Improve Your IELTS Writing Skills for IELTS with this book. This book is full of exercises and examples to help develop key Writing skills. It includes tips that support students on how to approach the Writing tasks and MPO for further practice online.
Improve Your IELTS Writing Skills
Are you taking or re-taking your IELTS exam and hoping to gain a high score? Would you like to improve your academic writing skills? If so, this book is designed to help you. Improve your Skills: Writing for FELTS 6.0-7.5 can be used for self-study or in the classroom with a teacher as part of a course. It can be used alongside other books or studied on its own.
Why use this book?
Successful academic writing is not just about practising a lot, although this helps! It requires you to do a number of things:
- comprehend the process of writing from the first stage (understanding the question) to the final stage (proofreading your final answer)
- recognize and produce the style, features, and formats typical of academic writing
- develop the appropriate range of vocabulary, expressions, and grammatical forms associated with successful academic writing
- be familiar with typical contexts and topics.
Scoring well in the IELTS exam additionally requires you to utilize a variety of exam strategies and techniques, applying the skills and knowledge you have developed to produce a strong answer.
Working systematically through this book should support you in improving all these areas, helping you to understand the requirements of good academic writing then apply them effectively to achieve a higher score in the exam.
The content of the book Improve your Skills:
Writing for IELTS is divided into 10 units. The topics are typical of those found in the exam, ensuring that you have an awareness of likely subject matter. Each unit is subdivided into three parts: Task 1, Task 2 and a Practice test. There is an answer key at the end of the book, as well as sample answers for the Practice test questions.
Task 1 covers the vocabulary, structures and writing features required to answer the first task in the exam successfully. This means it highlights the necessary language content, including related structures and grammar. It will develop your awareness of the processes of writing to support you in answering Task 1 questions more effectively. It will help you to understand the styles and formats of writing required. Throughout, it will provide practical exercises to give you practice applying this knowledge.
Task 2 repeats the process for the second task in the exam, developing the language, processes and skills needed to tackle this question. Each unit covers different aspects or formats required for Task 2 so that you are familiar with the range of task types which you may meet in the exam.
Technique boxes are found throughout each unit and are designed to give you practical tips and strategies on improving exam performance.
A Practice test is found at the end of each unit. Each Practice test gives you an example of both task questions, in the exam format.
Tips for Using The Book
If studying alone, it is recommended that you work through the book in chronological order as the skills and content build progressively. However, if you are working with a teacher you may be asked to focus on specific areas of the book or you may wish to focus on the content you have most difficulty with.
Using the Practice tests
You can use the Practice tests informally, as extra practice, or as a ‘mock’ exam, testing yourself either at home or in the class in exam conditions. Ideally you should do some of the Practice tests in real time, i.e. giving yourself 60 minutes to complete both tasks without using a dictionary or any other support.
You may wish to start by splitting the tasks and taking a break between each one. However, it is important to do some of the tests within a set time limit. This will allow you to see how you perform in exam conditions.
Using the Answer key
The key at the end of the book will allow you to check all your answers to the unit exercises. For each of the Practice test questions, you will also find sample answers at the back of the book. The sample answers cover a range of student answers, from low to high level, and there is a commentary after each one, highlighting the typical errors and issues in the answer.
Some of the high-level samples offer excellent models — though they are not the only way to answer the questions. Other samples are at a lower level and are invaluable in helping you understand the issues and typical errors to be avoided.
