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Ever wondered what things to avoid in your IELTS Academic Writing and what to focus on? We’re here to share our experience and expert advice.
In the IELTS Academic exam, you will have to use not only everyday language, but also the academic style. You will have to demonstrate your proficiency when writing an essay and when describing graphs, tables, or maps in the Writing section.
It is evident that the academic style of writing in English is very different from how we correspond or communicate in everyday life. It’s not that emotional, but it has a lot of abstract words. Moreover, it is even more official. For example, if in a conversation with a friend, you can replace almost any word with the word ‘get’, then in the case of academic writing, you should use the synonyms such as ‘obtain’ or ‘acquire’:
In the second experiment, a very clear result was obtained.
The company acquired a million new customers in a year.
So what are the features of academic writing to keep in mind to get a high exam score? This will be discussed below.
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These include contractions of auxiliary, modal verbs and the verbs ‘to be’ and ‘to have’. We often use them in colloquial language, but they are considered too informal for academic writing. Therefore, it is necessary to write their full forms. For, example:
it’s = it is, it has
don’t = do not
can’t = cannot
you’ll = you will
should’ve = should have
would’ve = would have
we’re = we are
aren’t = are not
isn’t = is not
shan’t = shall not
let’s = let us
who’s = who is, who has
they’re = they are
doesn’t = does not
We do not recommend using the abbreviations of some words that begin and end with the same letter as the initial form of the word but do not have a full stop at the end. For example: govt (government); dept (department), cwth (commonwealth), Qld (Queensland). In other words, avoid them if they are not used in a particular field of discipline or in a reference or as a quote.
Let’s have a look at two examples below:
If you have an enjoyable job, you are more likely to be successful.
If one has an enjoyable job, one is more likely to be successful.
Of course, we have to give examples in our essays and even show our opinion. However, there should be no personal addressing in the academic writing. In this case, we replaced the personal pronoun with the impersonal one. When the author uses this neutral indefinite pronoun in an essay, he means ‘a person’ when he writes ‘one’.
RECOMMENDED READING: How to write IELTS essay?
Another way to avoid the use of pronouns is to write sentences in a passive voice. For example:
As you can see in figure 1.2, most respondents chose the second option.
As can be seen in figure 1.2, most respondents chose the second option.
You can also use structures with pronoun ‘it’:
As you can see in figure 1.2, most respondents chose the second option.
It is evident from the data in figure 1.2. that most respondents chose the second option.
Remember that you should not to express your opinion, instead refer to what the facts or figures show.
Avoid using these conjunctions, especially at the beginning of a sentence. You can replace them with other, more formal words.
· Contrasting ideas:
but = however
Many people believe that obesity is caused by fast food. However, it is evident from the data that mainly by lack of exercise.
· Adding more facts or details:
also = moreover
Fish supplies as with substances that might protect against heart disease. Moreover, in many cultures fish is known as a ‘brain food’.
· Describing reasons and consequences:
so = as a result
Our ancestors reconsidered the role of clothing. As a result, clothes started to vary according to marital or social status.
ALSO READ: How is IELTS Academic Writing assessed?
A rhetorical question is a question that is not expected to be answered. Authors of the text often write them if they assume that the reader already knows the answer, or if the answer to the question is in the text. Such questions are inappropriate for academic writing: readers may not know the answers. Therefore, it is more appropriate to turn it into a statement. Do not take risks, and in order for your point of view to be understood by the reader (examiner), clearly state it. Look at these two examples:
Should the government be responsible for providing care for elderly people? = It is the responsibility of government to pay for the care of elderly people.
Industrial sites cause vast amounts of environmental pollution, so why do we still use them? = The question surrounding the continued use of industrial sites, given their vast pollution production, still remains.
Slang is an informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions. Use alternatives instead. For example:
kind of = somewhat significant
a couple of = several
basically = fundamentally
Avoid colloquialisms. These are informal words used in everyday speech by educated and uneducated people of all ages. Use synonyms instead. Here are a few examples:
Give = This chapter gives an overview = This chapter (provides/offers/presents) an overview…
Good = A good example = A (useful/prime) example…
Show = The below figure shows = The below figure (illustrates/demonstrates/reveals)…
If you are getting ready for IELTS Academic or if you are thinking of taking this exam in the future, then you probably know that the Writing section is one of the most difficult parts of the test. And that is exactly what our online IELTS Academic Writing self-study course focuses on. You will not only learn about the features of academic writing, but will also practice describing visuals (Task 1) and writing essays (Task 2), get comments from our IELTS experts and tutors, try full-timed writing with IELTS band score feedback from our automated writing checking system that uses artificial intelligence to evaluate essays. Even more — you will find rules, explanations, examples and exercises to help improve your writing skills.
Recently we wrote about how to get ready for IELTS Academic writing.
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There are thousands of resources for both IELTS Academic writing tasks that you can make good use of. Also, there are plenty of model answers but it does not mean that your practice should include memorising them as examiners can easily spot such answers and you will risk having your entire test rendered invalid.
What to do to improve your writing skills and practice for the exam? Take a look at some of our advice, and you’re sure to ace the IELTS writing test.
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The IELTS examiners use detailed performance descriptors when assessing your writing. They include:
Your final score will be the average of the four criteria.
Task achievement means you answer the question. Coherence and cohesion means you structure your essay in paragraphs, and even the paragraphs within themselves. Lexical resource means vocabulary. Grammatical range and accuracy means that you use wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy.
