Special Report How to create IELTS Task 2 Writing

How to achieve Band 7 and 8 in IELTS Task 2 Writing

A foolproof process

IELTS LEARNING TIPS March 2014

Authored by: Berni Wall

IELTS Task 2 ? The Process

Welcome!

Congratulations for taking to time to get hold of this report and for stepping up to make sure you are approaching IELTS Task 2 in the right way to make sure that you get band 7 or 8 when you take your exam.

Why not print this out, grab a cup of tea or coffee, get a pen and highlighter and find a nice, quiet space to sit and study this report where you won't be disturbed (yes! It's really THAT important!); and where you can really dig deep into the content and really learn the process that will make sure that you can get band 7 or 8 in your IELTS exam.

In fact, reading this report will probably be the most important thing you can do for you IELTS writing and will transform the way you prepare to write and also your performance in your actual IELTS exam.

BY THE END OF THIS REPORT YOU'LL KNOW:

? How to analyse the question so that you can get everything you need from it to begin your writing

? How to brainstorm your ideas to get as many as possible for the topic ? How to match these ideas to give you not only your main themes but also supporting

evidence to back up your answer ? How to organise these themes into paragraphs which will help you to write faster and with

more accuracy

Before we do that I want to speak a little about Band 7 writing and how you can transform your own writing to be sure that every task 2 you write will be at the right level and so you will be confident that you can get the band 7 or 8 that you want in your exam.

The first thing you have to understand is that techniques like this cannot be perfected overnight. This report is NOT a magic formula ? from this process to perfect band 7 or 8 writing you will need to practise not only the process itself but also the sentences and vocabulary that you will be actually writing in your essay.

The second thing is that of all the language skills (listening, writing, speaking and reading) writing takes the longest to learn and is the most sophisticated of the skills. It is probably the one that we do the least also in our daily lives so be patient and don't expect to hit the ground running immediately.

Finally, reading about IS NOT the same as DOING. This is the first step in a process that you will need to learn, perfect and then allow to become `second nature' so that you can follow it through in the exam to perfection.

THERE IS A DANGEROUS BELIEF GOING ROUND AND I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT WHATEVER YOU HEAR OR BELIEVE THIS IS NOT THE CASE

Some people believe that they can look at an IELTS question and jump in and begin to answer it immediately without any planning or preparation. Even the most experience native-speaker writers plan and prepare their work. Those people who believe this and write like this in their exams are not giving themselves the best chance at a high band.

By not planning your writing well you risk two outcomes:

The first is that your writing will be a ramble. It will not have a clear structure and be in a good, clear academic style. This approach will also cause you to make far more errors. Errors must be kept to a minimum if you are going to score a band 7 and even more so for band 8.

The second is that you will not finish your writing in time. Now non-completion of your writing carries a higher penalty than previously and you are guaranteed to lose marks if your task 2 is not finished.

This might sound dramatic but ask around. How many students are not getting their band just because of their writing. And here are some more statistics:

In any given exam session the average band that will be scored is 5.5. So if you are looking for band 7 you are already in a rather elite, minority group

Secondly in any given exam session the writing usually had the lowest bands of all and the listening the highest. This is proof that the areas that challenges MOST students is writing.

Now armed with that knowledge you can see how, if you are one of those students who needs a high band in writing, it is really worthwhile spending some time to perfect the process that can help you to deliver that level of writing. Also you remember, I used to be an examiner, so I do know what examiners are looking for when they correct your IELTS writing and I want to share that knowledge with you here in this report.

My name is Berni Wall and I'm an IELTS trainer and former examiner and I help students to get high bands in all the sections of the IELTS exam.

I am a real IELTS trainer and with my team of IELTS trainers we help students every day to improve their writing skills and I want to share my long experience of working with IELTS students here with you so that you can get the high band in your task 2 IELTS writing. Imagine what it will mean when you get the score you desire and the chance to walk away from the IELTS with the band you want and a bright and secure future in front of you.

So, let's get started. In the next few pages I will give you a step by step approach to IELTS Task 2. This process is the same for both academic and general training.

Step One ? Analyse the Question

Start right at the beginning - take some time on your analysis

To help you do this there are some questions that you can ask:

1. What does the examiner expect from me in this question? o For example what keywords are in the question: discuss, how far, agree, disagree etc. o Underline these words ? they will usually be at the end of the question

i. Some people believe that punishment is the only purpose of prisons, while others believe that prisons exist for various reasons. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

ii. Some people believe that work needs to be difficult to be profitable. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

2. What type of question is it? o Is it a simple discussion or do you need to give your opinion as well? o Or perhaps it is asking about problems and solutions but also asks you to give your opinion on the best one o Again look carefully at the words that are used in the question to get exactly the type of question ? this is important for the first band descriptor

i.

The number of plants and animals is declining. Explain this problem and suggest

some solutions.

(This is a problem solution only)

ii. Many people around the world are choosing to move to live in cities. What problems do people experience in big cities? Should governments encourage people to move to smaller towns?

(This asks you to outline problems only and then to give your opinion about one solution)

3. What do I have to do in this task? o Do I need to write about both sides? o Do I need to choose one side only? o Do I need to give my opinion or not?

i.

Some people believe that punishment is the only purpose of prisons, while others

believe that prisons exist for various reasons. Discuss both views and give your

opinion.

(Here both sides are important and you are asked for an opinion too)

ii. Some people believe that work needs to be difficult to be profitable. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

(Now you need to choose one side of the discussion and argue this)

4. What is the topic/background to this question? o Make sure you read this carefully ? it may be similar to one you have practised before but it won't be exactly the same and it's important to notice the emphasis in the question

i

Many people around the world are choosing to move to live in cities. What problems

do people experience in big cities? Should governments encourage people to move to

smaller towns?

(Cities)

ii

Some people believe that work needs to be difficult to be profitable.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

(Work)

5. What is the emphasis or aspect of the topic?

o This information is at the beginning of the question

o It will say exactly how you must address the topic and it is rarely general it usually addresses a specific aspect of a topic say pollution or global warming rather than just the environment generally

i.

Many people around the world are choosing to move to live in cities. What problems

do people experience in big cities? Should governments encourage people to move to

smaller towns?

(The problems of urban living)

ii

Some people believe that work needs to be difficult to be profitable.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

6. (Do we need to work hard in order to be successful?)What kind of position do you as the writer need to take? o This relates to the earlier questions here o Do you need to give your opinion if so where? o Do you need to argue one side, if so what evidence should you bring? o Do you need to suggest measures and solutions to problems? o Or is it a combination of some of these things?

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