1.Using contractions in their writing.

When you write your essays, make sure you never use contractions, such as don't, can't, couldn't and wouldn't. Using contractions will make your writing look informal. Instead, you should write the complete words, such as "do not", "cannot", "could not" and "would not".

2. Avoid using "there is" and "there are"

You might wonder why we should avoid there is and there are. Remember, your essays should follow a terse style, which means the ideas should be clear and precise. Using "there is" or "there are" will increase the word count.

Example 1: There are many issues faced by youngsters nowadays.
In here there are is not needed. We should write more precise sentences.
So we can write- Youngsters face many issues nowadays.

Example 2: There are many people talking about global warming. Instead of 'there are' we can write
The issue of global warming is a widely discussed topic today.

3. Avoid using weak verbs.

In academic writing it is very important to use strong verbs to stay precise. In order to do this, it is better to change the noun form into the verb form.

Example1: The government should give assistance to developing local businesses.
The verb 'give' makes the sentence weak.
We can write this as The government should assist local businesses.

Example 2: Communities should make an objection to public smoking.
We can avoid using the verb 'make' and write in the following way:
Communities should object to public smoking.

4. Avoid using phrasal verbs and idioms

Many students believe that using phrasal verbs and idioms will improve their band score. However, using phrasal verbs and idioms will make our writing style informal. Below are examples of idioms being replaced by formal words.

Example 1 Parents should give a hand to their children's personal choices.
As you can see the idiom 'give a hand' makes the writing look weaker. So instead of 'giver a hand' we can use the verb 'support' and write the following sentence.

Parents should support their children's personal choices.

Example 2 It is essential to 'boost' children's knowledge of history. Instead of 'boost' we can use 'improve' and write the following way:

It is essential to 'improve' children's knowledge of history.

5. Avoid Pronouns

When we write about graph or data we often write, "we can see", "you may see" etc. However, in academic writing we need to avoid these we, you, I etc. To avoid using personal pronouns we can start the sentence with a noun.

Example 1: Instead of writing "we can see from the graph" we can write "the graph shows" or "the graph highlights"

Thanks to social media, today you can easily become a star overnight.
In the above example 'you' makes the sentence informal and personal. So it is better to write the following way;

'Thanks to social media, it is easy to become a star overnight'.

Those are the 5 mistakes we wanted to point out. Make sure you avoid making such mistakes and try to make your essays look formal. If you are struggling with essay writing, join our writing course and we will be happy to guide you from the basics. To know more about the course, click the link below.

IELTS Expert Course

• Discussion essay
• Reason-Solution essay
• Opinion essay

Let's discuss them in details.

Discussion type.
In this essay, you will be asked to discuss two different points of view/ advantages or disadvantages of a particular situation.
Pay attention, that your opinion is not required in the introduction, but you can write about your point of view in the conclusion of your essay.

Reason-Solution (Cause-effect)
This type of question will ask you about reasons of a particular problem and the possible ways of solving it / causes of a particular situation and possible effects of it. Please, note that your opinion again is not required, so make sure you do not write about it in your introduction.

Opinion (Agree-Disagree)
In this essay type, you are going to write about your point of view on a particular question, that is why it is critical to put your opinion in the introduction. Also, we advise you not to give a balanced opinion, but always completely agree or disagree with the statement. It will help you to organize your essay in a more logical way so that you will get a higher mark on Coherence and Cohesion.


We hope this information was useful for you!

We wish you the highest score in IELTS and good luck!

To compose it nicely, you need to read the task carefully.

Let's consider a sample Task 2 IELTS question:

"Some people think that the best way to reduce crime is to apply longer prison sentences, other people think that there are better methods of doing this. Discuss both views and give your opinion."

WHAT TO WRITE?

Well, everything is given in the task.

FIRSTLY, think what is the general topic of the question.

In our case it is CRIME. So, your first sentence should be a general statement about this topic. It should not be long, but should show clearly to your examiner that you are going to write an essay about crime.

SECONDLY, you need to understand what details are mentioned about the topic.

In our task they are: Longer prison sentences are necessary to reduce crime, other types of punishment are better options.

These are two points of view, so you need to present them in your introduction, but of course, you should not copy sentences from the task. You need to paraphrase these ideas and present them with the help of your own words.

Besides, as these are two contrusting ideas, it is better to use the linker of contrast between them (for example: however, nevertheress, etc.) It will make your introduction more cohesive.

THIRDLY, after working with the main points of the question, you need to understand what type of essay you are going to write.

To do this, it is necessary to look at the question given.

We have: "Discuss both views and give your opinion." It means, we are asked to write a discussion essay. So, to write the last sentence of your introduction you need to tell the reader your plan, in other words, to explain, what are you going to write about.

For example: This essay will analyze both sides before a reasoned conclusion is drawn.

This sentence clearly shows that you are writing a discussion essay.

Now choose one of the IELTS questions and try to implement this technique in your writing!

We wish you the highest score in IELTS and good luck!

These are the key tips that will help you to write a good body paragraph.

1. Firstly, one paragraph should be devoted to one idea.
For example, if you write Advantages-Disadvantages essay, one of your body paragraphs should be about advantages only and another one about disadvantages.
Don't mix contrasting ideas in one paragraph.

2. Always make sure that you start your paragraph with a topic sentence.
It means that when examiner reads the first sentence of your paragraph, they will easily understand what this paragraph will be about.

3. If you state the topic, you need to develop it.
In other words, you need to explain your topic sentence further, to add some details or to give an example of it, or even both. Pay attention, your example should be relevant to the idea you describe.

4. Don't forget about linkers!
Linkers are indispensable, as they will show exactly the purpose of every sentence. Are you going to add some information, to write about cause or effect of a situation, to explain given information in more details or to draw a conclusion? A suitable linker will assist you in explaining it to your examiner!

5. Draw a small conclusion to the paragraph.
Although it is optional, usually this strategy helps to show your ability of paraphrasing ideas and also gives you an opportunity to explain your idea better.

"First of all, maintenance of cultural heritage increases capital inflow to the country through attraction of foreign groups of tourists. In other words, growing tourists' attention to innovated city sights positively affects national welfare. So, income from selling entrance tickets to the Hermitage in Saint-Petersburg goes to the city budget, and allows then additional expenditures on social needs. Herewith, investments in arts are lucrative, as they provide the state with further recourses for development."