Are you feeling that your IELTS Writing Task 2 essays are not long enough?
Are you facing a difficulty in writing 250 words?
Is the time not sufficient for this task?
Then you are at the right place. Read and understand the reasons which might be the root causes of the issue. We shall find out some solutions for the same too!
The IELTS test is an English proficiency test which is taken by the individuals who plan to migrate from their home country to an English speaking country. The test is written by the candidates if they wish to study in a country where English is the main language for communicating. Depending on the purpose of taking the test, the IELTS test consists of two modules.
1. The IELTS Academic Module.
Though the reasons for taking the test vary, the test is divided into four parts.
1. Listening.
2. Reading.
3. Writing.
4. Speaking.
The listening and speaking sections are the same for both the academic and general module however there is a difference between the academic and general module in terms of the writing and the reading parts of the test.
During the recent times, it has been observed that many of the test takers are facing major difficulties in the finishing the essays on time in the writing module. When this trend is analysed, it has been observed that most of these problems arise mainly because of the lack of information and the relevant ideas. So, let us make an effort to understand why this is happening, and how this can be solved by taking some steps.
The main reasons why the candidates are unable to write 250 words the IELTS writing Task 2.
1.Not being familiar with band descriptors the IELTS writing Task 2 –
This can be said as a major drawback. For the IELTS writing and speaking tests, there are several criteria based on which your score is given these criteria for marking, which are called band descriptors. In order to achieve a good score which you desire, you must understand what these band descriptors are and how to essay should be written to look perfect and suitable for highest score. Let us have a look at what these band descriptors are.
A. Lexical resource –
This is one of the four band descriptors for the writing section and this means that you need to use a wide range of vocabulary ranging from common words to uncommon words or rarely used words. However, this should not be mistaken that only vocabulary will help you gain the score in the writing section. Ideally you should use a combination of common words and topic specific vocabulary the meet the requirements of the task.
B.
Grammatical range and accuracy
–
This band descriptor is all about grammar and its appropriate usage. There are generally various elements but you should consider while writing an essay, such as wide variety of sentence structures punctuation marks and the right way to form a sentence all these factors together are included under what is called grammatical range and accuracy which accounts for 25% of your overall score in the IELTS writing test. Types of sentence structures are – simple sentences, compound sentences, passive sentences, conditional sentences, complex sentences and complex compound sentences. In addition to this, punctuation marks play a vital role in framing the sentence properly. Mainly the appropriate use of a comma, full stop, hyphen, apostrophe and such other punctuations should be properly understood and used.
C. Task response –
This factor accounts for 25% of the score in the writing section, and this is mainly to showcase your ability to fulfill the requirements of the task as per what is suggested in the given question prompt. Task response involves you to understand and develop a response in such a way that it addresses the whole question properly and fully. The more elaborative you are with your answers and the more supporting details you add which are relevant to the question, the better you will score for task response.
D. Coherence and Cohesion –
This is a very important band descriptor which is divided into two parts. Coherence to the variety of ideas that can be generated question prompt relevantly. Not just getting the relevant ideas, but these ideas should be properly organised and connected so that the overall meaning is conveyed in the right sense the second part of it is called cohesion, which essentially means that the ideas and the sentences are linked or connected well.
If you can follow these marking criteria, you will know how to meet the word count.
2. Practice on the IELTS answer sheets.
Though this may sound like a small tip, this will help you to perform very well in the main test. In the IELTS test, you will be given two separate sheets of paper for the two tasks. This answer sheet is a ruled sheet. You need to write along those lines only.
Remember that the IELTS examiners will count the number of words that you wrote. If the minimum word count of 250 words is not satisfied, then the essays are said to be underlength. You will get a penalty for this mistake. So, a very good way to practice writing is to take a printout of the blank IELTS writing answer sheets and start writing on those sheets. Also, to make the essay look organised and neater, you can leave a line after each and every paragraph.
3. Writing simple sentences only:
Usually, it is a belief that any idea can be represented clearly if it is expressed in simple sentences. This is because we feel that it is much easier to understand the context. However, this is not the case with the IELTS test. Since it is an assessment to prove your English language skills, you should combine two or more ideas and should write compound sentences and complex sentences as well. This way, it is easier to write 250 or more words.
In a nutshell, it is very simple to write an essay perfectly if some basic steps and care is taken.
