IELTS tests your command over English in four different aspects, which are listening, reading, speaking and writing. Amongst the four the most significant role in your band score is played by the IELTS writing task.
The writing section holds two papers or task. In task 1, you have to write 150 words in 20 minutes while in task 2 you have to write 250 words in about 40 minutes.
Band score 7: significance
After you have given the test, you are given a band score for each of your 4 skills and an overall band score. In a broad way if categorized:
- Band score 1-3: Minimal English
- Band score 4-6: Student of English
- Band score 7-9: Fluent English
A band score of 7 is generally considered a good score in IELTS. Most of the educational institutes across the world give admission above a score of 6. In case you want a permanent residency later, most countries require a band score of 7 or higher.
IELTS 7 band essay
Getting a band score of 7 though isn’t easy. According to IELTS standards, a score of 7 signifies that you have excellent English and advanced fluency. Your fluency threshold will signify that you can use the language effortlessly in most situations and construct error-free sentences.
Thus a native speaker can have a full conversation with you albeit they might notice occasional mistakes in your vocabulary. For achieving a score as high as 7 you need to be proficient in the IELTS essay section.
IELTS essay task 2 band 7 marking criteria
As per the given instructions from IELTS marking criteria you will score based on 4 different aspects. These are:
- Task achievement: In simple terms, this checks whether you have understood the essay question properly and given a complete answer along with good arguments or not. Hence you need to address everything that is given in the question and cover every part of the answer. In this context, it is important to remember that you need to have a clear position throughout your answer.
- For example, if the question asks you to discuss your opinion on whether longer criminal sentences is the best way to reduce crime, then you need to highlight both the aspects albeit keeping your stand clear throughout. In case you change your opinion midway through your answer it might be difficult to land with a score of 7.
- Coherence and cohesion: This part judges the clarity in your ideas and how clearly you can organize them. You need to organize your ideas clearly and put them through. Another key card in writing IELTS essay is to put a central theme in each paragraph and elaborating that theme in few metatexts.Say for instance, in case you are asked to write the advantages and disadvantages of certain things, it is best to write separate paragraphs for both instead of mixing the two. Also, the use of transitions like however/moreover/firstly helps in creating a continuous flow in your paragraph.
- Lexical resources: In simple terms, this deals with your vocabulary. For landing with a sore of 7 or more, you need to use more uncommon words yet use them precisely.
However, note that your text should be easy to read and understand. To increase your vocabulary but make sure not to use any unnecessary resilient words. - Grammatical range and accuracy: Your grasp over grammar, your sentence structures and your command over complex sentences are judged in this case.For a score of 7 just writing a couple of sentences for because or although isn’t enough. You need to practice intensely and increase your grasp over complex sentence structures.
Few last moment tips for band 7 IELTS essay
Although there are no magic potions to land you with a score 7 but proper analysis and planning can always work. Here are a few tips:
Always begin by spending time analyzing the question
- Chalk out an outline of a writing plan.
- Improve your vocabulary.
- Practice grammar especially give stress on complex sentence structures.
- Read and understand from essay samples. However, do not memorize them.
Follow these steps and practice ardently IELTS essay samples band 7 to get a score of 7 or above.