Do’s and Don’ts for the IELTS Writing Task 1 and Task 2 papers

I’m going to be writing a series of blog posts to help you boost your IELTS band score. Let’s start with some tips for the IELTS writing tasks.

General do's for Task 1 and Task 2 IELTS Writing

• Here's an obvious one! Practice writing on a daily basis. We all know that saying 'practice makes perfect', right? Preparation for IELTS is the key to get the band you are aiming for.
• Always read the IELTS writing question before you start writing. You will not get the score you need if you only read half of the question. It's really important to know exactly what you are writing about.
• That brings me onto the next point! MAKE A PLAN! I hear so many candidates say "I don't have time to make a plan" or "It's a waste of time" or "I don't know how to make a plan". Making a plan will actually save you time, and could gain you some extra marks too! Writing a plan will also help you to focus, give you more confidence and help with your concentration when writing your task. A plan should take around 4 minutes after you have read and understood the writing task.
• Keep to the time: 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 minutes for Task 2. If you practice writing tasks often enough, you will find that you are able to keep well within these time limits.
• Keep your own dictionary of words that you could use, but find difficult to spell or use in certain contexts. The more vocabulary you build up, the better your writing will become. But remember, you need to be able to use words accurately. There is no point in learning a lot of new words if you don't know how to use them in a sentence.
• Write as clearly as you possibly can. It is very important that the examiner marking your paper can read what you have written.
• Leave yourself enough time at the end to check through your writing to correct any errors you may have made along the way. This really is the best approach to make any last minute changes that might be needed.
• Make sure that you use a varied range of grammatical structures in both Task 1 and Task 2. This is really important, as is using punctuation correctly and clearly.

General don'ts for Task 1 and Task 2 IELTS Writing

• The word count. So many candidates ignore the word count (i.e. at least 150 words for Task 1 and 250 for Task 2). Often some will write three or four pages...sometimes even more than that! DON'T! The more you write the more mistakes you will make! Not only this, you are more likely to go off topic and write things that may well be irrelevant. When practising, write no more than around 170 words for Task 1 and 270 for Task 2. Absolutely no more!
• Paragraphing! Don't forget to use paragraphing in Task 1 and Task 2. Although it is only necessary to use paragraphing in the higher bands of Task 1, it will help you organise your writing whether you are doing the Academic or General Training test. In Task 2, it is imperative that you use paragraphs.
• Don't spend time counting how many words you have written. This is wasting your precious, valuable time. Every second counts. If you have enough time to count the words, then you ought to spend that time checking through your written task instead!
• Never use 'text-type' writing, e.g. 'u' for 'you'. Many candidates today think it's acceptable to use shortened versions of words, as they would when sending a text message. It is not!
• Don't forget to write an overview for Task 1. This is really important....and make sure it is clear!
• Never used memorised sentences or phrases, as doing this could make your writing appear to be very unnatural.
• Whatever you do, don't leave a note at the end for your examiner to read - even if it is to say thank you....nor leave a smiley face (yes, some candidates do this). None of this is appropriate and you could be marked down.
• Don't book your test until you feel absolutely confident that you can get the band you need. It is far better to pay for courses to help you get to the right level than it is for you to take the test week after week. Failing the test week after week will only demoralise you.

So there you go.

Read through these do’s and don’ts and take note … and good luck with preparing for your test!