Page 1 of 250 Table of contents About IELTS writing. 4 Types of Task 1 letter. 5 Register in Task 1. 5 Complaining and apologising.
7 Asking for and giving information. 8 Making suggestions and recommending. 10 Before you start writing your answer to Task 1. 17 Starting your letter.
18 Ending your letter. 18 Task 1 model answers Band 9. 20 Task 1 writing sample answers Band 5. 55 Task 1 writing sample answers Band 6.
62 Task 1 writing sample answers Band 7. 68 Task 1 writing sample answers Band 8. 83 Topics you can expect in Task II. 85 Analysing IELTS Task 2 writing questions.
86 Examples of Improving Task 2 paragraphs. 89 Avoiding pronouns in Task 2 writing. 92 Comparison and contrast in Task 2. 95 Facts about the IELTS writing test.
99 Getting ideas for IELTS Task 2. 101 Word count in IELTS writing. 104 IELTS Task 2 avoiding emotional language. 106 What to do if you don’t understand Task 2.
107 Linking words for IELTS writing. 109 Phrases to avoid in Task 2 IELTS writing. 117 Page 2 of 250 Planning Task 2. 119 Preparing the Task 2 answer Seven tips.
121 Punctuation in IELTS writing. 128 Supporting and opposing the topic in Task 2. 134 The 3 parts of a Task 2 IELTS writing question. 137 The four types of IELTS Task 2 essay.
140 Tips for the IELTS writing test. 142 Using the correct register in the IELTS test. 144 Writing a conclusion to a Task 2 essay. 147 Writing an introduction for Task 2 IELTS.
148 Writing good body paragraphs for IELTS Task 2. 152 Writing a good topic sentence for IELTS. 154 Writing more academically. 157 IELTS Task 2 writing model answers Band 9.
160 IELTS Task 2 writing sample answers Band 5. 223 IELTS Task 2 writing sample answers Band 6. 230 IELTS Task 2 writing sample answers Band 7. 237 IELTS Task 2 writing sample answers Band 8.
243 Page 3 of 250 About IELTS writing Parts of the test There are two parts to the IELTS writing test – Task I and Task II. Task I should take approximately 20 minutes and requires you to write at least 150 words, and Task II should take about 40 minutes and you need to write at least 250 words. Note, however, that time management within the IELTS test is your responsibility – you have a total of one hour to write at least 400 words in total, so you can decide how much time to spend on each Task. Task 1 For Task I, you are required to write 150 words or more in a letter format in response to situation or problem – this could be letter asking for information, making a complaint or more.
Task 2 For Task 2, you will be writing a formal essay of at least 250 words. What is the IELTS writing test assessing? The IELTS writing test is assessing your ability to write clearly and coherently, using a range of grammar and vocabulary and addressing the task you are given. Your writing is marked by a trained examiner who will evaluate your work based on a set of criteria given by the IELTS organisation. In Task I, the examiner is marking you on the following: 1.
Task Achievement Page 4 of 250 2. Coherence and Cohesion 3. Grammatical Range and Accuracy In Task II, the examiner is marking you on the following: 1. Coherence and Cohesion 3.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy Types of Task 1 letter There are 5 common letter types you may be asked to write about in Task 1. • Making a complaint / giving an apology • Asking for / giving information • Making requests • Making suggestions or recommendations • Talking about likes, dislikes, needs or wants Register in Task 1 'Register' refers to the style of language that you use depending on the situation and who you are communicating with. In Task I of the IELTS General Training writing test, your register should relate to who you are writing your letter to. This can be divided into informal, semi formal or formal language.
You would use informal language to write to someone you know personally and are writing to informally. You would use semi formal language to someone you know but not well and Page 5 of 250 who you are writing to for a formal reason. Your language should be formal to someone you do not know or is considered superior when writing for a formal or official reason. You can show that you have a good command of English by writing in the correct register during the IELTS test.
In this lesson we will look at choosing the correct register depending on the type of letter you have to write and the type of person the instructions tell you that you should write to. Practice! Decide if the following statements are phrases/sentences are formal or informal. The answers shouldn’t be too hard but do you know why some phrases are informal and some are formal? 1. I’ll call you next week.
I am writing in regards to…. I’m really looking forward to it! 4. I am extremely disappointed with… 5. A good mate said that.
