IELTS Simon

IELTS Writing Task 1: describing numbers

A good exercise is to choose one piece of information (a number) from a graph or chart, and try to describe it in several different ways.

UK marriages, 1951 - 2009

Here are 5 different sentences describing the 'all marriages' figure for the year 1951 (from the graph above):

• Around 400,000 couples got married in the UK in 1951.
• Around 400,000 weddings took place in the UK in the year 1951.
• In 1951, there were around 400,000 marriages in the UK.
• In 1951, the number of UK marriages stood at about 400,000.
• In 1951, the figure for marriages in the UK was approximately 400,000.

Don't spend all your time writing full essays; do some focused exercises too.

Back on Facebook!

The Facebook page is now fixed! I think the problem was caused by my hotmail account, not Facebook, but I've improved my security settings anyway.

Click to see Facebook page

IELTS Writing Task 2: how to answer any question

Today I want to show you what happens in my brain when I see any IELTS Writing Task 2 question.

Here are my thinking steps:

1. I read the question very carefully, maybe three times. I ask myself "What's the topic? What is the question asking me to write about?"
2. I underline the key things that must be included in the essay. I always answer every part of the question.
3. Now I think about my 4 paragraph structure. I can write any type of essay in 4 paragraphs; I just need to decide what to put in each paragraph.
4. If I need to give my opinion, I think "What is the easiest opinion to explain? What good vocabulary could I use?"
5. Then I write down some vocabulary ideas that are related to the topic.
6. I try to write 2 sentences for the introduction: I introduce the topic, then give a simple answer (including my opinion if the question asks for it).
7. I write short 'topic sentences' to start each paragraph, then develop my ideas by explaining and supporting with examples.
8. I look at the question from time to time in order to check that I'm answering every part of it.
9. I know that I write about 10 words per line; I can quickly check the approximate number of words that I've written.
10. If I need more words (to reach 250), I expand one of my examples in the main body paragraphs. If necessary, I draw an arrow to show where I want to add the extra words.

IELTS Advice: 'less common vocabulary'

To get a band 7 or higher in IELTS writing task 2, you need to use less common vocabulary.

Here are some "less common" words and phrases from Wednesday's lesson:

• educational opportunities
• equal proportions of each gender
• simply unrealistic
• applications that the institution receives
• applicants of each gender
• tend to attract
• the practical concerns expressed above
• to base admission on
• select candidates
• according to their qualifications
• achieve good grades
• the best candidate for a place on a course
• it would be wrong to reject her in favour of
• fewer qualifications
• based on merit
• impractical
• a selection procedure

This list of vocabulary is the main reason why my essay would get a band 9.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a lesson

Speak for 2 minutes about the following topic.

Describe an interesting lesson that you attended.
You should say

• where you attended this lesson
• what it was about
• and why you found it interesting

Here are some ideas for a description of a science lesson:

1. I'm going to talk about an interesting science lesson that I attended at secondary school when I was 14 or 15 years old.
2. It was quite a long time ago, so I can't remember every detail, but the lesson was about respiration. We learnt about how the lungs work, how we breathe, and how oxygen passes into the blood. The science teacher also talked to us about the effects of smoking on the lungs.
3. I found this lesson interesting because my science teacher, Dr. Smith, always introduced new topics by showing us a video. We watched a short film about how respiration works, and I found this much easier to understand than a science textbook. The film showed diagrams of the lungs to explain the breathing process. Later in the lesson we saw real photos of healthy lungs and lungs that had been damaged as a result of smoking; they had turned black. I think the image of a smoker's lungs is the reason why I remember this lesson.

I could also give more information about the teacher, his personality and why I liked him. The key is to tell a story and add details until the time runs out.

IELTS Writing Task 1: comparisons

You can use "compared to", "compared with" and "in comparison with" in the same way. For example:

• Prices in the UK are high compared to / with / in comparison with (prices in) Canada and Australia.
• Compared to / with / in comparison with (prices in) Canada and Australia, prices in the UK are high.

When writing about numbers or changes, I find it easier to use "while" or "whereas":

• There are 5 million smokers in the UK, while / whereas only 2 million Canadians and 1 million Australians smoke.
• Between 1990 and 2000, the number of smokers in the UK decreased dramatically, while / whereas the figures for Canada and Australia remained the same.

Please note:
We don't say "comparing to".
We say "2 million" not "2 millions".

