Has it ever occurred to you that your writing sounded nice but you still didn’t get your target score? It’s a good IELTS writing but something is wrong because your score is sill low.
If yes, this might be the problem. I call it the “no-problem” problem.
What is the problem?
Sometimes, the problem is that there are no actual problems with your sentences but they are just not…it!
So, this tiny change can help you improve significantly. Take a look at this comment I gave a client in the Everything IELTS Package with IELTS Writing Evaluations.
There are no mistakes in the original sentence. It is just unnecessarily long and the meaning is not straightforward. By shifting from “the rules and regulations that are not implemented properly” to “the lack of properly implemented rules and regulations”, the sentence is:
- Clearer
- More straightforward
- Takes less time to read and understand
- Shows better grammar and vocabulary
Turn it into a real good IELTS writing
This problem is mainly related to grammar so there are, of course, many ways to do it. Here’s what I often recommend my clients.
- Change parts of the sentence into noun phrases.
- Always avoid too many clauses (max. 3).
- Always try to shorten the sentence if possible.
Ask yourself these three questions to make it easier.
1. Is this clause necessary?
A clause in a sentence is ONLY necessary if it has a purpose, such as clarifying information that is too long to be a phrase. If it doesn’t have a purpose, change it into noun phrases or even remove it.
2. Can this clause be a separate sentence?
Adding another clause to a sentence that already has 2-3 clauses? Think again. Can this clause be a separate sentence? How do you do that? Which linking word can you use to connect them?
3. Is the sentence already too long?
Want to keep everything in the sentence but it is too long? Shorten it by using noun phrases (like in No.1) or use different words to replace long clauses/phrases.
Clarity and simplicity are two core values of my philosophy for a good IELTS Writing piece. These values are what helped my clients achieve high IELTS Writing scores (7.0-8.0).
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Have fun learning.
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