently completing IELTS writing task 2. Pre-writing takes 5 minutes and helps students correctly analyze and organize their essays. It is also a crucial part in managing valuable time. Many students who do not complete pre-writing do not have enough time to finish the essay, thus not completing the task and loosing points. The two steps to pre-writing are:

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1. Analyze the question

2. Brainstorm and organize ideas

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Analyzing the question is the first step in the pre-writing process. Analyzing the question helps you to correctly complete the task by identifying the topic, question/sides, and task. In order to correctly identify these, you must ask yourself the following questions:

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1. Topic - What is the overall topic of the question? Here you keep things simple. Example topics are: education, poverty, pollution, sports, etc...

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2. Question/Sides - What question are you answering? How many sides are there? Is it two-sided or one-sided?

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3. Task - What is the question telling you to do? What kind of essay are you supposed to write? One-sided? Advantage/disadvantage? Problem/solution?

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Brainstorming helps students collect their thoughts on paper so they can generate and organize their ideas. In this class, mind maps will be taught to efficiently collect and organize ideas.