1

Dr Rob Burton

Unlocks the SECRETS

of the IELTS WRITING TEST

A band 7+ can be yours

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Dr Rob Burton

Dr Rob Burton spent 20 years teaching sociology and social science for the University

of Exeter and the Open University in the UK. He is the author of many academic papers

and chapters in books. He was also a key researcher for the EU contributing a chapter

to a report on Barriers to Higher Education in the UK.

On moving to China in 2011 Dr Rob started working with High School Students to help

them with their IELTS speaking proficiency.

In 2014 he published the IELTS speaking test book ‘A Taste of English’ in Beijing,

China (with a Chinese co –author)

Other publications include

Dr Rob Burton Unlocks the SECRETS of the IELTS SPEAKING TEST: A band 7+

can be yours

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0711XN93W

Review

Published on Amazon.com

Verified Purchase

This is an extremely well thought-out and practical guide for students. It lays out the

way the examination is conducted and gives many helpful and practical tips to help the

student to succeed in the exam. The text is written in a clear and informative way, with

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many useful ideas. I am sure that any student wishing to prepare fully for the oral exam

will benefit from reading this book carefully. Let's hope the books for the other parts of

the exam will be published soon.

Dr Burton continues to write and teach IELTS English in China.

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Introduction.....................................................................................................................7

TheIELTSExam–abriefintroduction.........................................................................7

AcademicTask1..........................................................................................................7

AcademicTask2..........................................................................................................8

Taskachievement........................................................................................................8

CoherenceandCohesion.............................................................................................8

LexicalResource..........................................................................................................9

GrammaticalRangeandAccuracy...............................................................................9

HowtounlockanIELTSband7+....................................................................................10

InstructionsfromanExaminer.......................................................................................14

TASK1Instructions....................................................................................................14

Part1IELTSWritingTask1ChartsChecklist..............................................................14

10Do’sanddon’ts.....................................................................................................14

Part2IELTSTask1.........................................................................................................20

5WritingMistakes.....................................................................................................20

Whatarewelookingfor?..........................................................................................20

TASK2Instructions........................................................................................................27

CommonIELTSTopics................................................................................................27

Part1.WhatarethedifferenttypesofEssay?..........................................................27

IELTSWritingTask2–(OpinionEssay)Linebylineguide.........................................29

Sixtoptipsforwritingyouressay.............................................................................29

ACommonMistake...................................................................................................29

Part2WritinganIELTSessay.........................................................................................30

A. Introduction.......................................................................................................30

HowtoParaphrase?..................................................................................................30

Introductionphrases.................................................................................................30

B. MainBody..........................................................................................................31

Introducingpoints.....................................................................................................31

Presentingideasandgivingexamples.......................................................................32

Expressingresultsandreason...................................................................................32

Contrastingwords.....................................................................................................32

Givinganopinion.......................................................................................................33

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C. Conclusion.........................................................................................................33

IELTSConclusionQuickTips.......................................................................................33

IELTSConclusionvocabulary.....................................................................................34

IELTSWritingTask1Examples.......................................................................................35

Tables1toTable13...................................................................................................35

Table13.....................................................................................................................59

IELTSWritingTask2–WritingtheEssay.......................................................................61

Essay1toEssay36....................................................................................................61

Essay36...................................................................................................................131

Task1Studentwrittenessayswithcorrectionsandcomments..................................133

Table1toTable4....................................................................................................133

Table4.....................................................................................................................142

Task2Studentwrittenessayswithcorrectionsandcomments..................................145

Essay1toEssay4....................................................................................................145

Essay4.....................................................................................................................151

Increasingyourwritingskillset....................................................................................153

Writingtips..............................................................................................................155

Punctuation.............................................................................................................156

Grammar.................................................................................................................160

SpellingExercise:.....................................................................................................166

GrammarExercise...................................................................................................171

Onthedayofthetest..................................................................................................173

Britishcounciladvice....................................................................................................174

Spellingtestanswers...............................................................................................175

Grammartestanswers............................................................................................176

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Introduction

The IELTS Exam – a brief introduction

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) tests the academic

English proficiency of students who want to study where English is the first language.

In the main, this is the UK, Australia, Canada and the US. It uses a nine-band scale to

clearly identify levels of proficiency, from the non-user (band score 1) through to expert

(band score 9).

This book is focused on the Academic version of the IELTS test - for students

wanting to apply for higher education or professional registration. This book is for those

students who wish to apply to higher education in their target countries.

The IELTS test is recognised as being fair to all people that study to take the test,

whatever their nationality, cultural background, gender or special needs.

