How to Score 7.5 in IELTS Writing (Proven Strategy + Expert Tips)

Band 7.5 in IELTS Writing is most definitely achievable even without a tutor or expensive courses. To score that, you need to be fairly good at four key areas : fully answering the question, laying out your ideas in a clear and easy to follow way, using all sorts of interesting vocabulary and getting all the grammar right – especially the complex bits. The difference between Band 6.5 and 7.5 is all about precision, not perfection – you dont necessarily need to get everything spot on to reach 7.5.

Key Takeaways

• To get 7.5, you basically have to be excellent in all four areas.
• Task 1 calls for a clear overview without any of your own opinions creeping in.
• Task 2 is all about building a strong paragraph structure with a logical argument.
• Using advanced vocabulary only works if you use it properly.
• If you make any grammar mistakes above the Band 6.5 level, theyve got to be few and far between.
• A daily routine of 45 minutes of focused practice beats random, pot luck studying any day.

Why IELTS Writing always feels like the toughest Section

Most of the people who take the test find writing the hardest part. Here’s why. Speaking feels like second nature, reading gives you loads of choices, listening is only once and is over quick enough. Writing on the other hand asks you to come up with something from scratch in 60 minutes with no spellcheck and no help. One mispelled word could change the whole meaning of your text. One grammar mistake could easily knock you down a band.

Check out Entri’s free IELTS courses!!

Understanding the 7.5 Level in IELTS Writing

The IELTS Writing test looks at four main areas – each makes up 25 % of your score – and you need at least 7 in each one to reach a 7.5.

Task Achievement and Task Response

This just checks if you actually answered the question. For Task 1, youve got to describe the data accurately. For Task 2, youve got to cover every single part of the prompt. A Band 6.5 answer will give you the gist of what the question is asking, but a 7.5 answer will nail every single point the question asks.

What sets apart a 6.5 from a 7.5 is that a 6.5 gives a fairly general answer while a 7.5 gives a complete and clear answer along with some real world examples to back it up.

Coherence and Cohesion

This is about how well your writing flows. If you can make your ideas all hang together in a coherent way and connect your paragraphs and sentences smoothly then youve got coherence and cohesion sorted. To reach Band 7.5, you need to have basic linking words like “first” and “second”, but also some more advanced ones to really tie your ideas together.

What sets apart a 6.5 from a 7.5 is that a 6.5 tends to have a bit of a bumpy ride in terms of links between sentences and paragraphs. A 7.5 on the other hand has a smooth flow from one idea to the next.

Lexical Resource

This is all about vocabulary. A 6.5 will use a fair amount of good vocabulary, but will probably end up repeating some of it a bit too much. A 7.5, on the other hand, shows real variety and precision with their words. You can use all sorts of less common words, but only if they really fit the context. Using them in a way that just doesnt look right will do more harm than good than if you used some pretty basic vocabulary.

What makes a 7.5 stand out from a 6.5 is that a 6.5 sometimes uses uncommon words and sometimes gets them wrong. A 7.5 uses a wide range of words naturally and with hardly any mistakes at all.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

This checks your sentence structures. A 6.5 will mix up simple and complex sentences, but will probably make a few mistakes along the way. A 7.5 on the other hand will use loads of complex structures and only make a few tiny errors. Most of your sentences will be error free.

What sets apart a 6.5 from a 7.5 is that a 6.5 has a number of noticeable grammar mistakes. A 7.5 will be almost flawless with just a tiny few errors that dont really impact on how well you are understood.

Task 1 Strategy to Score 7.5

The Right Structure

Youve got 20 minutes to break down a chart , graph, table map or process into its key points… identify the central question and try to rephrase it in a way that still gets the point across – but words it differently.

The main point of this is to get a good overview of what you see, looking for big trends and major observations – not just a list of dates or numbers- you need to boil it down to a few key points, and then support those points with actual data. Your Band 7.5 answer will have a strong overview.

Youve got to describe the actual data that supports your first point – this is where the numbers come in , by comparing different points you can make it clear whats going up, and whats going down.

Key Rules for Task 1

Okay so – no personal opinions or feelings allowed – you cant just inject “I think” into your answer – just stick to what you see.

When going through the chart , the first thing you need to do is look for the trends – whats going up, whats going down, and whats staying the same – then you can compare the highest and lowest points.

Instead of just giving some dry numbers , use some comparisons – such as ” coffee sales were 10 units higher than tea sales”

Example Phrases for Band 7.5

• “According to the graph, sales increase fairly steadily.”
• “There was a sharp rise in the figure for coffee – from 20 to 45 in just a few weeks”
• “contrary to that, tea consumption took a pretty gradual nose-dive.
• When you take a closer look at the data you can see that the winter months really had the highest demand.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• dont get bogged down trying to describe every single number – you should only be highlighting the important ones.
• crucially, make sure youve actually got an overview paragraph – without it youll probably only be a Band 6.
• and lastly – keep it concise – try to keep your answer to the 20 minute mark – practice with a timer to get a feel for it.

Task 2 Strategy to Score 7.5

Task 2 – 40 minutes and a 250 word essay are what you have to work with – the task is twice as valued as Task 1.

Three Types of Essays – What You Need to Know

Opinion Essays require you to take a stand – Do you agree or disagree? its pretty clear cut – choose one side and defend it.

Discussion Essays are a bit more complex – You have to consider both views and have an opinion of your own. You’ll need to break down both sides of the argument and then decide.

Problem Solution Essays are all about identifying problems and coming up with solutions. You need to list the problems and then offer some solutions to them.

Essay Structure – The Good Stuff

You’ll want to keep things simple with the structure of your essay. The intro is short – 2 to 3 sentences, and its pretty standard fare. Your first sentence paraphrases the question – then you state your position.

