2 methods to simultaneously improve IELTS Writing and Reading skills effectively

In the IELTS examination, each skill area contributes to the development of the others. This interconnectedness means that the practice of one skill often reinforces and applies to others. Consequently, the relationship between Reading and Writing skills is a well-acknowledged aspect of language learning. However, not all students may have discovered an approach to improve IELTS Writing and Reading skills concurrently. For those still exploring effective methods, consider the insights shared from a candidate who achieved success in their IELTS preparation.
 

I. Why does studying Reading help you enhance and improve your Writing skills?

We all know that mastering the IELTS Writing skill is a daunting task for many candidates, causing much concern over scores. Therefore, improving your writing band score is far from simple, as it requires a multitude of factors. So, how can one learn Reading and naturally enhance Writing skills at the same time? Here are some resources I used for review:

1. Read materials closely related to the exam to improve IELTS Writing skills

Have you noticed how Task 2 Writing prompts are incredibly relevant to Reading Passage topics? For example, a Reading Passage about "Driverless Cars" would be perfectly suited for gathering information for a writing prompt about the increasing trend of preferring autonomous vehicles.

In summary, the scientific and natural themes common in Reading will reappear in a more concise form in Writing. Reading English materials on these themes is extremely useful. It helps you gather material for your arguments in Writing Task 2. Here are some English reading sources I used to improve my writing skills:

• BBC Learning English: A YouTube channel where you can choose videos around 6 minutes long to listen and read subtitles. Regularly following this channel not only provides material for Writing Task 2 but also helps improve your reading comprehension on in-depth topics and enhances your English listening skills.
• VOX.com: An online news website with commentaries on a variety of topics. It's suitable for learning how they craft English essays and for gathering material to tackle the challenging Writing Task 2.
• FORBES.com: Similar to VOX, but I find Forbes to have a wider variety of topics. Especially, it includes entertainment information, making it less tedious to read extensively. Additionally, the writing style is suitable for learning, especially for economic and social analysis articles.

Moreover, I encourage you to actively read model essays. With model essays, you will learn how to use words and construct arguments for each point correctly. By doing so, you will significantly improve your Writing skills. Moreover, model essays are shorter than articles, aren't they?

2. Learn vocabulary from reading materials

Many people must have told you about learning vocabulary, right? Using the right vocabulary for the context and topic presented by the examiner is what earns high marks. But what I want to discuss is how to learn vocabulary to improve Writing skills.

From the reading sources above, anyone with a level of 5.0 knows which vocabulary will be valuable for writing. Make it your own by writing it down on a piece of paper with a few examples. Think of a Writing topic you might encounter and write sentences that could be used in Writing. Collect these sentences and keep them in a notebook; they will be indispensable when practicing Writing.

Furthermore, another effective method to simultaneously improve IELTS Writing and Reading skills is through extensive reading and vocabulary acquisition. Engaging with a wide range of texts exposes learners to diverse language structures and vocabulary, thereby enriching both reading comprehension and writing expression. By regularly immersing oneself in various genres and topics, learners naturally encounter new words and phrases, which they can then incorporate into their own writing.

For more information, please refer to the following article: Dispelling the misconception of "having to use Big Words in IELTS to be good" when studying IELTS vocabulary

3. Learn grammar

In Writing Tasks 1 and 2, examiners highly value your ability to connect information and incorporate it into compound sentences. To do this, you need grammar.

Specifically, some sources I want you to refer to for learning grammar to improve your Writing skills are:

 IELTS Liz- YouTube channel

Cambridge Grammar for IELTS- a comprehensive material compiling necessary grammar for IELTS study.

It's beneficial to combine these two sources for an in-depth study of the grammar needed for Writing.

II. Conclusion

After reading this article, do you know how to simultaneously improve IELTS Writing and Reading skills yet? If you still have questions or don't know where to start or how to study, please contact PREP for the most detailed advice!