IELTS Computer Delivered Tests + Band Score

Correct Format for the IELTS Essay

by anne
(Philippines)

Do we need to use Paragraphs?



Hi,

I just got my results and am really frustrated with my writing score. I got a 6.5 and need a 7. My other scores were at 8 and 9.

But I did make a big mistake by failing to separate my essay into paragraphs. It was my first time to take the test but I wasn't able to take any review courses, hence the huge mishap.

I'm thinking of requesting for a remark. Do you think I'd have a chance of getting a higher mark given that I only have one paragraph with everything in it?

Or would it be better to just retake the entire exam?

Please help. Thanks!

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May 19, 2016
 Using Paragraphs in the IELTS Essay
by: IELTS buddy

Hi Anne,

Writing in paragraphs is a very important part of your essay, and not doing that can bring your score down quite a bit.

It says this for both a band 4 and 5 for coherence and cohesion in the IELTS public band descriptors:

"may not write in paragraphs"

So you may well have got a band 4 or 5 for this criteria.

So it's very likely that not using paragraphs brought your score down to a 6.5 so there does not seem much point in a remark.

Make sure you learn how to paragraph properly before you take the test again.

Good luck
Dec 31, 2016
 Counting the words
by: megakris

How do you count the words to be sure you write above the number of words required
Jan 01, 2017
 Counting the words in the IELTS essay
by: IELTS buddy

It's best to work out how many you average per line then just count the lines.
Sep 24, 2017
 Qwerty
by: Anonymous

How to write Essay?
Oct 02, 2017
 Start from back page
by: Heng

On the exam date, I confuse to start my writing from the back side of answer sheet, is it ok?
Oct 02, 2017
 Start from back page
by: IELTS buddy

That shouldn't matter. The examiner should be able to spot the error and read it as normal.
May 17, 2018
 Writing Task 1 error
by: Anonymous

Dear Sir,

I have encountered an issue with my writing task 1. I wrote tenses, grammar and vocabulary really well however I mistakenly started my writing task 1 from back page of the answer sheet of writing task 1 instead of front page. I didn’t figure it out until the exam was over. I’m really worried. Kindly tell me will I lose marks because of that mistake as it was my first time with IELTS and I confused back page with the front page because the page numbers weren’t clearly mentioned?

I know you must be busy but if you help me then i would really be grateful.
May 17, 2018
 Writing Task 1 error
by: IELTS buddy

No that's ok they will still mark it as normal.
Jan 05, 2019
 Last line writing
by: Swati

Please tell me whether i have to leave last line in writing task or not
Jan 13, 2019
 Last line writing
by: IELTS buddy

Do you mean at the end of each paragraph?

You don't have to leave a line as there is no rule but I would recommend it. It's just so it's clear to the examiner that it is a new paragraph.

If your last sentence from the previous paragraph goes to the end of the line and you leave no space and no indent your following paragraph could look like the same paragraph and not a new one.

That could be very disastrous for your grade if the examiner did not realise it was a new paragraph.
Mar 23, 2019
 Writing task 2 - Striking out words
by: Anonymous

I used pen to write my essay and have striked out few words, will they reduce marks for striking words. I'm really worried pls help me..
Mar 31, 2019
 Writing task 2 - Striking out words
by: IELTS buddy

No it won't affect you. It's ok to cross out words in the IELTS essay.
Jun 28, 2019
 task-1 and 2
by: Anonymous

i want to know if there is any indentation for each paragraph such as beginning from the center or left ?
Jul 07, 2019
 writing task 1 mistake - - wrong order
by: Anonymous

dear sir
by mistake I started writing task 1 from the back page of answer sheet am really upset from yesterday kindly tell me will I lose band and marks by this mistake.
Jul 07, 2019
 writing task 1 mistake - wrong order
by: IELTS buddy

No if someone makes a mistake like that they will work it out and mark it as it should be in the right order.
Aug 25, 2019
 Put last line above DO NOT WRITE vacant
by: Anonymous