Body Paragraph 1 needs to make a strong point, you cant just plod along. You need to tell the reader what the main point is, explain what that means, give a specific example to back up your point, then explain how that example supports your main point.

Body Paragraph 2 is much the same, but with a different point – again its about having a clear direction.

Conclusion is just a wrap up, take what you said in the body paragraphs and summarise it in a couple of sentences.

Developing Your Ideas – Getting it Down on Paper Fast

You dont need to have the perfect idea – just a clear one will do. Ask yourself three questions to get started: why does this matter, what is a real world example of this, and what would happen if you did nothing.

Take 5 minutes to plan before you write – it will save you time later and you wont be stuck for ideas.

Linking Words To Help You Hang Your Essay Together

Having a few advanced linking words up your sleeve can make all the difference – they add polish to your writing but dont go overboard – one per paragraph is enough.

• Furthermore adds a similar point
• However shows there is another view – and heres why
• As a result of this we get – this consequence
• For instance here is an example
• In addition another point to consider

Check out Entri’s free IELTS courses!!

Top 10 Expert Tips to Achieve Band 7.5

1. Write as much as you need to, but dont get carried away with word count. 250-280 is good, trying to squeeze in a few more words wont hurt your score but taking hours to write wont either – just get on with it.
2. Forget templates, examiners hate them and if you use one your score will suffer. Learn to structure your essays in a way that sounds like you and not some generic template.
3. Practice under the gun – set a 40 minute timer and write a full Task 2 essay. Keep an eye on your word count and try and do it every day for two weeks to get used to time pressure.
4. Get some real feedback on your essays – find a teacher or use an online service that specialises in IELTS. Make sure they focus on grammar and task response before anything else.
5. Try to use complex sentences naturally – a good one has a main clause and one or more extra bits tacked on the end. For example “The weather was rubbish, but the team still managed to finish the project on time”. have a few tricks up your sleeve and use them without thinking.
6. Keep a vocabulary notebook – every time you come across a phrase thats really useful for describing trends or giving opinions jot it down. Go through it each morning and see if you can use any new words in your next practice essay.
7. Read some high scoring essay examples – the official Cambridge books have loads of real student answers. Have a look at the Band 7 and 8 ones and see how they do their paragraph structuring and vocabulary choices.
8. Give yourself time to review your work – the last 5 minutes of the writing test is all yours. Take a look over what youve written and make sure you havent made any spelling mistakes, got any verb tenses wrong or any punctuation errors.
9. Practice paraphrasing without even thinking about it – take a sentence, change the order around, swap some words and break it up into two smaller sentences. do it for 10 minutes every day and youll get the hang of it.
10. Prioritise being clear over using fancy language – a simple essay that says what it means is going to score higher than a complicated one that doesnt make sense. make sure each sentence leads on from the last and each paragraph has one clear job.

Sample Band 7.5 Answer (Task 2)

Some People Believe That Unpaid Community Service Should Be A Compulsory Part of High School Programs. To What Extent Do You Agree or Disagree?

A lot of people reckon that unpaid community service should be a given in high school curriculums – and I have to say that I think they’re right. Community service is a vital way to equip people with life skills and get them to take their civic responsibilities seriously.

Why This Answer Gets A Band 7.5

• We’re crystal clear about where we stand from the get go in the intro
• Each of our main points in the body paragraphs has its own unique direction and a specific example to back it up
• We’re using some big words – civic duty, compulsory and emotional intelligence basically – but we’re using them right
• Our sentences are a bit complex, but they don’t sound like we’re trying too hard to sound smart
• The way we connect our ideas together comes naturally – it’s not forced or contrived

Daily Practice Plan for Band 7.5

This 14 day plan will need 45 minutes from you every single day – consistency really is king over intensity.

Week 1: Laying the Groundwork

Day 1: Get up to speed on the four scoring criteria – write one Task 1 intro from scratch and come up with three different ways to rephrase the same question
Day 2: Put in some practice writing overview paragraphs for different types of charts – 5 minutes each. Go for three and that’s it
Day 3: Write a full Task 1 answer – 20 minutes should do it. Then check your work against a sample and see how you did
Day 4: Learn about the three different essay types and then have a go at writing intros for each one – practice makes perfect
Day 5: Focus on writing one decent body paragraph with a solid topic sentence and some good examples – do it again with a different topic

Week 2: Building Your Speed and Accuracy

Day 6: Do a Task 1 and Task 2 back to back without any breaks – that’s 60 minutes flat – then take 5 minutes to review your own work
Day 7: Get in some more practice by rewriting 10 sentences from sample essays in your own words – change up the structure and vocabulary too
Day 8: Write a Task 2 essay but this time focus solely on nailing the grammar – check every single sentence for errors
Day 9: Work on a Task 1 answer but concentrate on getting the overview and comparisons just right
Day 10: Go back and spot 3 mistakes from your earlier writing – then rewrite each one 3 times and get it spot on

Just keep repeating this 2 week cycle right up until test day. Every time through, write a little faster and make a few fewer errors.

Check out Entri’s free IELTS courses!!

Conclusion

Scoring 7.5 in IELTS Writing isn’t about having to be some kind of English genius – it’s all about having a clear strategy in place and just putting in the practice. Learn what the people who are marking your test are looking for and just deliver that. Answer the question, get your ideas in order, and use some decent vocabulary without overdoing it. Write decent sentences and then just follow along with this plan for 14 days. Get some feedback on your writing and sort out those common mistakes of yours. And when test day finally rolls around, trust that all the practice has paid off. You know the rules now, you’ve got the skills down pat, so just go and write with a bit of confidence.