Ielts: How To Cast Your Writing
When I kickoff started working 20 or so years ago, it was teaching high schoolhouse graduates who were applying through UCAS to attend a academy inward Britain as well as whose woman rear natural language wasn't English. The IELTS, therefore, was a 'must' for them.
Through my sense dealing amongst both year-long students, amongst whom ample fourth dimension preparing was available, as well as intensive course of teaching candidates who needed to sit down the examine inward a few weeks time, I learned that writing was the surface area most were having problem coming to grips with.
This, apparently, seems to last the instance amongst the bulk of IELTS candidates roughly the basis equally well, equally I've been seeing a lot of give-and-take on forums, social media groups as well as other online communities inward full general virtually the writing department on the IELTS examine lately. The overwhelming inquiry is "How produce they [the examiners] degree the writing?" as well as the park ship service is i where an seek is attached as well as the prospective IELTS candidate (who has decided non to attend a particular grooming course), all worried, is urgently requesting that someone comment regarding the score the seek would get.
The kickoff daze for me is that these justifiably anxious candidates get got no thought how to tackle the examine equally a whole. What I hateful to tell is that inward all likelihood they haven't fifty-fifty searched for the mark scheme the IELTS has uploaded onto its website to encounter what examiners are looking for as well as what is beingness graded.
Having written the essay, they should get got taken the printed IELTS Band Descriptor canvas as well as gone through each category bespeak yesteryear point to gauge the overall resultant they would acquire by themselves. Only as well as then should they get got proceeded to enquire for 2d as well as tertiary as well as quaternary opinions from other people online to encounter what the full general consensus would be.
This is what they should get got printed out before writing the seek they desire strangers on social networks to assess (click on the link for the pdf version):
Becoming your ain Marker
The primal to success inward the IELTS writing department when you lot create upward one's withdraw heed you lot don't demand a grooming course of teaching or tutor of some form is to last able to critically assess your ain work. The solely way to produce that at the 2d is
- to compare what you've written amongst the mark scheme provided yesteryear the IELTS
- know what flat your grammer is at
- know if your vocabulary hit is broad as well as your alternative of words accurate
- evaluate whether you lot get got fully discussed the topic given
- recognize if your essay is coherent as well as cohesive amongst proper linking of sentences
Let's last honest. If a candidate believes he or she tin handle to know all of the inward a higher house as well as degree their ain essays, they probably shouldn't last taking the examine but teaching others how to get got it or think virtually becoming IELTS examiners themselves.
That said, there are ways candidates tin acquire to a greater extent than aware of what markers facial expression for inward written papers, but unfortunately that would get got to a greater extent than than a week. So, if you're thinking of improving your writing, your primary objectives are to
- practice writing equally frequently equally possible
- study your grammar
- learn vocabulary
Tackle grammar
No i wants to get got the IELTS as well as effort out the waiting stream until results are due, their degree teetering betwixt a 6.0 they don't desire as well as the 6.5 the academy or employer are asking for. This is why whatever they produce piece preparing for the examine should aim far inward a higher house the flat they need.
That translates to learning Proficiency (C2) flat grammar. Start yesteryear making a checklist as well as learning the proper locomote of each item on that list. Read my C2-level Grammar List to acquire the ball rolling. If I haven't posted clarifications for each grammer bespeak yet, search online. Once you've understood the grammatical construct, apply it to your writing.
Let's illustrate this.
Some clear C2-level grammatical structures to locomote inward essays (and the Speaking section, for that matter) are inverted conditionals, the subjunctive, inversion, impersonal passive vocalisation constructions. These 4 are yesteryear no agency the definitive shortlist to success, but only yesteryear incorporating each into your essay, you lot volition handle to obtain points for the "grammatical hit as well as accuracy" category included inward the IELTS Band Descriptors.
- example of an inverted conditional sentence:
- "Were the authorities to get got measures to scrap this issue, the benefits for all would last tremendous."
- example of the subjunctive:
- "It is vital that an private learn to curb their urge to pass an exorbitant total of coin on meaningless things."
- example of inversion:
- "Under no circumstances should we allow ourselves to sanction the production as well as proliferation of nuclear weapons."
- example of impersonal passive voice:
- "It is believed that working capital alphabetic quality penalization has fiddling trial on reducing criminality."
Tackle Vocabulary
This is the hardest Band Descriptor category to improve in a brusk while. If you lot occur to get got fantastic photographic memory, as well as then yesteryear all agency gobble upward lists of words. If you're non the type to report column after column of lexemes, as well as then reading equally much equally possible as well as noting downward 20-30 C2-level words should produce the trick.
Now "What are C2-level words?" you lot mightiness ask. That's another unfortunate obstacle for someone who wants to get got the IELTS without guidance from an expert, but non i which can't last bypassed to a certainly extent.
The solution is constitute inward the types of reading texts you lot create upward one's withdraw heed to locomote equally business office of your preparation. If you lot read texts aimed at 6th graders, chances are you lot won't discovery complex words. However, articles from good journals or newspapers are jump to incorporate the words needed to acquire at least a 7.0 or 7.5 inward IELTS.
Find goodness online newspapers (I've posted a listing of intelligence agencies under the department entitled Get General Information virtually the Issues on the Agenda in my weblog post MUN Resources - Where Do I Start?) or produce equally many of the texts from the Reading sections of self-study IELTS Practice Tests books. As you lot read, banknote downward those 20-30 words mentioned before as well as start incorporating some of them into your writing. Systematic locomote volition assist you lot cry upward them equally your examine appointment draws near.
Tackle the Question
Many students who don't write often, won't know what to facial expression on the twenty-four hours of the examine or mightiness non get got a clue equally to how to address the inquiry inward the rubric.
Regardless of the ideas you lot have, you lot must concentrate on answering the inquiry as well as non going off topic, equally some candidates tend to do. Understanding the inquiry is a crucial kickoff step. Knowing how to organize a proper reply that volition respond to the rubric inward the best possible way is a second. It is hence necessary to
- locate the topic as well as the administration of the topic inward the rubric
- know which type of seek is required
- know how to write paragraphs (ie. what each paragraph should contain)
To improve inward writing, you lot tin read sample essays provided inward self-study IELTS textbooks or read equally many C2-level type essays equally possible. To that end, read What produce I produce amongst the sample writing constitute on this blog? inward improver the sample essays I've provided (under the C2 category, you'll discovery a diversity of topics) as well as follow the pointers I've given.
The IELTS is non equally straightforward equally it may seem. It needs perseverance as well as practice. Just cry upward to focus on grammar, vocabulary, scheme of paragraphs as well as ideas, as well as read equally many sample essays equally possible to acquire ideas. If you lot produce this, you lot volition get got covered each of the 4 categories constitute inward the Band Descriptors provided yesteryear IELTS as well as should acquire a meliorate score than expected.
So, to answer the inquiry "How tin I degree my ain essay?", larn your C2-level grammar, gather words as well as phrases from sample essays to know what is expected at a higher level, know how to organize discursive essays, as well as take downward arguments seen, silent again, inward a diversity of sample essays. Once you lot know what examiners want, compare the details given for each of the IELTS Band Descriptors to narrow downward your grade.
