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IELTS guides
Every guide on the site, written around the official band descriptors. Narrow the list by skill or by test type, or search for a word.
Writing
IELTS Writing Task 2: Question Types and How to Approach Each
Task 2 gives you a point of view, an argument or a problem. This guide shows seven question types and what each one asks your essay to do.
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Writing
IELTS Linking Words That Help, and Ones That Hurt
Linking words help when each one shows how two ideas connect. They hurt when they are added by habit. This guide helps you pick a word by its job and compares what Writing and Speaking reward.
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Writing
Does Handwriting Matter in IELTS Writing?
Handwriting matters only if you write by hand. IELTS publishes no handwriting rule in its Writing descriptors, but the examiner must read your answer. Capital letters are allowed if your sentences stay clear.
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Writing
IELTS Paraphrasing and Synonyms
Paraphrasing means saying the same thing in other words. Speaking names it, and Writing rewards synonyms that avoid repetition. This guide shows how to rewrite the Task 1 opening without changing a fact.
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Writing
IELTS Writing Task 1: What It Asks and How to Answer It
Task 1 asks for at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. On Academic you describe a graph, chart, table, map or diagram. On General Training you write a letter.
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Improvement planWriting
How to Improve Your IELTS Writing Score
Find the criterion that holds your Writing band down. Then read what the next band adds for it. Start with Task 2, because it counts twice as much as Task 1.
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WritingAcademic
How to Describe a Map in IELTS Writing Task 1
Compare the two maps before you write. Your overview names the biggest changes, and the body groups the changes by area or by type, with the position of each place.
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WritingAcademic
How to Describe a Process Diagram in IELTS Writing Task 1
Describe a process stage by stage, in the order the diagram shows. Your overview gives the number of stages and where the process starts and ends. Sequencing words then carry the reader from each stage to the next.
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Writing
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Range Without Errors
Grammatical range and accuracy asks how varied your sentences are, and how accurate they are. This guide shows the bands, and what changes from band 6 to band 7.
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Writing
Lexical Resource: Why a Bigger Vocabulary Is Not the Answer
Lexical resource measures how well you use the words you know. Precise, natural word choice matters more than rare words. This guide shows the bands, and what changes from band 6 to band 7.
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Writing
Task Response: What Examiners Are Actually Looking For
Task response checks whether you answered the question you were given. Your position must be clear and your ideas developed. This guide shows the bands, and what changes from band 6 to band 7.
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Writing
Coherence and Cohesion: The Criterion Most Candidates Misread
Coherence and cohesion measures how well your writing is organised and how clearly your ideas connect. More linking words is not the fix. This guide shows what band 7 asks for instead.
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Writing
How IELTS Writing Is Marked: The Four Criteria and How They Combine
Four criteria decide your Writing band, and Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1. This guide explains each criterion and how the task scores combine.
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Writing
How to Structure IELTS Writing Task 2 for a Band 7+
Four paragraphs work for every Task 2 question. This guide shows what goes in each one, with the plan applied to a real prompt. It also covers the rules on length.
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