Complex sentences for IELTS Writing: six safe openers

The band descriptors ask for a “variety of complex structures” at band 7, used “with some flexibility and accuracy”. Accuracy comes first: an error in an ambitious sentence costs more than it earns. The way to add range safely is to use a small set of patterns you can get right every time.

Six words that start a complex sentence

A useful memory aid is WAWBUS: While, Although, Whereas, Because, Unless, Since. Start a sentence with one of them and you have to add a second clause, which makes it complex.

• While some see a gap year as wasted time, it can build real independence.
• Although free tuition is expensive, it repays its cost through a skilled workforce.
• Cities invest in roads, whereas towns often lack basic bus routes.
• Because housing is scarce, rents rise faster than wages.
• Unless public transport improves, people will keep driving.
• Since most jobs now require computer skills, schools must teach them.

The rule with all six: the first clause ends with a comma, and you do not add “but” or “so” after it.

Two more structures worth having

The passive, for general facts where the doer does not matter:

It is widely observed that children copy their parents' habits.

The conditional, for consequences and solutions:

If cities priced congestion, fewer people would drive alone at peak times.

A mix, not a formula

A good paragraph mixes sentence types: a short simple sentence for a clear point, a compound sentence (with and, but, so) to add to it, and a complex sentence to explain. When you are stuck, this chain gives you a natural mix:

While some believe [other view], I believe [your view] because [reason]. It is widely observed that [evidence]. If we ignore this, then [consequence]. That is why I agree.

It is a starting skeleton, not a rule, and examiners do not reward any fixed pattern. Use it to get moving, then write naturally.

Do not count clauses. Write the sentence the idea needs, then check it once for the joining-word error: one linker per joining point.

Practise

Write one body paragraph using two WAWBUS openers, then paste it into the essay checker to see if your complex sentences are accurate.