IELTS WRITING: Which Essays score well at IELTS?

Which Essays score well at IELTS? Well, this can certainly be categorized as one of the million dollar questions. IELTS is a test of English, so the first obvious reply which comes to one's mind, is that essays written in good (accurate and appropriate) English can achieve a good score. However, there is a lot more to it than just English (though good command over English is certainly important). Here are a few points which give an insight into well-written, high scoring essays:

1. Essays which are relevant to the topic with no (or only minor) digressions from the main theme give a good impression. They show that the candidate has understood the topic and has the ability to write well on a specific topic.
2. Good essays are always well planned. This means that in a well-written essay, ideas are presented in a logical sequence (and not in a haphazard manner). The essays begin with an introduction, followed by arguments one after the other in a logical pattern (and do not give the impression that the writer is writing without planning or in an irregular manner. More tips on planning in the following posts.)
3. The writer argues or proves his point of view through valid examples from real life situations, facts and figures etc. Even if there are no specific examples to be shared the arguments should be logical and verifiable.
4. Good essays always show a range of appropriate and relevant vocabulary.
5. High scoring essays show accurate usage of English with no or very few grammatical, spelling and sentence structure errors.
6. The essay should be appropriately divided into paragraphs. Well-written essays have balanced paragraphs where every paragraph presents and explains a new idea or point of view (which is relevant to the main topic and linked to the previous paragraphs).
7. The use of language should be highly appropriate and should not contain inappropriate slang words or phrases. Similarly language usage is also affected by the type of material one is writing for example formal letters need to be very meticulous, polite and straight forward while informal letters can be casual and friendly depending on the person they are being addressed to.
8. The written material should be legible, i.e. it should be clear enough for the examiner to be able to read it. A piece of writing which cannot be read properly, cannot be marked properly. Though handwriting is a skill mastered earlier in life with only minor improvements possible later in life, candidates should at least try to write clearly and in a font size which is easily visible and readable by the examiner.
9. Well-written essays always leave a good impression. This means that they are concluded properly (and the examiner is not left wondering what the final thoughts of the candidate might have been!). This is just like having a first impression in the beginning and a last good impression in the end by giving an impressive ending to the piece of writing.
10. Essays falling short of the provided word limit do not score well! Therefore candidates should write sufficiently on the given topic to at least reach the required word limit, otherwise they will miss out on vital marks.

The above mentioned points will be discussed in detail in upcoming posts to shed light on individual aspects of a well-written essay. Make sure to cover all these points and the final score will speak for itself. Good Luck!

IELTS READING: THE TOPIC SENTENCE AND HOW IT HELPS

Every passage is divided into separate paragraphs and each paragraph represents a specific idea or set of ideas presented in a sequence. Hence each paragraph contains a sentence or sometimes (but rarely) a couple of sentences which introduce the topic which is discussed in that particular paragraph. Now look at the following two examples,

The first image shows how a passage is divided into individual paragraphs: (this passage is taken from the Cambridge IELTS 5)

(this passage is taken from the Cambridge IELTS 5)

Observe that the above passage is divided into separate paragraphs and each paragraph presents a specific idea or concept. Can you spot the idea being presented? Read more to learn how to locate the topic sentence and utilize in answering the questions:

What is a Topic Sentence and how to locate it?

To put it simply a topic sentence "introduces the idea or concept being discussed in the passage."

Look at the following example: the topic sentence has been underlined in red color. The passage has been taken from Cambridge IELTS 5 with answers.

Read the above paragraph. You can see that it presents a detailed discussion of what goes in a person's brain when he/she listens to a joke and then makes an attempt to understand it. However, the whole concept is quite precisely summed up in the expression: "he found evidence that understanding a joke involves widespread mental shift" You can read the paragraph again and will agree that the paragraph explains this "widespread mental shift" in detail. Hence the main theme or topic is that "understanding a joke involves widespread mental shift".

Why is Topic  Sentence important and where can it be used?

Topic sentences are used in answering questions like:

• Choosing a "heading" for paragraph(s) from a list of choices
• Matching paragraph(s) with possible topic sentences
• Answering True, False or Not Given questions.

Activity:
Read the above paragraph and try to suggest an appropriate heading for it.

SUB TOPICS

Some paragraphs have a topic sentence which explains the main topic. However, the paragraph also has sub-topic(s) which give deeper detail of what is being discussed and in many cases they provide an idea of what will be explained further or may be in the next paragraph. This can also be easily spotted in the paragraph.

Look at the following example. Paragraph taken from Insight into IELTS by Cambridge University Press.

Read the paragraph and observe that two different sentences are underlined. One in red colour and the other in blue.

• The sentence underlined in red colour shows the topic which the writer has discussed in detail in this paragraph
• The sentence underlined in blue colour shows the:
• concept the writer is going to discuss further on.
• It is also like a conclusion he has reached or the analysis he has made from his writing experiences.

CONCLUSION:
Locating and underlining topic sentences and sub-topics (or other important ideas) in the passage can help a candidate not only understand the paragraph (and the whole passage better) but also locate vital information more easily while answering questions. Remember, all the questions are from the passage and comprehending it well can help you answer questions more accurately and get a better score. :)

Reading Module - a few basics!

These points and tips are applicable to both academic and general training modules

What is expected from the candidates?


The reading module assesses a candidate’s ability to comprehend written material in English language. Simply put, you are given a score on “how well” you can understand the given passage(s). You can answer the questions only if you understand the given passage(s).

Key to reading and “comprehending” the passages:

The key to do well in the reading module is to underline important points and key concepts, as you read the given text. Thinking it is pretty obvious? Yes it is and unfortunately also often taken for granted! Firstly, it must be understood that the questions are usually set on the key issues being discussed in the passage and if we overlook them then it might be a little difficult to answer particular types of questions.

Secondly, by underlining important points, it is easier to come back to the text and look for an answer rather than groping and looking for it by reading the whole text or a part of the paragraph again. (How to pin point key ideas will be discussed in detail in later post.)
Be confident because the questions are 100% “from” the given passage(s) and you are not required to have any additional or previous knowledge regarding the topic. (Every passage will have a set of questions which follow it. There are three passages for the candidates to read and answer questions regarding them.)

You need to:

• Be able to fully comprehend/understand text written in English.

• Have a good reading speed (points to improve speed will be discussed in detail)

• Answer the questions (answers must be written on the provided answer sheet and “not” on the question paper).

Tips on answering different types of specific questions (like True, False and Not Given, Fill in the blanks/gaps, matching etc.) will be discussed in detail in following posts.