IELTS Writing Tip 1: Write a detailed thesis statement

You should already have a clear plan for your Task 2 essay when you begin writing
your introduction. Try adding a detailed thesis statement that tells the examiner
exactly what you are going to write about in each paragraph. A thesis statement
typically begins with “This essay will…” or “In this essay, I will…”. Not only is this a
great way to add more words to your introduction, it can increase your score in
Coherence and Cohesion, which is based on how well you link your ideas. The
technique can also be used in Task 1, though you’ll need to replace ‘essay’ with
‘report’.

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IELTS Writing Tip 2: Repeat the question topic in each new paragraph

One definition of a paragraph is that it should not depend on other paragraphs in

order to be understood. When you begin a new paragraph in Task 1 or Task 2, state
the topic again. For example: “Another reason for the decline in academic standards
is…” rather than “Another reason is…” Although this may seem like repeating
yourself unnecessarily, it helps to create a more academic style of writing. It also
helps to move you more quickly towards your goal of writing 150 or 250 words. You’ll
get bonus points if you can paraphrase the topic each time you mention it.

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IELTS Writing Tip 3: Write transition sentences

A transition sentence connects two stages in your writing. It may refer to what has
already been written, or it may explain what will come next. A good transition
sentence can do both: “Having look at X, I will now turn to Y.” They are incredibly
useful in both Task 1 and Task 2 of IELTS Writing. They help you write more, even
when there isn’t a great deal to say. Just like Tip #1, this writing technique also adds
to your score in Coherence and Cohesion.

IELTS Writing Tip 4: Summarise your main points

It’s perfectly normal to reach your conclusion and find that you still need to write at
least another 50 words! There’s an easy solution to this, of course. Summarising your
main points is a great way to get extra mileage out of them, as well as to show off
your paraphrasing skills. You should do this only when you need to write those extra
words. If your Task 1 answer seems to be at least 150 words already, don’t waste
time summarising. Just get straight on to Task 2.

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IELTS Writing Tip 5: Predict the future

My final IELTS Writing tip is only for use when you’ve summarised your main points
but your answer still looks a little too short. It also works for both tasks. In Task 1,
look at the data you’ve been given and predict where it’s likely to go in future.
Technically, you aren’t supposed to do this, but it’s a perfectly fine technique to add a
little extra information. In Task 2, a conditional sentence is a very useful method of
predicting the future. If your advice isn’t followed, what could happen?