The Ultimate
Writing Guide
Every task type you can be given in the Academic Writing test — the rules, the structure, the grammar, the vocabulary, and a full model answer for each one. Read it once from beginning to end, then return to the chapter you need before you write.
How the test works
You get one hour, one answer booklet and two tasks. Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1, so it decides your score. Almost everything below follows from that one fact.
What Task 1 Academic gives you
One visual, or occasionally two, and a single instruction that never changes: summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. There are seven things that visual can be, and this guide covers all of them.
| The visual | What it is really asking |
|---|---|
| Line graph | How did these figures change over time? |
| Bar chart | How do these categories compare? |
| Pie chart | How is the whole divided, and how did the division shift? |
| Table | All of the above — with nothing drawn for you. |
| Two visuals | Both of the above, in the same 150 words. |
| Process diagram | What happens, in what order? |
| Map or plan | What changed about this place, and where? |
Task 2 is the same essay in both the Academic and General Training tests, so everything in the Task 2 chapters applies whichever module you are sitting.
Rules you cannot break
- Write more than the minimum. Under 150 / 250 words and you lose marks automatically. Aim for 170–190 and 270–300 — long enough to be safe, short enough to check.
- Answer every part of the question. If the prompt has two questions, an essay that answers one cannot go above band 5 for Task Response.
- Do not copy the question. Copied words are not counted in your total. Paraphrase instead.
- Do not memorise whole essays. Examiners recognise learned answers and penalise them. Memorise structures and phrases, not essays.
- Handwriting must be readable (paper test). If the examiner cannot read a word, it does not exist. Write in pen; pencil is only for the answer sheet in Reading and Listening.
- Paragraphs are compulsory. One block of text cannot score above band 5 for Coherence and Cohesion. Leave an empty line between paragraphs.
- British or American spelling — both fine, but stay consistent (organise / organize, not both).
Start with Task 2. It is worth two-thirds of your Writing score, and it is the task students run out of time on. Write Task 2 for 40 minutes, then Task 1 for 20. The examiner does not care which order you wrote them in.
Never leave a task blank or write only two sentences for Task 1 because you ran out of time. An incomplete Task 1 can pull your Writing band down by a whole point even when Task 2 is strong.
How you are marked
Four criteria, each worth 25% of the task. Your task band is the average of the four, so a single weak criterion drags everything down. Know what each one is actually measuring.
The four criteria
| Criterion | The examiner is asking | What raises it fastest |
|---|---|---|
| Task Achievement (Task 1) | Did you cover the main features, give an overview, and report accurately without inventing anything? | Write a clear Overview paragraph and support every claim with a number. |
| Task Response (Task 2) | Did you answer the exact question, hold one clear position, and develop your ideas? | State your position in the introduction and repeat it in the conclusion; extend each idea with a because and an example. |
| Coherence & Cohesion | Can I follow you? Are there real paragraphs with one central idea each? | One idea per paragraph, a topic sentence at the start, and linking words used only where the meaning needs them. |
| Lexical Resource | Do you have the words for this topic, and do you use them correctly and naturally? | Precise topic vocabulary and correct collocation — not "big words" used wrongly. |
| Grammatical Range & Accuracy | Do you use a mix of sentence types, and how many sentences contain no errors? | Mix short simple sentences with complex ones, and cut mistakes by simplifying what you cannot control. |
What the bands actually mean
| Band | Task | Coherence | Vocabulary | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Partly answers; no overview or an unclear one; may copy the prompt. | Ideas present but not organised; paragraphs missing or random. | Limited words, repeated; noticeable errors in spelling and word form. | Mostly simple sentences; frequent errors that make reading hard. |
| 6 | Answers the question but some parts are thin; overview present but general. | Clear progression, though linking words are used mechanically or over-used. | Enough words for the topic; some inaccuracy and awkward choices. | A mix of simple and complex forms; errors are frequent but meaning is clear. |
| 7 | Fully answers every part; clear position throughout; ideas extended. | Logical order, each paragraph has one central topic, cohesion feels natural. | Enough range to be flexible and precise; some less common words; occasional slips. | Variety of complex structures; most sentences error-free. |
| 8 | Answers all parts fully, with well-developed and relevant support. | Information sequenced so well the reader never pauses; paragraphing is faultless. | Wide, natural, precise; rare errors in word choice or collocation only. | Wide range; the large majority of sentences are completely error-free. |
Almost every student stuck at 6.5 is losing the point on the same two things: ideas that are announced but never explained, and linking words glued to the front of every sentence. Band 7 writing explains why after every claim and uses Moreover maybe once in the whole essay.
Planning & timing
Five minutes of planning saves you fifteen minutes of rewriting. The plan is not an essay — it is six or seven words on the question paper that stop you changing your mind in the middle of paragraph two.
The 60-minute plan
| Minutes | What you do |
|---|---|
| 0–5 | Task 2: underline the topic words and the instruction words. Decide your position. Write two body-paragraph ideas and one example for each. |
| 5–38 | Task 2: write. Introduction 3 minutes, each body paragraph 12 minutes, conclusion 3 minutes. |
| 38–40 | Task 2: check articles, plurals, verb endings. Nothing else. |
| 40–44 | Task 1: read the axes, the units and the dates. Circle the highest, the lowest and the biggest change. That is your overview. |
| 44–57 | Task 1: write. |
| 57–60 | Both tasks: check word count and paragraph breaks. |
How to plan Task 2 in four lines
- Underline the instruction. To what extent do you agree? is a different task from Discuss both views. Getting this wrong caps your Task Response at band 5.
- Write your position in six words. Example: Agree — cheaper + safer, but training cost.
- One idea per body paragraph. Two paragraphs, two ideas. Not four ideas fighting for space.
- Add the example before you start writing. If you cannot think of an example, change the idea now — not in the middle of the paragraph.
Run the topic through six lenses and take the two that give you the most to say: money, time, health, education, environment, society. Almost any IELTS topic produces an argument through at least two of them.
The method that works for every chart
Whatever the picture is, the job is identical: report the main features, compare them, and support what you say with figures. You are a reporter, not an analyst. No opinions, no reasons, no I think.
The four-paragraph shape
| Paragraph | Sentences | Job |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Introduction | 1 | Paraphrase the question. Change the verb, change the nouns, keep the numbers and dates exactly as given. |
| 2 · Overview | 2–3 | The two or three biggest things a person would notice from across the room. No numbers here. |
| 3 · Detail A | 4–5 | The first logical group — with figures. |
| 4 · Detail B | 4–5 | The second group — with figures. |
An answer with no overview cannot reach band 6 for Task Achievement, no matter how good the English is. Start it with Overall, so the examiner cannot miss it. Ask yourself: what is highest, what is lowest, what changed most, and what is the general direction?
How to split the detail paragraphs
- By time — first half of the period / second half. Best when a clear turning point exists.
- By size — the big items / the small items. Best for bar charts, pie charts and tables.
- By behaviour — things that rose / things that fell. Best for line graphs with mixed trends.
- By stage — first half of the process / second half. For diagrams.
Choose one and stay with it. Mixing two systems is what makes an answer feel disorganised.
- Your opinion, or the words I, we, my.
- Reasons for the data ("this happened because of the economic crisis") — you cannot see that in the chart.
- Predictions about the future beyond what the graph shows.
- A conclusion. Task 1 has an overview instead; a separate conclusion just repeats it.
- Every single number in the chart. Select. Twenty figures with no shape scores lower than six well-chosen ones.
Line graph
A line graph is about change over time. The examiner wants trends, turning points and comparisons between lines — not a list of every year.
What to select
- The starting point and the ending point of each line.
- The highest point (peak) and the lowest point (trough).
- Any moment where a line changes direction, or where two lines cross.
- The biggest riser and the biggest faller.
Tenses
Past dates → past simple. Present or general data → present simple. Dates after today → is expected to / is projected to. If a period runs from the past up to now, the present perfect is available: numbers have risen steadily since 2015.
