7 tips for 9.0 IELTS Writing

IELTS is one of the top choices of students nowadays, especially for those who wants to take the IELTS to study abroad. Among the 4 sections of the IELTS: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, Writing is considered to be the toughest nut to crack. In this article, IELTS 9.0 will share 7 important tips to score high in IELTS Writing.

Reasonable length

When doing IELTS Writing Task 1, you’ll have to write 150 words at minimum and 250 words for Task 2. If the word count is lower, your scores will be deducted.

However, you shouldn’t write too long either since the examiner wants a quality writing, not a drawn-out one. The maximum word count for Writing Task 1 is 250 words and Task 2 is 300. Don’t assume that the more you write the higher the score!

How to properly manage your word count? Don’t count word by word because it’s very time consuming, and the examiner won’t do that either. The way they do it is by counting lines, each line contain about 10 words. Therefore, you should practice writing about 10 words each line from now on.

Effective time management when doing the IELTS

Don’t start writing immediately, but instead follow a 4-step system of: Brain-storming, Outlining, Writing and Editing.

• Brain-storming: You should spend around 2 minutes for this step when doing Task 1 and 5 minutes for Task 2. Brain-storming is when you analyse the task requirement, find the keywords and come up with points.
• Outlining: Building an outline should take 3 minutes for Task 1 and 5 minutes for Task 2. A writing should have 3 parts: Introduction, Body and Conclusion. When building an outline, don’t write the whole sentence, instead write the keywords for the points you want to make.
• Writing: Writing a complete essay based on the established points. For Task 1, the time should be 10 minutes, and Task 2 20 minutes.
• Editing: Reevaluate and adjust your writing. For each Task, you should spend 5-10 minutes for Editing, double check the grammar, spelling mistakes,…

Spend more time for Task 2

Task one makes up 33.3% the tests score and the remaining 66.7% is in Task 2. Therefore, you should spend more time for Task 2 in your IELTS Writing.

The minimum word count is 150 words. Therefore, you should spend 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 for Task 2.

Be clear and concise

You won’t be marked for your handwriting, however, try to write clearly so that the examiner can read it.

Don’t hand in an essay that’s too dense in words. Divide them into paragraphs, leave a blank space between paragraphs for examiner’s convenience, and to also mark that your paragraph is complete.

Do not rewrite the question

Never copy the question directly! If you wish to use the question to write the Introduction, use synonyms and rephrase it in your own way.

Read the question and requirement carefully

This is one of the important requirements in IELTS Writing. When writing, many make the mistake of not answer the correct question. Study the question carefully and make sure you understand what you’re writing.

Pinpoint each requirement in the given question and be sure to read them carefully. This will help you answer each question correctly.

If you don’t write the correct prompt, your points will be deducted.

Use multiple sentence structures in IELTS Writing

Grammar is one of the 4 important aspects of the Writing exam. To avoid a monotonous essay, use multiple types of sentence structures, instead of repeating the same simple structure. You can use many types of sentences like complex sentences, compound sentences, along with simple sentences.

Remember the above tips, and you will score high in IELTS Writing!