7 STEPS

— to —

BAND 7
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7 Steps To Band 7
1. Plan your essay

2. Use a clear, logical structure

3. Use clear, precise vocabulary

4. Use complex (not complicated) grammar

5. Write fewer ideas in greater detail

6. Make your views clear throughout

7. Read

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 1
Plan Your
Essay
1. Plan Your Essay
In order to get a Band 7 in IELTS Writing Task 2, you must plan your essay carefully.

Writing an IELTS essay without a plan is like driving to an unfamiliar town without a map. You might
get to your destination in the end, but you will have to stop and think about where you are going,
and you will take many wrong turns on the way. In the IELTS exam, you don't have time for these
mistakes. You need a roadmap. You need a plan.

For example, many IELTS candidates start writing an essay, but their examples are not related to
their main ideas. Or they start writing an opinion essay and, without realizing it, change their opinion
during the essay. These mistakes mean a maximum of Band 5 for Task Response and a Band 5 or 6
for Coherence and Cohesion.

So make sure you know where you are going before you start to write. Have a plan.

Go here to read more about planning, and read my 4 step guide to planning an IELTS essay

https://ieltscharlie.com/ielts-writing/ielts-writing-task-2-essential-guide/ielts-essay-planning/

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Know what you’re going to
write before you write it.
HAVE A PLAN!
 2
Use a Clear,
Logical Structure
2. Use a clear, logical structure
Your IELTS essay must be well-organized to get a Band 7 for Coherence and Cohesion.

Each paragraph should have only one main idea, such as one reason for your opinion, or one
advantage.

Within each paragraph, you should move from the general to the specific: start off by presenting your
main idea, then explain it in more detail, then expand your idea (e.g. by supporting it with an example).
So use this structure: IDEA - EXPLAIN - EXPAND.

This gives each paragraph a clear, logical structure, which you need to get a Band 7 for Coherence and
Cohesion. It also forces you to develop your ideas, which is important for getting a Band 7 for Task
Response.

So use the IDEA - EXPLAIN - EXPAND structure when you plan and write your essay.

Go here to read more about how to structure your essay:

https://ieltscharlie.com/ielts-coherence/

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suggested Essay Structures
1. Discuss both views and give your opinion
• Paragraph 1: introduce essay

• Paragraph 2: discuss what you think about the first view

• Paragraph 3: discuss what you think about the the other view

• Paragraph 4: summarize and re-state your opinion

Alternatively, the question might say, "discuss the advantages and disadvantages", so in paragraph 2, discuss the
advantages, and in paragraph 3, discuss the disadvantages.

2. To what extent do you agree or disagree

• Paragraph 1: introduce essay and your give opinion

• Paragraph 2: give one reason for your opinion

• Paragraph 3: give another reason for your opinion

• Paragraph 4: summarize and re-state your opinion

Alternatively, the question might say "do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?” This is an opinion essay, so
you can follow the same structure as above.

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Suggested Paragraph Structures
Paragraph 1
Sentence 1: write a general statement about the issue

Sentence 2: paraphrase question

Sentence 3: give your opinion (in a ‘to what extent do you agree’ or ‘do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages’ essay)

Paragraph 2
Sentence 1: state your main idea clearly and concisely

Sentence 2: explain your main idea in more detail

Sentence 3: expand this idea with specific details or examples

Sentence 4: link this idea back to the question (how is it relevant to the question)

Paragraph 3
Sentence 1: state your main idea clearly and concisely

Sentence 2: explain your main idea in more detail

Sentence 3: expand this idea with specific details or examples

Sentence 4: link this idea back to the question (how is it relevant to the question)

Paragraph 4: summarize your views and re-state your opinion

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Use a clear, logical
structure in your essay
and in your paragraphs
 3
Use Clear,
Precise
Vocabulary
3. Use clear, precise vocabulary
Many IELTS candidates write essays with lots of "advanced" or "rare" words; they think this will help them get a high band
score. This is a mistake! To get a Band 7 or above in IELTS writing, you need to use vocabulary that is:

• clear

• precise

• less common

• and to use this vocabulary in a way that suggests you have an understanding for how this vocabulary is naturally used. 

