2 Points to be Kept in Mind while Answering IELTS Writing Task 2

As a student, you are always bombarded with a series of points to remember while attempting IELTS writing task 2, which is agreeably tedious and time consuming. Here’s a simple yet effective two-point strategy to remember for the IELTS writing task 2

The two points are

1 Planning (content)

2 Execution (language)

To understand why these two are the most important points in IELTS writing task 2, let us first understand what factors determine our band according to the IELTS band descriptors. The four factors are:-

Task response

Coherence and Cohesion

Grammar and accuracy

Lexical resource

Now, let’s see how they connect to our two points. To ensure best Task response and Coherence and Cohesion, we must plan the ‘content’ of our essay well. Whereas to ensure high band score in Grammar and Lexical resource you must make the best use of language while executing your planned essay.

Planning and language execution are two activities handled by two different parts of the brain, which don’t function well together. Therefore, if you keep writing the essay while you are planning it, your essay might look haphazardly put together with poor language and weak structure. Thus it is important to concentrate on one point at a time.

Let’s start with planning

Planning

Can you build a house without a proper design to follow? Of course not. Planning provides you with a framework to follow.

An essay can be planned by thinking about all aspects of the question – the minimum number of words required, the number of paragraphs you will include, a controlling idea for each paragraph and then explanation and examples to support your ideas. You must also think about the structure of the essay while planning your essay – the introduction the main body and the conclusion. To get a detailed understanding of the same go to http://ieltsninja.com/tips/5-ways-to-plan-ielts-writing-task-2-essay-to-score-band-8/

Execution

Once you have planned your entire essay you are ready to use the other part of your brain and concentrate solely on the presentation of the essay.

Here, it is important that you stick to the plan. Any random ideas must be avoided, though you may always revisit and ameliorate your essay plan.

Also, make sure that you use concise and active language. Concentrate on the grammatical aspect of your writing. Avoid grammatical errors by simplifying complex sentences.

Make use of connectives and transition words to ensure smooth flow while reading; for example words like however, to conclude, to begin with, on the other hand, etcetera.

Check your essay for spelling mistakes and punctuation marks. Re-read the question and ensure that you have answered all parts of the question well.