Ielts Writing Tips 2

20

14

Wri

tin

g T

ips

IELTS Writing Tips

Alaraa Creative Training Center Oad ALtoba Street +971 3 7555779

2 | P a g e

The most basic trend vocabulary a few variations

Lets look at this graph and see what words we need to describe it. Put simply we need language that describes

Up (2009 to 2010),

Down (2008 to 2009),

Up and down (between 2006 and 2009)

No change (2006 and 2007)

The top (2010)

The trend vocabulary I am going to suggest may seem very basic. It does, however, allow

you to say the same thing in up to 6 different ways. Thats good.

Tip: if you find yourself repeating a word, try changing the form of it from a verb to a

noun.

You should also note that, even with this basic language, there are a variety of grammar

problems that cause many candidates problems. Thats bad.

1st part :-

3 | P a g e

4 | P a g e

Note how these two sentences mean exactly the same:

The rate of unemployment rose to 12% in 2010.

The rate of unemployment rose by 5% in 2010.

Preposition problem 2 in and of

This one is harder. We use in to describe changes in things and of to describe changes in number or amount. For example, there was a rise in the rate of unemployment

There was a rise of 5% in the rate of unemployment.

5 | P a g e

Verbs

These verbs are alternatives to the basic rise and fall vocabulary. One benefit of using them is

that sometimes they help you avoid repeating too many numbers. If you have a strong verb, you

dont always have to give the exact figure.

Notes:

Soar and rocket are both very strong words that describe large rises. Rocket is more sudden. You probably do not need to qualify these verbs with adverbs.

Leap shows a large and sudden rise. Again, you probably do not need to qualify it with an adverb.

Climb is a relatively neutral verb that can be used with the adverbs below.

2nd

part

:-

6 | P a g e

Notes:

Plummet is the strongest word here. It means to fall suddenly and very quickly from a high level or position and a long way.

Drop and drop are normally used for fairly small decreases

Slip back is used for falls that come after rises

Drop and Dip are also frequently used as nouns: e.g. a slight dip a sudden drop

Adjectives and adverbs

This is a selection of some of the most common adjectives and adverbs used for trend

language. Please be careful. This is an area where it is possible to make low-level

mistakes. Make sure that you use adjectives with nouns and adverbs with verbs:

a significant rise correct (adjective/noun)

rose significantly correct (verb/adverb)

a significantly rise wrong wrong wrong

Please also note the spelling of the adverbs. There is a particular problem with the word

dramatically:

dramatically correct

dramaticly wrong

dramaticaly wrong

7 | P a g e

Notes

Marginal is a particularly useful word for describing very small changes

Other useful adjectives

These adjectives can be used to describes more general trends

8 | P a g e

Notes

Overall can be used to describe changes in trend over the whole period: very useful in introductions and conclusions

Upward and downward are adjectives: the adverbs are upwards and downwards

9 | P a g e

A key area of vocabulary/grammar in IELTS task 1 is how to deal with numbers. The idea is to

remember is that this is a language task and you need to be able to describe the numbers you see

and not just write them all down. One way to do this is learn some mathematical language. This lesson looks at another possibility: using simple language such as much, many, few and less. After showing you some simple language and how to avoid some very common problems.

A little grammar for you

The one thing you need to know is that little words like these fall into 3 categories:

1. words that are only used with countable nouns

2. words that are only used with uncountable nouns

3. words that can be used with both

The basic options

Some common mistakes

There are two common mistakes to look out for:

Less used with countable nouns e.g. Less Fewer women chose to go the cinema than men.

Amount of used with countable nouns e.g. A large amount number of men do not do as much housework as women.

The MOST/MOST OF problem

This is a mistake that all teachers will recognize. It is super common. I have given you examples

here with most but the same grammar applies for all the words above.