"Less common" does not mean "rare" or "advanced" - it means vocabulary that an IELTS examiner does not normally
see in an IELTS essay. It's also important to understand that "vocabulary" does just not mean words; it also means how we
put words together to make phrases. And at Band 7, IELTS examiners are mainly looking for examples of phrases that they
don't normally see in an essay.

For example, the phrase "a vital source of information" is a less common phrase even though the individual words are quite
common. You do NOT need to throw in an "advanced" word and write something like "an imperative source of information"
to get a Band 7; the original phrase is already "less common". Also, the word "imperative" makes the meaning of the phrase
less clear. It's also not a phrase a native speaker would ever use, so it's unnatural. In this example, the "advanced" word
will lower your band score, probably to a Band 5 if you do it a lot.

In short, it's best to use vocabulary that you know how to use. And focus on writing phrases. Don't throw in "fancy"
words as it will lower your band score. Remember, you are writing an academic essay; you're not trying to be Shakespeare!

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Examples of “less common” vocabulary
Here are some examples of less common phrases For example, what words normally go with
related to education:
"educational"?

• the admissions procedure • educational institution

• a vital source of information • educational opportunities
• increased investment in education • special educational needs
• educational opportunities • educational system
• graduation ceremony • educational development
 
 

None of these words are particularly "rare". At Band 7 At Band 7, IELTS examiners are looking to see if you
and above, "Lexical Resource" is mainly about putting have a 'feel' for natural language, and an
words together to create phrases; it's the phrases here understanding of collocation is central to this. What's
that are less common, not the words.
the best way to develop this natural feel for English?
 
Go to Tip 7 to find out!

It's also very important to use phrases that are natural;

in other words, phrases that you have actually seen You can also learn hundreds of words and phrases
being used. Using natural phrases means you will be useful for IELTS Writing in my IELTS Vocabulary
showing an understanding of how words naturally go Course. CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE!
together, something known as collocation.

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Use clear, precise
vocabulary, not “rare” or
“advanced” words.
 4
Use ‘Complex’ not
‘Complicated’
Grammar
4. Use “complex”, not “complicated”, grammar
Another mistake made by IELTS candidates is writing long, complicated sentences. I think they do this because they
misunderstand the word “complex". To get a Band 7 you need to "use a variety of complex structures". But "complex" does
not mean "complicated".

So what is a "complex structure”? Basically, it's 2 clauses joined together with a linking word, such as "because", "while",
"although" or "if". If you use words like these, you will probably be writing complex sentences.

So a complex sentence is NOT A long, complicated sentence. They are often quite short and easy to understand and your aim in
essay writing is to write clearly and concisely. Long, complicated sentences, however, are difficult to understand, and will probably
lower your score to a Band 5.

Note that your grammar does not need to be perfect at Band 7, or even Band 9. You can make some mistakes, although you do
need to show 'good control' of grammar. On the other hand, a grammatically perfect essay with no complex structures will only get
a Band 3!

Finally, use grammar that you know how to use. If you try to write essays typical of someone at an advanced level of English, and
your general level of English is not up to this standard, then you will make lots of errors. This means a lack of control of grammar
and it will make your essay harder to understand, which means a maximum score of Band 5.

So use complex, not complicated grammar, and use grammar that you know how to use.

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Use complex structures,
and use grammar that
you know how to use.
 5
Write Fewer Ideas
in Greater Detail
5. Write fewer ideas in greater detail
One of the most common mistakes made by IELTS candidates is writing too many ideas. They write
lots of good, relevant ideas, but they don't develop any of these ideas. To get a Band 7 for IELTS, you
need to develop each of your ideas. This means you need to explain, expand and support your ideas.

Also, remember that an IELTS essay is quite short. That means you only have the time to develop 3 or
4 ideas. If you write more than 4 ideas, your ideas will not be developed properly - this means a
maximum of Band 6. And if you write only 2 ideas you will probably have to repeat yourself to reach the
required word count. This also means a maximum of Band 6.

So I recommend you write 3 or 4 ideas.