The line graph below shows the number of visitors, in millions, to three museums in London between 2005 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
| Museum | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Museum | 4.5 | 5.8 | 6.8 | 1.3 |
| Tate Modern | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 1.0 |
| Science Museum | 2.0 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 0.9 |
The line graph compares how many people visited three museums in London over a fifteen-year period from 2005 to 2020.
Overall, all three attractions drew steadily growing audiences until 2015, after which visitor numbers collapsed. The British Museum was the most popular venue throughout the whole period, while the Science Museum consistently received the fewest visitors.
In 2005 the British Museum welcomed 4.5 million people, around half a million more than the Tate Modern and more than double the figure for the Science Museum, which stood at just 2 million. Over the following decade the British Museum climbed steadily to a peak of 6.8 million in 2015, an increase of roughly 50%. The Science Museum grew at a comparable rate in percentage terms, from 2 to 3.3 million, whereas growth at the Tate Modern stalled: having reached 4.7 million in 2010, it remained flat for the next five years.
The final five years reversed this pattern completely. By 2020 every museum had fallen well below its starting figure, with the British Museum dropping most sharply, to only 1.3 million. The Tate Modern and the Science Museum finished the period at almost exactly the same level, at 1 million and 0.9 million respectively.
- The overview gives the shape of the graph (growth, then collapse) plus the highest and lowest lines — and contains no figures.
- The detail is split by time: 2005–2015 in one paragraph, 2015–2020 in the next.
- Comparison language is doing real work: more than double, at a comparable rate, whereas, respectively.
- Numbers support claims rather than replacing them. Every figure follows a statement about direction or size.
- Describing each line year by year with and then… and then….
- Writing "the graph increased". Graphs do not increase; the number of visitors increased.
- Ignoring the units. If the axis says millions, 4.5 means 4.5 million, not 4.5.
- Inventing a reason for a fall.
Bar chart
A bar chart is about comparison between categories. If it also has dates on the axis, treat it like a line graph and describe change as well.
What to select
- The tallest and shortest bars overall.
- Where the two groups are furthest apart, and where they are closest or equal.
- Any category that behaves differently from the rest — the exception is always worth a sentence.
Grouping
With two groups and four categories you have two clean options: one paragraph per group, or one paragraph for the categories where group A leads and one for the categories where group B leads. The second is more sophisticated and usually reads better.
The chart below shows the average number of hours per week that men and women in one country spent on four leisure activities in 2022.
| Activity | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Watching television | 18 | 15 |
| Socialising with friends | 8 | 12 |
| Sport and exercise | 9 | 5 |
| Reading | 3 | 6 |
The bar chart illustrates how many hours a week men and women in a particular country devoted to four free-time activities in 2022.
Overall, television took up far more time than any other activity for both sexes. The clearest difference between the two groups was that men spent longer on screen-based and physical activities, while women dedicated more time to social and quiet pursuits.
Television dominated both patterns, although men watched noticeably more of it, at 18 hours a week compared with 15 for women. The gap was proportionally much wider in sport and exercise, where the male figure of 9 hours was almost twice the 5 hours recorded for women. These were the only two categories in which men were ahead.
Women, by contrast, were considerably more sociable, spending 12 hours a week with friends against just 8 hours for men — a difference of 50%. A similar pattern appeared in reading, the least popular activity for both groups: women read for 6 hours weekly, double the male figure of 3 hours.
- The paragraphs are grouped by who leads, not simply "men here, women there" — this forces genuine comparison.
- Differences are expressed in several ways: compared with, almost twice, against, a difference of 50%, double.
- The overview names the pattern (screen and physical vs social and quiet) instead of listing the four bars.
You now have two things to report: differences between categories and change over time. Split by time in your detail paragraphs and use trend verbs exactly as you would for a line graph.
Pie chart
A pie chart is about proportion. With two or more pies you also have change over time, and that change is what the examiner is really looking for.
What to select
- The largest and smallest slice in each pie.
- The category that grew most and the one that shrank most.
- Anything that stayed almost the same — stability is a main feature too.
- Any category that swapped rank with another.
Language of proportion
| Figure | Natural ways to say it |
|---|---|
| 75% | three-quarters · a large majority |
| 50% | half · exactly one in two |
| 33% | a third · one in three |
| 26% | just over a quarter · slightly more than one in four |
| 12% | a small proportion · roughly one in eight |
| 4% | a tiny fraction · a mere 4% |
The two pie charts below show household expenditure in one country in 1990 and 2020.
| Category | 1990 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 35% | 18% |
| Housing | 25% | 34% |
| Transport | 12% | 15% |
| Leisure | 8% | 17% |
| Other | 20% | 16% |
The two pie charts compare how households in one country divided their spending across five categories in 1990 and again three decades later.
Overall, spending priorities shifted substantially over the period. Food, easily the largest expense at the start, was overtaken by housing, and money released from the food budget appears to have moved towards leisure.
In 1990 food accounted for the biggest share of the household budget at 35%, followed by housing at a quarter of all spending. Leisure was the smallest item, absorbing only 8%, while transport took slightly more, at 12%. The remaining fifth of expenditure fell into other categories.
By 2020 the picture had changed considerably. The proportion spent on food had almost halved, falling to 18% and dropping to second place, whereas housing had climbed nine percentage points to become the dominant expense at 34%. Leisure showed the most dramatic proportional growth, more than doubling from 8% to 17%, which brought it almost level with food. Transport rose modestly to 15%, and the share classified as other declined slightly, from 20% to 16%.
- Percentage points, not percent. Housing rose nine percentage points (25→34), not "by 9%". Getting this right is a band 7+ marker.
- The two paragraphs are split by year, and the second one constantly refers back to the first (had almost halved, dropping to second place) — that is what makes it a comparison, not two descriptions.
- The past perfect (had changed, had climbed) is used correctly for the later snapshot.
- Listing all five slices of both pies in order, twice. That is a table read aloud, not a report.
- Saying a percentage "increased by 9%" when it moved from 25% to 34%. It increased by 9 percentage points, or by 36%.
- Forgetting that percentages are shares. If one slice grows, another must shrink — say so.
Table
Tables give you the most data and the least help. Nothing is drawn for you, so the selection is entirely your responsibility — and selection is exactly what is being marked.
How to attack a table
- Read the headings and the units before anything else.
- Circle the largest figure and the smallest figure in the whole table.
- Scan each row and each column for the biggest change or the biggest gap.
- Decide whether the story is stronger across the rows or down the columns, and organise by that.
- Ignore everything else. You will use perhaps a third of the numbers.
The table below shows the number of international tourist arrivals, in millions, in five countries in 2010, 2015 and 2020.
| Country | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 77 | 84 | 41 |
| United States | 60 | 77 | 19 |
| Spain | 52 | 68 | 19 |
| Turkey | 31 | 39 | 16 |
| Thailand | 16 | 30 | 7 |
The table gives figures for the number of foreign tourists arriving in five countries at five-year intervals between 2010 and 2020.
Overall, every destination attracted more visitors in 2015 than in 2010, but all five then suffered a severe decline by 2020. France received the most tourists in each of the three years, while Thailand consistently received the fewest.
France led throughout, with 77 million arrivals in 2010 rising to 84 million five years later. The United States and Spain were the next most popular destinations, and both grew more strongly than France in relative terms: American arrivals climbed from 60 to 77 million, and Spanish arrivals from 52 to 68 million. The steepest growth of all, however, occurred in Thailand, where numbers almost doubled from 16 to 30 million.
The final year tells a very different story. Arrivals in France fell by more than half, to 41 million, yet this was by far the mildest decline. The United States and Spain both dropped to 19 million — a loss of around three-quarters of their 2015 totals — and Thailand fell furthest of all, to just 7 million, less than half its figure a decade earlier.
- Only 12 of the 15 figures appear, and each one earns its place.
- The writer compares rates of change, not only sizes: grew more strongly in relative terms, the mildest decline, fell furthest of all. This is what lifts a table answer above band 6.
- The split is by time, and paragraph 4 opens with a sentence that signals the change of direction before any number appears.
Two charts together
Sometimes you get a bar chart and a pie chart, or a table and a line graph, side by side. Students panic and run out of words. The solution is simple: one detail paragraph per chart, and an overview that mentions both.
