ielts writing essay checklist

The IELTS Writing Task 2 Band 8 Checklist

Updated: Apr 7

A checklist to help you reach band 8 in writing task 2

Below you’ll find a checklist with key things that you should do to reach band 8 in IELTS Writing Task 2.

Ultimately, reaching bands 8 or 9 depends on your ability to combine excellent topic specific vocabulary, with excellent grammar and good essay structure. There’s no magic here. However, this checklist can help you identify missing elements in your IELTS Writing Task 2 answer. If you include all of the elements below, your answer should have everything necessary for a top band in IELTS.

You can follow the links for more information and practice exercises.

Band 8 Checklist

Task achievement:.

Make sure you answer the question asked

Use simple and relevant main ideas

Outline your opinion and main ideas in introduction and conclusion

Give the same opinion in your introduction and conclusion

One main idea in each body paragraph

A strong topic sentence to begin each body paragraph

Develop and extend main ideas in body paragraphs:

Result clauses: This is why/ This leads to/ As a result/ By + gerund

Cause clauses: This is because/ This results from

Examples: For instance/ For example/ One example of this

Coherence & Cohesion:

Develop and extend ideas in a clear and logical way

Sequence your ideas using sequencing adverbs e.g. Firstly, secondly, finally

Connect ideas using linking adverbs: Furthermore/ In addition etc

Connect ideas with referencing using it/ they and this

Grammatical Range:

Make complex sentences using relative clauses

Combine two supporting ideas with ‘Not only….but…’

Write complex sentence using contrast adverbs e.g. Although…/ While…

Make a conditional statement (1st, 2nd or 3rd conditional)

Use gerund clauses

Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)

Do not repeat exactly the same language used in the IELTS question

Use topic related vocabulary (can be simple but must be relevant)

Use synonyms and parallel expressions (avoid repetition of words and phrases)

Use formal or semi-formal language (avoid informal words and phrases)

Correct spelling

IELTS Writing Task 2

IELTS Writing Task 2: The Complete Guide

For Task 2 of IELTS Writing , you’ll be asked to give your opinion on a social issue. Want to know how this section works? Read on for our complete guide to IELTS Writing Task 2, with tips and tricks, sample essays, and more!

(Note: This guide is a handy supplemental resource for those who use our IELTS study schedules . In fact, we specifically recommend consulting this guide on Day 4 of our one week IELTS study plan !)

IELTS Writing Task 2 Basics

IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Organization and Example

Task 2 ielts sample essays, improving your score in the second ielts writing task, task 2 ielts tips and tricks, ielts writing task 2 practice resources.

IELTS Writing Task 2: Basic Information

When you give your opinion on a social issue for IELTS Writing Task 2, you’ll work under the following basic rules and standards:

This task will either be handwritten or completed on computer, depending on what format of the IELTS you take. Your recommended time limit for this task is 40 minutes, and the task takes up 2/3 (66%) of your score. For a full introduction to formatting, timing, and scoring, check out “ The Basic Facts of IELTS Writing Task 2 .”
You need to write a 250 word minimum for your response. If your word count is below the minimum, it will hurt your score. For more information on how this works, see the IELTS Writing word count penalty for IELTS Task 1 and IELTS Task 2 .
The good news is that keeping the right word count is one of the simplest ways to aim for a top Task 2 IELTS Writing score! For more guidance on how to do this, check out our post on how many words to write in your IELTS essays.
Your Task 2 IELTS Writing essay should be formal , reflecting the same tone you’d take in an introductory university academic writing class. For this skill, Magoosh has you covered! See our tutorial on formal writing in IELTS Writing Task 2 for guidance.

IELTS General Task 2 vs. Academic Writing Task 2

This is an IELTS Task 2 basics question I often get: what is the difference between IELTS General Task 2 and IELTS Academic Writing Task 2? The answer is that there is no significant difference. Writing Task 2 Academic usually looks exactly the second IELTS Task 2 on the General Training version of the IELTS.

Get a higher IELTS score? Start your online IELTS prep today with Magoosh.

There is one very small difference: the wording of IELTS General Task 2 prompts is sometimes slightly shorter and simpler . But even then, the same things are being asked. And your essay will need to meet the same scoring standards no matter which version of the test you take.

A well-organized essay is your passport to a top score. Take a few minutes to plan and outline your essay from the beginning, following a good template. If you can do that, you’ll have a strong introduction, body, and conclusion that will really impress the scorers for the Task 2 IELTS essays.

How to Organize Your IELTS Essay

Below are a few resources to help you organize Task 2 IELTS essay in an efficient, impactful way:

Brainstorming Essay Topics for Task 2 IELTS Writing
The Best IELTS Writing Task 2 Template
IELTS Writing Task 2 Body Paragraph Structure

Example Essay Template

The Task 2 IELTS Writing template contains a full model Task 9 essay. However, each section of the sample IELTS Task 2 essay is in a different part of that article, with instructions and explanations between the paragraphs. It may be helpful to also view that sample essay as it would look on a real exam. To see our model essay all in one piece, check out this PDF .

But wait, there’s more! Magoosh has one model essay for each of the five most common question types for Task 2 IELTS Writing prompts ! Click the links below for each sample IELTS Task 2 essay, with scorer commentary:

IELTS Writing Task 2 Discussion Sample Essay
Model Essay for a Two-Part Question in Writing Task 2 IELTS
Task 2 IELTS Writing: Causes and Solutions Sample Essay
Task 2 IELTS Writing: Agree/Disagree Sample Response
Model Advantage Disadvantage Response for Task 2 IELTS Writing

Now that we’ve shown you several model Band 9 essays, you may ask yourself: how can I get a top score on my own IELTS Task 2 essay? To be sure, looking closely at those model essays can help. But it also helps to take a closer look at the four categories in the official rubric for IELTS Writing Task 2 .

In brief, the four IELTS Task 2 rubric categories you’ll be scored on (and their share of the score) are:

Task Response (25%)
Coherence and Cohesion (25%)
Lexical Resource (25%)
Grammatical Range and Accuracy (25%)

These categories actually apply to both IELTS Task 2 and Task 1. For a detailed description on how to get high marks in all four categories across the whole writing section, check out:

The IELTS Task 2 and IELTS Task 1 Writing band descriptors
How to get a band 8-9 in your Task 2 IELTS Writing

Last but certainly not least, we have tips and tricks for success in each of the four rubric categories:

IELTS Writing Task 2: Task Response
Coherence and Cohesion in IELTS Task 2 Writing
IELTS Task 2 Writing: Lexical Resource
Grammatical Range and Accuracy in IELTS Writing Task 2

Beyond the advice I’ve given you so far, Magoosh offers many other free tutorials for boosting your IELTS Writing Task score, and writing powerful essays within the time limits of the test. Here’s a roundup of our best Task 2 IELTS Writing resources to guide you on the road to test day:

Tips and Tricks From the IELTS Blog

Magoosh’s Complete Guide to IELTS Writing
Useful Sentence Patterns in IELTS Writing
Linking Words for IELTS Task 1 and IELTS Task 2
Using Conjunctions on the IELTS
Paraphrase Exercise for IELTS Writing
Do You Lose Points for Bad Handwriting in IELTS Writing?
How to Use Commas Correctly in IELTS Writing
5 Common Grammar Mistakes in IELTS Writing: IELTS Task 1 and IELTS Task 1
How to Effectively Check Your IELTS Writing
How to Write More Quickly in the IELTS Task 2 Essay
How to Write an Effective Conclusion in IELTS Writing Task 2

YouTube Videos

Top Tips to Prepare for IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 (Video)
IELTS Writing Task 2: Top Mistakes! (Video)
IELTS Vocabulary: Writing Task 2 (Video)
More Words to Know for IELTS Writing Task 2 (Video)
6 Useful Sentence Patterns to Improve Your IELTS Writing (Video)
How to Get a Great IELTS Writing Band Score (Video)
Paraphrasing Tips to Boost Your IELTS Writing Score (Video)
IELTS Writing: How to Score a Band 8+ (Video)
How to Prepare for IELTS Academic Writing Task 2
How can I improve my IELTS Writing Band score?
6 Useful Sentence Patterns to Improve Your IELTS Writing

In addition to Task 2 IELTS Writing tips and tricks, Magoosh also offers you some great resources for practicing IELTS questions! Earlier in the post, I already showed you the practice set for the five most common types of Task 2 IELTS essay questions . But wait, there’s more….

Task 2 Practice Material

The Best Writing Resources for IELTS Task 1 and IELTS Task 2
How to Access the Practice Questions on the Four Official IELTS Websites

Youtube Videos

IELTS Writing Practice Test (Video)
IELTS Task 2 Essay: Agree/Disagree Sample Questions (Video)
The Advantages/Disadvantages Essay for Task 2 IELTS (Video)
Agree/Disagree Questions

Prepare For IELTS Writing Task 2 with Magoosh!

If you like what you see here, there is still even more. With a subscription to Magoosh IELTS you’ll get well over 100 video lessons, more than 600 practice questions, and email tutoring help from our teachers at no extra charge. We also offer a subscription to an IELTS essay scoring service that will assign a band score to your IELTS essays. You can also try a free one week trial of either service ! 🙂

Eliot Friesen-Meyers is the Senior Curriculum Manager for Magoosh IELTS and TOEFL. He attended Goshen College (B.A.), New York University (M.A.), and Harvard University (M.T.S.), gaining experience and skills in curriculum development, ESOL instruction, online teaching and learning, and IELTS and TOEFL test prep education. Eliot’s teaching career started with Literacy Americorps in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and later, taught ESL programs at Northeastern University, University of California-Irvine, and Harold Washington College. Eliot was also a speaker at the 2019 TESOL International Conference . With over 10 years of experience, he understands the challenges students face and loves helping them overcome those challenges. Come join Eliot on Youtube , Facebook , and Instagram . Recent blog posts Complete Guide to IELTS Writing Task 1 Complete Guide to IELTS Writing Task 2

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112 responses to “IELTS Writing Task 2: The Complete Guide”

Thanks a lot for creating this pretty much useful guiding blog.

You’re welcome, Nanda! I’m glad you’re finding it so useful. Good luck with your studies!

is paraphrasing is common in all types of essays

Paraphrasing is definitely common in pretty much every type and topic for IELTS Writing Task 2, for the reasons outlined in this post: you need to paraphrase the question, and the conclusion will paraphrase ideas from the introduction and body of the essay. And IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 is pretty much 100% paraphrasing– your job there is to take information form a chart, table, or other graphic, and rewrite the info in your own words.

But even IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 has elements of paraphrasing, since you are given a situation that you will address by writing a letter, and you need to write about the situation in your own words.

And of course, paraphrasing is important in non IELTS essays, such as the ones you might be assigned in a university course. The skill of paraphrasing is something you’ll use in a variety of ways throughout your university career, really.

marvellous tips thanks for this

I’m so glad you found them helpful, Nanda!

Very organized and exhaustive article. The writer gave us a meticulous insight into task 2. Found it very useful. Thank you!!

Thank you for your feedback, Kaif! I’m glad you found the guide so helpful!

Although I have always thought of possible ways to bring about positive changes to me home town, it has become even more convincing to me because I have so many ideas already concurred to carry this out

Thank you a lot!

You’re welcome! Happy studying!

Dear Eliot, if the question is: “Do you think the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?” do I need to answer in the introduction or I can answer after discussing advantages and disadvantages? Thank you in advance

Hi Mari! Great question! As a general rule, you should always present your basic idea at the beginning of the essay. Some IELTS essay questions only ask you to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of something (not your opinion). Therefore, in your introduction, you simply need to summarize the advantages and disadvantages that you will discuss in detail in the body paragraphs. However, when a Task 2 IELTS question asks for your opinion, it’s very important to state your viewpoint in your introduction as well.

Perfect! Thank you very much! And thank you for the article, is very useful!

You’re welcome, Mari! I’m glad you find the article helpful. Happy studying!

Sorry I can’t find the 5th one of your question types.

Hi Sazzad! Thanks for your question. You can find the 5th Task 2 question type on the table with the title “Thematic Questions.” Thematic Questions are a Task 2 question type that involve answering a set of questions that relate to a theme.

Thanks a lot. This was very useful.

I’m glad you found the post useful, Joel! Good luck with your IELTS studies.

Thanks for this great article. I would like to ask something. What one should do if someone doesn’t have enough information/points as per word requirements on that particular topic, how one should complete the task?

Thanks for your question, Shanawaz! It’s a good one because many IELTS-takers struggle with this same problem. Here’s a tip that has worked for many of my students: add more details and examples to your body paragraphs. If you go back and look at the sample essay in this blog post (about giving kids freedom to choose their careers), you’ll see that each body paragraph has main point, but there are many details (in this case, reasons) included to explain the main points further. Depending on the topic, you can use examples from your life and experience, people you know, or simply from what you have learned somehow. Just make sure that every detail in each paragraph relates to the main idea of the paragraph directly.

I hope this helps! Happy studying.–Eliot

Hi Eliot, thanks for such an informative blog post. As you have mentioned that one can mention about personal experiences in the task 2. However, I have seen that people have recommended not to use personal experiences while citing the instances. They suggest to use examples on general basis. Is it true?

I can take this one for you, Eliot! 🙂

Actually Sukhmani, you can use personal experiences in IELTS Task 2, as long as a personal example is the best suitable example to explain your point. (Eliot mentions this in the comments under this article, and I concur. 🙂 )

It’s a phenomenal thing we learn a lot with the help of this Thx a lot sir

I’m glad you found it helpful, Kamaljeet! Good luck with your IELTS preparation.

Eliot, thank you very much for your post, it was really useful! I would like to ask you a question. When writing body paragraphs, one paragraph represents its own idea. Do we need to do give several arguments (clearly dividing them by “first”, “second” and “finally”, for example) and then supporting ideas to each argument for the idea in the paragraph? Or can we simply state the idea and then explain it with examples? I’m wondering how strict the structure should be.

Hi Angelina! Thank you for your question. It’s a good one!

The answer is that you have some flexibility. You do not need to follow the same pattern in each essay. If you have a list of something (for example, two or three supporting reasons in one paragraph), it is a very good idea to clearly state the organization of your ideas with a list. The pattern you used in your example is a good one (first, second, third), but you can also say things like, “The first reason I like this idea is…” and then discuss this reason for a sentence or two. Then you can transition, “Another reason to support this idea is…” and then do the same as before–provide an example or explain your reason in more detail in a sentence or two.

Now, back to your question. Can you provide a few examples instead of presenting reasons or arguments in your paragraphs? Yes! If you want to explain your main idea with examples instead of reasons, you can use the same strategy as above. Introduce your examples so the reader has a clear idea how you are organizing your ideas. You can do it this way:

One example is….[and write a sentence or two to describe your example]. Another example is….[and write a sentence or two to describe your example].

However, I would add one important note here: If you write a body paragraph that uses only examples to support the main idea, you should always make sure to say, very clearly, how your examples relate to the main idea of your paragraph. After you provide an example, you can write things like this:

This example shows that… This situation means.. I believe this example shows…

I hope this helps with your question! Good luck with your IELTS studies!

Ooops …wish I found it little earlier because tomorrow is my test. However, I do have a query that could help for next test takers. In the answer sheet of booklet of some Cambridge book, I have found sample answer by the examiner which include introduction in the first paragraph followed by explaining the both argument and then giving ones opinion. I found is little bit contradictory as I referred here. How far is it considerable in giving ones opinion just prior to concluding paragraph and on what type of questions? Anyway, really a great job…!!!

Hi Kalash! Thank you for your comment. I think I understand your question and I will do my best to answer it. However, if I have missed your point, please let me know and I will follow-up!

