In Ielts writing task 2, your band score is evaluated on the basis of four assessment criteria. For achieving higher band score you should follow the given assessment criteria. Explanation about the assessment criteria is given below:
Note – Each criteria will provide you 25% of your writing Task 2 band score.
1. Task response/ task achievement for IELTS writing task 2
In writing task 2 essay, it is significant to address the topic thoroughly. You should know how to answer the topic by mentioning relevant main points.
Here, clarity of ideas is essential. Additionally, explain your main part with supporting ideas. You may include related examples along with your supporting ideas to describe well.
Apart from this, word limit is crucial requirement so keep a watch on your words. Your essay should exceed 250 words.
Why task response is important for ielts writing task 2?
- You can achieve 25% of your band scores by fulfilling the requirements of task response.
- Presenting the related and clear ideas will showcase an examiner that you have understood the topic as well as know what it demands.
- Moreover, answering IELTS writing task 2 essay topic entirely with well-supported ideas will present the clear picture of your thoughts. Therefore, this will make it readable.
- Task response is helpful for IELTS writing task 2 completion. You need to make a plan at beginning. It requires thinking main points, supporting ideas and related example. It hardly takes 5 minutes to create a plan. Thus, you further know what to do and it make things uncomplicated.
2. Coherence and Cohesion.
Coherence:
It involves presenting the ideas accurately in an order. A well organized writing task 2 essay is what really matters to score in this criteria. Paragraph in an essay should be in a systemic way. It is important that your views should be conveyed easily instead of any puzzlement. You should maintain proper structure in an essay which includes – Introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion.
Cohesion: This criteria demands connection between the sentences and paragraphs.
Here, question arises how to connect?
The paragraphs and sentence can be linked by using linking words and phrases ( also termed as connectors or transition words). However, these should not be used in excess. If you Deliver the words inappropriately, it will reduce the band score.
Mixture of linking words should be considered to score good in this criteria. On the other hand, using same sort of linkers will show lack of understanding. Hence, will affect the scores.
You should be careful while using phrases in your essay. Phrase should not be informal. Therefore, use formal phrases that add weightage to your IELTS Writing task 2.
Linking words:
To present main points in a sequence:
- Firstly
- Secondly
- Thirdly
- Lastly
- Last but not least
- Finally
These linkers are used for delivering your main points in a sequence, by using these it can become easier for an examiner to understand your main point in IELTS writing task 2.
To state the additional information:
- Moreover
- Additionally
- In addition to this
- As well as
- In addition
- Along with
- Also
- Not only …………… but also
- Furthermore
These linking words are used when you want to present more amount of information about the topic. “In simple words, when you need to convey” Moreover, these are helpful in connecting the sentences with a flow.
To present similar views:
- Likewise
- Similarly
In writing task 2, sometimes you need to represent similar aspects. These linking words can be used to connect the similar views.
For contrast:
- In contrast
- However
- In comparison
- But
- In spite of
- Instead
- On the other hand
- Alternatively
- Although
- Apart from this
Above given contrast linkers are used to present a different view.
To show results/outcomes:
- Therefore
- Hence
- Consequently
- As a result
- So
- Because of this
- Thus
These linking devices are helpful when you need to state the consequences, for example: when you give solutions in an essay and you need to describe the results of that particular solution. Then, these linking devices should be used.
To provide an example:
- For example
- To illustrate
- Namely
- For instance
- A good example of this
To explain your ideas well, you can provide a related example starting with a linker.
Highlight:
- Mainly
- Particularly in the
- Especially
- Obviously
To present clear ideas as well as to draw attention on them, you should use these linking devices.
Opinion
- I agree/disagree
- I oppose the view
- In my view
- I believe
In writing task 2, most of the topic ask for your opinion. When you write your opinion starting with the linking device, you can present it in a clear way as it grabs the attention of the examiner.
Conclusion:
- To conclude
- In conclusion
Conclusion is the last paragraph of your essay. You can conclude your essay with these two linkers.
3. LEXICAL RESOURCE:
It is referred as the range of vocabulary. In IELTS writing task 2, you convey your ideas or thoughts about a particular topic. For those ideas you use lot of words. The words you use could be common words, repetition of words and words that may be inappropriate. All those words used in your writing is vocabulary.
Here, my point is that you use different words to complete task 2.
However, it is extremely important to know are you using the right vocabulary?
An essay you have written has it fulfilled the requirement of lexical resources criteria?
Also, have you done enough for grabbing those 25% scores of the criteria.
HOW TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY FOR IELTS WRITING TASK 2 ESSAY:
- Use vocabulary that is easily understood by an examiner. It is a false belief, by using difficult and heavy words you can score well. However, those words are not useful as an examiner struggles to identify them.
Do not make essay writing complicated and unclear. Though it is advised to use uncommon words, it is not required to go out of box. Trying to do lot of modifications will also cause a problem.
- Use synonyms in your IELTS writing task 2. This will avoid repetition of words.
In writing essay topic there are words which you further require to use frequently. These main words are termed as keywords. Use synonyms instead of repeating the same word. When you use several synonyms, this will result in great help to improve your vocabulary for ielts writing.
For instance –
IELTS WRITING Topic:
Planting trees is very important for the environment. Some people says trees should be planted in the vacant areas of cities and towns, while other says housing facilities should be build instead. Discuss both the views?
The keywords for this IELTS writing task 2 topic and their synonyms:
Planting trees
- Growing trees
- New planting
- Reforestation
Environment
- Habitat
- Surroundings
Vacant areas
- Empty region
- Unoccupied areas
- Unfilled locality
- Unused zone
Housing facilities
- Accommodation
- Apartments
- Residential facilities/amenities
- Construction
- Dwelling
People
In Ielts writing task 2 essay topics you will get the word “people” maximum time. You can avoid repeating the same word.
In spite of this, use synonyms given below:
- Public
- Individuals
- Citizens
- Residents
- Populace
- Inhabitants
- Community
- Your Ielts writing task 2 should include correct spelling of every single word. Spelling mistakes will reduce your band score.
Furthermore, if you write a word with incorrect spelling. In this case, an examiner will not be able to understand what you are trying to express. Also, spelling mistake will change the meaning in which context you have written that specific word. Therefore, watch your spelling while you write.
- You should always use formal language in your writing Task 2. If you use informal language, it would reduce your score.
4. Grammatical range and accuracy
Firstly, let’s understand what it means.
“GRAMMATICAL RANGE” means involving different sentence structures as well as tenses.
“ACCURACY” means presenting your essay without making mistakes in grammar and punctuation.
How to fulfill the requirement of this criteria :
In an essay you should involve different sentence structures. There are three type of sentences given below :
• Simple sentence
• compound sentence
• complex sentence
Use these sentence structures and correct form of tenses to score high in your essay. According to the situation, make a right choice of using tense.
Punctuation is important when you are writing.
It is necessary to use full stop mark. If you do not use full stop then an examiner will not know where the sentence ends. This will further lead to consequences. Moreover, commas indicate where the pauses are and in which context sentence is written.
In your ielts writing task 2 essay, use conjunctions effectively.
List of some Conjunctions:
- But
- Yet
- Because
- And
- Such as
- So
- Nor
- Though
- Although
- Nevertheless
- Accordingly
- Due to
- Rather than
- Until
Follow all the above given tips to improve ielts writing task 2 essay.
This is the most informative article on the essential grammar for IELTS Writing. Thank you so much!