Negative Marks in IELTS

Yes, in IELTS, your marks are taken away for writing tasks. 

Task 1 requires you to write at least 150 words  and task 2, 250 words.

The length of your essay decides how many marks you lose. For instance , if you have written only 240 words, you will lose fewer marks than if you have written only 200. Ensure you have written at least 250 words.

It is impossible, obviously, to count the number of word in the exam hall. Here is a tip. Start practise writing on the official IELTS writing sheets. You can download it from Google. Write your essays on those official papers and find out where the 250 and 150 for task 2 and 1 respective come. Thus, you can ensure you have attained sufficient word count. We, in BEMAX always instruct the students to write their tasks only on the official answer sheets.

It is generally observed that several students write fewer words than required and lose their score. Unless you practise writing on the official answer sheets, you cannot guess whether you have written down enough.

Moreover, there is penalty for  "out of topic", "memorised" and"illegible" answers. It is clearly mentioned in the official answer sheets (page 2).

Writing skill is an acquired habit; practise it on a daily basis and get feedback for  feedback is the crux.

The writer is a senior trainer with BEMAX KOLLAM, the pioneers in IELTS, OET and PTE.

Contact: www.bemaxacademy.com

helpline:954488 9890, 954488 7890.