Introduction
If you’ve been struggling with IELTS Writing Task 2, you’re about to discover the exact strategy that helped one of my students jump from Band 6.5 to Band 8 in a single attempt. This isn’t just another tips video – I’m going to show you real before and after essays, explain every improvement step-by-step, and reveal the simple system that thousands of my students have used to achieve Band 7, 8, and even 9 scores.
The best part? You won’t need to memorize multiple complex strategies. Just one effective approach that addresses everything examiners are looking for.
The Three-Stage IELTS Writing Process
| Stage 1: Thinking | Stage 2: Writing | Stage 3: Checking |
|---|---|---|
| 5-10 minutes Planning & Understanding | 25-30 minutes Drafting Your Response | 5 minutes Reviewing for Errors |
Most candidates make the mistake of jumping straight into writing. Instead, I teach my students to divide their 40 minutes into these three distinct stages. Let’s break down each stage to see how they transformed my student’s performance.
Stage 1: The Thinking Stage
When I first spoke with my student about her 6.5 score, she immediately said: “I just don’t have time for planning. I need all 40 minutes just to finish writing.”
This is perhaps the most critical mindset shift you need to make: Planning is not a waste of time – it’s an investment that saves you time.
📝 Mindset Shift
| ❌ Wrong Thinking: “I don’t have time to plan. I need all 40 minutes to write.” | ✅ Right Thinking: “Planning saves me time by preventing rewrites and helping me organize my thoughts.” |
Think of it like planning a vacation. Would you just arrive in a foreign city without booking a hotel or knowing what you want to see? Of course not. The same applies to your essay – proper planning prevents the “write a bit, think a bit, panic a bit” cycle that wastes valuable minutes.
Step 1: Understand What the Question Is Really Asking
Let’s look at the question my student faced:
“People sleep fewer hours than they did in the past. Why is this the case and what effects does this have on them?”
Question Analysis Breakdown
| General Topic | Sleep |
| Specific Topic | Comparing sleep now vs. in the past |
| Question 1 | Why is this happening? (Causes) |
| Question 2 | What effects does this have? (Effects) |
Instead of immediately writing, take 1-2 minutes to analyze the question. This simple analysis helps you focus on exactly what the examiner wants, preventing the common mistake of writing about the general topic without addressing the specific questions.
Step 2: Generate Clear, Simple Ideas
My student’s original approach was to “start writing and then brainstorm” – an impossible task that led to scattered thoughts and undeveloped points.
Instead of traditional brainstorming (which often generates too many random ideas), ask yourself direct questions:
Direct Question Approach
Question 1:
“Why do people sleep less now?”
Simple Answer:
They work more hours
Question 2:
“What effects does less sleep have?”
Simple Answer:
Fatigue/tiredness
⚠️ Important Reminder
There are no extra points for sophisticated or complex ideas. The IELTS is a language test, not an intelligence test. Simple, relevant ideas that you can explain well score much higher than complex ideas you struggle to develop.
Step 3: Structure Planning
Once you have your main ideas, organize them into a clear structure:
Essay Structure Template
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Introduction | • Paraphrase the question • Briefly answer both questions |
| Main Body 1 | • First answer (cause: work more) • Explanation • Example |
| Main Body 2 | • Second answer (effect: fatigue) • Explanation • Example |
| Conclusion | • Summary of both answers |
There’s no magic “perfect structure” that guarantees a high score, but a clear organization helps both you and the examiner follow your ideas logically.