3rd

part

:-

10 | P a g e

Most men watch less television than women do. CORRECT

Most of the men in the survey watched less television than women did. CORRECT

Most of men in the survey watched less television than women did. INCORRECT

The most of men less television than women do. INCORRECT

The way to avoid most mistakes is to note that if you use of you also need to use the

Some more advanced language

Is this language enough? Nope. You are almost certain to want to use some more

advanced/mathematical language too. In summary, this means being able to use phrases such as

Twice as much

Around a third of

Part of the skill in task 1 writing is dealing with numbers. With a pie chart, line graph or table

you need be able to summarize the key details: to do this you need the language of numbers, as

you should not simply write out all the numbers it is a summarizing task. This can be surprisingly complex to do as the figures in most task 1 exercises are not simple figures but rather more complex.

How to describe differences accurately

40 is double is 20, but what about 42 and 20? Or 30 and 88?

These are the sort of complex figures you may need to describe in the exam and the examiner is looking for an accurate description of just this type of numbers. What you need to do is

compare the numbers. Here is some helpful language for you: it is important that you have some

variations here

Academic task 1 describing numbers

:-

11 | P a g e

So 40 is exactly double 20

42 is approximately double 20

30 is just over a third of 88

More language of numbers

To do this well, you need some mathematical language too:

12 | P a g e

More about using comparisons in task 1 writing.

This lesson looks at some more advanced comparison vocabulary for academic task 1 writing to

talk about the degree or size of the comparison. The idea is generally not enough to say that

something is bigger than something else, you need to say by how much and that there are times you want to use words and not just numbers.

Why do you need this language? Why not just use numbers?

This is a language task and you should try to use language and not just numbers

in your answer this is a summary task and that means that you do not include all

the numbers, but describe some of them in language mostly, you should try and

combine words and numbers together in order to give the examiner/reader as

much information as possible in your summary statement, however, (normally

either your introduction/conclusion) you may simply use words without

numbers because it is a general description of the chart/graph/table.

4th

part

:-

13 | P a g e

Amounts and numbers

Notes:

Considerably and significantly have similar meanings. I would say that considerably is the stronger word, but someone else might tell you different!

A useful alternative to marginally is fractionally.

Be careful with countable and uncountable words. You use amount and less with

uncountable words such gas and number, and fewer with countable words such as

people.

I would avoid using a lot more as this is rather non-academic language. Alternatives would include far more and a great deal more.

14 | P a g e

Notes

The preposition used with both these words is to. So one thing can be identical or comparable to

something else.

15 | P a g e

IELTS writing coherence and cohesion explained This article looks at coherence and cohesion in IELTS writing and gives examples of common

mistakes that IELTS candidates make using them. Understanding these mistakes should help

improve your IELTS writing and your band score.

What is coherence?

A difficult question with any amount of possible answers. My own answer is that if cohesion is

about connecting words, then coherence is about connecting ideas. Put another way, a coherent

piece of writing is one where the reader understands why each point has been included and never

has to stop and think Why did the writer put that bit there? .Everything flows.

Paragraphs

Paragraphs need to have a clear, central topic and be used logically. If your writing does not have

paragraphs or the paragraphs are confusing, your coherence score will be no more than 5.

Common mistake: candidates do not develop their paragraphs and put together a series of

unrelated points. One reason they do this is that they forget it is a language exam and not a

knowledge exam. They select their best ideas and not the ideas that are easiest to write about.

Solution: Make sure that each paragraph is about one idea. In the planning stage make sure you

have enough to say about an idea before you start writing about it. This means that you may

choose the ideas that are easiest to write about and not the ones that are the most intelligent.

Another solution is to think of reasons and examples for each of your main points. Many

candidates forget to use examples. This is a mistake because examples are often easier to write

about than reasons.

Paragraph coherence

One form of coherence is coherence within a paragraph. To achieve this you need to learn how to

structure a paragraph with a topic sentence and to develop that sentence through the appropriate

use of explanations and examples. In this post I am going to suggest a possible model to help you

do this by teaching you to PEE something everyone should be able to do quite naturally. It may help, however, first to think about how this works in the reading and speaking papers.

Writing task 2

:-

16 | P a g e

Understanding paragraph coherence topic sentences think reading

In the IELTS reading exam, one very familiar task is to identify the main topic of a paragraph by

selecting the correct heading from a list. One way to complete that task is to identify one

sentence that gives the main point of the paragraph this is the topic sentence. Your goal in the writing paper is to ensure that each of your paragraphs contains a similar topic sentence. Learn

how to write by thinking about reading.

