IELTS Simon

IELTS Writing Task 2: problem and solution

Behaviour in schools is getting worse. Explain the causes and effects of this problem, and suggest some possible solutions.

Here are some ideas for two main body paragraphs:

Causes of bad behaviour in schools:

1. bad behaviour / lack of discipline
2. large classes / difficult to teach
3. disruptive students / family background
4. parents / lenient / spoil

Possible solutions:

1. schools / clear rules
2. teachers / punish disruptive students
3. parents / support / school rules
4. parents / take responsibility / children’s behaviour

A good way to practise your writing is to try making full sentences with these ideas e.g. One reason for bad behaviour is the lack of discipline in many schools.

PS. If you have my ebook, you'll find this topic in the 'education' chapter.

IELTS Listening: watch Harvard lectures

There are some great Harvard lecures on YouTube. The example below comes from a series of lectures on political philosophy. I found the series really interesting, and it's fantastic listening practice.

To watch other lectures in the series click here.

IELTS Writing Task 1: full essay

The table below shows the proportion of different categories of families living in poverty in Australia in 1999.

The table gives information about poverty rates among six types of household in Australia in the year 1999.

It is noticeable that levels of poverty were higher for single people than for couples, and people with children were more likely to be poor than those without. Poverty rates were considerably lower among elderly people.

Overall, 11% of Australians, or 1,837,000 people, were living in poverty in 1999. Aged people were the least likely to be poor, with poverty levels of 6% and 4% for single aged people and aged couples respectively.

Just over one fifth of single parents were living in poverty, whereas only 12% of parents living with a partner were classed as poor. The same pattern can be seen for people with no children: while 19% of single people in this group were living below the poverty line, the figure for couples was much lower, at only 7%.

(150 words, band 9)

IELTS Reading: look for keywords

Imagine the question asks about "longer days". If you read the text and find "increasing day lengths", you know you have found the answer.

In other words, the technique for finding answers in the IELTS Reading test is to look for keywords (similar words in the questions and in the text).

The table below shows keywords that helped my students to find the answers for one section of a reading test (Cambridge IELTS 5, page 94-97).

Did you know words like considerable, trigger, cue or adequate? If you don't know the vocabulary, it's very difficult to get the right answer.

Students' Questions: more about band 9

As I said yesterday, it's possible to get a band 9, but it's certainly not easy. As an examiner I did give band 9 scores to a few candidates.

Here are a few things I remember about those band 9 candidates:

• They had all been working in an English-speaking environment, and were therefore surrounded by English every day.
• They had picked up the kind of 'natural' phrases that English speakers use. They had not learnt 'big words' for the exam.
• They read newspapers and books in English - not as a way of learning the language, but as part of everyday life.
• None of them had a 'perfect' English accent, but they spoke clearly and fluently, without having to think about grammar or memorised vocabulary.

Let's be realistic: most people don't need a band 9. It's more useful to focus on band 7, which is more achievable and still a very good score.

Students' Questions: Is band 9 possible?

Recently a few people have asked me whether it's possible to get a band 9 if English is not your first language.

The answer is yes. Band 9 is not reserved for native English speakers. Remember, the IELTS exam is primarily a test for people whose first language is not English. An educated native English speaker should be capable of getting band 9 without too much difficulty. In fact, an English speaker who writes/speaks well (e.g. a journalist) should be 'off the scale' (beyond band 9).

Note: I said band 9 was possible, I didn't say it was easy!

IELTS Speaking Part 2: environment problem

Describe a problem that affects the environment in the area where you live.
You should say

- what the problem is
- what causes it
- and explain what you think could be done to solve it

Remember, the question asks you to talk about a problem in your local area, so don't choose 'global warming'. These topics would be better:

• Air pollution caused by traffic and factories.
• Building new roads, houses, factories etc. destroys natural areas.
• Increasing amounts of litter and household waste.

Try searching for these topics on the Internet. I did a quick search for "litter on streets" and found this article.

IELTS Writing Task 2: different introductions

Some people think the main purpose of schools is to turn children into good citizens and workers, rather than to benefit them as individuals.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Here are 3 different introductions. Notice that the opinion is clear in each one.

Agree:
People have different views about what the main purpose of schools should be. Personally, I agree that a school's role is to prepare children to be productive members of society.

