This One IELTS Trick Sounds Fake - But It Works

The Trick That Sounds Too Simple

Here it is. Before you write a single word or speak a single sentence in IELTS, stop. Pause. Plan what you are about to say.

That is the trick. I told you it would sound fake.

But here is what happens when students do not do this, which is the majority of candidates. They sit down in Writing Task 2, they read the question once, and they start writing. Immediately. Without a plan. And what I see on the page reflects exactly that process: an introduction that is fine, a first body paragraph that starts well, a second body paragraph that drifts away from the main argument, and a conclusion that does not quite match the introduction because the essay went in a slightly different direction than the student originally intended.

The examiner reading that essay sees an unclear task achievement and loose coherence. Not because the student cannot write. Because the student did not plan.

Now here is what the same student produces after three weeks of practising this one technique: an introduction with a clear thesis, a first body paragraph that develops exactly one strong argument, a second body paragraph that develops exactly one strong supporting argument or acknowledged counterargument, and a conclusion that directly echoes the thesis. Same student. Same level of English. Different score.

The reason this IELTS trick to improve score is so effective is that it directly addresses two of the four IELTS Writing criteria simultaneously: Task Achievement and Coherence and Cohesion.

Task Achievement measures whether you have fully addressed the task requirements with a clear position and relevant ideas. When you plan before you write, you decide your position before anything goes on the page. You do not discover your position midway through the essay. The result is a clearer, more consistent stance that examiners reward.

Coherence and Cohesion measures how logically your ideas progress and how effectively you connect them. When you plan the sequence of your arguments before writing, your ideas naturally progress more logically because you have already worked out the sequence. You are not making structural decisions while also producing language, which is cognitively overloading.

Together, these two criteria account for 50% of your Writing band score. A planning habit that improves both of them simultaneously is extraordinarily high-leverage.

How to Apply It in Writing

For Writing Task 2, the planning process takes three to five minutes and produces a rough outline. Here is the exact format I teach:

Read the question twice. The second read is to make sure you understand what type of essay it is (opinion, discussion, problem-solution, advantage-disadvantage) and what the specific topic is.

Write your position in one sentence in your rough notes. Make it specific: not "I agree" but "I agree because technology has made education more accessible and more affordable."

Write two main arguments, one per body paragraph, each with a specific example or evidence. Not abstract general statements, but specific ones.

Write the opening phrase for each body paragraph's topic sentence. This is the bridge from your plan to your actual writing.

Then write. Do not deviate from the plan. If you think of a better argument while writing, note it and decide after the essay whether you wish you had used it. You can adjust your next practice attempt accordingly.

Practise this in your writing sessions and then submit to mockde.com to see whether your Task Achievement and Coherence scores actually improve. Most students see a measurable difference within three essays.

How to Apply It in Speaking

In IELTS Speaking Part 2, you receive a task card and have one minute to prepare. Most candidates use about 20 seconds of that minute. The rest they waste in awkward silence, feeling like they should start speaking.

Use every second of that minute. Write a bullet point for each major point you intend to cover. The task card always has four prompts. Address all four, plus a brief personal reflection or elaboration. That is your two-minute roadmap.

In Parts 1 and 3, the planning happens in the two to three seconds between hearing the question and beginning your answer. This is the micro-pause. Do not start speaking immediately. Take a natural breath, decide your first sentence, and then begin. This prevents the "Um, well, I think, actually..." opening that reduces Fluency scores.

Check our IELTS speaking practice guide to see how to drill this pause-and-plan habit effectively.

How to Apply It in Reading

For Reading, the pause-and-plan equivalent is reading the questions before reading the passage. Most students read the whole passage first and then approach the questions. This is inefficient.

When you read the questions first, your brain enters the passage with a specific information-seeking mode rather than a general comprehension mode. You know what you are looking for. Relevant sections register more clearly. You waste less time rereading.

The pause in this case is the 60 to 90 seconds you spend reading and processing all questions for a passage before you read a single word of the passage itself. It feels like it costs time. It actually saves more time than it costs and improves accuracy.

The Science Behind It

Cognitive load theory explains exactly why this trick works. Working memory, which is the mental space where you actively process information, has a limited capacity. When you write or speak without a plan, your working memory must simultaneously manage content generation, language formulation, grammar monitoring, vocabulary selection, and structural decision-making.

That is too many tasks for working memory to handle at high quality simultaneously. Something gets sacrificed. Usually it is structure or task completion.

When you plan first, you resolve the structural decisions before the language production begins. This frees working memory to focus on expressing ideas clearly, selecting precise vocabulary, and monitoring grammar. The quality of every other aspect of your response improves because you are no longer asking your working memory to do too many things at once.

This is also why students who score Band 7 and above almost universally report planning before writing, while Band 5 and 6 candidates tend to start immediately. It is not a coincidence.

See our complete IELTS writing practice guide to build this and other high-impact habits into your preparation routine.