How to Get Band 7 in IELTS Writing: Fix These Mistakes

Most students who score band 5 or 6 in IELTS writing are not making huge, dramatic errors. They are making small, consistent ones. The kind that quietly drag your score down without you even noticing. Fix these, and band 7 becomes genuinely reachable.

Here are the mistakes I see most often, along with exactly what to do instead.

The Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

Mistake 1: Restating the question as your introduction

Wrong: “Nowadays, many people think that technology has changed the way we communicate, and this essay will discuss this topic.”

Correct: “Technology has reshaped human communication so profoundly that some argue we have lost the art of genuine conversation.”

Why it matters: Copying or lightly paraphrasing the prompt tells the examiner nothing. You need to show you can frame an idea in your own words from the very first sentence.

Mistake 2: Using “moreover” and “furthermore” as your only linking words

Wrong: “Technology is useful. Moreover, it saves time. Furthermore, it creates jobs. Moreover, young people use it every day.”

Correct: “Technology saves time and generates employment, benefits that are particularly visible among younger workers who have grown up with digital tools.”

Why it matters: Stacking additive connectors is a red flag for examiners. Cohesion is about how ideas flow, not how many linking words you can fit in. Combine ideas within sentences and vary your connectors.

Mistake 3: Giving opinions without supporting them

Wrong: “In my opinion, working from home is better. People are happier and more productive.”

Correct: “Working from home tends to improve productivity because employees can structure their day around their own concentration patterns, rather than fitting into a fixed office schedule.”

Why it matters: Band 7 requires a “clear progression throughout” your argument. A claim followed by another claim is not an argument. A claim followed by a reason and an example is.

This is exactly the kind of argument-building technique we practise every day in the daily coaching programme. If you want structured feedback on your writing, that is a good place to start.

Mistake 4: Vague vocabulary where precise vocabulary would do

Wrong: “This problem is very bad and has a lot of negative effects on many things in society.”

Correct: “This issue has far-reaching consequences for public health, economic stability, and social cohesion.”

Why it matters: The Lexical Resource criterion rewards precise, varied vocabulary used naturally. Words like “bad”, “good”, “things”, and “a lot” are not wrong, but they signal a limited range. Name the specific effect. Use the specific noun.

Mistake 5: Sentences that are grammatically correct but structurally monotonous

Wrong: “Many people work long hours. They feel stressed. They do not spend time with their families. This is a serious problem.”

Correct: “Many people who work long hours report chronic stress and, as a result, struggle to maintain meaningful family relationships, which raises broader concerns about work-life balance.”

Why it matters: Band 7 requires “a variety of complex structures”. Four short simple sentences in a row, however accurate, will not get you there. Mix sentence lengths. Use relative clauses, conditionals, and noun phrases to build complexity.

The Pattern Behind All of These

Every mistake above comes down to the same root issue: writing at the level of individual sentences rather than thinking at the level of ideas.

Band 7 writers are not necessarily using fancier words or longer sentences. They are showing the examiner a coherent line of reasoning, expressed with enough range and precision to make that reasoning clear. When you fix the mistakes above, you are not just correcting grammar. You are changing how you think on the page.

The IELTS writing band descriptors reward four things equally: Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Students who stall at band 6 usually have a serious weak point in one of these. Identify yours, then target it directly.

Quick-Reference Summary

• Write your own introduction — do not paraphrase the prompt word for word
• Vary your linking devices and combine ideas within sentences, not just between them
• Every opinion needs a reason; every reason benefits from an example
• Replace vague nouns and adjectives with specific, precise alternatives
• Mix sentence structures — simple, compound, and complex — throughout your response
• Know your weakest criterion and practise it deliberately

Vocabulary to Know

• paraphrase /ˈpærəfreɪz/ – Level: B1 – to restate something in different words while keeping the same meaning – Example: In your introduction, paraphrase the question rather than copying it directly.
• coherence /kəʊˈhɪərəns/ – Level: B2 – the quality of being logical and well-organised, so ideas connect clearly – Example: Her essay was easy to follow because of its strong coherence.
• cohesion /kəʊˈhiːʒən/ – Level: B2 – the use of grammatical and lexical devices to link ideas within and between sentences – Example: Good cohesion means your writing flows naturally from one point to the next.
• lexical resource /ˈleksɪkəl rɪˈzɔːs/ – Level: B2 – the range and accuracy of vocabulary a writer uses, one of the four IELTS writing criteria – Example: To improve your lexical resource, learn words in collocations, not just in isolation.
• far-reaching /ˌfɑːˈriːtʃɪŋ/ – Level: C1 – having a wide or significant effect on many areas – Example: The policy had far-reaching consequences for the education sector.
• social cohesion /ˈsəʊʃəl kəʊˈhiːʒən/ – Level: C1 – the degree to which members of a society feel united and connected – Example: High levels of inequality can undermine social cohesion over time.
• monotonous /məˈnɒtənəs/ – Level: B2 – lacking variety and therefore dull or repetitive – Example: Using the same sentence structure throughout makes writing feel monotonous.
• band descriptor /bænd dɪˈskrɪptə/ – Level: B2 – the official criteria used by IELTS examiners to assign a score at each band level – Example: Reading the band descriptors helps you understand exactly what examiners are looking for.
• line of reasoning /laɪn əv ˈriːzənɪŋ/ – Level: C1 – a connected series of points or arguments that support a conclusion – Example: A strong essay follows a clear line of reasoning from introduction to conclusion.
• stall /stɔːl/ – Level: B1 – to stop making progress; to get stuck at a particular point – Example: Many candidates stall at band 6 because they are not targeting the right skills.

FAQ

How long does it take to go from band 6 to band 7 in IELTS writing?

It varies, but most students who practise deliberately, with feedback, get there within eight to twelve weeks. The key word is deliberately. Writing three essays a week without knowing what you are doing wrong will not move the needle much. Targeted practice on your specific weak criterion is what creates progress.

Should I write more words to get a higher band score?

No. The Task 2 minimum is 250 words, and most band 7 responses sit between 270 and 320 words. Writing 450 words rarely helps and often hurts, because longer responses tend to drift off-topic or become repetitive. Quality of argument and language use matters far more than quantity of words.

Is it better to memorise high-level vocabulary for IELTS writing?

Only if you can use it accurately and naturally. Forcing memorised phrases into a response where they do not quite fit is one of the most common band 6 traps. Examiners are trained to spot this. Learn new vocabulary in context, practise using it in your own sentences, and only use a word if you are confident it fits.

Ready to Make Faster Progress?

The mistakes covered in this post are all fixable, but fixing them is much faster when someone is reading your work and telling you exactly where the gaps are. That is what the daily coaching programme at richardg.xyz is built for. Short, consistent practice with real feedback. For more details, click here.