Writing Band 8 IELTS Essays: A Comprehensive Guide for First Timers
Being an ESL candidate, you can make the most out of your IELTS Writing Module, as many Test Takers find it hard to cope with the Stress, Tone, and Intonation of Spoken English. You might have heard people saying, “You know how to write an essay? You need to write at least five paragraphs. One introduction, one conclusion, and three body paragraphs.” Let’s discuss the specific tips and techniques to ace the IELTS Task 2 Essays.
Before you start:
As we all know, revision is a must for any writing test. So, here is your comprehensive revision list that you should cover even before signing up for IELTS General or Academic:
- Paragraph writing Techniques
- Essay Writing
- Complex sentences
- Cohesive devices
- Expository Writing
Do a Little Research
A little background research will help you know more about IELTS Writing. You can start browsing the basic questions and slowly understand Tasks 1 and 2. Reading a few Sample questions and answers for Task 2 Essay writing will help you know the rubrics better.
Remember, it needs to be a little research, not a humongous one that leads to nothing.
Stay focused on the criteria:
Once you are ready with the background info, invest time in understanding the IELTS Task 2 Writing assessment criteria – Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
Get Easy Scores First:
Focusing on simple criteria like Task Response needs little practice. However, you need to be extra careful, as it demands the candidates to analyse the Task 2 IELTS Questions deeply. Most of the Test Takers fail to answer all the questions.
Remember, a task may contain more than two questions. Look for the question words and answer each part of the task.
Mastering Complex Structures:
Complex sentence structures are the instant mark boosters, assuring you at least a Band 7 in IELTS Writing. Though the International English Language Testing System expects the test takers to use a range of sentence structures, Complex Sentences are good to begin with.
Try to avoid grave grammatical mistakes like Run on and Comma Splice while practicing Complex Structures for IELTS Writing Tests.
Practice Paragraphing:
Paragraphing is a must when you aim for Band 7 and above. Imagine a text without paragraphs, and to the worst, it runs for some 10 pages. Would you read it? Don’t forget that the IELTS Writing module tests your ability to use cohesive devices. Effective paragraphing skills will certainly help you in this regard, as it falls under the second most important assessment criteria – Coherence and Cohesion.
Make sure you revise the individual paragraph writing techniques well before.
Seeking professional help saves time, and allows you to realize your true potential. Be specific with your task goals, focus on the marking criteria, structure your response with clarity, and stay on topic, as these tips along with the Writing Techniques revision enable you to craft Band 8 IELTS Essays.
By KLS Team
