Hi there, this is Fiona from IELTS with Fiona and the Members Academy.
In this lesson we're answering the question of is it okay to use personal pronouns such as I or we or me in your IELTS writing, task 2?
Now this full lesson is free and on my website.
So if you go to IELTSetccom, Just go to the search bar, put personal pronouns, like everything else on my website.
You can find what you're looking for in the search bar.
So if you go there, you'll find the full detailed explanation of this.
Also, if you go to my website, you'll find a conversation that was generated by AI, that And it's based on my blog and it produced this, I think, really good listening practice.
It's not too fast.
It's American accents and it debates this topic of is it OK to use personal pronouns in IELTS writing?
So the short answer is yes, it is.
The long answer is yes, but you can make your writing sound more formal, more academic, if you avoid using certain personal pronouns.
And this is only about task two essays.
I'm not talking about general training letters.
Of course, you can use I and we in those.
But the task two essay is quite a formal academic essay.
So, we need to take certain things into account.
So, just a quick review.
Personal pronouns.
I, me, he, him, she, her, we, us, they, them and you.
And I'm also going to put my into the bag. because you often need to say in my opinion.
So, it's not a personal pronoun, but it's the same idea.
Is it okay to say me, my, mine, I, or any of those?
So, what's the problem with personal pronouns?
Some people argue that they're just too informal for task two.
Now, there is some truth in this, because in formal writing, when you go to university, you are encouraged to be objective and impersonal, which means focusing on facts and evidence and logical reasoning rather than your personal opinions.
Now, of course, IELTS asks you for your personal opinion.
So immediately that tells you yes, of course it's OK to say I think I believe in my opinion.
That is absolutely fine.
And I would honestly totally recommend it, especially in the introduction where your opinion has to be clear.
You know, to get that band seven, clear opinion throughout.
So, if you avoid using I, then that sometimes might make your opinion less clear.
So absolutely, 100%, yes, you can use I. In my opinion, I believe I.
I think.
There are other ways of doing that.
You could say this essay will argue.
That's fine.
That's academic too.
But there's nothing wrong with using I.
Now the problem comes when you maybe overuse it, and what we had in our Members Academy session on Saturday was people giving their opinions really nicely, but we adjusted them a little bit so that they didn't look too much like they were just telling personal stories.
Remember, IELTS wants you to show awareness of broader issues.
So, It's not the best strategy to use your personal experience as examples.
Now, the test does ask you to do that, to use examples from your own experience.
But again, there are different and better ways of doing this than just telling one example from your life.
It's better to focus more generally on facts.
So let me give you an example.
This is on the website.
This, I hope, will make it really clear.
This question was about cycling.
Cycling versus cars, perhaps.
And here are two sentences.
The first one says, where I live... the roads are very busy.
A cyclist was injured near my home last week.
So there's a perfectly acceptable sentence.
It explains why cycling might be considered dangerous and therefore it might be better to drive.
So the person said, where I live, the roads are busy.
A cyclist was injured near my home last week.
Now that's okay, but listen to this improved version.
So, what's changed?
Well, it's gone from that one single example to a generalisation, which is is better because it shows that you've got an awareness of the bigger issues.
And it shows you have more of an objective worldview rather than an opinion based just on your own experience, which is a subjective opinion.
We want an objective worldview. and showing awareness of general trends in the big bad world.
So we started by saying it's okay to use I for your opinion, but if possible, try to avoid using I when giving examples.
Try to make those examples more general.
So we also said that in task two, you are asked to present and justify your own opinion.
And therefore, it is OK to say, in my experience, in my opinion, or I will argue in this essay.
So let's have a look at another example of talking about your own experiences.
This happened to me the other day, and it's a true story.
It illustrates the problem, but I want to know how to express that issue better. better.
So this question is about old people struggling with modern technologies such as smartphones and computers.
What is the cause and what are some possible solutions?
This sentence came up and it said it is becoming more and more difficult to purchase essential items without a mobile phone.
Many car parks, for example, require users to download an app in order to purchase a ticket.
So that's one sentence.
The alternative is this one.
The other day, for example, I was at a car park and the only way to pay was via an app on my phone.
So I hope immediately you can hear the difference.
It's a nice story.
It's good for the speaking test.
I was at a car park.
I couldn't use cash.
I had to pay on my phone using an app.
But it's very personal, isn't it?
It's one example.
It's much better to generalise.
Many car parks require users to download an app in order to purchase a ticket.
It's just more formal and more academic sounding.
The next one is kind of in the middle.
When do we use we?
When is it okay to use we?
So we agreed it's fine to use I, but avoid it if you can for telling stories.
What about we?
Well, we can create a sense of shared experience or responsibility, potentially making the essay more relatable to the reader.
