Criteria in Writing IELTS

In Writing IELTS, there are two tasks that you have to complete. Each task is assessed independently. However, it should be noted that task 2 carries more weight in marking compared to task 1. There is a slight difference between scoring criteria of task 1 and task 2. Check the difference as follows.

IELTS Reading Task: Matching

These questions require you to match a list of opinions to sources mentioned in the text. These questions are used with the texts which present a number of different people’s opinions.

The sources are usually numbered and the opinions are given a letter each. In the answer booklet you write the letter(s) beside the numbers.

There could be more opinions than sources. If so, you’ll need to write more than one letter beside the question in the answer booklet. If there are more sources than opinions, then one of more or the opinions will be used more than once.

Look at the example below.

This example has more opinions than sources.

Questions 1-4

Look at the following writers (Questions 1-4) and the list of their opinions below. Match each person with their opinion. Write the appropriate letters A-F in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any of the writers’ names more than once.

1 Anna Blair

2 Dr Ian Sampson

3 Dean Frazer

4 Jane Langton

List of opinions A Life experience is essential for a writer. B Anyone who has a story can write. C Discipline and organization are just as important as creativity. D A writer has to be content to work alone. E The first novel is the easiest to write. F A good working relationship with ones’ editor is essential for a writer.

How to do:

-          Read the instructions carefully,

-          Take the names of the sources one by one and find them in the text and underline them.

-          When you have located a name, read carefully to see what is said about his/her opinions.

-          Look at the list of opinions and see if you can make a match.

-          Remember that the text is not likely to use the same words as the questions, so look for synonyms and parallel expressions.

-          Be aware that the sources may be referred to in more than one place in the text.

-          The opinions in the task are not listed in the same order as they appear in the text.

-          Phrases like ‘he said’ or ‘in his opinion’ should help you locate the arguments.

Reference: How to Prepare for IELTS Writing. City University of Hongkong: English Language Center.

IELTS Reading Task: Classification Question

These questions ask you to classify information given in the reading text. Classifications are often according to the writer’s opinion or according to a period of time or place. You will be asked to identify a letter which represents one of the classifications for each item in a list of statements.

Look at the example below.

Questions 1 -4

Classify the following statements as referring to

US the United States

J Japan

G Germany

or UK the United Kingdom

Write the appropriate letters in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any answer more than once.

1 The biggest spenders on personal travel.

2 Had the greatest number of international travellers in 2002.

3 Take the majority of their holidays in Western Europe.

4 Employ the most people in the tourist industry.

How to do:

-          Read the instructions carefully,

-          Make sure you know how many classifications there are and what letters you have to use. (e.g. US, J, G & UK in the exercise above),

-          Read the classifications carefully. Make sure you don’t confuse the letters which represent each one.

-          Read the statements/phrases or words beside the question numbers and underline the key words.

-          Start with the first statement and work your way through them one by one, searching the text to find where the info is mentioned.

-          The questions will not necessarily be in the same order as the text and the wording will probably be different in the text so look out for synonyms and parallel expressions.

-          When you’ve located the reference in the text, read it carefully and select your answer.

-          Don’t leave any statements without a letter.

Reference: How to Prepare for IELTS Writing. City University of Hongkong: English Language Center.

IELTS Reading Task: Yes, No, Not Given or True, False, Not Given

These tasks either ask you to identify the writer’s views or claims in the text or identify information in the text.

You will be given a list of statements which are either opinions or facts and you have to decide for:

Type 1: if they are opinions, whether they are the opinions of the writer or not or not given in the text.

Type 2: if they are facts, whether they are true, false or not given in the text.

For the type 1, writer views may not be directly stated, so you may have to work out what is implied.

Try this example below.

How to do:

• -  Read the instructions carefully,
• -  Quickly read through all the statements to get an idea about the topic.
• -  Read the first statement more carefully. Understand the main topic.
• -  Search for the section of the text which deals with the idea or fact.
• -  Once you have found the relevant section, read it carefully. For type 1, if the statement disagrees with the ‘s writers’ opinion, then select ‘no’ and if the author doesn’t give an opinion, then select ‘not given’. Fot the type 2. If the statement is the opposite to the information in the text, then select ‘false’ and there’s no mention of it, select ‘not given’.
• -  Continue with the rest of the statements.

