As an IELTS writing instructor, I am often asked by my students what the secret is to successful essay writing. When I tell them ‘lots of practice, lots of guidance and lots of patience’, they usually look at me a bit disappointed as though my answer was too obvious.

So I tell them, ‘just follow the 4 Cs.’

‘The 4 Cs?’ they ask with new interest.

Yes, the 4 Cs: conciseness, cohesion, coherence and composition. Each needs to be employed properly if you want to score well on your Task 2 essay. In this short article, which I am writing , I would like to touch on each of the 4 Cs and describe how you can use these powerful ideas to heighten your IELTS score.So let’s begin with conciseness. Unlike other languages which prize long and very elaborate sentences, proper written English is language that says a lot in few words. Students often falsely believe that the longer a sentence is the more academic it sounds.

Writing longer sentences in your response is problematic for 2 reasons. The first is it heightens the chances of errors related to coherence. The second is it makes it more difficult for you to control the grammar of the sentence, leading to silly grammatical mistakes. Too often, students receive disappointing marks on their IELTS essay simply because their long sentences led them to issues with coherence and grammar.

So how long should a sentence be? Including cohesive phrases (the second ‘C’ in our list), typical sentences are somewhere between 8 and 15 words.

Now let’s take a look at how to write these cohesive phrases.

Cohesion refers to words and phrases that help ideas link together. Cohesive phrases include wordings like…

Because of this, …As this shows, …As can clearly be seen from this example, …It is clear that…Thus, the idea that…To illustrate this, …After analyzing both points of view, …To provide a summary, …Without a doubt, this causes…

What I always suggest to students is to commit many of these phrases to memory and learn how to use them properly. When you get to your examination, you can use these phrases with confidence, which will not only save you time but also reduce the chances of grammatical mistakes.

Our third C is coherence, which is the notion that all ideas you present in your essay should be easily understood by your reader. As you can probably guess, using the cohesive phrases above correctly can really help to boost the coherence in your essay as they clarify your ideas. Coherence is also greatly improved by proper grammar, so make an effort to brush up on this prior to your examination.

Our final C, composition, refers to employing a proper essay structure. This means including a thesis (in the case of an argument essay), at least 2 supporting ideas, real-life examples, proper discussion of those examples as well as some kind of summary and finally a reasoned conclusion. To break it down, an argument essay is most likely going to contain 15 sentences partitioned into 4 paragraphs and follow a pattern something like this:

Introduction paragraph

A background sentence giving some background information on the essay topic. A more detailed sentence linking the background sentence to the thesis. A thesis that presents your point of view on your given topic. An outline sentence declaring the 2 points you are going to use to support your thesis.

Supporting paragraph 1

A topic sentence illustrating the first point you will be presenting to support your thesis (this point taken from your outline sentence).

A sentence showing a real-life example of this topic in action. A discussion sentence that shows how your example links or proves your topic

sentence. A conclusion sentence that links this entire paragraph back to your thesis.

Supporting paragraph 2

A topic sentence illustrating the second point you will be presenting to support your thesis (this point taken from your outline sentence).

A sentence showing a real-life example of this topic in action. A discussion sentence that shows how your example links or proves your topic

sentence. A conclusion sentence that links this entire paragraph back to your thesis.

Conclusion paragraph

A summary sentence that briefly states the 2 points you discussed in your supporting paragraphs.

A restatement of your thesis using different words. A prediction or recommendation based on the topic you have been given.

By employing a logical structure like this you fulfill your essay’s requirement for proper composition.

So, in a nutshell, the 4 Cs make up the essential elements in a successful essay. Conciseness keeps sentences brief, cohesion helps the sentences link together, coherence maintains understanding in the essay and composition links all parts of the essay together logically.

Make an effort to use the 4 Cs properly and I guarantee your IELTS written mark will improve.

Good luck on your exam!

REPORTThe table illustrates the preference levels of male and female members of a sport club about their activities, facilities and opening hours. It is clear that the greater proportion of male members is contented about the club’s activities (91%) whereas this figure is true only for 70% of female members.