Yes, it is fine to offer your opinion in the final paragraph, especially in Task 2 questions where the question says something like “discuss both sides and give your opinion.” Actually, there are many ways to organize a clear response to questions like these. The suggestions in this blog post (or any other place you find information about Task 2 essays!) are there to help you think of ways to present your ideas clearly.

In this case, you could discuss Side 1 in the first body paragraph, Side 2 in the second body paragraph, and then you could write a full third paragraph providing your opinion. However, you could also present Side 1 and offer your opinion about it in one body paragraph, and then present Side 2 and offer your opinion about it in a second body paragraph.

One thing you MUST do in both cases is present your opinion in your thesis statement (the last sentence of the introduction). No matter how you decide to organize your body paragraphs, this element is essential.

I hope this helps!

Good luck on your test tomorrow!!

–Eliot

I have a question. I took the exam a couple of days ago. i was able to finish both task 1 and task 2. However, I used 2 papers for my task 2, which I forgot to put a page number on top. Will that affect my grade? Im kinda freaking out hehe

I doubt anything significant will happen to you or your score. We can’t say for sure (it will depend on the rater) but this type of thing happens frequently. Good luck! 🙂

Sir, Is there any difference between essay structure asking Do you agree or disagree and to what extent do you agree or disagree??

Hi Gurpreet,

Great question! No, there is no difference between these questions and you can approach them the same way. In other words, you may argue for just one side, or you can make a balanced argument that focuses on the strengths and/or weaknesses of both sides. If you make a balanced argument, keep in mind that you should NOT argue that both sides are equally good or equally bad. You must take a position and choose the side you think is best. Make this argument clear in your thesis statement in the introduction.

Happy studying!

Yes, there is a difference. If the word extent is written, it is necessary to write either totally or completely agree/ disagree or partly agree.

Hi Rajneesh,

Eliot’s point here is that there isn’t a major difference between the two essays instructions. In the GRE, for example, you must take one side and make a strong argument for it. In the IELTS, your primary job is to show that you are able to express yourself clearly in written English. As long as you show that you understood the prompt and respond to it, these nuances are not as important as showing your ability to write clearly in English!

Hi Eliot, thanks for this very helpful article.

My question is, can I make statements like, “In my country, we have the practice of…” Will there be an identity-revealing issue or is this an acceptable approach?

Hi Anu! I don’t think this statement would cause you a problem. You are free to use examples from your life and experience on Task 2, so long as the examples you choose fit the question prompt.

However, it’s possible I don’t fully understand your concern about revealing identity. If so, please say more about what you have in mind.

I sent this link to my students that I’m currently tutoring. Saves me a lot of time! The explanations are clear and thorough. Thank you so much.

Hi Eliot , your blog really helped me a lot. I have a question. When we are asked to discuss both sides and give our opinion, can I write my opinion in the conclusion paragraph instead of writing separate paragraph before conclusion. Thanks in advance

Hi Yeshaswini,

It is not ideal to end an essay with new information (in this case, your opinion) which is why we recommend the opinion coming before the conclusion. But if you are in a situation where you truly feel this is better, you can definitely pull it off.

it is very helpfullthank you so much

In your “Writing IELTS Part 2 Question Types” “Discuss both sides and give your opinion”, you say that there should be 3 paragraphs, but at the free iELTS preparation course, they say, that “your opinion” goes into the conclusion. What is right? Thanks Vera

If you look at the example essay we provided here, you’ll see that there is a short introduction paragraph and a short conclusion paragraph that both express the author’s opinion. The two body paragraphs allow you to write about both sides of the issue and show your thought process. We should note here that there is no secret ‘formula’ on the IELTS–there are guidelines to help you craft your essay. It sounds like our advice matches pretty closely with what you heard from the free IELTS preparation course, but the most important thing is to show that you can write well in English 🙂

Thanks for the tips! I do have a few questions. When the topic question is about, “to what extent do you agree or disagree?”, do you have to pick a side? If you feel like the topic has both pros and cons, can you write the pro’s in para 1 and cons in para 2?

Also, when you are writing different examples to support a claim you make, can the different examples be in the same paragraph?

Thanks for your help!

Hi Samitha,

There is no one correct answer here–the purpose of Task 2 is to show that you can write well in English. The content doesn’t matter that much (you don’t need to convince anyone of anything) but you do need to show that you understand the prompt and can construct a response to it. Yes–you can use one paragraph to show how you agree (pros) and another paragraph to show how you might not agree (cons). In the brainstorm example we gave in this blog post, the person mostly agreed with the prompt, but also provided some reasons against the prompt. As long as you write a strong and logical essay, you’ll be fine 🙂

Each body paragraph should be a different major idea or claim. If you have time, you can write several examples in one paragraph as long as they all relate to the same claim. If you follow the structure above, you can have several examples for the ‘pro’ paragraph and several for the ‘con’ paragraph–just keep an eye on the time to make sure you can write the entire essay in time 🙂

hi, you have written wonderful article . I have a question for you if you could reply me i would be thankful.My question is that may i learn some essay by heart like 40 or 50 essay ?so it could help to get idea on time and might be possible i get exact same one of them in writing task 2

Thanks for reaching out! It’s not a good idea to think of trying to memorize essays in order to succeed on the writing test. They could ask you about anything at all in Task 2, and there’s no list of questions that you can draw from. Instead of spending your time trying to memorize essays, you should use your time to improve your general writing ability, understand the strategy associated with how to write an essay, and practice as much as possible. This is what is really going to help you improve! The templates that we provide you with here are useful because they will help you to organize your essay. Good luck!

I am very much confused about example that is asked to give in task II. How example can be mentioned? Another question is supposed there is statement related to agree or disagree, can we partial for it? If yes/no then how?

The purpose of task 2 is to show that you can express your ideas clearly in written English. In the second task, you should try to find examples that support your point. You can think of things logically or from your personal life that you can use to make your argument.

It’s ok to partially agree with the prompt and partially disagree, as long as you clearly state both sides. In the example essay, the author agrees in the first paragraph but disagrees in the second paragraph. In the conclusion, the author discusses both sides and makes his point clearly.

The best way to get used to this is just to write as much as possible! The more you practice, the easier it will be to think of examples and write your opinions down 🙂

Thanks for your enormous support. Really helped!

I’m so glad this was helpful! Happy studying 🙂

Hi sir, i would like you to give me a feedback on this introduction of mine which is answer to your example in the video. “Home town is the place that many people, including me love so much. In order to develop it, i would come up with some suggestions in altering it. I believe that these points will benefit to enhance my home land.” Thanks in advance sir!

Hi Lakhana,

I’m glad that you found this video and blog post useful! Unfortunately, we are a small team with a lot of projects, and we are not able to provide personalized feedback on writing. I’m sorry about that! There are many different forums and other places where you can find people willing to edit your essays. Best of luck!

I have written the IELTS academic test twice and even though I receive good marks for speaking, listening and reading, I have received 6.5 for writing both times. The first time I couldn’t finish my conclusion, which would make sense that I only got 6.5. But the second time I completed it all with the right amount of words and paragraphs. I’m not sure how to go abouts studying for this as I don’t know where my faults are – I wish they could return your test results to help you prepare better.

Any advise would be lovely.

It is definitely frustrating not to get any feedback on your writing for the IELTS! However, there are still plenty of ways that you can improve on this score! First, I recommend that you look over any practice essays that you wrote, especially timed ones that you wrote right before the exam. It’s likely that any mistakes you made on the actual exam are pretty similar to the mistakes you made on these practice essays. Take some time to analyze these essays according to the Band Descriptors released by IELTS ( https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/IELTS_task_1_Writing_band_descriptors.pdf and https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/IELTS_task_2_Writing_band_descriptors.pdf ). You can also post some of your essays on message boards such as the one on the IELTS Australia page ( https://ielts.com.au/forums/ ). If possible, have a friend or tutor with a high English level look over your essays and provide some feedback. You should also definitely continue to write as many practice essays as possible and analyze each one. This should give you a good sense of what you need to improve and how you can do it. The more you practice and analyze your essays, the more you will improve! Good luck 🙂

I’d like to share my IELTS experience, I recently took IELTS and I scored less than what I am expecting. I finished both writing tasks on time. After reading your blog, I noticed that each question type should have a specific number of body paragraphs? All I know is, you should have 4 paragraphs in your writing. (introduction, argument 1(pros/cons), argument 2 (pros/cons) and lastly conclusion. I followed these during my actual exam. Answering question about “Many people today claimed that they have a better quality of life than those who live few centuries ago, how do you agree or disagree in this statement?” First, I made a short introduction and I stated that in the next few paragraphs I will discuss my answer. On my second paragraph, I stretched all the advantages to people living these days in terms of modernisation and globalisation and the negative effect it brings as well. On my third paragraph, I wrote about the claims of older people that life before were simpler and and stress free however there are disadvantages too. Finally, on my concluding part, I wrote about my side, that living nowadays offers a better quality of life due to improvised technology and new discoveries. Do you think I made a complicated writing? I am planning to take my IELTS for second time, although I am still feeling a bit frustrated. I also wish we could take our writing results with comments and corrections from the examiner who checked my paper so that I can diligently improve the parts that I missed.

Thanks for sharing your experience! I know it’s frustrating not to get any feedback or other information about your exam–it can make it hard to improve! It’s really hard to tell what happened without reading your essay, but there are a few things you can consider. In some cases, simple is better for the writing section of the IELTS. You need to show that you can write well in English, but if you try to do too much you might end up with handwriting that is hard to read, sentences that are long or convoluted, or arguments that don’t quite make sense. I’ve seen students who try to use advanced vocabulary and grammar even though they are not entirely comfortable with them; the result is difficult to read and make sense of for a native speaker. I’m not sure exactly what happened here. Based on your description, you set up your essay in a good way, but you may want to analyze some of your practice essays (and ask others to analyze them, perhaps some teachers in your school) in order to get some feedback about what you wrote. I recommend that you keep practicing the essays and keep analyzing your results so that you can continue to improve! Good luck!

please is it wrong to use biro(pen) to write the easy .You mentioned the use of pencil.

According to this information from the British Council , you can use either a pen or a pencil. You should confirm the test-day requirements with your testing center. Keep in mind that a pen might be difficult because you won’t be able to erase your work, and the page can get messy if you make mistakes and have to correct them. Remember that handwriting and read-ability affect your score, so make sure that you are completely comfortable using a pen if you decide to bring one!

Greatly simplified article. I want to ask something. Should I write more than one points in a body paragraph? For example, in one body paragraph, point 1, its supporting reason/ example, point 2, its supporting reason/ example. Same in paragraph 2.

Hi Chintan! Thanks for your question. Yes, you may include more than one point in a paragraph in the way you described. However, it’s important to make sure that both points relate to or support the same main idea in the paragraph. If you move to a new idea, you’ll need to begin a new paragraph.

Please find the introduction for the essay question you have given in the video. Please do examine this and give the corrections or improvements.

Given an opportunity, I would bring certain changes to my hometown, thereby adding glory to the glorious city.

Thanks for stepping up to the challenge in the IELTS Writing Task 2 video in this post, Buvana. 🙂

So, let me give yo my critique. 🙂

First, you want to make sure that you really are paraphrasing the original question. So let’s revisit that question from the video:

If you could change your home town to make it a better place, what changes would you make?

How would these changes improve your home town?

You’ve done a good job at paraphrasing the “If you could change your home town” portion of the original sentence. “Given the opportunity” is a good paraphrase of “If I could.” “Bring certain changes to my hometown” is a good paraphrase of “change my home town,” too. But you could paraphrase this even more thoroughly and elegantly by eliminating the root word change, and saying something like “I would make some things in my home town different.” Finally, we get to “adding glory to the glorious city.” Here, your paraphrase “make it a better place” is a little awkward. The use of both “glory” and “glorious” is a bit repetitive. How can you express the idea of making your home town a better place with less repetitive language?

Now that we’ve looked at the structure of your paraphrasing, let’s look at overall introduction content. Remember, your introduction should actually be two sentences. You want an initial sentence that paraphrases the question, and you have written that. But then you what a thesis statement that previews and summarizes the specific answers you have to the question. So you should add a second, follow-up sentence that briefly explains how and why you would change your hometown in order to improve it.

Feel free to revise the first sentence and add a second sentence as I mentioned above. If you put your new, revised introduction in the comments section, my colleagues and I will give you further feedback on it. 🙂

I have tried with an introduction.

“Hometown is the place where you are born and have many good memories with that place. this essay discusses the problems and solutions to them on how to make our hometown a better place to live in. in my opinion, the joint efforts of everyone can make it a better place.”

Another commenter rises to our video challenge! 🙂

This is a pretty good introduction. But remember, the question is asking you what you’d do to improve your hometown, and how your proposed course of action would improve things. So be sure to include a “what” and “how” in your introduction. The “what” statement could begin something like this: “through our joint efforts, we would all (DESCRIBE WHAT YOU’D DO). Then for the “how,” say something like “this plan would improve my hometown because….” And of course, as you revise, make sure to double check for spelling and grammar errors. 😀

Here is my introduction: There are some crucial things that I would like to alter of my home town to ameliorate the living and environment condition. I would suggest to reduce or eliminate the enormous traffic jam from the street and I believe if the excessive traffic jam is reduced, our precious time to reach destination would be saved as well as environment pollution would be lessen.

Hi Tabassum,

In terms of content, this is an excellent introduction. It references the original question; it’s clear what has been asked and what kind of answer you are giving. It also puts forth your main idea and supporting details: you’ll reduce traffic congestion so that people can save time and pollution can be reduced.

In terms of wording, however, there are a few problems you should fix. The vocabulary you’re using seems overly wordy, and a little too advanced. Words like “ameliorate” aren’t really used in regular, more conversational writing, and “our precious time to reach destination would be saved” is overly wordy and a little hard to follow. It would probably be better to say something more straightforward there, such as “commuters could save time.” The IELTS essay really should have a more plain, conversational tone.

In addition, many of the bigger words you’re using are in the wrong form or grammar. For example, “environment condition” should actually be “environmental condition,” and “would be lessen” should be “would lessen.”

It strikes me that you’re overextending your vocabulary a little, using advanced, highly formal academic words that you understand, but have trouble using yourself in writing. You can actually get a better score if you make your writing simpler, working with the words you’re most comfortable with.

Many thanks for such excellent guidance.

I would like to ask about the preferable word limit in IELTS writing Task GT essay? Is it fine if word limit exceeds 300 words or should it be kept below 300?

Also, I am not sure about which examples can be quoted… should it be related to real life experiences or mentioning of any anonymous survey can suffice the purpose.

Good questions. When you write, “Task GT,” I believe you are talking about General Training Task 1, for which you write a letter. Please let me know if you had something else in mind. For Task 1 (Academic and General Training), you should not write a lot more than the requirement. Writing too much will use valuable time you can spend editing your composition. It also steals time you could use to work on your Task 2 response, which counts more towards your overall writing score. I suggest shooting for 180 – 200 words for Task 1. You should be able to cover the required information very easily if you hit that mark.

Regarding examples, I believe you are asking about Task 2 here. You can include examples from your life, the lives of people you know, things that occurred in your city/country, etc. You may also use data even if you don’t remember the precise details. For example, you could write, “A recent study revealed that roughly 60% of the residents in my city…” It’s fine to use anything that supports your point well. However, here is the important point about examples: they must be appropriate to the topic. Some IELTS topics have a more personal angle, such as discussing the qualities of a good friend or a good teacher. Other topics are much less personal, such as discussing the environment or social changes over time. Use examples that fit the essay topic and support your main points well.

I hope this helps. Happy studying!

Modifying our own native place to make it the most liveable place is always accepted by people. Though difficult, few changes can lead to boost the place to be more liveable for instance, good infrastructure, establishment of better educational institutions, emphasising in house production which can prompt to escalate the overall growth of the home town.

