IELTS Writing tips for a good score
The International English language Testing System or IELTS is a globally accepted standardized examination that officially allows entry for non-native English speakers to any English-speaking Country either for Higher Studies or for work. IELTS is conducted in over 1600 test centers across 140 countries. It is accepted by more than 9000 Educational Institutions, Corporations, and Immigration Offices. This exam tests your proficiency in the basics of the English Language in terms of Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.
The Writing Test varies for both the Academic and General Tests.
Academic writing test:
The IELTS writing test is designed to evaluate a student’s ability to respond to a question, organize ideas, and use a wide array of vocabulary and grammar correctly. This test needs to be completed within 60 minutes. It has 2 sections. One section requires you to write a detailed analysis on any graphical or pictorial image in the form of a bar chart, pie chart, table, map, or diagram. The analysis or report should be in 150 words describing accurately what the graph or picture represents. This part of the test should be completed in 20 minutes. The second part of the test expects you to write an essay or produce an argument on a given topic within a word limit of 250.
The students are assessed on the basis of their ability to understand a situation from a rational point of view, task response, task achievement, and their grammatical strength.
General Writing test:
The General Writing test consists of two sections or tasks just like in the Academic test. The topics are of general interest.
- Task 1 – you will be asked to write a letter that can be personal, semi-formal or formal in style.
- Task 2 – you will be asked to write an essay explaining your views or arguments on the topic. This explains your overview of the given situation.
Here are a few tips to help you ace the Writing test
- Start preparing early: Start preparing for your test 6 months prior to the intended test date. Make some time available to practice for this section every day. Browse the net for relevant materials to kick start your preparations. for more details Click here.
- Plan your answer: Invest at least 10 minutes in planning your answers. This will help you organize your ideas and structure your report or essay before you write it, saving you time and helping you produce a clear answer.
- Implement reading: Read newspapers, journals, etc. Note down new words and lookup up their meanings. Try learning whole phrases instead of single words. Learn whole phrases instead of single words. That will come in pretty useful when you write an essay.
- Write on all possible topics every day: Practice writing possible topics for both tasks. Try writing them within 60 minutes. This will enable you to adapt to the habit of writing quickly on the day of a test.
- Maintain the word count: Examinees are required to write their answers in 150 words in task 1 and 250 words in task 2. You must maintain the word count lest you will lose marks. You might also be at risk of losing marks even though you are a few words below the word count. Even though there is no upper limit on how many words you should write, try to write 160 to 180 words for task 1 and 260 to 280 words for task 2. Please make sure not to compromise on the quality of your answers in an attempt to exceed the word count.
- Time management: One of the pivotal tips to achieve a good band score in IELTS is to master the technique of prompt writing. Students are required to stick to the given time limit for writing their answers. Complete your answer for Task 1 within 20 minutes and try to complete Task 2 in 40 minutes. Invest a few minutes before and after each task to plan and check your answers. Practice significant time management. Try to complete your answers within a fixed time limit
- Both the tasks will be assessed on four criteria: The final score will be based on the total of these areas.
- Task achievement (25 percent)
- Coherent and cohesion (25 percent)
- Vocabulary (25 percent)
- Grammatical range and accuracy (25 percent)
- Take feedback: The best way to keep track of your progress is to take constructive criticism from others. This helps you to have a general idea of the level of your progress.
- Mock tests: Attempting mock tests will not only give you an idea about the diverse range of difficult questions to expect on the test date but will also acquaint you with the general test pattern. It will also increase your test attempting speed.
- Paraphrase: Paraphrasing plays a vital role in IELTS. It is a technique where you rewrite a phrase or sentence with different words without changing the meaning. Paraphrasing is considered to be an important method in writing and speaking tests
11. Check your answer: Go through your answers thoroughly for grammatical errors. Make sure the data you mentioned in your answer is accurate.
- Enroll in a test prep center: Get enrolled in a private test prep institution or coaching center which has a good track record and a team of qualified instructors. This will help you in availing of a structured plan for your syllabus. A professional instructor will give you a skill development plan, proper guidance, and constructive feedback which will provide you with a clear picture of your progress. Click on for more details.
