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Most candidates think of IELTS Writing when they hear this word combination. Spelling mistakes influence your score in this section. However, it is often a surprise for test-takers that spelling really matters for the IELTS Listening section as well. To tell the truth, spelling mistakes can ruin your score in this section. While you are still preparing for the IELTS exam, it is a good idea to learn the most common mistakes made by candidates and avoid them.
Where can you make spelling mistakes? In IELTS Listening there are various types of questions such as multiple choice, note completion, matching, labeling a plan or a map, etc. In IELTS Listening, you are given one mark for each correct answer, i.e. the correct spelling matters. You have to be all ears in all parts of the Listening section but spelling mistakes are often made when candidates write their answers to labeling and note completion questions. You might have to write down such things as key words/phrases, lists, headings/subheadings, numbers/bullet points, names/surnames, places/times/prices, addresses, telephone numbers, stages, etc. We have grouped spelling mistakes by different types.
Candidates are often confused under pressure and they might make this mistake when they are not sure how many letters to write: one or two. This group of words is the largest. Here are some examples:
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In English there are many letters that are not pronounced in words. However, you have to write them:
When it comes to the combination of these two letters, even advanced learners often make spelling mistakes. However, you can easily remember how to write the words properly with the help of the following mnemonic: ‘I before E except after C’. For example:
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule in English:
Watch out when you write the following words:
READ ABOUT: 8 strategies to achieve a perfect score in IELTS Listening
These are the words that sound the same. However, their spelling is different. Here are the most common pairs of words:
accept – except
plain – plane
peace – piece
scene – seen
stationary – stationery
steal – steel
sauce – source
sore – soar
for – four – fore
their – there – they’re
hour – our
band – banned
capital – capitol
chili – chilly
choral – coral
cite – site – sight
council – counsel
die -dye
discreet – discrete
daft – daught
flue – flew -flu
genes – jeans
hole – whole
marshal – martial
weather – whether
whose – who’s
you’re – your
loose – lose
affect – effect
principle – principal, and many others.
READ ABOUT: How to organize your responses on the IELTS speaking exam?
Many English words are spelled differently when they become another part of speech or when verbs are used in different tenses. For example:
benefit – beneficial
influence – influential
circumstance – circumstantial
pronunciation – pronounce
argue – argument
decide – decision
refer – referring
frolic – frolicking
occur – occurred
unity – unify
justice – justify
significant – signify
maintain – maintenance
violent – violence, etc.
While preparing for IELTS, you can still learn how to avoid making spelling mistakes. Here are some tips to help you:
Tip #1. Watch out for words with double letters. If you are not sure about the spelling, double check.
Tip #2. Always make sure you use the correct form of the verb.
Tip #3. Know which word you want to use. Check the meaning in the dictionary.
Tip #4. Watch where you place the apostrophe.
Tip #5. Don’t write what you hear. Check the spelling if you are not sure.
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Academic writing requires you to refer to the original source when you have used someone else’s ideas or concepts in your writing. One of the most common ways to incorporate these citations into your writing is to use reporting verbs to present the information. In IELTS Writing Task 2, candidates often have to express more than one point of view, especially when writing introductions and statements for their essays.
There is a wide variety of reporting verbs in the English language, which can be used in your essays. Let’s have a look at them and study some examples.
Reporting verbs can be tentative, neutral, or emphatic. They tell us that someone said something. In writing, these verbs demonstrate our opinion of someone’s ideas:
Let’s have a look at some examples of the reporting verbs and choose the stronger ones:
Each reporting verb has a slightly different meaning, so you have to be aware of and try to use a range of reporting verbs, depending on the statement you are making.
There are lots of different verbs that we can use to describe the action of speaking. The most common reporting verbs are ‘say’, ‘tell’, and ‘state’. However, it is not a good idea to use the same verb over and over as this will not give your writing much variation. There are many other verbs you can use in your IELTS writing.
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| General Meaning | Reported Verb | Strength |
| To express beliefs: | believe | strong |
| maintain | strong | |
| suspect | weak | |
| think | neutral | |
| Used in discussion: | argue | strong |
| assert | strong | |
| claim | strong | |
| insist | strong | |
| say | neutral | |
| To show agreement: | accept | neutral |
| acknowledge | neutral | |
| admit | weak | |
| advocate | strong | |
| agree | neutral | |
| concede | weak | |
| support | strong | |
| To show disagreement: | challenge | strong |
| deny | strong | |
| disagree | neutral | |
| dismiss | strong | |
| doubt | neutral | |
| To give suggestions: | imply | weak |
| suggest | weak | |
| urge | strong |
READ ABOUT: How to identify the type of essay in IELTS Writing Task 2?
