HOW TO GET A HIGH SCORE IN IELTS WRITING TASK 2

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HOW TO GET A HIGH SCORE IN IELTS WRITING TASK 2 - THE 4 BAND DESCRIPTORS

As you may know, in IELTS you are given a score between 1 and 9. A score of 9 is the highest possible. You will get a band score for each section of the exam (listening, reading, writing, speaking). In this article, I will explain the what the examiner needs to see in your IELTS task 2 essay and give you some tips on how you can improve your score.

THE 4 BAND DESCRIPTORS FOR IELTS WRITING TASK 2

For writing task 2, the examiner will give a score in 4 areas;

Grammar.
Lexical resource(vocabulary).
Task response.
Coherence and cohesion.

1. GRAMMAR

Put simply, the examiner will think about two things when assessing your grammar:

1. Is your grammar accurate?

2. Do you use a range of (different types of) grammar?

TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR SCORE IN GRAMMAR

1. Avoid errors!

If you make many simple grammatical errors in your IELTS writing task 2 essay, you will not get a high score. Common errors here include:

Forgetting to add 's' on plural nouns.
Using punctuation incorrectly.
Using the wrong verb form, especially for plural/singular subjects For example, 'Children goes' should read 'Children go'.

One of the best ways to improve your grammatical errors is to have grammarly identify your grammatical errors. Then, you should correct your errors and take note of them. The next time you write an essay, you should pay attention to those errors and avoid making them. Grammarly is an excellent writing checking tool and ,as it is free, I recommend that you sign up.

2. Use a range of sentence structures

Only using simple structures and short sentences will not get you a lot of marks for grammar. You need to show the examiner your knowledge by using some more complex sentences and structures.

You should try to make your sentences more descriptive by using relative clauses(who, when, which, whose, that, when).

You should also form complex sentences by using linking words such as 'although'.

Finally, including some sentences in a passive voice is another great way to show the examiner your knowledge of grammar.

2. LEXICAL RESOURCE (VOCABULARY)

Similar to grammar, the examiner will think about two things when assessing your vocabulary:

1. Is your vocabulary accurate/suitable?

2. Do you use a range of vocabulary?

TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR SCORE IN LEXICAL RESOURCE

1. Don't repeat the same words

Many students get a low score for vocabulary, not because they do not know a lot of vocabulary but because they repeat the same words over and over again. It is therefore essential to use synonyms.

2. Paraphrase the question

Lower level students tend to repeat the words in the questions in their own answers. This will lose you marks for vocabulary. Instead, you should try paraphrase the question(use synonyms). You can increase your vocabulary for this area by using a thesaurus.

3. Use some less-common vocabulary

IELTS covers a broad range of topics and it essential that you have vocabulary to write about a range of topics. It is a good idea to spend some time making vocabulary lists for common topics. You do not need to know hundreds of words for each topic but knowing and using a few keywords related to each topic will help to increase your score. There is no shortcut here and it will take some time to expand your vocabulary.

You should use a notebook to write down some keywords. Higher level students(you!) should aim to learn 6-10 new words per day. Below are some great sources for learning less common words for IELTS writing.

-News articles

Yes, new articles! IELTS task 2 writing topics are often similar to those dealt with in News articles. Instead of keeping up-to-date in your native language, you should read an English newspaper and note down the meaning of new words. Make this a daily habit and you will see your range of vocabulary increase dramatically.

-National Geographic

National geographic is one of the best resources for IELTS students who want to expand their vocabulary and indeed, learn more about the world around us. The articles posted on this site will not only give less-common vocabulary but will also provide you with ideas for your essays. This is an essential resource. Check it out here.

4. Keep your vocabulary formal

Academic writing is formal and your choice of words should reflect that. Stay away from idioms and slang in writing.

5. Pay attention to spelling

Spelling is also marked in IELTS writing. Don't throw away marks by making spelling mistakes. Once again, grammarly can help to check your spelling.

3. TASK RESPONSE

This assesses whether you answer the question fully, or not. Although this sounds simple, students often fail to get high marks in this area.

TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR SCORE IN TASK RESPONSE

1. Read the question carefully and highlight keywords

It is essential that you read the question carefully before you begin planning. Many students don't do this and write about the topic in general rather than answering the question. Typically, an IELTS task 2 question will have 2-3 key words. You should highlight these and brainstorm ideas that relate to all keywords.

2. Don't give lists

Giving lists of ideas is not a good idea. Each paragraph should contain 2-3 ideas. These ideas should be supported by examples, explanations, consequences, reasons or results. Make sure all of you supporting information relates to the keywords in the question.

4. COHERENCE AND COHESION

Coherence relates to the structure (organisation of your essay and organisation of information within paragraphs) and of your writing. This is assessed at a paragraph level.

Cohesion relates to the 'smoothness' of your writing or how naturally you connect ideas. This is assessed at a sentence level.

The examiner will think about the following things when assessing your coherence and cohesion.

1. Is your essay organised logically?

2. Do you use linking words well?

3. Do you reference?

TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR SCORE IN PRONUNCIATION

1. Organise your essay into 4 paragraphs

Using paragraphs is vital to getting a high score in coherence and cohesion. First of all, make sure it is clear that you have used paragraphs. Second of all, although you can use five paragraphs to structure your essay, in my experience, it is best and easiest to use four. Your essay structure should be as follows;

Introduction

Body 1

Body 2

Conclusion

2. Use linking words correctly and don't use too many!

While most students know it is important to use linking words in writing task 2, many use them wrongly. It is essential that you use linking words correctly! As I see it, students tend to learn too many linking words and as a result, use them inaccurately in their writing. I would recommend that you learn 2-3 linking words for different purposes (contrasting, listing, adding, giving causes, giving effects, giving solutions etc. ) and know how to use them perfectly. This reduces the likelihood of you making mistakes and the number of words you need to remember.

3. Reference

Referencing is when you refer to a noun you previously mentioned by using a pronoun(they, their, this, these). This helps to reduce repetition and makes your writing easier and more pleasant to read.

Let's look at a simple example.

People often spend too much money. More specifically, people usually buy things they are unable to afford.

It should be obvious that repeating the word 'people' is not necessary and makes the sentences less pleasant to read. Instead of using 'people', we could use the pronoun 'they'.

People often spend too much money. More specifically, they usually buy things they are unable to afford.

I hope you found this article useful! It should be noted that this article is intended to be an introduction to the band descriptors and I will be posting more detail on each band descriptor in the coming weeks. If you liked this article and

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Leave a comment below if you have any questions or something you need me to explain in more detail!

Mal