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...
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. ...
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...
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...
IELTS remarking. When to do it and when not to.
In IELTS, if you don’t think your writing or speaking result is accurate, you can ask for an EOR (Enquiry of Results). Your writing or speaking will then be checked by another examiner (in some cases a senior examiner but not always) to see whether your result is accurate or not. You have to pay for this and the fee differs depending on the country you did the test in. However, if your score is changed (up or down), you...
How do I improve my IELTS writing and speaking?
This is a question that we often get asked and it is an easy one to answer. One of the IELTS examiners at upmyielts explains. First things first, you need to find where you are at the moment. If you need Band 7.0 in speaking and writing, then you need to know what you would get if you did the exam tomorrow. It may be the case that your speaking is already at Band 7+ level but your writing is not. ...
Why do we only use native IELTS examiners to evaluate your work?
upmyielts.com is where IELTS examiners work for you. So many people come to us having done IELTS numerous times and they haven’t got what they need in IELTS writing or speaking. Some of these people have even done IELTS courses with teachers in their countries or used other IELTS writing correction services. And here lies the problem. Unless you are an examiner, you will have no idea how to score your essays. We have had people come to us showing their...