• Familiarise yourself with the structure of the Writing test: the two types of tasks and their requirements by attempting a few sample papers before the test-day. This experience will give you a fair idea of your ability to understand tasks completely, your writing skills and your time management.
• Even though handwriting is not a criterion for marking the paper, practicing writing legibly is a good idea. You can write your answers in pencil or pen and can erase or cross out parts of your work when revising it. But make sure your work is clear and easy to read for the examiner.
• When preparing for the Writing test, check how many lines are 150 and 250 words in your handwriting. This will give you an idea of how many words you have written in the test without having to count them every so often and will thus help save the time for revision.
• You will be penalised for errors in spelling and grammar. Punctuation too is assessed, so, if you write your answers in capital letters, make sure your full stops, commas and other punctuation marks are well used and do not cause any confusion to the examiner.
• Spend a few minutes at the start of the test on planning your response to the tasks. You should write all the points and any examples you may want to cover. It is important that you allow some time for checking your answers after completing them.
• You can use the trick of paraphrasing the question and using the same as an introduction in your answer. This makes it easier to write an organized response and helps save time.
• Remember, your answers must be sufficiently long: a minimum of 150 words for Task 1 and 250 words for Task 2, otherwise you will be penalised. Accordingly, aim to write between 150 – 180 words for the Task 1 and 250 – 280 words for the Task 2.
• When preparing the Writing Tasks, time you’re writing for each task. It will help you build on your speed in writing and understanding.
• Read the information in the tasks very carefully so that you are able to respond fully and appropriately.
• In order to get a high band score in IELTS Writing, you should be able to write a response which is appropriate in terms of its content, organization of ideas and the accuracy and range of vocabulary and grammar used.
• In the Writing paper, you are assessed for presenting coherent responses in meaningful paragraphs and for organizing your ideas in a well-connected and logical sequence. Linking the information and your ideas, both in Task 1 and Task 2, is very important as it affects your score.
• Make sure you have a few minutes at the end of the test to check your response for any language or content mistakes. Remember Task 2 carries more weight than Task1.

• The Task 1 has three bullet points and you must cover all three of them. Your answers will be considered incomplete and you will be penalised if you leave out any of these points.
• You should expand these points appropriately to be able to write at least 150 words, but make sure you do not include irrelevant ideas. Make sure you do not write in points in any part of the letter.
• Plan your letter before writing so as to ensure that you do not repeat the same idea again and again. Planning will help you present your idea logically and clearly in different paragraphs.
• Your letter must have a proper salutation, a body, a complementary closing and signature. You need not to include any addresses at the top of the letter.
• Always keep the target reader in the mind when writing the letter. Choose a style that is appropriate: formal, informal or neutral, based on who you are writing to and what purpose you are writing the letter for. For example, in a letter to your friend, you may address them as, “ Hi Jason” or “Dear Jason” but while writing to a government official, you may address them as “Sir”.
• Make sure you maintain the correct time throughout the letter. For example, the letter should not begin with making a request and end up issuing a threat (….. I will be forced to report the matter to the police..)! In writing a letter, always adopt a polite manner, even if you are complaining.
• Avoid expressing yourself using words and phrases lifted from the task or question. If these phrases are more than few words, the examiner will not include them in the word-count.
• Paraphrase the question and write in your own words to be able to show the examiner that you have a range of vocabulary and sentence structures. Do not repeat the same words and phrases too often.
• Read your letter to consider the effect that it will have on the reader. Ask yourself: Will they do what you want them to do after reading the letter? Does you language make the right impact?

It is very important that you address the task fully and provide all required information. You will be penalized if you leave out any part of the task.

• Read the task thoroughly and think about the topic from different points of view before forming your argument. You need to develop you essay based on at least 2 or 3 main points and include supporting examples, data or evidence.
• Instead of giving examples from your personal life (that may make your writing informal) you should provide general examples from the world and include references to reports and surveys, etc. Remember you are not penalized if what you write in the essay is factually incorrect, so you can make things up if you present them appropriately.
• In GT Writing Task 2, consider the topic and before you begin writing make a list of related vocabulary and phrases for that topic that will help convey your ideas effectively and precisely.
• You may lose marks if you repeat your ideas and use the same words and phrases too often.
• In the GT Writing Task 2, you should avoid adopting an informal style of writing. For example, do not use contractions (write “do not” instead of “don’t) or the language used for writing text messages on a mobile phone (write ‘’before’’ instead of ‘’B4’’). Similarly, avoid using slang or colloquial words that are a part of everyday spoken language rather than formal written expression. For example, do not use expressions such as ‘’stuff’’, ‘’freak out’’ or ‘’thingy’’.
• Developing good reading habits will help you develop your writing skills.
• Practise dividing the 40 minutes for Task 2 in a manner that you have 5 minutes at the start for planning a well-structured answer and 5 minutes at the end to review and revise your writing, if needed.