Common Spelling Typos in IELTS Essays and How to Avoid Them

Spelling accuracy is critical for achieving a high band score in the IELTS Writing test, as errors can lower your Lexical Resource score. This blog post highlights common spelling typos in IELTS essays.

Why Spelling Matters in IELTS

According to the IELTS band descriptors, spelling accuracy affects your Writing score:

• Band 6.0: “Makes some errors in spelling.”

• Band 7.0: “May produce occasional errors in spelling.”

• Band 8.0: “Produces rare errors in spelling.”

Common Spelling Typos

The following spelling mistakes are frequently seen in IELTS essays and can hinder your performance:

1. Persue instead of Pursue: I want to persue my dreams (correct: pursue).

2. Priviledge instead of Privilege: It’s a priviledge to attend (correct: privilege).

3. Occassion instead of Occasion: The party was a special occassion (correct: occasion).

4. Liscense instead of License: I got my driver’s liscense (correct: license in American English).

5. Maintanance instead of Maintenance: The car needs maintanance (correct: maintenance).

6. Independance instead of Independence: We celebrate independance day (correct: independence).

7. Relevent instead of Relevant: This is not relevent to the topic (correct: relevant).

8. Calender instead of Calendar: Check the calender for dates (correct: calendar).

9. Concious instead of Conscious: I was concious of my mistake (correct: conscious).

10. Argueing instead of Arguing: They were argueing all night (correct: arguing).

11. Alot instead of A lot: I have alot of homework (correct: a lot).

12. Occured instead of Occurred: The event occured yesterday (correct: occurred).

13. Neccessary instead of Necessary: It’s neccessary to study (correct: necessary).

14. Buisness instead of Business: She runs a buisness (correct: business).

15. Untill instead of Until: Wait untill tomorrow (correct: until).

16. Suprise instead of Surprise: It was a suprise party (correct: surprise).

17. Freind instead of Friend: My freind called me (correct: friend).

18. Weird instead of Wierd: That’s so wierd (correct: weird).

19. Judgement instead of Judgment: Her judgement was harsh (correct: judgment in American English).

20. Convinient instead of Convenient: The store is convinient (correct: convenient).

The typos are commonly one of these:

1. Homophone errors (words that sound the same but have different spellings/meanings):

   • Your vs. You’re: Your going to the party (correct: You’re).

   • There vs. Their vs. They’re: Their coming over (correct: They’re).

   • To vs. Too vs. Two: I have to many books (correct: too).

   • Its vs. It’s: The dog wagged it’s tail (correct: its).

   • Affect vs. Effect: The weather will effect my mood (correct: affect).

1. Spelling mistakes:

   • Teh instead of The.

   • Recieve instead of Receive.

   • Definately instead of Definitely.

   • Seperate instead of Separate.

   • Accomodate instead of Accommodate.

1. Punctuation errors:

   • Missing apostrophes: "Lets go" (correct: Let’s) or "The cats toys" (correct: cat’s).

   • Misplaced/missing commas: "I ate pizza cake and ice cream" (correct: pizza, cake, and ice cream).

   • Incorrect quotation marks: "He said, I’m tired." (correct: He said, “I’m tired.”).

1. Capitalization errors:

   • "i went to paris" (correct: I went to Paris).

   • "monday is my favorite day" (correct: Monday).

1. Repeated or omitted words:

   • "I I forgot to call" (correct: I forgot to call).

   • "She went the store" (correct: to the store).

1. Keyboard slip-ups (adjacent key errors):

   • Hte instead of The.

   • Adn instead of And.

   • Wrod instead of Word.

How to Avoid Spelling Typos

To improve your spelling and boost your IELTS band score, try these strategies inspired by IELTS Teacher Training and other expert tips:

1. Use Mnemonics: Create memory aids for tricky words. For example, recall that privilege contains vilege, like “village,” to avoid extra letters.

2. Type Slowly and Check: Slow down when drafting essays to prevent errors like persue or relevent. Practice with a spell-checker to build awareness of mistakes.

3. Leverage Spell-Checkers Wisely: Write practice essays in MS Word or Grammarly, but manually verify flagged words using a dictionary (e.g., Merriam-Webster online)

4. Maintain a Spelling List: Keep a notebook of words you misspell, such as license or conscious, and review them regularly.

5. Proofread Strategically: Read your essay multiple times, focusing solely on spelling during one pass. Reading backward can help spot errors like occassion.

6. Take Breaks Before Revising: Step away from your essay for a few hours to review with fresh eyes, catching typos like independance or argueing.

7. Seek Feedback: Share your essays with peers or teachers, contact us at info@ieltstt.com

Final Thoughts

Spelling typos can lower your IELTS Writing score, but with targeted practice, you can minimize these errors.

Start by creating a spelling list, practicing daily, and reviewing your essays carefully.

For more resources, visit IELTS 9.0 TT to access expert advice and connect with other IELTS candidates.

Happy writing, and good luck with your IELTS preparation!