How to Score a Minimum of 7 Bands in IELTS General Training Writing

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If you are looking for tips on how to score a minimum of band 7 in IELTS General Training writing, you have landed at the right place. 

Many IELTS test-takers find achieving a Band 7 in the Writing section difficult, especially in the General Training module. If you’ve been stuck at 6.5 despite multiple attempts, don’t worry—you’re not alone.

The good news is that you can break this barrier with the right strategies and understanding of what the examiners are looking for.

Many students continue to ride the Hamster Wheel and often give up when they run out of savings, lose hope, and lack the energy to take the IELTS.

Over the past seven years, we have helped many IELTS GT aspirants in Ludhiana, Punjab, and many students in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada through Online IELTS coaching.

Sadly…

Most IELTS teachers and institutes, whether online or offline, see students as cash cows and the IELTS business as lucrative due to the high coaching fees. They usually have no idea how IELTS General Training Writing is marked.

Many capable students have given up on their dreams of scoring Band 7 in the writing because they never got efficient teachers. They took the blame on them. 

In Punjab, India, countless IELTS Institutes claim to be the best in the region; however, the teachers don’t have proper knowledge of IELTS Writing/Speaking descriptors. They hardly teach students on such parameters and usually force them to learn fancy words and give them obsolete writing structures without teaching them to use critical thinking.

MOREOVER…

When we check the past IELTS General Training Writings of such students, we are usually bowled over by the degradation in the teaching at such a high level. Most teachers don’t know the basics of grammar, let alone the usage of complex grammar.

This is one of the prime reasons we got so moved that we designed our teaching videos for the Online Coaching, so the students with less budget to afford one-to-one private coaching can go for the videos that teach them everything in-depth..

NONETHELESS…

They can access Band 9 samples of IELTS Writing Task 1 (GT/AC) and IELTS Writing Task 2 that our expert teachers have written and write when the essay question comes after the exam. Also, you get to read IELTS speaking Band 7+ sample answers.

We follow strict IELTS Writing/Speaking Parameters and teach according to them. When our students take the exam, they become examiners because we promote critical thinking and train them to think analytically. Thus, we successfully produce results.

Now we’ll discuss:

  1. Why do students often get stuck at 6.5?
  2. How to approach Writing Task 1 and Task 2 using the four key parameters: Task Achievement/Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
  3. Examples to guide you.

Why Students Often Get Stuck at Band 6.5 in IELTS General Training Writing?

Many students struggle to move past Band 6.5 because:

  1. Lack of Task Understanding: They write off-topic or fail to address all parts of the question. We have often seen students rush to answer the answer since the clock is racing against them. It makes them anxious, and they do not answer the question properly. For IELTS Writing Task 2, for example, if you spend 5 minutes understanding the question and the next 5 minutes planning the question, you can easily write up to a 300-word essay in the next 20-25 minutes, leaving more than enough time to complete Writing Task 1. 
  2. Repetitive Vocabulary and Grammar: Overusing the same words or sentence structures affects the Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range scores. For example, if the question concerns the youngsters, the examiner wants you to use topic-specific vocabulary. You can use young blood, youth, young adult, etc, words to show range in your vocabulary. Talking about grammar, a Band 7 essay should have around 4 complex sentences. If your essay doesn’t have these, you will have to face serious trouble scoring band 7 in the Writing section.
  3. Poor Organisation: Ideas are not clearly connected, which lowers the Coherence and Cohesion score. Imagine watching a movie that suddenly introduces new characters without any backstory and changes the stories altogether without completing the last one. You will hate the movie and may stop watching it. Similarly, students make mistakes in their essays. They keep writing for the sake of writing without being coherent and cohesive.
  4. Minor Grammar Errors: Frequent small errors, such as incorrect verb forms or missing articles, accumulate, keeping the score below 7. Even capitalization of proper nouns, etc., are counted as grammar mistakes.

Now, let’s discuss how to tackle Writing Tasks 1 and 2 to score Band 7 or higher in IELTS General Training Writing.

