Most of the students and candidates consider this type of questions in IELTS Reading to be the trickiest. Have you already guessed which one it is? They are ‘True-False-Not Given’ or ‘Yes-No-Not Given’ questions. You must admit that it would be good if there were only true and false statements. However, what shall we do with the third option? Such questions often cause problems because of the difficulty in understanding the difference between answers that are ‘false’ or ‘not given’. Today, we are going to share some tricks and show some patterns that will help you find answers to those questions without much effort.

Almost all tests contain such questions, and chances are high that you will have them in your reading exam as well. Usually, True-False-Not Given questions come in the first passage, which is believed to be the easiest one, or sometimes in the second. Yes-No-Not Given questions appear in the second or the third passage most of the time. There are 3 to 5 questions of this type in a set, and you have to use all the answers.

Understanding the questions

What do we have to do for this type of questions? In the exam, you will get the paper where there will be the article you need to read and the questions. Here is the official sample task from the IELTS Academic exam.

READ ABOUT: How to deal with multiple choice questions in IELTS Reading

As you can see, each question is a statement. You need to look at that statement, read through the passage, and decide if this information is in the passage:

• if you can find the information in the text, then the answer is ‘TRUE’;
• if the information in the passage is opposite to the statement, then it is ‘FALSE’;
• if you cannot find the information as you’ve read through the passage, the answer is ‘NOT GIVEN’. Why? It is simply because that you cannot tell if the statement is true or false from looking at the text or the information to make the decision as regards true or false is not there.

One more thing to remember is that ‘True-False-Not Given’ questions are about factual information while the ‘Yes-No-Not Given’ questions are all about the writer’s opinion.

Those are the basic requirements of this type of questions. Read further, and we will look at the difference between ‘True’, ‘False’ and ‘Not Given’ as well as at some examples.

4 steps to take before giving the answer

The action plan for tackling ‘Yes-No-Not Given’ and ‘True-False-Not Given’ questions is exactly the same.

Step 1. Read the passage for a general idea. 

This is a step for all types of questions in IELTS Reading if they go first in the passage. It helps you find answers to questions in it more easily later on when you will need to read in detail the part of the text where you think the answer is.

Step 2. Look at the first statement and underline the keywords.

For example: Marie became interested in science when she was a child.

Step 3. Locate and choose the answer in the passage.

For this, you will need to scan the text and find similar words and synonyms in it. The same words help locate facts in the passage. Synonyms help us choose the answer.

The only paragraph where we can read about her childhood, goes like this:

Step 4. Read carefully and choose T, F or NG.

Now, let us read more carefully and watch out for the synonyms or the opposite meanings to choose the answer.

‘From childhood’ has the same meaning as ‘when she was a child’. Then we read about ‘medical studies’ which is also related to ‘interested in science’. However, does this information coincide with what we read in the statement? No, it doesn’t. Does the passage say anything that contradicts with our statement? Not really. What we can learn about Marie as a child is that she ‘was remarkable for her prodigious memory’, and it was her sister whose medical studies Marie financed. Can we find any information about what she was interested in when she was younger? No, we can’t. What does this mean? The answer is simply NOT GIVEN in the reading passage.

After you have chosen the answer, return to Step 2 with the rest of the statements and follow the same procedure.

In our course, we look at more examples in detail and analyse various answers for this type of questions in the IELTS Reading exam. Our IELTS experts share other useful tips on tackling ‘True-False-Not Given’ questions. Join our course if you want to know all of them and skyrocket your IELTS result.

Other things to remember

• Questions may not be in order but in most tests they are.
• Names and dates help locate the correct answers too. Highlight them whenever you see them.
• Look for synonyms and paraphrasing. You already know that you are not going to find exactly the same words in the passage.
• If you can’t find the answer to the question, mark it as ‘NOT GIVEN’. Usually, you cannot find it because it is not given. Do not waste too much time on any single question and move on.
• Remember what type of question you are answering. Don’t write ‘False’ instead of ‘No’, or ‘Yes’ instead of ‘True’. Read instructions carefully and keep them in mind.
• Do not overthink. This type of questions is not about your background knowledge. It is about what is in the text. Once you have found the answer, go for it.

