Ielts writing tips for high bands

                          Ielts writing tips for high bands     

 IELTS tips for the Writing Test.

•    Make sure you organise your time carefully during the hour-long Writing Test.  Stick to the following suggested timing:

Task 1 – 20 minutes

Task 2 – 40 minutes

Remember that Task 2 is worth two-thirds of the total marks in the Writing Test  so don’t do what some people have done in the past; spend so long on Task 1 that you have insufficient time for Task 2.

•    There is no rule about which task you do first (as long as they are clearly marked Before the exam think about which task you would prefer to do first; I have had many students who have started with Task 2.  Just make sure you mark your answers clearly on your answer sheet.

•    In Task 2, make sure you organise your time well; this means planning, writing and checking and editing.   Read the article The best IELTS essay writing procedure to look at my suggested timing for each stage.

Planning – 5-10 minutes

Writing – 20-30minutes

Checking and editing – 5-10 minutes

•    In Task 2, before you start planning your essay, always circle the key words in the question.  This will ensure that you stay focussed on the topic.  If you look at the Task 2 Band descriptors in the links section on this site, you will see that one of the criteria the Examiner marks your work on is ‘Task Response’.  Part of getting a good score in ‘Task Response’ is giving a relevant answer.

•    In Task 1, make sure you organise your time well; this means planning, writing and checking and editing.   Read the article The best IELTS essay writing procedure to look at my suggested timing for each stage.

Planning – 3-5 minutes

Writing – 10-15 minutes

Checking and editing – 3-5 minutes

•    When answering Academic Writing Task 1, circle the significant data on the graph. Then choose the order you are going to write about this data. Write the numbers 1, 2, 3 etc. on the graph to help you write the information logically in your answer.

•    When answering General Training Writing Task 1, circle the key words in the question to keep your answer focussed. Make sure you include all of the information requested in the bullet points. Finally, as a general rule, each bullet point will be a separate paragraph in your letter.