While i was writing my task 2 by mistake in my continuing paragraph I had left the line above DO NOT WRITE and started writing on next page so my para will be consudered next paragraph or they will consider it one only.
Jun 25, 2020
 Back Side of Writing Sheet
by: Anonymous

Hey! Can we write on the backside of the sheet as usually I could not finish my essay in the given space. So, can I utilize the blank space on the other side of the last sheet?
Jun 28, 2020
 Back Side of Writing Sheet
by: IELTS buddy

I assume the back sheet has lines on? It used to. If so yes you can write on both sides. If it's a blank sheet with no lines that is not appropriate for writing on and you should put your hand up and get a another sheet with lines on.
Mar 13, 2021
 Writing task 2 mistake-additional sheet -write from backside
by: Anonymous

dear sir
by mistake I started writing task 2 additional sheet from the back page of answer sheet am really upset from yesterday.
Is it affected by band score?please reply me.
Mar 19, 2021
 Writing task 2 mistake-additional sheet -write from backside
by: IELTS buddy

No, something like that doesn't affect band scores. The admin/examiner should see the mistake and then just mark it normally.
May 22, 2021
 I am worried
by: Anonymous

I started writing on the back side of 2nd sheet of writing task 2 and on the first page I crossed it and wrote PTO. will that affect my score? I am really worried. Kindly reply
May 24, 2021
 I am worried
by: IELTS buddy

No it won't be a problem. They will make sure it's clear where it begins and ends.

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Is it ok to write in all capital letters for IELTS writing task 2?

by Leon
(Sydney)

Is it ok to write in all capital letters? I need to know the answer ASAP. thank you so much.

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Apr 10, 2014
 Writing IELTS essays in capital letters
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

Yes, that is fine, you can write it all in capital letters.

I'm not sure I'd recommend it though as surely it is quicker to write in lower case?

Thanks
Dec 01, 2018
 starting writing task 2 from the back side of the answer sheet
by: samia

Hello,
On my ielts exam, in writing task 2 I started writing from the back side of the answer sheet. Now I am little bit worried about this. Will I get marks in this case?

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Does an IELTS essay need a title?

by Noor Azad
(Bangladesh)

Is it important to write a title for the IELTS essay, just how normal academic essays have titles?

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Jul 05, 2015
 Title for IELTS essay
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

No, you don't need to put a title for the essay.
Apr 29, 2019
 Headings on the report
by: Maria

I have been told that it useful to add headings on the task 1 and underline them. Is this true ?

Kind Regards,
Maria
Mar 03, 2022
 I wrote both task on wrong sheet
by: Anonymous

I wrote my 1task on the sheet of task 2 and task2wrote on the sheet of task 1 . Is it affect my writing band score ??

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Do we need to leave a space between each paragraph?

by Anupama
(Guntur)

hi ..
i have a doubt ..
today i had my ielts xam ..
i forgot to leave space between each paragraph in writing section ...
will it be penalised...???

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Feb 05, 2014
 Leaving a space between each paragraph
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

No you don't have to so you won't get penalised.

However, it would be a problem if it is not clear that it is a new paragraph, so I would recommend you do leave a space.

If your sentence in the last paragraph goes right to the end of the line and you do not indent the first sentence of the next paragraph, it may not be clear it is a new paragraph.

Leaving a space makes it very clear when one finishes and another begins so it won't confuse anyone.

Thanks

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Space Between Paragraphs

by Tisha
(Singapore)

Hi!

I took the IELTS exam and in Task 2 I forgot to put a space on each paragraph but since I finished my essays early I decided to ask for another sheet to rewrite my task 2 essay.

Unfortunately, I did not finish copying it to the new sheet so I just crossed out everything. I submitted both task 2 essays which i forgot to put space on each paragraph and the other one that I crossed out.

Will I get penalized or my score be affected by that?

