IELTS Writing Tips: Are Spelling And Punctuation Important?

The IELTS examination has four sections: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing. Under the Writing section, specifically, it is important to watch out for the spelling of your words and the punctuation marks you use. These two aspects of the English language are essential when taking the IELTS test.

If you are a non-native English speaker, mastering English spelling and punctuation can be quite challenging at first. For this reason, many English learners decide to take an IELTS preparation course to improve their spelling and punctuation just in time for the exam. To learn more about this, here is everything you need to know about the importance of spelling and punctuation in the IELTS test.

How Important Are Spelling and Punctuation?

Spelling is crucial whenever you write. Correctly spelt texts give the person you are conversing with a good impression and allow them to recognise your attention to detail. In the IELTS exam, you will need to write out some answers. As such, it is necessary for all your words to be spelt correctly. Otherwise, you may incur deductions or entirely lose a point for spelling a word or words incorrectly.

Indeed, under the Writing part of the test, spelling and grammar covers 25% of the total grade. In fact, spelling does not just matter in Writing; it is important in Reading and Listening too. If you spell a word incorrectly in the Listening test, you will likely lose a mark as well. Because of this, it is truly important to master English spelling, especially if you are planning to take the IELTS exam.

The same goes for punctuation. Punctuation can be specifically hard for those people whose first language is not based on Roman scripts, such as Arabic and Chinese. For instance, it might be easy for these individuals to forget to write a capital letter at the start of a sentence. While the examiner might let you get away with such a mistake once, you will certainly lose marks if it happens frequently. So, punctuation is another thing you need to be aware of when taking the IELTS test.

Some Fool-proof Strategies to Improve

The best way to improve your English spelling in preparation for the IELTS exam is to enrol in some IELTS classes in Singapore. You can also boost your spelling ability by practising every day. Here are a few proven-and-tested methods to improve:

– Write down the words you often spell incorrectly in a notebook or a piece of paper, and practise writing them at least five times daily for one week.

– If you are practising writing an essay, make use of a spell-checker to assist you in checking for the words you spell incorrectly.

– If you still have plenty of time before the test, you can check the lists of words that are often misspelt by people online to help you practice. Go through these lists, and see if you can spell every word correctly. 

How Many Words Do You Need to Write?

The IELTS test provides takers with instructions, specifically on the number of words they need to write. For example, IELTS Writing Task 1 states that you are required to write 150 words, while 250 words are needed for IELTS Writing Task 2. Yet, despite such instructions, around 23% of written answers are still under the word count. If you do not write the specified number of words, you will lose points. Hence, it is necessary to get this right.

Conclusion

Spelling and punctuation are undoubtedly essential aspects of the English language. To become truly proficient in the language, you need to learn how to spell English words and use punctuation marks correctly. This will not just help you ace the IELTS exam but will also make you an impressive English speaker and writer!

To improve your English spelling and punctuation just in time for the IELTS test, you should sign up for an IELTS course in Singapore, specifically one offered by English Explorer! We offer objective and comprehensive Singapore IELTS preparation courses that will help you enhance your English abilities and become 100% prepared to ace the IELTS exam in no time.

To find out more about our incredible English classes, do not hesitate to reach out to us today.