ielts-simon.com

IELTS Advice: from 6.5 to 7

One of the most common questions that people ask me is: "How can I improve my score from 6.5 to 7?"

Here's some advice if your current score is 6.5:

• The good news is that you are not doing anything wrong in terms of exam technique. The fact that you are getting 6.5 means that you are doing the exam in the right way.
• You are very close to getting a 7. In the writing and speaking tests, a score of 6.5 means that you are already achieving band 7 in half of the requirements.
• You don't need a special technique or piece of advice. You only need to make small improvements. For example, in the speaking and writing tests, try to express your ideas in a bit more detail, and try to reduce the number of small mistakes that you make.

IELTS Speaking Advice: tell stories

At the end of yesterday's lesson I mentioned that you could prepare some examples or stories to make your descriptions more interesting (for speaking part 2, and maybe part 3).

When speaking in our own languages, we tell stories all the time. For example, you might tell a member of your family about what happened at work today, or you might tell your friends about a film you saw last night.

The ability to tell a story in English is a sign that you are becoming a proficient user of the language. Test yourself: try telling a story in English now! Start with something easy, like "what I did yesterday".

IELTS Advice: a useful question

Here's a useful question that a student asked me on the Facebook page:

Many students complain that they don’t get a high enough score in IELTS reading, and many teachers respond that you need more practice. Dear Simon, could you describe how to practise for reading correctly? I do practise with the Cambridge books and spend time reading newspapers, but with no results.

Here's my answer:

Good question. First, testing yourself is not the best practice. You should test yourself from time to time (e.g. once a week), but spend much more time studying rather than testing. 'Studying' means that your aim is to learn something from what you read. For example, when reading newspaper articles, you might learn a new word or phrase, or you might learn how to use a word correctly in a new context. Don't forget to check things in a dictionary or by searching online, and write new language in a notebook.

The Cambridge IELTS books are a great resource for studying (as well as testing). Try doing some reading tests without a time limit. Allow yourself to use a dictionary to check words, and aim to get all of the answers right. Analyse your mistakes carefully, and make keyword tables (click here to see a good example).

Above all, remember that IELTS reading is a vocabulary test. Ask yourself what new vocabulary you have learnt this week. Can you point to a page of your notebook and say "I've learnt these 10 or 20 new words and phrases this week"? If you can, you are improving.

IELTS Advice: what is an idiom?

Many students ask me about idioms: What are they? Should you use them? Do they help your score?

Meaning
My dictionary defines an idiom as "a group of words whose meaning is not deducible from the meaning of each individual word". This means that you cannot understand an idiom by analysing it word for word. For example, "it's a piece of cake" means "it's easy". Phrasal verbs are also idiomatic expressions (e.g. 'look up' can mean 'search in a dictionary').

Using idioms
English speakers use idioms all the time in conversation, but less so in formal/academic speaking and writing contexts. However, we often write things like "focus on an issue" or "the key to solving a problem" and here we are using 'focus' and 'key' in a figurative or idiomatic way.

Idioms in IELTS
You need to be really careful when using idioms in your IELTS test. Please don't learn lists of idioms; if you use them in the wrong way, your speech/writing will seem forced and unnatural. Also, remember that many idioms are informal or clichéd. So, what should you do? Read my top tip below.

My top tip
You can only be sure that you are using an idiom correctly if you have seen or heard it used in context. For example, if you've read about a musician who "built a following" or someone who "set up a business", you can use those phrases with confidence (and they might help your score!). If you've only seen the idiom on a list, don't use it!

IELTS Advice: if your writing score is lower

I often meet students who have no problem getting band 7 for listening, reading and speaking, but they get a lower score in the writing test. Why is this?

These seem to be the main reasons:

• They start writing without stopping to think first.
• Their essays lack organisation because they didn't do a plan.
• They don't develop their ideas in enough detail or depth.

The solution is to spend more time planning and organising your ideas before you start writing.

IELTS Writing: which task should you do first?

Students often ask me which writing task they should do first in the exam. Is it better to start with IELTS writing task 1 or task 2?

Personally, I would start with task 1.

You'll be feeling nervous in the exam, so it's a good idea to start with something easy: the introduction to task 1.

If you have read my advice on how to write the introduction for task 1, you will know that you can simply paraphrase the question (rewrite the question with a few changes). This gives you a fast and simple way to begin the exam.

So, don't waste any time at the beginning of the writing test. If you have practised paraphrasing task 1 questions, you should be confident that you know exactly what to do. Get started straight away; you'll feel much better.

