The 10 most common mistakes in IELTS academic writing
Using contractions (for example
‘I don’t think’ or ‘
We can’t say’ )
instead of the full form (‘
I do not think’ or ‘
we cannot
say.’) Never use contractions in academic writing.
Writing too few words. If you write much less than the required word count, the examiner has to reduce your score, even if your
essay is good quality. You should count the number of words in your essay after each paragraph and keep a continuous total; this
way, you can be sure of reaching at least 250 words in 40 minutes.
Writing too many words. The examiner is paid to mark on an ‘essay per hour basis,’ and so will not read the end of an essay if it
exceeds the minimum word count by more than about 50 words. This means he or she will not see the end of your argument, and
your score will reduce considerably. Remember: 250 words minimum, and about 300 words maximum in Academic task 2 writing.
Having handwriting that is difficult to read. IELTS is still a handwritten exam, and the examiners will not spend time trying to
understand your writing. You must make sure that your handwriting can be read quickly. You should focus on writing clearly when
you do your practice essays. Ask friends or other students to give you an honest opinion about whether your writing is easy to
read.
Using informal words (for example ‘a
nice idea’ or ‘a
silly thing to do’)
instead of academic words (for example ‘a
positive
idea’ or ‘a
regrettable thing to do.’) Remember that academic vocabulary is different from the language you would use in English
when talking to friends.
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