Are you facing a problem in getting a high score in the IELTS Academic writing test?
Are you a student aspiring to study abroad?
Are you preparing for the IELTS test?
Unable to understand what to do?
If this is your concern, do not worry anymore! Just follow the tips that we are going to provide here, and you can improve your writing scores definitely.
Here, we will look at several factors, like
1. What is the IELTS academic writing test?
2. What are the reasons why candidates are unable to score well in the writing test?
3. What are the tips to be followed to score well?
4. What are the things to avoid in the writing test?
What is the IELTS academic test?
The first question is what the IELTS academic test actually means. It is an test taken by students who wish to pursue their higher education in an English speaking country. So, in order to study abroad, they need to prove their proficiency in the English language. That is the main reason behind taking the IELTS academic test. However, the test is sometimes taken for various other reasons such as for professional registrations too. So, you have to choose the module very carefully.
Why are the candidates unable to perform well in the IELTS academic writing test?
This is a very tough question to answer. However, to put it in a simple way, it can be said that there are multiple reasons which might lead to a poor performance in the IELTS writing test (academic). Let us analyze what these are:
1. Lack of proper preparation This is the major cause which might be the culprit behind you getting a low score. In order to attempt any test, you should prepare well. For the IELTS test too, this is the basic rule. You need to schedule a plan and prepare accordingly. Remember that the more you practice, the better you prepare for the test, the higher would be your score. Most of the test takers will not prepare adequately for the test , and that is why they under perform in the IELTS test.
2. Not practicing as per the main test pattern When candidates are practicing, it is highly advisable to choose the correct materials that would be similar to what they see in the main test. This is a very essential thing. There are numerous instances where test takers were surprised after they have seen that the types of questions they have practiced were not similar to those which they have seen in the question paper.
3. Not focusing on the band descriptors for the IELTS writing test In the IELTS test, there are four parts – Listening, Reading, Writing, and the speaking tests. Out of these, the listening and the reading tests are completely objective type of tests. Hence, the score can be given directly. The same procedure is not applicable for the writing and the speaking tests. These two tests need an evaluater to correct the responses and give a score. So, what are the factors that they consider while giving the score? These factors based on which the score is decided are known as the IELTS writing band descriptors.
There are four band descriptors for the IELTS writing task 2, which are
A. Task response.
B. Coherence and cohesion.
C. Lexical resource.
D. Grammatical range and accuracy,
And for task 1, instead of task response, there is another factor called task achievement. Each factor contributes to 25 percent of the overall score. Hence, you need to practice according to these band descriptors.
4. Poor time management skills Of all the issues that can lead to a lower score, this has to be a very significant one. The total time given to complete both the tasks in the Writing test is 60 minutes. But what happens often in the main exam is that candidates take more than the permitted time to finish one task, and as a result, they do not get adequate time for the second task.
Consequently, they would not perform well in the second task and get a low score. As per the instructions given in the question booklet, around 20 minutes should be spent on writing the task 1, and around 40 minutes should be allotted for the task 2.
So, what should be your plan to achieve your target score?
Firstly, having known the things which you should avoid, let us plan a step by step plan to succeed and get your desired score in the IELTS academic writing.
1. Get all the related information about the exam:
Now a days we can see that all the information about anything can be obtained from the internet. This is a great tool for the IELTS test too! You should first gather all the details about the test, its format, availability of test slots, time required for preparing, the types of questions in the test, etc. Once you know all this, you will feel more confident about writing the test.
2. Look for good practice materials :
The second step is to collect the material for preparation. This is possible both from the online and offline sources. If you wish to get all the material related to the IELTS test, then you can check www.ieltsguru.com , and if you are planning to take the IELTS test on the computer, then the best website with reliable materials is www.ieltscdt.com.
3. Learn the correct structure :
In order to get a high score, you need to follow a very good structure for both the report and the essay. If you have this structure in your mind, then it is very easy to organise your ideas in the essay and report. It is really helpful during the main test.
4. Practice properly and correct your errors:
The final step would be to review your essays and reports. Once you have understood how to write an essay, practice at least one or two essays. If you can, get the essays evaluated to know your errors, such as spelling mistakes.
If you can set a target and work with dedication and constant practice, then it is very simple and easy to score high in this test.
