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📢 Do you know how the examiner marks your writing paper?

The key to success in IELTS Writing Task 1 is to give the examiner exactly what they want and nothing else.

IELTS Writing Task 1 Writing Skills

No matter how good your English is you still need to learn some IELTS writing skills before you do task 1. Below are helpful guides that will take you through each of the skills step-by-step.

✏️ How to Write an Overview Paragraph

Your overview paragraph is the most important part of your whole Task 1 essay. This article will show you how to pick out the main features and how to include them in your overview.

✏️ How to Paraphrase

Paraphrasing is one of the most essential IELTS skills, not just in Writing Task 1, but in all parts of the IELTS test. You should paraphrase the question in every essay and I recommend doing this in the very first sentence to help boost your vocabulary score.

✏️ How to Write a Complex Sentence

Complex sentences help you boost your score for grammar. Complex sentences are actually very simple to write and are not complex at all.

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How do we avoid informal vocabulary in writing?

That's a difficult question to answer, but there are a few common mistakes to avoid.

🎯 Firstly, try to avoid using the word 'get'. Usually, it feels a bit informal and there are always more precise options that show better depth in your understanding of collocation.

🎯 Secondly, don't use 'and / but / so' to start sentences. It's considered informal by some strict English teachers - and potentially examiners - so just use alternatives like 'Also / However / Thus'.

🎯 Third, try to avoid idioms, proverbs and sayings. Idiomatic vocabulary and idioms are not exactly the same thing by IELTS standards. Idiomatic vocab is just nice collocations / phrasal verbs etc. A lot of people think saying things like 'every coin has two sides' is a good idiom. It is not; it is just informal and awkward.

🎯 Fourth, don't use expressions like 'ie / eg / etc' - these abbreviations are too informal for essays.

🎯 Fifth, avoid the following words completely: "really / totally / humongous / kids".

🎯 Lastly, avoid contractions. Don't say 'can't / don't / won't'. Say 'cannot / do not / will not'.

These little changes should really help you keep your essays at the appropriate formal/academic tone. If you have any queries about other idioms, phrasal verbs or expressions that you aren't sure are informal or not, please ask in the comments.

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IELTS Writing Task 2:

how to use your 40 minutes You have 40 minutes for task 2, so try organising your time in the following way:

First 10 minutes Read the question and make sure you understand what it is asking you to do.

Write a plan for a 4-paragraph essay (introduction, 2 main paragraphs, conclusion) and spend most of the 10 minutes thinking of ideas for the 2 main paragraphs.

5 minutes Write your introduction: 2 sentences are enough (examples) 20 minutes Spend 10 minutes on each of your main body paragraphs

These are they most important part of your essay, and the key to a high score. Last 5 minutes

Write a quick conclusion (examples) then check your work. Please note: These are suggestions, not rules.

Students are often surprised by my 10-minute planning time. In my experience, a good plan helps you to write your essay much faster than you think.

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GENERAL TIPS AND ADVICE

1. IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 In the second part of the IELTS Academic Writing Test, you have to write 250 words. You should spend 40 minutes on this task.

Writing Task 2 is worth more than Task 1, so you need to do it well. For IELTS Writing Task 2, you have to write an essay discussing a topic.

You will be given an opinion/ argument, different points of view or a problem to discuss.

Most students prepare phrases for introducing and linking ideas. However, not many students prepare good ideas and opinions for IELTS topics.

work on these areas:

• How to structure a good Task 2 essay.

• Preparation of ideas, opinions and good vocabulary for each IELTS topic.

• How to build and link sentences to create coherent paragraphs.

• Common mistakes in grammar and word usage. Some hard work on these areas can make a big difference to your writing score.

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IELTS Listening test tips

Most important: check if your headphones are working, if not, raise your hand

Utilise the time allotted to prepare the questions. Read through them before the recording starts

Listen to the recording attentively and focus more on answers than understanding everything.

Remember that the recording is played only once

Take notes on your question paper when listening to the recording

Write within the given word limit for each question

Revise and proofread for spelling and grammar errors before submission

Try to use all capital letters for your answers

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IELTS Writing test tips

Perform a thorough analysis of assigned tasks and quickly prepare the answers mentally

Divide your time smartly, 20 minutes for task 1, and 40 minutes for task (as it is lengthier and carries more marks)

Try to write over 150 words for task 1 and over 250 for task 2

Avoid repetition of ideas, phrases and words

Ensure that you write a conclusion for task 2

Write precise, relevant answers. Avoid writing long paragraphs and sentences

Use active voice. Avoid writing in passive voice

Do not submit without a thorough revision and proofreading