Moreover, more than 85% of both male and female are happy about the facilities and 63% of male members and 64% female members are extremely satisfied in this regard. In fact, only 14% of female members and 10% of male members are negative about this.

In addition, opening hours are in the best interest of women as 97% of them are positive about it. In contrast, more than one third of men have expressed their dissatisfaction in this regard.

In conclusion, it is clear that male and female members hold different opinion about the activities and facilities and opening hours of the club.

A reasonable outline of main trends, differences or states was given. The key features were presented and emphasized, but some aspects were left out of the description. There is a logical organisation of information; it is evident that the writer progresses from one idea to another. The use of linking words and phrases is suitable. The range of vocabulary is wide enough for the writer to show some flexibility and accuracy of expression, but still some words are repeated over and over again. There are incidental errors in word choice, spelling and word formation, however error-free sentences are common

IELTS essay, topic: the development of technology causes traditional skills to die out, agree or disagree?

When a country develops its technology, the traditional skills and ways of life die out. It is pointless to try and keep them alive.To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Nowadays, technological advances and their rapid and wide applications are having a significant impact on a nation’s traditional skills and ways of life. Some argue that such impact is so extraordinary that it would make conventional skills and life styles obsolete. However, I believe they would continue to thrive by providing alternatives to modern ways of life, and innovative ideas for modern technologies.

First of all, traditional skills and ways of life are becoming an alternative solution to the problems caused by “mainstreamed” ways of life which are greatly influenced by modern technologies. For instance, a cozy restaurant where traditional, home-brewed beer is served, offers another experience to people who are bored with branded beers that have the same flavor and come out of mass production with new technologies. It is in such a venue where traditional skills are preserved, people become relaxed and educated. Providing diversity and thus enriching modern ways of life, such traditional skills and ways of life would continue to have their place.

Furthermore, conventional skills provide innovative ideas to the development of modern technologies. For example, sparkled by how the word “Love” is traditionally knitted into a sweater by some ethnic minority women in some parts of Asia, some business managers from textile industry have developed some production lines by applying the traditional skills to

Computer-Aided Designs (CAD). The products have boosted the companies’ sales which in turn have increased their investment in preserving traditional skills for further developing their technologies.

To conclude, traditional skills and life styles are increasingly becoming a useful alternative to the homogeneity brought by global applications of modern technologies. However, the evolution of technologies is a selection process, whereby some would become obsolete, but there is no doubt that some would thrive when their roles are appreciated.

This is a good essay. The requirements of the task statement are covered, the arguments make sense and are presented in a coherent, easy to follow way, the range of vocabulary is wide enough and the writer shows fluency and flexibility. There are only a few errors (mouse over the words underlined in blue shows suggested corrections).

IELTS Letter, topic: Your friend is coming over to stay with you

Your friend is coming over to stay with you. However, you will be away on vacation for a month. Write him/her a letter and say:

- How to get the keys to your flat- How to operate the equipment in the flat, and- Suggest a few places of interest to visit

Dear Susan,

Hope this finds you well. As I wrote to you in my previous letter, I am unable to cancel the finalised trip visit my parents. But, soon after you arrive in Melbourne, contact Jessie, a good friend of mine on 0425680256. She offered her help to pick you up from the airport and you can collect the key from her.

I must say that sometimes, the hot water geezer turns off automatically so, you might have to make sure it is switched on before having a shower. Also, the gas heater fixed in the lounge does not work, but you can use the oil heater in my bed room instead.

If you have time you might enjoy visiting the Aquarium, the Queen Victoria Market and the Botanical Gardens as these places are not that far from where I live. I hope you are happy with this arrangement, but if you need more help or information please let me know.

Looking forward to hear from you.

With love,

Amber.

All the requirements of the task were covered fairly well. The bullet points were mentioned, emphasized and illustrated in a suitable and logical way. The tone of this letter needs to be less formal. The ideas are presented in a logical order and all aspects of cohesion are taken care of well. The paragraphing is handled suitably and appropriately. Some sophisticated words/expressions are used in a clever way, with only occasional errors in word choice/expression choice. Most sentences are free of errors.