The 4 Greatest IELTS Writing Errors and Methods to Keep away from Them
Are you pissed off together with your IELTS writing scores? Regardless of your greatest efforts, are you continue to not attaining the band rating you want?
You’re not alone!
Many test-takers wrestle with the identical points, usually making errors with out realizing it.
As a former IELTS examiner, I’ve seen numerous essays get low band scores due to 4 widespread misunderstandings about what the IELTS band descriptors really require. These aren’t minor errors – they’re elementary misinterpretations that may severely restrict your rating.
On this information, I’ll reveal these 4 main errors and supply sensible options to repair them. By the tip, you’ll have a transparent understanding of what IELTS examiners actually search for and the best way to keep away from these score-limiting errors in your subsequent examination.
Mistake #1: Irrelevant Supporting Particulars
The Downside
You most likely know that creating your fundamental concepts is important for a excessive band rating. This implies supporting your arguments with causes, explanations, and examples. Nonetheless, many test-takers make a crucial error: they embody supporting particulars that aren’t straight associated to their fundamental thought.
To realize a band 7 for activity response, your supporting particulars have to be straight related to your fundamental thought. With out this relevance, your rating shall be restricted to band 6.
For instance, in an essay about vital college topics, one scholar argued that historical past ought to be emphasised however offered an instance about politics. Whereas attention-grabbing, this instance wasn’t straight related to the primary argument about historical past, limiting the duty response rating to band 6.
The Resolution
When planning your essay (which you should do for a excessive band rating), guarantee every supporting element clearly connects to your fundamental argument. For every instance or rationalization, ask your self:
- Does this straight help my fundamental thought?
- Is that this related to my benefits, disadvantages, issues, options, or causes?
- Would an examiner instantly see the connection?
If not, discover a extra related instance as an alternative.
Incorrect vs. Appropriate Instance:
Incorrect: “Historical past is likely one of the most vital topics in class. In lots of international locations, younger folks don’t perceive how their political techniques work, which ends up in low voter turnout.”
Appropriate: “Historical past is likely one of the most vital topics in class. By learning historic occasions like World Conflict II, younger folks can perceive how societies might be modified by battle, serving to them admire the significance of peace within the fashionable world.”
Mistake #2: Focusing Solely on Transition Alerts
The Downside
Many test-takers consider that cohesion is nearly utilizing transition indicators – phrases and phrases like “firstly,” “furthermore,” “for instance,” and “in conclusion.” Some even invent unnatural phrases like “to exemplify” simply to indicate selection.
IELTS examiners aren’t in search of a wide range of transition indicators. They’re in search of a wide range of cohesive units, of which transition indicators are just one sort.
The Resolution
As an alternative of obsessing over transition indicators, deal with utilizing various kinds of cohesive units all through your essay:
- Referencing phrases: this, these, such
- Conjunctions: though, as a result of, subsequently
- Relative clauses: which, who, that
- Synonyms: to keep away from repetition
- Provider nouns: particular nouns that may carry that means from earlier sentences
Utilizing these totally different units will assist your essay stream extra naturally, which is what examiners search for at band 7 and above.
Incorrect vs. Appropriate Instance:
Incorrect: “Many individuals use social media each day. Firstly, social media helps folks join with mates. Moreover, social media gives information updates. Furthermore, social media permits folks to share their opinions.”
Appropriate: “Many individuals use social media each day. This know-how helps customers join with mates whereas additionally offering them with information updates. Social networking platforms, which have turn into important communication instruments, permit people to share their opinions on world points.”
Mistake #3: Utilizing “Superior” Phrases
The Downside
Many college students consider that utilizing superior or uncommon phrases is the important thing to a excessive vocabulary rating. In consequence, they use phrases that even native audio system not often use, usually inappropriately or incorrectly.
The band descriptors state that band 7 requires “much less widespread lexical gadgets,” however this doesn’t imply uncommon phrases. A “lexical merchandise” normally refers to a gaggle of phrases, similar to collocations or phrases.