Your paraphrasing of the original question is a bit weak. “Native place” for example, is not really a phrase that’s used in English, and it doesn’t mean “home town.” Also, “a more livable place” would probably work better than “the most livable place,” since we’re talking about improving the town, not perfecting it. There are a number of other problems here: “few changes” mean “almost no changes,” so “a few changes” (some changes) might be better. And “emphasizing in house production” also sounds strange. Less awkward wording could be “focusing on home construction.”

Those are just a few examples of odd wording that could hurt your IELTS writing score. With that said, the basic structure of your introduction is good. You start by paraphrasing the question and giving your opinion, and then you go on to give specific examples. Keep that excellent structure as you revise your wording.

The sample essay is pretty good, but to address the child possessive pronoun should be fixed (his or her), in the essay it keeps on changing.

This is actually a very common convention in English writing, since there is no gender nonspecific pronoun. Some people will write “his or her” every time, but that is cumbersome and difficult to read. It’s also becoming more widely accepted to use “they” as a singular pronoun , but we don’t recommend that you do so in academic writing. Instead, it’s common to switch between gender pronouns in different examples. In this sample essay, you’ll notice that the author uses “she/her” for an entire paragraph, and then switches to “he/him”–that is completely acceptable in English writing! Remember that we aren’t talking about a specific person or child here, so there’s no issue with switching the pronoun. In fact, it shows even more clearly that the example is general and applies to an entire group!

Is there any online writing evaluation? I need someone to score my writing to check my level

We don’t provide essay grading services here at Magoosh. Sorry about that! We are a small team with thousands of students, and in order to keep our prices affordable we decided not to provide essay grading.You can share your IELTS Speaking and Writing for online feedback at various IELTS Internet message boards, including the official IELTS Australia forums . It is also useful to get feedback from a tutor, or a friend, classmate or teacher who has good English. You can use our resources in this guide to help you grade your essay accurately 🙂

In body 1 & 2, if I write only main points with explanation using complex sentence and don’t give an example, so what happened? I got good score or not?

On the IELTS, you are graded on the quality of your writing. You can certainly score well without specific examples, as long as you answer the question presented by the task and develop your ideas in each paragraph. Examples help you to do this, but you can also do this logically.

Every place could became a better place thanks to some improvements. If I could I rebuild the city where I live adding more parks and green area, but I also would establish some more stringent parking and traffic rules to discipline residentds.

Your ideas and basic structure are very good here. Remember, though, a good introduction also gives a few reasons for the claims you’re making. I advise adding a sentence or two explaining why you feel that more parks, more green areas, and more stringent parking/traffic rules would make your town a better place to live in. Also remember that if you use the phrase “If I could,” you should follow it with “I would.” As in “If I could rebuild the city… I would add more parks….”

“To what extent do you agree or disagree” Do we have to discuss on both points?

No, if you get a question that says “to what extent do you agree or disagree?” you need to assess the strength of your stance as well as what that stance is. You might be strongly on one side or maybe weakly. I hope this helps!

Here is my intro please feddback this.

Changes always are good makes life better and comfortable. While I agree it is unwise to leave a place imperfect, however we have many things that should be changed in my hometown.

We currently don’t offer speech or writing feedback. We are a small team with a lot of students, and unfortunately can’t offer this sort of personalized support. I recommend that you check out the official IELTS Australia forums. . A lot of students give and receive feedback there!

Changes do matter in the present upgraded world. If am allowed to take some measures in the place where i live or in the place where i have stayed before, could be a thought to have discussion.

Hi – I am responding to the task 2 introduction as per the video. It was related to the changes I would like to bring about in my hometown.

Introduction only –

With the growth of commercialization, I certainly believe it’s time to stop and think about the improvements and modifications we can bring about in our local communities, societies, cities and towns to build an eco-friendly atmosphere. I belong to a small town of Nanital, in the state of Uttrakhand, India. One of the major changes that we need to focus on is for the famous ‘Nani’ Lake to resolve the issue of depleting lake water.

Thanks, Looking forward to hearing back from your soon.

Hi Abhilasha,

Let’s take a closer look at this introduction. I like the good range of vocabulary you have here. The grammar is perfect too! With all that said, there are also a few improvements you could make.

Remember that the question is about “hometown” and not local society in a broader sense. Your reference to “local communities, societies, cities and towns” is a little too broad. You want to keep the focus on the idea of a hometown. And you can actually use the exact term “hometown” from the prompt. While paraphrasing the prompt is important, the most important specific terms from the original question should be repeated as-is.

So I would make the opening sentence simpler, just referencing hometowns. I also recommend adding some information to the second sentence. What specific change would you make in relation to the lake? You obviously don’t want to go into too much extra detial, but getting more specific, summing up the change in perhaps 5-10 words, would help make your introduction meaningful and impactful.

Hello, i wanna thank you for this amazing article, that I found very handy indeed. i have one question in mind and I hope you will provide with me with sufficient feedback. Is it okay!! to write in task 2 such phrases as: this essay will discuss, this essay agrees ….. best regards

The phrase “this essay will discuss” should be fine as an introduction/overview, though it’s not really necessary. If you clearly state your thesis statement, then this sentence may just be repetitive.

The phrase “this essay agrees,” on the other hand, just sounds strange! An essay can’t agree or disagree with anything–you, the writer, are agreeing or disagreeing. I would recommend that instead of using a sentence like that, you just clearly state your thesis.

helloo!! dear i have a query if you could answer it please. i took my ielts GT recently and was asked to discuss both sides and give your opinion. i gave intro and then discussed both views and gave my opinion in conclusion. b8ut here you have suggested to write a seperate parah for opinion before conclusion. m little worried that will i loose bands for not doing it this way ?

if so, then how this will effect my score? i require 7 bands in it.

That’s a great question, Swati. If you didn’t express any opinion at all until the very end of the essay, that could definitely affect your score. The instructions say you should state the extent to which you agree or disagree with a position or positions. So that should be the main focus of your essay, and some expression of agreement or disagreement should be happening throughout the essay.

However, if you expressed parts of your opinion in the body paragraphs, and then summarized your opinion in full int he final paragraph, you still might be able to get a good score. Ideally, your opinion should be mentioned in some way in every paragraph. But if your introduction was very brief and you expressed at least parts of your opinion in each body paragraph, you might still get a good score.

My home town is a small city with bustling streets.There are lot of improvements has to be made to uplift the city and bring to the standard of rest of the cities.

Hi Elliot,’

Here is the introduction to the above-mentioned question. Kindly give it a read and let me know your feedback.

Making alterations to their hometown in order to make it a wonderful place is like a dream for a majority of people nowadays. Given an opportunity, I would like to make advancements in my town. This will include the use of metros which will solve the traffic issues to a great extent. In the below paragraphs, I intend to delve into some other improvements that I want to do and the impact these will have on my city.

I have my exam in the next two days. Kindly let me know your valuable feedback

Hi Prakhar! Let’s take a closer look at your introduction!

I like the way you start with broader statement that introduces the topic (your first sentence). You also did a good job of including one specific point that will be in your essay (“use of metros”). And you gave a specific way in which that change would improve your town (“solve the traffic issues”). This is excellent as well.

With that in mind, let’s also talk about things you could do to make this introduction even stronger. 🙂

Be careful of your word choices. “Alterations,” for instance, is a kind of awkward word choice here. “Alterations” usually refers to changes made to clothing or other product designs. This word does not fit well when you are talking about changes to an entire city. Similarly “advancements” usually refers specifically to modernization and the use of new inventions and technology, which doesn’t clearly match your intended meaning. And “metros” can mean meany different things (a “metro” can refer to a city area that includes suburbs, or can refer to a local bus, a local train, or a number of other local services). So it would be better to use a more specific example than that.

It also might be good to briefly describe specific traffic issues that need to be solved. And you should be more specific about the “other improvements.” If you’re going to write about other improvements besides traffic in your essay, you should also briefly mention those other improvements in your introduction.

I hop all of this helps, but let me know if you have any questions about the feedback I’ve given you here. 🙂

I often envisage of making my City modern with less pollution and eco friendly. This can be achieved by reducing the cars on the roads and creating alternative modes of transport like building underground tubes, railways and using electric cars.

Nice introduction. Remember, thought– paraphrase the prompt fully and clearly in your introduction. An added phrase such as “if there is one way I would improve my home community….” could be a helpful extra paraphrase. Be sure to also explain in your intro why alternative modes of transport would be helpful, something like “these changes would reduce pollution and be more eco-friendly because….” Also, here, the word should be “envision,” not “envisage.” Again though, great ideas and setup for an intro to this essay. 🙂

Everyone would like his country to be the most perfect place in the world, and so do I. This essay will explain my point of view of how would using renewable energy and internet influence my home town to develop.

Hi Asmaa! Nice intro 🙂 Are you looking for feedback? This is good, though I might suggest that you make an even clearer connection between your opening sentence and your thesis. I do like how clear your thesis is!

Here is an introduction to the prompt in the video.

I have been staying away from my hometown for quite a few years, and when I look back, I really want to bring in some changes to my native to make it a better place to live. Given an opportunity, I would introduce multiple institutes to learn martial arts and/or self defense. The dynamics of safety will be highly impacted by this change in a positive way, offering a higher sense of security among parents, kids, women in general, and older people as well.

I would request you to take a look and let me know of your valuable feedback and suggestions, if any.

Hi Moumita,

Thanks for responding to this prompt! I’m afraid that we don’t provide feedback for IELTS speaking tasks–we are a small team with a lot of students, so it would be difficult to provide this service for everyone! There may be other readers who can give you feedback 🙂

Introduction: The topic of the essay is the possible amendments that might be made to beautify my home town and to develop its living conditions.The modifications will add up to the betterment of my town in numerous ways. Replacement of old, out of ordered transformers with new ones would the first step to be taken.Secondly,I will try to provide enough amount of water supply to every house in town.Trash dumping system and improvisation of poor conditions of roads would be third in my target list.Like any well-established area my home town would also turn into a place with all fundamental facilities.

The structure of your introduction is good. You open up with a good overview,a nd then you outline each idea that will appear int he body of your esay. Nice work!

To make this introduction even stronger, carefully double-check your word choices. To give just two examples, “amendment’ usually means a written change to a document rather than an infrastructure change to a town, and “improvisation” refers to an unrehearsed stage performance, not an improvement.

My introduction

I’ve frequently imagined how beautiful,healthy, happy and peaceful my community would appear if I was able to make some radical changes to benefit every member of the community and the community itself.This essay will elaborate on three major changes that if made would in my opinion significantly improve the quality and standard of living in the community. The three major changes are, Road repairs, Removal of stagnant water and garbage collection and disposal.

Body #1: Road repairs(Explanation, reasons, benefits) Body #2: Removal of stagnant water(Explanation, reasons, benefits) Body #3: Garbage collection and disposal(Explanation, reasons, benefits)

Really look forward to a feedback.

Thanks Ranjan

Great structure and a really good introduction, Ranjan. There is one change I’d suggest, though. At times, your writing is a bit too wordy. Having four adjectives to describe your community int he first sentence is a little more complex than ideal. Similarly, “on three major changes that if made would in my opinion significantly improve…” is also quite wordy. Consider eliminating at lease one or two inessential words. “In my opinion” could be omitted, and/or you could get rid of adjectives such as “significantly.”

Hey David !

I really appreciate the feedback. I agree that I had used a lot of objectives in the first sentence and that the introduction is pretty wordy.

I guess concise choice of words and phrases are the way to go eh ?

I think that your article helped me a bit although I’m still a somewhat stumped. Thanks anyway!

The essay enquires about the possible modifications you’d consider making in order to improve your hometown. There are numerous changes that I would consider implementing, but the most important ones will be as following: constructing playgrounds in each neighbourhood, defining proper traffic lanes and an improved transport facility. I believe these are the most essential and rudimentary necessities for everyone and such changes improvements can make lives easier.

is it mandatory to write ielts task 2 in three paragraphs?

Hi Anshuman,

No, there is no required organization to the IELTS Task 2 essay. Some people might write 3, 4 or even 5 paragraphs. It is important to organize your essay well, however, and ensure that your use of paragraphs makes sense for the content of the essay.

Very useful guide. Many thanks

Hi Anil, You’re so welcome, we’re so glad you found it helpful!

In regards to your question, since for Task 2 you’re asked to give your opinion on a social issue, it’s better to say “I will discuss” or “I agree…” That will help make your writing more clear. I’d advise you to look as several Task 2 example essays to get a good idea of how they’re written and the types of phrases they use. We have several linked towards the bottom of this article, and that should really help to make it clear in your mind!

Happy studying! 😀

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IELTS Writing Task 2: 8 steps towards a band 8

In IELTS Writing Task 2, you will need to write an essay. Let our IELTS Experts walk you through 8 steps that can help you get a band 8. Take a closer look at the assessment criteria, how to structure your essay and common mistakes to avoid.

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To achieve a band 8 in IELTS Writing Task 2 , you will need to produce an essay that contains all the positive features contained in the band 8 writing assessment criteria. Let's take a look at these in the table below.

Using the band descriptors as a guide we are going to go through the 8 steps to get you on your way to a band 8 in Writing Task 2.

We will start with the task response before moving through all the criteria to show you what an examiner will be looking for in your response.

Step 1: Answer is relevant to the question

Answer what you have been asked in the question. Don’t produce an essay that is close to a topic you have previously prepared. Make sure your examples and ideas are relevant. If you generalise too much and are not specific enough this will affect how your ideas are presented to the examiner.

Make sure your ideas are directly related to the question 

Use ideas and examples that you are familiar with, and that relate directly to the topic

Extend your answer to include a number of ideas that will support the question.

Don't:

Include irrelevant information 

Over-generalise 

Produce a memorised essay

Present ‘recent’ research or statistics related to the topic “At least 41% of all men…”

Step 2: Answer all parts of the question

You must read the question carefully and decide how many parts are in it. You must answer all parts of the question to reach a band 6 or higher.

Let’s look at some example IELTS question prompts and see how many parts are in each, if you need to present your opinion. Remember, it is very important to present a clear position when answering the statement to show that you understand the question being asked and to keep that position clear throughout the essay.

Read the question carefully and decide how many parts are in it

Present your opinion and support it throughout the whole essay

If asked to present both views, make sure each view is presented equally (similar paragraph length)

Watch for plurals. If you are asked to give ‘advantages’, you must present a minimum of 2

Watch for ‘and’. You may need to comment on more than one element

Write more than 250 words.

Don’t:

Ignore parts of the question

Assume that your opinion is clear, use the first person to ensure the examiner knows it’s your opinion ‘I think’

Tell the examiner what you are going to say and what you have said

Produce a short essay.

Step 3: Organise your essay logically, with clear progression using linking phrases

Ideas must be expressed and ordered clearly - starting with an introduction and moving through to a conclusion.

If you are asked to present both views and your opinion, state your opinion at the beginning of the essay and then move on to present both views. You can then come back to your own opinion and then conclude the essay. This is a logical way to present these ideas.

Use a range of linking words and phrases, but don’t overuse them

Use adverbial phrases, rather than single basic linkers

Use referencing and substitution to avoid repetition (this/them/the issue/the problem)

Use punctuation to make your writing coherent

Make sure your ideas are sequenced correctly

Make sure your ideas are logical and easy to follow

Use a separate paragraph for the introduction and the conclusion 

Use one paragraph for each idea or topic area.

Overuse basic linking words like firstly (instead, try using ‘The first reason for/ The primary reason for this’)

Start every sentence with a linker (Try to put it in the middle of a sentence. E.g. “Some people believe, however, that individuals must also take responsibility for the environment” or “I believe, on the other hand, that individuals do have a responsibility to…”)

Use numbers, symbols or abbreviations (1, 2, etc, &, +)

Use headings or subheadings

Underline words or phrases

Use one-sentence paragraphs 

Start every sentence with a linking device.

