You're staring at your IELTS letter. 280 words. It sounds... repetitive. "I am writing" appears twice. "The above-mentioned issue" three times. Your examiner will notice. That's where points slip away.
Here's the thing: redundancy tanks your Coherence & Cohesion score. Not dramatically. But consistently. The IELTS band descriptors reward writers who vary their language and link ideas smoothly. If you're saying the same thing five different ways in a 280-word letter, you're wasting words that could show range, and you're boring your reader.
This post teaches you exactly how to spot repetitive phrases, why they hurt your score, and how to fix them before you submit. You'll see real IELTS-style examples. You'll learn the phrases examiners see a thousand times a week. And you'll get a 5-minute process to audit your own letters using a simple IELTS letter redundancy checker approach.
The IELTS Writing band descriptors don't just reward clear organisation. They reward variety in how you connect and develop ideas. When you repeat the same phrase, you're signaling: "I don't have enough vocabulary to say this another way." That's not a grammar mistake. It's a lexical range problem.
Look at Band 7 vs Band 6 writing. Both are grammatically accurate. Both are organised. The Band 7 candidate uses different linking words, varied sentence structures, and doesn't lean on the same expressions repeatedly. The Band 6 candidate? They're safe. They're correct. But repetitive.
Examiners read 40-50 IELTS letters a day. If your letter uses "I would like to" four times in 280 words, they'll spot it immediately. They'll score your Lexical Resource and Coherence accordingly.
You don't need fancy software. Here's a manual process that takes 3 minutes and identifies exactly where you're repeating yourself.
Exam hack: You have 20 minutes to write in the real test. Spend 1 minute on a redundancy check before you finish. That 1 minute can protect you from dropping 0.5 points on Coherence & Cohesion.
Most students fall into the same traps. You probably do too.
Weak: "I am writing to inform you that I would like to request a refund. I am writing because the product was damaged. I am writing to explain the situation."
Better: "I am writing to request a refund for the damaged product. As you can see from the attached photos, the item arrived broken. I would therefore appreciate your prompt assistance in resolving this matter."
Use one clear opener. Then move forward. Don't announce what you're doing again.
Weak: "I have a problem with this issue. This issue is very serious. This issue must be resolved urgently. Regarding this issue, I would like your help."
Better: "I have encountered a serious problem with my recent booking. The situation requires urgent attention. I would appreciate your immediate assistance in resolving this matter."
Replace repetitive nouns with pronouns ("it", "this", "that") or rephrase using synonyms. "The problem" becomes "the situation" becomes "the matter." Your reader knows what you're talking about.
Weak: "I would like to point out that the service was poor. I would like to mention that the staff was rude. I would like to add that the premises were dirty."
Better: "The service was disappointing. The staff displayed a lack of professionalism. The premises were also in an unacceptable state of cleanliness."
Vary your sentence starters and connectors. Rotating between different linking words shows grammatical range and eliminates writing repetition detection issues.
Weak: "I would like to complain. I would like to receive a refund. I would like to suggest. I would like you to respond within 7 days."
Better: "I wish to lodge a formal complaint. I expect a refund of £150. I recommend that you review your quality control procedures. Please respond within 7 days."
Swap "I would like" for "I wish to," "I expect," "I demand," "I recommend," or just use the direct imperative. One or two instances of "would like" is professional. Five is lazy.
Save this section. Use it while you practice.
Let's audit a complete letter. This is what you'll spot in your own work once you know what to look for.
Original (Redundant):
"Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to lodge a complaint regarding your restaurant. I am writing because I had a terrible experience last Saturday. The service was poor. I would like to point out that the service was slow. I would like to mention that the staff was rude. I would like to add that the food was cold. I believe this issue needs to be addressed. Regarding this issue, I expect compensation. The above-mentioned issue cost me £50. I would like a refund for this issue. I am writing to request this matter be resolved urgently.
Yours faithfully,
John Smith"
130 words. But it feels like 80 because so much repeats.
Problems identified:
Revised (Redundancy-Free):
"Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to lodge a complaint about your restaurant. I dined there on Saturday 15th June and encountered several serious issues. The service was unacceptably slow, the staff displayed a lack of professionalism, and my meal was served cold. This experience fell far short of acceptable standards. I expect compensation of £50. Please resolve this matter within 7 days, or I will be forced to escalate my complaint to the local trading standards authority.
Yours faithfully,
John Smith"
109 words. Shorter, stronger, zero repetition.
What changed:
Manual checking works. But an IELTS-specific writing correction tool speeds things up significantly.
A good IELTS writing checker should flag repeated phrases and track your word choices. It should understand that in a 280-word letter, using "I would like" twice is fine, but four times is wasteful. It should recognise that some repetition is necessary (you have to mention your request multiple times), but it should help you see where you're overdoing it.
The best tools give you control. They don't just say "you repeated this phrase 3 times." They show you where, count it, and let you decide which instances to change based on context. A proper IELTS essay checker will analyse your work against actual band descriptors rather than just general grammar rules.
Important: Don't rely on a general grammar checker for IELTS work. They'll catch spelling and basic grammar, but they won't understand IELTS-specific redundancy patterns. The phrase "I would like to request" is grammatically fine. It's only a problem if you've used it four times in a 200-word letter. An IELTS writing checker understands that context.
Not all repetition is bad. Sometimes you repeat for emphasis. The difference matters.
Bad repetition: "I would like to complain. I would like to request a refund. I would like an apology." (Same structure, different objects. Sounds lazy.)
Good repetition: "Your service was unacceptable. The quality was unacceptable. The pricing was unacceptable. This must change." (Intentional parallel structure for emphasis.)
The rule: If you repeat something by accident because you couldn't think of another way to say it, that's bad. If you repeat something deliberately to drive home a point, that's fine. Examiners can tell the difference.
In most IELTS letters, you don't need deliberate emphasis. You need clarity. Cut accidental repetition first. Once you've mastered that, you can use repetition strategically if it serves your argument.
Use this before you submit.
This takes 2-3 minutes. It's worth it.
Use an IELTS writing evaluator to detect repetitive phrases, get instant band score estimates, and receive line-by-line feedback. Spot redundancy in seconds that would take you minutes to find manually.
Check My Letter Free