Top 10 IELTS Writing Tips: 10 Tips For Task 2 To Boost Your Writing Band Score

In the IELTS Academic and General Training writing test, you are asked to write an essay (also known as the IELTS Writing Task 2). To get a good band score, it is important to have the right study plans.

Task 2 is especially important because you must write 250 words (compared to 150 words in Task 1), so Task 2 counts for double your score. This short guide will give you 10 useful tips to boost your IELTS preparation for the second part of the test.

Note: We will skip the basic tips such as 'spend 40 minutes on Task 2' or 'remember the word limit', as these have already been covered here: [Link to page]

1. Pay Attention To The Topic In The IELTS Writing Test

This may seem obvious, but it is common in IELTS writing for many test takers to misunderstand the topic a bit and lose marks. Take the following topic as an example:

"Many people do little to protect the environment despite knowing how important it is. What is the reason? What solution can you suggest?"

When discussing the reasons, I have seen many students say that the reason is that people do not see the important role of the environment for them. Can you see how this is not a good idea?

The topic clearly states that they know 'how important it is', so you cannot use this as a valid reason. The problem happened because the student did not read the topic carefully enough. Consider another example. I want you to read this topic carefully first:

"Nowadays, the internet and television have given ordinary people a chance to become famous. Is this a positive or negative development?"

I've noticed that students do not focus on the 'chance to become famous' and simply start talking about the general benefits of the internet and television. This happens when you do not pay attention to each word of the topic.

A good habit is to read the questions carefully and always underline the important words/phrases when you are reading a topic.

"Nowadays, the internet and television have given ordinary people a chance to become famous. Is this a positive or negative development?"

Note: The academic test has more difficult topics compared to the general one, so be extra careful if you are an academic IELTS candidate.

2. Write An Essay With Short Introduction and Conclusion

Perhaps it's a habit that many students get from their schooling where they are required to write 500 or 1000-word essays, but in IELTS, where you have to write around 250 words, writing long introductions or conclusions is not a good idea.

Many examiners see long first and last paragraphs as not relevant to the task and, perhaps more seriously, as a 'trick' used by candidates to meet the minimum word count. The suggested length for an introduction or conclusion in an IELTS essay is usually 30 words per section. This is especially important if you are aiming for a band 7 in IELTS writing (or more).

Your introduction should, ideally, include only two sentences:

In the first one, you present the topic in your own words.

In the second one, you state your position clearly. Position, if you do not know this term, simply means - your direct answer to the prompt (the essay question). Let's understand this through an example:

"Some people believe that robots will replace teachers in the classroom in the near future. Do you agree or disagree?"

"Some individuals think that in the coming years, robots will take over the role of teachers in classrooms. However, I completely disagree with this idea." [27 words]

As you can see, the first sentence restates the topic (restate = present in own words) and the second directly answers the question of whether you agree or disagree.

Let's use the same example topic to understand conclusions. A good conclusion includes a restatement of the position and a summary of the points. Take a look at the conclusion below:

"In conclusion, I do not agree with the idea that robots will replace human teachers in the near future because they cannot have emotional interaction and have fixed knowledge."

3. Learn to Restate The IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic

You already know what restating is from the last tip. What many students do not realize is that restating is important not just for the topic part but for two other places in the essay as well - the examples and the conclusion. When you give an example, it is a more specific version of the previous statement (the statement that it is trying to prove), so restating is necessary to avoid repetition. For the conclusion, restating is needed both for repeating your position and summarizing your points.

Let's focus on the main technique that you can use to restate. The easiest way to restate is simply to use synonyms (words that have the same meaning) for the word or phrase in the topic. Here is an example topic and restating:

"Advertisements on television that target children should be banned."

TV commercials that are aimed at children should be banned.

As you can see, the underlined words are simply synonyms of the original words/phrases.

There are more advanced ways to restate which you can learn about here: [Link to the restating post].

4. Improve Your Vocabulary Score Through Topic-Specific Words

IELTS topics come from many different areas such as environment, parenting, crime, education, and employment, to name just a few. One of the ways you can show a wide range of vocabulary (important for IELTS writing band score for the Lexical Resource criteria) is by using topic-specific words in your essay. Topic-specific words are examples of vocabulary that are closely related to the 'topic area' of the essay. Let's understand this through an example of the essay about robots from an earlier tip:

"Some people believe that robots will replace teachers in the classroom in the near future. Do you agree or disagree?"

