Scoring high in the IELTS Writing Task 2 is essential for those who want to pursue higher education or work in an English-speaking country. It is a challenging task that requires test-takers to demonstrate their ability to write coherently and effectively in English. To achieve a high score, there are key ingredients that test-takers must include in their writing, such as a clear and concise thesis statement, well-developed supporting paragraphs, a range of vocabulary, proper grammar, and sentence structure, etc. In this blog, we will explore these key ingredients in more detail and provide tips on how to incorporate them into your IELTS Writing Task 2 essay.
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How to structure an essay introduction?
When writing an essay, it is important to know how to structure the introduction. The introduction should provide an overview of the topic, and the main objective, and briefly introduce the main points that will be discussed in the essay. By doing this, the reader will have a clear understanding of what to expect in the essay. Here are some tips for you:
It should not be more than 2-3 sentences
In the first sentence, you should paraphrase the task question
In the second sentence, you should answer the question with/without supporting reasons
Read more: Learn complete structure of IELTS Writing task 2
How to structure the body paragraph?
When writing an essay, it is essential to structure your body paragraphs in a way that effectively conveys your message to the reader. A paragraph should focus on a single subject or idea, allowing you to explore it in-depth and provide supporting evidence. By using this approach, you can ensure that your essay is well-organised, structured, and easy to read.
Each paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence that introduces the main idea, followed by evidence and analysis that supports your argument. It is also important to connect each paragraph to your thesis statement and use transitional words to ensure a smooth flow between ideas. Finally, each paragraph should end with a concluding sentence that summarises the main point and reinforces its importance to your overall argument. By following these guidelines, you can create body paragraphs that effectively convey your message to your reader:
A paragraph contains ideas about a single subject and using them will make your essay organised, structured, and easy to read.
When writing agree/disagree there are three possible options:
Completely agree/ disagree
First paragraph: Reason to agree/ disagree
Second paragraph: Other reasons to agree/ disagree
Partially agree
First paragraph: Reason why you agree
Second paragraph: Reason why you disagree
How to structure an essay conclusion?
The conclusion of an essay is a critical element that can leave a lasting impression on the reader. It is also essential to avoid introducing new information in the conclusion that you did not mention in the body of your essay. The conclusion should serve as a summary of your argument and leave a lasting impression on the reader. By following these guidelines, you can structure your essay's conclusion in a way that effectively reinforces your message and leaves a strong impression on the reader:
It should not be more than 2-3 sentences and it should briefly repeat and summarise your answer to the question
Don’t introduce information that you didn’t mention in your paragraph before
Note: An essay should cover all the requirements of the task equally and include relevant, well-supported ideas with a clear opinion.
Work on your grammar accuracy
To score high in IELTS Writing Task 2, you need to ensure that you have a good grasp of English grammar, including articles, subject-verb agreement, prepositions, plurals, punctuation, sentence structure, and tenses. Here are some tips that can help you achieve this:
Articles:
Use articles (a, an, the) correctly in your writing to indicate the specificity or generalisation of the noun.
Subject-verb agreement:
Ensure that the verb agrees with the subject in number and person.
Prepositions:
Use prepositions correctly to show the relationship between words in a sentence.
Plurals:
Use plurals correctly to indicate more than one of something.
Punctuation:
Use punctuation marks like commas, full stops, and semi-colons correctly to help convey meaning and clarify sentence structure.
Sentence structure:
Vary your sentence structure by using different sentence types such as simple, compound, and complex sentences.
Tenses:
Use tenses correctly to indicate the time of an action or event, and to show relationships between events in the past, present, or future.
By paying attention to these key ingredients, you can improve your grammar accuracy, which will help you score high in IELTS Writing Task 2.
The most common errors to avoid
Here are the most common errors to avoid when taking an IELTS test:
Grammar | Common errors |
Relative clause | Using the pronoun incorrectly – Who/that/which |
Conditional clause | Choosing the wrong tense for the clause type – Zero, type 1,2,3 |
Present perfect/past | Choosing the wrong tense – Had/have had |
Passive | Choosing the wrong past participle |
Gerunds | Making errors with – ing |
3-2-1 reflective method
Here is a method which will help you improve your grammar accuracy:
Pull out: Identify your top 3 common grammar mistakes in writing and make a note if them.
Practice: Revise grammar rules and practice.
Perform: Write a monitor progress.
Importance of grammatical range
Complex sentences are key to achieving a high score for grammatical range and accuracy. If you only speak in simple sentences with a limited range of complex structures, you couldn’t get more than band 5. For band 6, you need to use a mix of simple and complex structures. Band 7 requires a range of complex structures, while for band 8 you need to use a wide range. Here a guide for you:
Additionally, passive voice allows you to show grammatical range. It is formed using the verb to be and the participle of the verb. It focuses on the result of the action rather than who performed the action. Therefore, always use passive voice when taking your IELTS Writing test.
To know more about the key ingredients for scoring high in IELTS Writing Task 2 in detail watch this webinar by our IDP IELTS trainer Ms. Sujata Chhabra.
Scoring high in the IELTS exam is crucial for those aiming to study or work in Canada. To achieve success, it is essential to familiarise yourself with the test format. By following these top 7 tips, you can greatly increase your chances of obtaining a high IELTS band score and achieving your goals in Canada. Additionally, to know more about the IELTS test and the preparation, you can keep a watch on our next IELTS webinar update and register yourself timely.
There are several key ingredients for scoring high in IELTS Writing Task 2. Firstly, it is important to fully understand the task requirements and to plan your response effectively. Secondly, you should focus on developing a clear and coherent argument that is supported by relevant examples and evidence. Additionally, it is important to use a range of sentence structures and to demonstrate a good level of grammatical accuracy and lexical resource.
Finally, you should ensure that your writing is well-organised, with clear paragraphs and a logical progression of ideas. By following these guidelines and practicing your writing skills, you can increase your chances of achieving a high score in the IELTS Writing Task 2.