The IELTS test is an accurate and valid measurement of the language skills:

listening, reading, writing and speaking. It tests language skills, not the specialist or

general knowledge of the student; the topics covered should be familiar enough for all

students to be able to answer questions on them. It is about a student’s practical

communication ability.

The IELTS Writing test is designed to assess a wide range of writing skills, including

• How well you can write a response appropriately.

• How well you can organise ideas

• Your accurate use of a range of vocabulary and grammar.

The Academic Writing test is 60 minutes long. You will have to complete two tasks.

In Task 1 you are required to write at least 150 words and in Task 2 you have to

write at least 250 words. As this is an Academic writing test your answers should be

written in a formal style.

Academic Task 1.

This takes 20 minutes and you will be expected to write a minimum of 150 words.

The task: You will have to describe some visual information for example a graph

or a table. Chart and diagrams are also used in the test. Your task is to present a

description of said visual information in your own words. You may be asked to describe

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and explain data, describe the stages of a process, explain how something works, or

write about an object or an event.

Academic Task 2.

This takes 40 minutes and you will be expected to write a minimum of 250 words.

The task: You will be given a topic and you will have to respond by giving and

justifying an opinion, or by discussing a topic. This might include summarizing details,

and outlining problems. Perhaps identifying possible solutions to such problems and

supporting what you write with reasons, arguments and relevant examples from your

own knowledge or experience.

You will be marked on the following criteria

IELTS examiners use detailed performance descriptors when assessing the tests.

These band descriptors describe performance in four categories:

Each of these criteria is worth 25% of your total mark in Task 1.

• task achievement

• coherence and cohesion

• lexical resource

• grammatical range and accuracy

What do these mean?

Task achievement

Task achievement means, at the basic level, that you have understood and answered

the question.

So for example a Band 1 answer would be an answer “completely unrelated to the

task”. Whereas a Band 9 answer would be an answer which 1. “Fully satisfies all the

requirements of the task.” And 2. “Clearly presents a fully developed response.”

Coherence and Cohesion

Coherence and Cohesion means, at the basic level, the connection of ideas at the idea

level, and the connection of ideas at the sentence level.

So for example a Band 1 answer would be an answer “fails to communicate any

message”. Whereas a Band 9 answer would be an answer which 1. “Uses cohesion in

such a way that it attracts no attention” And 2. “Skilfully manages paragraphing”

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Lexical Resource

Lexical resource refers to the range of vocabulary that you use in your writing.

So for example a Band 1 answer would be an answer where the candidate “can only

use a few isolated words”. Whereas a Band 9 answer would be an answer where the

candidate 1. “Uses a wide range of vocabulary with a very natural and sophisticated

control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Grammatical range and accuracy in your writing means you need to be accurate in

your grammatical use, and you need to use a variety of structures.

So for example a Band 1 answer would be an answer where the candidate “cannot

use sentence forms at all”. Whereas a Band 9 answer would be an answer where the

candidate 1. “Uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and; rare minor

errors occur only as ‘slips’.”

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How to unlock an IELTS band 7+

Throughout this book, Dr Rob will be giving you the keys to unlock the secrets of the

IELTS writing test. The contents are based on his many years of teaching IELTS, and

seeing his students achieve their dreams of entering foreign universities ranging from

the University of Cambridge who usually require a band 7 across all four disciplines of

reading, writing, listening and speaking, to universities across the UK, the U.S.,

Australia, and Canada.

As you read through the book watch out for the keys next to the information

provided, as this will be crucial advice to help you achieve your dream of a band 7+.

The key to your future

The doors to your future will be firmly locked.

When you come across a lock you need to pay close attention and take notice of the

guidance Dr Rob gives you because if you do not take his advice, you will find yourself

locked out of the higher bands and stuck on band five or lower.

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Read this before you start.

Exam Command Words.

By MF COWAN ©2009

Describe! Describe! Describe!

Is my first (but not last) exam plea

What does it look like?

Just what is there?

Come on – say what you see

Explain, Explain, Explain

You must give it a try.

Don't just say what can be found

But give a reason why.

I don't have to justify

Just what is coming next.

But what if j-u-s-t-i-f-y

is written there in text?

It means you must give a reason

And your points need some support

If not you'll find your response or answer

May fail and fall well short

If asked to compare two separate things

It can be quite a bind

But it's crucial that you assess the differences

In the two things that you find.

It might be that they are different

Or they could share similar traits

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Directly comparing is definitely better

And gives your answer greater weight.

'Whereas' can be used to express a difference

A second option - 'On the other hand'

It shows you are comparing

And your answer has been planned.

Contrast is a little different;

The differences are all you must say

Find evidence that the things oppose each other

And then contrast away...

