10 Common IELTS Writing Mistakes That Keep You Stuck at Band 5 (With Fixes)

Reading time: 12 minutes

You've taken IELTS twice. Maybe three times. Each time, you walk out confident. Each time, your writing score comes back the same: Band 5 or 5.5.

You're not alone. Thousands of students take IELTS multiple times with identical results, wondering what they're doing wrong. The frustrating truth? You're probably making the same mistakes repeatedly without realizing it.

Research from IELTS examiners reveals consistent error patterns that trap students below Band 6. These aren't random mistakes—they're predictable, identifiable, and most importantly, fixable.

Here are the 10 most common IELTS writing mistakes and exactly how to eliminate each one.

Mistake #1: Article Errors (The Silent Score Killer)

This is the number one grammar issue keeping students at Band 5. If your native language doesn't use articles (like Hindi, Chinese, Russian, or Arabic), you're especially vulnerable.

Why it matters: Articles appear constantly in English. Getting them wrong creates a pattern of errors that "impedes communication"—the exact phrase examiners use to describe Band 5 grammar.

Common errors:

❌ "I have a car. Car is red."
✅ "I have a car. The car is red."

❌ "She listens to a music every day."
✅ "She listens to music every day."

❌ "The technology has changed our lives."
✅ "Technology has changed our lives." (general concept)

❌ "Government should take action."
✅ "The government should take action." (specific government)

The fix: Learn these three rules:

1. Use "a/an" for first mention of countable nouns
2. Use "the" for second mention or when both reader and writer know which one
3. Use no article for general concepts and uncountable nouns

Practice by reading your essay aloud. Every time you see a noun, ask: "Is this specific or general? First mention or second?"

Mistake #2: Weak or Missing Topic Sentences

Band 5 essays often jump straight into examples without telling the reader what the paragraph is about. This destroys your Coherence and Cohesion score.

The problem in action:

❌ Band 5 paragraph opening:
"For example, many students now use smartphones to study. They can access educational apps and videos. This helps them learn faster."

✅ Band 6+ paragraph opening:
"One significant advantage of technology in education is increased accessibility to learning resources. For example, many students now use smartphones to access educational apps and videos, allowing them to study anytime and anywhere."

Why this matters: The IELTS band descriptors specifically require "clear central topic within each paragraph." Without a topic sentence, your paragraph lacks this clarity—automatic Band 5 or below for Coherence.

The fix: Start every body paragraph with a sentence that:

1. States what the paragraph will discuss
2. Connects to your thesis/position
3. Uses no examples (save those for supporting sentences)

Mistake #3: Incomplete Task Response

This is the most critical error and the most common reason students stay at Band 5. You must address ALL parts of the question—even if unevenly.

Example question: "Some people think that governments should invest in public transportation. Others believe the money should be spent on roads for cars. Discuss both views and give your opinion."

Band 5 response: Only discusses public transportation advantages, briefly mentions "some people prefer cars," gives opinion.

Band 6+ response: Dedicates one full paragraph to public transportation benefits, one full paragraph to road investment arguments, clearly states and justifies opinion in conclusion.

The fix: Before writing, underline every part of the question. Create a checklist:

• View 1 discussed with reasons
• View 2 discussed with reasons
• My opinion clearly stated
• My opinion supported with reasoning

Check each box before submitting.

Mistake #4: Overusing Transition Words

Many students believe that using "Firstly, Secondly, Moreover, Furthermore, In addition" in every sentence will boost their Coherence score. The opposite is true.

What examiners call this: "Mechanical use of cohesive devices"—and it caps your score at Band 6.0 or below.

❌ Mechanical (Band 5-6):
"Firstly, there are many social problems. To elaborate, it is hard to make friends. Moreover, this is because communication is difficult. Furthermore, people feel isolated. In addition, they become depressed."

✅ Natural (Band 7+):
"Social isolation presents significant challenges for immigrants. Without fluent communication skills, forming friendships becomes difficult, often leading to feelings of loneliness and, in severe cases, depression."

The fix:

• Use transition words only when changing direction or adding contrasting information
• Let your ideas connect through meaning, not just linking words
• Read Band 8-9 sample essays to see how rarely they use "Firstly, Secondly"

Mistake #5: Writing Too Little (or Too Much)

The word count matters more than you think—not because of a penalty, but because of what it signals.