Key Principles from the Thinking Stage:
- Take time to understand what the question is actually asking
- View planning as an investment, not a waste of time
- Choose obvious, relevant ideas that are easy to explain
- Use a proven structure to organize your thoughts
- Complete most of your thinking before you start writing
The Transformation: Before and After Examples
Introduction Comparison
| Band 6.5 (Before) | Band 8 (After) |
|---|---|
| “Nowadays due to busy lifestyle it is common phenomena for people to slumber less. This essay will discuss both views and finish with a reasonable opinion.” | “People sleep fewer hours than they did many years ago. This is because we tend to work longer hours compared to the past, and this results in fatigue.” |
| What Changed | |
| Removed memorized phrases and generic statements Directly paraphrased the specific question Answered both questions briefly (cause and effect) Used natural language instead of forced “high-level” vocabulary Made the essay structure clear to the reader | |
My student admitted she didn’t know why she wrote her original introduction – she had simply memorized phrases from other essays and YouTube videos. The improved version shows she understands the question and has a clear direction for her essay.
Main Body Paragraph 1 Comparison
| Band 6.5 (Before) | Band 8 (After) |
|---|---|
| “Firstly people not bless is because of hectic lifestyle. People have a more busier life than in the past. Secondly is the fast-paced life which many adherence are subject to causing a myriad problems. Thirdly for example my mother used to sleep 9 hours a night and she was a housewife. I snooze only 6 hours and I am a busy doctor. In conclusion, life is too busy nowadays.” | “People tend to sleep less compared to the past because they are expected to work more. This is because the job market is more competitive than ever before, and workers have to get more done or they may fall behind or be replaced by someone else. This means that people have to get up earlier and do not return home until late in the evening, thus cutting into their sleep. Furthermore, they do not have time to relax and this disrupts their sleep pattern. For example, recent studies showed that the average employee works 2.4 hours more than the average worker in the 1970s.” |
| What Changed | |
| Before Issues: Multiple undeveloped ideas (firstly, secondly, thirdly) Forced vocabulary used incorrectly (adherence, myriad) Confusing structure with mini-conclusion Personal example without context After Improvements: Clear topic sentence addressing the first question One main idea fully developed with explanations Logical progression of thoughts Relevant example with specific data | |
The Perfect Paragraph Structure
Topic Sentence
State your main idea clearly
→
Explanation
Develop your idea with details
→
Example
Support with evidence
Main Body Paragraph 2 Comparison
| Band 6.5 (Before) | Band 8 (After) |
|---|---|
| “There are a plethora reasons for this predicament. Firstly productivity of the workforce will plummet, however this is something that can be mitigated. Secondly this could cause health problems for those affected. Finally a number of my patient have complained of this problem and this was caused by a lack of dose. To recapitulate reasons are multivaried and profound which is not surprising considering how widespread this problem is.” | “The primary effect of this widespread [of] this is chronic fatigue. That is to say, large sections of the population do not get the required hours and this results in a high percentage of them being too tired to live their lives effectively. This could mean that they underperform at work, are more irritable with those around them, or could even have health problems. For example, the Golden State Warriors basketball team employed a sleep expert who studied players who sleep for more than 9 hours a night and compared [them] with those that only got six. Those that slept less had more injuries and actually performed worse on the court.” |
| What Changed | |
| Key Problem:The student confused causes with effects because she didn’t analyze the question properly.Key Improvement:The revised paragraph directly addresses the effects of less sleep as requested in the question. | |
Conclusion Comparison
| Band 6.5 (Before) | Band 8 (After) |
|---|---|
| “To sum it all up we live in fast-paced hectic world where dozing is not prioritization. It is my future prediction that this will continue to be problem and will even gather pace in the coming century.” | “In conclusion, people are more sleep deprived than in previous generations due to longer working hours, and the effect is that many are chronically tired to the point of exhaustion.” |
| What Changed | |
| Removed new ideas and future predictions Provided a clear summary of both main points (cause and effect) Used natural language instead of forced vocabulary Created a concise, focused ending that connects back to the introduction | |
Stage 3: The Checking Stage
Even with great ideas and structure, my student’s essay contained numerous grammar and vocabulary errors. We implemented a systematic checking process for the final 5 minutes:
3-Step Checking Process
Step 1
After each sentence: Quick check for obvious errors
Step 2
After each paragraph: Read for coherence and grammar
Step 3
After the essay: Final full review
Key Links: