How to start (and not to start) an IELTS Task 2 writing
We see a lot of people use a phrase similar to this when they write an introduction “In this essay I will explore the cause of the problem and offer some solutions” or “This essay will show the advantages and disadvantages of ……..” Stop! Don’t do it! Why not you ask? Well, one of the IELTS examiners answers this question. I see this a lot in IELTS candidates’ introductions. I don’t know where it comes from or who is teaching it but it is a...
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...
How to write a Task 1 and 2 in 60 minutes
This is a common problem for a lot of people. A member in our private Facebook page “IELTS Writing and Speaking support” got in touch and left this question. “Sometimes we are given to much information in the task 1 and this makes it very hard to include all the data to the writing, just as it is very difficult to fill 150 words when there is very little to write about. However, I think the hardest part of the writing...
Can we use contractions in IELTS writing?
This is a question we received last week and we have seen it time and time again. It comes from the idea that IELTS, especially Academic IELTS, is a formal exam and should be treated us such. This is wrong. Academic IELTS is a test of your English for academic purposes (this means for university, post grad courses and also jobs). It is NOT a test of your academic English. If you go to an English school/academy to study English, the...
Is IELTS writing a scam?
We see this a lot from people who haven’t got the score they feel they deserve. Now, we need to address this. Why do people think they are being stopped from getting Band 7.0, for example, in writing? Firstly, some people don’t get Band 7 in writing because they are not band 7.0 level. To get to Band 7, the majority of your sentences need to be correct (grammatically and lexically). This is tough for a lot of people. Secondly, people don’t...
What does an IELTS Band 9 Task 2 look like?
We thought that we would share an example of a Band 9 Task 2 essay along with the rationale as to what it is high scoring. It was written by one of the IELTS examiners that works with us. In red, you can see why it is getting high Task Achievement scores. The range of grammar and vocabulary is very wide and accuracy is very high. Coherence is so smooth that it is not noticed. Have a read...... Now, of course, for...
What is the best template for Academic IELTS Task 1?
Many people try to use templates for IELTS writing and, as this IELTS examiner explains, they are not a very good idea. But there is something else that will help you. There isn’t one and don’t use templates in IELTS, they just lead to more problems for candidates. What happens with candidates that use templates is….. they use their template and it doesn’t quite fit the question so their answer is weird. the language they have learnt to use is archaic...
What happens if I write less than 250 words in IELTS Task 2?
The answer to this may surprise you and one of the IELTS writing examiners that works with us has this to say. The short answer is nothing. If you write 200 words, you are not penalised. If you write 100 words, you are not penalised. Until a few years ago, candidates lost Task Achievement marks for writing answers that were too short. For example, if you wrote 240 words, you were not penalised, but if you write 239 words then your...