First of all, we need to understand what supporting ideas are. Supporting ideas are an explanation of ideas or the reasons used to prove that an idea is true. These could be to support or explain ones own ideas, or what others use to support or explain theirs.There is no exact number of supporting ideas needed per body paragraph. However, only writing one idea could limit the band mark for Task Achievement (TA) and Cohesion and Cohesion (CC) for a number of reasons:
1) A requirement for a band 7 and 8 in Task Achievement is extended and supported main ideas. This phrase and other phrases within the band descriptors seem to be interpreted differently by examiners. Therefore, 2 supporting ideas would be a safer option than just 1 idea. There are many conflicting articles and videos made by ex-examiners as to how many supporting ideas to write. However, you will never find an examiner that says that you will lose marks for writing 2 supporting ideas.
2) Writing more than one supporting idea will give you the ability to present your writing skills. In order to get a band 7 for CC, you need to showcase that you are able to present your ideas in a logical way. The examiner wants to see a logical progression both within the paragraphs and between them. Sometimes writing very short body paragraphs doesn't give the writer the chance to showcase their skills in writing. Of course linking 2 supporting ideas is more difficult, and requires more linking devices, but this is what you want to do if you are aiming for the higher band marks.
3) Just writing one supporting idea could make a candidate worried about word count. This often leads candidates to make mistakes like adding new information in the conclusion, and starting another body paragraph that isn't supported and clarified with examples.
4) If you write 2 supporting ideas, even if one of them is weak, you will still be able to make your point with the other supporting idea.
To summarise, if you are looking for a band 7 or more, it might be a better idea to support main ideas with 2 supporting ideas. This will give you the edge in both TA and CC.
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