IELTS Writing Tips

General tips

1. Spend a few minutes planning before you write. Two or three minutes identifying your main points (Task 1) or your position and supporting ideas (Task 2) makes your final answer far more organised, which examiners reward heavily.
2. Never write under the minimum word count. Writing fewer than 150 words for Task 1 or 250 for Task 2 results in a direct penalty. Slightly over is fine; well under is not.
3. Give Task 2 more time than Task 1. Since Task 2 counts for twice as much of your final Writing score, roughly 40 minutes on Task 2 and 20 on Task 1 is the recommended split.
4. Paraphrase the task prompt in your introduction. Don't copy the question wording directly — restate it in your own words to demonstrate lexical range from the very first sentence.
5. Use clear paragraphing. A new paragraph for each main idea, with a clear topic sentence, makes your essay far easier to follow and directly supports your Coherence and Cohesion score.
6. Leave a minute or two to check your work. Look specifically for subject-verb agreement, article usage (a/an/the), and spelling — small, careful checks near the end of your time often catch avoidable mistakes.

Task 1 specific tips

1. Write a clear overview. After your introduction, include one or two sentences summarising the most significant overall trends or features — this is essential for a good Task Achievement score, separate from the specific data details.
2. Select and report, don't just list every number. You don't need to mention every data point; instead, choose and group the most significant features, and use comparisons to link related data.
3. Use accurate trend and data vocabulary. Words like "fluctuated," "peaked," "plummeted," and "remained stable" show more precise language than repeatedly writing "went up" or "went down."
4. For process diagrams, use sequencing language. Words like "first," "subsequently," "once this stage is complete," and "finally" help make the sequence of steps clear.

Task 2 specific tips

1. Make your position clear from the introduction. Whether the question asks you to agree/disagree, discuss both views, or evaluate advantages and disadvantages, state your overall stance early and keep it consistent throughout.
2. Answer every part of the question. Two-part questions and "discuss both views" prompts have multiple components — missing one part directly limits your Task Achievement score, however well-written the rest of your essay is.
3. Support each idea with a specific example or explanation. A claim without development ("Technology is helpful") is far weaker than one explained with a reason or example ("Technology is helpful because it allows remote workers to collaborate across time zones without costly travel").
4. Write a genuine conclusion. Briefly restate your position and summarise your main points — avoid introducing a completely new idea in your final paragraph.