IELTS Triumph: IELTS: Writing Exam Tips

Here are ten top tips to remember when you are doing part one of the IELTS writing exam. They might seem obvious, but under the pressure of exams we all forget something.

1. Start your introduction with a very general description of the graph, table, chart etc.

2. Split the information into two main paragraphs, and describe how you have done that at the end of your introduction.

3. Don't start any sentences with "and" or "but".

4. Compare and Contrast.

5. Describe the most important information at the beginning of each paragraph.

6. Don't use simple phrases like "go up", "go down" and"stay flat". Try something like“rise”, “fall”, “remain stable”, “decline”, “drop”, “fall”

7. Try to avoid simple time clauses like “in 1997” and “at seven o’clock” . Try“subsequently”, “between... and...”, “at the same point (in time)”,“late in the afternoon”, “initially”, “following that”.

8. Do not give reasons for the data.

9. Be more specific about the changes – “significant(ly)”, “huge(ly)”,“dramatic(ally)”, “considerable/bly”, “gradual(ly)”, “slight(ly)”,“steady/ily”, “sharp(ly)”, “shoot up”, “crash”, “bottom out”, “bounce back”.

10. Write at least 150 words, but leave yourself some time to review

IELTS Triumph