Thank you

Comments for Space Between Paragraphs

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Jan 20, 2018
 Spaces between Paragraphs
by: IELTS buddy

You don't have to have a space between paragraphs in an IELTS essay, so really you should not have worried about it and just spent the spare time you had checking the answer you had written.

I normally tell people to leave a space just so it is very clear to the examiner where the new paragraph is, but if it was clear anyway (for instance through indenting the next paragraph) it will not matter. It's not part of the scoring (though if it is not clear and the examiner things there is no new paragraph, you could be heavily penalised for not paragraphing).

So they should just ignore the extra sheet you submitted as that was all crossed out anyway.

And, as I said above, as long as it it clear where one paragraph finished and the other begins with what you wrote, then you won't lose any score.

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Spaces between Paragraphs

by Tony
(Egypt)

In the IELTS writing test, I didnt leave a white line between paragraphs and I didnt indent a space before the paragraphs. What I did is just pressed 'enter' after I have finished the paragraph.
How bad this could go?

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Jun 16, 2020
 Spaces after Paragraphs
by: IELTS buddy

It's not a necessity in terms of grading that you leave a space so it won't affect your score as long as the examiner can see you have started a new paragraph. This is the case for paper-based or computer-based IELTS.

It's recommended to leave a space so paragraph starts and ends are clear because occasionally if a students writes right to the end of the last line of the previous paragraph and also does not indent the new paragraph, the examiner (especially for weaker writers) may not be able to see it is a new paragraph.

No paragraphing or faulty paragraphing in IELTS essays can lead to a band 4 or 5 for CC so it's not worth risking it.

But as I say, as long as it is clear where one paragraph ends and another starts in your IELTS essay then your score should not be affected.

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IELTS Essay - Space between paragraphs

by Abanoub
(Egypt)

I took academic IELTS today. I have got two issues. Firstly, in the writing test I did not use space between the final main body paragraph and the conclusion as there were only two lines left that I used for writing the conclusion.

Will I lose a lot of marks for that?

Secondly, part two in the speaking test was something like this "Describe a place that you want to visit for a short time as a part of your work or study...". I talked about an internship that I applied in America.

Does the internship answer the question or it is off-topic?

Thanks you,

Comments for IELTS Essay - Space between paragraphs

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Oct 12, 2020
 IELTS Essay - Space between paragraphs
by: IELTS buddy

It won't be a problem as long as the examiner realises it's supposed to be a new paragraph. If they don't realise and think you included your conclusion as part of the last body paragraph then it would affect your coherence and cohesion score.

The problem is that if you left spaces between your other paragraphs they may assume that you'd have one at the end as well, but I really can't predict what may happen.

In a situation like that I'd recommend asking for a new piece of paper rather than leaving no space or put a mark at the end of the last body paragraph to make sure it's clear e.g. //

Regarding your speaking, America is a 'place' of course, so as long as you discussed it in that context it should be ok.

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Are the margin/line space important/compulsory?

by Alamgir
(Bangladesh,Jamalpur)

Are the margin/line space important/compulsory?

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Nov 09, 2015
 Formatting
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

You don't need margins.

You can just write on every line - you don't need to double space.

It may be a good idea to leave a space between each paragraph, just to make sure it is clear that you are starting a new paragraph.

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What is the affect of strike off's in writing and reading part?

by praveen
(hyderabad, india)

what is the affect of strike off's in writing and reading part.

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Jul 05, 2015
 Strike through
by: IELTS buddy

You mean crossed out like this:

Crossed out

In the writing the examiner would just ignore the word if you crossed it out, so that is fine (but try not to overdo it as your work will look messy).

I'm not sure why you would cross something out in the reading. You mean in the answer key? Again, if you did this then put another word in instead, I assume the one you crossed out would be ignored.

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Erasing a word from the IELTS essay

by Brad
(Bretagne)

My question is: when we erase a word in our essay, if we don't want to write another word in place of the erased word, there will be a gap left in place of the erased word, what to do about it ?