Recently we have written about checking you IELTS Writing.

In the IELTS Listening test, there are questions where you need to complete gaps in a form, a table or notes. These types of questions usually appear in Parts 1 and 4 of the Listening section. This means, there are very high chances you can get them in your test, and it is important to know how to deal with them in order to get a higher score.

They can appear in many different forms but will always be a gap fill activity of some sort where you have to fill in missing words. Today, we will look closer at notes, sample questions, and give you some strategies and tips for note completion questions in IELTS Listening.

What are notes?

In real life, we often take notes to remember information, which is important to us. Talking about the IELTS Listening section, if you take notes you will know what the speakers have discussed and you will be able to provide the right answers. So, what kind of things should we write down? Notes contain such things as:

• key words / phrases
• lists
• headings / subheadings
• numbers / bullet points
• names / surnames
• places/times/prices
• addresses, telephone numbers
• stages etc.

What they do not contain is full sentences. Often, notes are grammatically incorrect or awkward as they do not conform to the rules or principles of grammar or accepted usage.

In the IELTS Listening section, the note/table is usually about the main points discussed in the conversations or monologues. For example, in part 4, the main points are often important academic concepts and details.

READ ABOUR: Key facts you need to know about IELTS Listening

How to complete notes

Step 1. Read the title, the form (table, notes) and the instructions. Understand the general idea and how many words to write.

This is the very first thing you have to do in order to complete this type of task. Look at the title, the information in the form, and the instructions. You will learn many things by doing so. You should read the instructions very carefully as the number of words or numbers you should write might vary. For example:

• ‘ONE WORD ONLY’ means that you have to write only one word. If you write ‘a professor’ your answer is wrong; write ‘professor’.
• ‘ONE WORD AND / OR A NUMBER’ means that your answer can be a number, a word or a number and a word. For example: ‘December’, or ‘15th’, or ‘15th December’.
• ‘NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS’ requires you to write one word, two words or three words.

Let us have a look at the Listening sample task below and think what we can learn from the form:

Taken from https://www.ielts.com

From the title of the form, we know that the conversation is going to be between a customer and a manager, and the customer probably wants to send something in the container. In the form, we also read about details such as name, address, size of the container and cost. The instructions say that we can write up to three words and / or a number. Can we write 4 words in the gap? The answer is ‘No’.

READ ABOUT: IELTS Academic Writing topics in 2020 

Step 2. Read around the gaps. Predict what kinds of words or numbers are missing.

After you have got the general idea about the conversation, it is time to look closer at the gaps you have to fill. Look at the words on the left and on the right, and try to predict the answer. This will help you stay more focused while listening and select the appropriate information.

For example:

• Question 1. There is a name of the customer. So, probably, you will have to fill in the gap with the surname, won’t you?
• Question 2. We can see the address of the college, but we don’t know its name. Shall we listen for it?
• Question 3. It is a postcode. There can be only numbers, letters or combinations of both.
• Questions 4 and 5. We know the length of the container. It is 1.5 m. This means that the height and the width can be given in the same measurement. You will have to write numbers and letters/words here.
• Questions 6 and 7 are the items of the list of things in the container. These will probably be nouns or noun phrases up to three words.
• Question 8 is the price of the shipping. Write the amount of money the customer will have to pay to the company.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

READ ABOUT: Get ready for IELTS Listening

Step 3. Listen and fill in the gaps.

Listen carefully to the conversation and complete the gaps. Remember, in such type of task you have to write the exact words or numbers you hear. Don’t forget to check that they fit the gap: the right meaning and the right grammar. Here are some tips to help you.

• Pay attention to the way letters are pronounced. Names of people, streets, companies will be spelt letter by letter, but only once. Some candidates often confuse such letters as A and R, E and I, C and S in spelling.
• Speakers often paraphrase information in the recording or use synonyms. That is why you should listen for the same meaning, not only the same words. For example:

width → 0.75 metres wide

height → 0.5 metres high or deep

If you have time before the recording starts, identify key words or phrases in the question that are likely to be replaced by synonyms and think of some that might be used.