Tentative verbs are used when the author isn’t sure of their idea. Neutral verbs are used in an essay in place of ‘say’ or ‘tell’. Strong verbs are used when the author is very sure of their opinion. All of the verbs above can be used in IELTS essays.
Here are some examples of how the reporting verbs can be used in sentences:
Different reporting verbs are followed by different structures. Here are the most common structures with examples:
| Pattern | Verbs |
| reporting verb+that+clause | admit, accept, acknowledge, agree, assume, argue, believe, claim, insist, maintain, deny, disagree, advocate, urge, etc. |
| reporting verb+whether+clause | question, doubt, etc. |
| reporting verb+preposition+noun/noun phrase | object to, disagree with, insist on etc. |
| reporting verb+noun/noun phrase | support, advocate, consider, dismiss, etc. |
| reporting verb+gerund | suggest, advocate, etc. |
| reporting verb+object+infinitive verb | urge |
For example:
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As you can see there are many cases when reporting verbs can be used in your essay, and they can really help you demonstrate the range of your vocabulary to the examiner as well as express your ideas and thoughts effectively. Find more useful grammar and vocabulary issues in our blog:
Whether you like it or not, grammar is crucial to both IELTS Writing and Speaking because grammar range and accuracy is the criterion that makes up 25% of your score. Obviously, you have to avoid making mistakes while writing and speaking to the examiner. Otherwise, it will be quite difficult and unlikely for you to achieve a higher band. We have selected the most frequent mistakes candidates make on the IELTS exam, and we will also suggest how to mend them.
Some mistakes can be made because of the influence of your mother tongue while others crop up regardless of the language you speak as the first language, and students around the world have these common issues. What are they?
This is a very common mistake even upper-intermediate and advanced students make in their speaking and writing. However, it’s a very basic one and very noticeable. What is considered to be a subject-verb agreement mistake?
WRONG: A person I really admire is my friend Randy. He live in Thailand and he work as a teacher, and he also run a travel blog.
CORRECT: A person I really admire is my friend Randy. He lives in Thailand and he works as a teacher, and he also runs a travel blog.
Don’t forget to add ‘s’ in Present Simple, when talking about ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘it’ as well as change ‘have’ to ‘has’ for the 3rd person singular.
WRONG: There are two possible solutions. Each have its advantages and disadvantages.
CORRECT: There are two possible solutions. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Remember pronouns that always take a singular verb:
each, either, neither, one, no one, nobody, nothing, anyone, anybody, anything, somebody, something, someone, everyone, everybody everything.
However, there are pronouns that always take a plural verb:
both, few, many, several.
For example:
There are two possible solutions. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
WRONG: One of my friends are coming to visit me on holiday.
CORRECT: One of my friends is coming to visit me on holiday.
You should remember that the verb agrees with the subject, i.e. the quantity, as in:
Two of my friends are coming to visit me on holiday.
However, for some quantity phrases you have to pay attention to the noun in the prepositional phrase to decide if the verb is singular or plural:
A lot of people (plural) cycle to work.
A lot of sugar (uncountable) is not healthy.
All of the numbers (plural) are rising insignificantly.
All of the food (uncountable) is homemade and fresh.
Some of the adults (plural) travel to work by car.
Some of the local food (uncountable) is very spicy.
One-fourth of the commuters (plural) drive to work.
One-fourth of the space (uncountable) is occupied by freelancers.
Here are the pronouns that take a singular or a plural verb: some, all, any, most, a lot.
WRONG: The number of bicycles which were stolen remain stable.
CORRECT: The number of bicycles which were stolen remains stable.
In your writing or speaking, you can use relative clauses or prepositional phrases to give more information, and thus separate the subject and the verb in the sentence. What happens then is that candidates in such cases often forget about the subject of the sentence and use the wrong number of the verb. Do not agree the last noun in the phrase or clause with the verb. Make sure you agree the verb with the subject of the sentence.
READ ABOUT: How to work on your IELTS grammar
This often happens in the Speaking section of the exam, particularly in Part 2 where you are often asked to describe some past events or experiences. For example:
“I’m going to tell you about an achievement that I am very proud of. It’s pretty recent so I can still distinctly remember lots of details and my own impressions related to it. It is just a couple of months ago when my boyfriend and I go to Bali on holiday and it is my long-cherished and also long-delayed dream to try scuba diving.”
