How to improve IELTS writing to band 7

IELTS · 3 min read · updated 2026-08-22

Writing is the section where most candidates lose the half band they need, and it is also the section where the score is most fixable — because it is marked against four published criteria, and most people lose marks on two of them for reasons that have nothing to do with how good their English is.

The four criteria, in the order worth fixing

Task Response. Did you answer the whole question, with a clear position held all the way through? More band 6s come from a partly answered question than from bad grammar. If the prompt has two parts, both need real paragraphs. If it asks how far you agree, decide — and do not change sides in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion. Paragraphs with one idea each, in an order a reader can predict. This is where "linking words" advice goes wrong: examiners penalise mechanical *Firstly, Secondly, Moreover, In conclusion* stapled onto unrelated sentences. Cohesion is about the ideas connecting, not the connectives.

Lexical Resource. Precise, natural words, including collocations. Memorised "band 9 phrases" pushed into the wrong place lower the score rather than raising it. Learn the vocabulary of the ten topics that recur — education, environment, technology, health, work, crime, urban life, family, media, globalisation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy. You need a mix of structures and, above all, error-free sentences. A simple sentence that is correct scores better than a complex one that is not.

What band 6.5 usually looks like

• Task 2 answers only half the question, or drifts into a related topic.
• Overlong introduction that restates the prompt, then a rushed final paragraph.
• Task 1 describes every number instead of the trend, and never compares.
• Same three linkers throughout.
• A handful of recurring grammar errors: articles, plural agreement, prepositions after

Every item on that list is a technique problem, not an English problem. That is why targeted preparation moves writing faster than any other section.

A four-week plan that works

Week 1 — the format. Write one Task 1 and one Task 2 under time. Get both marked against the descriptors, and ask for the two changes with the biggest effect. Learn the structure: 4 paragraphs for Task 2, 4 for Task 1 (overview matters more than detail).

Week 2 — your own error list. From the marked essays, make a list of your recurring errors. It is usually shorter than people expect: five or six patterns. Fix them one at a time.

Week 3 — topic vocabulary and paraphrasing. Ten topics, fifteen useful collocations each. Practise paraphrasing the prompt in one sentence, quickly, without a thesaurus.

Week 4 — timing under pressure. Three full essays in 40 minutes each, no dictionary. Then one final marked essay to confirm the errors are gone.

Doing it with a tutor, and what to ask for

An IELTS tutor is worth it mostly for the marking. Send the essay before the lesson so the hour is spent on the two or three things holding your band down rather than on reading. Ask for:

• a band estimate against each of the four criteria, not one overall number;
• your personal error list, kept between lessons;
• one rewritten paragraph in the lesson — rewriting teaches more than a new essay.

Most students book 8-12 lessons over six weeks. If your test is next week, spend the time on Task 2 and speaking.

Tutors who list IELTS among their specialties are on the IELTS tutors page; for TOEFL, the equivalent is TOEFL tutors, and general test technique is on exam preparation.