Home > IELTS > Part II - Lesson 18: Outback Tourism
In this episode we will practice using hyphens, and also talk about showing contrast using the words despite, although and but.

Transcript - Text

 Quiz text and answer sheet

Study Node - Expressing Contrast and Concession:

Whether it is the IELTS Writing or Speaking test, it may be necessary to contrast ideas, concede a point or even show an unexpected result.

When expressing an opinion you might say, 'Though everybody raved about his latest film, I was terribly disappointed with his performance'.

When contrasting data you might write, 'Despite both models of the Plasma television being competitively priced, they differ substantially in quality'. Both these examples contrast ideas using though and despite respectively, but in each circumstance there is also an element of surprise or an unexpected point of view being conveyed.

These two of several ways of expressing contrast and concession in English are detailed in the attached study notes.

 

IELTS Study Tips:

Structures expressing contrast and concession are particularly relevant to Writing task 1 when contrasting data and Writing task 2 when conceding a point or contrasting ideas as in a discussion essay.

These same expressions are also useful in Part 3 of the Speaking test when expressing your point of you. They are beneficial in improving coherence, which is assessed in both the IELTS Writing and Speaking tests.