IELTS Simon

IELTS Listening: the problem of plastic

Watch the video and fill the gaps in the sentences below.

1. Throwaway plastics take a lot of space and don't ______.

2. Plastics are also hard to ______.

3. A large fraction of our trash will ______ ______ rivers to the sea.

4. Birds often mistake bottle caps for ______.

5. Many fish have polluted plastic ______ in their stomachs.

6. The throwaway society cannot be ______; it has gone ______.

7. The solution is to stop plastic at its ______.

IELTS Writing Task 2: government spending

As yesterday's listening exercise was about space programmes, let's look at the following writing question:

The money spent by governments on space programmes would be better spent on vital public services such as schools and hospitals. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Planning your answer:

1. First you need to decide what your opinion is. Will you agree, disagree, or try to present a balanced opinion? Which would be easier?
2. Then you need to decide how to organise the essay. How many paragraphs will you write, and what will each paragraph be about?
3. Finally, you need to plan some ideas (good vocabulary) to support your opinion.

Feel free to discuss your ideas in the "comments" area below. I'm afraid I can't check essays, but I'll be happy to make general comments about your ideas.

IELTS Listening: space tourism

Watch the video about the future of space tourism. Then answer the questions below (use the comments option to share or compare your answers).

1. The video begins with this sentence: "Space tourism might seem like pie in the sky." What does this mean?
2. Where do companies plan to travel to by 2010?
3. What happened in 2004?
4. What have more than 250 people done?
5. What's the name of the yellow spaceship project?
6. How are flights with this company different to the trips planned by other companies?

Yesterday's IELTS questions

Several students wrote to me to share yesterday's IELTS questions:

IELTS writing task 2 (various countries)

• Nowadays, many people have an unhealthy diet and do not take enough exercise. Why do you think this is, and what can be done to encourage people to lead a healthy lifestyle?
• Countries with long average working days are more successful economically, but there are also some negative social consequences. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

IELTS writing task 1

• 2 line graphs: one showing the size of the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica between 1990 and 2000, and the other showing the production of 3 different gases over the same period.

IELTS speaking part 2:

• Describe a time when you helped someone. Who was it? What did you do? Why did you help the person?

IELTS Grammar: while, whilst, whereas, as

Joshua asked me the following question:

"Can you explain while, whilst, whereas, as? Either can be used to connect two sentences, but I am not sure how to identify them and quite often I use them wrongly."

Here's my simplified explanation:

1. While and whilst are the same, but whilst is a bit more formal (according to one famous grammar book).
2. Whereas is always used for contrast. While/whilst can be used for contrast, OR to mean "at the same time".
3. As can mean "because" or "exactly at the moment when".

Try to write an example sentence using each of these words. Feel free to share your sentences in the "comments" area below.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a person

Describe a person you admire.
You should say:

• who the person is
• what he or she is like
• and why you admire him or her.

Here are some ideas. I've underlined the best vocabulary.

• I'm going to talk about my father because he has been a major influence in my life.
• My father was always a good role model for me as I was growing up. He's hard-working, patient and understanding; he's also got a good sense of humour and seems to get on well with everybody. Hopefully I've inherited some of these traits.
• I admire my father because I think he brought me and my brothers/sisters up well; he was quite strict but always fair, and he has always been someone I can turn to for advice. I think my father set a good example by working hard and having a positive outlook on life. I remember that he used to leave for work early and come home quite late, but he always made time for me and my brothers/sisters.

IELTS Writing Task 1: two different charts

Sometimes you are given two different charts e.g. a line graph and a bar chart, or a bar chart and a pie chart.

How to describe two different charts in 4 paragraphs:

1. Mention each chart in the introduction. Sometimes it's easier to write a sentence for each.
2. Describe the main feature of each chart. If there is a connection between the charts, describe it.
3. Describe the first chart.
4. Describe the second chart.

Find Cambridge IELTS 4, page 54, which shows a line graph and a pie chart.
Click here to see a website that has a copy of this question.

Here is my introduction and summary paragraph for the above question:

The line graph compares daily electricity consumption in England during the winter and summer, while the pie chart shows information about the different uses of this electricity in an average English household.

It is clear that English homes use around double the amount of electricity in the winter compared to the summer. Throughout the year, just over half of the electricity consumed by English households is used for heating rooms and water.

