Top 10 IELTS Writing Tips: Master the IELTS Writing Test

The IELTS writing tasks can be daunting for anybody unfamiliar with the IELTS, but with the right practice, you’ll be able to score highly and consequently, ace the IELTS. Our IELTS experts have compiled their most important pieces of advice regarding the writing tasks to help you streamline your revision and achieve top scores. 

Practice makes perfect

Before we begin, the most important thing to remember is that practice makes perfect! It’s not enough to simply know what to do. You must practice exam-style questions so that the techniques you’ve learned become second nature. You can find practice IELTS writing prompts here.

However, good practice needs a plan. Work out how many minutes in the day you have available to practice your writing. Don’t forget to be realistic! Go over your previous writing pieces too, and try to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Then focus on the latter during future writing attempts. 

Understand the question

It’s important that you understand every type of question that you could possibly get in the IELTS. Below is a general breakdown of the different types. You don’t want to turn up to the exam and find a question type that you’re unfamiliar with – you want to be prepared, with no surprises.

We recommend practising a different format of writing, as listed below, every day to further reflect on which ones you’re least comfortable with. This will help streamline your practice and strengthen your overall written skills. 

Learn the relevant vocabulary

Strong vocabulary can make or break your IELTS writing score. 

Writing Task 1 has specific vocabulary that you must use, depending on what type of question you have to answer. It’s important that you are confident with this vocabulary, it’s usage, spelling and grammar. 

There are lots of places where you can learn the right IELTS vocabulary for each task, so organise a plan that gives you enough time to practice all of them. You never know what type of question you’ll get in the IELTS, so you need to be equally familiar with all the different vocabulary requirements. 

You should review each IELTS practice test to see if there are any words that come up often. It’s good to practice your vocabulary, but you should avoid being repetitive in the test. Try to find words and phrases that you repeat often, and see if you can find any synonyms for them. Our IELTS experts are a big fan of Word Hippo to find synonyms but any old online thesaurus should do the trick!

Remember “linking” words and phrases

A quarter of the marks in the writing test are for cohesion and coherence, which means that linking words/phrases are crucial. These words, also called conjunctions, are vital for fluency in English and consequently, a strong score in your IELTS exam. Ultimately, their aid flow and readability of your piece, which is vital in the IELTS. 

Make sure you remember a variety of them, their spelling and usage. 

Here’s a guide with a few popular options. 

Practice writing longer sentences

One of the key differences between a good and an excellent answer is the writer’s ability to use long and complex sentences. Short sentences are easy to write, but don’t show off your abilities as an English-language writer.

Practice writing long sentences and the appropriate punctuation to go with them. More importantly, don’t be afraid to try writing complex sentences, even if you make mistakes. In the IELTS, it’s always better to try harder grammar and vocabulary and make a mistake than it is to write simply but perfectly.

This is important for both Writing Task 1 and Writing Task 2.

IELTS 1-1 Tutoring

Get personalised tutoring from our expert IELTS tutors, to support you in ACING your exam!

Book a FREE Consultation!

Get the timing right

Many people who struggle with IELTS find that they spend too long on Writing Task 1 or Writing Task 2, or they are unable to write enough in the allotted time.

Whenever you practice your writing, make sure that you set a timer. While you are writing, try to check the time every five minutes, and give yourself a few minutes – at least two – to spare before you finish, so you can proof-read. 

This way you can get into the habit of writing under time pressure, which is a major problem for those who have difficulty in the IELTS. 

Learn the right tone

There is a difference between writing academically and writing informally. Here are some simple suggestions to ensure your writing is more formal. 

1. Where possible, avoid writing in the first person, i.e.; “I drove today…”
2. Avoid using colloquialisms and idioms 
3. Opt for the passive voice where appropriate. For example, “When told what to do, Sally was upset” is more formal than “Sally was upset when she was told what to do”
4. Avoid using excessive punctuation, especially exclamation points. 
5. Ensure your writing has good structure

Our top tip is to brush up on your academic language skills!

Make a word bank

Use a newspaper, or online news source, such as the BBC, to learn new words and phrases every day. Compile these into a word bank to skim over prior to your exam. 

Whenever you sit a practice exam, consult your word bank and try to use at least one new word. Make sure you check the spellings too! Over time, this will drastically improve your writing quality and your newfound vocabulary will transfer over into other aspects of the IELTS exam too! 

Analyse model answers

Reading model answers and then comparing them to your writing is a great way to learn where you need to improve, and to work out where you’re doing well already. IELTS IDP has great official model answers for Tasks 1 and 2.

Compare the detail in their answers to yours, and compare the structure and semantics. The model answer usually provides you with a good structure, so try to work your own future practises into the model structures provided.

Pick up on any vocabulary used in the models that you don’t know, run it through a dictionary, and try to use it yourself.

Read the news

This might seem like an odd one, but the IELTS writing Task 2 usually requires you to write an essay related to your views on various global topics. This might require some inspiration.

Reading the news is a great source of vocabulary, ideas and examples for you to use in your written tasks. Our IELTS experts suggest using at least 20-30 minutes daily to read online news forums, magazines, blogs and newspapers to improve your vocabulary and general knowledge. Remember that this practice will also aid you in the reading section of the IELTS, further improving your overall score. 

Once you’ve mastered the basic techniques for the writing tasks, you can move on to mastering your language skills. It might look like a lot to learn at first, but the more time you have to focus on your grammar, spelling, and vocabulary, the better you’ll do. 

As with everything, if you get the basics right in the IELTS, you’ll have a much better chance of getting your ideal result and therefore getting into your dream university.

IELTS Related Articles:

FAQs