Quartier Latin 11"x17" Poster

This 11"x17" poster is from "Quartier Latin" (1939)

Everyones biggest problem with Writing Task is finishing both tasks on time. What no one tells you is that if you dont finish either one, you lost a whole band point. This never has to happen to you!

The key to making sure that you report and essay qualify as finished is that they have a clear Conclusion paragraph. That paragraph can be one sentence long, if necessary. And the best news of all is, you have already written that sentence!

At the end of the Introduction (paragraph 1) of the Writing Task 1 report, you have written a summary of the information. In the same position at the end of the first paragraph in Writing Task 2, you have written your Thesis Statement. Simply be repeating both of those sentences at the beginning of a Conclusion paragraph, you have made your writing qualify as finished even if there is more you wanted to write. And you dont lose a whole band point needlessly.

Heres what you do:

1)Make sure you do write a good summary in Writing Task 1 and a good Thesis Statement in Writing Task 2. (Your report and essay wont work without them anyway.)

2)Watch your watch! No one is going to keep you on track as far as elapsed time is concerned. Its up to you to monitor your own progress.

3)In Writing Task 1, if 18 minutes have passed and youre still writing Body Paragraph sentences, finish the sentence youre writing, quickly. Then, start a new paragraph (and make sure it looks like a new paragraph), and begin it with the words, In conclusion, Then rewrite the summary. If you can, change a word or two (but not the meaning). If not, just write it exactly the way you did at the end of the Introduction.

4)In Writing Task 2, if 38 minutes have passed and youre still writing Body Paragraph sentences, finish the sentence youre writing, quickly. Then, start a new paragraph (and make sure it looks like a new paragraph), and begin it with the words, In conclusion, Then rewrite the Thesis Statement. (This needs to be done in any case. It is an essential part of the essay.)

5)Ideally, in Writing Task 2, you should write the Restatement in reverse order of the Thesis Statement. For example, if it is an opinion essay, and you wrote your opinion and three reasons in the Thesis Statement, write the three reasons first, and then the opinion, in the Restatement. Again, if you have time and can, change a word or two (but not the meaning). If not, just write it exactly the way you did at the end of the Introduction.

6)Make sure you finish these In conclusion, sentences on time. The task ends at exactly 60 minutes.

Obviously, this will not save you any lost points if all you have is a few sentences and your essay is far too short in the first place. But if you have written most of the essay, and followed the format, its essential that you not lost a whole band point just because it isnt finished. So make it look finished!

Svend Nelson is a university lecturer and internet entrepreneur. He is director of UniRoute Limited, a Hong Kong based company with offices in Bangkok and London providing online services for the education industry; these include IELTS test preparation, a Pre-Masters program to prepare for an online MBA program, and a hospitality management inquiry service. Svend lived and worked in various countries across Latin America, Europe and Asia before settling with his wife in Thailand.

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