Concise writing for IELTS Writing: cutting padding, keeping the ideas
Quick answer
Concise writing in IELTS means every sentence does a job. It does not mean short. Cut words that add length and no meaning: a memorised opener, the question restated twice, "in my personal opinion, I think", doubled words such as "each and every", and wordy phrases such as "due to the fact that". Keep the ideas, develop each with a reason and an example, and spend the time you save on the point the question asks about.
The app's Writing editor shows a live word count against the 150 and 250 minimums while you type, so you can see whether a cut still clears the line.
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On this page
A padded paragraph looks like effort and reads like delay. The reader gets through a clause that says nothing before reaching the one that does, and in a test those words also cost minutes. This guide covers what concise means for IELTS, the kinds of padding to cut, wordy phrases and hidden verbs, and how to practise. It sits beside the pillar guide to IELTS grammar and pairs with the guide to punctuation for IELTS Writing, because shorter sentences are easier to punctuate.
Key takeaways
- Concise means that every sentence does a job. It does not mean short.
- Cut words that add length and no meaning, and keep every idea.
- Replace wordy phrases with their short forms, and turn hidden verbs back into verbs.
- Use reference words and merged sentences to remove repetition, as long as each reference is clear.
- In Task 1, report the overview and key features, not every number. In Task 2, develop one idea per paragraph.
- IELTS publishes no list of banned phrases and promises no band for a technique.
What concise means here
A concise sentence earns each of its words. “The number of cars fell sharply after the tax began” is concise because every word carries information. “It can be seen that, as a matter of fact, the number of cars did indeed fall sharply” is not.
Concise does not mean short. A thin essay is not concise: it is incomplete. The aim is to remove empty words and spend the space on development. Stay above the minimums while you cut; the guide to the 150 and 250 word minimums gives the rules, which are not repeated here.
Padding that adds words and no meaning
Memorised openers
“In this modern era, it is a debatable issue that…” can begin any essay on any topic, which is the problem with it. A sentence that fits every question answers none of them. IELTS publishes no list of banned phrases and no penalty for a single phrase. The site’s Writing band descriptors page records a related point: a memorised paragraph that does not fit the question is marked down under Task Response or Task Achievement. Start with the topic of the question itself: “Many people now work from home. This essay considers whether the change helps employers or employees.”
The question restated twice
Restating the question once in the introduction is normal. Doing it again at the start of the first body paragraph, and a third time in the conclusion, adds length and no idea. The site’s band 6 Task Response paraphrase describes closing lines that say again what has been said twice. State your position once, develop it, and close by drawing the points together.
“In my personal opinion, I think”
An opinion is personal by definition, and “I think” already says it is an opinion. Choose one: “I believe that…” or “In my opinion, …”.
Doubled words
Words that mean the same thing waste one of them.
- “each and every” becomes “every”
- “past history” becomes “history”
- “future plans” becomes “plans”
- “completely eliminate” becomes “eliminate”
- “end result” becomes “result”
Empty intensifiers
“Very”, “really”, “extremely” and “a lot of” often prop up a weak word. A precise word beats an intensified vague one: “a very big problem” becomes “a serious problem”, and “very important” becomes “essential”. The site’s paraphrase of the Lexical Resource band 4 traps names reaching for “very” plus a basic adjective where one precise word exists. The other extreme has its own trap: the band 6 traps list “utilise” and “plethora” in a sentence that needed “use” and “many”. A plain word that is right beats a rare word that is not.
Wordy phrases and their short forms
Learn these beforehand, so the short form comes first.
| Wordy | Short |
|---|---|
| due to the fact that | because |
| in order to | to |
| at this moment in time | now |
| a large number of | many |
| despite the fact that | although |
| in the event that | if |
| has the ability to | can |
| with regard to | about |
| it is a fact that | (delete) |
None of these is an error. They are habits that cost words, and replacing them is a quick edit.
Nouns that hide verbs
Many wordy sentences turn a verb into a noun and then need a second, weaker verb to carry it. Turn the noun back into a verb.
- “make an improvement to” becomes “improve”
- “carry out an investigation into” becomes “investigate”
- “give consideration to” becomes “consider”
- “has an effect on” becomes “affects”
- “reach a decision” becomes “decide”
“The council improved bus services” says the same as “The council made an improvement to bus services” in fewer words.
Repetition across sentences
Repeating a key noun is sometimes needed, but in every sentence it is padding. The site’s Coherence and Cohesion paraphrase for band 5 describes the same nouns coming back because pronouns and shorter stand-ins are not doing their job.
There are two ways to cut it.
Use a reference word. “Rail fares rose steadily. This trend discouraged commuters.” The reference must point at one thing. The site’s band 6 traps list “this” pointing back at a whole paragraph instead of at one thing in it. If the reader could ask “this what?”, write the noun.
