IELTS: Writing Guide
Focus on… IELTS. These letters are increasingly important when it comes to English language learning and studying abroad. If you are reading this article, you’re probably about to take, or are thinking of taking, an IELTS Exam. With over three million people across the globe taking it each year, IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is now the international standard of English language proficiency. The full exam includes the four sections typical of language learning, listening, reading, writing and speaking, but this article focuses specifically on the writing component.
As a professional teacher, I have helped students navigate improvements in their writing and achieve successful results. I can share some of my knowledge and experience with the hints and tips below and help you achieve the same level of success.
First, the facts. The IELTS writing module is divided into two parts:
Writing Task 1 will either be an academic writing task, or a more general letter writing task. An academic writing task will require you to interpret graphs, charts or images, usually featuring numbers. A letter writing task will require you to write a letter in response to a problem, where you will need describe the situation or ask for more information.
Writing Task 2 will require you to share more descriptive ideas in the form of an essay. You will need to form your own opinion and give reasons and arguments to justify this. This will test your writing skills in both academic and general English. More of the marks are given to this task, so make sure you give yourself enough time to finish, and don’t spend too long on the first task!
Part 1 Top Tips:
Make sure you discuss what is on the image or graph that you see. Write about the numbers and what the trends mean. What is a trend? A trend is the general direction that the data seems to be going. This could be the pattern of results that the graph displays, or the information it is trying to convey. Writing about this will become easier once you familiarise yourself with the vocabulary relating to graphs and trends.
To write about trends, you could start by thinking about what the most noticeable thing about the graph is. Is there a pattern over time? What changed? What happened or is happening. What data is the graph showing? Is there a pattern for different groups of people, or different places?
There are specific words that are used to analyse graphs and interpret data. Comparing terms such as “more than,” “fewer,” “increasing,” or “decreasing” would be a good place to start. For example, a graph about population growth over time might suggest that people are having fewer children. A graph about fossil fuel production might suggest that coal mining has increased in several countries. Trends can “rise” and “fall”. A rise or increase is a trend that goes up over a period of time, whereas a fall or decrease is a trend that goes down.
You can help yourself through research. Graphs are often used by official sources to display important information to the public. Why not check out the latest stock market results, or look at the polls for a recent or upcoming election?
The above ideas ideas will go a long way in improving your writing for the first part of the IELTS writing exam. However, if you really want to go further, working closely with a professional teacher is the way to give you the edge. Personally, I believe strongly in the TTT (Test-Teach-Test) approach, with which I have had great success in helping students prepare for both parts of the exam. A rough outline of this technique is as follows.
The student attempts an example IELTS writing question (Test).
The teacher reads and corrects their writing, giving the student clear and thorough explanations of their mistakes (Teach).
The student uses this advice to attempt a different example question (Test).
Repeat the process.
I have found this technique to be one of the best ways to improve writing skills, and hiring a professional teacher is an essential part of this. The TTT method can have profound effects, as the teacher is able to explain the student’s mistakes clearly, but the student must also be prepared to look closely at their teacher’s feedback and do their best to take these ideas on board. You will achieve success, and the results you want to obtain, through dedicated self study, combined with the feedback of a professional teacher.
Part 2 Top Tips:
The second part of the IELTS writing exam is usually an essay, but be warned, this is not always the case. Whatever your task, the goal here is to be more creative. The examiners want to see how you write at length in English, and your own opinion is really important here.
Your ability to describe is the key. Try asking yourself ‘Why?’ after every thing you write, and then answer that question. Why? Why? Why? Keep going and keep writing.
It’s easy to get lost during the writing process when you are trying to construct an essay. A little planning goes a long way. You may have some knowledge of how to structure essays from writing in your own language. Try to make your writing as clear and coherent as possible. Thing about the ways you structure your arguments and how you justify your opinions. Once again, ask yourself why do you think these things?
One of the best ways to prepare for this is to read. Read more books, and read as much as you can manage. Stay aware of current events in the news or scientific breakthroughs. Read books and articles in English on topics you enjoy or are fascinated by, as this will make it much more fun and you will be able to do much more.
The TTT method outlined above can also be used very effectively here. However, there are a few minor tweaks and added techniques that can make it more suitable for the second part of the IELTS writing exam.
When your teacher is correcting you, think about why you have written each line, and why you have answered each question in the way that you have. Your teacher will be asking you some of these questions already. Have a discussion with your teacher to open up the topic. You may be surprised to find that it goes much deeper than your initial answer!
Work on describing everything you write clearly and you’ll soon see a distinctive improvement. Broaden your horizons, keep reading and studying as many topics and current affairs as you can. Learn the related language and phrases idiomatic to that field and then practise putting them to good use.
One final technique I’d like to share with you is a good way to improve your vocabulary. After writing a first draft and receiving feedback from your teacher, try to rewrite your whole essay using as many synonyms as you can. Synonyms are words or phrases that mean almost or exactly the same thing as another word. For example, the words ‘begin’ and ‘start’ are synonyms, as are the words ‘big’ and ‘large’. This technique has helped me achieve some monumental results.
I hope this article finds you well and only one thing remains for me to add: good luck with your IELTS!
