Table of Contents I Introduction II The Marking Criteria And How To Score Band 5, 6, 7, For Each Criterion 1) Task Response 2) Coherence and Cohesion (C&C) 3) Lexical Resource 4) Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRAA) 5) Band Score Calculation III How To Perfectly Fulfill Each Criterion Of the Writing Test 10 Task Response 10 a Basic Knowledge 10 b Brainstorming Techniques 11 c From Plan To Paragraphs 16 i Writing An Introduction 16 ii Writing A Conclusion 21 iii Writing Main Body Paragraphs 22 1) Ideas and idea development 22 2) Application of idea development techniques 25 Coherence and Cohesion 28 a Basic Knowledge 28 b Common Cohesive Devices And The Relationship Between Linking Devices And Idea Development Techniques 29 c Natural linking devices 32 Lexical Resource 34 a Basic Knowledge 34 b Topic Vocabulary 35 1) Populations and Accommodations 35 2) Advertisements 36 3) Education 36 4) Jobs and Careers 37 5) Crimes 38 6) Environment 38 7) Globalisation 39 8) Health 39 9) Technology 40 10) Transport 41 Grammatical Range and Accuracy 41 a Basic Knowledge 41 b Producing complex structures using cohesive devices 42 c Applying simple and complex structures to writing an essay 43 IV Sample Essays And Essay Analysis 45 1) Agree/Disagree Essay (balanced opinion) 45 2) Agree/Disagree Essay (Strong opinion) 48 3) Other Sample Essays (without analysis) 51 i Discussion Questions 51 1) Advertising 51 2) Animal Testing 53 3) Economical Air Travel 54 4) Crimes 56 5) Education 57 ii Advantages/Disadvantages Questions 59 1) Taking A Gap Year 59 2) Unpaid Work 60 3) Tests And Examinations 61 iii Agree/Disagree Questions 63 1) Newspapers And Online News 63 2) Gender And University 65 iv Causes/Solutions Question 66 Housing Shortage 66 v Positive/Negative Question 68 Globalisation 68 vi Two-Part Questions 69 1) Child Education 69 2) Unlimited Car Use 71 3) Children’s Lifestyles 72 4) Fashion 73 I Introduction About the author When I was in high school, I found it extremely challenging to learn English At that time, my knowledge of the language confined to simple words and I could only construct simple sentences After I graduated from high school, I intended to study at RMIT which is an international university My university requires an IELTS certificate with an overall band score of 6.5 in order to be qualified for bachelor programs I therefore spent two months preparing for IELTS I used to think that it is impossible for a person like me to achieve band 6.5 for IELTS within only two months But finally, I did My writing score at that time was 6.0 Actually, I was not good at writing at all Because of this, I faced various problems with writing reports in my university I also struggled with the final exams when I had to think and write quickly As a result, after my first semester in university, I spent three weeks learning academic writing I chose to study IELTS writing because I think it can help me with any kind of academic writing After a period of working hard and being determined, my writing skills significantly improved One month later, I took IELTS again My overall score was 7.5 with writing being 8.0 Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page My writing style is concise and effective I not try to use uncommon words in my essays, but I focus on the real content instead Also, I always try to make my essays as easy to understand as possible The reason for this is that I believe that the primary purpose of writing is to communicate something to someone, so we need to make sure that our readers understand what we write Finally, I believe that my approach to writing is suitable for many learners, because they not need to learn so many difficult words and phrases but they can still get a high writing score What is the purpose of this book? Writing is considered by many IELTS learners as the most difficult skill in the test In IELTS writing (Academic), candidates are required to complete two tasks The first one is to write a report to a university lecturer, and the minimum length of the report is 150 words The second task requires candidates to write an essay about a given topic, and the minimum length is 250 words This book is a complete guidance as to how to achieve a high score in the writing test The focus of the book will be on Task The reasons for this are that Task is worth more marks than Task 1, and that learners often face more difficulties in Task than in Task Who is this book for? Since this book specialises in IELTS writing, all IELTS learners can use it However, the book is especially useful for those who want a band 6.5 or higher in writing For those whose target is below 6.0, it is recommended that you try to improve your overall level of English first Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page The brief content of the book Currently, there are many approaches to IELTS writing, but this book introduces a totally new and simple approach to the readers IELTS learners usually hold various mistaken beliefs as to how to get a high score in writing Some of them believe that we will get a high score if we use a variety of academic words, while others think that we need to have a complete masterpiece if we want a really high score for writing This book will address all of these beliefs and prove that achieving a writing score higher than is not that difficult All you need is to meet all of the requirements of writing These requirements include a fully developed response, a good essay structure, a sufficient range of topic vocabulary, and a number of error-free sentences The book will show you how to fulfill each of these requirements Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page II The Marking Criteria And How To Score Band 5, 6, 7, For Each Criterion It is true that a