Paragraph coherence expanding the topic thinks speaking

You can also learn to write by thinking about speaking. In the speaking exam, one of the goals is

not to give very brief answers, but to give extended answers. In the writing the same applies: it is

important to expand on the topic to show you have sufficient vocabulary and grammar to say

what you want. The mistake is to write very short paragraphs or paragraphs which contain

unrelated points. If you dont believe me, you should note that the question almost invariably contains these words:

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

This is telling you that coherence is important. If you do support what you say with

evidence and examples, your writing will become coherent.

A model Learn how to P-E-E

One way to expand your topic sentences is to

make the point (P)

explain it (E)

give an example (E)

How it works

This is not the only way to be coherent, but it is a good model to follow in the context of an

exam essay for two reasons. Firstly, it impresses the examiner. It also makes the writing easier as

most paragraphs can follow the same pattern and planning becomes much easier as you already

know the shape of each paragraph before you start writing.

Some examples

Read through these three paragraphs taken from different IELTS essays and note how they all

have a similar structure:

Point

Explanation

Example

This is a pattern you can follow in most essays to give coherence to your writing by

expanding on one point. I will add that this just a model guideline, it isnt a rule. There will be times when you do not use examples for instance.

17 | P a g e

There are those who argue that the internet has had an extremely positive influence on

communication. They say this because in the past it was sometimes impossible to call

people in other countries on the telephone, but now it is relatively simple to use a

program such as Skype to talk to them for free or to send an email. A good example

here are the students who go to study abroad and are able to send messages home with

no difficulty, when in past they would have had to buy stamps and go to the post office

which was much harder and more expensive.

A strong argument can of course be made from the opposite position. Part of this

argument is that countries and nations need to preserve old buildings in order to

preserve their heritage. In addition, however, to this cultural argument, there are

positive economic benefits in preserving old buildings. An illustration here is Egypt

once again, a country which depends on tourism for much of its national income simply

because visitors pay to come from other countries to visit its ancient sites.

There are several reasons why it can be argued that television has a negative effect on

cultural development. Perhaps the principle argument is the lowbrow nature of many

programmes, particularly sitcoms and soap operas. People who watch these

programmes do not learn anything, they are simply entertained. The other major

argument is that because people watch so much television, they no longer take part in

more traditional forms of cultural entertainment. An example here is how traditional

dancing and music is becoming much less popular because people are staying at home

to watch the television.

What is cohesion?

Cohesion is how sentences and parts of sentences link together. If your sentences are cohesive,

your writing becomes easier to read and you become able to write better English by linking your

sentences together.

Test yourself first

To see how well you understand cohesion, try this. There are two texts below. Which one do you

prefer? Be careful, the better (and more cohesive text) may not necessarily be the text with the

most obvious linking words.

Text A

Attracting customers to buy your products and services needs a great deal of research and

planning to ensure the money you invest in gaining customers pays off. This is normally

achieved through market research and involves finding more about the people you hope to sell

to. Armed with this information you can then formulate an effective plan of action based on your

evidence. Once you are aware of the needs of your potential customers you need to examine your

product in detail, fix a suitable price which will help your product sell, ensure you choose the

correct method of distribution and select an appropriate promotion to attract your audience. This

is known as the marketing mix and can help your business to spend money wisely with the best

results

18 | P a g e

Text B

Attracting customers to buy your products and services needs a great deal of

research and planning to ensure the money you invest in gaining customers pays

off. Firstly, there is market research and involves finding more about the people

you hope to sell to. Secondly, formulate an effective plan of action based on your

evidence. Furthermore, it is important to examine your product in detail. Moreover,

you should fix a suitable price which will help your product sell, ensure you

choose the correct method of distribution and select an appropriate promotion to

attract your audience. So this is known as the marketing mix and in summary it can

help your business to spend money wisely with the best results.

The first text is the original text and is highly cohesive even though it does not contain many obvious linking words.

