Are you preparing for the IELTS and planning to get a band score of at least 6.0 and up in the IELTS Writing Test Module? It's not impossible. My reviewees get an average of 6.5. If you need more than that, you need to work harder especially if you are not comfortable writing essays.
For starters, preparing for the IELTS writing is hard work especially if writing is not your forte. Even others who are already quite comfortable writing need to make sure their essays are well-organized to achieve a high score. There are a few other tips and if you stick with me a while longer, I'll itemize them all for you.
As requested by some of you out there, I made a list of points that you should do for you to write better. Now, your role here is to read them carefully and make an effort to follow them and your output will surely improve.
Tip # 1: Make sure your essay is well-organized.
This is something all of you must heed, and not just for beginner writers. People who are gifted in writing still need to watch out for writing too much or putting wonderful ideas in the wrong places.
The main rule in writing well-structured essays is to make sure you have all the essay parts namely: the Introduction, Body and Conclusion. Also, an important thing to note is to focus more on developing your Body than any other essay parts. Why? For one reason -- the Body is where most of your score comes from.
It is also important to note that having the 3 parts is not enough to score high on the criterion of organization. Your essay, as a whole, should follow a structure and organization. Many reviewees fail in organizing the body of their essay accurately. Remember to focus on the Task Question and develop your Body according to your answer to the question. Avoid mentioning ideas that are off-topic no matter how grand they are.
Finally, using Transition words, such as "however, for example, furthermore, also, in addition, as a result, consequently, on the other hand, needless to say, particularly, in comparison and others" also enormously help in making your essay organized. Study them and their usage and use them. I cannot stress their importance enough.
Before I proceed to Tip #2, what have you learned so far? What should you do to make your essay organized? That's right. Make sure you have all the 3 parts of the essay, use transition words to facilitate the smoothness of the flow of your ideas and to never go off-topic.
Tip # 2: Use academic words and better vocabulary.
Lexical resource, which constitutes 25% of your writing band score, refers to the range of vocabulary that you used throughout your essay. Even writers fall short on this one. Lexical resource does not need you to be "flowery" with too many descriptive words. It only means that you use more academic words, idiomatic expressions and other common expressions fit for academic writing.
For example, limit your usage of the words: good, bad and nice as these are neutral words that do not really give a clear meaning. Instead of saying "We have a good climate in my city.", why not say "My city has a mild, comfortable climate." ? You might find it too easy to say, "Eating bad foods is not good for our health." and even though the sentence is grammatically correct, it has less impact than saying, "Eating unhealthy foods is detrimental to our health.". More examples include using "key" instead of "important" or using "exacerbate" rather than "worsen" or opting for "challenging" than "hard or difficult". These are simply synonyms which are more often used in academic writing.
Also, avoid using the same words over and over again in one essay. Look for synonyms or paraphrase your ideas to come up with a different sentence, but the same thought or message. Paraphrasing is a skill you should hone if you want to write better. However, when using synonyms, be careful to use them appropriately.
Tip # 3: Target the Question
I shall have to say that it is best if you mention your answer to the task question in the last sentence of your Introduction. Don't leave it unsaid until the last part of the essay. This is a test and the examiner would really appreciate it if you can be clear about what you want to say from the very start.
Tip # 4: Brainstorm your answers before writing
One common reason why most of you go off-topic is you are not clear of what you want to write. In some cases, your mind is clouded with too many ideas you want to mention and you get carried away and talk about these ideas in your Body paragraphs, now forgetting the question.
When you brainstorm, you list down the best answers to the question (only those related to the Question) using only key words to speed up the process. Use these notes to identify which ideas you want to expand later on when you begin writing your Body paragraphs. Simply follow these notes and you will never go wrong.
Tip #5: Give specific examples
Developing paragraphs means having a main idea of what you want to talk about in that paragraph (based on your brainstorming). Then, allot a sentence or two to explain this main idea and explain further by giving a concrete example to clarify what you are trying to say. Some ideas may be self-explanatory, so it is not necessary to provide an example.
It is also necessary to check the question if it asks you to give personal examples. If it does, then give one or two. Personal examples though are not limited to your own experience, but also cover those around you, what you read, heard or seen on TV that are happening locally or nationally.
Tip # 6: Check for grammatical errors
There is barely any time to proofread your essay in the actual test, so you have to learn to edit your work as you go. I normally just check my grammar each time I write a sentence by having presence of mind. Always automatically ask yourself "What tense should I use? Present or Past? " and make sure that your verb agrees with the subject at all times.
Tip # 7: Use a combination of simple, compound, complex sentences
Using only simple sentences does not display an advanced usage of the English language. Therefore, it is crucial that your paragraphs should have all three. Study how to make compound and complex sentences. It is just a piece of cake really ---- the difference lies in the conjunction that you want to use. Find a site that gives you more information about this. Study it for an hour and it will all become clearer now.
Tip # 8: Practise!
As I always say, if you want to write better, then practise by writing. It's not enough to just read about possible answers to topics. In the same manner, speaking cannot be enhanced by simply getting familiar with the questions that might come out in the exam. You need to speak out loud.
Practise also is not limited to writing essays. It can just be short, like a personal journal. It allows you to use new vocabulary learnt and practise new information about grammar that you have recently acquired. Later on, when you have time, write a sample essay for the IELTS and have your teacher check it for you. Note your teacher's notes and do not commit the same mistakes the next time. Only when you are serious about working hard to improve your writing can you improve.
When you have successfully improved your writing skill, do not stop learning. Read and keep a diary to keep yourself in the loop.
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