Reference: How to Prepare for IELTS Writing. City University of Hongkong: English Language Center.

IELTS Reading Task: Notes/table/form/summary/flow chart/diagram completion question

There are two types of these completion questions in the IELTS reading:

Type 1. Selection of possible answers.

Type 2. Without a choice of possible answers.

• These questions require you to:
• Insert a word or phrase in the middle of a sentence,
• Insert a word in the middle and another word at the end of a sentence,
• Write words or phrases that are not in sentences,
• Write a letter that represents a word or phrase.

Type 1: The words or phrases provided will be different from the words in the text. There will be more words than gaps.

Type 2: Similar to the short answer questions in that they will tell you to write your answer in NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. So you can answer with one word, two words or three words but no more.

As with short answer questions: also note that the answers should not require a hyphenated word (e.g. non-smoker) or a contraction (e.g. They’ve).

If the answer requires a number, you can write it as a numeral (e.g. 6) or a word (e.g. six) or a combination (e.g. 6 million).

Try this examples below.

Type 1:

Type 2:

How to do:

-          Read the instructions carefully,

-          Look at the table or form etc carefully:

Examine any headings or subheadings,

Try to get an any idea of the topic,

Decide what section of the passage the exercise covers,

Anticipate grammatical form as well as vocabulary,

If a box of answers is given, see if you can guess any of the

matches & eliminate unlikely answers,

If the question is in the form of a table, work out which way it

is best to read it – horizontally or vertically.

 If the question is in the form of a summary, read through it

first and see if you can guess any of the missing words.

- Take each gap one by one and search the text for the best words to fill the gap.

Remember:

If there is a box of answers, there will be at least two you don’t need.

If there is no box, the answer could be one word, two words or three words but not four or more.

If you think you need more than three words your answer is probably incorrect,

There may be alternative rubrics for these completion questions e.g. ‘complete the noise’ or ‘complete the explanation’ or ‘complete the news report’.

Reference: How to Prepare for IELTS Writing. City University of Hongkong: English Language Center.

IELTS Reading Task: Sentence Completion Questions

There are two types of sentence completion questions in the IELTS reading:

Type 1. Selection of possible answers.

Type 2. Without a choice of possible answers.

These questions require you to complete the end of a sentence. The questions appear in the same order as the information in the text. Type 2 questions are similar to the short answer questions in that they will always tell you to write your answers in NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. So you can answer with one word, two words or three words but no more. They’ll also tell you to use words from the reading passage.

As with short answer questions:

Also note that the answers should not require a hyphenated word (e.g. non smoker) or a contraction (e.g. They’ve). Also, if the answer requires a number, you can write it as a numeral (e.g. 6) or a word (e.g. six) or a combination (e.g. 6 mllion).

Try this examples below.

Type 1: Questions 1-3 Complete each of the following statements (Questions 1-3) with the best ending A-F from the box below. Write the appropiate letterts A-F on our answer sheet. 1.       Incorporating organic and inorganic. 2.       Spent mushroom compost. 3.       Adding potassium regularly.

Type 2: Questions 4-6 Complete the sentences below with words taken from the passage. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 4-6 on your answer sheet. 4.       Bulbs should be stored ………… . 5.       Seeds may deteriorate if exposed to ………… . 6.       Summer flowering annuals should not be planted until after …………. .

How to do the short answer questions:

-          Read the instructions carefully and quickly read. As you do this,

o   Underline the keywords.

o   Try to work out what information you need.

o   Think about the grammatical form.

-          Go back to the first sentence. Decide what information you need to complete it.

-          Find the place where the info should be in the text. Look out for synonyms and parallel expressions.

-          Make sure your sentences make sense both logically and grammatically.