IELTS Advice: 'real content'

Yesterday I made the point that 'real content' (topic-specific words and phrases) is much more important than linking phrases. To see a good example of real content, look back to Wednesday's lesson about main body paragraphs.

Here's some of the band 7-9 vocabulary that I used:

• a defined career path
• a great sense of satisfaction
• work towards (and gradually achieve) goals
• realise an ambition
• gain the relevant qualifications
• undertake years of training
• find their work rewarding
• invest time and effort

The above phrases came from just one paragraph! To be honest, the paragraphs I wrote on Wednesday are beyond (better than) what an examiner would ever expect to read. So don't worry if you can't write paragraphs like that; just try to learn something from them.

IELTS Advice: where to find test practice

On Monday and Tuesday I linked to some practice materials from the official IELTS website, ielts.org. This is the best place to start looking for official practice materials online because all of the example questions there are 'real'.

ielts.org is a big website, and it's not easy to find the test samples, so here's a direct link to the page you need: click here. Just go down the page until you see the PDF links.

Of course, the other sources of 'real' test practice are the Cambridge IELTS books.

IELTS Advice: don't forget the simple stuff

One thing I noticed as an examiner is that many students forget to use simple words like "and" or "but". At the same time, they overuse words like "moreover" and "furthermore".

Native speakers use "and" all the time (in both speech and writing). You can use "and" or "but" as many times as you want; the examiner will not notice!

On the other hand, if you use "moreover" or "furthermore" more than once, the examiner will notice straight away. These words do not get you a high score. In fact, in the speaking exam, they make your English sound 'forced'.

IELTS advice: simple and difficult

Many students are concerned that the language they use might be too 'simple', so they try to find more 'difficult' words or phrases.

In my opinion, words and phrases are never 'difficult' in the way that mathematics can be. Anyone can understand and learn a word or phrase. What is difficult about learning a language is building a large repertoire of words and phrases that you can use flexibly to express a wide variety of ideas.

Examiners don't really think in terms of 'simple' and 'difficult'. They look for:

• range and variety of vocabulary
• detailed explanation of relevant ideas
• ability to put groups of words together correctly (e.g. collocation)
• accurate use of small words (e.g. articles) as well as big words

If you read yesterday's description of a garden and thought that it was 'simple', you've got the wrong idea about what the examiner is looking for.

New Year's Resolutions

Here are a few articles about New Year's resolutions. You might find them interesting, but if you don't, you'll definitely find some good vocabulary in there.

- Britain's most popular New Year's resolutions

- Tips for success

- Alternative resolutions for children

IELTS Advice: answer the question!

In the IELTS writing and speaking tests, the most important thing is to answer the question. This seems obvious, but many students are so worried about using 'difficult grammar' that they don't give relevant answers.

In the speaking test, listen carefully to the question and answer it as if you were speaking to a friend. Try to speak without thinking too much; forget the grammar and just enjoy the conversation.

In the writing test, take some time to understand each question and plan your answer. Check the question every time you write a new idea; make sure that everything you write is relevant. If part of your answer is not related to the topic you will lose marks, even if your grammar is perfect.

IELTS Vocabulary: 'topic specific' vocabulary

Yesterday I said that linking words don't help your vocabulary score, and that you need to use 'topic specific' vocabulary if you want a high score.

But what is 'topic specific' vocabulary?

The answer is: vocabulary that you would probably only use for one particular essay question. For example, I used this vocabulary in a lesson last week:

- impoverished or disadvantaged
- prioritise local charity
- those who live beyond our national borders
- curable diseases
- paying for vaccines that already exist

You might be able to adapt these phrases to a different topic, but it wouldn't be easy; they are quite specific to the particular question in this lesson. However, these are the kind of words and phrases that you need if you want to get a good vocabulary score.

IELTS Vocabulary: 'phrases for any topic'

Many students have asked me to give them "a list of good phrases for any topic". In other words, they want to find a shortcut to band 7.

Unfortunately, this list does not exist!

The only words or phrases that you can use for any topic are 'linking' words or phrases. These might help you to organise your ideas, but they won't help your vocabulary score. The only way to get a good vocabulary score is by using 'topic specific' words and phrases.

IELTS Advice: someone to check your work

I think it's important to practise every day if you want to improve your English and your IELTS score. That's why I write something on this website every day.

However, you also need feedback. You need someone to check your work, point out your mistakes and give you advice about how to improve.

Books and websites are great for advice, techniques and practice questions. But if I were you, I'd also try to get some face-to-face help, maybe just once a week.