Too short (under 250 words):

• Can't demonstrate sufficient vocabulary range
• Can't develop ideas fully
• Shows limited grammatical variety

Too long (over 300 words):

• More opportunities for errors
• Often indicates repetition or off-topic content
• Time pressure affects quality

The sweet spot: 270-290 words

The fix: Practice with a timer. You have 40 minutes for Task 2:

• 5 minutes planning
• 30 minutes writing
• 5 minutes checking

Mistake #6: Grammar Errors in Complex Sentences

Students try to use complex sentences to impress examiners, but write them incorrectly. A simple sentence written correctly scores better than a complex sentence with errors.

Common complex sentence errors:

❌ "Although technology has benefits, but it also has drawbacks."
✅ "Although technology has benefits, it also has drawbacks."

❌ "The more people use social media, they become more isolated."
✅ "The more people use social media, the more isolated they become."

❌ "If government will invest in education, society benefits."
✅ "If the government invests in education, society will benefit."

The fix: Master these four structures before attempting others:

1. Conditional: If + present simple, will + base verb
2. Concession: Although/While + clause, main clause (no "but")
3. Relative clause: noun + who/which/that + verb
4. Cause-effect: Because/Since + clause, result clause

Mistake #7: Going Off-Topic Without Realizing

You think you're addressing the question. The examiner sees something different.

Example question: "Should university education be free for all students?"

Off-topic response: Spends two paragraphs discussing the general importance of education, briefly mentions cost in conclusion.

On-topic response: Every paragraph directly addresses whether university should be free—costs, benefits, alternatives, and clear position.

The fix: After each paragraph, ask: "Does this directly answer the question, or does it just relate to the general topic?"

Mistake #8: Repetitive Vocabulary

Using "important" six times signals limited vocabulary range—a Band 5 indicator.

❌ Band 5 vocabulary:
"Education is important. It is important for getting jobs. Important skills are learned in school."

✅ Band 6+ vocabulary:
"Education is crucial for career development. Students acquire essential skills that prove vital in professional settings."

The fix: Create a personal "synonym bank" for words you overuse:

• Important → crucial, essential, vital, significant
• Good → beneficial, advantageous, positive
• Bad → detrimental, harmful, problematic
• Think → believe, consider, argue, maintain

Mistake #9: Poor Time Management Leading to No Conclusion

Many Band 5 essays simply stop—no conclusion, no clear ending.

The impact: "If you don't finish your essay and fail to write a conclusion, you will end up with a Band 5 in Task Response."

The fix: Use the 5-30-5 rule:

• 5 minutes: Plan your entire essay
• 30 minutes: Write
• 5 minutes: Review and correct

If you hit 35 minutes and haven't started your conclusion, stop and write one immediately.

Mistake #10: Practicing Without Feedback

This is the meta-mistake that allows all other mistakes to persist.

The harsh truth: "Many people studying for IELTS think that by doing practice test after practice test it will give them different results. It doesn't. Why? Because you need to get feedback on what your weaknesses are."

Understanding why traditional IELTS prep fails is the first step to breaking the cycle of repeated mistakes.

The fix: Get specific, actionable feedback that tells you:

• Which criteria you're losing points on
• What patterns appear in your mistakes
• Exactly how to fix each error type

Your IELTS Writing Mistake Checklist

Task Response:

• All parts of question addressed
• Clear position stated
• Ideas relevant to the question

Coherence & Cohesion:

• Clear topic sentence in each body paragraph
• Logical progression of ideas
• Cohesive devices used naturally

Lexical Resource:

• No word repeated more than twice
• Collocations used correctly

Grammatical Range & Accuracy:

• Articles checked
• Subject-verb agreement verified
• At least 2 complex sentence structures used correctly

Learning the difference between Band 6 and Band 7 can help you understand exactly what examiners look for at each level.

Ready to identify your specific mistake patterns? Try BandWriteCoach's free essay assessment and get detailed feedback on exactly which errors are keeping you stuck.

Found this helpful? Check out our guide on how IELTS scoring really works.