-          Remember:

o   For the type 2, the answer could be one word, two words or three words but not four or more.

o   If you think you need more than three words your answer is probably incorrect.

Reference: How to Prepare for IELTS Writing. City University of Hongkong: English Language Center.

IELTS Reading Task: The Reading Question Types.

There are three types of multiple choice questions in the IELTS reading:

Type 1. Where there is one possible answer.

Type 2. Where there are multiple answers for only one mark.

Type 3. Where there are multiple answers and one mark for each.

For these questions you may be given the start of a sentence which you have  to  complete  with  one  out  of  four  choices.  Or you may be presented with a question and asked to find two, three or four items in a list of answers. 

You could be asked to identify facts or opinions in the texts.

Try this examples below.

Type 1. Questions 1-3 Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet. 1.      According to information in the text, asparagine A.     is poisonous. B.     can cause cancer. C.     is harmless unless heated. D.     should only be eaten in small amounts. 2.      According to information in the text, acrylamide A.     has been found in lots of fried food. B.     has been found in snacks in Sweden. C.     is only found in western cooking. D.     is in water. 3.  According to information in the text, process foods A.     should be avoided. B.     are cheaper. C.     are full of chemicals. D.     are the most tasty foods.

Type 2. Questions 4 Write TWO letters A-F in box 4 on your answer sheet. 4.  Which TWO examples of food is asparagine found in? A.     Peanuts B.     Rice C.     French fries D.     Asparagus E.      Chocolate F.      Bananas

Type 3. Questions 5-7 The list below gives some of the problems for dieters raised by Dr. Jones. Which THREE of these problems are mentioned by the writer of text? A. Accessible junk food. B. Coffee bars and after-work drinks. C. Partners. D. Stress & emotional situations. E. Saboteurs and false friends. F. Weakened resolve.

How to do the multiple choice questions

-          Read the instructions carefully and check how many letters you need to circle.

-          Skim all the questions and the answer choices quickly. As you do this,

o   Underline  the  key  words  (the  words  that  give  you  the  most information).

o   Try  to  get  an  idea  of  the  topic  you  will  be  reading  about  from  the vocabulary of the questions.

o   Look at any illustrations or diagrams that go with the text.

-          Go back to the first question. Decide if you are looking for specific information or whether the question requires you to understand the whole text. Then either scan or skim the text, as appropriate, to find the answer.

-          Read the relevant part of the text very carefully.

-          Don’t leave any questions unanswered.

-          Remember: Read questions carefully and eliminate unlikely answers.

Reference: How to Prepare for IELTS Writing. City University of Hongkong: English Language Center.

IELTS Reading Task: Details of the Reading Test

The reading module is the second test you have to do on the test day. You’re given a question booklet and an answer sheet. There is no time, unlike in the listening test, at the end to transfer answers so you have to write your answers directly onto the answer sheet. The time for this module is 60 minutes.

The test instructions indicate how much time you should spend on each section of the test.

Structure of the test:

The test is divided into three sections. You’re given a reading passage with questions in each section. The question can be both before and after the passages. The topics of the passages are of general interest and come from magazines, journals, books and newspapers. At least one of the passages will present a logical argument. The texts increase in difficulty as test progresses. There may be a glossary of technical words.

Question types:

The types of tasks are:

1.       Multiple choice,

2.       A short-answer questions,

3.       Sentence completion,

4.       Notes/table/summary flow-chart/diagram completion,

5.       Yes, no, not given or True, false, not given,

6.       Classification,

7.       Matching lists/phrases,

8.       Choosing headings for paragraphs/sections of a text,

9.       Scanning and identifying location of information,

10.   Labelling a diagram which has numbered parts.

There are 40 questions in total. Each of three sections has around 10-15 questions and there are at least two types of questions in each section.

Remember: you’re given a mark for each of the 40 questions. Your result is converted into a score which corresponded to one of the bands from 1-9. You will see the band on your result sheet. You can be awarded a whole band or a half band for the reading section.

Good luck for your exam!

Reference: How to Prepare for IELTS Writing. City University of Hongkong: English Language Center.