The rule
- Paragraph 1: paraphrase — mention both visuals in one sentence.
- Paragraph 2: overview — one sentence about the main feature of each chart.
- Paragraph 3: the first chart, with figures.
- Paragraph 4: the second chart, with figures.
Only link the two charts if there is a genuine connection you can see. If chart A shows total energy production and chart B shows the fuel mix, say so — that connection is a band 7 move. If there is no link, do not invent one.
The line graph shows total electricity generation in one country from 2000 to 2020, in terawatt hours. The pie chart shows the sources of that electricity in 2020.
The line graph shows how much electricity one country generated in total over a twenty-year period, while the accompanying pie chart breaks down the sources of that electricity in the final year.
Overall, national electricity output grew substantially across the period, with only one interruption in the middle. By 2020, renewable sources together supplied the largest share of this expanded total, although gas remained the single biggest individual fuel.
- One sentence covers both visuals and shows the relationship between them (that electricity, this expanded total).
- While and although are doing grammatical work in an introduction — free complexity marks in your first two sentences.
- The overview commits to one main feature per chart and nothing more.
With two visuals you have the same 20 minutes and the same 150 words. Cut the number of figures per chart, not the overview. Four or five well-chosen numbers per visual is plenty.
Process diagram
No numbers, no trends — a sequence. The examiner is marking whether the reader could follow the stages in the right order, and whether you can handle the passive voice and sequencing language.
The two kinds of process
- Manufacturing / man-made (cement, noodles, recycling, water treatment): passive voice throughout, because a person or machine does the action. The mixture is heated to 200°C.
- Natural cycle (life cycle of a frog, the water cycle, silk production): active voice, because nature does it by itself. The larvae hatch after two weeks.
Also check whether the process is linear (begins and ends in different places) or cyclical (returns to the start). Say which one in the overview.
Sequencing language — vary it
| Position | Use |
|---|---|
| Beginning | At the first stage · The process begins with · Initially · To begin with |
| Middle | Next · After that · Subsequently · Once this has been done · At this point · The following stage involves |
| Simultaneous | Meanwhile · At the same time · While this is happening |
| End | Finally · In the final stage · The process ends when · At which point the cycle begins again |
The diagram below shows how instant noodles are manufactured. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features.
Stages: flour silo → mixer (water, oil) → dough rollers → cutting into strips → steaming → frying → cooling → cups added with flavour sachet and vegetables → sealing → boxing for distribution
The diagram illustrates the various steps involved in the industrial production of instant noodles.
Overall, there are ten distinct stages in this linear process, which begins with the delivery of raw flour and ends with sealed cups being packed into boxes for distribution. Broadly, the first half of the process creates the noodles themselves, while the second half cooks, cools and packages them.
At the first stage, flour is stored in large silos before being transferred to a mixer, where water and oil are added to form a dough. This dough is then passed through a series of rollers, which flatten it into thin sheets. Once the sheets have been produced, they are cut into long strips, giving the noodles their familiar shape.
The strips are subsequently steamed and then fried, after which they are left to cool. At this point the noodles are placed into individual cups, and a sachet of flavouring and a portion of dried vegetables are added to each one. The cups are then sealed, and in the final stage they are packed into cardboard boxes ready to be transported to shops.
- The overview does the two things a process overview must do: state the number of stages and say where it starts and ends.
- Almost every verb is passive, and the passives are varied: is stored, before being transferred, have been produced, ready to be transported.
- Sequencers are spread out and never repeated: At the first stage · then · Once… · subsequently · after which · At this point · in the final stage.
- Two relative clauses (where water and oil are added, which flatten it) add complexity without risk.
- Copying the labels from the diagram without turning them into sentences.
- Using Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, Fourthly… for ten stages.
- Writing in the past tense. The process happens now, every day: present simple.
- Adding information the diagram does not show, such as how long a stage takes.
Map / plan
Usually two maps of the same place at different times, so the task is change. Occasionally one map with two proposed sites, in which case the task is comparison. Location language and the passive carry the whole answer.
Tense
- Two past dates → past simple and past perfect: the farmland had been replaced by housing.
- Past to present → present perfect: a supermarket has been built on the site of the old shop.
- Present to a future plan → will be / is due to be: the car park will be converted into a garden.
Location language
| Function | Phrases |
|---|---|
| Compass | in the north / south-east · along the western edge · in the top right-hand corner · on the opposite bank |
| Relative position | adjacent to · next to · opposite · beside · surrounded by · within walking distance of · directly north of · midway between |
| Addition | was built · was constructed · was erected · was added · a new X appeared on the site of |
| Removal | was demolished · was knocked down · was cleared to make way for · was replaced by · disappeared entirely |
| Change of use | was converted into · was turned into · was redeveloped as · now serves as |
| Size | was extended · was expanded · was widened · was reduced in size · doubled in area |
| No change | remained unchanged · was left untouched · is the only feature common to both maps |
The two maps below show the village of Chorleywood in 1990 and in 2020.
1990: farmland in the north, a small shop and a primary school in the centre, woodland in the south-west, a river crossed by a footbridge, a narrow road running east–west. 2020: farmland replaced by a housing estate, the shop replaced by a supermarket with a car park, the school extended, the woodland halved, a road bridge added beside the footbridge, the road widened into a dual carriageway.
The two maps illustrate how the village of Chorleywood developed over a thirty-year period between 1990 and 2020.
Overall, the village changed from a small rural settlement into a far more built-up area. Land that had previously been used for farming and woodland was given over to housing and services, and the transport links were significantly improved.
The most striking change took place in the north, where the farmland that occupied the entire upper section of the map in 1990 had been replaced by a large housing estate by 2020. A comparable loss of green space occurred in the south-west: the woodland there was reduced to roughly half its original area to accommodate this expansion.
In the centre of the village, the small shop was demolished and a supermarket with an adjoining car park was constructed on the same site, while the primary school immediately to its east was extended. Access also improved considerably. The narrow east–west road running through the village was widened into a dual carriageway, and a new road bridge was built beside the existing footbridge, giving vehicles a second crossing over the river.
- The overview names the transformation in general terms (rural → built-up) rather than listing individual buildings.
- Detail is organised geographically — north and south-west first, then the centre and the transport links. Never jump around the map randomly.
- The past perfect (had previously been used, had been replaced) correctly signals that the change happened before 2020.
- Every change is expressed with a different verb: replaced · reduced · demolished · constructed · extended · widened · built.
The data language bank
Everything you need to describe numbers, in the forms you actually need them. Learn the verb and the noun of each pair — that is how you avoid repeating yourself.
Change: verb and noun pairs
| Direction | Verb | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Up | rise · increase · grow · climb · go up · surge · rocket · soar · jump | a rise · an increase · growth · a climb · a surge · a jump · an upward trend |
| Down | fall · decrease · decline · drop · dip · plunge · plummet · collapse · sink | a fall · a decrease · a decline · a drop · a dip · a plunge · a downward trend |
| Flat | remain stable · stay constant · level off · plateau · show no change · hold steady | stability · a plateau · a period of stability |
| Up and down | fluctuate · vary · oscillate | a fluctuation · variation |
| Highest / lowest | peak at · reach a high of · bottom out at · hit a low of | a peak · a high point · a trough · a low of |
Degree: how big was the change?
| Size | Adverb (after a verb) | Adjective (before a noun) |
|---|---|---|
| Very big | dramatically · sharply · steeply · significantly · substantially | a dramatic / sharp / steep / significant / substantial rise |
| Medium | considerably · noticeably · markedly | a considerable / noticeable / marked increase |
| Small | slightly · marginally · modestly | a slight / marginal / modest decline |
| Even, no jumps | steadily · gradually · consistently · progressively | a steady / gradual / consistent fall |
| Fast | rapidly · abruptly · suddenly · swiftly | a rapid / abrupt / sudden drop |
The two patterns: Sales rose sharply (verb + adverb) = There was a sharp rise in sales (there was + adjective + noun). Alternate between them and your writing stops sounding repetitive immediately.