I was advised by a friend that… 7. It would be appreciated if… 8. It’d be great if… Answers: 1. This is informal – formal writing avoids contractions (I’ll > I will) 2.
This is formal – the language is more formal 3. This is informal because of the language and use of the exclamation mark (!) 4. This is formal, again because of the choice of vocabulary 5. This is informal – slang or colloquial language (‘mate’) 6.
This is formal – ‘advised’ is a more formal way of saying told Page 6 of 250 7. This is formal because of the use of the passive. This is informal because of the vocabulary ‘great’ and the contraction ‘I’d’) Complaining and apologising Here’s an example Task 1 that is asking you to make a complaint: New neighbours have recently moved in, but they are making a lot of noise at night while you are preparing for your exams. Write a letter to your neighbours.
In your letter: • explain that they are preventing you from studying well • suggest what they can do to improve the situation • tell them when you will have completed your studies Here’s an example of a Task 1 that is asking you to apologise: A family member is coming to stay with you. He/she will be arriving by train in the morning, but you won’t be home until the evening. Write a letter to your relative. In your letter: • explain arrangements you have made for them to have keys and get into the house • tell your relative how to get from the train station to your house • say when you will be home and suggest what you could do together that evening Some useful tips for writing a letter of apology: Page 7 of 250 If you have to write a letter of apology in Task I, as with any writing for IELTS, you have to address all of the points given in the question.
However, to reach 150 words, you will need to expand your answer. For example, you could try to give a reason for what has happened or gone wrong or you could also acknowledge how the other person may feel about the situation. You could give an assurance the situation will not happen again and you could also talk about how you intend to make the situation better. Some useful tips for writing a letter of complaint: To extend your letter of complaint, it is often useful to give as much background information as you can - for example, when the situation occurred, what you were doing, who was involved etc.
It may already be in the question, but if not it is a good idea to say what action you think should be taken regarding your complaint. Also, when making a complaint, it is important to be firm and to state your dissatisfaction; however, it is also important to remain polite. Being too rude or showing too much anger would not get the results you want in real life, and in the IELTS test it does not demonstrate a good awareness of the language. In English, we often use indirect sentences when making a complaint to try to avoid being rude or confrontational.
For example, “Give me an answer immediately” would be considered aggressive. In a formal letter, it would be more polite to say “I trust that I will be hearing from you in the very near future”. Asking for and giving information Here’s an example Task 1 letter in which you need to ask for information: You are planning to visit another city and your friend knows some people who live there and has suggested you contact them. Page 8 of 250 Write to these people.
In your letter • enquire about good restaurants suitable for a budget traveller • enquire about places of interest to visit during your trip • suggest that you meet during your stay Here’s an example Task 1 letter in which you are being asked to give information: Your boss has asked you to meet an important business contact from overseas who you have never met before at the airport. Write to your business contact. In your letter • explain that you will meet him/her • tell them where to wait for you if you are late • talk about how you will be able to recognise each other However, in some cases you will need to both ask for and give information, so read the task carefully! Here are some useful phrases you can use when asking for information: 1. If it is not too much trouble, I wonder if you could… 2.
Is there any way that you could tell me…? 3. Could you tell me…? 4. Do you know if…. Do you happen to know if.
I’d like to know… 7. Could you find out about…for me? 8. Can you tell me about…? 9. I’m interested to know… Page 9 of 250 10.
I’m looking for information about… 11. I was wondering if you know anything about… 12. If it is not too inconvenient, I would be grateful if you could… 13. Do you happen to know…? 14.
Is there any chance you know about…? 15. I hope that you don’t mind me contacting you, but… 16. Thank you in advance for your help Here are some useful phrases you can use when giving information: 17. You may be interested to know… 19.
Are you aware… 20. Just to let you know… 21. It may be helpful to be aware that… 22. I’m not sure if you know but… 23.
For your information… 24. It may be useful for you to know… 25. Hey, did you know… 26. I thought you should know that… 27.
I think I should tell you… 28. You should be informed that… Making suggestions and recommending In Task 1, you may be required to make suggestions or recommendations. These types of letter are quite similar in that you are giving an opinion on what you think someone else Page 10 of 250 should do or not do. So that we do not appear to be too interfering, we often use indirect phrases to make suggestions to others.
For example, recommending that someone should ‘Get a new job’ would often not be appropriate, but would be better phrased as this ‘It might be a good idea to get a new job’.