IELTS Writing Task 2 | Globalisation, Multinational Companies, and the Environment

📘Practice Notes: IELTS Writing Task 2 – Globalisation, Multinational Companies, and the Environment

Video Lesson Summary:
This lesson is part of the One Idea at a Time series. It teaches how to answer an IELTS Writing Task 2 question about globalisation, multinational companies, and their impact on the environment. The focus is on building logical, step-by-step paragraphs rather than memorizing fancy words.

Sample Question:
Many people say that globalisation and the growing number of multinational companies have a negative effect on the environment. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Step 1: Understand the Question

• Globalisation → things moving across borders
• Multinational companies → big businesses operating in many countries (Apple, Nike, Amazon)
• Negative effect → harm to the environment

Simplified Question:
Does global business harm the environment?

Step 2: Choose Your Position

• Agree, disagree, or partly agree are all correct.
• This lesson takes the Agree side for clear examples.

Step 3: Build Paragraphs Using the “One Idea” Structure

Each paragraph should have:

1. Topic Sentence – State your main idea clearly.
2. Explanation – Explain why this happens.
3. Impact / Example – Show the effect or give a real-world example.
4. Concluding Sentence – Link back to your position.

Example Paragraph 1 – Long-Distance Transport

1. Topic Sentence: The primary reason I agree that globalisation is damaging is the unsustainable reliance on international transportation.
2. Explanation: Multinational companies often manufacture products in countries with low labour costs and ship them to distant consumer markets.
3. Impact / Example: Goods travel thousands of miles using cargo ships and planes, which burn fossil fuel and produce carbon emissions.
4. Concluding Sentence: This extensive transportation network creates a significant environmental burden that would be far smaller if production remained local.

Example Paragraph 2 – Weak Regulations

1. Topic Sentence: Another reason I believe globalisation harms the environment is that it allows corporations to take advantage of weak regulations in developing countries.
2. Explanation: To reduce costs, multinational companies relocate highly polluting factories to countries with poorly enforced environmental laws.
3. Impact / Example: For example, textile factories in Southeast Asia often release untreated chemical waste into rivers, damaging ecosystems.
4. Concluding Sentence: This practice shifts environmental harm onto vulnerable regions while increasing company profits, showing the threat of global business.

Step 4: Key Tips

Start with logic, not vocabulary: Clear reasoning naturally produces the right IELTS words.

• Keep ideas separate: Each paragraph should focus on one main idea.
• Use linking phrases: “This is because…”, “As a result…”, “For example…”, “This shows that…”
• Read your paragraph aloud: Ensure each sentence flows naturally to the next.

Step 5: Practice Activity

• Take the disagree side and write one topic sentence in the comments:
  (Tip: Keep it general, answer the question, and clearly show your position.)

Example starter:
I disagree that globalisation harms the environment because multinational companies can implement eco-friendly practices across countries.