After reading a certain number of Band 6 #IELTS Task 2 essays, one (or rather I) can’t help but notice certain patterns. In particular, the persistent use of certain informal words, phrases, and abbreviations is quite striking.
I’m not the first person to point this out, or to post about it on the internet, but given sheer frequency with which they’re used, it’s clear that the message isn’t getting through.
So I decided to compile the greatest hits into one very short list.
Bottom line: if you stop using the informal terms, you’re taking a real step towards Band 7; if you keep on including them, expect your score to stay where it is. These are very high-frequency words and constructions, and they are relevant to pretty much any question you might be asked.
In fact, I would actually wager that it’s possible to accurately gauge, in only a few seconds, whether an essay has any chance of earning a 7 simply by scanning it for the terms in the left-hand column, plus standard punctuation, capitalization, and spacing.
Let’s look at a comparison:
Band 6-6.5
Small businesses play an important function in keeping economy of local communities safe. In fact, local communities are vital because companies rely on them to sell their products, services etc. Thus, without these small business, lots of factories will close which will cause workers to lose their jobs and be unable to pay for stuff e.g. rent and food.
Band 7
Small businesses play an important function in keeping economy of local communities safe. In fact, local communities are vital because companies rely on them to sell their products and services. Thus, without these small business, many factories will close which will cause workers to lose their jobs and be unable to pay for necessary items such as rent and food.
I strongly recommend keeping this list next to you when you write practice essays for as long as you need to. Underline the “formal” words as you write them to reiterate their importance and remind yourself to keep on using them.
There aren’t many quick fixes when it comes to IELTS Writing, but this comes pretty close.