A guide to general and academic writing in IELTS.Updated: Oct 1st 2021
In this post I want to look at the main differences between IELTS general training and IELTS academic training for the writing part of the exam. Writing task 2 is the same, but for writing task 1 it is very different.
Accurate use of collocations will help you get a high score.Updated: December 2023
Some of the most important vocabulary needed for IELTS writing are collocations. These are needed for a higher score. Collocations are 2 or 3 words that commonly go together and sound just right to a native speaker. For some tips on building your vocabulary take a look at this blog post here. If you do not know how to use collocations, they will sound or look ‘wrong’ to a native speaker.
For example, ‘use money‘ sounds strange if you go shopping. The correct word is to ‘spend money‘, or if someone speaks in a loud way I can’t say he has a ‘big voice‘ I need to say he has a ‘loud voice’. Or maybe he has a ‘big mouth‘ to describe him as arrogant, not a ‘large mouth‘. When I want to relax in the evening I wouldn’t ‘look at a movie‘ I would ‘watch a movie‘…. and so on…
Common topics and model responses for IELTS speaking part 1.In part one of the speaking test, you will be asked questions on 3 different topics. There could be up to 12 questions. It lasts about 4 to 5 minutes.
The topics are pretty general and are mainly about you. The aim of this part of the test is to get you to speak in a natural way without hesitation. If you are memorising answers or scripts, the examiner will notice that and you could lose points. Make sure you speak naturally.
A guide to linking and cohesion in IELTS writing.Updated: December 2023
One of the most important skills for getting a good score in the IELTS writing exam, is the way cohesive devices or linking devices are used. In the marking criteria for task 2 essays and Writing task 1 reports, Coherence and Cohesion accounts for 25% of your marks. So it is important to have an essay that flows naturally and is easy for the reader to understand. A key component of this is cohesive devices, however, use them correctly and sparingly.
A guide to writing a good conclusion for an IELTS essay.Updated: April 2024
The conclusion is very important in an IELTS essay because if you do not write one you could lose a whole band score in task response.
Conclusions are pretty easy to write. You just need to rephrase your main points and restate your opinion. One way to do this is to paraphrase the thesis statement again. No new information should be added to the conclusion and it must be concise and to the point. Do not copy your thesis statement word for word either, do not repeat whole sentences or it will lower your score. Work on paraphrasing your thesis statement from the introduction.
Spend a couple of minutes analysing the task.Updated: March 20th 2022.
One of the most important things to do before planning and writing is to first analyse the essay question so that you know exactly what to write about. Even students who have a higher level of English often have trouble with this as they think they are wasting time and want to get straight into writing the essay. As a result, they often end up losing marks because they missed a key issue from the task.
Complex sentences in IELTS writing.Updated: May 2024
It is important to use some ‘complex sentences’ in IELTS writing task 2 otherwise you are unlikely to get a band 6 or more in grammar. However, not all of your sentences have to be ‘complex‘ you need to use simple sentences too.
Grammar accounts for 25% of your marks in the writing tasks but there is some confusion in IELTS about what a ‘complex sentence’ actually is.
In my experience when teaching IELTS writing classes, I noticed a lot of my students making at least one or two or more of these mistakes. The IELTS examiners are marking your paper based on an official IELTS marking criteria so there is no guesswork here.
See below about the 10 most common problems students have when dealing with IELTS Writing task 2 essays.
Common IELTS grammar mistakes.Updated: January 2024
The most common mistakes I see in writing are with articles (the, a, an) and countable/uncountable nouns. Over many years of marking IELTS essays and listening to students when speaking, I have noticed these same mistakes consistently.
Learn about the most important skill in IELTS reading.Updated: September 2023.
In the IELTS reading exam, you can’t look up words in a dictionary, and you won’t be able to understand every single word. Furthermore, you shouldn’t read the whole text as you won’t have the time.
Understanding where to find the answers and spotting how words are paraphrased is a crucial skill. The reading section is really about vocabulary, so you must work on developing your vocabulary.