Disagree:
Many people argue that the main role of schools is to prepare children for their future jobs. However, I believe that the purpose of education should be to help children to grow as individuals.

Balanced view:
To a certain extent I agree that the role of schools is to prepare children to be productive members of society. However, I also believe that the education process has a positive impact on us as individuals.

IELTS Listening: watch TV programmes

Watching TV programmes is a good way to improve your listening. The video below is a clip from a TV programme called "Dragons' Den".

If you live in the UK you can watch Dragons' Den on BBC 2 tonight. Otherwise, you can find clips on YouTube.

IELTS Writing Task 1: full essay (describe a map)

In last week's lesson we looked at a 'describe a map' question. If you wrote an essay for this question, compare it with my essay below.

Here's my band 9 essay. I focused on describing similarities and differences.

The map shows two potential locations (S1 and S2) for a new supermarket in a town called Garlsdon.

The main difference between the two sites is that S1 is outside the town, whereas S2 is in the town centre. The sites can also be compared in terms of access by road or rail, and their positions relative to three smaller towns.

Looking at the information in more detail, S1 is in the countryside to the north west of Garlsdon, but it is close to the residential area of the town. S2 is also close to the housing area, which surrounds the town centre.

There are main roads from Hindon, Bransdon and Cransdon to Garlsdon town centre, but this is a no traffic zone, so there would be no access to S2 by car. By contrast, S1 lies on the main road to Hindon, but it would be more difficult to reach from Bransdon and Cransdon. Both supermarket sites are close to the railway that runs through Garlsdon from Hindon to Cransdon.

IELTS Writing Task 2: method

I've noticed that the more essay practice I do with my students, the more defined my writing method becomes.

For example, I now know that my 250-word essays usually contain 13 to 15 sentences: 2 for the introduction, 5 to 6 for each main paragraph and 1 sentence for the conclusion. It takes me 10 minutes to write a good plan, 5 minutes to write an introduction, I have 2 main ways of writing main paragraphs etc. etc.

The question is: Do you have a clearly defined method? Do you repeatedly practise writing essays in the same way?

If you don't have a method, it's just "hit and hope".

IELTS Advice: the "four-hour essay"

One of my students was worried that it took her 4 hours to write a band 7 essay for homework.

In my opinion, spending 4 hours to write an essay is a good idea. This kind of hard work leads to great results! The important thing is to be able to write your first band 7 essay. At first it might take you 4 hours, but you will get faster with practice.

PS. The student I mentioned got a band 7 in her exam about 6 weeks later!

IELTS Writing Task 1: describe a map

Sometimes (quite rarely) you have to describe a map for IELTS Writing Task 1. Today I'll explain how I would answer this type of question.

The map below is of the town of Garlsdon. A new supermarket (S) is planned for the town. The map shows two possible sites for the supermarket.

(From Cambridge IELTS 5)

Here is some advice:

1. Introduction - Just paraphrase the question (instead of 'two possible sites' you could write 'two potential locations').
2. Summary - The main point is that the first site (S1) is outside the town, whereas the second site is in the town centre. Also, you could mention that the map shows the position of both sites relative to a railway and three roads which lead to three smaller towns.
3. Details (2 paragraphs) - Don't write a separate paragraph about each site; it's much better to compare the sites. I'd write one paragraph comparing the position of each site relative to Garlsdon (mention the different areas of the town), and another paragraph about the positions relative to transport links with the other three towns.

IELTS Writing Task 2: advertising

'Advertising' has been the topic of IELTS writing task 2 several times this year. It's a popular topic, so you need some ideas and opinions about it.

Here are some opinions about advertising, taken from my ebook.

• Advertising should be ______.
• Advertising ______ children should be controlled or even banned.
• Unhealthy foods should not be marketed ______ attracts children.
• Products that can be a risk to health should ______ warnings.
• However, advertising is necessary in free ______ economies.
• It creates ______ products.
• Governments should only ______ false information or products that are harmful.

Fill the gaps with these words/phrases:
market, in a way that, regulated, display, censor, demand for, aimed at

Note:
'Advertising' is uncountable (you can't say "an advertising" or "advertisings"). 'Advertising' is the name of the industry, activity or profession (like 'marketing'). 'An advertisement' (or 'advertisements') is what you see on TV, in the street, in newspapers etc.

IELTS Listening: great videos

You should definitely check out the videos from RSA Animate on YouTube. The video below is a good one to start with.