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Jul 04, 2020
 Using an eraser in IELTS
by: IELTS buddy

That won't matter. It will probably be clear you've erased a word and there is no penalty in the marking for having a gap anyway.

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Crossing out a paragraph

by Natalia
(Toronto )

Hi,

Today I took my academic ielts.

The question was about advantages and disadvantages of hiring elderly people.

I started very well but after I moved to my second body paragraph to talk about disadvantages I realized that I explained the positive aspects of hiring young people.

I crossed that paragraph and rewrote a new body paragraph on disadvantages of hiring older people

Do you lose points for cutting instead of erasing?

I was just running out of time that's why I didn't erase.

🙏🏻 Thanks

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May 02, 2017
 Crossing out a paragraph
by: IELTS buddy

No something like that won't matter.

If you cross something out then the examiner will just ignore it. They won't deduct marks.

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Can you use capitals all the way through the IELTS writing exam?

by chris
(Bristol)

Hi IELTS forum,

Maybe a Silly question?

Can you use block capitals all the way through your writing exam?


Thanks.


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Feb 25, 2014
 Using capital letter in the IELTS Writing
by: IELTS buddy

Hi Chris,

Yes you can. There is nothing in the marking (see the IELTS pubic band descriptors online) to say you cannot use capitals so you can't get penalised for it.

It tends to take longer to write in capitals though so I'm not sure I would recommend it.
Oct 28, 2020
 Mistake of writing my plan in computer based test
by: Anonymous

Hi,

I made a mistake of writing my plan with few words at the beginning of answering space to highlight what I am suppose to write in the essay.

Later, I forgot to delete it as the time was up.

Will that effect my score?
Oct 29, 2020
 Mistake of writing my plan in computer based test
by: IELTS buddy

It's difficult to say how that might be judged. Hopefully the examiner will see it is a plan and ignore it but I don't know.

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IELTS British or American Spelling

by AJ
(India)

Hello everyone,

I need a clarification with regarding to spellings during writing part, can I use american english spellings during ielts like tire (tyre), mesmerized( mesmerised), favor (favour), color (colour) instead of british english.

Does using american english reduce my ielts score? please kindly share your experience or any pointers where I can get additional info related to this topic.

Appreciate it.

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Aug 04, 2018
 US or British Spelling in IELTS
by: IELTS buddy

In IELTS either US or British English spelling is ok.

It states that on the British Council website.

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Can I write a draft of my IELTS essay first?

Dear all,

It is a really stupid question but I don't find any proper answer on the internet.

Do you know if I am allowed to write a draft of my essay and then copy it with good hand writing to the official papers?

Would they provide me some paper sheet for the notes?

Thanks a lot

Cheers

David

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Jun 17, 2014
 draft of my IELTS essay
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

I don't think you are given any note paper - people use the question sheet to make their plan.

But even if you can get note paper, there is no way you would have time to write your essay twice. Most people struggle to write it once!

You only have 40 minutes, and in that time you also need to analyse the question and write a plan. Your time should be spent doing those things - not writing a first draft.

Thanks

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Making a draft of the Writing

by Tikang

Just want to ask if its possible or would we have enough time to make a draft for the writing task 1/2 before writing it down on the answer sheet? thank you.

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Feb 22, 2017
 First draft
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

No you won't have time to do that as you only have 20 minutes for the task 1 and 40 for the task 2.

You should though brainstorm and make a rough plan in the first 5-10 minutes before you write.

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Can we make rough notes?

by conquer ielts
(india)

Are we allowed to make rough notes in main exam

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Apr 07, 2017
 Making notes
by: IELTS buddy

Yes you can but you are not provided paper for it.

You can makes notes though on the question paper.
Jun 30, 2018
 Draft in the official test paper
by: Anonymous

Hi,
Is it incorrect if write the drafts in the official test paper?
Will I get penalized or my score be affected by that?
Thank you
Jul 03, 2018
 Draft in the official test paper
by: IELTS buddy

You can write anything you like on the test papers. It won't get looked at and it is separated from your answer sheet anyway, the examiner won't see it.