Step 4: Organise your essays into paragraphs

Use paragraphs to organise your essay into clear parts. Make sure each paragraph contains a clear and developed topic with a minimum of two sentences.

You can use the acronym “PEEL” when writing your essay:

Point – introduce your topic or topic sentence

Example – an example that supports your point

Explain – why this evidence supports your point

Link – transition to the next topic or paragraph

You must use enough paragraphs to clearly show a structured response. This will show that you can organise and present your thoughts and ideas logically.

Here are some ideas on how many paragraphs you could include in an essay:

Use paragraphs

Use linkers between and within your paragraphs

Leave a space between each paragraph (a line)

Use a paragraph for each topic

Use an introduction and a conclusion.

Don't

Use single-sentence paragraphs

Use very long paragraphs that cover a whole page (IELTS on paper)

Step 5: Use less common vocabulary and spell it correctly

You will see in the band descriptors that a band 8 writer skillfully uses uncommon lexical items. When we learn a language, we use common and uncommon terms. Common terms are words and phrases we use every day to refer to personal experience and daily habits. Uncommon terms are used when we discuss specific topics or when we use idiomatic language (phrasal verbs).

Words that are old-fashioned and not used in everyday speech should not be used. If you choose a synonym, the meaning must be the same and must not alter the idea being presented. For example, adolescent/teenager have close meaning and can be used interchangeably, however, toddler/baby have quite different meanings.

Collocation is also mentioned in band 8, and it is assumed that you know which words go together, and which words are suitable to use for different topics.

If you are discussing child crime, you could use the term ‘minor’ as this is a legal term used to describe children under the age of 18.

If you use phrasal verbs, make sure that you are using the correct preposition as it can change the meaning:

throw out/away = discard

throw up = vomit/get sick

Idioms (cultural language) should only be used if you understand them completely and if they fit the topic you are discussing.

Use precise word choices

Use language that we use in everyday speech

Use words that you understand

Use words and phrases that are related to the topic

Use collocation and phrasal verbs (words that go together naturally – environmental pollution | major issue | promising future)

Make spelling mistakes

Make typos

Mix up American and British spelling (You should use one or the other)

Use a word if you don’t understand it or cannot spell it.

Use imprecise words like ‘stuff/thing’

Use slang like ‘gonna’

Use old-fashioned language [the masses| denizens | myopic view | Hitherto]

Overuse synonyms, one is enough

Use idioms/clichés

Use contractions (can’t, doesn’t)

Step 6: Don’t use memorised language, phrases or examples

Don’t use any memorised language, phrases or examples throughout your essay. They are easy for examiners to spot and don’t demonstrate your ability to write fluently.

Overused phrases, idioms, proverbs and clichés should also be avoided, again, they are often used when speaking. These include phrases like:

The grass is always greener on the other side

Love is blind

Off the top of my head

Old is gold

A friend in need is a friend indeed

Additionally, the following terms should not be used when writing as they are vague and do not address a task appropriately. You should always be using clear language and make appropriate word choices that will express your ideas clearly.

Step 7: Use a variety of complex sentence structures

At band 8 it is expected that you can use a wide range of structures accurately to present your ideas and opinion. Show the examiner that you can use a wide range of structures and make sure your sentences are error-free.

It is important to use a mix of complex and simple sentences. But remember, your complex sentences should not be long and complicated.

Your punctuation needs to be accurate, using capitalisation, commas and full stops correctly.

The most common errors made can be found below:

Step 8: Checklist

Use the following checklist to make sure that your writing contains all the positive features at a band 8

If you follow these 8 steps, you will be well on your way to a band 8 in Writing Task 2.

Is IELTS writing hard?

IELTS writing is not so hard if you have a thorough understanding of the test format and are able to organise your thoughts into grammatically-correct, well-structured sentences. Obviously it requires a fair amount of practice. To make it easy, IDP has launched IELTS Prepare where you can access a range of preparation materials: from practice tests, sample answers, videos and articles, all the way to expert assessments, online courses, webinars and more.

IELTS writing for beginners

Join our free IDP IELTS webinars that are designed to give you a sense of what to expect during the IELTS Writing test and guide you towards reaching a high band score:

Improve your understanding of the writing test format and questions

Identify key points

Make your answers relevant

Organize your answers in a more coherent manner

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IELTS on computer: Advantages, sample questions and answers

IELTS Writing Task 2: How to write a good conclusion

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IELTS Academic Writing free practice questions

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How to Write an IELTS Essay [Task 2]

Posted by David S. Wills | Mar 30, 2019 | IELTS Tips , Writing | 0

In this article, I’m going to show you how to write an IELTS task 2 essay . I will try to make it as simple as possible, yet totally comprehensive. It is my hope that by the time you finish reading this (and watching the attached video) you will be able to write a really good answer to an IELTS task 2 question.

I make no promises like “GET A BAND 7!!!” because it is impossible to make such claims. The IELTS exam will test your English ability, and there are many factors that will contribute to your score. However, if you follow this guide completely, you give yourself the best chance of scoring highly.

Know the Basic Requirements

The first thing you need to know before you even begin writing an IELTS essay are the basic requirements of the exam. In IELTS writing, you have one hour to write two pieces of writing. It is recommended that you spend about 20 minutes on task 1 – which for academic IELTS is a report on a graph or map, and for general IELTS is a letter – and the other 40 minutes should be spent on task 2.

For task 2, you will be given a question. It will usually provide a statement of sorts, followed by a specific task like giving your opinion, discussing advantages and disadvantages, or explaining problems and solutions. You need to write at least 250 words, following the instructions very carefully.

You will ultimately be assigned a grade based upon the IELTS marking rubric. Your grade will be from 0-9, and should accurately reflect your writing ability. However, some problems like stress or sickness may cause you to perform worse than usual, in which case you would be unlucky to receive a grade that does not accurately reflect your level.

I would recommend reading the marking rubric in order to understand what the examiner will look for in your essay, and so that you can understand why you were given the grade you received. It is very common for students to score highly in reading and listening, and then get a comparatively low score for writing . Knowing the rubric will help you to understand.

Each part of the test is marked differently. For IELTS writing, your overall score will be the average of four components:

Task Response
Coherence and Cohesion
Lexical Resource
Grammatical Range and Accuracy

If the rubric is hard for you to follow, you can see a simpler explanation in this video:

Preparing for the Exam

I will just spend a short time letting you know how to prepare for IELTS writing because actually there are lots of materials on this website to help you do that. The first and most important thing is to make sure that you have a good grasp of grammar and vocabulary. Together, these make up 50% of your writing score, and they are the prime reason why so many students get low scores. These can take years to learn, whereas the other components can be mastered more easily.

You should look at lots of previous questions from the exam, and also read some sample essays to get an understanding of what is expected. Don’t try to memorise the questions or answers, as this won’t help you. However, pay attention to the structure that the writer uses, as well as the tone with which he writes.

You should try to have a teacher or another expert grade your essays and give you feedback on your structure, grammar, and so on. This is the best way to let you know what you should work on in your own time. If you like, I offer a writing correction service that can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and therefore give you a good chance of IELTS success.

Going into the Exam

When you go into the exam room, you will probably feel quite nervous. This feeling is a big problem for students in all sorts of exams, so you need to be prepared to deal with it. Stress is difficult to cope with, but you can employ some breathing techniques or mental strategies to help you.

Perhaps most importantly, you should be prepared for the exam. As I mentioned briefly in the section above, there are many ways to prepare for IELTS. In general, the more prepared you are, the better your chances of success. This sort of preparation can help you overcome most of your nervousness.

I recommend doing lots of practice tests prior to the real exam so that you are not surprised by anything. When you see the question and begin writing, you should feel that this is something you have done before. If you are surprised and feel that it is a very new experience, your nervousness will become worse.

In the exam room, sit down and steady your nerves. Breathe deeply and think confident thoughts. Try to practice mindfulness , which involves pushing away negative images without worrying too much about them.

After this, you will be ready to start.

Reading the Question

Now we come to the actual question. If you have done lots of practice for IELTS writing task 2, you won’t be very surprised by what you read. Although the questions are always different, they are very similar to one another. There are only a limited number of question types, and a predictable range of topics.

The question types you may encounter are:

Opinion ( Agree or Disagree )
Advantages and Disadvantages
Problem and Solution
Discussion (Discuss both views)
Two-part Question

As for topics, these are generally the same as other IELTS topics you would encounter in the speaking, reading, and listening tests. Some of the common ones include:

Environment
Society (such as crime/punishment )

These topics come up a lot, but sometimes they are mixed together. For example, the topic of society is often mixed with environment or education. You should make sure that you are familiar with these topics and learn some useful vocabulary to adequately discuss them. This should help you for both speaking and writing.

Analysing the Question

It is tempting for experienced IELTS students to sit down and start writing quickly. This happens because you read the question and it seems familiar. Knowing that you have just 40 minutes to write an answer, you launch into your introduction immediately.

However, this can be a big problem. I have worked with some really talented students who have made some incredible mistakes. They see the question and recognise some words, so they jump to conclusions. As a result, they score very poorly for Task Response – which is worth 25% of their total score!

Instead, you should take two minutes to carefully read the question. Highlight the keywords and microkeywords that tell you exactly what to do. Only when you are completely sure of your answer should you begin planning and writing your essay.

Let’s take an example:

Today, the high sales of popular consumer goods reflect the power of advertising and not the real needs of the society in which they are sold. To what extent do you agree or disagree ?

Looking at this question, we can immediately see that it is an opinion question. We can also see the topic (society) and the main focus of the question (consumer goods/ advertising).

It would be easy to misinterpret this question, so you need to think about it carefully. You can’t just begin writing about advertising and society, or about why some consumer goods are popular. Instead, you need to find the relationship between these parts of the question.

Try rephrasing the question in your head:

Do you agree that advertising is the reason why luxury items sell more than essential items?

For me, I see the words “popular consumer goods” and I think of iPhones and Nike trainers. When I see “real needs of the society” I think of food, medicine, and schoolbooks. Why do iPhones sell so well compared to the sandwiches at my local shop? Is it due to advertising?

That is my analysis of this question. You see, it is perhaps more complicated than a quick reading would suggest.

You need to practise analysing questions like this so that you can do it quickly. It could be a huge mistake to rush into writing and not analyse the question, but it is also a problem if you spend too long doing it. Try to do this in about two minutes.

Generating Ideas

Once you understand the question, you need to figure out some ideas to actually write down. Keep in mind that the IELTS exam is primarily a test of your English ability, so you don’t need to be an expert on any one topic. However, you do need to be able to demonstrate some capability in terms of logical thinking for Task Achievement and Coherence and Cohesion.

You should be able to at least think of some sensible answers to the question, and to justify them with explanations and examples. It is ok to think of lots of ideas, but before you begin writing, you should definitely choose the best ones to focus on, and get rid of the rest. If you have too many ideas, your structure will quickly fall apart, and you may even run out of time.

Generating ideas for IELTS writing task 2 is something that troubles many students, especially under genuine exam conditions. You should practice doing this at home, logically ordering your ideas in terms of relevance and how well you could develop them. Failing to do this often results in a person beginning to write and then running out of things to say, or going off-topic. Both of these could be disastrous.

I have a whole article about generating ideas that you can study when you have some free time.

Planning the Essay Structure

I mentioned earlier that it can take years to get competent at English grammar and to build up a good enough vocabulary to write a decent essay. Thankfully, it takes hardly any time to learn how to structure an essay! As grammar and vocabulary are worth 25% of your writing grade each, it makes sense to devote a few days to studying essay structures in order to ace this crucial part, which is also worth 25%. If you performed poorly in grammar, for example, you might be able to redeem yourself with a great structure, thus balancing out your score.

I have lots of articles on this website devoted to structuring essays, and even a few videos. You can read or watch them here:

PLANNING IELTS WRITING TASK 2 STRUCTURE
TASK 2 ESSAY STRUCTURES
HOW TO STRUCTURE A PARAGRAPH
IELTS WRITING: SHOULD I WRITE 4 OR 5 PARAGRAPHS?
SELECTING IDEAS AND STRUCTURING AN ESSAY [IELTS WRITING TASK 2]
STRUCTURING AN IELTS TASK 2 ESSAY
Paragraph Structure for IELTS Writing [with example answers]
How to Structure an IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay

In short, for the purpose of this guide, I will say that a four-paragraph essay is almost always the best approach for IELTS writing task 2. You should make it look like this:

This PPT shows more detail on the above ideas, and tailors the structure slightly for each type of question:

When planning your essay, you should note down this sort of structure to ensure that you remember what you want to write about, develop each point intelligently, and do not stray off-topic. If you do this, you will greatly increase your chances of a high score for Task Response and Coherence and Cohesion (a combined 50% of your total writing score).

Paragraph Structure

Your essay plan should give an overview of what your essay will look like, but you also need to consider the mechanics of each paragraph. Remember that each paragraph should contain one idea, and that idea should be supported by each sentence in the paragraph. Your typical body paragraph might look like this:

Topic sentence (a broad statement)
Narrow the focus
Give example
Explain example
Conclude the paragraph

Let’s take the example question from above (about consumer goods and advertising) and show how the first body paragraph could be developed:

It should be abundantly clear that many of the popular consumer goods that dominate markets around the world are not items of objective importance, but rather ones of purely superficial appeal.
People need things like food and clothing, as well as some items that enable them to work or travel, but certain products are just luxury items.
Take, for example, the iPhone. There are countless other devices on the market that can fulfill the main functions of an iPhone without the jaw-dropping price tag.
However, in almost every country, people want to own one of these status symbols.
The reason is simply that it has been marketed well, and owning one makes a person look successful and wealthy.

It is possible to do this differently, of course, according to the question type or your writing style. However, each sentence should follow on logically from the previous one, building up a coherent argument or point of view, and centered around the main idea of the paragraph.

Writing an IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay

Once you have planned your structure and you are confident about building up paragraphs logically, you can begin to write. You should write slowly and carefully, but try to leave time to actually finish. If you don’t finish your essay, you will have points deducted from your score. Additionally, you also want to leave yourself time to edit your own essay after you are done writing.

Here is how I would answer the above question. As you are reading this, please pay attention to how I have followed the guidelines set out above. If you want to understand better, watch the video below, in which I record myself writing the essay and explain each thing that I write. I made this video so that it would be easier to understand… although it might be a little boring. 😉

Sample Answer

As globalization sweeps the world in the twenty-first century, people appear to have become more materialistic. Expensive consumer goods produced by companies like Apple and Nike are sold in all corners of the globe, and for many people they are must-have items. Some people believe that this is all down to advertising rather than actual necessity. This essay will argue in support of that position.

It should be abundantly clear that many of the popular consumer goods that dominate markets around the world are not items of objective importance, but rather ones of purely superficial appeal. People need things like food and clothing, as well as some items that enable them to work or travel, but certain products are just luxury items. Take, for example, the iPhone. There are countless other devices on the market that can fulfill the main functions of an iPhone without the jaw-dropping price tag. However, in almost every country, people want to own one of these status symbols. The reason is simply that it has been marketed well, and owning one makes a person look successful and wealthy.

If the real needs of society were reflected in sales, rather than the popularity of certain luxury items, our economies would look very different. Fashionable brands would not be as wealthy as ones making affordable, simple products. Yet it is those items that are carefully advertised on TV, on the internet, and at sports events, which captivate people and cause them to make unwise purchases or form irrational brand loyalties. Look at how Apple overtook Microsoft, or how Nike easily outsells any humble, local shoemaker.

