Hi Everyone,

I hope you are having a good week, despite the cold weather. The weather forecast is for snow tonight where I live in the west of Tokyo, so stay warm!!

In my column today, I want to introduce you to a grammar drill that can help you get a higher score in IELTS writing Task 2. This can help you in THREE ways. It can help you:

• think of ideas more quickly.
• write more quickly.
• use a type of grammar that will help you to get a higher score.

First of all, we can begin by looking at the example I gave you recently about using fake statistics in IELTS Task 2 writing:

Increasing the cost of petrol can definitely help to reduce traffic congestion. If the price of gasoline is raised, then people will use their cars less and use public transportation instead. This will result in fewer cars on the road and cleaner air. According to a recent article published in the Nikkei newspaper, 60% of people in Tokyo said they would drive less is petrol prices were increased. 

To help us write more, we can simply add a further sentence to this paragraph, such as:

If the government had increased petrol prices ten years ago then traffic jams wouldn't be as serious as they are today. 

Now, our paragraph would look like this:

Increasing the cost of petrol can definitely help to reduce traffic congestion. If the price of gasoline is raised, then people will use their cars less and use public transportation instead. This will result in fewer cars on the road and cleaner air. According to a recent article published in the Nikkei newspaper, 60% of people in Tokyo said they would drive less is petrol prices were increased. If the government had increased petrol prices ten years ago then traffic jams wouldn't be as serious as they are today. 

We can use this type of language to answer any type of essay question, but it is very important to practice first, so that in the exam you can use the grammar more confidently and accurately. This is where 'practice drills' can help you.

Look at the following example:

study hard / good grades

If I had studied harder at university, I would have received better grades.

If I hadn't studied hard at university, I wouldn't have got a good job after I graduated.

Practice

Write some sentences using the following ideas to help you:

brush my teeth regularly / not go to the dentist

not drink so much beer last night / not have a hangover today

not played computer games so much / better eyesight now

gone to bed earlier last night / not feel so sleepy

not get wet / not forgot umbrella

I hope this advice helps you to write your Task 2 ssays more quickly and easily. Most importantly, I hope it helps you to get a higher score in writing Task 2.

Remember, that this type of language can also help you to get a higher score in the speaking exam.

If you want help to improve your Task 2 writing, then you can request one of my IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Correction lessons.

In the meantime, good luck with your studies!!

Mark