after my IELTS 1st attempt, to have Australia as a backup plan I gave PTE and i came to know that i got very good scores on PTE but my spellings were horrible(lost marks due to spellings) as per PTE report.
so, when i gave my IELTS 2nd attempt i initially attempted essay followed by letter(its good as it saves time) then after both essay and letter i checked for spellings, trust me i corrected 6 spellings and felt great after rectifying spellings........lastly make sure u dont use idioms or phrases because i wrote a phrase in my 1st attempt letter writing part.
They asked my to explain in a letter to news editor y my neighbour was the best, after all the explanation i wrote....."treat ur neighbour as thyself".
It ruined my score and i got 6.5.
Hope this helps, PM me if u need help.............+1 if it helps.
cheers,
Rrk.