Hey Folks,
I know I have not been able to review all essays in recent times. I did review a few today and plan to finish all others, hopefully, in coming weekend. The issue is that I see all the same mistakes which have been discussed many a times in the past. I understand that you all want a review of your own essay and it is probably time consuming or boring to read other essays but trust me that is the best way to learn and avoiding same mistakes again.
Anyways, I think I was repeating same things again and again in my reviews and hence I have decided to write a post on common mistakes I see in essays here and something you all should be careful about.
1.
Introduction: What do I mean when I say weak introduction in my essay reviews? In IELTS introduction is probably one of the most important things and IELTS expects you to write your introduction in a certain way. And it is imperative to follow those unwritten rules for IELTS essays
1.1. Always write a paraphrase line for the topic
1.2.
When can you write a generic line in introduction: Write a generic line in the introduction only when the topic line is too short. Sometimes in IELTS topic lines are short and just paraphrasing that line will result in a very short introduction para. In such cases you can open the essay with a generic line and then paraphrase the topic line.
1.3.
DO NOT bring in new facts to paraphrase line: So, paraphrase line is just that. Paraphrase the topic line completely and do not bring in either new facts or your opinion in that line. Use the next line to do so.
1.4.
DO NOT use the line “This essay will discuss … blah blah”: This line is literally #1 on this list here and should not be used in your essay.
http://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-tips-sentences-to-avoid/
1.5.
DO NOT say there are a number of reasons or there are various reasons …. And then just state 1 or 2 to back up your argument. This is true for opening of Body Paragraph 1 as well.
1.6. DO give a glimpse of your essay in introduction: If you wish to make your essay better / unique always give a glimpse of your essay in the introduction. Basically, if you agree to something give a reason why you think so. And then use the same points to expand in the body paragraphs and make sure to use the same order.
2. Body Paragraphs: Here are some of the common errors I see in body paragraphs which should be avoided
2.1. DO NOT use “…… and I agree”: Many times I see essays where first line of BP is “Some people say …..blah blah blah …(basically repeat of topic line) ….,
and I agree”. This is such an abrupt ending of the first line. And anyways do not repeat the topic lines again and again. Your opinion should be established in introduction and then come straight to your points in BPs.
2.2. DO NOT use “In other words ….”: This is a personal pet peeve of mine. My opinion you are harming your own essay by writing such a line. You are basically telling the examiner oh I gave an argument and then I will repeat the same argument “in other words”. There is no need to do such a thing. Avoid it!
2.3 DO NOT have one body paragraph longer than other: Well I'm not saying they need to have exact word count but when someone looks at an essay one body paragraph should not look considerably longer than the other. This shows either unbalanced arguments or bad paragraphing.
2.4 DO NOT use "This has profound social and economic impacts": I have lost count of the essays which claim that the topic under discussion has impacts on society and economy. Well, almost every topic can have that line. Just have a look around in this forum and you will see almost every 2nd or 3rd essay using this argument. This argument is stale. Be more original.
2.5 Structure for whether you agree with option A vs option B: This is a feedback I have given in almost every review of an essay where question is asking you whether you agree with Option A or Option B.
I think a better structure is to write body paragraph for option you disagree with. So, let’s say you agree with Option A. Then write first paragraph about option A and why some people may like it. In the end of the that para write how option A lacks in some areas. Now in body paragraph 2 use those points and show how option B has almost all the advantages of option A but also covers the areas where option A lacks. This I think is a much safer structure to follow.
2.6 DO NOT use sentences like "There is no doubt ...", "It can not be denied that ....", "It is a well known fact that ....", "There is no secret that ...." and all such variations to make an argument. This is also one of my pet peeves. Remember IELTS is looking for your opinion. You may think something is well known but it may not be so. Also, in addition you need to build an argument and not assume something is a universal truth. If you don't agree Liz also has a variation of this on her list #8.
http://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-tips-sentences-to-avoid/
3. Conclusion: Just like Introduction para IELTS has unwritten rules on how a conclusion must be written. IELTS expects you to revisit all the main points of your essay again in conclusion. The common mistakes to avoid are:
3.1. DO NOT write 1-line conclusion: This can be fixed easily. Please do not write 1-line conclusions. You really need to be a brilliant writer to pull it off. So, please just write at least 2-3 lines in conclusion.
3.2. DO NOT bring new facts / arguments in conclusion: You’re supposed to revisit facts / arguments you already discussed and write them in a different way.
3.3. DO NOT write same lines as introduction: Do not make conclusion another way of writing your introduction paragraph.
I will possibly add more to this post as I remember more common errors and point to this post in my reviews so I’m not repeating myself again and again.
Hope this post helps the current aspirants.