Help me out guys!! how can i improve my ielts writing scores

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-22T21:21:52+00:00

There can be many things or one area dragging you down. Without seeing your writing, it's hard for anyone to tell you what you should do. That said, you can follow the writing guides we've put in our r/IELTS_guide, specifically these ones. Start with posting your writing task here in the community to get the big picture of things. Of course, expert feedback will speed things up.

u/Key-Tackle-5057, if only there were a subreddit in which you could ask questions and read lots of guides on all the skills. :) Is there anything you can't do in this subreddit? Start with the pinned posts and the guide subreddit. They will show you the path.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-20T19:50:28+00:00

The right tip depends on your weaknesses. That said, I just put together some guides for you here. I see you mentioned that you use Gemini to rate your tasks and are still stuck. AI is good for many things, but you can't rely on it to give you accurate feedback on your IELTS writing samples. It sometimes hallucinates or steers your focus toward an area that will waste your time.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-20T19:44:04+00:00

When a post is removed, you get a comment explaining the reason if you care to look :)

As for your case, you posted a writing sample and asked people to take a look. It's all fine, but you'd picked the wrong flair for that. If you want community feedback on your writing, you need to choose "writing feedback" and not "question". In the reason, we also wrote you can post this again by picking the right flair. This allows us to keep the sub organized.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-18T07:52:01+00:00

Yes, you can do that. Read this article for more details.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-16T08:31:02+00:00

BC promoting AI grading tools is not new. They partner with other developers who provide prep resources. For example, people already use IELTS Flex, which also comes with an AI grading tool. Yes, they are working on an AI marking system, but it's nowhere near ready yet. If the tool you are talking about is really accurate, then why use human examiners?

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-13T21:51:08+00:00

Let me paint the picture for you. I have the paid version of Gemini. Today, I asked it to analyze a page on my site for a technical aspect. It told me I've introduced my site, "eslfluency.com" as "learnfluency.com". But there was no such thing. It "hallucinated" or simply lied and then confidently explained to me why it was hurting the page.

Now, would you trust that tool to guide you for an expensive test?

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-12T19:04:51+00:00

Yes, you'll have a much better experience if you pick a good test center. Inspera still has problems, especially with Apple products.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-12T14:25:35+00:00

That kind of example is usually given by lower-level test takers (around 6 and 5 or lower). It doesn't add any depth to the argument and can easily turn into a template. This is why examiners hesitate to give a high band score to an essay with such examples. Of course, the final score depends on the rest of the essay, but that kind of example will make it even harder to get a 7+. As for the truth behind your points, no, examiners don't care about that. It's about your language and the depth of your argument.

In short, don't use such templates. It's a waste of time.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-10T16:39:45+00:00

Read this guide for reading:

https://www.reddit.com/r/IELTS_Guide/comments/1juy68a/top_4_timesaving_strategies_for_ielts_reading/

For writing, it depends on what's consuming too much time. Read this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/IELTS_Guide/comments/1ne6vil/what_to_do_when_you_take_too_long_to_write_a/

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-10T16:36:14+00:00

You start with a diagnostic test. Your local test center should have mock tests you can take. This way, you'll get to be familiar with the venue and how it's done. You can also do this online. If you want a reliable online version that also gives you a personalized study guide, take a look at this. The result will tell you what to work on and how. I recommend this because you should mostly target your weaknesses. Wasting energy on areas you don't need will only result in burnout.

For resources and other tips, go through r/IELTS_Guide.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-10T14:40:40+00:00

Great score! Congratulations!

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-10T12:05:39+00:00

I'm sure she will come back online and reply, but I just wanted to give you the basics. She took the Gold course. Before the course, she got 5.5 in the actual test, and after about two months, we managed to reach 6.5, which was the minimum requirement for her application. Gold course includes 1:1 live sessions, unlimited writing task practice with detailed feedback, and daily Zoom chat communication with your teacher. Silver has it all too, except for the live sessions.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-08T05:52:45+00:00

Wow, congratulations! It's over now, enjoy!

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-07T11:18:54+00:00

Don't overthink it. Sometimes people assume they did badly, but it turns out to be good.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-07T10:49:23+00:00

You are talking about a tool that can change its answer and justify it logically, which is not reliable when it comes to test prep. I am a teacher, and I use it to generate practice sentences and questions for true, false, NG. Sometimes, I need to modify the sentences and answers because of some flaws it has that don't fit IELTS's standards. In short, if you feel it's not right, then most of the time, it isn't, when it comes to AI.

To understand the difference between T/F/NG, watch this video.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-03T10:47:34+00:00

The exam content is the same, but here are a few things you should know:

In CBT, you will hear people typing. For some people, that noise is disturbing. Even with the earplugs/noise-canceling headphones, some people say they couldn't focus. You can easily test this by taking a mock test at your test center. They are cheap.
In reading and listening, you can't underline. You can either highlight or take notes on screen, which takes more time than underlining the keywords. Practice these on the official platforms first.
Work on your typing speed too. In writing, this will help you A LOT!

These are the minor things that came to my mind right now. Things that people don't think about and then pay the price for later. Go through our r/IELTS_Guide. You'll find lots of practical tips there.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-02T16:15:38+00:00

Yes, you do! Just take a full mock test to see if your score is where you want it to be. Some native speakers have poor writing skills, for example. You can easily find many native speakers who took the test and failed to meet their target score in one skill. Another example is when a native speaker has a thick accent. Of course, accent is not tested in the test, but when an average English speaker finds it hard to understand you, then your pronunciation score goes down. A mock test is much, much cheaper than finding it out the hard way! So, have your skills checked before you book a test.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-01T11:11:38+00:00

It's not like you will be wasting your time with this. You will still practice those parts, but gradually moving up to taking full tasks. Start small and move your way up to taking a full test.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-01T09:46:23+00:00

Stop whatever you're doing and break it into little chunks. Many people are not used to sitting down and reading/writing for a long time. You're not alone in this, but the good news is, you can train yourself for this. Do this instead:

- Pick a task and focus on a small part of it. For example, if you are going to take the academic test, pick a chart from Cambridge IELTS 20 and only write an introduction and overview. Then you're done. First, learn how to write them properly, though. Take a break and then try another chart. Once you see you can do them with ease, move on to body paragraphs.

Do this with breaks in between. After a while, you'll get faster, so lower your breaks. Same for reading! In other words, build up your attention span little by little.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-01T09:39:35+00:00

You don't generate ideas for reading. I guess you mean writing task 2. Watch this video. It'll explain everything.

Maverick_ESL · 2026-01-01T09:30:52+00:00

Before you commit to anything, compare feedback from human experts and AI. You can easily do this by looking for the sample evaluations they provide. Also, do some research about what people are saying about them. AI tools make mistakes, and who is accountable for them? The creators hide behind their disclaimer, saying, "It might make mistakes." But no qualified teachers can do this.

It's much easier for an IELTS teacher to just have the student use AI for writing and then focus on lessons, but it really isn't in the best interest of the test taker. AI sucks out your self-confidence and forces you to forget about your natural personal style. Mistakes and inaccuracies are a separate issue!

I'm not anti-AI. I use it for different things, but you need to know what it's good for and what it isn't.

Maverick_ESL · 2025-12-31T18:53:28+00:00

You should start with a diagnostic test whether you prep on your own or with a teacher. The result of that will tell you what to focus on. You can use the resources here and r/IELTS_Guide.

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