Key Insights after Marking Over 10,000 Essays

The speaker emphasizes that reaching a band 8 or 9 in IELTS writing is straightforward once common mistakes are identified and corrected. With experience in correcting over 10,000 essays, the speaker has observed typical errors in structure and vocabulary. The strategy for success involves understanding these mistakes and learning how to fix them. The session aims to upgrade a student's band 6 essay to a band 8 by addressing common issues, such as the ineffective use of background statements and memorized templates, which can lead to errors and do not contribute to a higher score.

The paragraph discusses the negative impact of using memorized sentences in IELTS essays. It highlights that these sentences often lead to errors and provide evidence to examiners that the candidate cannot write independently. The paragraph also covers the importance of understanding the official marking criteria and how they assess a candidate's position and conclusion formulation. The speaker advises against including anything that doesn't improve the score, such as background statements, and stresses the need to take a clear position on the topic, which is often not taught in many education systems.

This paragraph focuses on the importance of addressing the task requirements in an IELTS essay. It points out that the student's paragraph lacks clarity and fully developed ideas, leading to a lower score. The paragraph explains that the use of 'such as' in the question is meant to clarify the term 'professionals' rather than instructing the student to discuss doctors and engineers separately. The speaker also addresses the student's incorrect assumption that discussing multiple ideas is beneficial, when in fact it leads to a lack of development and clarity in the essay.

The speaker critiques the use of cohesive devices like 'on the one hand, on the other hand' and explains their misuse due to memorization. The paragraph also identifies that the student's ideas do not address the prompt correctly. It should discuss the freedom of professionals to work in other countries, not the difficulties they might face. The speaker emphasizes the need to fully address the prompt and avoid introducing irrelevant ideas, which can lead to a lower band score.

The paragraph discusses the consequences of using memorized content and not providing a clear position in the essay. It explains that such an approach can lead to deductions in the score as it does not meet the criteria for a higher band. The speaker also addresses the issue of not giving a personal opinion, which is a requirement of the task. The paragraph concludes by stressing the importance of answering the question and providing a clear position throughout the essay.

The speaker provides an overview of the common issues that lead to a band 6 score in IELTS writing. These include making too many small errors in grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. The paragraph explains that these errors are cumulative and can significantly impact the overall score. The speaker also discusses the misconceptions about the complexity required for a high band score and emphasizes that clarity and accuracy are more important than using complex language.

The speaker outlines the process of transforming a band 6 essay to a band 8 by focusing on the question, formulating a clear answer, and presenting it concisely. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of addressing all parts of the question and providing a personal opinion. It also discusses the common mistake of not using personal pronouns and clarifies that using 'I' or 'my' in the essay is acceptable and can help in clearly stating one's opinion.

The paragraph focuses on simplifying the essay's main ideas and using clear language to communicate them effectively. The speaker demonstrates how to reduce multiple ideas to a single, clear main idea and how to fully explain and support that idea with relevant examples. It also addresses the common mistake of using too many personal or irrelevant examples and shows how to generalize these to make them more applicable to the question.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of clear argumentation and the ability to reach a logical conclusion in the essay. The paragraph discusses how to present both sides of an argument and then provide a personal opinion that aligns with one side. It also addresses the common mistake of not reiterating the opinion within the main body paragraphs and shows how to effectively summarize the essay's main points in the conclusion.

The final paragraph summarizes the key points of improving an IELTS essay rating. It stresses the importance of clear communication over the use of complex language or ideas. The speaker encourages students to avoid common mistakes and to use simple, easy-to-understand language and ideas. The paragraph concludes by reiterating that the ability to communicate clearly in writing is the primary skill being assessed in the IELTS exam.