• Watch out for distractors. A distractor is a word or a phrase that changes or corrects the original piece of information given. For example, when the customer is talking about the size of the box, he mentions the length first: ‘it’s 1.5 m long’. If you haven’t read the notes, you may well write this number into gap 4 or 5.
• Use capital and small letters appropriately. In the English language, there are many words which start with capital letters, such as names, surnames, days of the week, or names of months etc. If you’re in doubt about all the rules, write all words in all capitals:

June — JUNE

Smith — SMITH

• Write numbers and digits properly:

Thousands are written with a comma: 1,000.

Fractions are used with a full stop: 0.5 / 0.75.

Dates can be written in many ways, but we recommend that you choose the easiest correct format: day — month — year, for example, 15 July 2003, without ‘th’ at the end of fifteen.

Measurements can be written in short: ‘m’ for metres, km for kilometres, kg for kilograms.

• Use visual aids to your advantage. If there is a visual, use the information from it to answer the questions from the task.

In our course, we will provide you with all the necessary tips to complete this type of task and you will do a lot of listening practice. You will also save all the tips in a Knowledge Bank and will be able to return to them any time you want. Our experts will explain all the nuances of notes completion in video lessons, so you will be confident about scoring high at IELTS Listening.

Step 4. Quickly check that you have all answers. Move on to reading the next part of your listening test.

This is the shortest but the most important step. Do not leave blank answers. Even if the exam looks difficult, choose your best guess and maximize your chances of scoring high.

Recently, we have written about 8 strategies to achieve a perfect score in IELTS Listening.

Suppose you have finished writing Task 1 and Task 2 on the day of the IELTS exam in less than 60 minutes. Even so, have you completed the IELTS Writing? The answer is ‘no’ unless you have checked your writing for mistakes. This step is crucial in completing IELTS Writing tasks. It is also one of the most effective ways to improve your band score. Why? Within a few minutes, you can correct your mistakes or change sentences you have written. You are able to fix these mistakes if you know what to look for. Here is the checklist for efficiently editing your writing.

Grammar

• Verb tenses. In Writing Task 1, the tenses you use must match the time frame in the graph. Also check if they are consistent in your essay.
• Articles. They are the most common mistake candidates make in their writing. Make sure you use them appropriately.
• Subject-verb agreement. Even candidates at upper-intermediate and advanced levels make this common mistake. It is also a basic mistake that examiners will penalise more heavily. For example:

The list of items is/are on the desk.

If you know that ‘list’ is the subject, then you will choose ‘is’ for the verb.

• Parts of speech. This is another low level mistake, but even stronger candidates might make it. Make sure you use nouns, verbs and adjectives when needed. For example:

When performance on a regular basis, such workouts allow people to strong their immune system and increase metabolism, thus becoming healthier.

‘Performance’ is a noun. However, in the sentence above it was used as a verb instead of ‘perform’. ‘Strong’ is a noun, but the candidate has used it instead of a verb ‘strengthen’.

• Range of sentence structures. It might sound surprising, but if you want to achieve a higher band, you should vary your sentence structures. However, use them properly.

READ ABOUT: 6 typical mistakes in IELTS essays

Vocabulary

• Spelling. Many test-takers make spelling mistakes because a lot of English words are spelt differently than they sound. They have double letters, e.g. accommodation, recommend, opportunity, disappointment, necessary, different, silent letters, e.g. environment, night, letters that are difficult to predict from the sound, e.g. negotiate, choice etc.

The British and American spellings of many English words are also different. For instance:

colour (BrE) — color (AmE)

centre (BrE) — center (AmE)

litre (BrE) — liter (AmE)

theatre (BrE) — theater (AmE)

neighbor (BrE) — neighbor (AmE)

While both of them are equally correct, choose one and stick to it.

• Repetition. Looking for repetition is perhaps the area where you can most improve your writing. That is because it is quite easy to see if you repeat some words and substitute them with synonyms. The more varied your language is, the higher band you can achieve.

