From the UK to Australia and Canada, the best study destinations in the world require students to take the IELTS test as part of their visa applications and university applications.
If you are sitting for the IELTS test, you might be worried about the writing test component, especially if you have heard rumours and myths about the right way to score.
Thankfully, we are here to help you debunk these myths and you get the score you desire by helping you focus on what really matters. Let’s dive in to get you back on track!
7 myths of the IELTS Writing test to debunk
1. My ideas or arguments have to be interesting to score better
It is easy to have the misconception that the ideas or arguments written down will be carefully read through and factor into your final grade.
However, that is not true.
For both Writing tasks, you will be assessed on how accurately you completed the task, the coherence and cohesion of your writing, how deep your vocabulary use is as well as the accuracy and range of your grammar.
You will be judged on how well you write and not based on your personal ideas or argument.
2. The more I write the better I will score
Each task in the Writing test will require you to write 150 words and 250 words respectively.
You should aspire to write as much as possible around the word limit, it will allow you to showcase the full scope of your vocabulary lexicon as well as grammatical range.
However, it is untrue that you will definitely score more if you exceed the word limit. While the number of words that you exceed won’t be penalised, you might be spending more time than necessary during one task and could neglect the other.
It is better to write concisely within the word limit and spend more time writing well and checking through for any mistakes and correcting them.
3. All my examples must be supported by real evidence
In Task 2 of the Writing test, candidates will be required to formulate and take a position in response to a question or a statement.
However, you do not necessarily need to take a stand or back up your statements with real-world evidence. You are not being judged on how well you back up your statements but on how well you write and convey the information in your language.
Feel free to use your own knowledge, experience and opinions to answer the questions if you are more comfortable doing so.