10 reasons why IELTS writing is so hard
There are a number of reasons why IELTS writing is where most people struggle. The IELTS examiners that work with us came up with these 10 reasons. People don’t write very much anymore so it is skill we are losing. Teachers avoid teaching writing and set it for homework. They think they should focus on speaking in class and so writing gets neglected. This happens pretty much from school age. Students don’t think they need to practice it. They are...
Misunderstanding IELTS and getting the score you need
This post comes from a question we were asked about doing an IELTS preparation course. They said that they had joined a 3-month IELTS preparation course in India to get Band 7. They got band 6 after 3 months preparation. They did a Full IELTS writing with us and we showed them why their writing was Band 6.0 and what they needed to do to get higher marks. The biggest problem that this person faces is that their English level is...
How to write an overview in Academic Task 1
The overview is an important part of Task 1. It is in the Task Achievement criteria and it can be difficult to know what it actually means. One of the examiners that works with us explains what an overview is and how to identify it. An overview is basically the main trends you see in data; the key standout features. In the Academic Task 1, there are nearly always two. It is clearer if we look at some examples so you...
How to write an Academic IELTS Task 1
This is arguably the most difficult part of the Academic exam and it is also where a lot of candidates lose marks. They lose marks because they miss a few key things. 1) The overview. The overview is where you highlight the TWO main features of the data that you are presented with. There are always two. The overview is also in the marking criteria and if you don’t include one, you are capping your Task Achievement score at Band 5. ...
What kind of vocabulary do I need to use in IELTS to get high marks?
Firstly, you need to be careful where you get your IELTS information from because most of it is wrong. Have you seen people posting things on Facebook and Instagram saying things like this. IELTS vocabulary These are a complete waste of time. They are encouraging you to use highly specific words that have a very specific meaning. English has the largest vocabulary of any language in the world and words are used in very specific circumstances. Let’s look at ‘groggy’. ‘groggy’ means “weak and unable to think clearly or walk correctly,...
An interview with an IELTS writing examiner.
We received over 50 questions from people for this interview. A lot of people asked similar things so we tried to put them together to cover everything. Most came from our private group on Facebook “IELTS writing and speaking support”. Feel free to join. The list of questions What do you think is the biggest challenge for IELTS candidates in writing? Why do so many people get 6 or 6.5 in writing? Why are there so many IELTS teachers stating different...
How long will it take to go from Band 7 to Band 8 in IELTS?
7 to 8 is a big jump. You need to increase your score in all the 4 skills. You have probably already got a higher reading and listening score but it is the speaking and writing that will be more difficult. If you live in an English-speaking country, work in English, live with English speakers, etc then you are probably looking at 6–8 months. However, this means that you are actively studying English, going to classes 3 hours a day...
IELTS Task 1 and the Band 4 cut-off points in Task Achievement
So many people get affected by this and they have no idea. They go into the exam, think that they did really well and then get awarded 6 or 6.5. One of the main reasons for this is the cut-off points in Task Achievement. No idea what they are? Keep reading. Something that a lot of IELTS candidates don’t know is about cut-off points. There are parts of the criteria that stop you getting higher marks. These are highlighted in the...