In conclusion, it is clear that sales are dictated not by a product’s necessity, but rather by its appeal to consumers, and this appeal is created through slick advertising campaigns.

This is a video of me writing the above essay. I talk for quite a while about the question. If you have already read this whole article, you may find it unnecessary, in which case you should probably skip ahead to me actually writing the essay.

Editing Your Essay

When you are finished, leave a few minutes to look over your work to find mistakes. Editing one’s own work is extremely difficult, even for professional writers! However, you should have a checklist of things to find. Look for commonly misspelled words and grammatical errors that you often make. You can learn these things by getting expert feedback on your writing.

Pay attention to your tenses, punctuation, and to subject-verb disagreement. Remember to review your articles (a/an/the) and prepositions . These are all mistakes that are easily fixed. At this stage, it is too late to make any structural changes, so it is worth spending that extra time at the beginning of the test to get that right.

As for word count, a properly planned essay will almost certainly reach 250 words, and if you have done lots of practice, you will know what that looks like. Don’t waste time by counting in the exam, as it can take a long time. Get a feel for the length of your essay during your practice tests, and in the real exam you will just know – as the examiner does – that it is either more than or less than 250 words.

Some Final Words of Advice

In IELTS writing task 2, it may be tempting to use high-level vocabulary and sophisticated grammar. Of course, when used correctly these may help you attain a high band score. However, you should consider the following piece of advice:

The most important thing is to use language correctly.

In other words, you might attempt to write a long sentence filled with difficult words and completely fail. The examiners might not understand you at all. You think that it’s impressive, but he or she thinks it shows you do not speak English very well. It is, therefore, better to use only what you are 100% confident you can use correctly.

If possible, try to vary your sentence length. Native speakers do this intuitively, and you can pick up this sort of rhythm by reading often. If all your sentences are the same type and length, it would sound quite boring.

Finally, remember to stay calm and confident. IELTS might seem like the most important thing in the world, but it is just an exam. Unless you are extremely unlucky, you will get the grade that you deserve. There is no shortcut or cheat to getting a high score, and you should not waste your time or energy even thinking that way. Just practice often, keep an open mind, and do your best.

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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IELTS writing task 2 - To Do Checklist

IELTS Writing Task 2

Here in this article, we will get to know about IELTS Writing Task 2.

In the previous article, we got to know about Writing Task 2. So if you haven’t read my previous blog then first go through IELTS Writing Task 2. This will make you understand this blog better.

But before starting let’s have a quick review about Writing Task 2.

IELTS Writing task 2 is the second task of the writing test. In this task, you will be presented with some point of view, an argument, or with any type of problem, justifying an opinion, discussing the topic, summarizing details, identifying possible solutions, and supporting what you write with reasons. The format of writing the essay should be formal and it should at least have a word count of 250 words in length and you have to cover your task in 40 minutes. This part has more weight in scoring than in task 1. The IELTS writing task 2 is based on using the right technique.

Now let’s move further with the topic and see a short checklist to prepare for IELTS Exam Writing Task 2.

1: Approach The steps you need to follow during the different stages of the task. 2: Before you write What are the major steps to take care of before you start writing? How to analyze your question before starting to write. 3: As you write While you write your essay, how to brainstorm your ideas, which words to highlight and what language you should use. 4: When you have finished When you finish your writing then what are the things you need to check and have a good revision in a short span of time.

IELTS recommend you not to spend more than 40 minutes on writing task 2. But the time is in your hand and you can manage it on your own. Task 2 is longer than task 1 and has more weightage in marks as compared to task 1.

IELTS writing task 2 is worth 66% of your total writing marks so try more to focus on your management skills.

In this task, you are required to write at least 250 words and there is no word count limit but as per my suggestion, you must write between 260-280 words to fully optimize your writing skills.

Before you Write

Before you start writing focus on the task carefully and then decide how many parts it has and what your position is in the given question. In this way, it will be easy for you to understand what the examiner exactly wants. Try to analyze your question carefully and you will understand what the question wants from you.

Make a quick plan of your writing ideas either mentally or on a paper.

Then try to identify the keywords on the question and instructed words.

If you miss addressing all the parts of the question relevantly it could cause danger to your scores. And don’t misinterpret the question.

As you Write

As soon as you start writing try to introduce your answers in your own words and make your opinions clear. Try to present your ideas clearly and then support your ideas with explanations and examples. Your introduction should be as clear to tell the examiner about what the rest of the essay is all about an answer to the question directly. Through this way, it will help you write your main body paragraphs and this will let the examiner know that you are doing straight away. The examiner will not count the copied words as part of your total word count. If you are clear in your words, your ideas are well supported and flow of idea follow a logical structure then you will have a good chance of getting more marks.

While writing the conclusion be consistent because the examiner expects a logical conclusion from you.

Task 2 Essay Writing Format Introduction Background statement Paraphrasing the question Thesis statement (in my opinion….) Body Paragraph 1 Start with the 1st topic sentence/the main point. Explain the main point Give an example Give Closing Statement Body Paragraph 2 Start with the 2nd topic sentence/the main point. Explain the main point Give an example Closing statement. Conclusion To conclude or to sum up. (paraphrase the essay) In my opinion/ As the essay discussed. (if your opinion is asked)

How you Write

While writing your essay always keep in mind using your own words wherever possible and try to show a proper range of vocabulary and grammatical structures. Try dividing your answers into paragraphs and following a logical structure. Using a perfect range of vocabulary and grammatical structure will boost your score.

Always focus on improving your writing skills and try to support your paragraphs using certain examples. Using specific examples illustrate your main point you want to highlight and always focus on answering the question, not the topic.

Spend some time reading the questions carefully and think about exactly what the question is asking you to write.

When you Write

After finish writing, try to count your words and make sure that you have written enough. By doing this it will allow you to check your grammatical errors, either if you had made any punctuational errors or any spelling mistakes. If you think you need to add any important keyword you can easily do that and can gather new ideas.

Writing the short answers will let you lower your scores but keep in mind there are no extra marks for long answers. Mistakes in spelling, grammar, and punctuations can lower your score too.

So try to be a smart worker and score decent marks in IELTS.

Always remember there is nothing tough that you can’t tackle. Happy Learning.

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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE: HOW TO MASTER IELTS WRITING TASK 1 & 2

As one of the four sections of the IELTS test, the Writing Exam assesses your ability to write responses effectively in English to specific tasks. This comprehensive guide aims to provide you with all the necessary information, tips, and strategies to excel in the IELTS Writing Exam.

Summary for fast navigation

Overview of the ielts writing exam, understanding task 1 of the ielts writing exam: a deep dive, understanding task 2 of the ielts writing exam: a deep dive, common mistakes and how to avoid them, an overview of ielts writing scoring criteria, practical tips and strategies for ielts writing exam success, bonus tip: the power of practice and feedback.

The IELTS Writing Exam is a crucial component of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) – a universally accepted English proficiency test. This exam evaluates your ability to write effectively in English in an academic or non-academic context, depending on whether you are taking the IELTS Academic or the IELTS General Training test .

The Writing exam is divided into two sections: Task 1 and Task 2 , both of which need to be completed within a total of 60 minutes.

IELTS Writing Task 1

In Task 1 of the IELTS Academic test, you are presented with a graph, table, chart, or diagram, and are asked to describe, summarise, or explain the information in your own words. You may be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process, or describe an object or event.

Task 1 of the IELTS Academic test example

For the IELTS General Training test, Task 1 involves writing a letter in response to a given situation. The letter may be personal, semi-formal, or formal in style, depending on the context provided. Check our "Letter Writing" blog post for more

Task 1 of the IELTS General Training test example

IELTS Writing Task 2

Task 2, common to both the Academic and General Training tests, requires you to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument, or problem. The topics are of general interest, and while the content required for this task depends on whether you're taking the Academic or General Training version, the assessment of your writing will be conducted in the same way.

Remember, Task 2 carries more weight in your final band score than Task 1. Therefore, allocating your time wisely between the two tasks is crucial - it's typically recommended to spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2.

The IELTS Writing Exam is divided into two tasks: Task 1 and Task 2. Task 1 varies depending on whether you're taking the Academic or General Training version of the IELTS. Let's explore each of these in detail.

Academic Task 1

In the Academic IELTS Writing Task 1, you'll be presented with a graphical representation of data - this could be a line graph, bar chart, pie chart, table, map, or a process diagram. You're required to describe and interpret the information in your own words, summarizing and comparing the data, describing stages of a process, or explaining how something works. Your response should be objective, accurate, and concise, with a minimum of 150 words.

Understanding the Prompt

Every prompt for the Academic Task 1 has two main parts: a visual representation of data and a task description. The task description usually instructs you to "summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant." This means you need to identify the most important aspects of the graph or diagram and present them in a clear, coherent manner.

Example Prompt

The bar chart shows the percentages of the Canadian workforce in five major industries in 1850 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

For this task, you would start by describing the bar chart in general terms: what it shows (the percentages of the Canadian workforce in five major industries), and when (in 1850 and 2020). Then, you would identify and describe the main trends: perhaps there is an industry that has grown significantly over time, or maybe some industries have a smaller share of the workforce in 2020 compared to 1850. Remember to highlight key differences and make comparisons where relevant.

Structure of the Response

A well-structured response to the Academic Task 1 usually contains four main parts:

Introduction: This should be a paraphrased version of the prompt, giving a general overview of the data or diagram you are required to describe.
Overview: This part involves identifying two or three significant trends or features in the graph or diagram and summarizing them. It does not need to contain specific data at this point.
Details: In this part, you will describe the main features in detail, comparing and contrasting data as necessary. Aim to group data logically.
Conclusion: Although not always necessary, a conclusion can sum up the main trends shown in the chart or diagram.

In addition to this, you must ensure that you are using a variety of sentence structures, a wide range of vocabulary, and making sure your response is cohesive with clear paragraphing and linking words.

General Training Task 1

In the General Training IELTS Writing Task 1, you're required to write a letter in response to a given situation. The letter could be formal, semi-formal, or informal, depending on the situation described in the task.

The prompt for the General Training Task 1 includes a situation and three bullet points detailing what you should include in your letter. It's crucial to address all these points in your letter.

Example Prompt for General Training Task 1

You recently bought a piece of equipment for your kitchen but it did not work. You phoned the shop but no action was taken. Write a letter to the shop manager. In your letter:

describe the problem with the equipment
explain what happened when you phoned the shop
say what you would like the manager to do.

For this task, you would start by stating the purpose of your letter: you're writing because you bought a piece of kitchen equipment that did not work. Then, you would describe the problem with the equipment in detail, explaining what's wrong with it and how it's affecting you. You'd also describe your previous attempt to resolve the issue (the phone call) and how it was not successful. Finally, you'd explain what you want the manager to do: perhaps you want a replacement, a repair, or a refund.

Structure of the Response for General Training Task 1

A well-structured letter for the General Training Task 1 would include:

Opening: The way you open your letter depends on what you need to write about and who you are writing to. You could open formally with "Dear Sir/Madam" if you do not know the person or "Dear Mr/Mrs [Surname]" if you know their name. Alternatively, for friends or family, you can use their first name.
Purpose: After the opening, you should clearly state the purpose of the letter.
Body: This is where you write in detail about the purpose of the letter. For the General Training Task 1, you would expand on the three bullet points in the question. You should organize your letter into paragraphs to make it clear and easy to understand.
Closing: Here, you should conclude your letter with an appropriate phrase, and sign off in a suitable way.

Remember to adapt your language and style for each letter type. A formal letter will have a different tone and style compared to an informal one.

Understanding the unique requirements of IELTS Writing Task 1, whether for the Academic or General Training version, is key to performing effectively in the IELTS Writing Exam.

The IELTS Writing Task 2 is a common section for both the Academic and General Training modules. The test takers are required to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument, or problem. The essay should be formal in nature and consist of at least 250 words.

Types of Task 2 Essays

There are various types of essays that you might be asked to write for Task 2:

a) Opinion Essay: This type of essay asks you to express your viewpoint on a given topic. You are expected to support your opinion with relevant examples and reasoning.

b) Discussion Essay: Here, you will be given a particular issue or topic to discuss. You might be asked to discuss both sides of an argument and then give your own viewpoint.

c) Problem and Solution Essay: You will be presented with a problem and you need to suggest suitable solutions. You should also provide explanations as to why these solutions might work.

d) Two-part Question: This type of essay has two different questions that you need to answer.

e) Advantages and Disadvantages Essay: You need to discuss the pros and cons of a particular issue or situation.

Knowing the different types of essays and how to approach each one will help you effectively respond to any Task 2 prompt.

Understanding the prompt is vital in IELTS Writing Task 2. Each prompt will pose a question or situation that you need to respond to in your essay. It's essential to clearly address all parts of the prompt in your response. Let's delve deeper into this process:

Read Carefully: Your first task when given the prompt is to read it carefully. This might sound obvious, but in the stress of the test situation, candidates sometimes rush and miss key details.
Identify the Essay Type: As stated earlier, Task 2 can come in several formats, including opinion, discussion, problem-solution, two-part question, and advantages-disadvantages essays. By identifying the type, you will know how to structure your essay and what kind of information to include.
Note All Parts of the Prompt: Every IELTS Writing Task 2 prompt has two or more parts. It's crucial to answer all parts fully to achieve a high Task Response score.
Plan Your Response: Once you understand the prompt, spend a couple of minutes planning your response. Identify the main ideas you want to discuss and think about examples or points to support them.
Keep the Prompt in Mind: While writing your essay, constantly refer back to the prompt to ensure you're staying on topic and fully addressing it. It's easy to stray off topic, especially when you're trying to meet the word count. But irrelevant information can lower your score.

Examples of Prompts (Essay Types)

Here are examples of prompts for each type of essay:

a) Opinion Essay

Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programs (for example, working for a charity, improving the neighborhood, or teaching sports to younger children). To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Many individuals believe that we are too dependent on technology and that it is making us lazier. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Some argue that children should be given homework every day, while others believe it should be abolished completely. Discuss your viewpoint.

b) Discussion Essay

Some people think that the government is wasting money on the arts and this money could be better spent elsewhere. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
In many societies, it is becoming more common for people to have jobs that are not related to their degree. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this trend.
Some argue that traditional teaching methods are still the most effective, while others believe that digital learning methods are superior. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

c) Problem and Solution Essay

In many developing countries, there is a problem with declining quality of air and water from both industry and construction. What measures could be taken to prevent this?
Traffic congestion is a major issue in many cities worldwide. What are some potential solutions to address this problem?
Cyberbullying has increased significantly with the rise of social media. How can this problem be addressed?

d) Two-part Question

In some parts of the world, it is becoming increasingly popular to try to find out about the history of one's family. Why might people want to do this? Is it a positive or negative development?
An increasing number of people are choosing to live alone these days. Why do you think this is happening? Is it a positive or negative trend?
In recent years, many jobs that were once done by humans are now being done by robots. What are the reasons for this shift? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

e) Advantages and Disadvantages Essay

Many students now have the opportunity to study abroad. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?
Online shopping is becoming more popular than in-store shopping. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?
The internet allows us to stay connected with others no matter where they are. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this trend?

The IELTS Writing Task 2 requires strategic preparation and practice to score well. You need to understand the different types of essays, comprehend the prompt effectively, and write a well-structured and well-reasoned response.

Acquiring the skills to write effectively for the IELTS exam is a process that involves understanding not only what to do correctly but also what to avoid. Familiarity with common mistakes made by test-takers in IELTS Writing can provide you with crucial insights into how to improve your writing and boost your score.

In this section, we will five of the most common pitfalls encountered by candidates and provide practical tips on how to avoid them. By being aware of these issues and consciously working to prevent them, you can greatly enhance the quality of your responses and move closer to achieving your IELTS goals.

