Making Your IELTS Essay Sound Formal (Part 3)
So far in this blog series, you’ve read about some handy tips that can help improve your use of academic English, such as avoiding statistics that are made up and limiting the use of personal pronouns.
In this final part, we’ll introduce you to a few more essential features of academic English.
6. Learn to use passive voice
The passive voice is often used to change the focus of a sentence. Unlike a sentence in active voice, here, who or what gets affected by the action gets more importance than the performer of the action.
People often destroy woodlands to make way for development. (active voice)
Woodlands are often destroyed to make way for development. (passive voice)
It is clear that people in general are the performers of the action in the above sentence, so the passive version does not even mention them. If used appropriately, passive structures can make your writing impersonal.
7. Avoid vague language and short forms
One noticeable aspect of academic English is clarity. There is no room for ambiguity when you are putting together an IELTS essay, so avoid language that will make your writing sound vague. For example, do not use the phrases ‘et cetera’ or ‘so on’ – it sort of indicates indolence on your part. Stating one or two specific examples in support of your point will work better, making your writing clearer. Similarly, avoid using short forms such as ‘e.g.’ and ‘i.e.’ in your essay; write phrases like ‘for example’ and ‘in other words’ instead.
8. Do not use sexist language
In the past, it was okay to use words such as he, him and his to refer to all humankind, but not anymore.
If an employee is running late, he will have to inform his line manager without fail.
Sexist language, such as in the sentence above, is language that excludes one gender, or which suggests that one particular gender is superior to the other. In the present-day world, not every police officer is a he, and not every nurse is a she. Because of diminishing gender differences, people are increasingly finding sexist language offensive, so you would do well to avoid it. You could use alternatives such as ‘he/she’ or ‘they’ in place of ‘he’.
Finally, remember that what you have read here are some basic rules of academic English; getting the tone of your essay right each time will take some practice.
To get more Writing tips and practice, visit the British Council’s LearnEnglish website by clicking here.