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Extra paper for writing section

by Moni

Hi there,

Can I use extra sheet of paper in writing section if I need?

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Aug 29, 2015
 Paper in the writing
by: IELTS buddy

Hi Moni,

They will provide you with extra paper if your essay takes up more sheets than what you have.

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Writing on only one side of the paper

by German
(Mexico City)

Writing on just one side of the page.

Hi there

I recently presented the IELTS UKVI and while writing tasks 1 and 2 I failed to realize that at the back of the writing paper I had more space to complete the writing tasks, so that I ended up writing just on one side of both pages.

I complied with the instructions, being careful about grammar, spelling and the logical expression of my ideas through the use of paragraphs, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion.

Is this somehow going to affect my writing band score?

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May 01, 2016
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

That should not affect your score, but I am assuming you are saying that you then asked for extra paper so you ended up with two pages of single sided paper for each task?

If that is the case then the invigilators would just staple them together and the examiner can mark it.

If you did not get an extra paper and you only wrote on one side for each task, it seems that your answers may be too short (unless you have very small writing). If your answer is too short (i.e. not 150 and 250 words for each task) you can be penalised for being under length.

It is possible to write a Task 1 on one side as that is shorter but a Task 2 seems unlikely.

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Extra Writing Sheets

by Brijesh
(Ahmedabad)

Hi,

Can any one tell me that in writing task 2 if I finished my answer sheet will i be able to get extra supplement for writing or will I have to manage with sheet which i am provided with?

Please help it fast as i am going to appear for the exam tomorrow which is on 27 august 2016.

Thanks in adnvance

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Aug 28, 2016
 IELTS Additional Writing Sheets
by: IELTS buddy

You can ask for extra writing paper in the test, that is fine.

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Writing the Task 1 and Task 2 on the wrong answers sheets

by WAJAHAT ALI
(UAE)

IELTS Writing: Writing on the wrong ANSWER SHEET.

Hello, I wrote my exam today on December 10th 2016, at BC.

Exam went well enough. Unfortunately I wrote writing modules on incorrect answer sheets.

I wrote Task 1 on Task 2 answer sheet and Task 2 in Task 1 answer sheet. How will that affect my band or is that ok?

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Dec 11, 2016
 wrong answers sheets
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

You should be ok. Student's occasionally do that so afterwards they rename the sheets and make sure the examiner gets the right one.
Dec 15, 2016
 Wrong answers sheets
by: Wajahat

I was a bit worried. Thank you for your response.
Jul 07, 2018
 Kindly confirm the final scoring
by: Saurabh

Hi,

Can you please confirm, was it confirmed for marking or not?

Was there any negative marking for not using the correct sheet?

Kindly confirm.
Jul 08, 2018
 Kindly confirm the final scoring
by: IELTS buddy

It will still be marked even if you use the wrong sheet.

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Penalty for writing Task 1 answer on Task 2 Paper

by Kevin CA

So.. during the IELTS writing, I just made the worst mistake possible. I accidentally wrote task 1 answer on task 2 paper and vice versa. The invigilator said that she will write it on the report. How will this affect my grade? Will it be penalised, or will they just give me a 0?

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Dec 24, 2018
 Task 1 answer on Task 2 Paper
by: IELTS buddy

It will be ok. As the invigilator said, they will note it on your paper so the examiner knows it is mixed up. It will then be marked as normal and you will not be penalised.

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I left my guideline number

by C-Game

I wrote 5, 10, 15 and 25 to guide me how much I had written on the side of the awnser sheet. Then I forgot to remove it. Will they read these number as part of an essay? Because It will not make any sense.

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Apr 03, 2017
 Writing Counts
by: IELTS buddy

No that won't matter. They will ignore it.

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