large number of IELTS learners have problems with writing, even when their grammar is relatively good During the time I learned about IELTS, I realized that many people not thoroughly understand the IELTS marking criteria, and even people who scored 7.0 for writing face this situation This section will help you have a better understanding of the marking criteria and what you can to get a high writing score *Note: you can find the complete IELTS Writing band score descriptors on the official web page of British Council 1) Task Response First, you need to clearly understand the topic and make sure that you are directly answering the question If you can this, your score for Task Response will be band or above So what can you next to increase your score further? The answer is that you should clearly express your opinion For instance, the question asks whether you agree or disagree with an opinion, and you responded that you completely agree with the opinion, so throughout the essay you have to show your "agreement" to the readers If you said that you agree that playing games is good for children, but then you gave many harmful effects of playing games, then your essay would lose lots of marks After you complete the main body paragraphs, you will reach your conclusion In the conclusion, you should again clearly state your opinion so that the readers will not be confused Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page After you are confident that you answered the question directly and your opinion is clear, you can get band for this criterion The next step to rise your score to band is to focus on the main body paragraphs of the essay We will take an example of a discussion essay where you are required to discuss both views of the topic Assume that you have two main body paragraphs, and you talk about one view in your first paragraph, and you talk about the other in the second paragraph In the first main body paragraph, you should have one or some supporting ideas for the first view For each of the ideas, you should fully, specifically and logically develop it So what can you to make your idea specific and fully developed? For example, your idea is "money is important because it helps people meet their basic needs" Clearly, the readers can ask you that ‘what are basic needs?’ So in this case you need to give an example of basic needs Basically, for each idea, you should try to analyse it carefully, until it is so clear that no further analysis is needed This means it is not necessary to give examples for every single idea So what is the difference between band and band for Task Response? The answer to this question is simple People who score band did not fully follow my instructions above This means they have tried to give supporting ideas, but some of the ideas might lack focus or not sufficiently developed To sum up, you will be likely to get a band for Task Response if you fully follow the above instructions 2) Coherence and Cohesion (C&C) Coherence is the way you structure your writing In other words, it is about how many paragraphs you have, and what the purpose of each paragraph is The Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page examiner assesses your coherence in terms of whether you structure your essay logically and whether the essay is easy to follow With regards to cohesion, it deals with your ability to connect different ideas in a paragraph If you write an essay without paragraphing, your essay will be considered to be incoherent To get a band for C&C, you have to separate your response into different paragraphs Band-5 writers usually cannot link ideas skillfully, they can just use simple linking devices like ‘therefore, however, as a result’ to link ideas together They also tend to use these words wrongly or repetitively because they not know other linking devices In order to reach band 6, writers have to clearly separate their essay into introduction, main body and conclusion The body also needs to be divided into two or three paragraphs (but my advice is that you should divide your main body into two paragraphs only) In terms of cohesion, band-6 writers have the ability to link the ideas quite effectively, and their use of linking words is usually accurate However, they tend to over/under-use linking devices, or some uses may be inappropriate  Referencing and Substitution: Using linking words is not the only way to link ideas together, because you can use more advanced techniques to link your ideas Two of them are called Referencing and Substitution These are often known as natural linking, and they will be discussed in the next sections People who get band for C&C usually not know how to use Referencing and Substitution, or they tend to use them inaccurately In order to achieve band for C&C, the writer needs to use paragraphs effectively, which helps readers understand the purpose of each paragraph Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page On the other hand, these experiences also have some disadvantages The first one is that some academic knowledge will be eroded if it is not used for a long time, which can make it difficult for students to study when they pursue university education For instance, finance is a major that requires a number of mathematic skills, and students taking a gap year will be slower at calculation because they have not done math exercises for a period of time Another drawback is that students may lose motivations for their study if they start to work This is because earning money gives them an incentive to continue to work instead of pursuing their studies In conclusion, while taking a gap year before attending university benefits students in various ways, it also has some negative impacts on them (277 words, band 8.0) Bold: good use of topic