You can check British Council’s website to read Task 1 and Task 2 requirements in detail.
Take one sample question per day and write your answer. Luckily, there is a huge selection of IELTS Writing questions for you on the Internet. By doing so, you will learn about the test format, types of tasks, review your answers and compare them with model answers.
IELTS Academic offers practice questions and sample answers for Task 1 and Task 2.
IELTS.org has downloadable Academic Writing sample with answer sheets and examiner comments.
ESL Lounge has a range of exercises that give good practice of what you will face in the IELTS examination.
If you want to keep focused as you write and save your time, it is necessary to make an outline of your essay or graph description. If you organize your ideas, you will also know what language you should use to complete the task.
The outline of the introduction should include a thesis sentence or important points to include (e.g. in Task 1 write what information someone should know about these charts/graphs/diagrams.). For the body paragraphs, your outline only needs to reflect the main topic for the paragraph, the evidence to be used, and, if appropriate, how it supports your thesis statement. There is no need to write an outline of the conclusions because restate your arguments and do not present any new ideas.
As you prepare for the IELTS exam, you should be working to build your vocabulary for a variety of topics. To get a high score you need to show the examiner a range of different words.
First of all, write down all the new words and phrases you read in the sample essays. Incorporate them into your writing as you feel comfortable and as they are appropriate. This way, you will improve your vocabulary through the practice course.
Secondly, learn some vocabulary to describe trends and key features in Task 1. IELTS Liz has created a list of verbs and nouns, adjectives and adverbs as well as time phrases you can use while writing your response. Learn vocabulary to describe graphs, maps and linking words to write essays.
Use online tools that will help you check your grammar and spelling. Hemingway App, Grammarly, After the Deadline, and ProWritingAid are only a few to name that can help you identify the most common mistakes you make. They will be helpful if you are going to take a computer version of the test. You should look for small mistakes in spelling and grammar. The more mistakes you make, the lower your score will be, so best ensure you make as little as possible.
You are assessed on your ability to use correct and appropriate grammar and on the range of sentence types that you produce. If you do not have much time to prepare or have already completed the preparation course, check IELTS-exam.net for grammar exercises.
IELTSbuddy offers explanations and exercises that will highlight some specific things related to IELTS so you can see how they are relevant.
Although IELTS does not have a separate section on exam for grammar, you will need to have an excellent grammar to get a high score. IELTS worldwide has a list of grammar issues you will have to review for IELTS.
Learn to punctuate correctly. It helps your readers to follow and understand your message, in the same way that using pauses and intonation help your listeners while you are speaking, and it matters for your score!
Always practice writing on the answer sheet. It will help you know the amount of words you write on one sheet, and you will not need to do the word count on the day of the exam and waste your time on it.
Remember to spend not more than 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2 as you prepare.
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In the IELTS Academic exam, the first task of the Writing section will have one or more graphs, tables, maps, or flowcharts, and you will need to summarize the information, compare data from these graphs, show differences or similarities, identify major trends or describe the process.
You will have to write at least 150 words. It is recommended to spend 20 minutes on writing the answer to this task. How should one describe factual data from a diagram to avoid assumptions, even if these are well-known facts? How to write so that the reader (examiner) can easily trace the trends of the chart and understand the actual information about the chart? This will be discussed further.
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Step 1. Read the task carefully.
The instructions for the task always contain a short sentence summarizing the information (the prompt). Also, graphs usually have a name. Read these things first, because they give a pretty good overview of what the visuals contain. Usually they are in bold. This summarized information will be very useful for writing the first paragraph of your answer where you need to “introduce” the visuals.
Step 2. Analyze the visuals.
Before you begin describing the graphs right away, look them carefully and analyze them: look for general trends, changes, and key features to understand how you are going to structure your information. You also have to choose which information to leave out and which to include in the response. Make a note of it.
Try to find an interesting angle to look at a table or graph. You can start simply. Can you see if the time is shown in the graph? If so, is the time represented in hours, days, weeks, months, etc.? Does the graph show any trends: rise, fall, fluctuations, etc.? The line can lead up or down, or the pie chart sections will have different sizes. Do you notice any sequence of events or steps in the process?
READ MORE: How to write IELTS essay
For example, in the flowchart. Do the visuals classify different types of things? This happens in tables or pie charts. Are the numbers written in the hundreds, thousands, millions, percentages, decimal numbers? And so on.
Another way to approach the visuals is to imagine you had to do a report at a meeting or speak at a university seminar, what information would be most relevant to your audience?
Step 3. Structure your response.
After you have considered all the possible trends shown in the graph or chart, start writing your answer. We recommend structuring it as follows:
If you find that you do not have enough information to write 150 words, describe in detail everything that has changed in trends and add data from a graph or table.
On the other hand, if you have too much information to fit in 150-200 words, try to pick only the most important trends.
Step 4. Check what you have written.
Be sure to check your response for spelling and grammar errors. Also, check with the visuals and make sure the information you used is accurate.
Don’t forget to use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions and other linking devices to make the text you write look coherent. Remember about tenses in sentences. Use synonyms and appropriate vocabulary (academic).
Step 5. Allocate your time properly.
Proper timing is a guarantee that on the day of the exam, you will not worry and have time to do everything. Therefore, as you prepare for the exam, keep track of how long it takes you to complete the task. Get a mock test closer to the exam date. It would be nice if you fit into the following time frame:
READ MORE: Get ready for IELTS Listening
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