“Much less widespread” means vocabulary that IELTS examiners don’t steadily see in essays, not phrases which might be not often utilized by native audio system.
The Resolution
Give attention to utilizing acceptable collocations and phrases reasonably than unusual particular person phrases. Study and use phrase mixtures like:
- Heavy site visitors
- Renewable vitality
- Shield the setting
- Lead a wholesome life-style
- Social media platforms
These teams of phrases will reveal your lexical useful resource rather more successfully than remoted difficult phrases.
Incorrect vs. Appropriate Instance:
Incorrect: “The metropolis is affected by exorbitant congestion which necessitates governmental intercession to ameliorate the quotidian tribulations of commuters.”
Appropriate: “The town is dealing with heavy site visitors issues which require authorities intervention to resolve the each day challenges of commuters.”
Mistake #4: Solely Utilizing Advanced Sentences
The Downside
You’ve seemingly heard that complicated sentences are vital for a excessive band rating. Nonetheless, at band 7 and above, examiners wish to see totally different complicated constructions, not simply complicated sentences.
Should you solely use complicated sentences with out various your constructions, your rating for grammatical vary and accuracy shall be restricted to band 6.
The Resolution
Be sure that to make use of a wide range of complicated constructions in your writing:
- Relative clauses
- Conditionals
- Passive voice
- Modal verbs
- Advanced noun phrases
- Advanced verb patterns
This selection will reveal your grammatical vary and provide help to obtain the next band rating.
Incorrect vs. Appropriate Instance:
Incorrect: “Though many cities have public transportation, many individuals nonetheless want to drive vehicles. It’s because vehicles are extra handy, though they trigger extra air pollution, whereas bicycles are higher for the setting.”
Appropriate: “Many cities have well-developed public transportation techniques. Regardless of this infrastructure, folks usually want driving their very own autos, which provide extra comfort. Automobiles, nevertheless, produce vital air pollution that damages the setting. Biking, by comparability, represents a extra environmentally pleasant different that ought to be inspired by native authorities.”
Check Your Understanding: Mini-Quiz
Query 1: Which of the next is most vital for attaining band 7 in Process Response?
- Utilizing complicated vocabulary
- Together with many examples
- Ensuring supporting particulars are related to your fundamental thought
- Writing an extended introduction
Query 2: What are cohesive units?
- Transition indicators like “firstly” and “furthermore”
- Varied components together with referencing phrases, conjunctions, and relative clauses
- Unusual vocabulary gadgets
- Advanced grammatical constructions
Query 3: What does “much less widespread lexical gadgets” check with within the band descriptors?
- Extraordinarily uncommon phrases
- Made-up phrases to sound tutorial
- Teams of phrases like collocations and phrases not generally seen in IELTS essays
- Technical terminology
Query 4: Which of the next would provide help to obtain band 7+ for grammatical vary?
- Utilizing complicated sentences with a number of clauses
- Utilizing a wide range of complicated constructions together with passive voice and conditionals
- At all times write brief, easy sentences
- Utilizing solely the previous tense all through the essay
Solutions: 1c, 2b, 3c, 4b
Abstract
To enhance your IELTS writing rating and keep away from these widespread errors:
- Guarantee related supporting particulars: Be sure that examples and explanations straight help your fundamental thought.
- Use numerous cohesive units: Don’t rely solely on transition indicators; embody referencing phrases, conjunctions, relative clauses, synonyms, and service nouns.
- Give attention to collocations, not uncommon phrases: Study and use acceptable phrase mixtures reasonably than unusual particular person phrases.
- Range your complicated constructions: Embody relative clauses, conditionals, passive voice, modal verbs, and sophisticated noun/verb patterns.
By avoiding these 4 main errors, you’ll be nicely in your method to attaining the IELTS writing band rating you want. Good luck together with your IELTS preparation!
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