The key to
IELTS Writing Task 2 success is to give the examiner exactly what they want and
nothing else.
Below you will find an overwiev for everything you need to achieve a
high score (7.5-9) in IELTS Writing Task 2. It includes:
1. 5 Step Writing Task 2 Approach
2. Essential Skills
3. IELTS Writing Tips
3. IELTS Writing Tips
4. Sentence-by-Sentence
Structures
5. Common Topics
6. Full Lessons
On All Question Types.
7. Grammar
8. Sample Answers
9. Easy to
Understand Infographic
1. IELTS Writing Task 2: 5 Step Approach
IELTS Writing
Task 2 requires you to write an academic style essay on a common topic. You
have 40 minutes to write at least 250 words. Task 2 can be
broken down and thought about more easily in 5 steps:
1. Question
Analysis
You must first
understand the question to know exactly what the examiner is looking for. One
of the biggest mistakes students make is not answering the question properly.
If you do not answer the question fully, you can’t score higher than a Band 5.
In order to
do this you must first identify the question type, then identify the
keywords in the question and finally identify the instructions words in order
to find out what the examiner wants you to do with the question. We will look
at these skills in
more detail below.
2. Planning
The students
who get the highest marks plan before they write and they often plan for up to
10 minutes. Planning helps you organise your ideas and structure before you
write, saving you time and helping you write a clear essay.
3.
Introduction
The
introduction should tell the examiner what the rest of the essay is about and
also answer the question directly. This tells the examiner that you know what
you are doing straight away and helps you write your main body paragraphs.
4. Main Body
Paragraphs
This is where
you give the examiner more detail. You do this by stating your main points and
supporting these with explanations and relevant examples.
5. Conclusion
Here
you provide a summary of what you have already said in the rest of the
essay.
See below for articles on the specific skills you need to do this and
full lessons on each different question type.
2. Essential Writing Task 2 Skills
No matter how good your English is you still need to learn some IELTS writing skills before you do Writing Task 2. Below are helpful guides that will take you through each of these skills step-by-step.
Making a good
plan actually saves you time when you write your essay. If you don’t plan you
are more likely to get lost half way through your essay and the result is
normally a very confused piece of writing that is difficult to read. This
guide will show you how to write clear essay every time.
Thinking of
good ideas is one of the most challenging parts of the test for some people.
This guide provides 5 different methods to help you quickly think of relevant
ideas that are directly linked to the question.
Complex
sentences help you boost your score for grammar. Complex sentences are actually
very simple to write and are not complex at all - in this article we show you
how.
Paraphrasing
is one of the most essential IELTS skills, not just in Writing Task 2, but in
all parts of the IELTS test. You should paraphrase the question in every essay
and I recommend doing this in the very first sentence to help boost your
vocabulary score.
Supporting
paragraphs are the main body paragraphs and are the meat in the sandwich. This
is where you provide the detail the examiner is looking for in the form of
explanations and examples.
A thesis
statement tell the examiner your opinion. Many IELTS Writing Task 2 questions
specifically ask for your opinion and if you don’t write it clearly you have
not answered the question properly. This article shows you how, where and when
to give your opinion.
Around 250
words? Exactly 250 words or over 250 words? How many words over? How do I know
how many words I have? This article answers all those questions.
A critical
part of answering any question. This article shows you how to break down any
Task 2 question and identify the keywords, micro-keywords and instruction words
to help you answer the question effectively.
The
introduction is the first thing the examiner reads and it is therefore
essential that we give them a good first impression. I have a very specific
sentence by sentence structure that I share in this article to help you write
introductions quickly and effectively.
Do you know
how Task 2 is marked? What is the difference between a Band 5 and a Band 8
answer? This article breaks the marking criteria down for you and explains it
in simple language so you can give the IELTS examiners exactly what they want.
A good
conclusion should be a summary of your main points. The conclusion is the last
thing the examiner reads and if you can write a good one you will leave them
with a very good impression.
12. Using Examples
Each of your
supporting paragraphs should have a specific example that supports and
illustrates your main point. This is an essential skill to learn if you want to
get one of the higher band scores.
13. Cohesive Devices
Cohesive devices,
sometimes called linking words, are one of the most misunderstood and misused
elements of writing. Learn how to use them and when to use them here.
Synonyms are
very important, but they can also really reduce your mark if used incorrectly.
This article
will show you how to make your writing as clear and as easy to read as
possible. It will also give you advice on whether to use a pen or pencil.
I have
compiled these tips after years of teaching IELTS and all of them have been
approved by IELTS examiners.
4. Writing Task 2 Structures
These
structures give you a sentence-by-sentence structure for all the main Task 2
question types, making your job much easier on exam day. IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Structures
5. Writing Task 2 Common Topics
Knowing the
common topics can help you prepare for the test more efficiently. Here are the
10 most common topics over the last few years. Studying hard is great, but
don’t forget to study smart. The article
below will show you the top 10 most common IELTS topics. Most Common Task 2 Topics
The article
below will show you how you can use the most common Task 2 topics to your
advantage. IELTS Essay Topics
6. Full Task 2 Lessons
Here are some
lessons that I have used when teaching students about Task 2. I have changed
them so that you can easily learn at home. They are very long, but combined
with the skills above, they contain all the information you need.
7. Grammar and Vocabulary
Grammar is one
of the four things you will be marked on in the Writing test. Finding out what
your common grammar mistakes are and then fixing them is a very powerful way to
boost your score in this area. Here are some common grammar mistakes I have
found after making hundreds of tests.
8. Sample Answers
It’s very important
that you have some good examples so that you can compare your writing and see
if you are on the right track. Click the link below for lots of sample answers
and over 100 questions.
9. Summary Infographic
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