READ ABOUT: 10 typical mistakes in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

Coherence

Candidates often skip this important aspect of their writing and simply do not check it. However, it accounts for a large part of your score.

• Overview. Make sure you have written an overview of main trends and described the key features of the graph in IELTS Writing Task 1.
• Topic sentences and paragraph development. In you essay, each paragraph starts with a topic sentence that clearly relates to the question, and you developed it by providing explanations and examples. In Task 1, this includes having enough detailed information and facts.
• Linking words. They introduce opinions, add information, show contrast, change topics etc. Make sure you manage them well and use where necessary.

READ ABOUT: How to link ideas in IELTS essays

Punctuation

• The beginning of the sentence should always start with a capital letter and end with a full stop.
• Do not use exclamation marks. They should NEVER be used in academic writing.
• An apostrophe can be used only to indicate possessions. Do not use contractions and short forms of verbs in academic writing.
• Use commas to separate parts of sentences to avoid any confusion in the meaning.
• Write proper names with capital letters.

If you know that you often make some kind of mistakes, check your writing for them too. Be sure you check for one type of mistake at a time, because you might get confused if you check all of them at once.

Spend from 3 to 5 minutes at the end of the IELTS Writing section. That is because while writing, we tend not to see our mistakes.

In our course, we have included every single type of IELTS Academic Writing task. Each is followed by a certain strategy — you learn what to do step by step (analyse the task, plan your response, write, and check). You also develop your other skills necessary for the IELTS exam. At the end of the course, do a full mock test in Writing and Speaking and get feedback from one of our IELTS experts.

In the IELTS Reading exam, there are several types of questions. Multiple choice are one of them. They regularly appear in both modules of the test: General and Academic. Most candidates tackle them with no effort. However, they might be quite tricky. That is why it does not take much effort for candidates and students of IELTS to pick up the wrong answer.
Today, we will look at some useful tips that will help you find correct answers and achieve high score at the IELTS Reading exam.

What is the task about?

In such type of task, you will have to read the first half of a sentence, a statement or a question about the text, and choose the most appropriate sentence ending, response or answer from a choice of a number of options (usually 4 or 7). The instructions can be set out like this:

This type of question tests if you can:

• understand the main idea of each paragraph
• scan for specific information
• read for details to differentiate between several possible answers

The answers for such type of questions in the Reading sections are very likely to come in order. Bare this in mind when reading the questions and scanning for information. Therefore, the strategy you will need to use is scanning. If more than one answer is possible, read in detail.

Key tips

Tip # 1. Read the passage quickly. Spend around 2 minutes on this. It will help you get general idea, and look at the organization of the paragraph, especially if multiple choice questions are the first questions to a passage.

Tip # 2. Read the questions/ statements/ incomplete sentences. However, do not read the options yet. Next, underline the keywords in it and ‘translate’ it into simple English. What does this mean? Make sure you understand the question.

For example:

TASK

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

One of the facts provided in David Storey’s study suggests that …

READ ABOUT: 6 typical mistakes in IELTS essays

Tip # 3. Scan the passage and locate the question. Use quick reading, keywords and proper names from the question to look for the information in the text.

For example:

TASK

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

One of the facts provided in David Storey’s study suggests that …

TEXT

If the job market grows more flexible, the old may find more jobs that suit them. Often, they will be self-employed. Sometimes, they may start their own businesses: a study by David Storey of Warwick University found that in Britain 70% of businesses started by people over 55 survived, compared with an overall national average of only 19%. But whatever pattern of employment they choose, in the coming years the skills of these ‘grey workers’ will have to be increasingly acknowledged and rewarded.

Tip # 4. Look for the answer to the question in the passage. Once you have found it, underline it. You will need it further.

READ ABOUT: 25 phrasal verbs to avoid in IELTS Academic Writing

Tip # 5. Return to the options. Now, it is time to read the options that the task suggests and compare them with the answer you have underlined in the passage. Choose the one you think is the best.