So the topic areas are 'Technology' and 'Education', and any good word or phrase that specifically relates to these topic areas would earn you a good score. A student using words such as 'Artificial Intelligence' or 'Teaching Robots' (robots designed for teaching) would certainly leave a good impression.

One of the best ways to improve topic-specific vocabulary is simply by reading a few good model answers daily. If you are interested in learning topic-specific vocabulary, I also have a free 9-hour video course for that (In Hindi):

For a detailed list of the topic area, go here: [Link to Topic Areas Page]

5. Work on your ideas For The Writing Section

Imagine you are taking the IELTS exam. You get a discussion essay, a question type you are confident in. But then you see the topic:

"Some people think that criminal behavior has genetic causes. Others believe that crime is based on the situation. Discuss both views and give your opinion."

If you have never read or heard about the 'nature vs nurture' debate, it may be particularly hard for you to write this essay (even if you are good at discussion essays). This is why it is important to work on your ideas as well as on improving your writing skills. You may be asked to write on many topics and, to write a good essay, you need to have ideas. They are like the building blocks, the 'bricks' for your paragraph 'wall'.

You can expand your pool of ideas in two ways, one is by reading a lot of essay samples daily. Two, by reading an IELTS ideas book. The best book on this is 'The Big Book of Ideas For IELTS Essay' which you can get here: [Link to ideas book here]

You must make sure that you have a good collection of ideas before you decide to take the IELTS test. You do not want to have the skills to write an essay but be let down by the 'topic' on the test day!

6. Avoid fully memorized statements In The Writing Test

While it is perfectly normal (and acceptable) to use memorized phrases or partly memorized statements in IELTS essays (as long as they are fitting), what is not acceptable is relying on pre-memorized statements. These statements are easily caught by any experienced examiner and can lead to heavy deductions. Let's understand the difference between a memorized phrase/partially memorized statement and a 'fully memorized' one through the example below:

Example 1 ✅: A part of society holds the view that... [This is a partly memorized phrase or statement as you would still need to fill in the whole topic by yourself]

Example 2 ✅: While there are arguments to support both views, I side with the __________ viewpoint on this matter. [This is again acceptable as it still requires you to fill in the blank with something]

Example 3 ❌: In the following paragraphs, I will explain my viewpoint with relevant arguments and examples. [This is a statement that the student has memorized and used as it is]

It's important to approach 'templates' with caution if they include fully memorized sentences, and even when they are partly memorized, the source of your information should be carefully evaluated. A good IELTS essay writing template must follow the official marking criteria guidelines.

7. Improve Your Writing by Planning before you write Task 2

Among all the tips to improve IELTS writing band score, this is perhaps the one that is ignored most often by students. But before we understand why planning is important let us be clear on what I mean by planning here. Planning simply means - thinking ahead (and preferably writing it down) about what ideas you are going to use and how you are going to develop them.

In this way, a good plan includes - the position and a rough outline for both paragraphs, a well thought out answer to the question before you start writing. Take a look at the plan below:

The topic:

"Some people believe that robots will replace teachers in the classroom in the near future. Do you agree or disagree?"

A good plan with the two body paragraphs clearly outlined:

MBP1: Why People Are Key in Learning

The importance of people in teaching cannot be replaced

Robots and pre-recorded lessons cannot feel emotions

Teachers can tell when students need extra help

They care and adjust, but robots cannot do this yet

MBP2: Teachers Do More Than Just Teach Facts

Teachers also guide them in studies and help students grow personally

They give emotional help and build character, which is a strength of human teachers

Robots, even with good programming, cannot offer this kind of support

Overall learning includes personal advice, which robots aren't good at yet

 

As you can see, a plan includes just the keywords and is not too detailed. It is like having, in your mind, the answer before you start writing.

So, why is it important to plan? Simply because it is not a good idea to mix up the 'what' with the 'how', or in simpler words, the 'ideas' with the 'language'.

When you plan, you get an overview of your ideas which makes it easier to find any irrelevant (off-topic) ideas.

It also allows you to work on the skills of planning only. You can even plan 4 essays in 40 minutes on some days instead of writing 1 essay.