 

So write a maximum of 4 ideas:

• 1-2 ideas for each side of an issue

• 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages (or 2 advantages and 1 disadvantage)

• 2 problems and 2 solutions

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Write a maximum of 4
ideas. Discuss each one
in detail.
 6
Make Your Views
Clear Throughout
Your Essay
6. Make Your Views Clear Throughout
To get a Band 7, your views should be clear throughout your essay. This is fairly simple in opinion essays, advantages / disadvantages
essays, problem / solution essays and 2 part questions. In these essays you are only asked to present your ideas and opinions.

However, many students have problems when writing a 'discuss both views and give your opinion' essay. They often write essays like this:

• BP1: "Some people think X, they think this because..."

• BP2: "Some people think Y, they think this because..."

• Conclusion: "I think Z, I think this because..."

In this essay, you are only describing what people think and why they think it. And you are presenting 3 different views, with no
connection between them. Also, your own views are only clear in the conclusion. An essay written like this will only get you a Band 5 or
Band 6.

To get a Band 7, your need to discuss what you think of the 2 viewpoints. One way of doing this is to discuss the strengths and
weaknesses of these viewpoints.

So write an essay like this:

• BP1: "One view on this issue is......" followed by a discussion on what you think of this view.

• BP2: "An alternative view on this issue is..." followed by a discussion on what you think of this view.

• Conclusion: "On balance, I think that..."

This means that by the end of the final body paragraph, the IELTS examiner should already have a fairly clear understanding of your views. In
the conclusion, you just need summarize and restate your views, based on what you wrote in the body paragraph

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Discuss what YOU think
of the 2 views, not what
people think of them.
 7

Read More
7. Read More
If you want to write better, read more. Reading is one of the main ways you can improve your 'feel' for natural, written
English, the kind of language you need to use when writing IELTS essays. If you want to write using natural language, read
it!

Not only will this help you develop a feel for natural language, but with the right kind of reading you will be exposed to the
kind of ideas and thinking that are helpful when generating and developing your ideas for IELTS essays...as well as in your
life, studies and career beyond IELTS.

Many books and articles push a particular view or position on an issue. So as you read a book or an article, think about the
writer's views. What are they? How do they make these views clear? is it through their choice of vocabulary, or through the
use of grammatical structures? In particular, read books and articles that discuss the kinds of subjects that often come up in
IELTS tests: education, the environment, the workplace, health.

Also keep a language notebook: note down examples of the vocabulary and grammatical structures they use. Copy down
the whole sentence, not just the phrase, so that you can see the context in which the language was used. This will help you
remember and use the language better. You will, I hope, see that they rarely use the kind of "advanced" or "rare" words often
seen in IELTS essays! Instead, they use clear, precise language.

On the next 2 pages are a list of books and online magazines I highly recommend. However, another excellent source of
reading material are IELTS Reading Test texts, so find some of these online and read them (many IELTS reading texts
comes from the online magazines I mention).

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Recommended Books
• Bounce, Matthew Syed
• Black Box Thinking, Matthew Syed
• Freakonomics, Steven Levitt and
Stephen Dubner
• Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
• Blink, Malcolm Gladwell
• The Black Swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• This Changes Everything, Naomi Klein
• The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein
• Sapiens, Yuval Noah Hariri
• Climbing Mount Improbable, Richard
Dawkins
• Flow, Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi
• Guns, Germs, Steel by Jared Diamond
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• Undeniable, Bill Nye
• Deep Work, Cal Newport
• The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
• Capital in the Twenty-First Century,
Thomas Piketty
• The Everything Store by Brad Stone
• Influence by Robert Cialdini
• And The Weak Suffer What They Must
by Yanis Varoufakis
• Nudge by Richard Thaler
• Proust and the Squid, Maryanne Wolf
• Death by Black Hole, Neil deGrasse
Tyson
• Cosmos, Carl Sagan
Recommended Magazines and Newspapers
Some great websites for IELTS-style articles. Cambridge take many of their IELTS reading
texts from these sources. Click on them to visit their websites:

BBC News Magazine

The Economist

The Economist Technology Quarterly

The Economist Magazine

Popular Science

The New Scientist

National Geographic

BBC Focus Magazine

Science Daily

American Scientist

Australian Geographic

The Guardian

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If you want to write
better, read more
NEXT STEPS…
I hope you found these 7 Steps to a Band 7 useful.

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