These tips are particularly helpful for IELTS academic but I am pretty sure it will be applicable even for the IELTS General.
Overview
There will be 2 tasks in the writing section. The first task will take 25 mins and has a word limit of 150 words. You will be given a graph, pictograph, pie chart or a process to interpret.
The second task (the big one) will take 45 minutes and has word limit of 250. In this task you are expected to either state why you agree or disagree with the statement.
Here are my tips
1) I would strongly recommend to finish task 2 first.
Here is why? Task 2 requires more brain power and more time, hence the chances of doing it better, when attempted at the start is higher. On the contrary, interpreting data which is task 1, require little to no effort. You certainly don’t want to be burnt out while you attempt task 2.
2) make sure you write it in paragraphs and not just one big essay.
First paragraph – paraphrase the heading/ topic, using synonym if need be. Do not copy the heading as such. In the first paragraph itself, indicate which side you are on (for, against or both)
note: most times, I would take both sides as I did not have sufficient points for any one side.
Second Paragraph – list the points supporting the statement with connecting words*
Third paragraph – if on both sides, list the points showing why you disagree with the statement with connecting words *.
Fourth Paragraph – conclusion
3) Use connecting words like firstly, next, lastly, finally, consecutively, subsequently and so on.
4) Continuation on synonyms – while interpreting data for task 1, use synonyms for numbers whenever possible for example; 25 percent or 1/4th, 1/2 or 50 percent and so on.
I have written Ielts twice and I never had a problem with the writing section. I fell short in the reading section. While I found many struggling to get the minimum band required to pass the writing section. So hope these tips will help you and All the best for your exam.
