Deleting Words in IELTS Writing

Students often wonder whether they can make changes to their responses in the IELTS Writing exam or whether they can use the ‘V’ symbol to introduce new words or erase any words. So, let’s find out.

Is deleting a word accepted in the IELTS exam?

Deleting words in the IELTS Writing exam is perfectly fine. It is common to want to change a word while proofreading your work or making a mistake. Many students draw a line over the term they wish to remove. Make sure if you draw a line over the word to remove it, make it a dense, visible line. It makes it easier for the examiner to see that the term has been removed.

Can the ‘v’ symbol be used to insert new words in an answer?

It is acceptable to insert new words in your answers. However, you should make sure that the answers are easy to read and understand. Besides that, try to avoid doing that frequently because it will make it difficult for the examiner to follow and read. Planning your essay before you start writing is a nice way to avoid this problem. In addition, it helps in minimising errors.

Will you get a lower band score if your writing is messy?

The words or phrases that are unclear to the examiner will not be counted. As a result, your scores would suffer. Ensure that the word you delete is clearly visible as deleted and your new words are understandable. It is highly advised that you improve your handwriting skills before taking the test. Get your written essays checked by someone, and see if they can read through what you have written. 

Is it okay to delete any terms after the time limit has expired because you didn’t have enough time to finish my sentence?

You are not allowed to make any changes after the test time has ended. If you continue to write or make any changes, it will be considered equivalent to cheating, and you might have to face serious penalties.

Tip

Remember that writing tasks are time-bound tasks, and any second spent rewriting, cutting, or deleting what you have written takes time away from completing both the Writing test tasks. If there is a genuine error and you wish to delete a portion of your answer, you can do that without any hesitation, and it will not affect your scores negatively. Making and fixing the errors would only add to the frustration and difficulty of finishing the job, which also leads to making stupid mistakes in a rush to complete the task. 

Spend enough time preparing the answers to the tasks to ensure that there are few mistakes and that less editing is needed. Moreover, prefer to use a pencil instead of a pen for writing the IELTS exam. If you use a pen, you might have to delete the word by putting a line on that word, but if you use a pencil, you will easily be able to erase it.

Also check :

• Tips to write great writing essay
• IELTS Sample essays
• Tips to Improve IELTS Writing Skills
• IELTS Writing recent actual test
• How to prepare for IELTS?
• IELTS Writing Answer sheet