I cannot
stress this enough – the success in IELTS test largely depends on students'
ability to follow the instructions. It sounds ridiculously simple, and yet it
is a common mistake to underestimate the importance of following the
instructions precisely. So here is a list of 8 most famous IELTS pitfalls that
cost test takers precious points.
1.
More
is less. A very common mistake is to answer in more words than instructed. If
the task says "Not more than 3 words", answering in 4 or more words
will definitely cost marks.
2.
Less
is less. The length of a written task is crucial. When instructions mention a
minimal number of words (250 for essay, 150 for report or letter), it means
that any work shorter than required will be penalized.
3.
Longer
essay doesn't mean better mark. Another common misconception is that longer
essays score better in IELTS. Not only is this a myth, but also a dangerous
one. Writing a long essay can indirectly cost marks, because the chances of
making mistakes increase with the number of words and sentences.
4.
Changing
the subject is unacceptable. Every so often a student is asked to write on
topic, that he doesn't understand. To avoid the disaster of missing a whole
task they decide to write on a slightly – or entirely - different topic. The
sad fact is that no matter how beautiful the submitted work is, the wrong topic
means zero score. Another similar pitfall is to omit parts of the given topic
or ignore the guidelines in your work. Every point the topic refers to needs to
be covered because the examiners will be actually counting them.
5.
Good
memory can get you in trouble. Having seen that the topics sometimes repeat,
"smart" students with good memory decide to memorize essays. This is
a terrible mistake to make because the examiners are trained to look for
memorized essays and have firm instructions to disqualify such works on the
spot.
6.
Accent
is not important. Pronunciation is.! IELTS, being a test for non-native English
speakers can't penalize people for having an accent. The problem here is that
not everyone knows the difference between speaking with an accent and
mispronouncing the words. No matter how strong of an accent a person has, the
words are to be pronounced correctly or it will cost marks.
7.
It
is not the ideas that are important, but the way they are described in. Many
students think that expressing the wrong ideas (whether it is in essay, letter
or discussion) can harm their score. The truth is that no idea can be wrong and
the ideas are not important on their own, it is the way they are expressed in
that important.
8.
Connective
words: the more is not always the better. Smart students know that one of the
essay marking criteria are coherence and cohesion, and what better way is there
to demonstrate cohesion than to use lots of connective words, right? Wrong.
Overuse of connective words is a know problem, which is easily recognized and
penalized by the examiners.
And in
conclusion, a word of advice: to stay out of trouble, it is equally important
to be aware of the pitfalls and to practice enough before the exam. Being
familiar with the structure and the procedure of the test will build up
confidence and that will reflect in your score.
