Sweeping statements are statements which cover a broad topic in a concise or even terse manner. They make it seem as if everybody does something. This is really common in both speaking and writing. Expanding on these statements make your language much richer, and therefore much more likely to get a higher score.
Sweeping Statements.
Sweeping Statement – Definition – something that you say or write that is too general and that has not been carefully thought about. Also known as generalization. Cambridge Dictionary
Sweeping statements mean that something happens ALL of the time, or someone does something ALL of the time with NO exceptions.
Examples that are common in IELTS could be:
People want to buy the cheapest products.
Children like playing computer games.
Businessmen are not able to spend enough time with their families.
Christmas is a happy time for everyone.
Girls aren’t very good at science.
Boys can’t cook.
These statements say these things happen 100% of the time, but they don’t. So how can these statements be improved? There are several ways, the first of which is using determiners.
Using Determiners to Increase Accuracy.
However, it is usually not true that they happen 100% of the time, so you should try and make the number of people less than 100% to be more accurate.
Like this:
Most people want to buy the cheapest products.
Many children like playing computer games.
It is quite common for businessmen not to be able to spend enough time with their families.
Christmas is a happy time for most people who have a young family.
Many believe girls aren’t very good at science.
Many people think boys can’t cook.
Qualify the Statement with a Reason for more Precision.
The second way is to qualify the statement with a reason to show why.
Like this:
Most people want to buy the cheapest products if they are having money problems.
Many children like playing computer games, but others find them boring.
It is quite common for businessmen not to be able to spend enough time with their families if their company is not doing well.
Christmas is a happy time for most people who have a young family, but it can be incredibly stressful for dysfunctional families or those on their own.
Many believe girls aren’t very good at science, but some are.
Traditionally many think boys can’t cook, but I believe that is changing.
Qualify the Statement Further by Showing How You Know about it.
You can also soften these statements by adding some expressions that show your position on the subject. You are saying what you think, or how you found out about the information, not stating a fact.
Like this:
As far as I know, most people want to buy the cheapest products if they are having money problems.
From what my married friends tell me, many children like playing computer games, but others find them boring.
From what I understand, it’s quite common for businessmen not to be able to spend enough time with their families if their company is not doing well.
To be honest, I don’t know much about this, but I think Christmas is a happy time for most people who have a young family, but it can be incredibly stressful for dysfunctional families or those on their own.
I think I saw something about this on TV, in a documentary or something like that, that said girls aren’t very good at science, but some are.
I read somewhere that traditionally many think boys can’t cook, but I believe that is changing.
How to Practice Avoiding Making Sweeping Statements
Record yourself, then listen to find when you can qualify your answers by adding context and being more precise. This will become easier the more you do it.
As you practice you will find your favourite ways to say certain things. That’s OK but try and use a variety of words and phrases (around 3) rather than the same ones every time.
Good luck!