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Hello, I am a test taker from Asia. I got 5.5 from writing twice. So, my question is "Can it be possibly that my handwriting affected the score?"

And, what exactly is the term for "overall trend" when it comes to the summary of writing task I?


Thank you

Hi blacxx

If your handwriting is not clear enough you could be penalised for that.

Regarding overall trend,
Here you give the main feature of the graph without details or numbers.
Two sentences would be enough.

For example,
Overall, it can be seen that the sales of xxxx were the highest. In addition, yyyy experienced a rapid growth in their sales.

I hope that would help you
I keep getting 6 in writing

That's very helpful Luma!

Thank you so much

I got 7 on listening test and speaking, 7.5 for reading.

So if you need help please be free to let me know!

Thank you actually my problem is with writing

I got 7 in speaking and reading
And 8 in lestining
6 in writing

I am waiting for my result, i hope i did well last Saturday.

Good luck!

Can I please have another question? How can you group the information when writing task I?

Sure
i think the best way is to look for the highest and lowest figures first.
Then, you may find two similiar trends, for example, there was a significant increase in the sales of x and y, reaching just over £6 billion and around £9 billion, respectively.

Maybe i didn't explain it clearly!

blacxx wrote:Hello, I am a test taker from Asia. I got 5.5 from writing twice. So, my question is "Can it be possibly that my handwriting affected the score?"

And, what exactly is the term for "overall trend" when it comes to the summary of writing task I?


Thank you

You can send us a link of your handwriting to check it, if you want.

OnlineEnglishTeacher wrote:

blacxx wrote:Hello, I am a test taker from Asia. I got 5.5 from writing twice. So, my question is "Can it be possibly that my handwriting affected the score?"

And, what exactly is the term for "overall trend" when it comes to the summary of writing task I?


Thank you

You can send us a link of your handwriting to check it, if you want.

Thank you
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_rI-z ... sp=sharing Here it is

Hello!
Ah, the 'bad handwriting' question! My handwriting is pretty terrible, so I'm happy to say that it is unlikely to have an effect on your score. If an examiner cannot read your handwriting, he/she must ask for it to be marked by another examiner. In cases where an examiner cannot read an individual word, they should ask another examiner to see if they can read it. If not, the word will simply be skipped over.

I can safely say that I have never been unable to read an essay - perhaps because my own writing is so bad! I can read the sample you provided very easily!

For examiners, the word for 'overall trend' is 'overview'. All academic Task 1 reports should have one. For data questions, this should cover the main trends or key figures. For processes, it should deal with the main stages or aspects of the process. With maps, look for the key changes or developments.

David.IELTS.Examiner wrote: Hello!
Ah, the 'bad handwriting' question! My handwriting is pretty terrible, so I'm happy to say that it is unlikely to have an effect on your score. If an examiner cannot read your handwriting, he/she must ask for it to be marked by another examiner. In cases where an examiner cannot read an individual word, they should ask another examiner to see if they can read it. If not, the word will simply be skipped over.

I can safely say that I have never been unable to read an essay - perhaps because my own writing is so bad! I can read the sample you provided very easily!

For examiners, the word for 'overall trend' is 'overview'. All academic Task 1 reports should have one. For data questions, this should cover the main trends or key figures. For processes, it should deal with the main stages or aspects of the process. With maps, look for the key changes or developments.

Thats very helpful. I am really appreciate that.
But, can you please tell me what are differences between task I report and data questions?

Hi blacxx,
There are 3 kinds of Task 1 report - data (pie charts, line charts, bar charts, tables), processes (linear or circular usually) and maps (usually illustrating past and present or present and future).
David

David.IELTS.Examiner wrote:Hi blacxx,
There are 3 kinds of Task 1 report - data (pie charts, line charts, bar charts, tables), processes (linear or circular usually) and maps (usually illustrating past and present or present and future).
David

Yes as David said , the overall view depends on the type of the task 1. For example ,
In table you can write , it can clearly be seen that there was a gradual decline in the number of sales xx . Mention the most striking change

In the line and bar chart the same write the change specially if it is within a timeframe .

In process you can say , the process goes through five different stages
Or for ex. It is noticeable that the first two steps occur in xx while the others .....
So , the idea is that outline the main features of the process

In map , as David say , compare the change in relating to the time .
For ex. It is clear that , in the past twenty years , large areas of farming lands were replaced by new infrastructure projects .

DO NOT put any minor details , for example numbers

You can put the overall view in either the introduction or conclusion , but many tutors advice to write it in introduction because many people could forget it with the pressure of the time .

Sorry I think this place is to ask the ielts tutor an am not a tutor . But this was onr of my main problems and it helped me a lot to increase my band score from 5.5 to 6.5 , that's why I am sharing with you .

Best ,

hello! My problem is also with the writing task. i got a 6.5 in the academic module last year, and this coming june 27, i'll be retaking the exam. Any suggestions that you can share to improve my score? I would gladly appreciate it.

Hi Precious,
Moving from 6.5 to 7 usually requires a much higher standard of grammar (few basic errors and a wide variety of both simple and complex sentence structures). You will probably need to develop your answers more too. This means extending the key points and ensuring that there is nothing irrelevant in your answer. You may also need to use a wider variety of connectives and perhaps a few specialised words/phrases.
David

David.IELTS.Examiner wrote:Hi Precious,
Moving from 6.5 to 7 usually requires a much higher standard of grammar (few basic errors and a wide variety of both simple and complex sentence structures). You will probably need to develop your answers more too. This means extending the key points and ensuring that there is nothing irrelevant in your answer. You may also need to use a wider variety of connectives and perhaps a few specialised words/phrases.
David

Hi David, always great to read your insights. I was hoping may be you could also briefly explain what's the difference between band 7.5 and 8 in general writing task 1?

Regards

Hi Precious,
That's actually sometimes a tough question even for examiners!
The task response is VERY developed. The examiner is looking for insightful arguments made very clearly. This is where knowledge of the topic (general, not specialised) becomes quite important (not at bands 5-6 as many candidates believe). A wide range of cohesive devices are used so well that sometimes you hardly notice them. For example, read a text (e.g. in New Scientist or The Economist) and highlight the cohesive devices. Then read again and you'll likely find several more. That's what the examiner is looking for.
However, the keys are with vocabulary and grammar. Grammar is near perfect across a wide range of structures. Vocabulary makes extensive use of less common and idiomatic items with few mistakes.
All the best,
David

David.IELTS.Examiner wrote:Hi Precious,
That's actually sometimes a tough question even for examiners!
The task response is VERY developed. The examiner is looking for insightful arguments made very clearly. This is where knowledge of the topic (general, not specialised) becomes quite important (not at bands 5-6 as many candidates believe). A wide range of cohesive devices are used so well that sometimes you hardly notice them. For example, read a text (e.g. in New Scientist or The Economist) and highlight the cohesive devices. Then read again and you'll likely find several more. That's what the examiner is looking for.
However, the keys are with vocabulary and grammar. Grammar is near perfect across a wide range of structures. Vocabulary makes extensive use of less common and idiomatic items with few mistakes.
All the best,
David

Thanks a lot, David.