Why does this happen? More often than not it is the problem lies in forgetting. The thing is that in IELTS Speaking candidates become so focused on their vocabulary, pronunciation, and demonstrating their fluency that they forget about using proper grammar.
How can you fix it? Practice before the exam, record yourself. It’s a good idea to only focus on using the past tenses. Remember, that in the second part of the exam, you are often asked to talk about past experiences. So, when you’re given a card with the task, read it carefully, and while planning your answer, think about grammar you’re going to use to give a response.
Another very common mistake is using Past Simple instead of Present Perfect and vice versa.
WRONG: Over the last 10 years, the number of bicycle commuters increased dramatically.
CORRECT: Over the last 10 years, the number of bicycle commuters has increased dramatically.
WRONG: There have been considerable fluctuations in the number of bike commuters between 2002 and 2005.
CORRECT: There were considerable fluctuations in the number of bike commuters between 2002 and 2005.
The rule is very simple. If we are talking about events that started and finished in the past, e.g. between 2002 and 2005, we use Past Simple. If we are talking about something that started in the past but continues until the present or something that happened in the past but the result is in the present (e.g. “over the last ten years” means that it started 10 years ago and the results are related to present), use Present Perfect.
READ ABOUT: How to organize your responses on the IELTS speaking exam?
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Have a look at the following example sentence taken from the cause and effect essay:
Many people think we use ‘will’ for the future, and they are right, but not most of the time.
CORRECT: If ice continues to melt, many species will become extinct.
The part of the sentence that starts with ‘if’ is the condition. The main clause says. ‘many species will become extinct’, and these are the things to happen.
The rule for 1st Conditional is: If+Present Simple, will+verb.
For example:
OR
Will+verb if+Present Simple:
Put a comma after if-clause and before the main clause.
When you imagine a situation, use a different type of conditional:
If+Past Simple, would/could/might/should+verb.
For example:
We have looked at the most common mistakes made even by advanced learners. Remember, the more you practice, the better your grammar becomes. The good news, you still have time to prepare for IELTS and you can do it thoroughly by taking our online IELTS preparation course.
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Needless to say, correct punctuation gives the right meaning to the sentence, and its wrong placement can totally change the meaning. How many punctuation marks are there in English? Period, comma, apostrophe, quotation, question, exclamation, brackets, braces, parenthesis, dash, hyphen, ellipsis, colon, semicolon! However, you don’t need to use all of them at the exam. Following the correct usage will make your IELTS writing look more appealing and easier to read.
Punctuation also influences your score. If you don’t use it properly or forget to use some punctuation marks, it will count as a grammatical mistake. Remember, grammar range and accuracy make up 25% of your score. So, it’s better to avoid making any grammatical mistakes in your IELTS Writing. In today’s blog post, we are looking at different types and proper use of punctuation for your IELTS essays and reports. Make sure you remember all of them and practise using them during your IELTS preparation.
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At the end of sentences to mark a sentence’s grammatical end. For example:
At the end of abbreviations, such as Mr., Ms., etc., and so on.
You should place the period right after the last letter of the last word in the sentence and leave some space between the period and the first letter of the first word of the next sentence. It might look obvious, but many candidates don’t do this. Start the next sentence with the capital letter.
Using abbreviations in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 and Task 2 is not a good idea. Instead, write the words out. The exception is for symbols like % and $ which you should use, as they are faster to write and very commonly used, even in formal writing. For example:
In contractions to show that letters are missing, e.g. I’m, it’s, they’ll, who’s. DO NOT use them in IELTS Academic writing. Short forms are too informal:
In possessions to indicate ownership. For example:
READ ABOUT: How to work on your IELTS grammar
To separate items in a list. For example:
To separate clauses by ‘and’ or ‘but’ if they have different subjects. For example:
When the subordinate clause goes before the main clause. For example:
When the clauses give extra, non-essential information:
When subordinate clauses or non-finite comment phrases give additional information. For example:
To introduce lists:
When the second sentence explains or justifies the first sentence:
Use single quotation marks to draw attention to a word:
To refer to titles of the books, newspapers, magazines, films, songs, poems, videos, CDs, etc.
To mark the beginning of the sentence.
For proper nouns: personal names, brand names, nationalities and languages, days of the week and months, public holidays and geographical places no matter where they fall in a sentence.
For titles of books, magazines, newspapers, plays, music, e.g. ‘Oliver Twist’, The Guardian.