IELTS Advice: band 9 essays

Some students (both in my classes and online) find it hard to believe that all of my essays are band 9. They are under the impression that you need to use "difficult" language to get a high score. This is how I respond:

• What is "difficult" language? Language is not mathematics; anyone can learn and understand a word or phrase.
• The most difficult thing is using words together correctly and naturally. Small words like articles and prepositions cause the most problems.
• If an essay has no grammar mistakes and a mix of long and short sentences, it's almost certain that it will get band 9 for grammar.
• If ideas are explained and developed in a clear, logical way, you will get a high score for coherence and cohesion.
• If you try to make your writing over-complicated, it will seem forced and unnatural.

Remember: if an essay is difficult to read, it's probably badly written. Good writing is surprisingly easy to read, and the arguments are easy to follow.

IELTS Advice: notice your mistakes

Students often don't notice when a teacher corrects their mistakes.

Look at this example of a conversation between a teacher and a student:

Teacher: How long have you been living in Manchester?
Student: I came here before one month?
Teacher: One month ago?
Student: Yes, before one month.

The student doesn't notice that the teacher is correcting a mistake. In English we don't say "before one month", we say "one month ago".

When a teacher repeats something that you said in a different way, you probably made a mistake. Listen carefully, and try to notice mistakes and corrections.

IELTS Advice: avoid proverbs and clichés

A proverb is a short saying like "There are two sides to every story" or "Many hands make light work". These sayings are nice for grandmothers who want to give advice, but they are not appropriate for academic writing! Click here to see some more proverbs - but don't learn them!

A cliché is an overused phrase like "in a nutshell" (which means "in summary" or "summed up briefly"). This website explains more about clichés and gives some more examples.

PS. Sorry for joking about grandmothers :)

IELTS Advice: argument or discussion?

Many people ask me about the difference between an argument essay and a discussion essay. Here's an easy way to think about the difference:

• When you argue, you are trying to persuade the other person to agree with your point of view. You might even get angry!
• When you discuss, you consider different points of view, and nobody gets angry.

The question should make it very clear what it wants you to do. If it asks you to "discuss", you should write about advantages and disadvantages or two different views.

If the question asks whether you "agree or disagree", it's asking for your view. For this type of question, give your opinion in the introduction and support it in the rest of the essay. Try to persuade the reader to agree with you.

IELTS Advice: big mistakes!

Here are some mistakes that can really affect your IELTS score:

1. Writing less than 150 or 250 words. My advice: count how many words you write, on average, per line. If you write about 10 words per line, make sure that you write more than 25 lines for writing task 2.
2. Not separating paragraphs. Your score will immediately drop if you don't separate paragraphs clearly. My advice: leave a full line between paragraphs.
3. Not answering the question (writing and speaking). My advice: in the writing exam, keep checking the question to make sure you are answering it fully. In the speaking exam, answer the question directly, then explain your answer.
4. Not finishing the reading test. My advice: you must get to the end of the test paper. If you get stuck on a difficult question, miss it out and return to it later.
5. Making spelling mistakes in the listening test. My advice: if you have a spelling problem, you must keep a list of your mistakes and learn the correct spellings by heart. Test yourself every day.

IELTS Advice: your 'repertoire'

'Repertoire' is an interesting word. It is used by musicians to mean 'all of the songs or pieces of music that they can play or that they perform'.

Instead of learning linking words or worrying about grammatical structures, it might be better to think about your 'IELTS repertoire'. For example: What topics can you write or speak about with confidence? What band 7 words and phrases are you confident about using?

A large repertoire of ideas, opinions, words and phrases for a wide range of topics is the sign of someone who will probably get a high IELTS score.

IELTS vocabulary advice

I often say that understanding and memorising a word is not the same as being able to use a word. This is the reason why learning lists of words isn't usually helpful. You need to learn words in context, and be able to use them together to make coherent sentences.

Martin, an IELTS teacher, suggested these 4 steps for improving vocabulary:

1. Browse Simon's website thoroughly and look for good vocabulary.
2. Take note of "band 7 words and phrases".
3. Use a dictionary to see how each word or phrase is used in a sentence.
4. Practise by making your own sentences! This last one is crucial.

I agree with Martin. He often adds useful comments below lessons here on the site, so make sure you check out his advice whenever you see his name!

IELTS Advice: model essays

Model essays can be extremely useful because they show you what you are aiming for, and they contain good vocabulary and correct grammar. However, the model essays in some IELTS books seem to confuse students because they are written in too many different ways (so the 'method' isn't clear).