Writing Task 1: Tips to Score Band 7

Task 1 in the General Training module requires writing a letter (formal, informal, or semi-formal). Here’s how you can excel:

1. Task Achievement (Band 7 Tip)

  • What the examiner looks for: Did you address all parts of the question? Many times, students fail to address the entire question properly. They miss certain parts, which lowers their scores. A letter has three bullet points. Did you address them? Did you paraphrase the question in the opening sentence of the letter?
  • How to improve: Read the question carefully and ensure you cover all bullet points provided in the task.
  • Example:
    If the task says:

    • Explain why you’re writing the letter.
    • Describe the problem.
    • Suggest a solution.

    Write clearly on each point. For instance, in a formal complaint letter about a faulty product:

    • Why you’re writing: “I am writing to inform you about a defect in the laptop I purchased from your store.”
    • The problem: “The screen flickers continuously, making it impossible to work.”
    • Suggestion: “I request a replacement or a full refund.”

2. Coherence and Cohesion (Band 7 Tip)

  • What the examiner looks for: Logical flow and well-connected ideas.
  • How to improve: Use linking words like however, therefore, and in addition appropriately. Divide your letter into clear paragraphs:
    1. Opening (why you’re writing).
    2. Main body (details of the problem).
    3. Closing (request or action needed).

3. Lexical Resource (Band 7 Tip)

  • What the examiner looks for: Various words, appropriate tone, and fewer repetitions.
  • How to improve: Use synonyms and formal/informal phrases depending on the type of letter. For example:
    • Formal: “I look forward to your response.”
    • Informal: “Can’t wait to hear back from you!”

4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy (Band 7 Tip)

  • What the examiner looks for: Correct grammar and sentence variety.
  • How to improve: Mix simple, compound, and complex sentences. Avoid errors in punctuation, articles, and tense.
  • Example: Instead of “I am very upset,” write, “I am deeply disappointed with the product I received.”

Writing Task 2: Tips to Score Band 7

Task 2 is an essay with more weight than Task 1. Here’s how to approach it:

1. Task Response (Band 7 Tip)

  • What the examiner looks for: Do you answer the question fully?
  • How to improve: Identify the type of essay (opinion, discussion, problem-solution, etc.). Address all parts of the question and give relevant examples.
  • Example:
    Question: “Some people think children should be taught to be competitive, while others believe cooperation is more important. Discuss both views and give your opinion.”

    • Discuss both views: Explain why some believe competition helps in personal growth, while others argue cooperation builds teamwork skills.
    • Give your opinion: State which you support and why.

2. Coherence and Cohesion (Band 7 Tip)

  • What the examiner looks for: Clear structure and logical connections.
  • How to improve:
    • Use a four-paragraph structure:
      1. Introduction (paraphrase the question + give your thesis statement).
      2. Body 1 (discuss one view with examples).
      3. Body 2 (discuss the other view with examples).
      4. Conclusion (summarise and restate your opinion).
    • Use linking phrases like on the other hand, in contrast, in my opinion, and to illustrate.

3. Lexical Resource (Band 7 Tip)

  • What the examiner looks for: A wide range of vocabulary relevant to the topic.
  • How to improve: Avoid repeating words. Use topic-specific vocabulary.
  • Example: For the essay above, use words like collaboration, teamwork, individualistic mindset, and mutual understanding.

4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy (Band 7 Tip)

  • What the examiner looks for: Variety and correctness in grammar.
  • How to improve: Use complex sentences but ensure accuracy.
  • Example: Instead of “Competition is good,” write, “While competition encourages personal growth, it can sometimes harm relationships if not balanced with cooperation.”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Not planning your answer: Spend 5-10 minutes planning your ideas before writing.
  2. Writing too much or too little: Stay close to the word limit (150 for Task 1, 250 for Task 2) or target 170-180 words for Task 1 and 270-280 words for Task 2.
  3. Ignoring grammar basics: Small errors in articles (a, an, the), subject-verb agreement, and punctuation can reduce your score.

Final Thoughts

Scoring Band 7 in IELTS Writing is achievable if you focus on the four parameters: Task Achievement/Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.

Practice consistently, get your writing evaluated, and learn from feedback. Remember, minor organisational, grammar, or vocabulary improvements can raise your score from 6.5 to 7.

Good luck with your preparation!

We have also written a similar post on How to Score Band 7 in IELTS Speaking in detail. Click here.