vocabulary and collocations 2) Unpaid Work Topic: A number of tertiary courses require students to undertake a period of unpaid work at an institution or organization as part of their program What are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of course requirement? Essay plan:  Advantages - Provide work experience and help improve communication skills - Have an outlook of the real world  Explain: help students become familiar with society - Help education be more effective  Example: see how economic concepts are used in practice  Disadvantages - Offer no wages  Explain: students may become frustrated Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 60 - Have to resort to leisure time to complete assignments  Explain: result in health deterioration Students may be exploited by managers of organisations Some programs in universities often require students to work in an organization without being paid This has both advantages and disadvantages On the one hand, working during school time is beneficial in various ways Firstly, working in an organization not only provides students with a great deal of work experience but also helps them improve their communication skills Secondly, students will have an outlook of the real world when they go to work during academic years, and this helps students become familiar with society after they graduate Finally, education will be more effective when people have opportunities to apply knowledge to reality For example, economic concepts are extremely abstract Therefore, if students are allowed to see how these economic ideas are used in practice, it will be easier for them to imagine and deeply perceive these concepts On the other hand, going to work during academic years also has some detrimental effects One main drawback is that these types of work offer no wages Students will therefore become frustrated easily and in turn they may drop out of their university Also, when students spend time working, they will resort to using another amount of time, which otherwise is their leisure, to complete the assignments required This lifestyle may result in health deterioration in the long-run since students excessively work and study Another negative impact of this method of education is that students may be exploited by managers of the organization where they work In conclusion, while working during academic time provides students with skills and experience, it also brings about several drawbacks which should be taken into account (268 words, band 8.0) 3) Tests And Examinations Topic: Tests and examinations are a central feature of school systems in many countries Do you think the educational benefits of testing outweigh any disadvantages? Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 61 Essay plan:  Advantages - A test can cover a wide range of knowledge  Explain: because students not know the content of the test before doing it - Create a sense of competitiveness  Explain: every student wants to be better than their peers so they try to study  Disadvantages - Difficult to ensure fairness  Explain: some students cheat in the exam without being noticed by supervisors - Results may not always be accurate  Example: students may feel stressed on the exam day because of a terrible event It is true that testing is the primary method used to assess students at schools and universities Although this method has its drawbacks, I believe that the advantages are more significant On the one hand, using tests to assess students is advantageous in many ways Firstly, although a test often lasts for only two or three hours, it can cover a wide range of knowledge which students learned throughout a course This is because students not know the contents of the test before doing it, so they will have to learn and prepare for a variety of topics before their exam Secondly, tests and examinations can create a sense of competitiveness among students As every student wants to get high scores and be better than their peers, they will try their best to study and understand the lessons deeply On the other hand, this method of assessment also has some drawbacks The first one is that it is difficult to ensure the fairness for every student While some students make a great deal of effort to study, others learn nothing and just cheat in the exams However, both of them can achieve good results if the supervisors cannot identify and give penalties to the students who cheat Furthermore, the performance of students may vary differently, so the results of the tests are not always accurate For instance, if some students feel stressed on the exam day because of a terrible event happening to them, they cannot perform well Therefore, their results cannot accurately reflect their ability In conclusion, while using tests and examinations to assess students has some disadvantages, I believe that these are outweighed by its advantages Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 62 (279 words, band 8.0) Bold: good use of topic vocabulary and collocations iii Agree/Disagree Questions 1) Newspapers And Online News Topic: Although more and more people read news on the Internet, newspapers will remain the most important source of news for the majority of people Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Essay plan: Partly agree  View 1: traditional newspapers cannot be replaced - Portable, convenient to read  Example: Japan - The content is reliable  An advantage over online news  View 2: Online news is equally important - People can always read what they want  Example: Global Financial Crisis in 2007 - Enables people to keep up-to-date  Explain: online news is updated every single minute Currently, it is true that an increasing number of people choose to read online news While I agree with the idea that