5 reasons why you can’t get more than 6.5 in your IELTS essay

Stuck in the 6.5 zone: 5 reasons why you can’t get a 7 or higher in the IELTS writing test.

Why Students Hit the 6.5 Ceiling in IELTS Writing

For so many IELTS candidates, achieving a writing score of 7 or higher can feel like chasing an elusive dream. The harder they try, the more often they find themselves stuck at the dreaded 6.5. But it may not be your English skills but the advice or rather myths you have been fed that stop you really writing.

Let’s break down the reasons behind this 6.5 phenomenon and how students can overcome it.

1. Grammar: Range Over Perfection

IELTS grammar scoring isn’t about achieving grammatical perfection. Surprising as it may be, it’s entirely possible to write a flawless essay and still score a 5 for grammar—or, alternatively, make a handful of (minor) errors and land a perfect 9. What truly matters is clarity of communication and the essay’s overall message, not flawless execution.

The band score directions the examiners use actually states ‘a few slips’ that are not habitual as a 9. It states that a lack of grammar variety, depending on the details, as a 5 or 6. A 7 attempts a variety of grammar with frequent mistakes, but the writing is understandable throughout despite the mistakes.

The takeaway: focus on meaningful grammar that supports your argument rather than obsessing over perfect grammar.

2. Task Achievement: Answer the Question Fully and Directly

Templates might feel like a safety net, but they can actually hold you back because they don’t answer the questions fully and directly.

Yes, there are common topics such as caring for the elder, planning cities, climate change and social media which might come up again and again as statements, but the question will never be the same. It could ask a personal opinion, for you to comment on someone else’s opinion, to compare opinions, to compare opinions and give your advice, to speculate why, to give a suggestion, to give a solution, to give a reason and any combination of these and more.

To get an 8 or 9 you need to address ‘all parts of the question’ throughout.

If you talk on the topic, but don’t address the question, that is a 5. If you partially address the question (as most templates do), that is a 6.

The takeaway: Don’t just rearrange the words from the question into a pre-learned format. Instead, ensure you’ve addressed all parts of the question and provided thoughtful, specific responses.

3. Cohesion: Natural Flow Over Formulaic Writing

The biggest mistakes I saw while examining was the overuse or misuse of cohesion. For instance, if you say ‘in addition’ then you just continue with meaningless ideas that are not in addition to what you previously said, that is a 5.

Here is a snippet from an essay with terrible cohesion. See how the write begins almost every sentence with an adverbal conjunction and comma. At no point does the writer actually join ideas.

Cohesion isn’t about packing essays with cohesive devices like “Firstly,” “Moreover,” or “In conclusion.” These should be used sparingly and purposefully to link ideas.

Take away: Overuse or contradiction of cohesive devices can detract from the essay’s meaning.

4. Lexical Resource: Precision Over Fancy Words

Another common pitfall is relying on cliché phrases and “big” academic words like “advent” and “plethora,” or outdated idioms like “in a nutshell” and “two sides of the same coin.” These won’t meet the rubric which the examiners are matching your language to.

Instead, focus on:

• Topical and specific vocabulary. Use words that are relevant to the essay topic. If you are writing on climate change use worlds like carbon footprint and fossil fuels, if you are talking about shopping, healthcare, free university etc. you will use a completely different set of words.
• Phrasal verbs. Contrary to popular belief, these aren’t slang. They’re sophisticated and precise expressions that convey meaning effectively. For instance, if you listen to the finance news you will find it peppered with phasal verbs to describe the movement in the money markets.

Here is a snippet from a financial news report;

“markets have been shaking up as investors continue to pour in funds into renewable energy sectors, driving stock prices up. Meanwhile, concerns about inflation have eaten into consumer confidence, causing retail spending to fall off slightly.”

Take Away: there is no list of magical 9 level vocabulary for every situation.

5. Personality: The Underrated Secret

Finally, let’s talk about flair and risk-taking. Examiners look for essays with a sense of personality and originality. Here’s what this means:

• Flair: Develop your own writing style, whether it’s casual yet articulate or formal and academic. Both styles can achieve top marks if executed well.
• Risk-taking: This involves experimenting with language. For example, using innovative word forms like “fee-less”—even if it’s not perfect—shows you’re thinking like a native speaker. Taking calculated risks demonstrates linguistic confidence and can elevate your score.

Take away: be human, don’t be perfect. Sophistication over perfection.

So, I hope this helps you throw away the templates and myths, and develop your writing skills for your new life. A 7 is a real achievement, and will set you up to give opinions at work, and socially, and go into your new life in Australia or wherever with confidence.