IELTS writing Task 2: health topic

Despite huge improvements in healthcare, the overall standard of physical health in many developed countries is now falling. What could be the reason for this trend, and what can be done to reverse it?

Here is a paragraph about causes of poor health:

Lifestyle is a major cause of poor health in developed countries. Most people now travel by car rather than walking, and machines now perform many traditional manual jobs. As a result, people tend to work in offices where little physical activity is required. At home, people are also less active; most adults relax by watching television, while children play video games rather than doing outdoor sports. Technology has therefore made our lives more comfortable but perhaps less healthy.

Can you suggest any solutions to these lifestyle problems?
PS. There are more ideas for this topic in my ebook.

IELTS Grammar: 'however' and 'whereas'

You can't use 'however' and 'whereas' in the same way. Follow these general rules in order to avoid grammar mistakes:

Use 'however' (followed by a comma) at the beginning of a sentence to contrast with the previous sentence:

• Some people believe that schools are responsible for the behaviour of their students. However, others argue that discipline is the responsibility of parents.

Use 'whereas' (after a comma) to contrast two ideas in the same sentence:

• Some people believe that schools are responsible for the behaviour of their students, whereas others argue that discipline is the responsibility of parents.

You can use 'on the other hand' or 'by contrast' in the same way as 'however'. You can use 'while' instead of 'whereas'.

IELTS Writing Task 2: governments

A lot of IELTS Writing questions ask you to give opinions about what governments should do in relation to an issue. Governments can have an influence on almost everything: environment, crime, television, advertising, work etc.

As part of your IELTS preparation, you should think about what governments can do in relation to IELTS topics. Here are some ideas from my ebook:

• Governments provide public services like healthcare and education.
• They introduce new laws.
• They raise money by taxing working people.
• They can spend money on campaigns to educate people.
• They can raise people's awareness of issues.
• They can create new jobs.
• They can provide resources for schools, hospitals etc.
• They can support people who are living in poverty or unable to work.

So, if the question asks you to suggest what governments should do to reduce obesity, you could write this:

"In my opinion, governments should spend money on campaigns to educate people about the importance of regular exercise and a healthy diet. Perhaps they should also introduce new laws to ban the advertising of junk food to children."

Think about some other IELTS topics. What do you think governments should do?

IELTS Reading: practice test

Below I've made a table of key vocabulary from a reading test in Cambridge IELTS Book 1 (page 40-43).

Try doing the test using the vocabulary table below to help you.

IELTS Writing Task 1: sample essay (migration)

Read my full essay for the chart below. How have I organised the information? What language have I used to explain changes and to make comparisons?

Full essay (159 words):

The chart gives information about UK immigration, emigration and net migration between 1999 and 2008.

Both immigration and emigration rates rose over the period shown, but the figures for immigration were significantly higher. Net migration peaked in 2004 and 2007.

In 1999, over 450,000 people came to live in the UK, while the number of people who emigrated stood at just under 300,000. The figure for net migration was around 160,000, and it remained at a similar level until 2003. From 1999 to 2004, the immigration rate rose by nearly 150,000 people, but there was a much smaller rise in emigration. Net migration peaked at almost 250,000 people in 2004.

After 2004, the rate of immigration remained high, but the number of people emigrating fluctuated. Emigration fell suddenly in 2007, before peaking at about 420,000 people in 2008. As a result, the net migration figure rose to around 240,000 in 2007, but fell back to around 160,000 in 2008.

IELTS Writing Task 2: city problems

More and more people are migrating to cities in search of a better life, but city life can be extremely difficult. Explain some of the difficulties of living in a city. How can governments make urban life better for everyone?

Here are some band 7 vocabulary ideas from my ebook for describing city problems:

• Life in cities has its drawbacks.
• The cost of living is higher than in rural areas.
• Housing is usually much more expensive.
• Homelessness and poverty are common in cities.
• There is a gap between the rich and poor.
• Life in cities can be extremely stressful.
• There are problems like traffic congestion and crime.
• Cities lack a sense of community.
• People do not even know their neighbours.
• Cities are sometimes described as “concrete jungles”.

Can you suggest any solutions to these problems? Watch yesterday's video for some ideas.