Assessing the good and bad of something:

(Is it bad or is it great?)

Means what you are really doing

is attempting to evaluate.

In summary, to draw things together

To bring things to an end

The number of exam command words

Could drive you round the bend.

But whether you like or loathe them

You need to know their worth

You can't pretend that they're not there

And give them a wide berth.

To misunderstand the question

Would be a crying shame

But if you explain and not describe

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You've only yourself to blame.

Answer the question that's there on the page

Not the one that exists in your head

Underline those exam command words

It's the first way to get ahead...

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Instructions from an Examiner

TASK 1 Instructions

Part 1 IELTS Writing Task 1 Charts Checklist

10 questions

When looking at an IELTS writing task 1 chart question, you should ask yourself

10 quick questions before you write your answer.

1) What kind of chart is it? (Line, pie, bar)

2) What does the title say about the chart? (Read it carefully)

3) What information is contained on both axis?

4) What are the units of measurements? (Age, %, amount, etc.)

5) What groups are compared?

6) What is the time period? (Past, present or future)

7) What is the most obvious thing that the data shows you? (General increase or

decrease)

8) What is the most important or significant piece of information displayed?

9) Can any comparisons be made? (Between groups or charts if more than one)

10) Is it a static chart or dynamic chart? (Static - one-time period. Dynamic - over a

period of time)

10 Do’s and don’ts

Do’s

1) Do find out what are your most common mistakes.

Checking your work at the end is really important, but many students complain

that they don’t have time. You can make this process more efficient by checking your

work when you practice and writing down your four or five common mistakes. After a

while, you will get to know your more common mistakes, and fix them quickly.

2) Do read the instructions carefully.

Seems like a very obvious one, but it is one of the most common mistakes

students make in IELTS writing task 1.

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Take one minute to read the question a few times and really understand what it is

asking you to do. Practice will also help you familiarise yourself with the different types

of task 1 question and save you time in the exam.

3) Do paraphrase the question.

You will lose marks for copying the words in the answer and the examiner is

looking to see if you can paraphrase the question. To paraphrase, simply use synonyms

to change keywords.

Example:

Question: The graph below gives information about cinema attendance in the UK

between 1998 and the present, with projections to 2018.

Paraphrased: The diagram shows data of movie-goers in the United Kingdom from

1998 until now, with forecasts up to 2018.

As you can see, the meaning has not changed but the words have. This should be the

first paragraph in your essay.

4) Do use signposting language.

These are words and phrases that tell the examiner what you are writing about.

They are sometimes also called ‘discourse markers’.

Examples include ‘The graph/table/chart shows…’, ‘The most significant change

is….’,

‘Another noticeable change/trend is…’, ‘Overall…’.

Remember that these should only be used appropriately.

5) Do practice on IELTS answer sheets.

Many students worry about not writing at least 150 words in IELTS writing part

1. A clever way to always know how many words you have is to practice on the official

exam answer sheets and then you will be able to judge how much space you normally

use for 150 words.

Find the links to download samples here

6) Do know how to describe change.

You will pick up easy marks if you know how to accurately describe change.

From very small to very large, here are some examples:

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Minimal-slight-gradual-moderate-considerable-significant-substantial-enormous-

dramatic.

You will normally have to describe change in your task 1 essay and these more

advanced words will help you gain some valuable marks for ‘lexical resource’.

7) Do spend time organising and planning your answer.

This is one of the main differences between students who score well in IELTS

writing and those who don’t. It is never a waste of time to plan your answer, as this will

help you score well by giving a clear and coherent answer.

Familiarise yourself with the different question types and then learn the different

structures for each one. For example, a bar chart answer should look like this:

Paragraph 1- paraphrase question.

Paragraph 2- overview.

Paragraph 3- describe main feature in detail.

Paragraph 4- describe another main feature in detail.

When you have this structure in your head, you will be able to plan an effective

answer quickly and easily.

8) Do practice writing overviews.

Your overview is probably the most important paragraph in the whole essay.

Write a good one and you are well on your way to getting a good band score.

An overview is a summary of the main features shown in the diagram.

Part of this is identifying the main trends in the diagram. For bar and line charts ask

yourself what is increasing, what is decreasing and what is fluctuating? For processes

ask yourself how many main stages there are and what are the main changes and

outcomes?

Remember that your overview should not include any numbers because you are just

describing the most significant aspects in general terms, and the details come in the next

paragraphs.

9) Do consider which tense you are going to use.

Many IELTS candidates lose easy marks by only writing in the present tense.

Ask yourself if any of the data is about the past or the future and change your tenses

accordingly.