IELTS Writing Task 2: How to Avoid Repeating Yourself

Why This Matters

Repetition is one of the most common reasons students score Band 6 for Lexical Resource and Coherence and Cohesion.
It makes your writing sound clunky, limited, and robotic — even if your ideas are good.
You’re not being judged on how many words you know.
You’re being judged on how well you use them.

What Counts as Repetition?

  • Repeating the same vocabulary too many times

  • Repeating the same sentence structure over and over

  • Repeating the same idea in different words without developing it

This isn’t just about being boring.
It breaks the flow of your writing and makes it seem like you’re out of ideas.

Problem 1: Repetitive Vocabulary

Bad Example:
Tourism brings money to tourist areas. Tourism also creates tourism jobs. Tourism helps tourism services.

Better:
Tourism brings income to local communities. It also creates employment and supports services that rely on international visitors.

Fix it using:

  • Word families (employ → employment → employee)

  • Synonyms you actually know (not memorised nonsense)

  • Referencing (this, it, such growth, these services)

Problem 2: Repeating the Same Structure

Bad Example:
Firstly, tourism helps the economy. Secondly, tourism creates jobs. Thirdly, tourism builds infrastructure.

The structure is identical. It reads like a template, not an essay.

Better:
Tourism helps the economy in several ways. For instance, when visitors spend money locally, it boosts small businesses. In turn, this demand creates jobs and encourages governments to invest in infrastructure like roads and hospitals.

This still follows a logical structure — but it doesn’t sound like a list.

Problem 3: Repeating the Same Idea

Bad Example:
Libraries are important. This is because they are useful. Libraries are very useful, and that’s why they’re important.

This just circles the point.

Better:
Libraries play a crucial role in education by giving students access to resources they may not have at home. They also provide quiet study spaces, which help improve concentration and academic performance.

Always develop the idea — don’t just reword it.

Fixing Repetition: What You Can Do

  • Don’t panic-search synonyms — use words you trust

  • Reference your ideas — “this,” “such a problem,” “these concerns”

  • Vary sentence openings — but don’t go hunting for complex grammar

  • Plan your points — if your idea is strong, you won’t need to repeat it

Final Thought

Repetition is usually a symptom of not planning.
If you brainstorm properly and follow a clear structure (like QPEE / PEE), your ideas won’t loop back on themselves.

Your job is to move forward — not go in circles.