newspapers will be still indispensable, it seems to me that online news is equally important On the one hand, I believe that traditional newspapers cannot be replaced despite the popularity of the Internet for some reasons Firstly, since a newspaper is portable, people can bring it with them and read it anytime they Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 63 want, which makes printed news a perfect choice for busy people In Japan, for example, people have to work really hard, so they can only read news while they are on a bus or a train Secondly, the content of a newspaper is checked by a publisher before it is issued, which means that the information in newspapers is always reliable This would be an advantage over online sources of news where individuals can post anything they want On the other hand, it seems to me that online news is as important as newspapers The first reason is that as the Internet can store a huge amount of information, people can always search for the news that they want to read regardless of the date it is published For instance, students who study finance can easily find and read about the Global Financial Crisis on the Internet, even though that event happened in 2007 Another reason is that the Internet enables people to keep upto-date with the current events happening around the world This is because online news is updated every single minute, while newspapers are only available on a daily basis In conclusion, while I accept that physical newspapers are essential, I believe that we should place the same importance on online news (289 words, band 8.0 ~ 8.5) Bold: good use of topic vocabulary and collocations Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 64 2) Gender And University Topic: Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject To what extent you agree or disagree? Essay plan: Totally disagree  Body 1: - Difficult for the numbers of males and females to be equal  Explain: Universities need to have an equal number of applicants  Explain: the numbers of students may vary based on the nature of the subjects  Example: design is chosen by females, engineering is chosen by males  Body 2: - Universities should base their admission on students’ merits  Explain: select the best candidates based on qualifications  Explain: ensure fairness  Explain: as long as they work hard, they will be successful  Explain: give students an incentive to study Some people believe that the numbers of students of both genders attending every course at universities should be equal Personally, I completely disagree with this view To begin with, it would be extremely difficult for the numbers of males and females in every subject to be equal To have the same number of male and female students studying a subject, the universities need to have an equal number of applicants for that subject, and then they will allocate these students into one class It is almost impossible to manage this process, because the number of students may vary differently based on the nature of the subject For example, design is a course that tends to be preferred more by females than by males, while engineering is often chosen by male students rather than female counterparts In my opinion, universities should base their admission to their courses on the merits of students instead of their genders They should select the best candidates for each course according to their qualifications, regardless of the Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 65 gender of the candidates This will ensure the fairness for every student who wants to attend university courses The message to these students is that as long as they work hard enough, they will have the opportunity to study at their desired university This incentive can result in students making a great deal of effort to study, and in turn there will be an increasing number of well-educated individuals who can positively contribute to society In conclusion, I strongly believe that it would be wrong and unrealistic to base the admission to university courses on genders instead of merits of students (272 words, band 8.0) Bold: good use of topic vocabulary and collocations iv Causes/Solutions Question Housing Shortage Many of the cities are currently facing a serious housing shortage What are some of the reasons for this shortage and what solutions can you suggest? Essay plan:  Causes - Land does not increase  Explain: not have sufficient land to meet people’s demand - The increase in life expectancy  Explain: leads to a rise in population  Solutions - Build more apartments  Explain: an apartment can accommodate more people - Restrict the increase in population by enforcing law  Example: China Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 66 It is no doubt true that in many cities the supply of houses is unable to meet the demand for shelters Although this is caused by several reasons, there are still some feasible solutions to this issue There are two main reasons why housing crisis occurs One reason is that it is impossible for natural resources to increase, which means resources are scarce While the population increases constantly, the amount of land remains the same Therefore, we not have sufficient land to fulfil people’s demand for accommodations Another cause of housing shortage is that, as the quality of healthcare in today’s life has improved dramatically, life expectancy has also increased greatly compared to the past This leads to a significant rise in the world’s population over time, which will place a burden on housing supply However, we still have some feasible measures to tackle this housing problem Firstly, building more apartments instead of houses may help mitigate the problem of resource scarcity Since an apartment can accommodate a tremendously