So, you might use we when you're referring to humanity as a whole.
For example, we must address climate change before it's too late.
And when discussing shared experiences or responsibilities.
We all have a role to play in reducing plastic waste.
Now, you can see this is very different from saying me and my family, we always recycle.
That's a different kind of we, isn't it?
We here is talking about us humanity, or maybe even a commonly held view of, For example.
We often assume the technology has improved our lives, but this is not necessarily true.
So we means all of us.
Finally, when referring to a specific country or community, you might say in my country we have implemented strict laws to combat pollution.
So you can see that sentence is formal enough.
Implemented laws, combat pollution, nice formal collocations.
But there are other ways.
You could use the passive there to avoid those words. personal pronouns, the use of we.
So you could say, in my country, strict laws have been implemented to tackle pollution.
So taking that active, we have implemented, we meaning the government, I guess.
You don't need to say we there, just say strict laws have been implemented.
And that passive is more complex, of course.
The next one I'm looking at, I'm going to say is 99.9% don't use.
People do use it.
It's not wrong, but it can cause grammatical problems this time.
And it does sound a little bit old fashioned and a bit too formal.
So, this is when to use one.
One.
It is very formal and it's not used much.
Let me read you these two sentences.
Which one sounds better or more natural?
Sentence A. Lessons should be provided to students so that one's interest can be developed early.
Or B. Lessons should be provided to students so that their interest can be developed early.
Well, I hope you agree that there sounds better because there refers to the students.
The trouble with using one is that you can start off using it, but then it gets messy.
So here's an example.
Children don't need many toys.
The main thing one needs is a parent who will take care of one all one's life.
In that case, it's much better to say children don't need many toys.
The main thing they need is a parent who will take care of them all of their life.
This was a student's example and I replaced all of those ones with them and their.
If nothing else, it gives you three versions.
Instead of repeating one all the time, it says the main thing they need take care of them all their life.
So, we've immediately leveled up that sentence by avoiding using one.
Another example from a student, senior citizens have plenty of time to pursue one's dreams.
Now, that's grammatically incorrect and it would be much better to say senior citizens have plenty of time to pursue their dreams.
So to summarise, I would probably totally avoid using one if I could.
It does bring lots of problems.
So I think the last one now is when to use you.
So you.
Another personal pronoun which can make your writing sound informal and conversational is, Although there are a few occasions when using you might be acceptable, but it should be limited and done carefully.
So obviously, don't use you to address the examiner.
Don't ask a question.
Have you ever considered how much water you waste in a single day?
This is a kind of magazine style.
It's not academic writing, you don't ask questions to the reader.
But you can use it, like we, when you're making a general point and you're talking about a concept that applies to people universally.
When you consider the effects of climate change, it is obvious that immediate action is necessary.
So there when you means we or you or one.
So that's OK.
When you're illustrating hypothetical situations that apply to a broad audience.
If you reduced your meat consumption, you could make a significant impact on the environment.
It doesn't mean you, the reader.
It means you, generally us.
But again, I would still say it's better to avoid using it and instead choose something like people.
If people reduced their meat consumption, that's more general.
Or the ING option, which is good.
It's a noun.
It's formal.
Reducing meat consumption could have a significant impact on the environment.
So, in conclusion, use personal pronouns carefully and don't use them too much.
Avoid them if you can, if you've practiced using other ways of referring to we or you.
But do totally feel free to use them when you're giving your opinion.
I think, I believe, in my opinion.
Keep those for the introduction and the conclusion.
So finally, if you go to my blog, you can see I've done a lot of research on this.
And I've given two examples.
Again, two people I respect very much and agree with.
The first one is David from TED IELTS.
He has an article, Avoiding Personal Pronouns in IELTS Writing.
He says.
While personal pronouns like I are not incorrect, using alternatives like this essay will argue, can elevate the tone and showcase a higher level of writing.
Secondly, Pauline Cullen, the expert in everything she has an article.
Can I Use Personal Pronouns in IELTS Writing, Task 2?
She makes the point that IELTS Task 2 is not an academic research thesis.
We can't be too strict.
And she makes a very good point that if you avoid personal pronouns then your writing can become a little unnatural, especially if you use the passive all the time.
And if you avoid saying I believe, then your position may be unclear.
So as I said, this is on my blog.
It's totally free for you to read again in your own time and do let me know what you think about the AI generated conversation.
It's two people, discussing my blog and I think they do it much better than I do, to be honest.
Thank you very much for listening and do let me know if you have any requests.
I'm here, you can comment on the blog or get in touch any way you want.
Remember to share this with your friends if you think anybody could benefit from it, and please leave me a like or a thumbs up so that I know you're listening.
OK, thanks for listening.
Bye bye.
