The Fog Zone: Why Band 6 Essays Feel Fine but Fail

You finish your essay.
It feels fine.
You used some good vocabulary. You answered the question.

But then — Band 6.5. Again.

If this keeps happening, you might be trapped in something I call The Fog Zone.

What is the Fog Zone?

It’s the invisible place where writing sounds okay… but lacks the precision, structure, and clarity that Band 7+ requires.

Most students in this zone are making the same 3 mistakes:

• Their ideas are vague
• Their sentences feel unclear even if they’re grammatically “correct”
• They don’t notice it’s happening

Symptom 1: The Band 6 Fog

You write something like:

“In modern times, society is changing in many different ways.”

It’s not wrong. But it’s not clear.
What’s changing? Who is affected? Why does it matter?

That’s the fog. It fills your essay with safe, empty language — and examiners know it instantly.

Symptom 2: IELTS Fog Sentences

“It is argued that this is something which is perhaps quite important nowadays in terms of social development.”

That sentence sounds advanced but says very little.
It’s a cloud of words. No weight. No direction. No anchor.

Symptom 3: Modifier Madness

“There are very many serious and extremely important problems that are seriously happening a lot.”

The more adverbs and vague adjectives you add, the more the sentence collapses.

Band 7+ students say less, but mean more.

The Clarity Move

Here’s how a Band 7 student rewrites that first foggy line:

“Rapid changes in work culture have forced many parents to balance remote jobs with full-time childcare.”

• Specific
• Real
• Clear transmission of thought

Your Signal Practice

Go to one paragraph of your last essay.
Circle every phrase that feels soft — “these days,” “important,” “some people.”
Then rewrite the paragraph using specific nouns and strong verbs.

Can you feel the fog lift?