How to get band 7 in IELTS Writing: a practical plan

Band 7 is the target for many university and visa applications, and it is also where many candidates get stuck. The good news is that band 7 does not require perfect English. It requires a clear, complete answer to the question, well-organised paragraphs, and language that is accurate most of the time. This guide gives you a practical plan for Task 2.

What band 7 actually requires

In simple terms, a band 7 Task 2 essay:

• answers every part of the question and keeps one clear position throughout
• develops its main ideas with explanation and examples, rather than listing them
• is logically organised, with a clear main idea in each paragraph
• uses a good range of vocabulary with reasonable precision and natural collocations
• uses a variety of complex sentences, with many sentences completely error-free

Notice what is not on the list: rare idioms, very long sentences and memorised phrases. None of these are required, and they often cause problems.

Manage your time

The Writing test lasts 60 minutes. The usual advice is to spend about 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2. Because Task 2 counts for more of your Writing score, protect those 40 minutes. A useful split is:

• 5 minutes: plan
• 30 minutes: write
• 5 minutes: check

Plan in five minutes

Planning is what separates organised essays from essays that wander. Follow these steps.

1. Identify the question type

Is it an opinion question, discuss both views, advantages and disadvantages, problem and solution, or a two-part question? Each type gives you a different job.

2. Underline every part of the question

Take this example: Some people believe that university education should be free for every student, while others argue that students should pay for their own tuition. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

There are three jobs here: explain view one, explain view two, and give your opinion. Missing any one of them limits your Task Response score.

3. Decide your position

Decide before you write, not halfway through. For example: University should be free for students from lower-income families, but not for everyone.

4. Choose two main ideas and one example for each

Write short notes, not sentences:

• Body 1 (free for all): equal opportunity; society needs nurses and teachers
• Body 2 (students pay): graduates earn more; fees fund quality; example of overcrowded lecture halls

Two well-developed ideas usually score better than four thin ones.

Use a clear paragraph structure

A four-paragraph essay of around 270-320 words is enough for most questions.

Introduction (2-3 sentences)

Paraphrase the question and state your position. Do not start with a long general statement about the modern world.

Body paragraphs (5-7 sentences each)

A reliable pattern is:

1. Topic sentence: the main idea of the paragraph.
2. Explanation: why or how this is true.
3. Example: a realistic, specific case.
4. Result or link: what this means for your argument.

Conclusion (1-2 sentences)

Restate your position and summarise the main reasons. Do not add new ideas.

Develop your ideas properly

Underdeveloped ideas are one of the most common reasons essays stay at band 6. A simple technique is to keep asking why? and so what?

Underdeveloped:

Working from home is good because it saves time. Also, it is more comfortable. Moreover, workers are happier.

This lists three ideas but explains none of them.

Developed:

The most obvious benefit of working from home is that it removes the daily commute. An employee who spends an hour travelling each way gains ten hours a week, time that can be used for exercise, family or rest. As a result, many people start work feeling less tired, which can make them more productive during the hours they do work.

This paragraph has one idea, explained, with a specific example and a consequence. That is what examiners mean by an idea that is extended and supported.

Make examples realistic

You do not need statistics. In fact, invented numbers often sound unconvincing. A brief, believable example is enough: a nurse who works night shifts, a small cafe competing with a supermarket chain, a student in a rural area with poor internet.

Common reasons people are stuck at 6.5

If you keep getting 6 or 6.5, check this list honestly.

• Your position is unclear or changes. You agree in the introduction and then argue the opposite in the conclusion, or you never say what you think.
• You list ideas instead of developing them. Three short reasons in one paragraph look busy but lack depth.
• Part of the question is missing. For example, you discuss advantages and disadvantages but never say which outweighs the other.
• Your linking is mechanical. Every sentence begins with Moreover, Furthermore or In addition, and examiners notice this.
• You force in advanced vocabulary. Words used slightly wrongly can lower your Lexical Resource score instead of raising it.
• Your complex sentences contain errors. Band 7 needs many error-free sentences, and long sentences full of mistakes do not help.
• You use memorised templates. Phrases such as This is a controversial issue that has sparked heated debate add words but no meaning.
• You have no time to check. Many errors with articles, plurals and verb forms are easy to fix in a final read-through.

Use your five minutes of checking well

Read your essay looking for one type of common mistake at a time:

• subject-verb agreement (people is, the number of cars have)
• articles (a, an, the)
• plurals and uncountable nouns (informations, many advices)
• verb tenses
• punctuation between clauses, especially comma splices

Do not start rewriting whole paragraphs. Small corrections are safer.

A simple weekly practice routine

1. Write two full essays a week under timed conditions, by hand or on a computer, depending on how you will take the test.
2. Get feedback on each essay against the four criteria.
3. Keep an error log: write down every grammar or vocabulary error and its correction. Most people repeat the same ten or fifteen mistakes.
4. Rewrite one paragraph from each essay using the feedback.
5. Read good model answers, but study how they develop ideas rather than memorising their sentences.

Progress from 6.5 to 7 usually comes from fixing a small number of repeated problems, not from learning hundreds of new words.

Check your essay

Feedback is the part of practice that many candidates skip, often because a teacher is not always available. You can paste your Task 2 essay into StudyChat to check your essay for free and get an estimated band score with feedback on what to improve. Its scores are AI estimates to guide your practice, not official IELTS results, and StudyChat is not affiliated with IELTS or its official partners.