The following hints will help you to increase your score in the IELTS writing test

• Make sure you read all of the information in the questions carefully and spend some time planning your ideas before you begin to write.   For writing Task 1, stop to locate and select the most important pieces of information.  For Task 2, take time to organise your ideas and arugment.
• Highlight or underline key words in the tasks to make sure that you focus on what you have to do.
• Use paragraphs clearly; put one idea in each paragraph.
• Try to avoid repeating the same words, phrases and ideas too often in the IELTS writing test.  Try to check for spelling mistakes, verb and subject agreement, singular/plural nouns, tense mistakes and problems of fluency.
• Do not copy whole sentences from the question – you will receive no marks for this.
• Make sure that for task 1, you use figures or data from the question accurately.
• Keep to the topic; do not write about unrelated subjects.  Your ideas must be relevant to the question.
• Manage your time; remember, Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1.
• Spend approximately 20 minutes on Task 1 and approximately 40 minutes on Task 2.
• Pay attention to the number of words required for each task; you will lose marks if you do not write at least 150 words for Task 1 and at least 250 words for Task 2.
• Learn to recognise how long 150 and 250 words look in your handwriting; you will not have time to count during the test.
• You must write your answers in full; answers written in note form or in bullet points will lose marks.
• Pay attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation; you will lose marks for mistakes.
• Avoid informal language  (ie    don't,   can't)
• Do not memorise model answers; it's likely that examiners will recognise them and your test will be invalid.
• Make sure you write as clearly as possible.
• Leave time to check your answer for careless mistakes at the end

If you can, it is a good idea to complete an IELTS Writing preparation course to help you to achieve a higher score in the IELTS Writing test.   Contact Australia English Institute to see how you can achieve a higher grade in your next test.

Good luck in your next IELTS Writing test!