Misunderstanding the Question

One of the most frequent mistakes candidates make is misinterpreting the question. Misunderstanding can result in an off-target response, which could significantly impact your score.

How to Avoid It

Spend enough time to read and understand the question before you start writing. Identify the type of essay you're required to write and the key elements you need to address in your response. If the question asks for your opinion, ensure to provide it clearly. If it asks for a discussion, be sure to consider all perspectives.

Off-Topic Responses

Straying from the topic at hand is another common error. The examiner wants to see your ability to respond to the question effectively. Providing unrelated content can result in a loss of marks.

Create a brief outline before you begin writing. This can help you stay focused on the topic. As you write, continually refer back to the question and your outline to ensure you're not drifting off-topic.

Poor Time Management

The IELTS writing test requires you to complete two tasks within 60 minutes. Candidates often spend too much time on Task 1, which contributes less to the overall score, leaving insufficient time for Task 2.

Practice managing your time effectively. A suggested timing would be 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 minutes for Task 2. Practice this timing during your preparation to get used to it.

Overuse of Complex Sentences and Vocabulary

Candidates often believe that using complex sentences and big words will impress the examiner and earn them higher scores. However, this can lead to awkward sentences and misuse of words, reducing the clarity of the essay.

Clarity is paramount. It's better to use simpler sentences and words correctly than to misuse complex ones. Use a variety of sentence structures and vocabulary, but ensure you fully understand them before using them.

Grammatical Errors and Spelling Mistakes

Even minor errors can impact your score. Common mistakes include incorrect verb tenses, subject-verb agreement errors, and spelling mistakes.

Proofread your essay. Reserve the last few minutes of your test for checking your work. Look for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and ensure your essay answers the question.

Remember, our AI-driven IELTS practice is designed to identify these common mistakes in your essays and provide personalized, corrective feedback. This allows you to learn from your mistakes and continually improve. Regular practice is the key to success!

The IELTS Writing Test is evaluated based on specific, detailed criteria. By understanding these criteria and aligning your preparation accordingly, you can better meet the examiners' expectations and enhance your score. Let's delve deeper into each of the four primary criteria used to evaluate IELTS Writing: Task Achievement/Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.

Task Achievement/Response

This criterion assesses how effectively you've addressed the requirements of the task. For Task 1, this involves presenting a clear overview of the graph, chart, or diagram and including sufficient details. For Task 2, you'll need to provide a clear, detailed, and relevant response to the question.

The key to excelling in Task Achievement/Response is carefully reading and understanding the task prompt. Spend a few minutes analyzing the task, identifying key features, or brainstorming relevant ideas. Avoid going off-topic, and ensure that your response directly answers the question. Remember, quantity does not replace quality. Your answer should be concise, clear, and to the point, fully addressing the task's requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion

Coherence relates to the overall understandability of your writing, while cohesion refers to how well your ideas are linked. Together, they assess the organization and flow of your ideas and arguments.

To excel in coherence, ensure your essay has a clear, logical progression. Each paragraph should have a central idea, expressed in a topic sentence, with supporting sentences that expand on this idea. For cohesion, use linking words and phrases, but do it judiciously. Excessive or incorrect use of linking words can make your writing seem forced and may actually decrease your score.

Lexical Resource

This criterion evaluates the range and accuracy of your vocabulary. A wider vocabulary demonstrates your ability to express a variety of concepts and ideas.

To improve your Lexical Resource score, aim to learn new words daily. Incorporate these words into your practice essays and use them in context, rather than memorizing word lists. However, it's equally important to use vocabulary correctly. Misused words can lead to misunderstandings and will affect your score. Avoid using complex words or phrases if you're not certain about their meaning or appropriate usage.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Grammatical Range and Accuracy assesses your ability to use a variety of grammatical structures accurately. It isn't about using complex sentences; it's about showcasing a mix of sentence types and grammatical forms.

To improve this aspect, review English grammar rules, and practice using them in your writing. Be aware of common grammatical errors and work on those areas. Regularly reviewing your work to identify and correct errors will also help improve your grammatical accuracy.

Understanding the IELTS Writing scoring criteria is essential to guide your preparation and perform effectively on the exam. By targeting your practice towards these criteria, you can improve your performance and maximize your IELTS Writing score.

Preparing for the IELTS Writing Exam requires strategic planning, consistent practice, and a keen understanding of common mistakes and how to avoid them. Here are some practical tips:

Understand the exam format: Familiarize yourself with the type of tasks you'll need to complete.

Practice regularly: Consistency is key. Practice writing tasks under timed conditions.

Review your work: Always review your essays and learn from your mistakes.

Expand your vocabulary: A wider vocabulary can help you express your thoughts more effectively.

Time management: Practice managing your time effectively. Aim to complete Task 2 in 40 minutes and Task 1 in 20 minutes.

Let's look at each tip in detail.

1. Understanding the Exam Format

The first step towards conquering the IELTS Writing Exam is understanding its structure. The test is divided into two tasks, each with different requirements and expectations. Task 1 varies between the Academic and General Training modules. In the Academic version, you'll need to describe a chart, graph, or diagram, while in the General Training version, you're asked to write a letter in response to a situation.

Task 2 is the same for both versions: it requires you to write an essay in response to an argument, opinion, or problem. Knowing the expectations for each task and the criteria used to evaluate your answers is crucial. You can find this information on official IELTS websites or by using resources like our IELTS preparation app.

2. Regular Practice

Consistent practice is key to success. It allows you to become comfortable with the time constraints and the types of questions you'll encounter in the actual exam. Try to practice writing every day, even if it's just for a short period. Time yourself to ensure you can complete Task 1 in 20 minutes and Task 2 in 40 minutes, as this is the timeframe you'll have in the real exam.

During practice, vary the topics you write about. This not only helps you prepare for a wide range of potential exam topics but also aids in broadening your vocabulary and familiarity with different subject matters. Our app provides a vast array of topics to practice and offers immediate feedback, making your practice more effective and efficient.

3. Self-Review and Feedback

An essential part of your practice should be reviewing your own work. This helps you identify repeated mistakes, areas of improvement, and track your progress over time. Pay attention to coherence and cohesion, vocabulary range and accuracy, grammatical range and accuracy, and task response - the key parameters of IELTS Writing marking criteria.

The instant AI feedback provided by our app gives you an objective analysis of your writing and offers you valuable insights into your performance. It pinpoints areas where you can improve and gives you a realistic idea of your current band score.

4. Vocabulary Enhancement

Expanding your vocabulary is integral for the IELTS Writing Exam. The wider your vocabulary, the better equipped you are to express a variety of ideas effectively. Regular reading, using vocabulary flashcards, and learning synonyms for common words can be beneficial.

5. Effective Time Management

Effective time management is paramount. During the exam, you'll need to manage your time to understand the question, plan your response, write it, and then review your work. Practicing under these time constraints will help you develop your speed and writing efficiency.

With these strategies, you'll be well-equipped to succeed in the IELTS Writing Exam.

You might have heard the saying, "Practice makes perfect." This phrase is particularly true for the IELTS Writing Exam. Regular practice is one of the most effective ways to improve your writing skills, as it helps you become familiar with the test format and improve your timing.

However, practice becomes even more powerful when paired with feedback. While practicing, you may be unaware of some of the mistakes you're making or the areas where you could improve. That's where feedback comes in.

To aid your IELTS preparation, we have developed an AI-powered IELTS Writing App. Our app allows you to practice IELTS Writing Tasks 1 and 2 and receive instant feedback on your essays. The AI identifies mistakes, offers corrections, and provides advice on how to improve your writing, allowing you to learn from your mistakes and improve faster.

By incorporating this tool into your study plan, you can elevate your practice sessions to a new level, transforming them into powerful learning experiences. This way, you are not just practicing, but are engaging in informed, targeted practice, accelerating your progress towards your IELTS goals.

Remember, your path to IELTS success is a journey, and each step you take in preparing for the exam brings you closer to achieving your desired score. Good luck!

Join us at My IELTS Classroom today for our video courses, marking service, 1-2-1 lessons and so much more…

IELTS Band 7 Essay Checklist

Today, Nick and I want to give everybody self-studying for the exam a head-start by sharing our IELTS Band 7 essay checklist. When you are learning to write IELTS essays, it’s really important that you constantly check that your writing satisfies the IELTS Band Descriptors.

A woman stands holding a hoop with a toy cat jumping through to illustrate the IELTS band descriptors

If you can tick every box on the checklist then you will be very close to achieving a 7.0 for Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. In short, if you can complete my IELTS Band 7 essay checklist, you have a high chance of acing the exam and moving forward to the next stage of your life in 2021 🚀

You can download a copy of the IELTS Band 7 essay checklist here

Below, you can find a summary of the episode, which includes all of the links to useful materials and the times of each part of the discussion (so you can go directly to the part you want to listen to) 🚀

00:00 – 06:14 Introduction

Welcome to 2021. Find out what Shelly’s New Year’s resolutions are and why Nick doesn’t have any. Plus, we will announce the winner of our Christmas Quiz.

06:15 – END Our IELTS Band 7.0 Checklist

Listen as Nick and I go through the points in my essay checklist one by one to explain in more detail what we expect in each area. Our advice would be to print out a list and keep it next to your desk. When you have finished writing an essay, go through the list to be sure that you can tick all of the points. If you can’t, then you will struggle to score higher than a 6.0 in your test.

Have I analysed the prompt to ensure I’ve addressed all parts of the tas k ? ✅
Have I brainstormed for relevant ideas and planned my essay? ✅
Have I logically organised the paragraphs in my essay? ✅
Have I written an introduction that introduces the general topic and directly addresses the prompt? ✅
Have I clearly given my opinion and/or other people’s opinions in such a way that my position is clear ? ✅
Have I written clear topic sentences and does each paragraph have ONE main idea)? ✅
Have I extended all of my ideas with at least one extra sentence or support? ✅
Have I avoided over-generalising by hedging? ✅
Have I included at least one example to support my arguments? ✅
Have I used transition signals (but not always at the beginning of sentences)? ✅
Have I used referencing and synonyms to avoid repetition? ✅
Have I used topic-specific vocabulary ? ✅
Have I included one or two less common lexical items ? ✅
Have I used a range of complex sentences ? ✅
Have I written a conclusion that SUMMARISES the main points of my essay AND restates my position OR leaves a concluding comment? ✅
Have I written more than 250 words ? ✅
Have I checked my essay for small grammatical errors like articles and subject/verb agreement ? ✅

This is a Patron Only Episode: Click here to support the show and gain access to the audio

https://www.patreon.com/myieltsclassroom

So, this is our IELTS Band 7 Essay checklist. The next time you write any essay, open this blog post and double-check that you have ticked all the boxes. If you use the list every time you practice, you will find that by exam day, doing these things will be second nature (i.e. you will do them automatically). That means you will be less likely to make a mistake and more likely to satisfy the band descriptors! 🚀

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Check & Shine: Your Quick IELTS Writing Checklist

Did you answer the questions given in the topic directly?
Does the answer have a proper structure: Introduction-Body Paragraphs-Conclusion?
Do the paragraphs have clearly defined ideas?
Have you included a variety of sentence structure in your answer?

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Are transition words used correctly?
Does the answer have a logical flow?
Did you support your ideas with relevant examples?
Finally, check the word count.

Preparing for IELTS
Practice tests

Free online IELTS Writing practice tests

You will be allowed 1 hour to complete two tasks in the IELTS Academic Writing test. Prepare with our free materials.

Choose which test you need to prepare for:

Free online ielts academic writing practice tests - paper.

Practise for your IELTS Writing Test with our free practice test.

Free online IELTS General Training Writing practice test - paper

Practise for your General Training IELTS Writing test.

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IELTS Writing band descriptors and key assessment criteria

Date Published

03 May 2023

The full assessment scales used by IELTS Writing examiners, are now available. These consist of the IELTS band descriptors and the detailed, key assessment criteria which support the band descriptors.

IELTS' commitment to continuous improvement and ensuring fair and accurate results for test takers, combined with our extensive research capability and data from millions of test takers has seen completion of a review of our Writing assessment criteria to ensure they remain fair, transparent and fit for purpose.

Find out more about IELTS Writing band descriptors and key assessment criteria .

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Sample Essays

IELTS Sample Essays

Here you will find IELTS Sample Essays for a variety of common topics that appear in the writing exam.

The model answers all have tips and strategies for how you may approach the question and comments on the sample answer.

You can also view sample essays with band scores on this page.

Looking at IELTS essay topics with answers is a great way to help you to prepare for the test.

These IELTS sample essays have been categorised in a way that makes it easy for you to see how certain essay question types require you to provide certain responses to ensure the question is fully answered.

Specifically these are:

Agree / Disagree
Discuss Two Opinions
Problems and Solutions
Advantages and Disadvantages
Other Types

Agree / Disagree Type Questions

In these types of question you are given one opinion and you then have to state the extent to which you agree or disagree with that opinion:

Advertising
Alternative Medicine
Spending on the Arts
Human Cloning
Social Interaction & the Internet
Airline Tax
Free University Education
Scientific Research
Banning Smoking
Employing Older People
Vegetarianism
Paying Taxes
Examinations or Formal Assessment
Multinational Organisations and Culture
Internet vs Newspapers
Technology Development
Dying of Languages
Animal Extinction
Truth in Relationships
Role of Schools
Return of Historical Artefacts

Discuss Two Opinions Type Questions

In this essay question type you are given two opinions, and you have to discuss both of these and then give your own view:

University Education
Reducing Crime
Animal Rights
Child Development
Diet & Health
Donating Money to Charity
Closing Zoos
Becoming Independent
Formal and Informal Education
Influence of Scientists and Politicians
Sources for Stories
Searching for Extraterrestrial Life

Cause Type Questions

There are a variety of 'cause type' essay questions. In these you first have to give the reasons why something has happened, in other words the causes, but then discuss a different aspect of it, such as the effects, solutions or the extent to whether it is a positive or negative development:

Causes & Effects:

Child Obesity
Skin Whitening Creams
Family Size
Having Children Later in Life
Time Away from Family

Causes and Solutions:

Youth Crime
Global Warming
Paying Attention in Class
International Travel & Prejudice
Museums & Historical Places
Disappearance of Traditions
Communication Between Generations

Causes, Pros & Cons:

Family Closeness
Living Alone
Rural to Urban Migration

Problems & Solutions Type Questions

In these type of questions, instead of discussing the causes of a problem, you need to discuss the problems related to a particular issue in society, and then suggest what can be to solve these problems:

Overpopulation
Competing for Jobs
Professionals Immigrating

Advantage & Disadvantages Type Questions

In these type of questions you are asked to discuss the positive and negative sides of a particular topic. You will usually be asked this in the context of giving an opinion ( e.g. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Is it a positive or negative development? ):

Traffic Problems
Food Additives
Computer Games
Age Discrimination at Work
Children using Tablets and Computers
Cell Phones, Internet, & Communication
Working from Home
Eating Locally grown Produce
Oil and Gas Essay
Peer Pressure on Young People
Online Fraud
Decreasing House Sizes

'Hybrid' Types of Essay Question

There are sometimes questions that don't fit easily into a particular category as above. I've called these 'hybrid', as they are of mixed character, are composed of different elements from other types of essay, or are perhaps just worded differently.

Protecting Old Buildings
Animal Testing
Fear of Crime
Communication Technology
Influence of Children's Friends

Sample Essays with Band Scores

You can also view some sample essays that have been written by candidates practising for the test and have band scores and comments by an experienced ex-IELTS Examiner based on the IELTS marking criteria.

