How to Score Band 9 in IELTS, Part VI.
What's the one thing that most IELTS takers dread?! If you answered Writing, congratulations –
you're right on the money! In fact, the average global score in the Writing section is 5.62 for males and 5.7 for females, as opposed to a much higher 6.29 in the Listening section
(source). That's quite a staggering gap over there.
Having said that, we can't get an overall 9.0 unless our Writing band is at least 8.0. As unachievable as it sounds, let's take a quick look at three things to help us with that.
(In reality, this section deserves its own how-to rubric).
1)
Understand how the Writing section works. A lot of times, students whose English is surprisingly good end up with a poor band simply because they didn't take the time to learn the exam format. How many of you have actually studied the band descriptors, for example?!
An average IELTS taker probably doesn't have a clue about them.
Well, our standard on
@ozodbek_SK is above average. Hence check out the band descriptors for
Task 2, as well as for
Task 1, and study them carefully. If you're absolutely clueless about what GRA, CC, or LR mean, I recommend watching this YouTube video by Alex:
Marking Criteria EXPLAINED.
Another useful video (if you're unfamiliar with this section) would be:
Understand IELTS Writing in JUST 25 minutes by Mark, also on E2 IELTS. Also, my recent post about
must-watch vidoes for IELTS Writing went viral with close to 150 shares, so give it a look. But like I already said, short posts like this
(link) aren't enough to speak my mind, hence we need a separate
how-to guide for this section.
2)
Get yourself a good teacher. I'll be the first person to admit this: You don't need a teacher to score high in the IELTS exam per se (re-visit my post
here).
However, the Writing section is tricky. If you're aiming for a C2 level, a knowledgeable IELTS introductor, coupled with loads of hard work and dedication, is your safe bet.
Ask anyone who scored 8+.
Here's the thing about Writing:
your problems are often like a scorpion on your back. Unless someone can point them out to you, many a time you won't even know the scorpion is there. Well, guess what, even the most renowned IELTS instructors in Tashkent have their essays checked by professionals, so where do I and you stand in comparison?!
3)
Do an awful lot of reading. Just like a baby learns speaking by watching others speak, so too good writing is the product of extensive reading. Read as though your IELTS score depended on reading,
because it does. Let me repeat:
Reading lets you feel the language in your bones, probably like nothing else. (Revisit
Part V of this guide.)
Tell me how many articles a day you're reading and I'll tell you what score you'll get for Writing.
And Allah is the source of all strength.
Stay tuned for Part VII of this quick guide to Cracking 9 in IELTS.
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Part I) (
Part II) (
Part III) (
Part IV) (
Part V)
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