IELTS Writing- Overview page-01

IELTS Writing

IELTS is a multi-level exam. You get a score between 1 and 9 for each section. Half scores

such as 6.5 are possible. Universities often demand an IELTS score

of 6 or 7. They may also demand a minimum score in each of the 4

sections.1. IELTS Writing marking schemes

The two writing questions are marked out of 9 according to the following

criteria:

Task Achievement

Coherence and Cohesion

Lexical Resource

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

2. IELTS Speaking marking schemes

The speaking test is also marked out of 9 according to the following criteria:

Fluency and coherence

Lexical resource

Grammatical range and accuracyPronunciation 

18. IELTS Writing - Overview

The IELTS Academic and General Writing Modules are similar in some ways

and different in others. Whichever test you do, you have one hour to complete two

tasks. It is the nature of the tasks that makes them different. You can see this

clearly in the chart below:

General

Task 1: Minimum 150 words: Writing a letter in response to a

situation – informal, semi-formal, or formal

Task 2: Minimum 250 words:Writing a more personal essay – possible informal

style

Academic

Task 1: Minimum 150 words: Interpreting, describing, or comparing

information presented in graphic form - a diagram, bar chart, line graph, pie

chart or table

Task 2: Minimum 250 words: Writing an essay on a general academic

topic – formal style.

In both cases, your score is based on three fundamental criteria:

Content: How well do your present your arguments, ideas and evidence?

Quality: How effectively are you able to communicate your ideas and thoughts?

Technical Aspects: How correct is your grammar? How rich is your vocabul

ary? How varied are your sentences?

To complete an organized, coherent piece of writing, you need to take

2-5 minutes to plan. During this time, you can consider what

position you will adopt, how you're going to expand on the topic and in what

order you will present your ideas. You should skip the planning activity

only if you have very little time left. In such a case, you can work directly

on the task itself. Of course, grammar and vocabulary will also be assessed. Make sure

you check your writing for verb tense agreement, prepositions, word

order, sentence patterns, sentence structure, and range of

vocabulary. Avoid using the same verbs, nouns, or adjectives

more than once. Do not use slang at all. In the academic section

of the IELTS, avoid contractions, which are a clear symbol of informal

writing.

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