IELTS Writing can be a thorny issue for many students, but if you are patient and take it step by step you can achieve a high band. In this post I want to go through a writing process that will take you from zero to band eight. So, if you have no idea how to start with the writing, then this will help you to get started. If you're stuck further along in the process, then there are also things that you can do to move yourself forward to your Band 8 goal.
Here is the whole process from the first time you try to write an IELTS task for either task one or task two, and for both general training and academic, because the process of writing is exactly the same. What is important is taking it a step at a time. There are six steps that you need to go through if you want to be successful in writing.
If you are right at the beginning and you don't know how to start then start with step 1 and if you are close to band seven or to band eight, but you keep missing that band, then you can look at the steps at the end of this process. Wherever you are, there will be a step at which you can jump in.
Step 1 - creating good sentences
Just look at the topic and write down four sentences to begin with about that topic, anything at all connected with the topic, whether it's task one, task two, it doesn't matter. You don't have to join them together at this stage. Just get some words on paper. This will create a good foundation and enable you to build up to more complex and sophisticated writing.
You may be wondering how long you should spend on each stage. That depends where you are. If you practice this step almost every day then after a couple of weeks you should be ready to move on to step 2.
Step two - plan out your writing
Think now about how the sentences relate to the actual question – not just the topic. What do you want to say about this? Start correcting as you go along now to ensure that all your sentences are grammatically correct, have good vocabulary and speak to the question. You can still remain at sentence level during this stage. Spend some time on this step as you write better and better sentences. Plan out how you want to address the question and write sentences that show your ideas and evidence. You may want to spend a few weeks on this.
Step three - now link your sentences.
Think about how to join your sentences and your ideas together. This is cohesion. It is about sentence to sentence, but also about paragraph to paragraph and idea to idea. And then you need to start in this stage thinking about your vocabulary, avoiding repetition, adding in new words. Okay, then we can move on to more complex writing. Have you got lots of complex sentences? Are you using noun phrases?
These three steps are crucial if you are just starting out with no idea how to begin to write an IELTS Task. They are also important if your writing is around Band 4 or 5.
By now you should be constructing whole paragraphs and have a good sense of how the whole task is flowing. You should also have quite good linking words and a good answer with some good cohesion. However, your writing may contain simple words and phrases and also have some repetition. Now is the time to think about vocabulary.
Look at the topic vocabulary. Look at different synonyms for words that you may use a lot. For example, things like child, education, or health. You need a bank of good synonyms for these topics. Start to think also about collocation - which words go together. This is where students sometimes fall down in their writing. On one of your days of practice, just spend time on vocabulary, look for synonyms and collocation. Try to build up your nouns and also your verbs – using less common ones.
I haven’t talked about timing. That’s because it is not so important in these early stages. What you have to do is to get something down on paper and then make it better. You need to take time over this. If you want Band 5 or 6 then you might be ready for this now. If so, then practice your writing within timing so you can achieve everything in 60 minutes – that means, analysing the question, planning, writing and checking your work.
If you need a higher band then you can now move on to step 4 to create more complex writing.
Step four – start writing more complex sentences
Start to try out more complex sentences. How can you introduce these? Maybe you want to use a ‘device’ like a conditional sentence, or “not only but also”. Try introducing longer and more complex sentences with linking words. Think about using noun phrases rather than verb phrases. Think about passive voice too. If you are not sure about any of these things then consult a grammar book/resource and make sure you understand how they can be used. Spend some time on this. Think about the style you need also – this is mostly formal and objective with the exception of informal letters in General Training.
You don’t have to write a full task every time. You could just work on your introduction or your conclusion. Or you may want to develop your introduction and first paragraph. This is the best way to really boost your writing skills – focusing on small elements and making sure these are really good. The introduction is the foundation of your argument so it is important for this to have impact. A great conclusion can also make a big difference to your task so time spent on this is a good idea.
Begin to think about your timing although you don’t have to race the clock just yet! Make sure you have an idea about how long it is taking you to analyse, plan, write and check and makes sure you do this for ALL your tasks – that way it will become second nature.
Steps five and six – try to get feedback so you know you are doing the right things.
If your exam is looming, then you're probably better paying an IELTS teacher to check your writing. If there is anything in your writing that is going to cause you a problem in the exam, then now is the time to find out about it so you can correct it before you get to the exam.
Step 5 – keep developing your writing
Keep working on your vocabulary, complex sentences and cohesion. Make sure that your answers really fit the question and that you can sustain your ideas and argument all the way through without digressing or contradicting yourself. Make sure you check well when you have finished (and as you go along too).
You'll now be looking at models to give your ideas and examples of good sentence structures and vocabulary. Use these models for this purpose only. Don’t try to copy – it never works. Pick out any phrases or words you want to use and try them out in your own writing.
Be careful about the models you choose because there are plenty online that say Band 9 and they are not really Band 9 and they would never get Band 9. The best models to check are those that are in the Cambridge Books because they are written by examiners. There are also some teachers online who are, like myself, ex-examiners and they know how to write the kind of tasks that will get high scores. So just be a bit discerning and careful about what you choose.
This is where good feedback can really help you.
Any words, phrases, or sentence structures that you like and you can use well, and your teacher tells you this, you can keep recycling and reusing. I sometimes see a similar essay from my students, maybe five, six times. It doesn't matter if it's correct and it's good and it's going to get the required Band. The examiner will only see it once. So don't worry about writing the same type of thing over and over in terms of sentence structures, linking devices, etc.
Create a mental checklist of the mistakes that you keep making. You'll know what they are. Maybe you often miss out an article, maybe you always get the wrong proposition. Work on these areas and make sure that when you check your writing at the end these are the things you check first because they are simple to spot.
Step 6 - don't change anything now
Don't start doing new things. Stick to what works and what will get you your band. Now just keep writing and getting feedback. Obviously if you get a different topic, you'll have to learn some new words for that topic and you may have to change things according to the topic but by now you should be able to look at an IELTS Task 2 question and know exactly what you want to say and how you want to write this. If not, then you should go back to step 5 and spend more time on that level.
Stop researching too much. At this stage, you have to use what you already know, what is in your head because you need to be absolutely prepared to produce the task in the exam.
Don't do any more work on vocabulary, don't do any more work on topics, unless it's a topic you've never seen before. At this stage, you should be ready to write every task from what you already know, and that way you'll be ready for the exam. Just keep practising. Make sure also that you can manage the time easily. You have to be able to plan, write and check withing the 60 minutes.
Finally - the exam
Once you've done all these stages and you've spent time on it and you've got feedback, you will know that you're ready to take the exam. You'll feel confident that you can take the exam so you can go ahead and book it. If you still have some doubts, then don't book it too soon. Maybe give yourself another two or three weeks so that you can work building your confidence further.
But you will know when it’s time 🙂
Remember, you can start at any point on these six steps. If you've never done any writing before, start at step one. If you're almost near your exam, but you're not sure if you're going to get your Band 7 or 8, then I would recommend you start around steps five and six
If you want more help with writing then watch this webinar. https://www.ieltslearningtips.com/writingwebinar/replay/
I would love to help you too so contact me if you want to speak about your IELTS Writing.