IELTS Writing Tips

Below you'll find important IELTS writing tips to help you with task 1 and 2 of the IELTS
writing module. 

1. Don’t write too little For task 1 you have to write 150 words, and for task 2 you
have to write 250 words. Make sure you do not write less than this amount or your
band score may be reduced.
Begin to get an idea of how many words you normally write on one line. This way
you will know roughly how much you have written without having to keep counting
all the words – you probably won’t have time to do this!

1. Don’t write too much The examiner is looking for quality, not quantity! You will
not necessarily get more marks for writing more, so don’t write more for no
reason.This will really depend on your writing ability. Someone of a higher level who
needs to spend less time checking their grammar will have time to write more.
But if this is not you, then make sure you write at least the minimum number of
words, then use the extra time to check your grammar.

2. Plan and check your answer Don’t just start writing when the time begins and
stop when it finishes.
Use some time at the beginning checking you understand the question,
brainstorming your ideas and planning your answer.

Then spend some time at the end checking your grammar.

3. Spend more time on Task 2 More of the marks are for task 2 and this task
requires 100 more words, so spend 20 minutes on task 1 and 40 minutes on task 2.
It does not matter which task you write first.

4. Write clearly You are not being graded on your handwriting; however, if the
examiner cannot read some things you have written, it is not going to help you! So
try to write clearly.
5. Organize clearly Don’t present the examiner with a wall of writing! Make sure
you make use of paragraphing to divide up the different arguments or topics you
are discussing.
6. Don’t copy the question Never copy the question! You may want to use the
question (or rubric as it is called) in the introduction of both tasks in order to
introduce the topic, but make sure you put it in your own words.
7. Use a variety of sentence structures The examiner will be looking to see what
your grammatical range is so make sure you are not just using a limited range of
sentence types.
 To get a higher score you will need to show you can use simple, compound and
complex sentences.

8. Read the question carefully This is one of the most important IELTS writing
tips! When my students write essays, one of the most common mistakes is not
answering the question.Study the rubric very carefully and make sure you are clear
about what you have to write about.
If you are writing about the wrong topic or not responding to exactly what the
question asks you, your band score will be lower.

9. Read all instructions carefully As with all of the modules of the IELTS test,
make sure you read all the instructions carefully. These will tell you where you need
to write each answer and what you need to do.

Follow these IELTS writing tips and you'll be a step closer the band score you need!