Most IELTS aspirants on Quora and Reddit have admitted, facing problems in the writing section of the exam, especially IELTS Writing Task 1 Vocabulary, where they are required to give a thorough description of the chart.
IELTS writing task 1 topics include bar graph, line graph, pie chart, table, map or diagram where the framework of answers should be as accurate as possible. They are marked on the criteria Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
Word count plays an equally important role when explaining the chart in detail. No doubt practicing the writing section helps improve diction and sentence formation while focusing on the main areas of interest. I would recommend practicing the writing answer sheet for the best results.
Identifying the pain points to ace the IELTS online test writing is crucial and depending on the type of exam it can be strategized accordingly:
1. IELTS Academic - This includes the report writing of the data where the aspirant is expected to give a comprehensive overview by focusing on the key features while keeping the word limit in mind.
2. IELTS General - This encompasses letter writing which can be formal, semi-formal or informal and a set of points given with an objective that needs to be fulfilled effectively.
The Lexical Resource, i.e., vocabulary for both Academic and General, is rated using the same band score. So, relevant language, using collocations and the number of mistakes govern the marks. In order to improve the IELTS Writing Task 1 vocabulary, one must emphasize paraphrasing and uncountable nouns where the chances of fault are maximum.
To enhance the IELTS Writing Task 1 vocabulary for Academic, Line graphs should be explicated while considering a slow change over time and use the appropriate language to show the variation.
Source: ielts.org
The commonly used Verbs and Nouns (like a rise, an increase, a drop and a decline) to show the Upward and Downward trend on the line graph help curb the problem. And the Adverbs and Adjectives such as gradually, rapidly, significant and slight to represent change would help gain bonus points!
The time expressions (say, over the period, the final year and at the end of the period) and verb tenses can’t be ignored as it gives the insight on the change of curve and fluctuations in the chart.
For General training, letter writing with a purpose and brief information on the facts are provided for the examinee to understand and give a full account of. The writing task may include the following genres:
1. A job application cover letter - the opening line, ‘I am writing in relation to the position specified’, ‘Please find my attached resume for your reference’, is widely accepted in the formal letters.
2. An invitation letter - ‘I am writing in response to your invitation’, ‘With the reference of your proposal’, are the most frequently used phrases for the informal or semi-formal letter.
The aim of the letter-writing is to inform the receiver and hence the letter should be structured (with Introduction, Body and Conclusion) and precisely conveyed by the candidate after an efficient analysis of the requirement. For practicing more writing questions, you can check for some sample tests and tips.
To summarize, if you need expert guidance to understand where you’re going wrong, you can try IELTS free expert counselling to get a clear picture and give free tests to assess where you stand in your preparation and book a one on one session to get an advanced and superior level training from the experts to get your desired score.