IELTS Writing Test - The Most Important Do’s and Don’ts

 Read the questions multiple times, analyze each task properly and spend some
time making notes.
 Highlight or underline key words in the tasks to make sure that you remain
focused on the main topic.
 Spend the first five minutes brainstorming and planning your essay (Task 2).
 Organize your essay with a distinct and meaningful paragraph structure:
introduction, body paragraphs (ideally, two) and conclusion.
 Start each paragraph with a topic sentence, containing a main point.
 Elaborate the main point by providing reasons and examples. You are expected to
back up your position and claims relating them to the real-life contexts.
 Respond to all parts of the prompts fully.
 Do not repeat the same ideas using different words.
 Do not copy the whole sentences from the question – you will receive no marks
for this.
 Keep to the topic; do not write about unrelated subjects. You will get penalty for
an off-topic answer, depending on how relevant/irrelevant your answer is.
 Pace yourself correctly and manage your time carefully. Remember, Task 2 is
worth twice as much as Task 1.
 Spend approximately 20 minutes on Task 1 and approximately 40 minutes on
Task 2. Begin with Task 2 if you are a slow writer.
 You will lose marks if you do not write at least 150 words for Task 1 and 250
words for Task 2. Make sure you know how much/long you need to write to meet
these minimum word counts on the standard IELTS sheets.
 You must write your answers in full; answers written in note form or in bullet
points will lose marks.
 Use impersonal/descriptive language in Task 1 and more personal and persuasive
language in Task 2, but avoid emotionally-charged (emotive) language or
extremely negative views.
 Pay attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation; you will lose marks for these
mistakes. Simple errors usually serve as red flags.
 Do not repeat the same words and structures over and over again. It shows the
lack of your vocabulary and grammar knowledge.
 Avoid informal or spoken language, such as don’t, can’t, won’t, gonna, wanna,
cool, stuff etc. and do not use words in short forms, such as ‘for example’ – for
1
e.g., ‘number’ – no, without – w/o, and – & etc.
 Use higher-level academic vocabularies as well as idiomatic expressions – such as
area-specific words, collocations, idioms etc. for a better performance in Lexical
Resource. Stay away from complex jargons and technical terms.
 Do not use an uncommon vocabulary unless you are fully sure what the word
exactly means and conveys the intended idea.
 Do not memorize templates or model answers; examiners are trained to identify
them and your answer may be invalid.
 Read as many samples or model answers as possible to familiarize yourself with a
wide range of topics and question types so that you can easily take a position or
develop your opinion in the test.
 Spend at least the last five minutes re-reading and revising your answers.
Sometimes, a missing word in a sentence can make a huge difference.
 Provide some food for thought (e.g. recommendations, suggestions, and wider
implications) in the conclusion paragraph – however, not too long or broad.
 Above all, make sure your handwriting is readable enough. If the examiner finds
your handwriting difficult to read, you will receive penalty for the illegible part(s)
of the answer. Hence, consider taking computer-delivered IELTS test, if your
handwriting is too bad.