Don't let the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions derail your IELTS preparations. Following on from the listening and reading tips, today we'll look at writing tips for home study. Based on frequently asked questions from test takers, we have divided the advice into two sections:



  1. How to best organize your time during an IELTS writing test?

 

  1. How large a vocabulary is needed to successfully complete a writing test? 

 

These are our top tips for the aforementioned topics, as compiled by our experts:

 

In this blog, we will discuss a list of the top IELTS writing tips that will help you get a band 8+ in the exam. 

How should I plan my time for an IELTS writing test? During the test, I always feel like I'm running out of time.

Because the two writing tasks in IELTS are so different, different time management techniques should be used.

 

The time limit for both tasks (in General and Academic) is 60 minutes.

The minimum word count for General Task 1 (letter) and Academic (data analysis) is 150.

250 for General/Academic Task 2 (essay).

It is suggested that you devote 20 minutes to Task 1 and 40 minutes to Task 2.

General Task 1 

  1. Read the prompt carefully and consider who, what, and how.
  • Your tone will be determined by who you are writing to – formal or informal; friend or manager.
  • What are you writing about – make sure your letter covers ALL three points.
  • How - how should the letter begin and end; what expressions and language should be used?




  1. Spend 5 minutes to sketch your ideas and plan your writing.
  • This stage is critical – if you have a clear understanding of the above points, you will not feel stuck or pressed for time.
  • To come up with appropriate vocabulary, use mind maps or bullet points. Use synonyms to demonstrate your vocabulary's breadth.
  • Only the most important phrases/expressions should be written down. Don't waste time writing entire sentences during the planning stage.
  1. Write your answer for about 10 minutes and try not to stop.
  • If you get stuck while writing, go back to your ideas.
  • If you can't recall a word, consider a synonym or another way to express your thoughts.
  • Try to write neatly, but don't be too concerned if you need to cross out a section and start over.
  • Words should not be counted. If you've practiced enough, you should have a good idea of how many words you need to write to meet the minimum word count requirement.




  1. Set aside 5 minutes to read what you've written and correct any errors you find. This is a critical stage for identifying and correcting simple errors!

Academic Task 1 

  1. Take a close look at the data you'll be analyzing.
  • The information is displayed in the form of a graph (bar, line, etc.), pie chart, table, map, or process.
  • Consider the major trends and tendencies.
  • Usually, a comparison is required – focus on that.
  • Don't get too caught up in the details.
  • Take note of how the data is presented – numbers, percentages, directions, and so on.
  •  

 

  1. Follow stages 2, 3, and 4 from General Task 1 above.

General/Academic Task 2

Read the essay question carefully and choose the type of essay you want to write: opinion or argumentative; one or two points of view (agree/disagree).

Essays are typically semi-formal, so no informal language or expressions are permitted.



  1. Plan your ideas carefully
  • What is the main argument?
  • How many examples do you need to provide?
  • How many views do you need to present?
  • Do you agree or disagree with the main statement? WHY?
  • What are your supporting arguments for both views?
  • Don’t forget – do not write full sentences at the planning stage! Just write down your ideas using bullet points/mind maps.

Conclusion (IELTS Writing Tips)

IELTS tests are used to evaluate your linguistic abilities. These pointers will help you achieve the highest possible score on IELTS writing task 2 topics. These golden tips must be followed by students in order to avoid making mistakes or errors in exams, as well as to make their essays more appealing and outstanding to examiners.