Understand How to Prepare for the IELTS Writing Section

Students who are going to attempt the IELTS exam want to know what the hardest part of the exam is and how they can get good at it before joining any classes. According to the IELTS Performance Report, the IELTS writing segment of the test is scored less than 5.96 globally. However, what makes this question unanswered is why students struggle to score more bands in this segment. This is because of the use of the old approach instead of the new one. To score high in the writing segment of the test, students need to attend online IELTS coaching or seek assistance from online materials.

IELTS Writing Section: An Overview

The writing section of the IELTS exam takes 60 minutes for candidates, and it consists of two tasks. The first task requires students to summarise data within 150+ words. Candidates need to analyse a bar graph, table, line graph, map or diagram. However, the second question requires students to write an essay. They will be presented with an argument, a problem or a point of view. Both these questions are examined equally on four IELTS bands, which are worth 25% of their score.

Expert Tips to Prepare for IELTS Writing

Students often think that IELTS writing is one of the trickiest sections. Hence, it becomes crucial to prepare for this section precisely using expert tips and the right strategies. Here are a few practice tips that students can follow to ace the writing task:

Understand the Marking System

The IELTS test writing section is graded according to four specific criteria. These include task response, coherence, grammar, range, and lexical resources used by the candidate. It is important to understand the scoring process, as it helps students to prepare accordingly and boost their scores.

Learn Time Management

The student should know how to manage their time to finish the work in the allotted period of time. For example, it is important that the student finishes Practice Task 1 in 20 minutes and Practice Task 2 in 40 minutes because this will be expected of you on your testing day.

Develop Paraphrasing Skills

When the students are preparing for their exam, they need to focus on developing various skills, where paraphrasing stands out. This will help you rephrase the question using your own language in the introduction. This one activity can greatly improve your band score for Lexical Resource. Students can attend online IELTS coaching to learn these skills.

Understand Flexible Structure

Follow a reliable format when creating paragraphs, which will include an introduction sentence, a topic sentence, the body of the paragraph, and a concluding sentence. However, bear in mind that the writing should be customised according to the question asked.

Mistakes to Avoid in IELTS Writing

The writing section evaluates grammatical accuracy and vocabulary knowledge across four different aspects. Students often get confused, due to which they end up doing silly errors. Here are five avoidable errors that can help you save scores:

• Answering the Prompt Partially– One of the primary causes of low scores is failing to address all segments mentioned in the writing part. The prompts often include background statements, hidden sub-questions or demands to reflect on both views. The mistake occurs when a student fails to address the other question.
• Shifting Position– The official writing criteria of IDP IELTS state that your essay and thoughts should be clear for scoring Band 7. However, test-takers change their mind midway through their essay and fail to mention whether they agree or disagree with the argument. Students can avoid this error by stating their points definitively.
• Using Inappropriate Phrases– Examiners read multiple essays every week, and they can spot prepared or memorised templates easily. Many students rely on such a formula of using identical clichés and phrases, which lowers their overall band score. Instead, they should focus on using natural sentences to boost their marks.
• Fake Surveys– Many candidates fabricate numerical data because they think it makes their essay seem authentic and reliable. In such cases, students often add fake data just to make their arguments more engaging, which can affect their overall essay scores. Students can avoid this by using examples to make it relevant rather than using fake statistics.
• Overusing Cohesive Devices – The most repetitive errors that examiners saw in the writing section are overusage of linking words, such as “however, consequently or further”. It is important to use only a few cohesive devices by placing them ideally, where they are required.

Final Thoughts

To sum up, all the questions of the IELTS writing require different skills, and according to some studies, it is seen as the most difficult part of the test. This is because this section requires high English language skills, accuracy in grammar and good time management skills. Preparing for an IELTS test by taking mock IELTS tests regularly can help students identify their weak and strong areas. They can make use of the feedback received to overcome their weaknesses and improve their marks. It is very easy for students to find the latest IELTS practice questions and tests on Gradding. These mock tests are crucial for identifying your areas of improvement and preparing accordingly.