Although there is no 'right way' to write an essay, I think that you should find one way and stick with it. If you read a model essay that is written in a different way, don't worry! Use the essay for ideas and vocabulary, but don't change your method. Maybe you could even rewrite the model essay using your method.

IELTS Advice: teachers should demonstrate

We teachers sometimes spend too much time telling students about techniques, and not enough time demonstrating how to put them into practice.

For example, I think that teachers should write (unprepared!) paragraphs and even full essays in front of their students. This allows the students to follow their teacher's thought process as they produce a piece of writing. It also allows the teacher to test the effectiveness of the techniques that he/she normally advises.

IELTS Advice: keep a vocabulary notebook

As I've said before, you should keep a notebook to collect 'band 7' IELTS vocabulary. Here are some of this week's key words and phrases for your notebook:

Listening:
the unemployment rate, the country as a whole, working hours, hire staff, job opportunities, expansion of the workforce

Writing Task 2:
form of entertainment, vital public service, contribute to society, undervalued and underpaid, enormous salaries, earn a fraction of the money, essential for our health and prosperity

Writing Task 1:
in terms of, emissions, fell considerably, the most dramatic decrease, was responsible for, an increase was seen, saw an increase

IELTS Writing: 5 sentence paragraphs

When writing main body paragraphs for IELTS writing task 2, try to aim for five sentences. For example:

1. Topic sentence (e.g. There are several reasons why I believe...)
2. First reason
3. Example
4. Second reason
5. Third reason

Another example:

1. Topic sentence (e.g. Many people believe that...)
2. Explain why
3. Explain in more detail
4. Example
5. Explain why they disagree with the opposite view

Before you start writing it's a good idea to make some notes. Try to organise your notes according to this 5-sentence paragraph structure.

IELTS Advice: testing or training?

Many students prepare for the IELTS exam by doing lots of practice tests. But too much testing is a bad idea.

I think that there is a difference between 'testing' and 'training'.

Testing:

• shows you what your level is
• makes you work in exam conditions (e.g. with a time limit)

Training:

• means that you focus on vocabulary for a particular topic
• or work on particular grammar mistakes
• or work on a technique for a particular part of the exam

A good example of training if you practise writing introductions. Sometimes I spend a whole lesson with my students just doing different introductions. We practise one technique until students become good at it.

So, how much 'training' and how much 'testing' should you do? Well, a good idea might be to spend Monday to Friday training, preparing and working on language. Then test yourself at the weekend - if you've worked hard, you might see an improvement!

IELTS Advice: you can't prepare everything!

Many students write to me because they are worried about a strange or difficult question they have found (usually for writing task 2).

I think you need to remember that it's impossible to prepare for every topic or question that might appear in the exam. You will go mad if you try to do this!

The solution is to make sure you "know what you know". Focus on the common topics that appear regularly, not the strange topic that your friend found on a website.

IELTS Advice: how to use a private teacher

If you have the chance to take some lessons with a private teacher, here are some tips for writing and speaking:

• Ask the teacher to identify your problem areas. Focus on improving those things first.
• First, work together on 'big things' like overall essay structure, paragraphs or making sure you answer the question. Only work on 'small things' like grammar mistakes when you have perfected the big things.
• Ask your teacher to write a full essay in front of you. Watch how she does it, and ask her to explain what she is thinking as she writes it.
• Ask your teacher to mark your essays in front of you, and ask her to explain each correction.
• When you practise questions for the speaking test, ask your teacher to play the part of the student. Record her answers and listen to them at home. Try to copy some of the phrases she used.
• Practise doing speaking tests, and always ask the teacher for feedback: what did you do that was good, and how could you improve your answers?

Private lessons might be more expensive, but they can be hugely beneficial if they are done in the right way.

IELTS Advice: identify the problem

Many students ask me for advice about how to improve their scores. Or they ask me to explain why they didn't get higher scores in their exams.

Unfortunately, I can't give good advice if I don't know the person. To give good advice, I need to be able to identify the problem, and the only way to do that is by speaking to the student and reading one of his/her essays.

So, here's my tip for today: if you want to improve your score, first you need to identify what your problems are. You might need to invest in a few lessons with a teacher who can help you with this.

IELTS Advice: 'meaning' and 'usage'

Many people think they know a word when they understand its meaning. In my experience, students often don't know the words that they think they know!

You only really know a word when you can use it in a variety of ways and contexts. Don't take it for granted that you know a word until you have studied its usage.