2014

Writing Tips

IELTS Writing Tips

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st

1 part : 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.

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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.
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nd

2 part
: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.

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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

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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
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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

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rd

3 part
: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.
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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

Academic task 1 describing numbers

:-

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

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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:

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th

4 part
: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.

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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.

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Notes
The preposition used with both these words is to. So one thing can be identical or comparable to
something else.
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:-

Writing task 2
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.

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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.
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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
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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.

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
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.

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
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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)

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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)

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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.

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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

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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

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