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'gender and university' essay

Here's my full essay using last week's plan:

Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

In my opinion, men and women should have the same educational opportunities. However, I do not agree with the idea of accepting equal proportions of each gender in every university subject.

Having the same number of men and women on all degree courses is simply unrealistic. Student numbers on any course depend on the applications that the institution receives. If a university decided to fill courses with equal numbers of males and females, it would need enough applicants of each gender. In reality, many courses are more popular with one gender than the other, and it would not be practical to aim for equal proportions. For example, nursing courses tend to attract more female applicants, and it would be difficult to fill these courses if fifty per cent of the places needed to go to males.

Apart from the practical concerns expressed above, I also believe that it would be unfair to base admission to university courses on gender. Universities should continue to select the best candidates for each course according to their qualifications. In this way, both men and women have the same opportunities, and applicants know that they will be successful if they work hard to achieve good grades at school. If a female student is the best candidate for a place on a course, it is surely wrong to reject her in favour of a male student with lower grades or fewer qualifications.

In conclusion, the selection of university students should be based on merit, and it would be both impractical and unfair to change to a selection procedure based on gender.

(265 words, band 9)

IELTS Advice: how to escape the worry cycle

One of the steps in yesterday's success cycle was "enjoy studying more".

To escape the worry cycle, try to find ways to enjoy learning English more. Maybe you could watch more videos on ted.com or YouTube. Maybe you could read a book that you have already read in your own language. If you don't find ways to make it interesting, you'll get bored, frustrated and even more worried.

IELTS Writing Task 1: bar chart essay

Here's my full band 9 essay for last week's question:

The bar chart compares consumer spending on six different items in Germany, Italy, France and Britain.

It is clear that British people spent significantly more money than people in the other three countries on all six goods. Of the six items, consumers spent the most money on photographic film.

People in Britain spent just over £170,000 on photographic film, which is the highest figure shown on the chart. By contrast, Germans were the lowest overall spenders, with roughly the same figures (just under £150,000) for each of the six products.

The figures for spending on toys were the same in both France and Italy, at nearly £160,000. However, while French people spent more than Italians on photographic film and CDs, Italians paid out more for personal stereos, tennis racquets and perfumes. The amount spent by French people on tennis racquets, around £145,000, is the lowest figure shown on the chart.

Note:
- I tried to keep the essay short (154 words) by selecting carefully.
- It's difficult to change spend, but I used spending, spenders and paid out.

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'gender and university' topic

A few people have asked me about this question from Cambridge IELTS 5:

Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

I did a lesson about this question with my students. Here are our ideas:

1. Introduction: We decided to completely disagree with the question statement. You don't need to explain both sides of the argument. Just give your opinion in the introduction, then support it in the main body paragraphs.
2. Paragraph 2: One reason why we decided to disagree is that it would not be practical or realistic to have exactly the same number of males and females on every course. Some courses have mainly male applicants, while others are more popular with females.
3. Paragraph 3: Another reason we disagreed is that it would not be fair to base admission to courses on gender. Universities should select candidates based on their qualifications, skills, experience etc.
4. Conclusion: Repeat the idea that selecting according to gender is not the best way to ensure equal opportunities for men and women at university.

I'll put a full example essay on the site next week. You are welcome to share your own ideas, but I'm afraid I can't give feedback, scores or corrections.

IELTS Grammar: verb + noun collocations

When deciding whether to give a band 7 in IELTS speaking or writing, one of the things that examiners look at is your use of collocations.

'Collocation' basically means using the right words together. Many students know a lot of nouns, but they don't always know the right verbs to use with those nouns.

Here are some useful 'verb + noun' collocations:

• to make a mistake (not 'do' a mistake)
• to do/carry out/conduct research (not 'make' research, not 'a' research)
• to make/take/reach a decision
• to have/gain/lack experience
• to have/face/experience difficulties

Think about this, especially when you are writing essays. Check in a dictionary to make sure you have used the right verb with the right noun.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: choosing a 'strong topic'

Most people are good at talking about their studies, work, hobbies, health etc. I call these "strong topics".

For the question below you can choose any topic you want, so choose something that you find easy to talk about.

Describe something that was recently reported in the news.
You should say:

• what happened
• who was involved
• and why you found this news interesting

Example topic choices for the question above:

1. My strong topic could be "education", so I'd say that I read a news article about universities using the Internet. Click here to see a recent article about this topic.
2. If you like football, you could talk about the news that Barcelona won the Champions League.
3. If you have studied the "health" topic for IELTS writing, you could talk about schools banning junk food. I did a quick search and found this article about schools in Dubai.

