Are you frustrated with your IELTS writing scores? Despite your best efforts, are you still not achieving the band score you need?
You’re not alone!
Many test-takers struggle with the same issues, often making mistakes without realizing it.
As a former IELTS examiner, I’ve seen countless essays get low band scores because of four common misunderstandings about what the IELTS band descriptors actually require. These aren’t minor errors – they’re fundamental misinterpretations that can severely limit your score.
In this guide, I’ll reveal these four major mistakes and provide practical solutions to fix them. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of what IELTS examiners truly look for and how to avoid these score-limiting errors in your next exam.
Mistake #1: Irrelevant Supporting Details
The Problem
You probably know that developing your main ideas is essential for a high band score. This means supporting your arguments with reasons, explanations, and examples. However, many test-takers make a critical error: they include supporting details that aren’t directly related to their main idea.
To achieve a band 7 for task response, your supporting details must be directly relevant to your main idea. Without this relevance, your score will be limited to band 6.
For example, in an essay about important school subjects, one student argued that history should be emphasized but provided an example about politics. While interesting, this example wasn’t directly relevant to the main argument about history, limiting the task response score to band 6.
The Solution
When planning your essay (which you must do for a high band score), ensure each supporting detail clearly connects to your main argument. For each example or explanation, ask yourself:
- Does this directly support my main idea?
- Is this relevant to my advantages, disadvantages, problems, solutions, or reasons?
- Would an examiner immediately see the connection?
If not, find a more relevant example instead.
Incorrect vs. Correct Example:
Incorrect: “History is one of the most important subjects in school. In many countries, young people don’t understand how their political systems work, which leads to low voter turnout.”
Correct: “History is one of the most important subjects in school. By studying historical events like World War II, young people can understand how societies can be changed by conflict, helping them appreciate the importance of peace in the modern world.”
Mistake #2: Focusing Only on Transition Signals
The Problem
Many test-takers believe that cohesion is just about using transition signals – words and phrases like “firstly,” “moreover,” “for example,” and “in conclusion.” Some even invent unnatural phrases like “to exemplify” just to show variety.
IELTS examiners aren’t looking for a variety of transition signals. They’re looking for a variety of cohesive devices, of which transition signals are only one type.
The Solution
Instead of obsessing over transition signals, focus on using different types of cohesive devices throughout your essay:
- Referencing words: this, these, such
- Conjunctions: although, because, therefore
- Relative clauses: which, who, that
- Synonyms: to avoid repetition
- Carrier nouns: special nouns that can carry meaning from previous sentences
Using these different devices will help your essay flow more naturally, which is what examiners look for at band 7 and above.
Incorrect vs. Correct Example:
Incorrect: “Many people use social media daily. Firstly, social media helps people connect with friends. Additionally, social media provides news updates. Moreover, social media allows people to share their opinions.”
Correct: “Many people use social media daily. This technology helps users connect with friends while also providing them with news updates. Social networking platforms, which have become essential communication tools, allow individuals to share their opinions on global issues.”
Mistake #3: Using “Advanced” Words
The Problem
Many students believe that using advanced or rare words is the key to a high vocabulary score. As a result, they use words that even native speakers rarely use, often inappropriately or incorrectly.
The band descriptors state that band 7 requires “less common lexical items,” but this doesn’t mean rare words. A “lexical item” usually refers to a group of words, such as collocations or phrases.
“Less common” means vocabulary that IELTS examiners don’t frequently see in essays, not words that are rarely used by native speakers.
The Solution
Focus on using appropriate collocations and phrases rather than uncommon individual words. Learn and use word combinations like:
- Heavy traffic
- Renewable energy
- Protect the environment
- Lead a healthy lifestyle
- Social media platforms
These groups of words will demonstrate your lexical resource much more effectively than isolated complicated words.
Incorrect vs. Correct Example:
Incorrect: “The metropolis is suffering from exorbitant congestion which necessitates governmental intercession to ameliorate the quotidian tribulations of commuters.”
Correct: “The city is facing heavy traffic problems which require government intervention to solve the daily challenges of commuters.”
Mistake #4: Only Using Complex Sentences
The Problem
You’ve likely heard that complex sentences are important for a high band score. However, at band 7 and above, examiners want to see different complex structures, not just complex sentences.
If you only use complex sentences without varying your structures, your score for grammatical range and accuracy will be limited to band 6.
The Solution
Make sure to use a variety of complex structures in your writing:
- Relative clauses
- Conditionals
- Passive voice
- Modal verbs
- Complex noun phrases
- Complex verb patterns
This variety will demonstrate your grammatical range and help you achieve a higher band score.
Incorrect vs. Correct Example:
Incorrect: “Although many cities have public transportation, many people still prefer to drive cars. This is because cars are more convenient, although they cause more pollution, while bicycles are better for the environment.”
Correct: “Many cities have well-developed public transportation systems. Despite this infrastructure, people often prefer driving their own vehicles, which offer more convenience. Cars, however, produce significant pollution that damages the environment. Cycling, by comparison, represents a more environmentally friendly alternative that should be encouraged by local authorities.”
Test Your Understanding: Mini-Quiz
Question 1: Which of the following is most important for achieving band 7 in Task Response?
- Using complex vocabulary
- Including many examples
- Making sure supporting details are relevant to your main idea
- Writing a long introduction
Question 2: What are cohesive devices?
- Transition signals like “firstly” and “moreover”
- Various elements including referencing words, conjunctions, and relative clauses
- Uncommon vocabulary items
- Complex grammatical structures
Question 3: What does “less common lexical items” refer to in the band descriptors?
- Extremely rare words
- Made-up phrases to sound academic
- Groups of words like collocations and phrases not commonly seen in IELTS essays
- Technical terminology
Question 4: Which of the following would help you achieve band 7+ for grammatical range?
- Using complex sentences with several clauses
- Using a variety of complex structures including passive voice and conditionals
- Always write short, simple sentences
- Using only the past tense throughout the essay
Answers: 1c, 2b, 3c, 4b
Summary
To improve your IELTS writing score and avoid these common mistakes:
- Ensure relevant supporting details: Make sure examples and explanations directly support your main idea.
- Use various cohesive devices: Don’t rely solely on transition signals; include referencing words, conjunctions, relative clauses, synonyms, and carrier nouns.
- Focus on collocations, not rare words: Learn and use appropriate word combinations rather than uncommon individual words.
- Vary your complex structures: Include relative clauses, conditionals, passive voice, modal verbs, and complex noun/verb patterns.
By avoiding these four major mistakes, you’ll be well on your way to achieving the IELTS writing band score you need. Good luck with your IELTS preparation!
