Here's a question for academic candidates ...

[David.IELTS.Examiner]

Dear Students,
I have a 'teaser' question about Writing Task 1. Let's start with a few facts.
a. In Writing Task 1, you should not include your opinion about the data or process or map.
b. You should write at least 150 words.
Question: If you have written 138 words and cannot think of anything more to add to your report should you
1. add at least 12 words, giving your opinion or 2. leave the essay under-length?
Post your opinions - there is a correct answer as to which is better!
All the best,
David

[drsid]

Interesting question!

I think it is better to keep it underworded at 138 words.

But yes, every book of ielts writing states that you MUST write the required minimum number of words.

I generally would start off with an introduction (10 words) by just rephrasing the given question in my own words and finish with a conclusion (20 words)

So, I must prepare accordingly to have a body which has about 120 words which may be divided into 2 paragraphs. Roughly 9 sentences in total.

I generally would attempt to write a conclusion which summarizes all the information. That is, I would attempt to write an 'inference' of the data provided and not give 'my opinion' and just hope for the best

[David.IELTS.Examiner]

Hello again drsid!

Your suggestion to write an 'inference' is a good one! Given the choice between leaving the report under length and including your opinion, you should include your opinion unless you are convinced that your essay is band 8 or 9. With band 7, a very small amount of irrelevant material is considered acceptable.

Like you, I'm a fan of short intros and summaries. I would say that I generally get my students to write slightly longer ones than you, i.e. intro = 20-25 words, summary = 25-35. For sure, the body is where candidates need to focus on grammar and vocabulary most.

All the best,
David

[chuduythuc]

Hi David,

I'd like to ask you a few questions regarding IELTS Writing Task 1. Hope you clear all the confusion in my mind.

1/ According to some IELTS examiners, I am told that we won't lose mark if we write 140 words provided that our report is very nice. Is it true?

2/ The word "drastic" should never be used in task 1? (Please take a look at this page http://ieltsliz.com/ielts-pie-chart-tas ... l-score-9/, the teacher there confirms it in one of her comments)

3/ Is it not a good approach if we write more than 190 words in task 1? I'm not very much contented with my reports because they seem too long. Let me explain to you why in the next question.

4/ I find it a bit awkward to use a lot of words like about, around, approximately, etc. in describing numbers/amounts/figures in graphs. If I am not very cautious (I wonder if I am allowed to) in describing these figures, my report would not be too long.

Thank you for taking time reading my questions.
With best of luck

[David.IELTS.Examiner]

Hello!
Thank you for your questions!
1. I am not permitted to say publicly, but there are certainly many such reports on the internet.
2. You can use the word, but I strongly recommend to my students that they avoid this kind of vocabulary. It seems that some candidates want to make the data report sound dramatic and it's almost funny sometimes! "There was a drastic/dramatic/incredible/amazing decrease from 25% to 24% over the 50-year period."
3 and 4. I think I see your point. Adding words, such as those you mention, is great for students who might only just reach the minimum length. Higher level candidates should be able to demonstrate their vocabulary level in other ways. The only real problem with writing a long T1 is that it takes time, which many candidates might prefer to spend on T2.
All the best,
David

[drsid]

Dear David,

Thanks for the explanation. Sorry for the delay in this post.

Just asking for further clarification,

1) is 'every' essay checked for word count ?

I thought that we must have an approximate idea of the word count by multiplying words per sentence * number of lines to stay on track .

I thought examiners use the same rough guide as well and check for exact word count only if they seriously think its underworded.

2) I had felt that writing your opinion in task 1 can actually be counterproductive. But for task 2, it is usually encouraged and mentioned in the question. I felt that The main difference between task 1 and task 2 is that task 1 is objective and you have to describe the information given to you in the question paper, whereas for task 2, it's subjective and very unwise if you write in a general format as seen in academic essay books, and not personalise your long essay by omitting your views and opinion.

3) I also felt that most task 1 questions prompt us to describe the important features and summarize the rest. So, writing an elaborate task 1( more than 190 words) is actually a bad idea. As you rightly suggested, you would lose out on time for writing task 2 ( which obviously carries more weightage) . Also, chances of errors in a lengthy essay increase. This may reduce your score much more than an underworded task 1.

I felt task 1 essays are like tv advertisements. You must give all the important information ,yet it not be longer than a 30 second commercial.

So, if anyone has a habit of writing a long task 1 essay, in my opinion its better to practice writing a slightly shorter one. Better planning before writing the essay can help

Just my thoughts. Please correct if wrong

Btw. I was aiming for a minimum 7 in each section of the ielts. I took the exam last month and scored a 7.5 in the writing section in my first attempt and am quite happy with the result

[David.IELTS.Examiner]

Hello drsid,
I agree with your thoughts.
As examiners, we quickly become able to spot a short essay! Those that are 'around' 250 words are the worst, as we have to count the words. Mind you, we soon become pretty fast at that!
I like your suggestion that T1 is like a TV ad!
All the best,
David

[drsid]

thanks sir

[David.IELTS.Examiner]

drsid,I love your contributions and hope we won't lose you now that you have achieved a high score! Congratulations!
David

[roopksharma]

Hi Guys,
This is Dr Roop Sharma from New Delhi, India. My IELTS exam is scheduled for 26th September,2015 , which also means my IELTS speaking exam is going to anywhere between 20-26th September. I am planning to create a whatsapp group for discussing writing topics and also to improve on other sections as well.
If you want to join, ping me at +91 8586805150.

[hannaliu]

Dear teacher ,

It seems me quite foolish , I am long time want to get my ielts , but while study a while , feel so sleepy , then stop ...How to get rid of this situation ....

[Maim]

Hi teacher.
I am gong to take ielts on 16 july. I have taken exam three times previously. I scored 7,8.5 and 6.5 in writing section in each attempt. I was wondering to ask that please share a template for task 2. And are we bound to comment on both aspects of the topic or just discuss our own opinion either agreeing or not.

[David.IELTS.Examiner]

Hello!

I don't recommend templates. They are usually not suitable for answering a range of question types and topics.

In the Academic test, you should look at both sides of the argument if you want a good score.

All the best,
David