Top 11 tips for IELTS Writing

As you might have already noticed, the IELTS Writing module is very different from the Listening and Reading modules and, while to tackle the latter two you may not have to do anything specific, writing is something that requires more respect. Let’s look at the ways to show it:

1. Learn the basic structure of each writing task. There are established ways to organize your piece of writing depending on its type. Study those and learn to use them to your advantage. It’ll help you with your task, you’ll know what you should write, and how to connect your ideas, etc. All in all, it’ll make for a better result, and it’s what you’re looking for, right?
2. Always plan what you’re about to write (this tip is closely related to Tip 1). Do you know how wandering around an unfamiliar area might bring you God knows where? The same goes for your writing: if you set about working on it without creating a short outline of your essay/letter/report, you’re highly likely to end up rambling something way off-topic. Thus, before you start filling your answer sheet, you need to make up your mind as to what you want to write about. Using your test booklet as scrap paper, just put down some notes, but don’t spend too much time on it.
3. Know your word count. Each writing task has a specific minimum word count, a condition you must meet to get a good score. However, you can’t just waste time counting every word you’ve written. The way to get around this is to know your average number of words in a line. So, you might want to write at least one essay on a sample answer sheet and count how many words you write in one row. Once you know this figure, you can count rows and not words.
4. Then, count how many lines you have to write for each paragraph of your writing for every task (say, for Task 2, you need to write 5 lines for the introduction, 7 lines for each of the two paragraphs representing the main body of the text, and 5 lines for the conclusion), and at the exam, count 5 lines from the top of your answer sheet and put a little dot which will tell you where you need to stop. Then, count 7 more lines and put a little dot to tell you where to end the next paragraph, and so on. This way, you’ll always know where you need to stop and believe me, it makes things a little bit easier, and on the test day every little counts.
5. Learn task-specific vocabulary. Each task has certain vocabulary that you’ll have to use; for instance, Academic Writing Task 1 could require you to use words for reporting upward and downward trends; in General Writing Task 1 you’ll need to use set formulas for organizing information in a letter; Task 2 in both the Academic and General training might require you to use vocabulary related to comparing and contrasting ideas, and set phrases for expressing your point of view. In any task you’ll need words that help link ideas in a piece of writing. When preparing for the IELTS Writing module, you should identify what words you might need and memorize them.
6. Brush up on your grammar. It’s an essential part of a good writing style, so don’t just ignore this piece of advice. Lots of respectable publishing houses have study books on grammar for IELTS. You can easily find the one that appeals to you.
7. Practise. You must’ve heard it all before, blah blah blah, boring, I know. But it’s still true – the more experienced you are in writing, the better you’ll do when sitting IELTS. As you begin practising, you don’t have to adhere to the time limit; cut yourself some slack and learn to organize and link your ideas to begin with. When you’ve mastered these skills, practise writing within the set time frame. Also, it’d be great if there was someone to comment on your writing, point out your mistakes and suggest ways to improve your performance.
8. Know your common mistakes. When you get feedback on your writing, don’t move on at once, keep working on it. My experience tells me that students have a set of mistakes they commonly make, so you must have yours. Be aware of those so that you can check your work for such slips at the exam.
9. Read. It may sound strange that I recommend reading as a means to improve your writing, but if you think about it, you’ll see that it makes sense. While reading things written in good language, pay attention to the grammar, idioms, collocations, the linking words, and so on. Speaking of good English, a perfect frame of reference is the IELTS reading passages in practice tests.
10. Writing clever doesn’t mean using “big” words. There’s a myth that the use of rare, difficult words is the thing that will improve your score as they make your writing seem smarter. In reality, test takers often make mistakes using “big” words inaccurately and end up losing marks. It doesn’t mean you’ve got to stick to plain English only, no, but you do need to find your balance. Remember, your writing should be natural.
11. Avoid repetitions. Try to stay away from repeating the words you’ve already used and at all costs refrain from writing the same ideas in different words.
12. DON’T use pre-written essays, paragraphs, or even sentences at the exam (I’m sure you weren’t going to, but it has to be said). Firstly, since you have no idea what your task will be, it’s impossible to learn a piece of writing that would perfectly match it. If, on the test day, you do write down something you memorized before, you might get caught and get disqualified. How will they know? Well, it’s pretty easy to spot a change in your writing style, your grammar usage, and your range of vocabulary, so you’d better not ask for trouble.

The bottom line is that the Writing module is all about strategy, beginning with preparation and finishing with checking your work. Do take some time to honour the strategy, and you’ll see that it’ll make it worth your while.