Prepositions — the ones students always get wrong
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| rise to a level | The figure rose to 60%. |
| rise by an amount | The figure rose by 15 percentage points. |
| rise from … to … | Sales grew from 20 to 35 million. |
| at a level | Unemployment stood at 7%. |
| in a year / month | In 2015 · in March |
| between … and … | Between 2000 and 2010 |
| over / during a period | Over the following decade · during this period |
| a rise in something | A sharp increase in the number of tourists |
| compared with / to | 18 hours, compared with 15 for women |
Approximation and comparison
| Meaning | Phrases |
|---|---|
| About | approximately · roughly · around · about · in the region of · some 40 million |
| A little more | just over · slightly more than · a little above · marginally higher than |
| A little less | just under · slightly less than · almost · nearly · close to · a little short of |
| Exactly | precisely · exactly · at exactly the same level |
| Multiples | twice as many as · double the figure for · three times higher than · half as many as · a tenth of |
| Difference | the gap widened / narrowed · X outnumbered Y · X exceeded Y · X lagged behind Y · the disparity between |
Ten ways to open the introduction
The graph illustrates… · The chart compares… · The table provides information about… · The diagram shows the process by which… · The maps depict the changes that took place in… · The bar chart gives figures for… · The pie charts break down… · The line graph charts the development of… · The two charts present data on… · The plan outlines…
"The graph is talking about…" · "As we can see from the graph…" · "This essay will describe…" — Task 1 is a report, not an essay, and graphs do not talk.
Reading the question
Two-thirds of your Writing score is decided here, and the single most expensive mistake is answering the wrong question. Before you plan anything, work out which of the five types you have.
Identify the type from the instruction
| The instruction says | Type | You must |
|---|---|---|
| To what extent do you agree or disagree? Do you agree or disagree? | Opinion | Take one clear position and defend it for the whole essay. |
| Discuss both views and give your own opinion. | Discussion | Explain view A, explain view B, and state which you favour. Missing the opinion caps you at band 5. |
| What are the advantages and disadvantages? Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? | Advantages / disadvantages | Give both — and if it says outweigh, you must say which side wins. |
| What problems does this cause and what solutions can you suggest? What are the causes and what measures could be taken? | Problem & solution | Match each solution to a problem you have actually named. |
| Why is this happening? Is it a positive or a negative development? | Two-part question | Answer both questions, one per body paragraph. |
The four-paragraph shape (all five types)
| Paragraph | Words | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | 40–50 | Paraphrase the topic + state your answer to the exact question asked. |
| Body 1 | 90–110 | One idea. Topic sentence → explanation → example → link back. |
| Body 2 | 90–110 | A second, different idea. Same internal shape. |
| Conclusion | 35–45 | Restate your position in new words. No new ideas. |
- Topic sentence — the idea in one clear sentence. The most compelling argument for X is that…
- Explain — why is that true? This sentence usually starts with This is because… and it is the sentence weak essays skip.
- Example — a real one, a study, a country, or a plausible situation. In Finland, for instance,…
- Consequence or link — so what? Connect it back to the question.
Four sentences, one idea, fully developed. Two developed ideas beat five undeveloped ones every single time.
- No clear position. The examiner should know your answer after the introduction and still know it in the conclusion. Sitting on the fence for the whole essay caps Task Response at 5.
- Listing ideas. Six ideas at one sentence each is a plan, not an essay.
- Answering a similar question. The prompt asks about university students; you write about education in general. That is off-topic, and off-topic content is not marked at all.
You are never marked on whether your example is true. You are marked on whether it supports the idea. A specific invented case beats a vague real one. Use: a country you know, your own city, a workplace situation, a typical family. Avoid inventing statistics — "83% of studies show" sounds false and adds nothing.
Opinion essay (agree / disagree)
One question, one position, two reasons. The commonest Task 2 type and the easiest to score well on — if you commit.
Two safe structures
| Option | Body 1 | Body 2 | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · One-sided | First reason you agree | Second reason you agree | You have a strong opinion. Simplest to write, easiest to keep clear. |
| B · Balanced | Concede the other side, then limit it | Your own, stronger reason | You partly agree. Shows sophistication, but you must still say which side you are on. |
"To what extent" allows you to say completely, largely, or only to a limited extent. It does not allow you to say nothing.
Phrases for stating a position
I firmly believe that… · In my view, … · I would argue that… · I agree with this view entirely. · While I accept that…, I would argue that… · Personally, I am convinced that… · I largely disagree with this proposition.
Some people believe that university students should pay the full cost of their own studies, because they benefit personally from higher education. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
It is sometimes argued that the entire cost of a university education should fall on students themselves, on the grounds that they are the ones who profit from it. I disagree with this position, because the benefits of higher education extend far beyond the individual graduate, and because full fees would close the university door to talented people from poorer families.
The first problem with this argument is that it misunderstands who gains. A society without publicly funded universities is a society without enough doctors, engineers or teachers, and every citizen depends on those professions. When a state trains a surgeon, it is not doing that surgeon a favour; it is buying itself an operating theatre that works. Countries such as Germany, which charge little or no tuition, treat higher education as national infrastructure for exactly this reason, in the same way that they treat roads and hospitals.
More importantly, charging the full cost would make ability to pay, rather than ability to learn, the real entrance requirement. University fees in some countries now exceed the annual income of an average household, which means a bright student from a low-income family must either take on a decade of debt or abandon the idea altogether. The result is that the talent of an entire class of young people is wasted, and social mobility, which universities are supposed to create, quietly stops.
I would accept that graduates who go on to earn high salaries can reasonably contribute something, and a modest fee repaid after a certain income threshold seems fair. Overall, however, the cost of higher education should be shared between the individual and the state, because the return on that investment is shared too.
- The position is stated in the introduction, argued for twice, and restated in different words at the end. The reader is never in doubt.
- Each body paragraph has one idea, developed through explanation, example and consequence — and the paragraphs are not interchangeable.
- The concession in the final paragraph (I would accept that…) shows balance without abandoning the position.
- Notice how few linking words there are. Cohesion comes from repeating key ideas (who gains → ability to pay → shared), not from Furthermore.
- Range: on the grounds that, which means, in the same way that, would make X rather than Y the real requirement, a conditional, and a relative clause used as an aside.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion
Three jobs, not two. Explain view A fairly, explain view B fairly, and make your own view unmistakable. Most students lose the mark for the third job.
Structure
- Introduction: paraphrase both views in one sentence, then state which you support.
- Body 1: the view you do not hold. Present it seriously — Those who argue X point to… — then close with its limitation.
- Body 2: the view you do hold, argued more strongly and given more weight.
- Conclusion: acknowledge both, then repeat your position.
State it in the introduction and again in the conclusion. Do not save it entirely for the end — an examiner reading the introduction should already know where you stand. And never write I will discuss both views and then never take a side.
Phrases for presenting other people's views
Those who favour X argue that… · Supporters of this approach point out that… · There is a strong case for… · The main argument on the other side is that… · Critics of this view counter that… · It is often claimed that…
Some people think that children should begin formal education as early as possible. Others believe that children should not start school before the age of seven. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Opinion is divided over when childhood should give way to the classroom: some argue that formal instruction should start as soon as a child is able to sit still, while others insist that school should wait until the age of seven. Although both positions have merit, I believe the later starting age produces better outcomes in the long run.
Those who favour an early start point to the speed at which young children absorb information. A four-year-old learns language, pattern and number almost effortlessly, and supporters argue that leaving this capacity unused is a wasted opportunity, particularly for children from disadvantaged homes where books and conversation may be scarce. For these families, an early school place can be the only reliable source of structured learning, and the gap between them and their wealthier peers is measurably narrower where such provision exists.
The stronger argument, however, is that the type of learning matters more than its timing. Children who spend their early years playing, negotiating with other children and exploring physically develop the concentration and self-regulation that formal study later depends on. Finland, where school begins at seven and consistently produces high results, suggests that a late start costs a country nothing academically. Pushing reading and writing on a five-year-old who is not ready for it, by contrast, often produces frustration and a lasting dislike of school — a far more expensive outcome than a two-year delay.
