Check out these IELTS writing band 7 tips:
- Tip 1 – Make a short plan before you write your essay.
- Tip 2 – Reread each sentence as you go.
- Tip 3 – Spend most of your time on your body paragraphs.
- Tip 4 – Use topic sentences.
- Tip 5 – Know what your common errors are.
- Tip 6 – Do not over complicate your essay
- Tip 7 – Get professional feedback from an IELTS examiner.
The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same.
Colin R. Davis
Now, let’s add some detail to these IELTS writing band 7 tips:
Not getting the score you want in your IELTS test is disappointing and it happens to many people. A previous student of mine Christina from Shanghai failed 4 times to get the IELTS band 7 she needed for entrance to her chosen university. So, naturally she wanted IELTS writing band 7 tips the next time I saw her.
Christina became more and more upset each time she ‘failed’ which of course put more and more pressure on herself. To try to improve she read many different blogs, books, tips and websites each with different advice but nothing seemed to help. When she came to me I gave her the following IELTS band 7 tips:
Tip 1 – Make a short plan before you write your essay, letter or summary. This ensures that you actually answer the question rather than drifting off topic. It also ensures that you think of all of your main ideas before you write which stops you from having to keep stopping once you begin writing and reduces the worry factor as you write
In fact, if you write a paragraph before knowing what the next paragraph is going to be about how do you know whether it follow it logically or not? Remember having a logical structure and flow to your writing is crucial
Tip 2 – Reread each sentence as you go. Yes, that’s right. Rather than waiting right unit the very end check your writing as you do it. I have found this to be a much more effective method than only checking once at the end. Of course, you should still check at the end but there should be much fewer mistakes for you to correct.
Tip 3 – Spend most of your time on your body paragraphs. These are the sections where you really need to develop your ideas, add examples and provide explanations and so it is also where you will be using the most complex grammar as well as writing longer paragraphs. Focus on these more than on you conclusions and introductions which should be quite simple to write.
Tip 4 – Use topic sentences. This means giving your main point in the first sentence of each body paragraph. You can then build on this with examples and explanations. This is the logical way to build and develop a body paragraph, so if you are not doing this make sure you do!
Tip 5 – Know what your common errors are. Have a native speaker or teacher correct some of your practice essay answers so that you know what mistakes you make. You can then learn how to correct them and then during the exam you should look specifically for these errors and try and correct them.
Tip 6 – Do not over complicate your essay by trying to think of clever ideas. Remember, this is not a university essay. The examiner is not interested in your ideas, only how well you can express yourself in English. So, stop worrying about coming up with complicated ideas and just use simple ideas that are easy to write about.
Tip 7 – Get professional feedback from an IELTS examiner. Here is one service I recommend to my students for a real online practise IELTS test experience which provides excellent feedback for you to use to improve quickly.
After calming Christina down and going through these basic tips to improve IELTS writing with her and doing some quality practice, she was then able to go on and get the 7.5 in writing that she needed and is now happily studying in the UK to become an engineer. Well done Christina!
I hope these band 7 IELTS writing tips to improve IELTS writing help you as much as they helped her! And I hope that you keep moving towards your dream goals whatever they may be!