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Grammar mistakes can destroy your score not only in IELTS writing but in IELTS Listening and Speaking as well. This means it is pretty important to write correctly because if you make even little errors, you are unlikely to get more than 6 or 7. Grammatical range and accuracy make up 25% of your score for writing and speaking. Work on your grammar during your IELTS preparation, and get the desired score in 5 easy steps.
There are many key concepts of grammar different candidates might need to improve: tenses, subject-verb agreement, articles, conditional sentences, etc. As many students as many problems there are to be fixed. The majority of those who prepare for and take IELTS, have issues with 1-3 areas of English grammar. That’s why one needs to identify those in order to find out what needs to be improved.
For example, if you have difficulties with punctuation, it might reduce the score for your writing. Or if you are not good at using tenses, you are likely to fail both writing and speaking.
The simplest way to find out what problems you have is to do this with a teacher, a tutor or any high-level learner of English, etc. Share your writing with them and ask them to give you feedback on your grammar. It is likely that any devoted teacher of English would be willing to help you and make a contribution to your IELTS preparation.
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This can be compared to learning the traffic regulations and road signs. Grammar rules are the laws of the English language which is the ball of roads and streets with different signs and directions. Grammar rules show us how the language works and in what directions we should or shouldn’t go. If one doesn’t know the rules which run the problematic area of grammar, he or she will never be able to use that grammar.
Luckily, there are many resources to study grammar such as websites, coursebooks, etc. Pick up the topic you find problematic, read about it, and learn the examples.
READ ABOUT: 6 best ways of getting vocabulary for IELTS
Learning and knowing the rules of grammar is good, but understanding them better and integrating them into your writing and speaking is impossible without practice. After you have read the rule, learned the examples, you have to practice applying them, i.e. master your accuracy and then fluency.
Before you actually learn to drive, you study a lot of theory and road signs. You also do typical exercises with your driving instructor to train your muscle memory. And only after you stop thinking about how the clutch works and start doing it automatically, you are allowed to drive. When you drive for the first time, you might feel stressed and confused with many cars around you, traffic lights, and all the road signs. But the more you practice, the more confident you become. The same with grammar: learn the rules, study examples, notice new grammar in reading passages or listening, do a lot of exercises, commit some mistakes, analyse, fix.
After you have worked out by doing grammar exercises, it’s time to produce your own sentences. If you know the rules, but do not use them in your oral communication or writing, you are losing them, and your grammar doesn’t improve. Practice using the grammatical structures in your speaking or writing. For example, when planning your answer in IELTS Speaking, it is a good idea to think about what grammar you are going to use. If the examiner asks you about your future plans, make sure you use Present Continuous, be going to, will, or Present Simple, probably 1st Conditional. If you are writing an essay, you will have to use complex sentences in order to achieve a higher score. When you are doing that, be conscious about using proper grammar.
You can record yourself speaking or keep your writing in order to do the next step.
How do you know that you are using grammar you have learned correctly? Of course, it would be great if you could ask for some feedback from your teacher, for example. The teacher will tell you if you are using the correct sentence structures and if you have anything else to fix. You will learn a lot from the feedback you receive and still will be able to improve. Moreover, you can use this system not only to hone your grammar skills but also other areas of IELTS.
As you can see, it is not complicated and it is very effective, that is why we have created a fully online IELTS preparation course based on this concept. Its main focus is practice, detailed analysis of all types of IELTS Academic writing, reading, listening tasks, automated instant IELTS score on writing using artificial intelligence, step-by-step guidance, feedback on your writing and speaking, online lessons with certified teachers, full mock Speaking and Writing tests with detailed feedback from IELTS preparation experts.
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Many words we use in English would be inappropriate in IELTS Writing. We have selected common words students and candidates keep using in their writing you should avoid. These words are too informal for IELTS unless you write a letter to a friend in IELTS General. However, Writing Task 2 and writing tasks in IELTS Academic require more formal language.
The problem is that you don’t always know which words in English are informal, and which are formal. That is why we are going to show you some of the most common ones you should avoid in IELTS writing. This will help you achieve a high score.
Read and learn the words below. We have provided some informal examples and suggested how you can substitute them with more formal words or phrases.
In the nutshell, while equality of opportunity is an attractive concept, attempting to put this idea into practice can do more harm than good.
To conclude, while equality of opportunity is an attractive concept, attempting to put this idea into practice can do more harm than good.
A couple of members have not replied for over three years.
Several members have not replied for over three years.
The resort has kind of changed over the last few years.
The resort has changed somewhat over the last few years.
A lot of people think that boys are naturally more aggressive than girls.
Many people maintain that boys are naturally more aggressive than girls.