Tip # 6. If in doubt, check all the options critically. You might still hesitate. So, it’s a good idea to think why the other options are wrong and cross them out. These options are, as a rule, not related to the topic.

Tip # 7. Watch out for distractors. In the Reading section of the IELTS, they are the same words that you can see in the options and in the paragraph. In fact, they may be there only to distract you. The meaning of the sentence that contains such words is usually different from the correct answer.

Now you know how to tackle multiple choice questions in IELTS Reading. You may use our tips as an action plan even if you have to choose more than one option. In this case, go through steps 1 – 4. Next, read the options. Compare with the passage. Choose the number of options you need. After that proceed with steps 6 and 7.

In our course, we will explore multiple choice questions in more detail, look at examples and work out more useful tips. You will save all the advice you get in a Knowledge Bank, receive instant feedback, develop other skills like listening, speaking and extensively work on your academic writing, track your progress and a full mock Speaking and Writing tests with a detailed feedback from IELTS preparation experts.

Recently, we have written about IELTS Reading key facts.

Many candidates and students struggle with the IELTS Reading section. Difficulties appear because they might not be aware of the essentials of the Reading test, such as time, number of questions and types of texts, and some other basic, but indispensable facts. However, good news is if you are reading this blog, you still have some time to correct your mistakes and change the route of your preparation towards passing the IELTS exam successfully. Below, we are going to discuss everything you need to know about IELTS Reading as well as everything you need not to get lost on the day of the exam.

Key facts

1. The tasks are different in each module of the IELTS test: General and Academic. You will take the exam together with other candidates regardless the module. As you already know, you will do the Listening section in the same room. Right after that, you will remain seated and proceed with the Reading and Writing sections. Candidates do not change the rooms until the end of the test.

2. The types of questions in both modules of IELTS Reading are basically the same. This means that the IELTS Reading sections in general and academic modules differ only in contents. For example, you may need to:

• fill in gaps in sentences, tables and diagrams;
• choose correct options in multiple-choice questions;
• match paragraphs with headings.

We will look specifically at all question types and give you lots of useful tips in our course.

3. The duration of the IELTS Reading test is 60 minutes. You have to manage your time properly in order to complete all tasks. Try to spend no more than 20 minutes on each part of the test (there are 3 of them). However, you will notice that the first part is usually shorter. So, it is recommended to spend less time on it if you want to complete the rest of the tasks in time.

4. In IELTS Reading, you have to answer 40 questions. All of them are divided into several texts with different levels of difficulty. That is why some of the questions might seem easier, and others will look more difficult. Your task is to answer all of them.

5. Texts for IELTS General Training and Academic Training come from different sources. If you are taking IELTS Academic, you should get used to reading texts from books, journals, magazines and newspapers written for a non-specialist audience. At least one text contains detailed logical argument. They may also contain non-verbal materials such as diagrams, graphs or illustrations. If texts contain technical terms, a simple glossary is provided. That is because most IELTS Academic test-takers enter undergraduate or postgraduate courses or seek professional registration, and they are going to deal with these kinds of texts further in their studies or work.

READ ABOUT: IELTS Reading tips and resources

Those who take IELTS General should prepare themselves for ‘social survival’, i.e. you have to understand general factual information, such as timetables or notices. The texts are also about ‘workplace survival’ where you have to read a job description or staff development materials, for example. And the last part involves reading newspapers, magazines and fictional and non-fictional book extracts, i.e. is about general context.

6. You will have no extra time to transfer your answers. Remember that you have to do everything in 60 minutes. Be very attentive when writing answers on the answer sheet as poor spelling and grammar are penalised.

7. You can get a maximum of 40 points for IELTS Reading. Each correct answer is worth 1 mark. After that they are translated into IELTS 9 band scale. In the tables below you can see the average number of marks required to achieve a particular band score in Academic Reading and General Training Reading.

and

General tips on IELTS Reading

Now, when you are already aware of the structure of the IELTS Reading test and know what to expect, here are some helpful tips from our IELTS experts:

Tip #1. You should read not only the texts but also the instructions. Always check how many words you need to write, and how many options to choose in each question.