IELTS Band 8 Essay Samples
IELTS Band 7 Essay Samples
IELTS Band 6 Essay Samples
IELTS Band 5 Essay Samples
IELTS Band 4 Essay Samples

Student Sample Essays

For more IELTS essay topics with answers you can also view essays that have been written by students. Some have feedback from other students or IELTS teachers:

Student Model Essays (with comments by other students)
Student Model Essays (with comments by IELTS buddy)

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Latest IELTS Writing Topics - Recent Exam Questions

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IELTS Advantage

IELTS Preparation Courses

Ielts preparation- ✍️ everything you need to know.

IELTS preparation involves understanding the test format, how it is marked and then making a plan to achieve your desired score. To do this, you will need to improve your English, practice test skills and join a preparation course to check your progress before registering for the test.

How to Prepare for the IELTS Test

Below is a quick checklist to help with your IELTS preparation:

Understand the test format
Know how the test is marked
Surround yourself with English
Make a plan of action
Join a preparation course
Practice with sample questions
Perfect your IELTS skills
Check your progress
Register for the test

Join the Best IELTS Preparation Course.

IELTS Preparation: Pass 3x Faster

One of the most popular questions I get on my YouTube Channel is:

Chris, how can I prepare for my IELTS exam quickly ?

Truthfully, the answer to this question will be different for every person reading this article, which makes it difficult for me to give one solution that will help everyone.

However, I can tell you how to prepare for your exam PROPERLY!

Find out how to improve your preparation and accelerate your IELTS journey here:

Why is IELTS Preparation So Difficult?

Quite simply, so much information is out there, and students do not know which sources they can trust . IELTS can take months (sometimes years!) of hard work and thousands of dollars in tuition and test fees, so there is a lot of pressure to get it right the first time.

There are three main things you need to improve:

General level of English (Slow)
Test skills (Medium)
Knowing how the test is marked (Fast)

Improve Your General Level of English

IELTS is essentially an English language test; therefore, the higher your level of English, the better your score should be. Simply studying IELTS skills and doing practice tests will not be enough if your level of English is not high enough.

As indicated above, this is probably the slowest part of your preparation. Most English schools recommend at least 6 months to improve a student’s level of English by the equivalent of 0.5- 1 band score.

I will show you how you can improve your general level of English at home below.

Perfect Your Test Skills

There are four parts to the IELTS test- Writing, Speaking, Reading and Listening. Each of these parts has many different possible questions, each of which has a specific skill you need to acquire.

For example, academic students can expect to see one of seven different types of questions in Task 1 Writing. Each of these different types of questions requires differing skills.

The Listening and Reading tests have over 10 different types of questions each. Again, all of these questions require a different strategy and set of skills.

Most of your IELTS preparation should be spent learning these skills, and when these are combined with a high level of English, it should result in a high score.

Learning these skills does not take as much time as learning the language itself, but does take a significant amount of time. Most schools recommend spending 2-3 months learning these skills.

I will address how to improve these at home below.

Know How the Test is Marked

The fastest and most effective way to improve your score is knowing exactly what the examiners want and giving it to them. Most of my teachings are based on this principle.

However, you can’t simply learn this and get a high score; they should be combined with improving your level of English and test skills.

Below we will look at the official marking criteria to help us understand what the examiner wants.

Step-by-Step Approach to IELTS Preparation

1. decide if you are doing general training or academic.

2. Understand the Test Format

3. Set Realistic Goals

The keyword here is ‘realistic’. There is a big difference between the score you want and the score you will get.

Effective preparation will help you succeed and ensure you get the best score possible, but it does not ensure miracles.

Click here to read our article: How Long Will it Take Me to Get the Score I Need?

4. Understand Marking Criteria

The article below will explain the band scores, how examiners decide them and the official marking criteria used to mark your test. Click the link below.

IELTS Scores

5. Understand the Different Question Types

There are more than 10 different types of questions for Reading and Listening. Again, there are more than 10 different kinds of questions on the Writing test.

Knowing these will give you a huge advantage because each of them requires a different approach and strategy. I have them all for you in each of the skills sections below.

6. Perfect Your IELTS Skills

As mentioned above, there are many different approaches and strategies that you need to succeed in IELTS. For example, do you know how to write an effective introduction and conclusion? Do you know how to develop your answers in the speaking test? Do you know how to quickly locate the correction information in the reading test?

All of these skills will be addressed below.

7. Improve Your Vocabulary

Vocabulary is a huge part of the IELTS test. It covers 25% of your total mark in Speaking and Writing. It is also tested in the Reading and Listening tests.

You should implement a vocabulary improvement plan as quickly as possible. Click below to download one now.

8. Practice English Every Day

When it comes to improving your English, there really is no substitute for practising a little every day.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways you can practice every day, and it doesn’t have to be doing boring IELTS tests. My most successful students found something they enjoyed doing in English and then did this regularly. The more you use English; the more your skills will improve and the higher your chance of getting the score you need.

Below are lots of ways to improve your English at home:

25 Free Online Language Learning Tools
7 Great Ways to Learn English at Home For Free

You can also combine learning English with the most common IELTS topics. Some topics, such as the environment, education, and technology, come up again and again. Reading and listening to these common topics is a very powerful technique that will help you improve your vocabulary and your ideas while improving your English.

Below you will find links to the most common IELTS topics.

Common Essay Topics
Speaking Topics

9. Practice Tests

You should do IELTS practice tests to establish your current band score and familiarise yourself with the test.

However, there are two things that I should warn you about before doing these.

The first thing is that there are lots of fake tests. These tests can be found online or in your local bookstore. Where I live, there are hundreds of books in my local store, all claiming to offer ‘official’ tests. The problem with this is that they are often written by people who know nothing about IELTS and are simply looking to make a few dollars.

Fake tests can be very misleading and often prevent students from understanding the real test.

You should only do tests from official and trustworthy sources. The best sources of past papers are the Cambridge Past Papers books .

Below are other reliable sources of practice tests:

British Council

IELTS Essentials

The second thing I want to warn you about is not making these the only part of your IELTS preparation. Lots of students that I know do IELTS practice tests all day, every day, and most of them improve very little. They should only be used as a test of your current ability. You should spend most of your time improving your level of English and your IELTS skills.

If you are practising all week, you should only be really doing 1 or 2 practice tests. In other words, they should be a very small but important part of your preparation.

You’ll find a full list of practice study materials in our resource guide and our practice guide .

10. Get Your Speaking and Writing Assessed

You must get a qualified teacher to assess your speaking and writing. They will be able to tell you your current level, but more importantly, they will be able to tell you what your weaknesses are.

This is probably the most important part of your IELTS preparation. If you do not know your weaknesses, you are wasting a lot of time because you have no idea what to focus on. You must focus on things you are not good at to improve.

The most effective strategy for IELTS preparation is to find out your weaknesses, go away and work on them and then come back and have your work assessed by an experienced IELTS teacher. They can then tell you if you have improved and advise you on what to focus on next.

Please click the link below if you want me to assess your writing.

Essay Correction Service

How will I know that I’m ready for the IELTS exam?

Hundreds of thousands of students fail the IELTS exam each year for one simple reason:

They took the test before they are ready for it!

In my experience, there is only one question you need to ask yourself to decide whether you’re ready for the IELTS exam.

Find out what it is here.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Preparation

Writing Task 2 Skills

Below are links to complete guides on the essential Writing Task 2 skills.

Question Analysis
Ideas Generation
Complex Sentences
Introductions
Main Body Paragraphs
Conclusions
Cohesive Devices

Full Lessons

Below you will find complete lessons on each of the different Task 2 question types.

8 Steps to Success
Opinion Essays
Discussion Essays
Problems/Causes and Solutions
Advantages and Disadvantages
Sample Answers

Below you will find a link to lots of Band 9 sample answers. Use these to compare and assess your writing.

IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic) Preparation

Writing Task 1 Lessons

Below are links to complete guides on the essential Writing Task 1 skills.

Academic Task 1 Checklist
Task 1 in 5 Easy Steps
How to Paraphrase
How to Write an Overview
Charts Lesson
Maps Lesson
Multiple Graphs Lesson
Process Lesson
Grammar and Vocabulary Guide

IELTS Writing Task 1 (General) Preparation

Below you will find all the help you need to prepare for Task 1 if you are doing General Training.

How to Write an Informal Letter
How to Write a Formal Letter
Letter Writing Tips
GT Task 1 Strategy

IELTS Speaking Preparation

In part 1, you will be asked questions on familiar topics. Click below for lots of sample questions and answers.

Part 1 Common Topics and Sample Answers
Easy Ways to Extend Your Answers
Part 1 Dos and Don’ts

This test part allows you to speak for longer on a given topic.

You will be given a card with a particular topic on it, including key points that you should discuss.

You will be given one minute to plan, and then you will talk for between 1-2 minutes.

Below are some tips that I give to all of my IELTS Speaking classes:

Speaking Part 2 Tips
Speaking Part 2 Strategy

In part 3, the examiner will ask further questions linked to the topic discussed in part 2.

This part of the test is designed to allow you to talk about things more abstractly.

Part 3 The Ultimate Guide
Part 3 Common Questions
Part 3 Tips

IELTS Speaking Skills

Below you will find several posts designed to help you improve your IELTS speaking exam technique:

How to Talk About an Unfamiliar Topic
Is Accent Important?
IELTS Speaking Tips
IELTS Speaking Topics

IELTS Speaking Criteria

You must understand the criteria examiners use to assess your speaking. Here is a guide:

Speaking Criteria

IELTS Reading Preparation

There are several different questions on the IELTS reading test, and each has its own problems and strategy. Click on any of the links below for a full step-by-step guide.

Short Answer Questions
Multiple Choice
Summary Completion
Matching Sentence Endings
Sentence Completion
True, False, Not Given
Matching Headings Tips and Strategy
Labeling a Diagram
Matching Information to Paragraphs
Secret to Getting a 9 on Your Reading Test
Top 10 IELTS Reading Tips

IELTS Listening Preparation

Below is a list of resources to help you prepare for the IELTS listening test at home.

Summary Completion Lesson
IELTS Listening Overview and Tips
IELTS Listening Form Filling Question Tips
IELTS Listening Practice
Multiple Choice Questions
Labelling a Map or Plan
Best Podcasts for English Learners

Test Day Advice

You are now ready for your test, and your IELTS Preparation is complete. Here is a checklist to ensure you do your best on test day:

Get to bed early. You’ll need lots of sleep.
Eat a good breakfast. Eat more than you normally do so that you won’t get tired and hungry. Protein and fat are better than simple carbohydrates.
Wear comfortable clothes. This isn’t a time for showing off your fashion sense.
Don’t forget to bring your ID and essential documents.
Make sure you know where the test centre is and how to get there.
Get to the test centre early. Do not throw away all of your IELTS preparation by being late.
Find out where everything is, including your test room and the toilets.
Bring some water and some sugary food or drinks. Don’t drink too much because bathroom breaks will take up time.
Do not panic. Stress is normal. Use that nervous energy to focus, but do not allow it to control you.
Do not hesitate to ask the staff for help if you need anything. They are there to help you.

Action Plan

Now that you know what to do, it’s time to make a study plan.

Everyone will use do this differently; however, below are some of the things you need to consider when making your study schedule:

1. The date of your test:

How many days/weeks before your test?

Is it flexible, i.e. can you change the date?

2. How much time do you have per day to study?

You should aim to be able to study in peace and totally focus on what you are doing.

Do you have more time on particular days, such as Saturday and Sunday?

What other commitments do you have?

Are there any commitments you can stop doing until you take your IELTS test? This will free up a lot of time.

You should be realistic about this. Be honest with yourself.

3. What is your current English level?

The higher your general level of English, the faster you can complete this course.

4. What is your learning style?

Can you normally understand everything the first time, or do you have to go away and think about it alone?

Do you prefer to study with other people or by yourself?

I recommend sitting down with a calendar and filling out all of the days you want to study with the things you need to do above. This will help you stay organised and reduce your stress about preparing for the test. This will also give you an idea of how much work you will have to do each study day.

You can do this with a paper calendar or use one of the many online apps.

The more organised you are now, the easier your preparation will be.

IELTS Band Scores

Full IELTS Band score calculators are available here.

Success Stories

We are very lucky to have many successful students who have shared their IELTS stories with you.

Click here to watch them now.

Below you’ll find testimonials from just some of our successful students.

From Failure to Band 8.5 in Just 1 Month

I am very proud of Sana. She failed to get the scores she needed the first time but kept going and got an amazing Band 8.5 overall.

She was kind enough to share her experience with you all in a detailed video.

Click here to watch it now.

I crowdsourced the questions from you guys, so thanks very much for that. In the video, we look at:

– How to identify your areas of weakness. – How to boost your level of English. – How much time did it take to reach 8.5? – Thoughts on the ‘perfect’ essay. – How to cope with stress. – + her advice for listening, reading, speaking and writing.

How This Doctor Went from Band 5.5 to 7.5 in IELTS

Doctor Aidrous is one of the students I am most proud of. He worked extremely hard to get the score he needed and moved from 5.5 to 7.5.

He showed up to all of my classes and steadily improved with each session.

He has kindly agreed to share his experience and inspire you.

Click here to watch his video now.

From IELTS Band 6.5 to Band 7 in 2 Weeks

Daniela was in the same position many of you are in. She got 6.5 in IELTS Writing but needed a 7.

She tried going to a big IELTS school in her hometown but didn’t get the help she really needed.

In just 2 weeks, we helped her get to a Band 7 level.

She kindly shared her experience with you in this video and gave great advice to anyone struggling with their writing.

Click here to watch her success story now.

How Crystal Achieved Band 8 After Failing her IELTS Test Many Times

I am proud of all my students, but I have to admit I have a soft spot for students who show massive amounts of perseverance, determination and consistency.

Crystal achieved a Band 8 overall after trying and failing many times.

She was kind enough to share her story with you all. In this video, we look at:

– How she identified her writing weaknesses. – How perfectionism was ruining her speaking performance. – How she achieved a Band 9 in Listening. – How she improved her vocabulary.

Click here to watch it now.

All of the students above attended one of my IELTS preparation courses.

You are probably thinking, ‘What makes you different?’

In a nutshell, our student’s success is our success, so we strive to create the best IELTS courses and services globally.

What also makes us different is our unique system.

We first help you identify the exact reasons you are not getting the score you need. We do this by looking at your work and giving you feedback.
We then teach you how to fix and turn weaknesses into strengths. We do this through our course video platform.
You will then put what you have learned into practice, and we will continue giving you personalised feedback on what you are currently not doing well enough.
We will help you refine and fix any problems until you can do everything effectively. You are then ready for the test.

For more information about our IELTS Preparation courses, please visit our VIP Academy . If you’d like to hear what our students have to say, you should read our VIP Academy Reviews . If you have any questions about joining, please feel free to email me- [email protected]

How To Prepare For The IELTS Test

Does Teacher Ability Affect Your Test Score

How To Prepare for IELTS At Home

IELTS Band Score Calculator

IELTS Syllabus

(Click to expand answers)

IELTS Preparation FAQs

What is the ielts exam.

IELTS stands for 'International English Language Testing System' and is an English proficiency exam. This exam will test your reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Click here to read our article that answers this question in more detail.

How much will the IELTS exam cost me?

You can find out by visiting the official British Council website here .

What score do I need to achieve?

We can't answer this question for you. You need to find out by contacting one of the following:

Your employer
Your immigration office
Your school or university

How can I register for the IELTS exam?

You need to book your exam through an official IELTS body (eg. IELTS, IDP or the British Council). The IELTS website also has a useful online tool that shows you where your nearest test centre is. Check it out here.�

Can I get the certificate without taking the exam?

No. If you are told otherwise, it's likely that you're being scammed. Read more here .

How do I begin my preparation?

This depends on how new you are to IELTS. If you're completely new to IELTS, check out our article for IELTS beginners here . If you have a basic knowledge of the exam and need to organise your studies, check out our IELTS Preparation Guide here .

