Common issues in Writing

:Common issues in an Academic Task 1 Response

1. not writing an overview of the report
2.  describing every single piece of data (rather than the main points), or not including every main feature , missing out crucial information
3. . copying from the question rather than using a range of vocabulary
4. .not using a range of grammar and tenses
5. . your report must be at least 150 words – anything less than this will be penalized REMEMBER: When you are writing the report you need to imagine that you are writing a report for a person who has never seen the graph, but who needs to know all of the main points. Unlike the essay, you don’t give any opinions, or add any extra information about what you think the data means, you are just summarising the main points

:Common issues in a General Training Task 1 Response

1.  not addressing all three bullet points in the question
2.  using the wrong ‘tone’ – the right language for the person you are writing to
3.  using bullet points in your answer – remember that it is a writing test so you have to use complete sentences and structure to show off your vocabulary, grammar and structure
4.  not setting up your writing as a letter – try to write to a real person with a salutation at the beginning and a closing at the end
5. . not writing at least 150 words

:Common issues in a Task 2 response

1.  In Task 2 you must analyse the question, as there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to essay answers in the IELTS. First, determine how many items in the question you have to address. Do you have to agree OR disagree with a statement (1 item), or does the question ask you to discuss both sides and give your opinion (3 items)? Sometimes the topic itself has multiple parts to it and you need to make sure you address every part
2. You might not fully read the question, and therefore not write about what is being asked – some people go off on a tangent and write about something that is slightly different from what was asked this can be a real issue for people who do a lot of practice essays as they fall into the trap of writing an essay they have memorised, that is not quite about the topic
3.  Paragraph structure is very important in essay writing, with a nice clear introduction that outlines what you are going to write about, and clear body paragraphs, each with a main idea and supporting information and examples, followed by a conclusion which wraps everything up and restates your essay thesis
4.  Throughout, you want to have a good range of grammar as well as vocabulary. You should also have discourse markers throughout , to act as signposts to your audience
5.  Your essay must be at least 250 words – anything less than this will be penalised
6.  Occasionally, an otherwise very good answer will fail to address the task fully. 25% of the Writing score for Task 2 (GT and Academic) is based on the completeness of the response. This criterion is referred to as “Task Response”. If all parts of the Writing Task 2 are addressed, a person will score band 6 or higher for this quarter of their Task 2 score. So responding to every individual part of a Writing task is very important. The other 75% of the score for Task 2 in Writing is based on vocabulary, accurate grammar and the structure and linking of ideas