What is overgeneralisation in IELTS writing?
You overgeneralise when a claim is bigger than anything you could support. A tendency becomes a rule ("young people never read"), a group becomes everyone ("all parents are too busy"), one cause becomes the only cause, or a possible result becomes a certain one ("this will end crime"). The idea may be sensible. The size of the claim is what makes it false.
Why does it matter? One counterexample breaks an overgeneralised sentence. An examiner reading "nobody cooks at home any more" thinks of one person who does, and the idea now looks less supported.
✗ Nowadays everyone is addicted to their smartphone.
✓ Many people, especially those who use their phone for work, find it hard to go more than an hour without checking it.
"Everyone" and "addicted" are too big to defend. The new claim names who and describes what, so one counterexample no longer breaks it.
Premium sheet · 5 more sections
- Band 7 vs band 8: what the descriptors say about support
- How to avoid overgeneralisation: the claim-size method
- Overgeneralisation examples: before and after
- Hedging in IELTS writing: the opposite trap
- Your turn: spot and fix overgeneralisation
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Questions
FAQ
What is overgeneralisation in IELTS writing?+
It is a claim that is bigger than its support: all instead of many, always instead of often, the only cause instead of one cause. The Task 2 band 7 Task Response descriptor mentions "a tendency to over-generalise".
Does overgeneralisation lower your IELTS band?+
The descriptors place a tendency to over-generalise at band 7, while band 8 asks for ideas that are well extended and supported. It is one feature among several, so fixing it helps but does not guarantee a higher band.
How do I avoid overgeneralization in IELTS writing?+
Underline size words such as all, always and never, ask whether one counterexample would break the claim, narrow it with one qualifier, then add a reason or an example that supports the smaller claim.
What is hedging in IELTS writing?+
Hedging means using words such as can, tend to or many so that a claim is no stronger than your evidence. Too much makes writing vague, so use one qualifier per claim and keep your position firm.
Can I use always and never in an IELTS essay?+
Yes, when they are true. The problem is using them for claims about people, causes or results that a reader could easily disprove.
Is overgeneralisation a problem in IELTS Task 1?+
The word does not appear in the Task 1 descriptors. In Task 1 you report only what the visual shows, so the matching risk is describing a trend that the data does not support.
Sources
- IELTS Writing Band Descriptors (updated May 2023), ielts.org: Task 2, Task Response, bands 6–9: PDF pages 7–8; note under each table: PDF pages 7–9; Task 1: PDF pages 3–5
- ielts.org: IELTS Academic format, Writing: Marking: four criteria; Task Response includes evidence and examples; Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1
- ielts.org: IELTS scoring in detail: Writing: criteria weighted equally; Task 2 carries more weight
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