higher number of people than a house can, governments should encourage vertical city development instead of horizontal one Secondly, it is highly recommended that governments restrict the increase in population, which will help decrease the excessive demand for houses This can be done by limiting the number of children born in families In China, for example, because the population is huge, Chinese government enforces the law that each Chinese family must not bear more than one child In conclusion, housing shortage is increasingly becoming a severe problem for many cities, and this arises from various reasons However, we can still cope with this problem if suitable policies are implemented (279 words, band 8.0) Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 67 Bold: good use of topic vocabulary and collocations v Positive/Negative Question Globalisation Topic: Countries are becoming more and more similar because people are able to buy the same products anywhere around the world Do you think this is a positive or negative development? Essay plan: Both positive and negative  Positive - Companies are able to export their goods  Explain: they can make more profits - People have more employment opportunities  Example: Japan  Negative - Imported goods lead to companies going bankrupt  Example: Iphone - Distinctive cultures may be undermined Example: fashion styles Currently, countries in the world are being globalized since people can easily buy what they want regardless of where they are living I believe this tendency is both positive and negative On the one hand, international trade, which causes countries to be similar, is positive in some ways Firstly, in the past, companies could usually sell their products locally, but in today’s world, they are able to export their goods to many other countries This means that they can make more profits, which in turn results in a higher rate of economic growth Secondly, as countries are becoming more open, people may have more employment opportunities For example, Japan is a country specialising in the automobile industry If wellqualified mechanical engineers come to this nation, they can easily find a wellpaid job On the other hand, there are a number of negative effects of countries being similar The first one is that it is easier for local companies to go bankrupt if Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 68 local people tend to purchase only imported goods For instance, many people around the world choose to use Iphone which is a smartphone made by an American company Other smartphone manufacturers will therefore find it difficult to sell their products Another impact is that since countries are similar, distinctive cultures of them will be undermined A good example would be the lifestyle of Vietnamese teenagers who tend to switch their fashion style from traditional clothes to Western ones In conclusion, many nations nowadays are becoming similar due to globalization, and it seems to me that this development is positive as well as negative (265 words, band 8.0) Bold: good use of topic vocabulary and collocations vi Two-Part Questions 1) Child Education Topic: It is important for children to learn the difference between right and wrong at an early age Punishment is necessary to help them learn this distinction To what extent you agree or disagree with this opinion? What sort of punishment should parents and teachers be allowed to use to teach good behavior to children? Essay plan: Totally agree  Body 1: essential for children to understand the distinction between right and wrong - Need to shape their behavior  Explain: be less likely to violate the law  Explain: be aware that illegal actions lead to negative consequences - Proper behavior leads to success  Example: committing crimes  Body 2: Some effective ways to punish children Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 69 - Prohibit children to play games or watch TV  Explain: parents can spend time explaining to children Force children to read moral books  Explain: children will understand how to deal with people Some people think that youngsters have to learn how to distinguish between what is right and wrong I totally agree with this view, and there are some ways of punishment that we can use to deal with children’s wrong behaviour For a variety of reasons, it is essential for children to understand the distinction between right and wrong Firstly, children need to shape their behaviour at an early age so that they will be less likely to violate the law when they grow up If youngsters are aware that illegal actions always lead to negative consequences, they will behave properly and be discouraged from offences Secondly, it is beneficial for children to know that proper behaviours usually lead to success For example, they should know that determination and diligence can help us become successful, while earning easy money by committing crimes just isolates them from their community There are some effective ways that adults can apply to punishing children for their wrong acts The first one is that parents can prohibit children to play games or watch TV for a period of time if they have poor behaviours such as assaulting their friends During the period of punishment, parents will explain to their children why these behaviours are considered wrong In addition, children can be punished by adults forcing them to read moral books instead of comic ones, which will raise their awareness of what morality is In this way, children will gradually understand how to deal with people in a positive manner In conclusion, I fully support the view that children need to understand how to act rightly, and they should be given punishment for their wrong acts (279 words, band 8.0) Bold: good use of topic vocabulary