In conclusion, while early schooling clearly benefits children who lack support at home, I am convinced that most children are better served by a later start combined with high-quality, play-based nursery care. The aim should be to protect early childhood rather than to shorten it.
- Both views get a full, fair paragraph. The one the writer rejects is still argued convincingly — that is what "discuss" means.
- The opinion appears in the introduction (I believe the later starting age…), guides the essay (The stronger argument, however…), and returns in the conclusion.
- The conclusion adds a nuance (play-based nursery care) that is a refinement of the position, not a new argument.
- Language worth stealing: Opinion is divided over…, point to, By contrast, a far more expensive outcome, are better served by.
Advantages and disadvantages
Two different instructions hide behind this heading, and they need different essays. Read the last line of the prompt very carefully.
| Instruction | What it demands | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| What are the advantages and disadvantages? | A balanced report. No opinion needed, though a light one is safe. | Body 1: advantages · Body 2: disadvantages · Conclusion: summarise both. |
| Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? | A verdict. You must say which side is heavier and why. | Body 1: the weaker side · Body 2: the side you back, with more weight · Conclusion: the verdict. |
If the prompt says outweigh and you finish with "there are advantages and disadvantages", you have not answered the question and Task Response drops to band 5.
Language of weighing
the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks · on balance · the most significant drawback is that… · this advantage is offset by… · the gains are considerable, but they come at a cost · a price worth paying · the trade-off is
An increasing number of people now work from home rather than in an office. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
Remote working, once available to a small minority, has become a normal arrangement for millions of employees. Although this shift has genuine costs, particularly for younger workers and for team relationships, I believe its advantages are considerably greater.
The clearest disadvantage is the erosion of the boundary between professional and private life. When the laptop sits on the kitchen table, the working day tends to expand quietly into the evening, and employees find it harder to switch off than they did when leaving a building marked the end of work. Isolation compounds this problem: a new graduate who joins a company remotely may go months without the casual conversations through which people learn how an organisation actually functions, and mentoring of this kind is almost impossible to reproduce over video.
These costs are real, but they are outweighed by the gains in time, money and access. An employee who previously spent two hours a day commuting recovers roughly ten hours a week, which is the equivalent of an extra working day returned to their own life, along with the fares or fuel that journey consumed. Just as importantly, remote work opens employment to people whom offices have always excluded — parents of small children, those with limited mobility, and anyone living far from a major city. A qualified accountant in a rural district can now work for a firm in the capital without abandoning her home, and that is a structural change no amount of team-building compensates for.
On balance, then, the drawbacks of home working are manageable with sensible policies on hours and regular in-person contact, whereas the freedom and access it creates could not be achieved any other way.
- The verdict is given in the introduction and confirmed in the conclusion — the question is actually answered.
- The weaker side comes first, which lets the essay build towards the position instead of retreating from it.
- Outweighed by, compounds this problem, on balance, manageable with, whereas — the weighing language is doing the argument's work.
- The example (the rural accountant) is specific and invented, and it is completely acceptable.
Problems & solutions / causes & effects
This family includes four wordings. Each body paragraph must answer one of the two questions, and — the point students miss — every solution must solve a problem you have actually named.
| Wording | Body 1 | Body 2 |
|---|---|---|
| What problems does this cause and what solutions can you suggest? | Problems | Solutions |
| What are the causes and what measures could be taken? | Causes | Measures |
| What are the causes and effects of this? | Causes | Effects |
| Why is this a problem and what can be done? | Why it matters | Action |
How to make a solution paragraph strong
- Name who acts: governments, employers, schools, individuals. A solution with no actor is a wish.
- Say what they do, concretely: not "raise awareness" but "fund a bus service".
- Say how it fixes the cause you named earlier. This is the sentence that lifts the paragraph from band 6 to band 7.
- Add the obstacle if you can: this would be unpopular initially, but… Realism reads as maturity.
The government should raise awareness. People should change their mentality. Education is the key. These sentences could be pasted into any essay on any topic, which is exactly why they score nothing.
In many large cities, traffic congestion is becoming increasingly severe. What are the causes of this problem, and what measures could be taken to address it?
Traffic in major cities has reached a point where a journey of five kilometres can take an hour. This congestion has two principal causes — rapid growth in private car ownership and the way cities themselves have been built — and both must be addressed if the situation is to improve.
The most obvious cause is that cars have become affordable to far more households while road capacity has stayed almost the same. As incomes rise in developing economies, a car changes from a luxury into an expected purchase, and a road designed for the traffic of 1990 is asked to carry three times that volume. The second cause is less visible but more damaging: most large cities separate housing from workplaces, so that millions of people are obliged to travel from residential suburbs into a single business district at the same moment every morning. Congestion of this kind is designed into the map, not caused by drivers.
The measures that follow from this are equally twofold. In the short term, governments can make driving into the centre expensive relative to the alternative — through congestion charging combined with heavy investment in metro and bus networks. London's charging zone reduced traffic in the centre noticeably, but it only worked because the money raised was spent on buses, giving drivers somewhere to go. In the longer term, planning authorities must permit offices, shops and housing to exist in the same districts, so that daily journeys become shorter or unnecessary. This is slow and politically difficult work, yet no city has ever solved congestion by building more roads.
In short, congestion results from too many cars in cities that force people to travel, and lasting relief requires cities to be redesigned as well as taxed.
- Exactly two causes, and exactly two measures — and measure one answers cause one, measure two answers cause two.
- The solutions name an actor, a concrete action and a mechanism, and one includes the condition under which it works.
- The obstacle is acknowledged (slow and politically difficult) instead of pretending the fix is easy.
- The final sentence of the third paragraph is an argument, not a summary — it earns its place.
Two-part question
Also called a direct question essay. You are asked two separate questions and you must answer both — one per body paragraph. The commonest failure is answering the first and forgetting the second.
Common pairings
- Why is this happening? Is it a positive or a negative development?
- What are the reasons? What can be done about it?
- Why do people do this? What effect does it have on society?
- Is this a positive or negative development? What could be done to change it?
Structure
- Introduction: paraphrase the situation, then answer both questions briefly in one sentence. This single sentence protects your Task Response mark.
- Body 1: question one, fully developed.
- Body 2: question two, fully developed, with your judgement made explicit if the question asks for one.
- Conclusion: one clause for each answer.
Pick one and defend it, or say "largely positive, with one significant reservation". What you cannot do is describe both and never decide. If the question contains the word or, it is asking you to choose.
In many countries, people are increasingly choosing to live in cities rather than in rural areas. Why is this happening? Is this a positive or a negative development?
Urban populations are expanding rapidly almost everywhere, while villages in the same countries shrink. This movement is driven chiefly by the concentration of work and services in cities, and although it creates serious pressure on housing and infrastructure, I regard it as a broadly positive development.
The main reason people leave the countryside is economic. Modern employment is clustered: hospitals, universities, factories and offices are all built where there are already enough people to staff and use them, so a young person with any qualification finds that the jobs matching it simply do not exist in a rural district. Services reinforce this pull. A family weighing up where to live is comparing not only salaries but also schools, specialist medical care and reliable internet, and on all three the city usually wins decisively. Rural depopulation then becomes self-sustaining, because each departure makes the village school or clinic slightly less viable for those who remain.
Despite the obvious strains this places on cities, I believe the trend is beneficial overall. Dense cities deliver public services far more cheaply per person than scattered settlements do: one metro line serves what a hundred kilometres of rural road cannot, and city dwellers consume less energy per head than people who must drive everywhere. Urban concentration also accelerates the exchange of skills and ideas that makes economies productive. The genuine costs — unaffordable housing, congestion and pollution — are severe, but they are problems of planning and investment rather than problems of urbanisation itself, and cities that have taken planning seriously have kept them under control.
In summary, people move to cities because that is where work and services are, and this concentration, if properly managed, benefits both individuals and their countries.
- The introduction answers both questions before the body paragraphs begin — the examiner can see the full response immediately.
- Body 1 answers only "why"; body 2 answers only "positive or negative". No blending.