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If you give appropriate guidance to children, they won’t be adversely affected.
Provided children are given appropriate guidance, they are unlikely to be adversely affected.
If one is given appropriate guidance, they are unlikely to be adversely affected.
People spend hours and hours on the phone.
People spend much of their time on the telephone.
a colour/black-and-white photograph
The report contains diagrams and colour photographs.
The book includes numerous colour photographs, but many are not sharp or their colours are washed out.
You can find the info about upcoming local events in the newspaper
Information about upcoming local events is printed in the newspaper.
a university campus/degree/professor
The majority of the employees have university degrees.
We should consider the cultural context, the physical environment, the personalities of those involved, etc.
The cultural context, the physical environment, and the personalities of those involved should be considered.
At the end of the day, parents should help their children to develop self-control and respect for others.
To conclude, parents should help their children to develop self-control and respect for others.
I talk to my neighbours once in a blue moon.
Nowadays people rarely communicate with their neighbours.
The country has been exposed to many cultural influences since the dawn of time.
For centuries, the country has been exposed to many cultural influences.
The country has been exposed to many cultural influences throughout its history.
Most patients don’t think that getting enough sleep is a big deal but study after study shows how important it is for good health.
The majority of patients do not consider getting enough sleep to be important but the research reveals how important it is for good health.
READ ABOUT: How to recognise signals and signposts in IELTS Listening
In the second experiment, they got a very clear result.
In the second experiment, they obtained a very clear result.
The author gives no documentary references to support her assertions.
The author provides no documentary references to support her assertions.
These antiques are so beautiful and so valuable.
These antiques are both beautiful and extremely valuable.
The graph shows the breakdown of actual expenses by two categories.
The graph illustrates the breakdown of actual expenses by two categories.
The warm winter has had a very bad impact on the ski industry.
The warm winter has had a very negative effect/impact on the ski industry.
a sizeable amount/area/house
a large amount of work
a large house
Its purpose is to find out the truth of what happened and identify any lessons that may help to prevent a repetition.
Its purpose is to discover the truth of what happened and identify any lessons that may help to prevent a repetition.
Many people think about the film as a controversial one.
Many people consider the film controversial.
Forensic scientists are looking at the wreckage for clues about the cause of the explosion.
Forensic scientists are examining the wreckage for clues about the cause of the explosion.
Various studies point out that some forms of alternative medicine are extremely effective.
Various studies indicate that some forms of alternative medicine are extremely effective.
It’s a general rule that applies to all those dudes and benefits them.
This is a general rule that applies to everyone and benefits everyone.
environmental/ethical/personal issues
Lighting is a very important thing in filmmaking.
Lighting is a vitally important aspect of filmmaking.
So, awareness measures and training were crucial.
Awareness measures and training were therefore crucial.
And, there are excellent photos in each chapter.
Additionally, there are excellent photographs in each chapter.
But that is not a reason to avoid taking action.
However, that is not a reason to avoid taking action.
Also, traditional foods are an important aspect of culture and social life.
Moreover, traditional foods are an important aspect of culture and social life.
Remember, you may not lose scores if you use these words and expressions. However, it can be the reason why you are stuck between 6 and 6.5. In order to prevent you from this, we have created a unique fully online IELTS preparation course.
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There are different types of essays in IELTS Academic Writing Task 2. They can be divided into advantages and disadvantages essays, opinion essays, two-views-and-opinion essays, mixed and cause-and-effect essays. Many students and candidates fail to get the desired score because they are not aware of how to approach the task. We are going to look at what makes a good essay, and you will learn how to unpack the cause-and-effect essay task in order to write an appropriate response.
Not understanding what to do in the task and not knowing what two write as well as not identifying the type of an essay correctly might lead to losing the scores. This means it is crucial to identify the type of essay in IELTS Writing task 2. The tasks for cause-and-effect essays can have different wordings. For example:
In cause-and-effect essays, you will be given a problem and asked to write about the main causes of this problem as well as discuss what effects it might have.
The task above looks at the problem of people who use the Internet to look for ways to cure different medical conditions instead of seeing the doctor. In your essay, you will have two write about 2 or 3 reasons why they do so as well as think about 2 or 3 effects such behaviour might lead to. Moreover, you will have to provide examples.
If you do all three items, you are likely to get a higher score for the Task Achievement criterion.
READ ABOUT: IELTS two-views-and-opinion essay tips
The cause-and-effect essay requires you to think critically about the problem and outline your ideas orderly. You are likely to complete the task successfully if you follow the steps we suggest.
Step 1. Analysing the task.
