On this page, you will find all the information related to the IELTS and TOEFL Writing Correction Pass provided at Leila's Writing Lab.

1. What is the IELTS writing test?

2. What is the TOEFL writing test?

3. What does 'correction / feedback' mean?

4. What is audio - recorded correction Pass?

5. How do you correct in my writing at Leila's Writing Lab?

6. How can the Writing Correction Pass on Leila's Writing Lab teach me the tools to learn how to get a higher score on the IELTS / TOEFL writing test?

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1. What is the IELTS writing test?

IELTS stands for International English Language Test System. It is a test that you have to take in order to prove fluency and accuracy in your overall level of English. There are 4 parts to the test, Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.

The IELTS writing test consists of 2 types, Academic and General Training. The first, Academic, is for candidates who wish to apply for a place to study at a university or to work professionally in an English speaking environment. The second, General Training, is for candidates who wish to apply for an immigration visa. Both Academic and General Training IELTS writing tests consist of 2 tasks. In the first task (Academic), you have to look at data or a diagram in the question and write a report and analyze the data. For this, you have  to write between 160 to 180 words in 20 minutes. The first task for General Training IELTS writing requires you to write a letter requesting information or to solve a problem.  The second writing task, which is the same for the General Training and the Academic tests, requires you to respond in an essay to a point of view, argument or a problem. For this, you must write between 260 and 280 words in 40 minute. Both the first and second tasks have to be written in a formal manner.

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2. What is the TOEFL writing test?

Similar to the IELTS, the TOEFL test is meant to assess your overall fluency and accuracy in your use of English. TOEFL stands for Test Of English for Foreign Language learners. Like the IELTS, the TOEFL is based on 4 skills, reading, writing, listening and speaking.

TOEFL writing has 2 tasks. The first is called the Integrated Writing task. In this task, candidates read a short passage on a topic for a period of 3 minutes. Then they have to listen to a lecture on the same topic (the lecture either agrees or casts doubt on the reading passage and is around 2 - 3 minutes long). Once the candidates have read and listened to the information, they have to write their own essay explaining how the listening section supports or casts doubt on the reading passage. For this, candidates have to write between 150 to 225 words in 20 minutes.

Task 2 of TOEFL writing, requires candidates to write an essay on a given topic and explain their opinion as well as give examples. They must write at least 300 words in 30 minutes.

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3. What does 'correction (feedback)' mean?

Correction (feedback) means when an instructor or teacher corrects a student's writing and explains which parts of the writing are correct and which parts have to be altered / corrected / improved. The sign of good writing correction is when the instructor / teacher informs the student of why their mistakes are wrong and how to correct them effectively.

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4. What is Correction Pass?

Leila's Writing Lab offers Pass as well as Pass Plus. Correction Pass is for students who want to achieve a band score 6-6. 5 in IELTS or 65-80 in TOEFL. In the Correction Pass, the student will be given complete and detailed feedback on which areas of the writing have been well-written and which areas need to be improved.  In addition, students will be given important tips and information on how to write in order to pass the IELTS / TOEFL writing test, as well as scores / marks for their writing.

The feedback given at Leila's Writing Lab is audio - recorded. This means that when I give feedback on a student's writing, I do so by verbally explaining which parts of the writing are incorrect, why they are incorrect and how to correct them. I have used this technique for many years and have seen that when students read and listen to information at the same time, they learn a lot more than just reading information.

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5. How is correction done at Leila's Writing Lab?

Once a student has submitted their essay and made full payment, I will read through their essay. I will highlight any grammatical mistakes in GREEN and any vocabulary / errors relating to task achievement or cohesion in RED, then I begin verbally recording the corrections and feedback. This means that I will talk to the student, recording my voice whilst correcting the writing, explaining every mistake and suggesting correct alternatives. Once finished, I will give the student an overall score for the writing task. This will include scores for task achievement, coherence and cohesion, lexis and vocabulary use and grammatical accuracy. The recorded correction video will be sent to the student within 48 hours and he/she can access it as many times as they wish, at any time, on their phone, ipad or laptop... For examples of how I give feedback and correct students' work, see here.

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6. How can the Correction Service on Leila's Writing Lab teach me the tools to learn how to get a higher score on the IELTS / TOEFL writing test?

A lot of other IELTS / TOEFL writing correction services correct students' work in writing. That means that the instructor writes comments about which parts of the students' writing is wrong and how to correct them. However, Leila's Writing Lab does a lot more.

Firstly, I do not write my comments. I believe a student might find it difficult to read and understand my written comments, especially if I need to give detailed explanations about something. Instead, I verbally explain why a mistake is wrong and how to effectively correct it according to the IELTS / TOEFL marking scheme. The student needs to know why what they have written is wrong. Knowing the correct answer can only help if you know why something is wrong.  Whilst correcting, I use lots of explanations and examples to make sure that the student understands. This correction technique teaches the student how to write more effectively for their IETLS / TOEFL writing exam.

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Leila's Writing Lab has used this audio - recorded correction and feedback method for many years on many students from various countries. A great number of students prefer this style of feedback compared to only written comments and a score. They get to listen to a friendly voice explaining why what they had written would be marked down by the examiner, and instead how to correct it.