8.1. IELTS Writing: Top Tips
The habits that keep marks, gathered in one place.
The short version
Twenty minutes on Task 1, forty on Task 2.
Answer the exact question, limiters included.
Stay above the word floor, comfortably.
Leave five minutes to check.
Nothing here is new
These are the habits that transfer from every task you have just practised. None of them needs new English. They need a decision made before the test starts.
Four habits that add marks
- 1If time runs short, finish Task 2 before you polish Task 1
An unfinished essay loses more than a short Task 1 ever will, because Task 2 counts twice. If you are ten minutes from the end and the essay has no conclusion, write the conclusion now. Go back to Task 1 only if time is left.
- 2Finish the Task 1 job completely
On Academic, name the main pattern straight after the introduction and leave the individual figures for the paragraphs below. On General Training, give every bullet its own short paragraph. A missing overview holds Task Achievement at about Band 5. A bullet that is not covered at all can take it to Band 4, however good the English is.
- 3Plan Task 2 for about five minutes
Type, limiters, position, two ideas with a because. Then write. Do not invent the thesis in sentence twenty.
- 4The word count is a check, not a target
150 and 250 are minimums, and going under them costs you marks. Extra length earns nothing, so aim for about 160 to 190 words on Task 1 and 260 to 300 on Task 2.
Rescuing an Academic Task 1
Write one overview sentence, then move on. Extra detail on Task 1 will not save an unfinished essay.
Stop after the second group. Pick the high, the low and one contrast, and leave the rest.
If the letter is thin
Add one concrete detail you can reuse (a date, a room, a refund). Do not start an essay about society.
Re-read the greeting and the sign-off. Dear Sir or Madam goes with Yours faithfully. A name goes with Yours sincerely, and a friend's first name with Best wishes.
One habit to drop
- Memorised chunks
In the modern world, This essay will discuss: the examiner has read them a hundred times. They answer no question. Open with a sentence about this task.
Quiz time1 question
The last six minutes
Both tasks are written. Choose the best use of the time you have left.
You have finished both tasks and there are 6 minutes on the clock. What should you do with them?
Recap
Split the hour by the marks, not evenly.
Answer the exact question asked.
Always leave time to check.
Next: how the hour runs on the day.