VERSION MAY 2022

IELTS WRITING
HANDBOOK

OVERSEA ACADEMY
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IELTS WRITING
TASK AT GLANCE

Writing Task 1 - Worth 33.3%

Describe a diagram / chart / table
No less than 150 words
Should spend ~20 minutes
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Writing Task 2 - Worth 66.7%

Make an essay based on the question
No less than 250 words
Should spend ~40 minutes
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GENERAL RULE
OF THUMB

INTRO
1 paragraph
rephrase the question
task 1: detail
task 2: opinion
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BODY
1-3 paragraph
each paragraph has 1 idea
explain, example
CONCLUSION
1 paragraph
task 1: trend
task 2: opinion (restate)
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WRITING TASK

WRITING TASK 1
VARIATION

DIAGRAM
i.e. a process or cycle
What you can do: rephrase the question, then elaborate
the process or cycle in such a way that readers can
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understand without looking at the picture

TABLE
i.e. sales at a different times and different locations
What you can do: if there are 2 indicators (row = time,
column = location) then describe each body paragraph
separately
CHART
i.e. number of bus passengers throughout 24H
What you can do: emphasize patterns you can describe,
identify maxima and/or minima, and make comparisons
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WRITING TASK

20 MINUTES ON
TASK 1

2 MINUTES
Read through the question
See the main features
4 MINUTES - PAR 1
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Rephrase the question

Write down the graph details
40 words
9 MINUTES - PAR 2
Write the main body
80 words
4 MINUTES - PAR 3
Conclude with the main trend
30-40 words
1 MINUTE
Check your work
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WRITING TASK

WRITING TASK 1
EXAMPLE
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WRITING TASK

WRITING TASK 2
VARIATION

AGREE OR DISAGREE
What you can do: you have to choose one, you cannot
pick both sides!
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DISCUSS TWO OPINIONS

What you can do: you have to discuss both of these and
then give your own view
CAUSE TYPE QUESTION
What you can do: you first have to give the reasons why
something has happened, in other words the causes, but
then discuss a different aspect of it, such as the
effects, solutions, or the extent to whether it is a positive
or negative development
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WRITING TASK

40 MINUTES ON
TASK 2

4 MINUTES
Read through the question
Develop your arguments
5 MINUTES - PAR 1
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Rephrase the question

State your opinion
50 words
20 MINUTES - PAR 2,3
Write the main body
75-90 words
5 MINUTES - PAR 4
Conclude and mention the main opinion
50 words
1 MINUTE
Check your work
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WRITING TASK

WRITING TASK 2
EXAMPLE
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MARKING
CRITERIA
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01 02
TASK COHERENCE &
ACHIEVEMENT COHESION

03 04
LEXICAL GRAMMAR
RESOURCE RANGE &
ACCURACY
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MARKING CRITERIA

TASK
ACHIEVEMENT
Does your piece of writing answer the question?
Is your position firm and unyielding?
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COHERENCE &
COHESION
How well are the paragraphs structured?
Are ideas and sentences connected sufficiently?
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MARKING CRITERIA

LEXICAL
RESOURCE
Vocabulary
Do not repeat the very same word twice!
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GRAMMAR RANGE
& ACCURACY
Range = variety of structures
Accuracy = back to basic English at school!
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PITFALLS
COMMON
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COMMON PITFALLS

NOT ANSWERING
THE QUESTIONS
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IN AN AGREE OR DISAGREE CONCLUSION

example :
I believe that we cannot both agree or disagree on this
matter because it should be approached on a case-by-
case basis
What you should do:
Over recent years, more and more people have been
attending university and arguments have persisted as to
whether students should pay for this privilege not.
Although there are convincing arguments on both sides, I
strongly believe that it should be free.
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COMMON PITFALLS

NOT USING
LINKING WORDS
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example :
The percentage of GDP from IT increased quite sharply to
12 in 1998 and then nearly 15 in 2000. The Service
Industry stayed nearly the same, increasing to only 8
percent.
What you should do:
The percentage of GDP from IT increased quite sharply to
12 in 1998 and then nearly 15 in 2000, while the Service
Industry stayed nearly the same, increasing to only 8
percent.
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COMMON PITFALLS

WRONG FORM OF
WORDS
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example :
A rarely gemstone is valued at $50 in contrast to $10 for
stainless steel of the same weight.
What you should do:
A rare gemstone is valued at $50 in contrast to $10 for
stainless steel of the same weight.
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COMMON PITFALLS

USING SIMPLE
SENTENCES ONLY
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example :
The line graph shows the number of cars stolen in four
countries from 1990 to 1999. Great Britain has the
highest number of car theft of all time.
What you should do:
The line graph compares the number of cars stolen for
every 1000 vehicles in four countries from 1990 to 1999.
Overall, it can be seen that car thefts were far higher in
Great Britain than in the other three counties throughout
the whole time frame.
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COMMON PITFALLS

TASK 1 :
INSERTING PER-
SONAL OPINION
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example :
The total car sales dropped by more than 50% in 2020,
most likely attributable to the coronavirus pandemic.
What you should do:
Avoid entering personal opinions, just write what is in the
data
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COMMON PITFALLS

TASK 2 :
MEMORISED
RESPONSE

example :
Famed civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. once said
"I have a dream!", denoting the essential role of human
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imagination to shape our history.

What you should do:
Never include quotes or responses from other people
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IMPROVE?
HOW TO
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HOW TO IMPROVE?

IMPROVE
GRAMMAR
Back to basic, re-learn tenses!
Knowing types of sentences, the structure, and how to
write if its part of speech
Knowing active and passive sentence
Subordinate clause
Know the verb
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VOCABULARY
Expand knowledge of noun, verb, adjective, adverb
Learn by topic
Find the meaning and incorporate into your writing

WEEKLY
LOGGING
Daily or weekly daily that describes your activities
The longer it is, the better you will hone your writing
skills
You can use google keep or maybe you prefer to write
in your book
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HOW TO IMPROVE?

READING
SOURCES
Read academic articles
Watch the educational videos, i.e. Kurzgesagt Channel
and Veritasium Channel
Read classical and modern literature, i.e. Shakespeare
and Harry Potter
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ENTERTAINMENT
You can play the story-rich games with advanced
vocabulary, i.e. RPG games
Watch movies or documentary

ATTEND
COURSES!
Nobody is too old to enroll in an English Class
The best investment is to invest in yourself
The longer you attend, the more you improve
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ARE YOU
PREPARING
IELTS?

Oversea Academy is the right institution to prepare your

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English language skills, especially for the IELTS test.

Studying at Oversea Academy you will get the following
benefits:
Interactive LIVE class
Group support 24/7 by an expert tutor
Evaluation and personalized feedback
Access to the class recording
Get the opportunity to consult on the preparation of
scholarships abroad via personal or group chat with the
Oversea Academy expert tutors.

Oversea Academy
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Oversea Academy
@oversea.academy
info@oversea.academy