IELTS Writing Myths Debunked (Part 1)

When a language test has been around for 30-odd years and has been taken by millions of test takers, then just about everyone has opinions about what strategies might or might not work. Unfortunately, notions born out of half-baked research are often little more than misconceptions about the test.  

In this series, we’ll debunk some of the popular myths surrounding the IELTS Writing section.       

Myth #1: Good handwriting automatically leads to higher writing scores.

There’s no doubt that good handwriting makes a great first impression on the reader. Perhaps this has helped peddle the myth that neat handwriting is the key to securing high scores in IELTS Writing. And every time a test taker with good handwriting gets a high Writing score, more people tend to believe it.  

The truth: Such a misconception fails to take into consideration the fact that good handwriting simply cannot be equated with language proficiency. The most your IELTS examiner will expect is for your answers to be legible.

Myth #2: It’s a good idea to write as much as you can.

A common strategy that test takers employ is to write long responses to questions, especially in the essay task. This is usually done with the intention of showing the examiner just how much language they are capable of producing. Additionally, some also believe that a longer response indicates fluency in written English, something they hope will improve their chances of getting a high score.  

The truth: Examiners only ever consider the length of a response if there’s any doubt that the word limit hasn’t been met. Ideally, you should aim to write only about 20 to 30 words more than the prescribed word count for each task. Remember, a lengthy answer often lacks coherence because of being wordy and repetitive.

Myth #3: High-sounding words are necessary to get a high score on vocabulary. 

Many test takers mistakenly believe that fancy words are a must when you aim for a vocabulary score of 7 or above. Cramming your essay with high-sounding words won’t really help your cause. This is because examiners consider various aspects of lexis and vocabulary before awarding you a band score.

 The truth: While you need to use some less common words, it is more important that the vocabulary you choose is appropriate for the topic. Other equally important aspects of vocabulary assessed include collocation, paraphrasing, and connotation. 

We’ll bust some more IELTS Writing myths in the next part.