Your step-by-step guide to writing top-scoring essays

Imagine you're about to go on a road trip. Would you leave without knowing where you're going or how to get there? Writing an essay is like that trip - you need a plan to stay on track.

Your step-by-step guide to writing top-scoring essays - article cover
Your step-by-step guide to writing top-scoring essays - article cover

This guide is your map. It will show you how to start, organize your ideas, and finish with a strong essay. Follow the steps, and you’ll reach your goal with confidence!


Before you start writing your essay, follow these steps:



1 . Carefully read the essay question to understand the questions you're expected to answer and the main idea they are related to. 

Let's take the following topic as an example:

"It's a natural process for animal species to become extinct (e.g., dinosaurs, dodos, etc.). There is no reason why people should try to prevent this from happening. To what extent do you agree or disagree?"


Sometimes the essay topic includes a lot of extra information, but your job is to find the core argument or issue and focus on that. Focus on this key idea to avoid writing off-topic. Here, the main question is whether you agree that people should not stop species from becoming extinct. You need to explain if you think it’s okay to let species die out naturally or if you think it’s important to prevent this - and why. You might also have a balanced view. On one hand, you might agree that there’s no need to try to protect species because extinction is part of nature’s process. On the other hand, you might disagree because just because something is a natural process doesn’t mean it’s good for the world. (For example, diseases and cell mutations are also natural processes, but we don’t let people die from them - we try to treat and save them.) What position you take (agree, disagree, or somewhere in between) will become clearer later, after you create a list of ideas to support your argument.


2 .Make a list of ideas that you could possibly use in your supporting paragraphs. Later, you'll choose the most relevant and easiest ideas to expand on.

If the task asks you to agree or disagree with a statement, like in our example, start by writing down ideas for agreeing, and then do the same for disagreeing. Many students describe the reasons why species become extinct, but that would be off-topic because the question doesn’t ask about that. Some students write about ways to protect species from extinction, but that’s also off-topic since it’s not what the question is asking. 


If your essay is about causes and solutions, first make a list of possible causes and a list of possible solutions.


If the task is to discuss both views, create a list of ideas for each side of the argument. 

Remember, you must answer the question directly.


3 .For each idea, create a logical cause-and-effect chain and choose the ones that can be fully developed into strong paragraphs.

Choose ideas that you can explain in detail, not those that match your personal beliefs. 

Taking these steps will give you a clear understanding of the question, a solid list of ideas, and a plan for how to develop them in your essay.


To write an effective essay:


1 .Start with an introduction. Paraphrase the essay question and present your answer based on your plan. You can also include a hook to grab the reader’s attention.

Remember, paraphrasing the essay question means writing a sentence with the same meaning using synonyms. Don’t add any information that wasn’t in the original topic. 


For example, the essay topic is: There is no reason why people should try to prevent animal species from becoming extinct 

We can rephrase the original sentence as: It is unnecessary for people to take action to protect animals from extinction.


  • there is no reason = it is unnecessary
  • prevent animal species from … = take action to protect animals from 
  • becoming extinct = extinction 


2 .Familiarize yourself with relevant vocabulary to make your essay more effective.

3 .Write body paragraph 1, using your plan and vocabulary to support your main argument.

If you want to get a high score in Task Response, you need to focus on 1-2 ideas and explain each one in detail, rather than listing many ideas without any explanation. IELTS tests your ability to develop an idea, not your ability to generate lots of ideas.

4 .Write body paragraph 2, adding more evidence for your argument.

5 .End with a conclusion.


By following these steps, you can write a clear, well-structured, and informative essay.


Check (and improve) your essay:


1 .Check your essay for grammar mistakes.

Of course, you probably won’t catch every mistake. If you could, you’d have written it differently in the first place. However, some errors, like subject-verb agreement, are easier to spot. For example, you might write something like 'Having ambitious plans are important' because the last word your eye caught was 'plans.' But when you read through your essay slowly, you might realize that the correct version is 'Having ambitious plans is important.' If you fix errors related to subject-verb agreement, noun forms, articles, and other basic structures, your essay will look much more polished and professional.


2 . Check that you’ve used a variety of grammatical structures.

Analyze each sentence and list the grammatical structures you’ve used in a column. Check if they match the band score you’re aiming for. Sometimes students think they’ve written an excellent, complex essay. But when I ask them to list the structures needed for band 7 (if that’s their goal), it turns out there are none. The essay is written entirely using simple tenses.

3 .Ensure all your ideas are fully explained and developed.

4 .Highlight the vocabulary you’ve used.

Just like with grammar, identify the words that match the band score you’re aiming for.

5 .Check for natural English collocations. Use a search engine to confirm if phrases are commonly used together.

Remember, failing to use the right collocations - even if your sentence is grammatically and contextually correct - can make your English sound unnatural or 'foreign'.


Pick any topic and practice writing essays with this checklist. Do it often, and by exam day, you'll follow these steps naturally without using the checklist. 


If you’d like detailed guidance on each point, including expert tips, sample essays, high-scoring vocabulary and grammar, and feedback on three of your essays, join our course IELTS Writing Tips and Secrets.


https://www.ielts-assistant.com/courses/ielts-writing-tips-and-secrets

 

ATTENTION! The IELTS Writing Tips and Secrets course can be purchased separately or as part of the IELTS Tips and Secrets full course. If you choose the full package, this course is already included.  


https://ielts-assistant.com/courses/ielts-tips-and-secrets-full-course

 

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