- The judgement is qualified but definite (broadly positive, if properly managed) and the counter-argument is acknowledged and then answered, not ignored.
- Useful structures: while in the opening, so that, because each departure makes…, far more cheaply per person than, rather than.
Formulas for every part of the essay
Learn the shapes, not the sentences. Change the content every time — a memorised sentence with a topic dropped into it is visible immediately.
Introductions
Two sentences is enough. Sentence one paraphrases the topic; sentence two answers the question.
| Type | Sentence 1 (paraphrase) | Sentence 2 (position) |
|---|---|---|
| Opinion | It is sometimes argued that… / A growing number of people believe that… | I disagree with this view, because… and because… |
| Discussion | Opinion is divided over whether… / While some people maintain that X, others argue that Y. | Although both arguments have merit, I am convinced that… |
| Adv/disadv | … has become increasingly common in recent years. | Although this brings certain drawbacks, in my view the benefits are greater. |
| Problem/solution | … is now one of the most pressing problems facing many countries. | This essay will consider the principal causes before suggesting what can realistically be done. |
| Two-part | … is happening in an increasing number of countries. | This trend is driven mainly by X, and I believe it is, on the whole, a positive change. |
Nowadays… In today's modern world… Since the dawn of time… It is a controversial issue… — these openings say nothing and every examiner has read them thousands of times.
Topic sentences
The strongest argument for this is that… · The most obvious cause is… · Those who take the opposite view point to… · A further consideration is… · The most effective measure would be to… · What makes this development positive is…
Explaining and giving examples
| Function | Phrases |
|---|---|
| Explaining | This is because… · The reason for this is that… · In other words, … · This means that… · What this suggests is that… |
| Examples | For instance, … · A clear example of this is… · This can be seen in… · Take X, where… · Countries such as X have shown that… |
| Results | As a result, … · Consequently, … · This leads to… · The outcome is that… · which in turn means that… |
| Contrast | By contrast, … · However, … · whereas · while · Nevertheless, … |
| Concession | Although… · Even though… · Admittedly, … · It is true that…, but… · While I accept that… |
| Adding | Moreover, · In addition, · A further point is that… · What is more, … |
Band 7 requires cohesion that feels natural. One connector per paragraph is often enough — the rest of your cohesion should come from pronouns (this, these, such a policy) and from repeating the key noun of the paragraph. An essay where every sentence starts with a connector reads mechanically and is capped at band 6.
Conclusions
Three moves: signal, restate, close. No new arguments, no new examples, no questions.
In conclusion, … · To summarise, … · On balance, … · In short, …
In conclusion, while early schooling clearly benefits children who lack support at home, I am convinced that most children are better served by a later start.
Signal + acknowledge the other side + restate the position, in words different from the introduction. Forty words, three minutes, and it protects your Task Response mark.
Grammar for writing
Grammar is 25% of your task score, and it is measured two ways: range (how many structures you can use) and accuracy (how many sentences have no errors at all). You need both — a complex sentence with three mistakes scores worse than a simple one with none.
The three sentence types
| Type | Shape | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | One clause | Car ownership has risen sharply. |
| Compound | Clause + and / but / so / yet + clause | Car ownership has risen sharply, but road capacity has not changed. |
| Complex | Main clause + dependent clause | Although car ownership has risen sharply, road capacity has not changed. |
Band 7 needs a variety of complex forms, not complex forms everywhere. The best writing alternates: a long complex sentence, then a short punchy one. Short sentences are a stylistic choice, not a weakness — use one at the end of a paragraph to land the point.
Complex sentence toolkit
1. Relative clauses
| Type | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Defining | No commas. Identifies which one. | Students who study abroad often become more independent. |
| Non-defining | Commas. Adds extra information. | Finland, where school begins at seven, achieves excellent results. |
| Which = whole clause | Refers back to the entire idea. | Fees have doubled, which has excluded poorer applicants. |
| Preposition + which | Formal and impressive. | The rate at which temperatures rose… · the extent to which this is true… |
Finland where is a country school begins at seven.
Finland, where school begins at seven, is a country with excellent results.
2. Adverbial clauses — the highest-value structures in IELTS
| Meaning | Connectors | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast | although · even though · whereas · while | While the costs are real, they are manageable. |
| Reason | because · since · as · given that | Given that incomes are rising, car ownership will grow. |
| Purpose | so that · in order to · so as to | Fees were capped so that poorer students could apply. |
| Result | so … that · such … that | The rise was so steep that capacity was overwhelmed. |
| Time | once · as soon as · until · by the time | Once the sheets have been produced, they are cut. |
| Condition | if · unless · provided that · as long as | Unless investment follows, charging will fail. |
Starting a sentence with the dependent clause — Although…, / Because…, / Once…, — adds variety and a comma you control. Put the comma after the dependent clause when it comes first; do not use one when it comes second.
3. Participle clauses
A short, advanced way to join two ideas with the same subject.
- -ing (active): Having booked the room in advance, I expected a quiet night. · Cities grew rapidly, creating pressure on housing.
- -ed (passive): Faced with rising costs, many students abandon their studies.
- before / after / when + -ing: The flour is stored before being transferred to a mixer.
Walking to the station, the rain started. The rain was not walking. The subject of both parts must be the same.
4. Noun clauses
What this suggests is that timing matters less than method. · The fact that fees exceed average income makes access impossible. · It is not clear whether this policy would work.
5. Conditionals
| Type | Form | Use in IELTS |
|---|---|---|
| Zero | If + present, present | General truths: If fees rise, applications fall. |
| First | If + present, will | Real future: If governments invest, congestion will ease. |
| Second | If + past, would | Hypothetical proposals: If universities were free, more students would apply. The most useful one for Task 2. |
| Third | If + past perfect, would have | Rare in IELTS; use only if it fits naturally. |
| Mixed / inverted | Were the government to…, · Should this continue, · | Formal and impressive: Were fees abolished, demand would rise sharply. |
The passive voice
Use it when the action matters more than the actor — which is most of Task 1 Academic and much of Task 2.
| Tense | Passive form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | is / are + V3 | The dough is passed through rollers. |
| Past simple | was / were + V3 | The shop was demolished. |
| Present perfect | has / have been + V3 | A bridge has been built. |
| Past perfect | had been + V3 | The farmland had been replaced. |
| Modal | can / must / should be + V3 | Measures should be taken. |
| -ing form | being + V3 | Before being transferred to the mixer. |
An entire Task 2 essay in the passive is heavy and unclear. Use the passive when the doer is obvious, unknown or unimportant; use the active when you want force: Cities force people to travel is stronger than People are forced to travel by cities.
Tenses: which one, where
| Situation | Tense | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Task 1, past dates | Past simple | Numbers rose to 6.8 million in 2015. |
| Task 1, no dates / process | Present simple | The flour is stored in silos. |
| Task 1, past → now | Present perfect | Output has grown steadily since 2010. |
| Task 1, comparing two past points | Past perfect | By 2020 the woodland had been halved. |
| Task 1, future data | is expected / projected to | Demand is projected to double by 2040. |
| Task 2, general truths | Present simple | Cities attract young workers. |
| Task 2, current trends | Present continuous / perfect | Urban populations are expanding. · Fees have risen sharply. |
| Task 2, hypothetical policy | would + infinitive | This would reduce congestion. |
Articles: a, an, the, or nothing
The most frequent error in the writing of students whose first language has no articles — and one the examiner notices in every sentence.
| Use | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a / an | Singular countable, first mention, not specific | She works as an architect. |
| the | Second mention, or only one exists, or defined by what follows | The architect I mentioned… · the government · the number of visitors |
| the | Superlatives, ordinals, rivers, oceans, groups of islands, plural country names | the highest figure · the first stage · the Netherlands |
| no article | Plural or uncountable nouns used in general | Students benefit from higher education. · Traffic is increasing. |
| no article | Most countries, cities, languages, meals, subjects | in Uzbekistan · studies economics · before breakfast |
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| The students should pay for the education. | Students should pay for their education. |
| Government must invest in public transport. | The government must invest in public transport. |
| He is engineer. | He is an engineer. |
| In the 2015 the figure rose. | In 2015 the figure rose. |
| Number of tourists increased. | The number of tourists increased. |
the number of + plural + singular verb · a number of + plural + plural verb · the percentage of + noun + singular verb.