Tip #2. Do not even try to understand every single word. You will waste precious time and fail to find the answers to the questions, which is your goal, isn’t it? It’s a good idea to scan the text and find the necessary information such as keywords. Then, read this part of the text more carefully.

Tip #3. Do not get stuck if you can’t find the answer. If you spend too much time on the question you cannot answer, you are likely not to finish in time. Simply skip it and return to it later.

Tip #4. Do not leave blank answers. You have to answer all 40 questions. You will not get any penalties for choosing the wrong answer. If you are not sure, try any option that seems most appropriate. Chances are you can get it right.

Tip #5. Complete the answer sheet after each part. Once you are done with the first text, for example, transfer your answers. Then, proceed to the next task. This will help you save time and finish your test before it’s too late.

You will learn more useful tips and tricks in our complete IELTS Academic Writing self-study course with video lessons on all parts of the test, including reading strategies, sample tasks, feedback from IELTS experts, and a detailed self-study plan from 1 week to 2 months. Register for a free trial now or buy the full course and get access to all parts of the IELTS preparation.

READ ABOUT: 6 typical mistakes in IELTS essays

Students and test-takers find Listening to be a rather difficult part of IELTS. However, knowing what to expect when you get into the room on the day of your IELTS exam is your major advantage. We have collected the key information about the format of the test, question types, marking tips and scoring of the IELTS Listening test to give you more confidence about it. In this article, you will learn how much time IELTS Listening takes, number of questions and parts, what happens in each part and how listening is scored.

Fact #1

There are two modules of the IELTS test: General and Academic. Regardless of the module, the Listening test will be the same. The candidates who take either module of the IELTS exam arrive at the same venue on the same day, and sit the exam in the same room. They also listen to the same recordings and fill out the same answer sheets. Both modules differ in content only in the Writing and Reading sections of the test. That is why the assumption that IELTS General is easier is partially wrong.

Fact #2

The duration of the Listening section is 30 minutes. However, candidates who have chosen paper-based test will have 10 minutes to transfer their answers into the answer sheet. In a computer-based test, you will have 2 minutes to check your answers.

Fact #3

In IELTS Listening you have to answer 40 questions. There are 40 questions and 4 parts of the Listening test, 10 questions per each part. Before 2020, parts of Listening used to be called sections. That is why you may still see this word in practice tests. However, you don’t need to worry, the difference is only in the name.

Fact #4

You are not expected to have a detailed knowledge of the topics. Many candidates fear to fail because they do not know anything about engineering, pharmacology or paleontology, for instance. However, IELTS checks your listening skills, not your knowledge of the topic:

· your ability to understand main ideas and detailed factual information;

· if you can differentiate opinions and attitudes of speakers;

· if you understand the purpose of an utterance;

· your ability to follow the development of ideas.

READ ABOUT: Which IELTS should you take: general or academic?

Fact #5

Each part has a fixed format. First two parts of the test relate to social situations, while parts three and four relate to educational and training situations.

In Part 1, you will hear a conversation between two speakers on a general topic. For example, someone wants to buy a house or someone is applying for a job.

Part 2 has a monologue, again on a general situation from real life. For instance, a person is giving instructions to new company employees, or a guide is telling people about a museum.

In Part 3, there is a conversation with up to 4 people involved. They talk on an academic topic, for instance, the professor and the students discuss the project they are working on as a part of studies.

In Part 4, you will listen to a lecture. One person will be talking about a scientific or academic subject, for example, about the impact of global warming etc.

Fact #6

There are certain types of questions in IELTS Listening. Tasks you can get in each part of this section may differ. There are some common types of questions you may come across and need to know how to answer:

· Matching

· Multiple choice

· Note, form, table, diagram or flow-chart completion

· Sentence completion

· Summary completion

· Short answer questions

· Labeling a plan or a map

READ ABOUT: How to get ready for IELTS Listening

Fact #7

You have time to read the questions before listening. Once the Listening test starts you will open your test paper and read the instructions. They are short, clear and easy to follow. Read them carefully. Many of them state the number of words you have to write. For example:

Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER

or

Write ONE WORD ONLY

or

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

You will also have some time to read the questions before you actually listen to the recording. This is one of the advantages of the IELTS test. However, don’t read too far ahead. You should read only the questions for the part of the audio you are about to listen to. Moreover, in the recording, you will also hear what questions you have to answer.