Merge two short sentences. “Public transport is quick. Public transport is reliable.” becomes “Public transport is quick and reliable.” When the second sentence only adds a detail to the first, a relative clause may fit, as the guide to relative clauses shows, and the guide to linking words and coherence covers how joins serve the reader.
Task 1: key features, not every number
A Task 1 report is concise when it chooses. Write the overview first, then pick the key features and support each with the figures that prove it. The site’s Task Achievement paraphrase for band 5 describes a report that walks through the figures one at a time with no summary above them, and its traps list quoting every number because leaving one out feels risky. At band 7 the summary states the main movements, contrasts or stages. A figure that does not support a feature is padding. The guide to Task 1 charts, graphs and tables covers how to choose.
Task 2: one idea per paragraph, developed
An essay is concise when each paragraph holds one idea and develops it with a reason and an example. Three ideas listed in one paragraph, a sentence each, is thin, not concise. The site’s paraphrase for band 6 Task Response says that one or two of the points stop short of being explained, while band 7 explains and backs up the main points instead of only mentioning them. The Coherence and Cohesion paraphrase for band 7 asks for each paragraph to be about one thing.
Why it matters for the criteria
Padding repeats the same point in new words, which weakens Coherence and Cohesion and gives the reader less to credit under Task Response or Task Achievement. It also crowds out the reason or example that would have developed the idea.
IELTS publishes no count of words that may be cut and no phrase that is penalised, and nothing here promises a band. The reason to cut is that padding hides your ideas and your control of English.
A before-and-after paragraph
This paragraph is invented for illustration. It is a body paragraph for a Task 2 essay on public transport.
Before:
“In my personal opinion, I think that the government should spend more on public transport, due to the fact that a large number of people in big cities suffer from traffic jams every single day. At this moment in time, the traffic situation is a big problem. Public transport would make an improvement to the situation. Each and every commuter would save time, and the time saved would be a benefit to the economy.”
After:
“The government should spend more on public transport because many commuters lose time to traffic every day. A reliable tram line, for example, lets a commuter plan the journey to the minute, and the time saved returns to work and family life.”
What was cut, and why:
- “In my personal opinion, I think that” is deleted. The paragraph is already an opinion.
- “due to the fact that” becomes “because”, and “a large number of people in big cities” becomes “many commuters”.
- The second sentence only restated the first, so it goes.
- “make an improvement to the situation” is deleted, and an example replaces it. The example gives the idea something to stand on.
- “Each and every commuter would save time, and the time saved would be a benefit to the economy” goes. “Each and every” is a doubled phrase, and “a benefit to the economy” was a claim with nothing behind it. The example now says what the saved time is used for. To keep the economic point, give it its own reason and example rather than a closing phrase.
The cut version is much shorter, but it does more: the old one said one reason four ways, and the new one has a reason and an example.
How to practise
Take an essay you have already written. Cut 20% of its words without losing a point. Then compare: does the short version still answer every part of the question, and does each paragraph still have a reason and an example? Finally, count the words and check that the result still clears the minimum. If it does not, do not add padding back. Add a developed example to the thinnest paragraph.
After two or three essays the short forms begin to arrive first. See also the guide to common IELTS Writing mistakes, the guide to managing your time for where editing fits, and the Writing feedback tool page.
Frequently asked questions
Does concise writing mean writing fewer words?
No. It means removing words that carry no meaning while keeping every idea, and then using the room to develop the ideas. A concise essay can be as long as a padded one, because the space goes on reasons and examples. Check the minimums in the word count guide before you cut, and make sure the cut script still clears them.
Are memorised phrases penalised in IELTS Writing?
IELTS publishes no list of banned phrases and no penalty for any single phrase. The descriptors do mark down memorised material that does not fit the question, such as a prepared paragraph dropped into an essay on a different subject. A memorised opener that could start any essay also adds words and no meaning, which is reason enough to replace it.
Is "due to the fact that" wrong?
It is grammatical, but it takes five words to do the work of one. "Because" says the same thing. Wordy phrases are not errors, so do not hunt for them while you write. Learn the short forms beforehand so that the short form comes first, and use the last minutes to catch any that slipped through.
How can I report a Task 1 chart without listing every number?
Write an overview of the main pattern first, then choose the key features and support each with the figures that prove it. A figure belongs in the report if it makes a feature clear. IELTS publishes no number of figures to quote, so judge each one by whether the reader would miss it.
Can I use pronouns and "this" to avoid repetition?
Yes, but a reference word must point clearly at one thing. "This trend" works when the sentence before described a trend. "This" alone, pointing at a whole paragraph, can leave the reader unsure what you mean. Repeat the noun when a pronoun would be unclear.
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