Your Guide To Magical Results In IELTS WRITING

To mark writings, examiners refer to the guidelines called IELTS Writing Band Descriptors. Both writings (Task 1 and Task 2) are marked out of 9 according to the following criteria:
✔Task Achievement
✔Coherence and Cohesion
✔Lexical Resource
✔Grammatical Range and Accuracy
We will explain what these criteria mean in simple words. So, what do examiners look at?
✔Task Achievement
1) Your ideas should be relevant. This means that if you were asked about one specific thing, for example, about the way computers influence children's academic success, don't write about the advantages and disadvantages of using computers in general. Stick to the point!
2) Your arguments should be extended. This means that a reader shouldn't be an expert in this topic, but your explanation should be so detailed that this person wouldn't have any questions after reading your essay.
3) You must state your position, and it should be clear throughout the essay. Sometimes students make me laugh because in the introduction they completely agree with some idea, but in the conclusion they don't :)
4) You shouldn't present a one-sided argument even if you completely agree with some idea. A one-sided argument occurs when only the reasons supporting a proposition are given by you, while all reasons opposing it are not presented.
✔Coherence & Cohesion
1) Your essay should be well structured. It should include the introduction, supporting paragraphs (usually 2 or 3) and the conclusion.
2) Your essay should be really easy to read. So if there are too many long and complicated sentences which come one after another, the examiner will have to re-read some parts several times. As a result, you will be marked down.
3) Your reasoning should be presented in a logical way. Don't jump from one idea to another.
4) You should use linking words and phrases such as 'As a result' or linking devices such as 'This will lead to...' in order to help a reader follow your train of thought.
✔Vocabulary
1) You should use topical vocabulary. This is vocabulary that is suitable for some particular topic and cannot be used in any essay. For example, you can use the verb 'to argue' in all essays, so it's not topical, but the expression 'exhaust fumes' IS topical as it can be naturally used only in essays about environment or traffic.
2) The more complicated words, the better. But, again, don't overdo. It is enough to use 2 or 3 uncommon words per paragraph to show how clever you are. If there are too many of them, your essay will not read well, and the examiner will just think you are trying to impress them.
✔Grammar
1) The fewer mistakes, the better. But don't think that examiners read your essays with a magnifying glass and pay attention to every minor mistake. Stop worrying about it. If your essay is of good quality, but you wrote 'people should to do' once, this is not a disaster.
2) The more diverse and complicated structures you use, the better. I always say to my students that examiners do not have a clairvoyant ability. So if you don’t show in your essay that you can use a variety of grammatical structures, how can they know that you are a very knowledgeable student and deserve a high score? They can assess just what they can see.
🤔To understand what each criterion means, read all our posts on Facebook marked as 'IELTS writing tips' or, if you don't have time for that, you can buy our e-book which contains all the tips and secrets that we've shared so far. Please follow the link: https://facebook.com/commerce/products/1720674634612265 🤔After you familiarize yourself with all the important tips, you can start writing essays. Remember that your Task 2 essay is worth more marks. So, first, focus on your Task 2 essay. Here you can find a list of common IELTS writing topics: https://bit.ly/2wFg5Vh ✔ALL IELTS listening tips in ONE post here: https://bit.ly/2G98VbD ✔ALL IELTS speaking tips in ONE post here: https://bit.ly/2wxh5L6 ✔ALL real test IELTS speaking topics with answers here: http://bit.ly/2kax3F8 (for Android devices) http://apple.co/2xHd6J2 (for iPhones and iPads)