and collocations Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 70 2) Unlimited Car Use Topic: Unlimited car use has brought us a lot of problems What are these problems? And should we discourage people from using cars? Essay plan:   - Problems Traffic congestion  Explain: a large number of cars travel on the street Serious air pollution  Example: China Reasons for discouraging people from using cars Public transports are available everywhere  Example: Singapore Health deterioration results from a sedentary lifestyle  Explain: ride bicycles to mitigate health problems Currently, people tend to rely heavily on their cars This excessive use can cause a number of problems, and I personally believe that we should encourage people to reduce the usage of their cars There are various issues resulting from the unlimited use of cars The first one is that traffic congestion may occur frequently, which makes people feel frustrated when travelling and a great deal of their time can be wasted A large number of cars commuting during rush hour can easily cause a traffic jam because the size of the street is limited, so it does not have enough space for all of them to pass Another problem is that the exhausted fumes from these vehicles can lead to serious air pollution For example, in China, the population is extremely large, which means excessive car use is inevitable This results in the country suffering from polluted air nationwide In my opinion, it is necessary to encourage people to reduce the use of their cars for two main reasons Firstly, public transports in today’s world are made available and more convenient than before, so people not need to depend much on their private vehicles In Singapore, for instance, trains and buses are available almost everywhere, and it often takes people less than five minutes to go to a station Secondly, because of a sedentary lifestyle, health deterioration is becoming increasingly common around the world This problem might partly be mitigated if people switched from driving their cars to riding their bicycles to go to work, since riding a bicycle is a way of taking daily exercise Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 71 In conclusion, the unlimited car use may result in a range of problems, and it seems to me that we should discourage people from being dependent on them (296 words, band 8.0) Bold: good use of topic vocabulary and collocations 3) Children’s Lifestyles Topic: Children nowadays watch significantly more television than those in the past, which reduces their activities levels accordingly Why is this case? What measures can you suggest to encourage higher levels of activity among children? Essay plan:  Body 1: Causes of children’s watching habits - The availability of technological products  Children can watch TV routinely The lack of care from parents  children have to rely on television  Body 2: Measures to encourage children’s activity levels - Playing sports with children  Example: football Limit the time children watch TV  Explain: restrict to one or two hours per week Explain the harmful effects of watching TV to children It is undoubtedly true that the majority of children in the modern world prefer watching television to engaging in outdoor activities Although this arises from several reasons, there are still some solutions to this negative trend There are some main causes of children’s bias towards watching television One main reason is that as technological products have become cheaper these days, most families have one or more television sets in their houses, which enables young children to watch television routinely Another critical cause of children’s TV watching habits is that they lack care from their parents As society becomes more and more competitive, people have to spend most of their time working rather than going home and playing with their young children This Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 72 lack of care pushes children to use television as their main form of entertainment However, parents can encourage outdoor activities by taking proper steps Firstly, this can be done by playing sports with children For example, as young boys often enjoy playing football, at the weekend fathers should take them to the park and play football with them If parents maintain this routinely, children will establish the habit to play sports regularly Secondly, it is necessary to limit the time children watch television Parents should allow their children to watch TV for only one or two hours at the weekend Finally, parents should explain to their children the harmful effects of watching television excessively and the benefits they can gain when they engage in outdoor activities In conclusion, today children tend to watch television excessively because of many reasons However, if parents take prompt actions, they can still cope with this negative trend among youngsters (277 words, band 8.0) Bold: good use of topic vocabulary and collocations 4) Fashion Topic: In some societies, fashion is becoming more and more important in choosing clothes Why is this case? Do you think it is a positive or negative development? Essay plan:  Body 1: Reasons - Fashionable people are considered to have a modern lifestyle  Explain: People tend to wear trendy clothes to feel more confident - Famous people often appear on TV and the Internet  Explain: people base their choices of clothes on the fashion style of celebrities  Body 2: both positive and negative - Clothing helps improve appearance  Explain: wearing trendy clothes is positive - People could lose their national traditions  Example: ao dai in Vietnam Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 73 It is true that a number of people place a great deal of importance on fashion when deciding on