The number of cars was higher. · A number of measures have been proposed.
Countable, uncountable and agreement
| Uncountable — never plural, never a | Say instead |
|---|---|
| information, advice, research, knowledge, equipment, furniture, traffic, pollution, money, work, progress, evidence, transport, homework, news | a piece of information · a great deal of research · much evidence · little progress |
- informations, advices, researches, equipments, knowledges
- People is plural: People are moving to cities.
- Each / every / one of the takes a singular verb: Each of the countries has a different policy.
- much + uncountable, many + countable, a large amount of + uncountable, a large number of + countable.
Comparatives and superlatives
- Short adjectives: higher than · the highest. Long adjectives: more significant than · the most significant.
- Never both: more higher, the most highest.
- Degrees of difference: slightly / marginally / considerably / significantly / far / much higher than.
- Equality: as high as · almost as many as · twice as large as · not nearly as common as.
- Parallel change: The more cities grow, the harder congestion becomes.
Modals and hedging
Academic writing avoids absolute claims. Hedging is not weakness; it is precision, and examiners reward it.
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| This will solve the problem. | This would go some way towards solving the problem. |
| All young people prefer cities. | Young people tend to prefer cities. |
| This is the only reason. | This is arguably the principal reason. |
| Everyone knows that… | It is widely accepted that… |
may · might · can · could · tends to · is likely to · appears to · suggests that · in most cases · generally · arguably · to some extent
Punctuation
- Comma splice — the commonest punctuation error. Cars are cheap, roads are full. → Cars are cheap, but roads are full. / Cars are cheap; roads are full.
- Comma after a fronted clause or connector: Although this is true, … · However, … · In conclusion, …
- No comma before that: He argued, that fees are unfair.
- No comma between subject and verb: The number of tourists, fell sharply.
- Capital letters for countries, languages, nationalities, months, days: English, Uzbek, March, Monday.
- Semicolons join two complete, closely related sentences. Use one or two per essay at most.
- No exclamation marks and no dashes for emphasis in academic writing. Both read as informal.
Twenty sentence-level fixes
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| Nowadays people is more busy. | People today are busier. |
| I am agree with this statement. | I agree with this statement. |
| Depend on the situation. | It depends on the situation. |
| Discuss about the problem. | Discuss the problem. |
| He suggested me to go. | He suggested that I go. / He advised me to go. |
| Despite of the cost… | Despite the cost… / In spite of the cost… |
| Although it is expensive, but people buy it. | Although it is expensive, people buy it. |
| Because of he was late. | Because he was late. / Because of his lateness. |
| The most of students… | Most students… / Most of the students… |
| One of the reason is… | One of the reasons is… |
| There are many advantages of live in a city. | There are many advantages to living in a city. |
| Every students must attend. | Every student must attend. |
| In nowadays society… | In modern society… / Today, … |
| It has a big affect on children. | It has a significant effect on children. / It affects children significantly. |
| The people which live there… | The people who live there… |
| I am interesting in this topic. | I am interested in this topic. |
| This problem is very serious for the society. | This problem is very serious for society. |
| They give me an advice. | They gave me some advice. |
| In the last years the number increased. | In recent years the number has increased. |
| More and more people is working from home. | More and more people are working from home. |
Vocabulary & paraphrasing
Lexical Resource does not reward difficult words. It rewards precise words used in their natural combinations. One wrong collocation undoes three impressive nouns.
Paraphrasing: five techniques
| Technique | Original | Paraphrase |
|---|---|---|
| Synonym | Children should begin school early. | Children should start their education early. |
| Change word class | Cities are growing rapidly. | Cities are experiencing rapid growth. |
| Active ↔ passive | Governments should introduce a charge. | A charge should be introduced. |
| Reverse the idea | More people are living in cities. | Fewer people are remaining in rural areas. |
| Change the structure | Because fees are high, applications have fallen. | High fees have led to a fall in applications. |
- Never change numbers, dates, units or proper nouns. 2015 stays 2015.
- Some words have no good synonym. University, internet, traffic — repeat them rather than write something wrong.
- Change two or three words plus the structure. Changing every single word usually produces nonsense.
- Nowadays, in this modern era of globalisation… is not a paraphrase. It is padding.
Academic verbs and nouns worth owning
| Everyday | Academic |
|---|---|
| get | obtain · acquire · receive · gain |
| get worse / better | deteriorate · worsen · improve · enhance |
| big / small | substantial · considerable · significant · minimal · negligible |
| a lot of | a great deal of · a considerable amount of · numerous · a substantial proportion of |
| think | believe · maintain · contend · argue · hold the view that |
| show | demonstrate · indicate · reveal · suggest · illustrate |
| make | create · generate · produce · bring about · give rise to |
| help | assist · support · facilitate · contribute to |
| stop | prevent · restrict · curb · deter · eliminate |
| bad effect | an adverse effect · a detrimental impact · negative consequences |
| good effect | a beneficial effect · a positive impact · clear benefits |
| important | crucial · vital · essential · significant · fundamental |
| problem | issue · challenge · drawback · obstacle · concern |
| answer / fix | solution · remedy · measure · approach · strategy |
| idea | notion · concept · argument · proposition · assumption |
| people | individuals · citizens · the public · the population · young people |
Collocations: the words that must travel together
| Verb + noun | Adjective + noun |
|---|---|
| take measures · raise awareness · meet a demand · address an issue · play a role · pose a threat · impose a ban · reap the benefits · bear the cost · make a contribution · reach a conclusion · draw a distinction | a pressing problem · a widespread belief · a compelling argument · a growing concern · a lasting impact · a viable alternative · limited resources · strict regulations · rapid urbanisation · sustainable development |
do a mistake → make a mistake · make a research → carry out research · give attention on → pay attention to · strong rain → heavy rain · high experience → extensive experience
Words to avoid in Task 2
- Informal: kids, stuff, a lot of, huge, thing, guys, get, bad, good, nice
- Absolutes: always, never, all, everyone, definitely, 100% — hedge instead.
- Empty openers: Nowadays, In today's world, Since the dawn of civilisation, It is a hot topic
- Contractions: don't, it's, can't — write them in full.
- Direct questions: in a formal essay, rhetorical questions weaken your position. Make statements.
- etc. and & — spell out and, and finish your list.
Topic vocabulary
IELTS recycles the same dozen topics. Learn these phrases as whole units and you will never be short of the right word — but use them only where they genuinely fit.
Education
compulsory education · the curriculum · vocational training · higher education · tuition fees · a state / private school · rote learning · critical thinking skills · academic performance · to fall behind · to drop out · lifelong learning · transferable skills · class sizes · a well-rounded education · to broaden one's horizons
Environment
carbon emissions · fossil fuels · renewable energy · climate change · biodiversity loss · deforestation · a carbon footprint · sustainable development · single-use plastic · to cut / curb emissions · environmental degradation · conservation efforts · recycling schemes · greenhouse gases · to offset the damage
Technology
automation · artificial intelligence · digital literacy · the digital divide · to disrupt an industry · screen time · data privacy · online anonymity · cyberbullying · to become obsolete · technological advances · to streamline a process · dependence on devices · remote access
Health
a sedentary lifestyle · preventive medicine · public healthcare · life expectancy · obesity rates · mental wellbeing · a balanced diet · processed food · healthcare provision · chronic conditions · to place a strain on the health service · early diagnosis · physical activity levels
Crime and law
a deterrent · to reoffend · rehabilitation · community service · the root causes of crime · petty crime · a custodial sentence · law enforcement · surveillance · crime rates · to tackle crime · restorative justice · the justice system
Work and employment
job security · a work–life balance · the gig economy · to be made redundant · career progression · a skills shortage · flexible working · workplace culture · unemployment rates · manual labour · to retrain · staff turnover · productivity
Government and economy
public spending · taxpayers' money · to subsidise · economic growth · income inequality · the standard of living · infrastructure investment · to allocate funds · the private sector · legislation · policy makers · a budget deficit · social welfare
Media and advertising
the mass media · biased reporting · press freedom · misinformation · to shape public opinion · consumer culture · targeted advertising · brand loyalty · sensationalism · media literacy · to manipulate an audience
Globalisation and culture
cultural identity · cultural heritage · a multicultural society · to erode traditions · cross-cultural understanding · multinational corporations · cultural exchange · to preserve customs · a global marketplace · homogenisation of culture
Family and society
the extended family · a nuclear family · an ageing population · the generation gap · social cohesion · single-parent households · childcare provision · to instil values · community ties · gender roles · parental responsibility
Transport and urban life
public transport networks · traffic congestion · commuting · urban sprawl · pedestrianised zones · a congestion charge · rush hour · affordable housing · high-density housing · green spaces · urban planning · air quality
Tourism and travel
the tourism industry · mass tourism · eco-tourism · seasonal employment · to attract visitors · tourist attractions · to put pressure on local resources · cultural sensitivity · a tourist hotspot · the hospitality sector
Choose three topics a week. For each phrase, write one sentence of your own about your own country. A phrase you have used in a sentence is yours; a phrase you have only read is not.
