Cracking IELTS Writing Task: What You Need to Know

The purpose of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is to assess the language proficiency of individuals who want to study or work in countries where English is the primary language of communication. More than 10,000 organisations worldwide recognise this test. These include educational institutions, employers, professional associations and governments. The test has two versions - Academic and General Training in which you are tested on all the four language skills viz. Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, The  Listening and Speaking tests are the same but the Reading and Writing test formats are different in the two versions.

The IELTS Writing Test

IELTS Writing is a module which most students find difficult to crack, but we at Yuno Learning are here to help you with all that you need to know to ace the IELTS written test. You can also access IELTS writing mock tests on our website to hone your writing skills. But, before we get into that, let’s understand the format of the test. It is a 60-minute test in which you have two tasks to complete, task 1 and task 2. The recommended time for task 1 is 20 minutes and task 2 is 40 minutes. While task 1 is different for the Academic and General Training versions, task 2 is common to both.

• Academic Writing Task 1 - you will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to summarise and report the main features in your own words. This could involve comparing data or describing the stages of a process. 
• General Writing Task 1 -  you will be given a situation and asked to write a letter on it. The style could be formal, semi-formal or informal.
• Writing Task 2 - you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. Although the topics are of general interest,  the questions for Academic task 2 are generally more complex in nature as compared to GT.

Time Management for IELTS Writing

Many students find it difficult to manage their time well in the IELTS Writing module. You have 60 minutes to complete both tasks. Task 2 ie. the essay has double the weightage as compared to task 1 and hence, it is recommended that you utilise 40 minutes of your time to complete the essay and 20 minutes for task 1. The temptation is to start writing immediately but you might end up writing a poorly organised essay with half-baked ideas. You might also write an essay which does not address the topic properly. Hence, it is recommended that you follow the POWER method, not only while doing your IELTS writing practice but also while taking the actual IELTS writing test.  POWER is an acronym which stands for -

Planning

Organising

Writing 

Editing

Revising

1. Planning and Organising - In this stage, for which you could utilise 8 to 10 minutes, ensure that you read, analyse and understand the question well. Decide on your opinion if the question requires you to do so. Next, do some brainstorming to generate the main and supporting ideas and finally, give an outline to your essay by picking up a couple of the significant, important ideas and framing the broad essay structure.  
2. Writing - You then have 25 minutes to write which should be easy to do, considering that you have the ideas and strucure in place.
3. Editing and Revising - Do not undermine the importance of this stage for which you should reserve at least 5 minutes. You use this time to proofread the essay and identify and correct all the mistakes that one tends to make in the flow of writing. If not done, it could cost you - maybe half a band score or even 1 band score, depending on the number of errors.  

What Do I Do to Ensure a High Band Score in IELTS Writing?

Here are some helpful tips to follow that will help you achieve your desired band score in the IELTS written test:

• Remember - there are no right or wrong answers or opinions. IELTS writing is all about your ability to use the English language well, to express your ideas and information. Of course, do ensure that your points are relevant to the question.  
• Read and understand the question well to ensure that you address each aspect of the question in your answer. For instance, if the essay topic asks you to give your opinion, do ensure that your viewpoint on the topic is included in the essay. 
• Take care to achieve the minimum word limit. If you write less than 150 words for Task 1 and less than 250 for Task 2, you will lose marks. At the same time, do not repeat your thoughts simply to achieve the word count. The examiner will not count those words in such a scenario. However, do not write unnecessarily long essays. Focus on quality rather than on quantity. 
• Avoid the note form or writing either of the tasks in bullet points. Your ideas must be organised logically, into paragraphs. Paragraphs give structure to your writing. Express one idea or set of ideas in each paragraph. Sum up the idea/ideas in the first sentence of each paragraph – which becomes the topic sentence. The rest of the paragraph can be supporting explanations, evidence, or examples. 
• In Academic Writing Task 1, the relevant information or data presented in the graph, table or diagram has to be selected and compared in your own language. You are not expected to interpret or give reasons for the data; keep your response factual. 
• While answering Task 2, do ensure that you plan your essay and organise the points into a structure before you start writing. The essay should include an introduction and a conclusion which sums up the main points in your essay. It should also have 2 or 3 body paragraphs with ideas to support one’s opinion and examples to illustrate one’s main points. Do not introduce any new points in the conclusion. 
• Try to avoid repeating the same words in your essays. Use synonyms and antonyms, but of course, words should be used in the right context. Avoid using words of which you are not sure about correct usage. Using collocations is another effective way of ensuring a higher band score. Lastly, do be particular about spelling.
• Avoid writing very long sentences to do well in your Writing test. If sentences are too long, they will become less coherent and also make it harder for you to control the grammar. Be particular about using punctuation correctly as well as all other aspects of grammar. Use simple, compound and complex sentences and a range of tense types as also the active and passive voice.  

Practice is Key

Whether you are preparing for the IELTS Academic or General exam, practice is key.

Any preparation is incomplete until it is well supported with good practice. One of the best ways to practice is to solve as many IELTS sample questions as possible as it  makes you aware of the type of questions asked on various topics and  also makes you aware of your weak areas which you need to work on. Practising keeps you focused on what you want to do. As Martha Graham said, ”Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired”. Hence, if you are persistent and consistent in practice, you will surely be able to refine your writing skills and achieve your desired IELTS band score. 

The IELTS Writing Mock Test

On the Yuno Learning website, you will find several IELTS Writing Mock Tests to practice questions pertaining to Writing Tasks 1 and 2. We have taken care to ensure  that the questions are very similar to those that come up in the actual IELTS exam. We have also added two sample answers along with each writing task - one that warrants a high band score and one low band score answer. This will help you understand the difference between a good and an average answer, so you can prepare better. You can access the  IELTS Practice Tests  absolutely free of cost on the Yuno Learning platform.  

We also have additional study material in the form of videos, documents, practice tests and assignments that can be used for IELTS preparation at home. Access our  Free IELTS Preparation Materials to supplement your IELTS preparation course . We continue to add new learning resources on this page to ensure that the information you access is up to date.

We, at Yuno Learning, offer a wide range of courses to suit your timelines, budget and convenience.  So what are you waiting for? Visit Yuno Learning for the  Best IELTS Online Coaching. Enrol in one of our courses to do your best in the IELTS test and fulfil your goal to study, work or live abroad.