Hackneyed Phrases in IELTS: phrases to avoid!
A set of expression that has been overly used, trite and unoriginal is called hackneyed phrases. There are several ways to prepare yourself for the IELTS exam, however, in the end, IELTS is the test to know your English skills so don't make a mistake using hackneyed phrases in IELTS!
Also read: Five Tips to Improve Your Score on the Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Most of the students try to memorize phrases or formulas in order to score high band but often they do a mistake of using the memorized phrases in unsuitable situation results in a low score in IELTS mark sheet. Obviously, the examiner wants to read your own words not others so, it better not to memorize phrases for IELTS exam.
Some of the hackneyed phrases used in IELTS:
With the development of modern technology….
This phrase is often used by candidates in IELTS examination which makes examiners go crazy. This phrase may be suitable for an essay about developing technology, but if the essay is not about the development topic, the phrase is unsuitable. For instance, the question is Do you think students have too much homework? And if you began your essay with the development of modern technology you’ll probably lose your marks. This phrase includes all the variants “With the development of society” so I highly recommend students to avoid using this phrase on IELTS.
As we all know….
There is nothing that we all actually know. There are people with different opinions and there is always disagreement in a particular idea. You cannot use this phrase to follow the statement that would be true.
Every coin has two sides…
Though it is an English idiom, it is also an IELTS clichéd. There is another phrase with a similar meaning “A doubled-edge sword”. This is mostly misspoken by English learners as “Every knife has two edges”. It is simply too hackneyed phrases in IELTS are not suitable for academic essays. You can use “There are asides in every story” but still it’s a clichéd.
Last but not the least…” or “In a nutshell…
Candidates mostly include these two hackneyed phrases in IELTS to conclude their essays and sound more natural, however, they are too formal for academic purpose. Candidates cannot be too formal while writing an academic essay. In academic essays of IELTS, the candidates are encouraged to write their own experience. Although, there is no downvote while checking IELTS test papers, using hackneyed phrases in IELTS is not a good practice to follow. To get a higher band score in IELTS writing, you should instead practice using complex sentences in your academic essay. Last but not the least is used point the last member of a group in order to avoid the feeling of offended by being introduced at last – not to summarize the points in your essay. Instead, you can simply use “last” or “lastly”. Again, in a nutshell, is a casual phrase that cannot be used in academic essays.
It cannot be denied….
This hackneyed phrase in IELTS is mostly used to give opinions. Most of the students use this phrase like this: “It cannot be denied that there is too many homework for the students”. If we ask this question to ourselves, is it that cannot be really denied? No! There is nothing 100% certain in this world, and there is always a space for dispute. Even though the examiner will know what you are trying to say, you’re not using the correct word for your idea.
broaden my horizons….
There are so many ways that you can express the value of learning a new thing and gaining a deeper insight into the world. However, because of the overuse of the hackneyed phrase in IELTS makes the examiner to yawn or scream out of anger while checking the papers.
Since the beginning of time….
Do we really know when did the time begin? And do your other statement in your essay fill the gap between then and now? Undoubtedly not! Usage of this phrase makes the examiner know that you actually don’t know what you are saying.
more and more…
Most of the time we see this phrase mentioned in IELTS questions, however, you should never copy the words from the question otherwise you’ll sound like a parrot! Furthermore, students use this hackneyed phrase in IELTS inaccurately in their essay.
Conclusion: IELTS exam is to test your English ability so try to use your own words not others while writing task 2 of an IELTS. Practice lots of writing task before you give IELTS exam. Rewriting the same essay multiple time is very beneficial to improve your writing skills.