If you have a well-planned essay, you no longer need to worry about the 'what' and can focus on the 'how' - that is, you can think freely about the language, the vocabulary and the grammar. This whole process usually leads to a much better result.

8. Have a basic understanding of the IELTS Writing Section marking criteria

Many students come into the world of IELTS with assumptions about what a good essay is. These assumptions are often based on their past schooling experiences rather than the reality of the IELTS test. For example, many of them believe that if they have a good command over language, that is grammar and vocabulary, they can easily get a band 7, when, in reality, grammar and vocabulary make up only 50% of the weight for the IELTS writing section.

It is a good idea to have a clear understanding of what examiners look at when marking your essays. IELTS writing scores are not given randomly; they are based on specific guidelines.

These 'guidelines' are in the form of a document known as 'The Official IELTS Writing Band Descriptors' (link here). This document contains every single bit of information that the examiner needs to assign an IELTS band score to your writing. Please note that the marking for the General and Academic Writing task 2 is exactly the same. Without going too much into detail, here's a quick summary of the criteria:

1. Task Achievement (25%) - Checks if your essay answers the question, with clear opinions and relevant examples.
2. Coherence and Cohesion (25%) - Looks at how well your essay is organized, how smoothly ideas flow, and how well you use linking words and paragraphs.
3. Lexical Resource (25%) - Rates your vocabulary use, whether you choose the right words, and how accurately you use them.
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy (25%) - Judges the variety and correctness of your grammar, like different sentence structures and correct use of tenses.

Similar to task 2, there is a separate 4-part criteria for both IELTS Academic writing task 1 and IELTS General writing Task 1 (almost the same for both). Your IELTS writing exam score is always a result of how well you've met the requirements of the criteria.

You can read more about the criteria online on the IDP education website: [Link here]. Any good IELTS trainer understands the criteria well and their writing tips and tricks match with it. Without matching their writing advice and the criteria, you're essentially wasting your time and effort, so it is important to prepare for the IELTS test with the right teacher.

9. Daily Sample Reading and IELTS Practice Tests

Any list of IELTS writing tips to score well is incomplete without this important tip. Regular exposure to sample essays and practice tests are essential for improving your writing for the IELTS exam.

By reading a variety of high-scoring sample answers, you can learn about effective writing styles, different vocabulary usage, and how to organize your essays properly. This exposure helps in understanding the details of different essay types and even the expectations of the examiners.

One important thing to understand here is that not all sources are good. Only go for essays that are written by ex-examiners or expert IELTS trainers. Here is a great source that you can trust: [Link to my sample essays]

Additionally, regularly taking practice tests under timed conditions is important. It not only makes you familiar with the exam format but also helps you manage your time effectively during the actual test. Even if your practice is not timed (like a home IELTS writing task), and you take 60 minutes to finish an essay, you are still learning something valuable about essay writing.

In short, a daily routine of reading good essays and practicing writing will help you perform well in the second task.

10. The importance of Review in IELTS Test Preparation

Getting good at writing essays for IELTS takes time and a lot of reviewing.

After you write, always go back and read it again. This helps you find and fix any mistakes, make sure your ideas are clear and you're answering the question. When you review, try to make your arguments stronger, make your writing clearer, and make sure your essay flows well. Check that you've used the right words, your sentences are different from each other, and everything makes sense.

It's not just about fixing small mistakes, but also making your overall writing skills better over time. Remember, doing well in IELTS writing is about writing a lot, but also about really looking at your work and making it better every time. Students who do not go back to their essays often find themselves stuck in a cycle of repetition, making the same mistakes without realizing it, and missing chances for meaningful improvement and a deeper understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.

If you want to improve, you have to regularly check your essay writing.

Conclusion - Use the IELTS Writing Tips and Tricks

So, these are the top 10 IELTS writing tips that will help you improve your IELTS writing score (but only if you include them in your IELTS practice routine). So far, we have addressed only one part of the IELTS writing test here. No doubt, Task 2 is worth more marks, but the first task cannot be ignored.

Next up will be 10 tips to increase your IELTS writing task 1 score. There will be one guide for the academic writing test and one for the General Training test. By the end of it, you will have the right preparation plan for Task 1 and Task 2!

Keep achieving language milestones. Stay tuned for more guides to IELTS!