LinkedIn post: what changed after failing IELTS writing twice
Who wrote it
Huda Elmabrouk, a pharmacist from Tripoli, needed IELTS 6.5 for a master’s in Glasgow. She shares what finally worked.
The writer and every detail about them are fictional.
What went into the template
- Topic
- Failing IELTS writing twice, then getting 7.0
- Story or insight
- 5.5, then 6.0; my offer for a master’s in Glasgow needed 6.5 by September
I had memorised templates: “In this day and age…”, “On the one hand…”
For six weeks: one Task 2 essay a day with no template; paid a teacher to mark 12 of them; her comments: answer the exact question, give one real example instead of three general ones
September: 7.0 - Call to action
- Ask what helped others most with IELTS writing
The writer’s facts, as typed into the template’s form. The example uses nothing else.
The example
LinkedIn post: Personal story
Numbered notes in the margin explain each choice.
I failed the IELTS writing test twice.1
Hook
Note 1: A real moment in the first line. LinkedIn shows only the first lines in the feed, and this one makes people click.
The first time I got 5.5. The second time, 6.0. My offer for a master’s in Glasgow needed 6.5, and the deadline was in September.
The stakes
Both times I had done what everyone told me to do: I memorised templates. “In this day and age…” “On the one hand… on the other hand…” My essays looked like English, but they did not answer the question.2
What went wrong
Note 2: The diagnosis in one sentence. Many readers will recognise themselves in it.
So I changed one thing. For six weeks I wrote one Task 2 essay a day without a template, and I paid a teacher to mark twelve of them3. Her comments were almost always the same: answer the exact question, and give one real example instead of three general ones.
The change
Note 3: Specific numbers make the advice believable and repeatable.
In September I got 7.0.
The result
If you are preparing now: stop collecting phrases, and start collecting feedback4.
The one lesson
Note 4: One idea, phrased so it is easy to remember and share.
What helped you most with IELTS writing?
#IELTS #StudyAbroad5
A light question
Note 5: Two hashtags at the end, not a wall of them in the middle of the story.
Structure
How it is built
Each part in order, with its share of the words.
Checklist
Before you send
Go through your own draft line by line.
Before and after
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Lines like these turn up in many drafts by Arabic speakers. Each fix keeps the meaning and changes only the English.
I am happy to announce that I got 7.0 in IELTS!!! 🎉🎉🎉
I failed the IELTS writing test twice.
In this day and age, English language is very important for everyone.
My offer for a master’s in Glasgow needed 6.5, and the deadline was in September.
#IELTS #English #Study #Abroad #Success #Motivation #Students #Exam #Goals
#IELTS #StudyAbroad
Questions people ask
How long should a LinkedIn post be?
Long enough to tell one story and make one point: often 100 to 250 words. This post has about 150 words in short paragraphs of one to three sentences.
Is it a good idea to post about a failure?
Yes, when the post is about what you learned and you end on something useful for the reader. Honest stories about setbacks are among the most read posts on LinkedIn.
How many hashtags should I use?
One or two that people actually follow, at the end. More than that looks like spam and does not help the post travel further.
Every writer in this library is fictional, and so is every detail about them. Universities and companies appear only as places someone applies to; the professors, papers and facts mentioned around them are invented for teaching. Use the examples to learn the moves, never as text to copy: committees notice, and your own facts are stronger.