Improve Articles (a, an, the) in IELTS Writing Articles are one of the most difficult areas of English grammar for many IELTS students. Even candidates with strong vocabulary and good ideas often lose marks because they misuse: Article mistakes are extremely common in IELTS Writing and can lower your Grammatical Range and Accuracy score if … Read more
Most Useful Verb Patterns for IELTS Essays Many IELTS students focus heavily on vocabulary but overlook one extremely important area of grammar: verb patterns. Incorrect verb patterns are one of the most common grammar problems in IELTS Writing. Even students with strong vocabulary often lose marks because they use verbs incorrectly after certain expressions. For … Read more
Use Complex Sentences Naturally in IELTS Writing Many IELTS students believe they need extremely complicated grammar to achieve a high Writing score. As a result, they often write long, confusing sentences that contain multiple grammar mistakes. In reality, IELTS examiners are not looking for “difficult” grammar. They are looking for: Complex sentences are important because … Read more
10 Grammar Mistakes That Lower IELTS Writing Scores Grammar is one of the four assessment criteria in IELTS Writing, and grammar mistakes can significantly reduce your score if they occur frequently or make communication unclear. Many students believe they need extremely advanced grammar to achieve a high band score. However, in reality, IELTS examiners care … Read more
Why Memorised IELTS Essays Usually Fail Many IELTS students try to memorise complete essays before the test because they believe it will help them write faster and achieve a higher score. Unfortunately, this strategy often causes serious problems and can actually lower your Writing score. IELTS examiners are trained to recognise memorised language, and essays … Read more
Improve Coherence and Cohesion Coherence and Cohesion is one of the four scoring criteria in IELTS Writing, and it is an area where many students lose marks unnecessarily. Some candidates believe coherence simply means using many linking words such as: However, coherence is much more than this. A coherent essay is: In this article, you … Read more
The Difference Between Band 6 and Band 8 IELTS Essays Many IELTS students ask the same question: “What is the difference between a Band 6 essay and a Band 8 essay?” Often, the difference is not intelligence or vocabulary size. In many cases, Band 8 essays succeed because they are clearer, more organised, and more … Read more
Avoid Repetition in IELTS Writing Repetition is one of the most common problems in IELTS Writing. Many students repeat: As a result, essays may sound basic, unnatural, or repetitive, which can lower your Lexical Resource and Coherence and Cohesion scores. In this article, you will learn: Why Repetition Lowers Your Score IELTS examiners assess your … Read more
About Mike
I’m Mike Wattie from Australia. I have been teaching IELTS for over 20 years in Asia and Australia.
I have written IELTS books and this enables me to be an effective tutor. This is because I understand the main problems that students have taking the test and also the ways to overcome them.
Maybe you would like me to teach you the necessary skills and strategies to pass your test.
IELTS is a registered trademark of University of Cambridge ESOL, the British Council, and IDP Education Australia and they jointly manage the IELTS test. This website is for test preparation only and has nothing to do with the administration of IELTS tests This website is not affiliated, approved or endorsed by the University of Cambridge ESOL, the British Council, and IDP Education Australia.
