Today we’ll discuss the formalities of exaggeration, and you’ll learn when and how to exaggerate for higher IELTS scores.
A super interesting question came up in our Live Facebook Q and A session this week:
When you say ‘going to extremes’ is this good for speaking only, or can we use it in writing as well?
The candidate that wrote this question is really thinking deeply about his IELTS preparation, as he is referencing a strategy that I’ve spoken about in another video lesson about exaggeration.
In Speaking, firstly, going to extremes is a very native way to describe something, hitting those requirements for a 7 or higher.
For instance, instead of saying, “I love chocolate,” you should say, “I could eat chocolate every day, all day.”
But what about using this technique in IELTS Writing?
For General Training Task 1, if it’s an informal letter, you can do this.
100% Score Increase Guarantee with our Insider Method
Are you ready to move past IELTS and move forward with your life vision?
Find out why our strategies are the most powerful in the IELTS world.
When you use our Insider Method you avoid the BIGGEST MISTAKES that most students make on IELTS.
Click here to get a score increase on IELTS. It’s 100% guaranteed.
However, don’t use this strategy in formal writing, overall.
The student who wrote this question also asked about using adverb + adjective combinations.
This is a formal way of exaggerating, and using more high-level vocabulary!
For example, instead of saying, “… has a big effect,” you could say, “… has a vitally significant impact.”
These phrases are most applicable in Writing Task 1, such as, “most massive number.”
Using language like this is another way in which IELTS Writing differs from normal academic writing, which tends to be more dry and less descriptive.
Do you use exaggeration in your speaking and writing?
Share your ideas in the comments section below!