IELTS TIPS ON WRITING

Writing Section 1
In this section you need to be quick. Make sure you practice this section very often. You have
twenty minutes to describe a graph, table or map.
Most of the time you will get bar and line charts, but occassionally you will get a process. For
example, The Water cycle.
Exam Tip: Describe the obvious! Just pretend the person you are writing for is on the
telephone and can not see the diagram!
Writing Timings The IELTS Writing section should take you 20 minutes. You must make sure
you can do the task in this time.
Here is how most students do the exam in my lessons:
1. Start exam Minute: 0
2. Read Question Minute: 5
3. Introduction Minute: 7
4. Write Body Minute: 16
5. Conclusion Minute: 18
6. Grammar Check Minute: 20
Structure of Essay This is the format that works for most students:
1st paragraph Rewrite the question in your own words. (1 or 2 sentences)
2nd paragraph Describe what you see in the graph or table. Say only what you see!
3rd paragraph 1 sentence of your opinion or a quick summary
Write at least 150 words.
Writing Section 2
Writing Timings You need to be quick, but make a very clear essay when you write this. Make
sure you have a good watch with you and follow these timings closely. Structure is important
in this part of the exam.
1. Start exam Minute: 0
2. Read Question Minute: 2
3. Plan it Minute: 5
4. Introduction Minute: 7
5. Write Body Minute: 33
6. Conclusion Minute: 35
7. Grammar Check Minute: 40
Planning your essay
Generally the essay will be argumentative, so take a piece of rough paper. (Paper you will NOT
hand in) Split the page in half, on one half the For (Good points) and the other half the
Against (bad points) You do not need to write a balanced argument. If you think that smoking
is bad for people, then just say so!
Exam Tip: Students who use Mind maps often say that they do better than those who just use
bullet points.
Writing the introduction
When you are in an exam you are often provided with some kind of question. The quickest
way to make an introduction is to follow this step by step procedure. Should students be made
to clean the toilets?
Change to: Students should be made to clean the toilets.
Or if you dont agree: Students should not be made to clean the toilets.
Better still, if you can change the words, you will be showing lexical resource and be given
extra marks by the examiner. (Lexical resource, means that you know a lot of words.) For
example: Dogs are often called mans best friend and make ideal pets.
Writing the main body
1. Tell people why you hold that opinion and come up with ideas and examples to back up your
arguments. Try to put these ideas in an order with the most important ideas first and links
between each idea so that the essay flows well.
2. Think about why people might have a different opinion (objections) and try to show why
they are not important or they are not true.
There are four easy ways to make arguments:
1. Big Names Say somebody agrees with you. E.g. Jackie Chan says that smoking is bad for
you.
2. Statistics Make up a statistic on the subject. E.g. 50% of all smokers die by the age of 60.
3. Research Is there any research on the subject? E.g. It has been shown in research that
smokers are not as intelligent as non-smokers.
4. Emotions In this essay it is ok to show your emotions. E.g. It is terrible that people are
allowed to smoke and kill themselves. Please remember that this is an English essay and the
accuracy of your facts will NOT be checked!
Key Vocabulary
In this essay use the following connectors to help you with your essay:
First point - First of all / To begin with / To start with
Connect points And / Also /Furthermore / Whats more / As well
Change sides On the other hand / conversely / But / That said
Conclude - In conclusion / Therefore
Examples - For example / For instance
Using Topic Sentences Students
struggle to write 250 words in 40 minutes. It helps if you use simple paragraphs with a topic
sentence at the beginning and 2 to 4 supporting sentences. For example:
The most attractive quality of a dog is its faith in its owner and its loyalty. (Topic Sentence)
They always greet us when we come home and they will never leave us even in a dire
situation. For example there was a very sick man and the dog barked and barked until the
rescue team arrived.
(Supporting sentences) Topic sentences tell the reader what the main argument is. The
supporting sentences then go onto give details.
Writing a Conclusion
1. Read through the work that you have done.
2. In each paragraph there should be some important points. Look carefully at topic sentences.
3. Copy and paste these important points into your final paragraph
4. Edit the sentences into a short paragraph. (This can be as little as 2 sentences)
5. Add a final sentence with your opinion in. For example: To sum up, dogs are really friendly,
civilized and loyal companions.
(Conclusion)
Structure of Essay
A simple 5 paragraph essay will be enough to get you the marks. Use the following structure to
help you:
1. Introduce the topic - agree / disagree
2. Tell us why 1st idea and example
3. Tell us why - 2nd idea and example
4. Different opinions not important or not true
5. Brief summary