As it has already been said, your success depends on understanding the task. That is why you have to read the statement carefully and underline key information in it. Next, read the questions and identify what they ask you to write about. Paraphrasing the statement for yourself using simple language will help you understand it better.
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Step 2. Planning your essay.
While planning your essay you should decide on the number of paragraphs. Your essay will consist of the introduction, main body, and conclusion.
Next, spend a few minutes on brainstorming ideas for your essay. Think about the details or examples to support your ideas and answer the questions in the task, and take notes.
For example, your notes might look like this:
| Introduction |
|
| Paragraph 1 | WHY people do this Idea 1it takes less time than to visit a doctor,e.g. you can avoid blood tests, check up, etc. and do everything by clicking a mouseIdea 2you can find reviews on the Internet, e.g. people write about symptoms, medicines they had and where to buy them |
| Paragraph 1 | CONSEQUENCES
Idea 1 reviews can be unreliable (non-professional) => waste your time and money Idea 2 without doctor’s prescription => it can get worse => new condition+complications |
| Conclusion |
|
Step 3. Writing an essay.
At this stage, we recommend that you keep looking at the task and the plan of your essay. This will help you stay on topic and write only relevant ideas.
Usually, we start writing an essay with an introduction. However, if you are struggling with writing it, leave some space, and write the body of your essay. You will return to the introduction later. Here you will have to paraphrase the task and write what the essay will discuss.
It is recommended that the main body of your cause-and-effect essay consists of 2 paragraphs:
In the case with our essay, your first paragraph will answer the question ‘Why are people looking for ways to cure their medical conditions on the Internet?’. The second paragraph will answer the question ‘What are the consequences of looking for ways to cure their medical conditions on the Internet?’.
Finally, write the conclusion where you need to summarize the answers to questions 1 and 2.
Step 4. Checking your essay.
This is the essential step in doing any writing assignment. It is also the best way to increase your score within a few minutes. After you finished writing your essay, check it for:
Read our guide on how to check your IELTS Writing.
READ ABOUT: What will the examiner be listening for at the IELTS Speaking test?
The way you organize your essay will help the examiner follow your thoughts and will also give you a better score for coherence and cohesion. Remember to structure your writing in paragraphs. Here is the outline of the cause-and-effect essay structure:
INTRODUCTION:
|
| MAIN BODY
Paragraph 1:
Paragraph 2:
|
CONCLUSION:
|
Go to our course to find the sample answer to this and many other tasks. You will also learn and practise strategies for all four skills tested in IELTS: reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Our platform provides instant feedback from experienced IELTS experts. At the end of the course, you will have the opportunity to take a mock test and receive feedback on what should be improved and what you are good at.
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We have already written about typical mistakes candidates make in IELTS essays, but starting to write your response straight away should also be added to that list. If you start writing without thinking about what to write and how to write, you will likely lose points for coherence and cohesion as well as for the task achievement criteria.
Before you actually write an essay, you have to think about what ideas to develop and what examples you will provide to support them. Brainstorming is a very important part of essay planning, and it is a skill that can help you complete the task. At the exam, you will have only a few minutes to generate ideas for your essay, so it is advisable to practice brainstorming during your IELTS preparation. The more you practice, the easier it will become for you to generate ideas for IELTS Academic Writing Task 2. In the beginning, it might take some time, but you will notice that it will get quicker allowing more time for task completion. Here are some ways that will help you become a pro in generating ideas for your essays and get a higher score for the exam.
The most common problems students and candidates name when planning an essay are:
If you face one of these difficulties, the first thing you have to remember is that IELTS is a language test, not a knowledge test. You do not have to make your ideas “interesting”. IELTS checks if you can use a wide range of vocabulary and grammar, how logically you can structure your essay and organize your ideas, and whether you can write about the topic or not. You do not receive extra points if your ideas are more interesting than the ideas of another candidate, i.e. you should not overthink. What you have to do is to come up with the best ideas as quickly as possible, and then extend and explain each of those ideas with examples and supporting details.
For example, if you receive the following task, you do not have to think about five reasons why it is necessary to be naturally talented to become successful and five reasons why being hard-working matters in sports and list them one after another. Do not write 10 sentences with ten different reasons. What you have to do is to pick up one or two ideas and support them with good examples from your personal or someone else’s experience, or study, or research, or a news item, etc.
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Read the task carefully, find the main topic and decide how many parts the question has. For example, in the task above the topic is ‘It is necessary to be talented or hard-working to achieve results in sports’. There are three parts in the question: give reasons, include examples, and give your opinion.