Do I need a study plan?

No, a study plan is not required to do well in the IELTS exam.

However, If I'm being honest, my most successful students share one key trait in common: the ability to create and follow a study plan. Doing so allowed them to set realistic goals, maintain a positive mindset and organise their studies in a controlled manner. You can find help with creating your own study plan in this article .

Is it possible to score a Band 8?

Yes, we have helped a large number of students score an overall Band 8 on their IELTS exam. You can watch their stories here .

Should I do IELTS General or Academic?

That depends on your reasons for taking the IELTS exam. You'll find a useful infographic which describes the difference between the two tests in our IELTS Preparation Guide.

IELTS Podcast

Pass IELTS with expert help.

Get Your IELTS Essay Checked For Free!

Everything you need to know about how it works, why you need it – and how it helped our student sunny to improve her writing score..

Our free IELTS essay checker will give you some personalized writing help you need to improve your writing score.

Don’t waste time with fake ‘VIP’ courses or expensive ‘experts’. The IELTS Writing test is tough, and you want to make sure you do everything you can to improve your score.

There are a lot of different things that go into writing a good IELTS essay, and it can be difficult to keep track of everything.

Our free IELTS essay checker will help you identify the areas where you need improvement for task 1 and task 2 so that you can score higher on your next exam.

Click here to check out our free IELTS Essay checker

What is an ielts writing checker.

Sunny was, like a lot of IELTS students, worrying about improving her score – and she learned that the smartest students use the right tools.

An IELTS writing checker is a tool or service that assesses and evaluates the quality of an IELTS writing task.

The checker evaluates the writing skills of the test taker, including the clarity, coherence, organization, and accuracy of the written text.

An IELTS writing checker may provide feedback on various aspects of the essay, including grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. Additionally, they may give suggestions on how to improve the essay and achieve a higher score.

Why should you use an IELTS writing checker?

Sunny had previously tried to use a well-known online grammar checker which had helped her writing sound better – but she needed an IELTS-specific tool.

An IELTS writing checker can be a helpful tool for anyone who is preparing to take the IELTS exam. Here are a few reasons why you might want to use an IELTS writing checker:

To get feedback on your writing: This is especially helpful if you are studying for the exam on your own and don’t have a teacher or tutor to give you feedback.
To improve your score: By identifying the specific areas that you need to work on in order to improve your score on the writing section of the exam.
To practice writing under timed conditions: The IELTS writing checker can simulate the conditions of the actual exam by giving you a prompt and a time limit to complete your essay. You should complete section 1 in 20 minutes, and write at least 150 words. Section 2 should take 40 minutes, with at least 250 words. This can help you get used to writing under pressure and develop your time management skills.
To learn from your mistakes: The IELTS writing checker can highlight the mistakes you make in your writing, such as grammar errors, spelling mistakes, or problems with sentence structure. By learning from your mistakes, you can avoid making the same errors in the future.

How to use the IELTS writing checker effectively?

Familiarize yourself with the marking criteria: Before you start using the IELTS writing checker, it’s important to understand the criteria that the examiners use to mark your writing. This will help you understand what you need to focus on to improve your score.
Practice writing regularly: To get the most out of the IELTS writing checker, it’s important to practice writing regularly. This will help you improve your writing skills and give you more opportunities to use the checker.
Analyze your mistakes: When the writing checker highlights your mistakes, take the time to analyze them and understand why you made them. This will help you avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
Use the feedback to improve your writing: The IELTS writing checker provides feedback on your writing, so use it to your advantage. Take note of the areas where you need to improve and make the necessary changes to your writing.
Work on your time management: During the IELTS exam, time management is crucial. To prepare for this, try to complete your writing tasks within the allotted time and use the writing checker to check your work quickly.
Don’t rely on the IELTS writing checker entirely: While the writing checker is a useful tool, it’s important to remember that it’s not perfect. Use it as a guide, but don’t rely on it entirely. Always use your own judgement and common sense when it comes to your writing.

What are some common mistakes made in IELTS writing?

There are several common mistakes that candidates make in IELTS writing. Here are a few:

Not addressing the task properly: One of the most common mistakes that candidates make is not addressing the task properly. They may write a well-organized and grammatically correct essay, but if it does not answer the question asked in the prompt, they will not get a good score. For example, ‘What are the advantages and disadvantages of owning a car?’ If you only write about the advantages of having a car, you can not score high on task achievement.
Poor grammar and spelling: Another common mistake is poor grammar and spelling errors. Candidates should aim to write in grammatically correct sentences and avoid spelling mistakes. These errors can significantly impact the overall score.
Lack of coherence and cohesion: Candidates should ensure that their writing is coherent and cohesive. The essay should have a logical flow, and ideas should be linked together using appropriate transition words and phrases.
Inappropriate word choice: Using inappropriate words or vocabulary can also result in a lower score. Candidates should aim to use a range of vocabulary, but it should be used appropriately in context.
Not meeting the word count: Candidates must meet the word count requirements for each task. Writing too few or too many words can result in a lower score.
Not organizing the essay properly: Candidates should aim to organize their essay into clear paragraphs with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a serious offence and can lead to disqualification from courses and exams. If you plagiarise practice IELTS essays, it’s hard to know what you are capable of writing by yourself anyway.

How can the IELTS writing checker help you improve your score?

The IELTS writing check can be a valuable tool in helping you improve your writing skills and ultimately, your IELTS score. Here are a few ways in which the IELTS writing check can assist you:

Feedback on your strengths and weaknesses: The IELTS writing check provides you with personalized feedback on your writing, including an assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. This feedback can help you identify the areas you need to work on to improve your score.

For example, Sunny hadn’t realised that she had a habit of writing ‘however’ in the middle of paragraphs and mis-

spelling ‘because’, ‘in conclusion’ and ‘instead’. Now, she is much more aware of these mistakes.

Identification of common mistakes: The IELTS writing check can also help you identify common mistakes that you may be making in your writing, such as grammar, vocabulary, or sentence structure errors.
Practice opportunities: The IELTS writing check provides you with practice opportunities to work on your writing skills. By submitting practice essays for review, you can receive feedback on your writing and work on improving your weaknesses.
Familiarization with the IELTS exam format: The IELTS writing check can help you become more familiar with the IELTS exam format and requirements. This can help you feel more confident and prepared for the actual exam.
Customized study plan: Based on the feedback provided by the IELTS writing check, you can develop a customized study plan to focus on the areas that need improvement. This can help you maximize your study time and improve your score more efficiently.

Use our free IELTS essay checker to improve your writing score

Taking the IELTS test can be daunting, but with help from our free essay checker, you can bring your score up.

By identifying common mistakes and offering personalized advice on how to correct them, our tool will help you sharpen your writing skills so that you are ready for the real thing.

Whether you’re preparing for a general or academic IELTS exam, using our free essay check tool is an essential part of taking the test and improving your overall international education experience.

Boost Your Scores: Try Our Online IELTS Essay Checker Today

Writing good essays is a big part of the IELTS test. To get a good score, your essay must be strong. But how can you know? That’s where our tool can help. It’s named the online IELTS essay checker , and you can try it here .

This tool is like a friendly teacher. You show it your essay, and it tells you what is good and what needs to be better. This way, you learn fast. The best thing? It saves you money.

Many students spend a lot of money on classes or buying books. But our tool is less costly. And it helps you right away. After you learn from our free essay checks on this page, use our online IELTS essay checker . It can help you know how to make your writing stronger.

In short, our online IELTS essay checker is here to guide you. It’s simple, it helps fast, and it won’t take much money. If you want to do well in the IELTS and not spend a lot, our tool is a great choice. Good luck and happy writing!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How does an ielts essay check work.

Once you upload an essay to the essay checker, the grammar checker scans your text and highlights IELTS essay issues within your document so you can see it in context.

Your feedback will include detailed explanations so you can understand why the text was flagged. Other highlighted areas will include examples of how the issues can be fixed.

Is an essay checker worth it?

Yes. You can get instant feedback without having to wait for a teacher to mark your essay. Sign up for more IELTS Materials here.

GR 10 Use a variety of complex and simple sentences

GR 11 Check your essay for errors.

How to Crack IELTS: Exam Preparation Tips and Tricks
How to Prepare for IELTS at Home: Best Ways to Study and get your Perfect Score

IMAGES

IELTS Writing Checklist
IELTS Sample Essay Topics 2020 Band 9
Ielts essay writing tips pdf
IELTS Writing Task 2 Checklist
IELTS Writing Checklist For Task 2
Checklist for IELTS Writing Task 2

VIDEO

IELTS writing essay
Writing Workshop: IELTS Academic Task 1
IELTS Writing Task 2
IELTS Writing Task 2: Opinion essay (5)| Language Barriers
Avoid these Mistakes in IELTS Writing
IELTS Writing Lecture with sample answer (TASK 2 / Agree and Disagree)

COMMENTS

PDF Writing Task 2 Checklist
IELTS test the first time. The average score for writing is just 5.5, so if ... Give you a checklist that you can apply to your own essay. 2. Show you a model answer that was produced using the practices ... you'll be able to improve every aspect of your essay writing skills - without paying for an IELTS teacher! To learn more about this FREE ...
PDF IELTS Writing Task 2 Checklist
IELTS Writing Band Descriptors: Task 2 (Public Version) Lexical resource • uses a w.de range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control Of lexical features; rare minor err.ÿS occur only as 'slips' • uses a w.de range Of vocabulary fluently and flexibly to precise meanings • skilfully uses uncommon exical items but there may
The IELTS Writing Task 2 Band 8 Checklist
A checklist to help you reach band 8 in writing task 2. Below you'll find a checklist with key things that you should do to reach band 8 in IELTS Writing Task 2. Ultimately, reaching bands 8 or 9 depends on your ability to combine excellent topic specific vocabulary, with excellent grammar and good essay structure. There's no magic here.
A 10-Point Checklist for IELTS Writing Success
One way to boost your IELTS writing score is to make a checklist. This is something you can use to reduce the number of mistakes in your writing. TRENDING: IELTS Speaking Partners. ... In this lesson, I am giving you a free checklist to use for your IELTS writing task 2 essays. Obviously, you can't take this list into the exam, but you can ...
IELTS Writing Task 2: The Complete Guide
IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Organization and Example. A well-organized essay is your passport to a top score. Take a few minutes to plan and outline your essay from the beginning, following a good template. If you can do that, you'll have a strong introduction, body, and conclusion that will really impress the scorers for the Task 2 IELTS essays.
IELTS Writing task 2: 8 steps for a band 8
In IELTS Writing Task 2, you will need to write an essay. Let our IELTS Experts walk you through 8 steps that can help you get a band 8. Take a closer look at the assessment criteria, how to structure your essay and common mistakes to avoid. To achieve a band 8 in IELTS Writing Task 2 , you will need to produce an essay that contains all the ...
PDF Writing Task 2 Essay structure and writing an introduction
introduce focus of the lesson: Writing Task 2 - Essay structures and introductions. give each student a copy of Worksheet 1 and one minute to read the Task 2 question. elicit possible next steps before writing i.e. brainstorming ideas. draw attention to the True / False task and clarify the importance of spending time with the question before ...
IELTS Practice Academic Writing Test
In the actual IELTS Academic Writing test, you will have one hour to complete the two questions or tasks: 20 minutes for the first task and 40 minutes for the second. So, you should expect to spend a little longer on practice Task 2 than you did on practice Task 1. While you shouldn't put yourself under too much pressure when practicing, it ...
How to Write an IELTS Essay [Task 2]
In IELTS writing, you have one hour to write two pieces of writing. It is recommended that you spend about 20 minutes on task 1 - which for academic IELTS is a report on a graph or map, and for general IELTS is a letter - and the other 40 minutes should be spent on task 2. For task 2, you will be given a question.
The Ultimate IELTS Writing Checklist for Success
checklist During the IELTS exam: Read the task instructions carefully: Before you start writing, read the task instructions carefully, and make sure you understand what's required of you. Plan your essay: Take a few minutes to plan your essay before you start writing. Create an outline and organize your ideas into paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Task 2 Free Tutorials and advice
Take a look at our Band 9 checklist for your essay here. IELTS Writing Task 2 Preparation. Before the exam, practice and get as much feedback as you can. Learn from your mistakes and you're sure to write a winning essay. Here are some useful tutorials to help you prepare for the IELTS Writing Task 2: Different IELTS Essay Structures. How to ...
IELTS writing task 2
The IELTS writing task 2 is based on using the right technique. Now let's move further with the topic and see a short checklist to prepare for IELTS Exam Writing Task 2. 1: Approach. The steps you need to follow during the different stages of the task. 2: Before you write.
The Ultimate Guide: How to Master Ielts Writing Task 1 & 2
The IELTS Writing Task 2 is a common section for both the Academic and General Training modules. The test takers are required to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument, or problem. The essay should be formal in nature and consist of at least 250 words. Understand IELTS Writing Task 2 in 5 Minutes.
PDF Writing the overview
In Academic Writing Task 1, test takers will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram. Test takers will be asked to describe and summarise the information in their own words. This might involve describing and summarising data, describing the stages of a process or how something works, or describing an object or event.
100 Band 7, 8 + 9 IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Samples
Look no further! In this blog post, we have compiled a list of 100 Band 7, 8, and 9 IELTS Writing Task 2 essay samples to help you improve your writing skills and boost your chances of achieving a high score on the exam. These sample essays cover a wide range of topics, from education and technology to health and environment, and are a valuable ...
IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Checklist
In the IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 exam, you will be required to write a report about at least one of the following: This report needs to be at least 150 words and is worth 1/3 of your overall score for IELTS Writing. That means that this short report could potentially make the difference between a Band 6 and a Band 7 in the writing exam.
IELTS Band 7 Essay Checklist
If you can tick every box on the checklist then you will be very close to achieving a 7.0 for Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. In short, if you can complete my IELTS Band 7 essay checklist, you have a high chance of acing the exam and moving forward to the next stage of your life in 2021.
Check & Shine: Your Quick IELTS Writing Checklist
During the IELTS exam, in a hurry to complete the answer within that limited time, we miss out on details that are very small but have a significant effect on our IELTS Writing score. Therefore, we have created an ultimate checklist for IELTS essays to make your answers success-ready 😎!
Free Online IELTS Writing Practice Tests
Free online IELTS General Training Writing practice test - paper. Practise for your General Training IELTS Writing test. Familiarise yourself with the IELTS Writing exams with these free online IELTS Writing practice tests, each with answers to assess your ability.
IELTS Writing band descriptors and key assessment criteria
03 May 2023. The full assessment scales used by IELTS Writing examiners, are now available. These consist of the IELTS band descriptors and the detailed, key assessment criteria which support the band descriptors. IELTS' commitment to continuous improvement and ensuring fair and accurate results for test takers, combined with our extensive ...
IELTS Sample Essays
IELTS Sample Essays. Here you will find IELTS Sample Essays for a variety of common topics that appear in the writing exam.. The model answers all have tips and strategies for how you may approach the question and comments on the sample answer.. You can also view sample essays with band scores on this page.. Looking at IELTS essay topics with answers is a great way to help you to prepare for ...
IELTS Preparation- ️ Everything You Need to Know
Below is a quick checklist to help with your IELTS preparation: Understand the test format. Know how the test is marked. Surround yourself with English. Make a plan of action. Join a preparation course. Practice with sample questions. Perfect your IELTS skills. Check your progress.
Free IELTS Essay Checker
To practice writing under timed conditions: The IELTS writing checker can simulate the conditions of the actual exam by giving you a prompt and a time limit to complete your essay. You should complete section 1 in 20 minutes, and write at least 150 words. Section 2 should take 40 minutes, with at least 250 words.