Some of the cohesion language is highlighted in green and blue. Note, in particular the use

of this at the beginning of sentences to link to the sentence before. Cohesion can be really

simple.



off. This is normally achieved through market research and involves finding more

about the people you hope to sell to. Armed with this information you can then

formulate an effective plan of action based on your evidence. Once you are aware

of the needs of your potential customers you need to examine your product in

detail, fix a suitable price which will help your product sell, ensure you choose the

correct method of distribution and select an appropriate promotion to attract your

audience. This is known as the marketing mix and can help your business to spend

money wisely with the best results

This text may at first sight look more cohesive, but in fact most of the cohesion words are

wrongly used. Be careful of overusing that sort of language.



off. Firstly, there is market research and involves finding more about the people

you hope to sell to. Secondly, formulate an effective plan of action based on your

evidence. Furthermore, it is important to examine your product in detail. Moreover,

you should fix a suitable price which will help your product sell, ensure you

choose the correct method of distribution and select an appropriate promotion to

19 | P a g e

attract your audience. So this is known as the marketing mix and in summary it can

help your business to spend money wisely with the best results.

Incorrect linking

Is Firstly really the first point made? To use it correctly, you need to identify that there is a list of points to come: There are a variety of issues here; firstly,..

The same comment applies to the use of secondly

So is used when a conclusion can be made. This is the final point, but it is not a conclusion.

In summary can only be used when a summary is made.

Did you get it right? Very few of my own students do. The reason for this is

that they believe the only way to be cohesive is to use words such as

furthermore: it is not. Indeed, if you use linking words wrongly, then your writing may become less cohesive thats worse!!

How does it work?

There are a variety of ways to make your writing more cohesive, here are a

few ideas to get you started. Its not meant to be a complete list; rather the aim is to show you that cohesion works in different ways.

Words like and and but you need to make sure you use these words correctly

Pronouns: pronouns (it, they, this and that etc) are generally linking words as

they link back to nouns

Vocabulary: another way to link is to use the same or similar word again

(here you want to think of balancing synonyms, changing word form and

repeating key words)

20 | P a g e

An example of how to do it

There are lots of ways of making your writing cohesive. Look at this

example the colors show the connections between the different sentences. As you read through this, you should concentrate on how that cohesion is

about how you use vocab and pronouns and how you start sentences: it

is not just about linking words.

There are many people who claim that global warming is the most

significant threat facing us today. They argue this because it is a danger not

just to the current generation, but also to the generations to come. Indeed, it

is this threat to our future that is of most concern. For instance, some

research shows that one effect of global warming might be there will not be

enough food to feed the world in the near future. If that did happen.

many people they (pronoun)

that global warming is this (pronoun)

Claim argue (synonym)

not just but also (a matching pair)

current generation generations to come

(repetition)

a danger this threat (pronoun +

synonym)

Indeed (linking phrase for further explanation)

generations to come future

global warming global warming (repetition

of technical phrase)

there will be not enough food that (pronoun)

21 | P a g e

A common mistake

One very common mistake is to overuse certain linking phrases such as furthermore and moreover. This can be a problem because they are frequently misused: and to link badly is no better than not linking at all. A secondary problem is that by only using such phrases, candidates

forget to use pronouns (especially this) for linking.

Cause and effect key IELTS vocabulary The language of cause and effect is critical to IELTS both in writing and speaking. The reason for this is that it helps answers the question Why? and allows you to give an extended and coherent answer. This post gives you some basic variations to try.

Because

Obviously the word you will use most is because but there are some useful variations.

22 | P a g e

Notes

1. because , as a result and as a consequence are used with a verb and because of, as a result of and as a consequence of with a noun

2. Some people believe you shouldnt start sentences with because. This is rubbish but in the exam it may be sensible not to do it.

3. due to is normally used with negative situations and thanks to with positive situations

Cause verbs

A useful variation is to use because as a verb. Here are the 3 main variations

Notes

1. you cause something to happen but it results in something happening.

Other related verbs

These verbs can also sometimes be used to describe cause and effect

23 | P a g e

Notes

1. Please note the spelling of affect as a verb and do not confuse it with effect the noun. Just to confuse you, the pronunciation is identical

Nouns

The essential nouns are of course cause and effect but there are alternatives here;

Notes

1. you talk about the cause of something but the reason for it

Documents

Ielts Writing Tips 2