Turn the topic and the two parts of the task into questions:
The next step is to brainstorm answers to these questions.
Another way to come up with the ideas is to use special questions such as ‘Who?’, ‘Where?’, ‘Why?’, ‘When?’, ‘How?’, ‘How much/many?’, ‘What?’, Which?’.
This is a very useful and popular technique. While you practise writing essays during your preparations, try to look at the problem from different angles, i.e. consider what different people might say about the issue and why.
For example, ‘Is it necessary to be talented or hard-working to achieve results in sports?’:
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This way helps you organize your ideas visually. Start with brainstorming keywords, and then place the micro-keywords on the branches, for example.
Another way to organize a mind map is to place the main idea in the middle, then write the views, examples, and details on the branches. This strategy will definitely help you empty your brain onto the page.
A doodle is a kind of drawing you make while your attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple, they can represent some ideas, have some concrete meaning, or may just be composed of random and abstract lines. What you need to do to doodle is take a pen or a pencil, and paper, and allow your mind to have control of it. Use lines and shapes instead of words. You don’t need to draw any particular image–images will start to take shape as you move the pen over the paper.
Even such outstanding people as a poet and physician John Keats, an American poet, novelist, and short-story writer Sylvia Plath, and the Nobel laureate in literature, 1913 poet Rabindranath Tagore, were doodling in their manuscripts and margins of notes. Some doodles and drawings were found in notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. Many American Presidents, including Thomas Jefferson, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton, used to doodle during meetings.
Of course, you won’t have much time for drawing pictures because the examiner probably won’t give you a good band score no matter how impressive they are. However, if you take a minute or two to draw what you are going to write or speak about will get you thinking again. Use this technique while your IELTS preparation.
This technique will definitely turn out to be the most effective because when we talk to our friends we do not always feel stressed. If you reduce tension, you will be able to concentrate on what you have o write or say. What you have to do is to imagine that you want to explain your point of view or the problem to your friend or a family member if they ask what you think. When you have to write about two different views imagine that your friend has the opposite one and write down what he or she would say.
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You will definitely do better in the Writing section of IELTS Academic if you take some time to familiarize yourself with different types of essays that can appear in the exam, learn and practise useful tips and strategies for each of them.
Students and candidates might often find it difficult to distinguish between two-views-and-opinion essays, opinion essays or advantage and disadvantage essays . However, if you read the task carefully, you will easily identify which type of essay you are supposed to write because questions for two-views-and-opinion essays can be worded in several different ways. For example:
What does this mean? In this type of task, you will have to complete three different tasks:
For example:
The task above looks at two views:
That is why you have to write why people think students should spend equal amount of time on different subjects, and why others consider that it is advisable to spend more time on favourite subjects. Finally, you have to choose one of these opinions and provide reasoning.
It is likely that you will use the wrong structure for your essay if you misidentify the type of the question. It is also one of the reasons why many candidates do not give their opinion, do not provide arguments for both views, or they do not develop both sides of the arguments appropriately, i.e. to an equal extent. These are considered blunders because the question clearly states that one has to give their opinion. Regardless which side you take, give equal attention to both. Providing more weighty reasons for the view you prefer leads to a badly balanced essay and high chances of poor task achievement, i.e. your lower score.
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You might have read about different ways to write a two-views-and-opinion essays but the one we are offering will make you write your essay in a few simple steps.
Step 1. Analyse the task.
As we have mentioned above, you have to read the task carefully. Next, underline the key information in the topic. By doing so you will have a better understanding of what to write about and what you do not need to do.
After that, try to paraphrase the statement for yourself using simple language in order to understand it better.
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Step 2. Map out your essay.
It is important to plan your essay in detail. This will help you outline it properly and provide a good score for the structure and organization.
Since you are going to write about two different views, it is a good idea to brainstorm details and examples to support both sides. These should be reasons to support the views and some examples.
Next, decide on your own opinion. You have to choose whether you support view 1 or view 2. If you can’t choose, go for a balance. Think of details and examples for your opinion as well.
Step 3. Write your essay.
First, write the introduction where you have to introduce the topic, the issue, state your opinion and what will be discussed.
The main body should include 3 paragraphs:
Finally, write the conclusion where you need to summarize views 1 and 2, and restate your opinion.
Step 4. Check your essay.
First of all, pay attention to spelling mistakes. Next, read your essay and look for mistakes you typically make. After that, make sure you do not repeat yourself too much and use proper linking devices to receive a high score for the criterion of Coherence and Cohesion.
