Hello and welcome to IELTS Tips Series. I have achieved a Band 8 in IELTS Writing (GT), and I am going to share the formula of success with you. Read along to see how you can improve your score and find out my thoughts on this exam in hindsight.

Note: while this article is focused on the Computer-Based Test, similar principles and tips apply to the paper-based test.

First of all, we must understand that IELTS exams follow a certain pattern, and that each question has its own requirements. Many people fail this one despite being good writers just because they don’t pay attention where it matters. So without further ado, here are a few tips to remember when practicing:

IELTS Writing Tips For Computer-Based Test:

1. Practice using the Cambridge practice tests (sometimes known as CD IELTS). These books are up for sale, but some places which I wouldn’t name for legal reasons allow you to download these in PDF format.
2. When using the said practice materials on a computer, open a Word file to write down your answers. Use a stopwatch (search on Google) to keep track of your time. Don’t use a timer because otherwise you won’t know how much time you exceeded.
3. The real test will not tell you about any spelling or grammatical errors but MS Word will tell you your mistakes. Use Word to learn what you did wrong so you won’t do it again in the real test.
4. If you want to write some better words, click on a specific word and press SHIFT+F7. This will open a Thesaurus where you can see alternative words. Since you are practicing to improve writing, you should leverage this opportunity to learn new words.
5. Before starting the test, read both Task questions and then start one task. This way, your mind will get ready for the other task while you are working on the first one.
6. In the end, you need to leave some time to check the answers of both tasks. You should triple check every spelling, and see if you could replace a word with a better and more appropriate word. See if your sentences need to be rearranged. See if the paragraphs are “coherent” (we will talk more about it below). See if you have achieved all the task requirements. See if you have repeated certain words and whether you can manage to avoid such repetitions.
7. While rechecking, increase the font size to clearly see all the alphabets.
8. There is no upper limit on the number of words. Use as many words as necessary to complete the task requirements and to satisfy the checking criteria. I wrote 200 words in Task 1 and 430 words in Task 2. But I made sure that I was able to thoroughly recheck both tasks twice. Don’t write unnecessary extra words because by doing so, you increase the chances of making mistakes.

British Council Tells You What The Examiners Expect:

When I wrote that many people do not pay close attention, I intended to include their omission to read the public band descriptors – that is the criteria through which the examiners judge your writing. This is a document available on their website.

The examiners mark you on 4 factors:

• Task Achievement
• Coherence and Cohesion
• Lexical Resource
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

I am going to summarize each factor to tell you what you should normally keep in mind while writing if you aim for a Band 9. But I do insist that you still read the public band descriptors yourself to see if you lack in some other thing not covered by me.

Task 1:

In Task 1, depending on the task type, you are assessed on your ability to engage in personal correspondence in order to: elicit and provide general factual information; express needs, wants, likes and dislikes; express opinions (views, complaints etc.).

Task 2:

In Task 2, you are assessed on your ability to provide general factual information; to outline a problem and present a solution; to present and possibly justify an opinion; to evaluate and challenge ideas, evidence or an argument.

Task Achievement (for Task 1):

You must fully satisfy all the requirements of the task (not just cover the requirements). This means that you must write exactly what the question asked. Do not add more. Pay close attention to the question.

Clearly present a fully developed response.

• NO inconsistencies in tone. (6 bands)
  • This means that you must set an appropriate tone (formal, friendly, respectful, complaining, etc. and stick to it).
• NO irrelevant, inappropriate or inaccurate details. (6 bands)

Task Achievement (for Task 2):

You must fully address all parts of the task. [not just sufficient (8 bands)].

You have to present a fully developed position in answer to the question with:

1. relevant,
2. fully extended, and
3. well supported ideas.

[fully developed is better than well-developed (8 bands)]

And remember:

• NO over-generalizing. (7 bands)
• NO lack of focus in supporting ideas. (7 bands)
• NO: some parts fully covered than others. (6 bands)
• NO unclear or repetitive conclusions. (6 bands)
• NO inadequately developed/unclear ideas. (6 bands)

Coherence and cohesion:

It is cohesion when two separate sentences relate to each other. E.g. Mary bit into a peach. Unfortunately, the peach wasn’t ripe.

It is coherence if all the sentences when read as a whole make a point or meaning.
The following sentences have cohesion, but not coherence: Mary went to a party. I support the People’s Party. My uncle is on life support.

Coherence is like a building, and cohesion is its bricks.

Cohesion is a term for sticking together; it means that the text all hangs together. Coherence is a term for making sense; it means that there is sense in the text.

Coherence and cohesion (for Task 1):

Use cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention.

Skillfully manage paragraphing. [rather than just using it sufficiently and appropriately (8 bands)].

• Do not show under-/over-use of cohesive devices. (Cohesive devices are words like ‘For example’, ‘In conclusion’, ‘however’ and ‘moreover’, ‘to illustrate this’, ‘in particular’). (7 Bands)
• Do not use faulty or mechanical cohesion. (6 bands)

Coherence and cohesion (for Task 2):

Apart from the tips for Task 1, you should also keep in mind the following:

• Sequence information and ideas logically (8 bands).
• Demonstrate a clear central topic within each paragraph.
• Don't use paragraphing illogically. (6 bands)

Lexical resource (for both tasks):

Use a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features. [‘Wide’ means A LOT. It should be more than ‘sufficient’ (7 bands)].

Remember:

• NO inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. (8 bands)
• NO errors in word choice, spelling and/or word formation. (8 bands)

Grammatical range and accuracy (for both tasks):

Use a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy. Search “complex sentences” on Google to learn more.

• Don’t show grammar and punctuation errors (7 bands); or inappropriacies (8 bands).

How to improve your Writing skills:

First of all, this is what the British Council suggested me, a Band 8 achiever, to improve to Band 9:

At this level, you need to have a clear overall sense of the structure of your ideas and how the details fit in. When writing informational and argumentative pieces, you can ask yourself: What points might a critical reader raise against me? What objections might they have? Pre-empt those objections. If your writing addresses the reader’s question at the exact point when it occurs to them, then you’re doing really well. Practice writing different genres, adjusting your use of language accordingly. You have excellent linguistic and grammatical resources, so when you write, actively choose the words and structures that will communicate your ideas and arguments in the best possible way. The ideas should proceed smoothly from one to the next, so your reader is engaging with the ideas rather than noticing language issues. What language resources can you use to make this happen? Make sure you check your writing though, so that you don’t make careless mistakes or write things that are not as precise as they can be.

This is a really good piece of advice. Follow it.

To improve your writing, read a good book so you will understand how good English looks like. Also, make a habit of reading. This also includes reading any correct text in English, be it a Facebook comment, food packaging, billboards, YouTube subtitles, etc.

To get good, practice one to two writing tests each day. Write different types of letters and essays. Search different essay “patterns” and choose one or two which you can pull off. Make sure that in the end, your essay fulfills the above-mentioned requirements, including the “coherence” one.

Finally, don’t stress yourself. Schedule a time each day and stick to it.

You can find more articles on other modules such as Reading, Listening and Speaking on this blog. If you have any tips, you are encouraged to leave them in the comments below.