At the end of each part of the IELTS Listening test, you’ll hear the following instruction: ‘You now have half a minute to check your answers.’ Use this time to read the questions of the part that follows.

Fact #8

Candidates can get maximum 40 points for the Listening test. One mark is awarded for each correct answer in the 40-item test. Write your answers carefully on the answer sheet because poor spelling and grammar are penalized and are likely to reduce your score.

The table below indicates the average number of marks required to achieve a particular band score in Listening:

Now, you are aware of what the IELTS Listening test is like, and you are already at an advantage. To get more confidence, learn more tips and tricks, do practice tasks and get feedback from experienced tutors join our IELTS Academic Writing self-study course and get access to Listening, Speaking and Reading preparation parts as soon as the course updates are released.

Recently, we have written about mobile apps for IELTS preparation.

When it comes to IELTS Writing, we want to avoid making typical mistakes. However, shall we care only about spelling, punctuation or grammar? Or are there any other things considered to be mistakes in IELTS essays?

The truth is, it is possible to prevent stumbling when you are still preparing for the exam. Knowing what one should not do is as important as knowing what to do. That is why we have selected 6 most common issues arising when candidates do Task 2 in the IELTS Writing. We will discuss them further and give you some tips on how to deal with them and receive the best band score for your essay.

1. Not reading the task carefully.

Usually, the task contains the keywords that tell us what to write about and what things to do in the task. Let’s underline the keywords in the following task. For example:

Nowadays many people in cities live alone. What are the reasons for it? Is it a positive or a negative trend?

If we analyse the task carefully, we will see that it consists of three parts:

• writing on the topic: people in cities live alone;
• giving reasons for it, i.e. writing why people live in cities on their own;
• giving opinion whether it is a positive or a negative trend.

Not reading the task carefully might lead to not understanding and not addressing the task further in your essay, i.e. you will not be able to achieve more than band 3. According to IELTS TASK 2 Writing band descriptors, the candidate ‘whose answer is completely unrelated to the task’ or ‘does not adequately address any part of the task’ cannot get a high score. If you aim at 7+, you must ‘address all parts of the task’.

This also means that you have to write only what you are asked to write about in the task, and you should not go off topic. As you can see from the example above, you have to write about ‘people living in cities alone’, but not about ‘big and small cities’ or ‘people living alone’ or ‘living in cities’ etc.

2. Not giving any examples.

It is not enough only to make your point in the essay, but you also have to explain it. For example, if you write why something happens, explain why it is important and/or give an example of it. Examples help you support and develop your ideas.

Again, IELTS TASK 2 Writing band descriptors clarify that in order to achieve the score higher than 7 a candidate has not only to ‘present a clear position throughout the response’ but also ‘extend and support main ideas’ that are ‘relevant, fully extended and well-supported’.

You can give examples from your own experience. However, write them as if they are about the society or a group of people, not you personally.

For instance:

There are two main reasons for modern city dwellers to stay alone. Firstly, (REASON 1) they tend to devote most of their lifetime to career development and self-improvement. As a result, (EXPLANATION) they become too obsessed with the goals they want to achieve, and there is little time left for private life.

Or

People suffering from a cold, for instance, may be tempted by the promise of a quick recovery in an online advertisement. However, they are not aware of potential side effects of such a drug that may follow.

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3. Not stating opinions clearly.

It is important to state your opinion in the introduction and restate it in the conclusion of your essay. According to the descriptors, you have to ‘present a clear position throughout the response’, i.e. the reader (the examiner) has to understand what you think and be able to follow your ideas throughout the whole essay. You can also provide short summaries at the end of body paragraphs if it really makes sense.

For example:

INTRODUCTION: Today, many city residents tend to live on their own for a number of obvious reasons, which will be elaborated on in this essay. Personally, I believe that this trend has both upsides and downsides.

