When you plan to attempt IELTS or TOEFL a little practice will go a long way in getting you a good score. While practising the essay part of the test one can follow a few points in order to make the writing part easier. Take a sample test paper and randomly choose any topic and then lay out a rough plan of how you would write the essay.

Write down ideas you might like to introduce in stages in the essay and once you have a sizable number, group them to form a paragraph. When a plan is ready, it becomes easier to know exactly what you are going to write and when you are to write it. Break each point up into small 150-200 word chunks, so the whole thing seems less daunting. In case you are stuck at the introduction, don't linger on it; instead move on to the point you would introduce after it. Stop after every point to review it. Through practice you come to know your shortcomings in the area. Check the grammar, don't use an excess of adjectives and try to introduce one idea that is original which will help you score brownie points with the examiner.

Follow certain guidelines when writing an essay. There should be an introduction, a body and conclusion. The introduction restates the question using different vocabulary and sentence structure. The introduction also includes your thesis statement. The body of your essay is also the "heart" of your essay. It will include your main ideas, details and examples to support those ideas. Each new idea should be a new paragraph.

The conclusion will summarise your main points and it may include your opinion. One can use two basic types of layouts for essays - 3773 and 35553. The 3773 is a four-paragraph essay with three sentences for introduction, seven sentences for the paragraphs and three sentences again for the conclusion. The 35553 is a five-paragraph essay with three sentences for introduction, five sentences for the paragraphs and three sentences again for the conclusion. Proper planning will help prospective examinees acquire a good score in the tests.-hindu.com