which clothes to buy This results from several reasons, and I consider it as both positive and negative There are various reasons why people concern much about fashion Firstly, fashionable people are often considered to have a modern lifestyle By contrast, if their style is out of fashion, they are afraid that they will be made fun of by others Therefore, people tend to wear trendy clothes in order to feel more confident when travelling on the street Secondly, famous people usually appear on both TV and the Internet, and they are often known as glamourous individuals with a fashionable lifestyle This leads to people basing their choices of clothes on the fashion style of their favourite celebrities In my opinion, this development has both positive and negative impacts On the one hand, I believe that clothing is a vital part of human life, as it can significantly improve our appearance Wearing trendy clothes is therefore positive as long as we consider whether the clothes are suitable for us On the other hand, it seems to me that people could lose their national traditions if they kept pursuing fashion trends which constantly change For instance, in Vietnam the traditional clothes are ao dai If the Vietnamese completely stopped wearing this kind of clothing, they might lose their national culture In conclusion, there are some reasons why in some societies people base their choice of clothing on fashion trends, and I believe that this development is positive as well as negative (269 words, band 8.0) Bold: good use of topic vocabulary and collocations Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 74 [...]... the IELTS marking criteria In this way, after this section, you will be able to meet the IELTS examiner’s requirements, and in turn you will get your desired score 1 Task Response a Basic Knowledge First, in order to get a high score for writing, you definitely should not go offtopic Going off-topic means you write something completely unrelated to the topic that you are required to write about In IELTS, ... will be rounded up to 8.0 Similarly, the overall score will be rounded up to 7.5 if your component scores are 7 7 7 8 Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 9 III How To Perfectly Fulfill Each Criterion Of the Writing Test The previous section gives you a basic understanding of what you can do to reach your desired band score Now, this section will specifically give you instructions on how to write a good essay... to understand what they write People getting band 6 for LR are those who can use a sufficient range of topic vocabulary to answer the question However, the range is still limited, and normally they will make mistakes with word choice and collocations, because they try to use so many uncommon words Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 7 To reach band 7, the writers need to be able to use lexical items more... This part will show you how you can apply the techniques in the previous section to an essay Topic: Some people believe that money is the most important factor for achieving happiness However, others believe that happiness has nothing to do with money To what extent do you agree or disagree? For this question, I use a balanced opinion to answer, saying that I think money and other factors are equally... required to allocate a certain percentage of these positions to women To what extent do you agree or disagree? Answer: In many organisations, it is common practice that the majority of important positions are held by men Personally, I totally agree/disagree with the idea that companies should allocate a number of these positions to women To sum up, in order to write a strong-opinion answer, we need to find... important factor for achieving happiness However, others believe that happiness has nothing to do with money To what extent do you agree or disagree? This is an opinion question For this question, you can either use a strong opinion or a balanced opinion to answer In this example, I will use a balanced opinion to answer the question We will learn about how to answer this kind of question later Up to now,... question later Up to now, you just need to know that a balanced opinion allows us to write about both sides of the argument Before I plan my ideas, I intend to write a 4-paragraph essay In the first main body paragraph, I will talk about how money is important for achieving Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 14 happiness In the other main body paragraph, I will talk about how other things are equally important... statement/opinion Regardless of how you answer the essay question, you have to make your opinion clear throughout your essay The introduction for opinion question comprises of two sentences The first one will paraphrase the question in order to introduce the topic, and the second sentence will be the writer’s answer to the question given Facebook.com/ieltstamnguyen Page 16  Use a strong opinion to answer the question... firstly plan your ideas A good essay plan often leads to a good essay The following are the techniques that you can apply to brainstorming your ideas In IELTS writing, you are asked about topics on human beings and society Therefore, a good way to think about ideas is to think about the effects of something on humans and society as a whole Another method is to think about the nearest and simplest things around... question The first one is the topic, and the second one is a view/statement Our task is to paraphrase the words in the question to state the topic, and then we will state that whether we totally agree/disagree with the given the statement Sometimes the topic and the view are the same thing, so you should read the question carefully before you write  Use a balanced opinion to answer the question A balanced