IELTS Writing: What skills are you tested for and how useful are they in real life?

Great writing skills are necessary and are the backbone of communication, be it in the workplace or in the classroom.

Whether it is writing an important application for a lucrative scholarship or planning out a key presentation for your business team, having a solid set of writing skills will help set you apart and assist you in achieving a positive outcome.

The IELTS Writing test is just the start of assessing your writing skills and your journey to continuous improvement to communicate better in the written word!

In this article, we will go through what the IELTS Writing test evaluates and how strong writing skills build the foundation of your future success.

1. Interpreting information, statistics and diagrams 

Interpreting information from resources such as a graph, table or diagram is one of the core skills being assessed during the Writing test. Not only will you have to effectively analyze the given information, but you will also have to explain it in your own words.  

2. Summarising and describing 

Whether it is regarding a situation or information from a diagram, you will be tested on how well you summarise, present and describe your findings. This will be a test of your ability to show coherence and cohesion in your writing, a vital skill you’ll need in your career. 

3. Formulating arguments and a point of view 

In both the Academic and General Training Writing test, you will be tasked to write an essay as a response to a viewpoint or argument. And that means you’ll need to formulate your own! Not only must it be coherent, but it should also be compelling to the reader as well. 

4. Balancing viewpoints and analysing problems 

The IELTS Writing test will require you to write discursively, which involves diving deep into a topic and presenting your argument with all the viewpoints being considered and facts taken in. You are being assessed on your ability to analyse problems and situations in a balanced manner before coming to a conclusion. 

1. It helps you analyse information better 

Whether you are writing a thesis or pouring through a stack of business documents, you not only need speed by a good analytical eye to process the information accurately. 

Writing skills allows you to quickly pick apart viewpoints and understand the ideas being conveyed at the same time. 

2. Allows you to better present and articulate your viewpoints 

Having a plan and writing down your thoughts allows you to practice presenting your point better.  

This is especially important during business negotiations in the boardroom or debates in the university where clarity is important. 

3. Allows you to quickly summarise large amounts of information 

Sometimes, you’ll need to swiftly and concisely summarise tens or even hundreds of pages of research into a single passage that gets the point across. 

Writing skills allows you to hone your creativity and critical thinking, which allows you to condense a large amount of information into a succinct passage without losing the key facts, meaning or spirit of the message. 

4. Helps you present a compelling case 

A strong compelling case or argument is one that is well planned and backed up with facts and figures.  

A set of well-honed writing skills will allow you to carefully weigh and pick the evidence that best suits your case and viewpoint. This helps tip the scales towards your argument! 

Preparing early for your IELTS Writing test is critical to success. It gives you time to get familiar with the format to ace your test for the band score you desire!

Take the time to go through our resources and prepare yourself better with our wide range of sample tests at your disposal! 

And once you are ready, you can book your IELTS test here!