BODY PARAGRAPHS

CONCLUSION: To conclude, while I am of the opinion that there are both advantages and disadvantages to living alone in a large city, this trend, for the reasons given above, is likely to develop further.

4. Not organizing your ideas in paragraphs and not linking them properly.

In IELTS essays, you have to not only present your ideas but also arrange the information and ideas. This also means that the essay should be divided into paragraphs, and each paragraph ‘presents a clear central topic’. Moreover, they have to be logically linked so that the reader (the examiner) could follow them.

While planning your essay, keep looking back at the task to give only relevant ideas, decide on the number of paragraphs. It is also good to brainstorm ideas and details/examples to answer questions, and take notes. Choose only those ideas that you are sure you can develop and explain in your essay. It should consist of:

• introduction
• body paragraph 1 (key point, explanation/example)
• body paragraph 2 (key point, explanation/example)
• conclusion

There are many ways to link your ideas logically and make your essay more coherent. For example:

Daily workouts in a gym are widely considered to be the most effective method of keeping fit. Personally, I partially support this view, as despite having a beneficial effect on human body, such exercise may not suit everyone. In addition, there is a variety of other ways to achieve similar results.

On the one hand, gym classes can bring impressive results in terms of physical development. When performed on a regular basis, such workouts allow people to strengthen their immune system and increase metabolism, thus becoming healthier. Additionally, gym classes help people shape their body, lose excessive weight and, as a result, become more attractive.

This view – refers to ‘Daily workouts … considered to be the most effective method of keeping fit’.

Such exercise – ‘daily workouts’.

On the one hand… – shows us there are two different views/opinions.

Additionally… – adds more information about ‘gym classes’.

As a result… – means you are going to describe the consequences etc.

As you may see, linkers can introduce opinions, add information, show contrast, change topics etc. We use them in almost every sentence. Therefore, it is important to manage them well. In our course, you will learn lots of cohesive devices and practice using them in your essays, keep them in a Knowledge Bank to have at hand.

5. Not using a variety of language.

If you want to write a good essay, you should avoid repetition and ‘use a wide range of vocabulary’ and ‘use a wide range of structures’ as the descriptors say. This means that it is necessary to pay attention to the vocabulary and grammar you use.

While planning your essay, think of the synonyms that can be used properly and in the correct context for it. However, in some topics we cannot use a different synonym in each sentence. In this case, you have to ‘dilute’ them with other expressions or words. For example:

‘On the one hand, gym classes can bring impressive results in terms of physical development. When performed on a regular basis, such workouts allow people to strengthen their immune system and increase metabolism, thus becoming healthier. Additionally, gym classes help people shape their body, lose excessive weight and, as a result, become more attractive.’

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6. Not checking your essay.

This is the last and very important step in completing IELTS Writing Task 2. It is also the fastest way to improve your band score because only in five minutes you can correct your mistakes or change sentences you have written. If you are aiming at 7+, you have to ‘produce frequent error-free sentences’, i.e. at least half of the sentences in your essay must not contain any mistakes.

Do check your essay for:

• spelling;
• your typical mistakes;
• repetition of vocabulary and linkers;
• grammar and punctuation.

You are able to fix these mistakes, especially if you know the types of mistakes you commonly make.

As you can see, there are many other items to consider when writing IELTS essays. However, all of the issues can be easily tackled, and now you know how to do it effectively. All of them and even more are covered in our IELTS Academic Writing self-study course with detailed analysis, automated instant feedback on writing using artificial intelligence, video comments and a full mock test imitating the conditions of a real exam. You can try the free version to feel the benefits of the course.

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.

Understand the requirements for both tasks

The IELTS examiners use detailed performance descriptors when assessing your writing. They include: 

• Task achievement (25 percent);
• Coherence and cohesion (25 percent);
• Lexical resource (25 percent); 
• Grammatical range and accuracy (25 percent).

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.

Start practicing as early as possible

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.

Always make an outline

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.

Focus on language

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!

Don’t forget about timing and word count

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.