IELTS Writing Task 1: selecting

The following bar chart has a total of 24 bars. It's impossible to describe 24 pieces of information in only 20 minutes, so you need to select.

A simple rule is to select at least one key thing about each country. Here are some examples:

Britain: highest spending on all 6 products, give the figure for photographic film.
France: second highest for 3 products, but lowest for the other 3.
Italy: Italians spent more money on toys than on any other product.
Germany: lowest spending overall, similar figures for all 6 products.

I'll write a full essay about this chart for next week.

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'helping poor countries' topic

This was the IELTS writing task 2 question on 28th May:

The money given to help poor countries does not solve the problem of poverty, so rich countries should give other types of help instead.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

My students and I planned a 4-paragraph essay:

1. Introduction: introduce the topic of helping poor countries, and agree that giving money is not the best way to help.
2. Paragraph explaining why giving money is a bad idea.
3. Paragraph explaining why other types of help are better.
4. Conclusion: repeat the argument (investing is better than giving).

We discussed some ideas and wrote paragraph 2 together:

In my opinion, it is a bad idea to simply give financial aid to governments of poor countries. If rich countries do this, there is a risk that the money will not go to the people who need it most. Governments may misuse the money they are given because they do not have the resources or the know-how to tackle the causes of poverty. In some cases, corrupt politicians have become rich while their citizens continue to suffer. For these reasons, it is important for developed countries to find ways to invest in developing nations, instead of just donating money.

IELTS Speaking: 'band 9' example

Here's my 'band 9' example for yesterday's IELTS speaking question:

click here to listen

These are some of the best words and phrases that I used. Look them up in a dictionary if you're not sure what they mean:

• desirable location
• it stands out
• a famous landmark
• it's distinctive
• spectacular views
• the best vantage point

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a building

Describe a modern building. You should say:

• where it is
• what it is used for
• and why you like/dislike it.

Here's my example description of a building in Manchester:

1. I'm going to describe a modern building in Manchester. It's called the Beetham Tower, and it's the tallest building in the city, with about 50 floors.
2. Although it's called the Beetham Tower, most people know this building as the Hilton Hotel. In fact, the bottom half of the tower is the hotel and the top half is apartments. The apartments are expensive because the location and views make them very desirable.
3. I'm not sure if I like the design of the building, it's just a huge glass tower, but it definitely stands out. It has become a famous landmark in the city. You can see it as you approach Manchester, and it's an easy place to meet people because it's so distinctive and easy to find. The most interesting thing about the Beetham Tower is that there is a bar/restaurant on the 23rd floor which has spectacular views of the city; it's definitely the best vantage point in Manchester because there are no walls, only huge windows, so you can look out over the city in any direction. I'd recommend anyone who visits Manchester to go there and experience the view.

IELTS Writing Task 1: house design essay

Here is my full essay for last week's question:

The diagrams show how house designs differ according to climate.

The most noticeable difference between houses designed for cool and warm climates is in the shape of the roof. The designs also differ with regard to the windows and the use of insulation.

We can see that the cool climate house has a high-angled roof, which allows sunlight to enter through the window. By contrast, the roof of the warm climate house has a peak in the middle and roof overhangs to shade the windows. Insulation and thermal building materials are used in cool climates to reduce heat loss, whereas insulation and reflective materials are used to keep the heat out in warm climates.

Finally, the cool climate house has one window which faces the direction of the sun, while the warm climate house has windows on two sides which are shaded from the sun. By opening the two windows at night, the house designed for warm climates can be ventilated.

(162 words, band 9)

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'sports salaries' topic

As I've said before, you can't get a high score for IELTS writing task 2 if you don't have good ideas about the question topic. Here are some ideas from my ebook about the following question:

Some people believe that the salaries paid to professional sportspeople are too high, while others argue that sports salaries are fair.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.

View 1: sports salaries are too high

• Sports professionals earn too much money.
• They do not provide a vital service.
• Football players earn enormous salaries by simply kicking a ball.
• We could all live happily without professional football.
• We should value professionals such as nurses and teachers more highly.

View 2: sports salaries are fair

• It is fair that the best sportspeople earn a lot of money.
• Sport is a multi-million-pound industry.
• There is a large audience of sports fans who are willing to pay.
• Televised games or events attract many viewers.
• Being a top sportsperson requires hours of practice.