Week 1: Understand Test Format & Identify Weakness

• Assuming you already know the test type (IELTS Academic / General Training), your first step should be to familiarize yourself with the format of Writing Task 1 and Writing Task 2
• Use the official scoring criteria for IELTS Writing to understand what examiners are looking for and how you will be evaluated. The Standard Assessment Criteria for IELTS Writing focuses on Task Achievement, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy.
• If you are using authentic IELTS practice materials, there should be sample responses at the back of the text, which you should review for Task 1 and Task 2. Read and analyze sample responses that have been awarded high band scores and pay attention to structure, vocabulary, and grammar as your responses will have your own ideas.
• Since most test takers struggle with Task 2, you should observe how essays with high scores are written and the typical order from Introduction – Body Paragraphs – Conclusion. For Task 2, pay attention to the supporting information and range of vocabulary used along with grammar.
• Now it is your turn to attempt 1 full practice test: IELTS Writing (Task 1 & Task 2). Once you are done, you can match your response to the samples at the back of the text or get it evaluated by teachers or peers. In fact, you can also critique your responses by using the IELTS Standard Assessment Criteria for the two writing tasks to identify areas needing improvement.

Week 2: Focus on Practicing and Improving Writing Task 1

• Having learnt about the 4 Standard Assessment Criteria for IELTS Writing, practice at least two-three Writing Task 1 each day of Week 2.
• If you are preparing for IELTS Academic, practice using different visual data such as bar graphs, line graphs, tables, and pie charts.
• On the other hand, if you are preparing for IELTS General Training, practice writing formal and informal letters with the correct format and types such as making complaints, addressing concerns, making requests, or sending invitations.
• Manage your time and pay attention to the word count and using a range of vocabulary to demonstrate your writing skills.
• Assess yourself fairly and identify areas to improve.

Week 3: Focus on Practicing and Improving Writing Task 2

• Similar to Task 1 practice, you should use the 4 Standard Assessment Criteria for IELTS Writing Task 2 practice as well.
• Although Writing Task 2 for IELTS Academic and General Training is the essay, but the difficulty level is not the same. However, the common factor is the structure of the essay (Introduction – Body Paragraphs – Conclusion).
• Since Writing Task 2 has more weightage and has more word count, you should consider practicing at least 4-5 essays per day in Week 3.
• Write essays on various topics following the structure and making sure you complete all parts of the question.
• Practice brainstorming your ideas and planning the essay.
• Once again, utilize the 4 Standard Assessment Criteria to evaluate yourself and identify areas to improve.

Week 4: Focus on Vocabulary and Grammar

• After practicing Writing Task 1 & 2, your final week will be to work on building and expanding your vocabulary, and applying the rules of English Grammar to your Writing.
• If you have been reading a variety of materials such as articles, newspapers, and more to develop your vocabulary, you are ready to review and edit your writing tasks from Week 2 & 3 to enhance your writing skills by using the new vocabulary.
• Try to learn about tenses, articles, prepositions, synonyms, collocations, and other parts of speech to develop the understand so you check for grammatical accuracy and identify grammatical errors.
• Finally, identify errors related to grammar and identify areas to improve.