If your dream is to study abroad and want to study in a good college or university, then, you need a high band score in IELTS writing exam. Though, IELTS writing test is a hard nut to crack for many people yet students crack this exam with their practice and dedication.
For those taking the IELTS exam for the first time, this blog can provide IELTS writing tips for beginners. But, if you are among those strugglers who already took the exam twice or thrice and still couldn’t get your desired band score, then this blog can provide IELTS writing task improvement tips.
Understand the marking criteria
Before taking the IELTS writing exam, you should be aware of what precisely the examiner wants. So, a crucial step to achieve your desired band score is to understand the marking criteria.
The examiner will assess the performance of the candidate on four marking criteria:
- Task Achievement
- Coherence and Cohesion
- Vocabulary (Lexical Resource)
- Grammar
Each carries 25% of the marks.
This blog is about IELTS writing tips and techniques that will help you to get an 8+ band score:
1. Identify the question type:
The first and foremost thing is to understand the question and then start writing. If you deviate from the topic, you will lose marks. For instance, if the question is specifically about adults, but you have written about people in general, it is like deviating from the topic.
The next thing is to ensure that you have identified the question-type, whether it is a problem or solution, advantages or disadvantages, agree or Disagree question type. Finding out the correct question type will help to follow the appropriate structure of the essay.
2.Practice different question types:
IELTS writing tips for task 2 includes practicing different question types. For instance, task 2 has various essay types such as problem or solution essay, advantages and disadvantages essay, agree or disagree essay. Students should practice all essay types as they are entirely different from Indian essays that we generally write in our school.
On the other hand, IELTS writing tips for task 1 include practicing different question types for academic training such as bar graphs, pie charts, line graphs, etc. Similarly, if you are appearing for general training, do practice formal and informal letters.
3.Plan the essay before writing:
Another IELTS writing important tip includes planning the essay before starting to write. Brainstorm the ideas which you can write in the essay. Don’t write too many points in the essay as the examiner will not check your knowledge about the topic but assess your performance on how well you express yourself in writing. You will not lose any marks for ideas, but you will lose marks if your sentences are grammatically incorrect.
4.Don’t stuff the essay with advanced vocabulary:
Many students believe that if they use advanced vocabulary in their writing, they will get a high band score. Advanced vocabulary can badly affect your score if you use it in the wrong context or misspell the word. In order to achieve 6+ band score, you don’t need to stuff your essay with advanced vocabulary. However, if your goal is to achieve a 7+ band score in writing, you should use advanced vocabulary words, but you need to make sure you use vocabulary in the right context, or there should be no spelling mistake.
5.Practice compound and complex sentences:
Many students write compound and complex sentences to get a high band score. But, they often make mistakes while writing compound and complex sentences. Generally, students write 5 to 6 lines without putting a full-stop and consider it a complex sentence. They are not aware of writing compound and complex sentences, leading to a low score in writing.
If students are grammatically sound, they should learn conjunctions to write compound and complex sentences appropriately, but if they are weak in grammar, they shouldn’t hesitate to take professional help.
6. Manage time effectively:
IELTS writing test has two parts. Part one is letter writing for general training students and graph writing for academic training students. On the other hand, Part two is essay writing, common for both academic and general training students.
IELTS writing test lasts for one hour. So, students shouldn’t spend more than 40 minutes writing task 2 or 20 minutes for writing task 1. Also, students should focus more on writing task 2 as it worth more marks.
7. Pay attention to Grammar and Punctuation:
Many students think that grammar and punctuation are not necessary. But, it is essential in IELTS writing task 1 and writing task 2. IELTS examiners assess students based on grammar and punctuation.
Therefore, students must focus on the topic of grammar and punctuation to achieve a high band score. Focusing on Grammar and Punctuation is an essential IELTS writing practice tip that will help you in the exam.
8.Focus on Word limit:
Word limit is yet another crucial IELTS writing module tips. Students should write at least 250 words for writing task 2 and 150 words for writing task 1. If you write fewer words in your writing tasks, it will decrease your score.
However, some students write around 300 to 350 words in IELTS writing task 2 but writing more than 250 words will never boost your score and waste your precious time. Hence, learn to manage time effectively to get your desired band score and don’t exceed 250 words for task two and 150 words for task one.
9.Use Formal Language:
These days, it is prevalent to use informal language and shorthand texts. But, informal writing is strictly prohibited in the IELTS Exam. Your score can badly affect if you use informal language. Thus, you should only use formal language in your writing.
10. Revision:
Once you have completed the entire test, you should revise what you have written. Revision helps to find your errors, and you can quickly correct yourself before submitting the answer sheet. In this way, you can eliminate your mistakes and achieve a high band score.
To conclude:
IELTS writing exam is a hindrance, especially for those students who want to achieve a 7+ band score, and many Indian students struggle in writing. For this reason, this blog has provided you the best IELTS writing preparation tips, and by following these IELTS writing tips and strategies, you can achieve your desired band score.
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