Written language can be seen to vary on a continuum of formality from extremely informal text which is reminiscent of spoken language to highly formal or academic texts. Many factors contribute to the formality or informality of a text; major influences include the degree to which academic words, academic structures and academic conventions are used. When we write academic texts, we are expected to use formal language rather than the relaxed conversational language we use in everyday situations. One way in which we can make our language more formal is by using sophisticated or formal words in place of colloquial ones. Consider the following two examples: Example 1: T.V. and the movies got more and more dependent on each other in the 1980's as T.V. companies put a lot of money into making movies. Example 2: The relationship between television and cinema grew increasingly symbiotic in the 1980's as television companies invested heavily in feature film making. The examples above say the same thing but differ widely in the degree of formality used to do this. The more formal of these versions is the style required for academic purposes. Informal language can make your academic content sound anecdotal and impressionistic rather than the result of research, analysis and critical thinking (Woodward-Kron and Thomson, 2000). These are the latest materials that focus on writing: IELTS preparation (Technology)  View LP032 materials    ESL Lesson Plan (IELTS-style test) | March 2011 This lesson has three authentic reading passages with a total of 25 questions and a follow-on (Task II) written test. IELTS preparation (Climate Change)  View LP031 materials    ESL Lesson Plan (IELTS-style test) | March 2011 This LP has three reading passages accompanied with a series of questions and a follow-on (Task II) written test.