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If you use our tips for writing your two-views-and-opinion essay, it will have the following structure:
INTRODUCTION:
|
| MAIN BODY:
Paragraph 1:
Paragraph 2:
Paragraph 3:
|
CONCLUSIONS:
|
In our course , we you will learn how to build all possible types of essays step by step. You will practise brainstorming ideas and writing different parts of the essay, learn useful language to present your ideas and make your essay well-organized and coherent. You will do a lot of writing practice and receive feedback from our IELTS experts. Finally, you will take a mock test that will allow you to feel the taste of a real exam.
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Most questions in the IELTS Academic Writing section fit into a few categories such as opinion essays, discussion essays, problem solution essays, double question essays, advantages & disadvantages essays. What do you have to do if you get the last one? How should you approach advantages & disadvantages essays in the IELTS Writing test? What is the essay structure and the main tips to write it?
You will notice that questions for IELTS advantages and disadvantages essays can be worded in several different ways. However, all of them test your ability to analyse the benefits and drawbacks of a particular matter or problem. For example, you can come across such wordings:
Generally, we can divide advantages & disadvantages essays in two types:
Type 1 asks you to simply discuss the advantages and disadvantages.
Type 2 asks you to discuss the advantages and disadvantages AND give your opinion on whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages or vice versa.
Task 1 does not ask for our opinion, so you should not include this information in your answer. In Task 2, you have to say if the advantages are stronger than the disadvantages. For example, there are a huge number of advantages to learning the news online, but there is one huge disadvantage (reliability and accuracy of information) that stops most people from reading them that way and therefore the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Each of the types of essays requires a different approach.
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There are at least two different ways to write an advantages and disadvantages essay. However, we suggest the best and the easiest ones to complete the task if you get in your IELTS exam.
Do not start writing immediately. First, read the statement and underline key information. This will help you to better understand what you have to write about and what you don’t have to do, i.e. focus on the specific issue.
Next, paraphrase the statement for yourself to understand it better — at this point you can use simple language.
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In both cases you will have to brainstorm the ideas for your essay. Think about the benefits and drawbacks of the issue that you have to write about. Write them down using bullet points. Spend a few minutes on this.
Now, you can choose between thinking about details/examples to illustrate your ideas or starting to write your essay. If you do not have to write about your opinion, you can continue to the next step – writing. However, if you are to give your opinion, think about details/examples to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages, and decide on your opinion as to whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages or vice versa, or they are equally important. It is important to decide what you think before you start writing.
While writing the first type of advantages and disadvantages essay, where you only have to discuss them, you can keep looking back at the task and your plan to give relevant ideas. Choose the best ones only, i.e. those that you can support with details and provide good examples.
First, write the introduction where you have to paraphrase the statement and write what the essay will discuss. For the second type of essay, give your opinion in the introduction as well.
Next, write the main body:
Finally, write the conclusion where you have to summarise advantages and disadvantages. For the second type of essay, restate your opinion as well.
You should look for spelling mistakes, mistakes that you typically make, repetition of vocabulary and linkers etc. Recently, we have written about how to check your IELTS writing and shared a checklist for efficiently editing your writing. It is the fastest way to improve your band score within a few minutes.
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What will your essay look like if you follow our advice? Here are the two possible essay structures for your advantages and disadvantages essay:
| Type 1 | Type 2 |
| INTRODUCTION:
– Paraphrase of the statement – What will be discussed
MAIN BODY: Body paragraph 1 – Topic sentence for advantages – Advantage 1 + Detail/Example – Advantage 2 + Detail/Example
Body paragraph 2 – Topic sentence for disadvantages – Disadvantage 1 + Detail/Example – Disadvantage 2 + Detail/Example
CONCLUSIONS: – Summary of advantages and disadvantages
|
INTRODUCTION:
– Paraphrase of the statement – What will be discussed – Opinion
MAIN BODY: Body paragraph 1 – Topic sentence for advantages – Advantage 1 + Detail/Example – Advantage 2 + Detail/Example
Body paragraph 2 – Topic sentence for disadvantages – Disadvantage 1 + Detail/Example – Disadvantage 2 + Detail/Example
CONCLUSIONS: – Summary of advantages and disadvantages – Opinion |
In our course, we outline the possible structures of different types of essays, provide real examples and model answers. You will also learn and practise writing different parts of the essays step by step. Finally, you will write your own essays and get immediate feedback from our IELTS experts.
Now that you are more confident about IELTS advantages and disadvantages essays, you can practise with our platform and reach the desired band score.
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