40 mistakes that cost bands
Read this list the day before your test. Almost every band lost in Writing appears somewhere below.
Task response
- Answering a different question from the one asked.
- Missing the second half of a two-part question.
- Not giving an opinion when the prompt asks for one.
- Giving an opinion in Task 1 Academic, where none is wanted.
- Changing position halfway through the essay.
- Writing about the general topic instead of the specific angle in the prompt.
- Listing five ideas instead of developing two.
- Introducing a brand-new argument in the conclusion.
- Writing fewer than 150 / 250 words.
- Copying whole phrases from the question.
Task 1 specifics
- No overview paragraph.
- Putting numbers in the overview instead of the big picture.
- Describing every single data point.
- Explaining why the data changed.
- Ignoring the units, or confusing percentages with absolute numbers.
- Saying "increased by 9%" when a percentage moved 25 → 34.
- Missing the second chart when two are given.
- Using the wrong tense for the dates shown.
- Describing only one of the two charts when two are given.
- Writing a conclusion instead of an overview.
Coherence
- Writing one long block with no paragraphs.
- Paragraphs of one sentence.
- Starting every sentence with a linking word.
- Using Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, Lastly as the entire organisation.
- No topic sentence, so the paragraph's idea never becomes clear.
- Two unrelated ideas inside one paragraph.
- Overusing Moreover and Furthermore.
- Using on the other hand when there is no contrast.
Vocabulary
- Memorised phrases dropped in where they do not fit.
- Wrong collocations (do a mistake, make a research).
- Repeating the same noun in every sentence when a pronoun would do.
- Informal words and contractions in a formal essay.
- Spelling errors in the topic words taken straight from the question paper.
- Absolutes: always, never, all people.
Grammar
- Missing or extra articles.
- Singular verb with a plural subject (people is).
- Comma splices joining two sentences.
- Uncountable nouns made plural (informations).
- Although … but in the same sentence.
- Sentences so long that the verb gets lost — if you cannot punctuate it, split it.
Exam-day plan
You will not think clearly under pressure. Decide everything now, so that on the day you only have to execute.
The three-minute check at the end
Do not reread for meaning — you will not fix your argument in three minutes. Hunt for these five things only, in this order:
- Plurals. Every noun: should it have an s?
- Third person s. He think → He thinks.
- Articles. Every singular countable noun: does it have a, the, or a possessive in front of it?
- Paragraph breaks. Are they visible? Add an empty line if not.
- Word count. Count the words in three average lines, divide by three, multiply by your number of lines.
If you are running out of time
- 10 minutes left, no conclusion: stop the body paragraph where it is and write the conclusion. An essay without a conclusion loses more than an essay with a short second paragraph.
- 5 minutes left, Task 1 not started: write the introduction, the overview and one detail paragraph. The overview is worth more than the detail.
- Too many words: stop. There is no upper limit, but long essays contain more errors and leave no checking time.
Handwriting and layout (paper test)
- Leave an empty line between paragraphs — clearer than indenting.
- Write on every line, not every other line.
- Cross out mistakes with a single line. Do not scribble.
- Capital letters must be clearly taller than lower case.
- If your handwriting is genuinely hard to read, write in slightly larger letters and slow down. Illegible words are simply not marked.
How to practise between now and the test
- Write one Task 2 essay a week under timed conditions — 40 minutes, no dictionary, no phone.
- Then rewrite the same essay with unlimited time and a dictionary. Compare the two versions: the gap between them is exactly what you need to practise.
- Keep an error log. Every correction you receive goes in it, sorted by type. After a month, three or four error types will account for most of your mistakes — fix those and your band moves.
- Read one model answer a day and steal one structure from it, not one word.
- Copy a model answer by hand once a week. It teaches your hand the rhythm of academic sentences faster than reading does.
Practice question bank
Thirty-eight prompts in the styles you have just studied. Write the plan for five of them before you write a full essay for one — planning is the skill that transfers.
Task 2 · Opinion
- Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programmes. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
- Governments should spend money on public services rather than on the arts. Do you agree or disagree?
- The best way to reduce crime among young offenders is to teach them a trade. To what extent do you agree?
- Advertising aimed at children should be banned. Do you agree or disagree?
- Individuals can do nothing to improve the environment; only governments and large companies can make a difference. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
- University education should be free for everyone, regardless of income. Do you agree or disagree?
- Working from home should become the standard arrangement for all office jobs. To what extent do you agree?
- Museums and historical sites are mainly visited by tourists, not local people, so governments should not fund them. Do you agree or disagree?
Task 2 · Discussion
- Some believe that people should keep working until they are seventy; others think retirement should come earlier. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
- Some argue that the internet has brought people closer together; others say it has isolated them. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
- Some people think that schools should teach practical life skills instead of academic subjects. Others disagree. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
- Some believe that famous people have a duty to behave as role models; others say their private lives are their own. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
- Some think that governments should invest in space exploration; others argue the money should be spent on problems on Earth. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
- Some people believe children benefit from competitive sport; others believe competition harms them. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Task 2 · Advantages and disadvantages
- More people are choosing to have children later in life. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?
- English is becoming the world's single common language. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
- Many families now own more than one car. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?
- An increasing number of students study abroad. Do the advantages of studying in another country outweigh the disadvantages?
- Supermarkets are replacing small local shops. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
- Some companies allow employees to choose their own working hours. What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Task 2 · Problems and solutions
- Obesity is becoming more common among children in many countries. What are the causes, and what measures could be taken?
- Many young people leave rural areas to live in cities. What problems does this cause, and what can be done about it?
- Plastic waste is polluting oceans worldwide. What are the main causes, and what solutions can you suggest?
- Fewer people are reading books for pleasure. Why is this happening, and what can be done to encourage reading?
- Traffic accidents involving young drivers are increasing. What are the causes, and how could the problem be reduced?
- Many employees report high levels of stress at work. What are the causes and effects of this?
Task 2 · Two-part questions
- More people are choosing to live alone. Why is this happening? Is it a positive or a negative development?
- Many traditional skills and crafts are disappearing. Why is this happening? What could be done to preserve them?
- Fewer young people are choosing careers in teaching. Why might this be? What effect does it have on society?
- Shopping has increasingly moved online. Why is this happening? Is this a positive or negative development?
- People today change jobs far more often than in the past. Why? Is this a positive or negative development?
- Some countries have a very high rate of tourism. What are the reasons for this? What effects does it have on local people?
Task 1 · Academic
- A line graph showing the population of three cities between 1970 and 2020.
- A bar chart comparing the percentage of energy produced from four sources in five countries.
- Two pie charts showing how a university spent its budget in 2000 and 2020.
- A table showing average monthly rent in six cities over three years.
- A diagram showing how glass bottles are recycled.
- Two maps showing a hospital site before and after redevelopment.