IELTS Simon

IELTS Listening: test your spelling

An easy way to test your spelling is to use the answers at the back of the Cambridge IELTS books. Ask a friend to read the answers, and try to write them down. Then check to see if you made any spelling mistakes.

Here's an example using some answers from Cambridge book 7:

Click here to listen

Note: you might need to stop the recording after each word.

IELTS Reading: keywords

Here's a table showing the key vocabulary from last week's reading exercise. I recommend making a keyword table every time you practise a reading test.

bolster (verb) = support or strengthen

IELTS Speaking part 3: rivers, lakes, sea

1. What do you think are the functions of rivers nowadays?

Rivers have various functions. In the UK, they were probably more important in the past because they were used for the transportation of goods, but I suppose this is still the case in many parts of the world. Rivers can be used as a source of renewable energy in the production of hydro-electric power, and they are also a source of fresh water for drinking and irrigation. Leisure activities are another function: fishing, canoeing, swimming, bathing... I'm sure there are many other things I haven't thought of.

2. What do you think of boats and ships as forms of transportation?

I'm not really a fan of boats and ships. If I'm going abroad, I like to get to my destination quickly, so I prefer travelling by plane. Of course, ships are vital for the transportation of oil and other heavy cargo.

3. Why do some people like to live near rivers, lakes or the sea?

Well, the view is probably a major factor; most people like to look out to sea, or across a river or lake. I'd much prefer to look out of my window onto a natural landscape than an apartment building in a city. Then there's the lifestyle: if you live by the sea, for example, you can lie on the beach, go for a swim, or do water sports like surfing or waterskiing. I definitely wouldn't mind living near a beach at some point in my life!

Note:
These answers are less formal than the essays I write for the writing test, and I say things like "probably" or "I suppose" when I'm not sure about the facts.

IELTS Writing Task 2: full essay

Today I'm attaching the full essay (click here) that we've been working on for the last 2 weeks. Here are some points to notice:

• There is a clear 4-paragraph structure, and the essay is easy to read because the ideas are developed in a logical way.
• The introduction is short, but it covers everything that the question asks you about.
• The main paragraphs make up around 70% of the essay. These paragraphs are the key to a high score.
• The conclusion is very short, and simply summarises what I had already written. Never put any new ideas in the conclusion.
• I focus on expressing my ideas well, using a range of relevant words and phrases. I'm not thinking about 'complex grammar' or linking phrases.

Note:
I went a bit "over the top" with this essay. It's 310 words long, and more than good enough for band 9. You might not be able to write like this, but hopefully you can learn something from it.

(go over the top: to do something that is more than what is considered normal or suitable)

IELTS Grammar: capital letters

A few people have asked me about using capital letters in different parts of the IELTS test. Here's my advice:

• In the reading and listening tests, they don't care about capital letters. So you can write everything in lowercase or in capitals, and it won't affect your score.
• In the writing test, try to follow the normal rules for capital letters. Grammar books and websites explain these rules in detail. Click here to see a website that summarises the rules quite well.

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 Speaking: linking phrases don't impress

A student asked me a really useful (and common) question the other day.

Student's question:

I've gone through your speaking answers, and I rarely found linking phrases like "I suppose I should begin by highlighting the fact that..." or "the point I'd like to begin with is that...". Don't you think such phrases are the sign of a high score?

Here's my answer:

Good question. No, I don't use those phrases because examiners are not impressed by them. Even a beginner can learn linking phrases, and if it were that easy, everyone would get band 9. The sign of a high score is 'real content' (topic-specific vocabulary), not memorised phrases.

IELTS Writing Task 1: how to describe future years

Several people have asked me how to write about future years on a graph or chart. For example, what tense should you use if the graph shows the year 2025?

Try this exercise: take a description of past years, and rewrite it with future years.

Past:

In 1999, the proportion of people using the Internet in the USA was about 20%. The figures for Canada and Mexico were lower, at about 10% and 5% respectively. In 2005, Internet usage in both the USA and Canada rose to around 70% of the population, while the figure for Mexico reached just over 25%.

Future (I've changed the years and the verbs):

In 2015, the proportion of people using the Internet in the USA is expected to be about 20%. The figures for Canada and Mexico are likely to be lower, at about 10% and 5% respectively. In 2025, it is predicted that Internet usage in both the USA and Canada will rise to around 70% of the population, while the figure for Mexico should reach just over 25%.

IELTS Writing Task 2: main body paragraphs

Here are my 2 main body paragraphs for last week's question. I tried to use an "Idea, Explain, Example" structure for the first paragraph, and a "Firstly, Secondly, Finally" structure for the second.

Main body paragraphs:

On the one hand, having a defined career path can certainly lead to a satisfying working life. Many people decide as young children what they want to do as adults, and it gives them a great sense of satisfaction to work towards their goals and gradually achieve them. For example, many children dream of becoming doctors, but to realise this ambition they need to gain the relevant qualifications and undertake years of training. In my experience, very few people who have qualified as doctors choose to change career because they find their work so rewarding, and because they have invested so much time and effort to reach their goal.

On the other hand, people find happiness in their working lives in different ways. Firstly, not everyone dreams of doing a particular job, and it can be equally rewarding to try a variety of professions; starting out on a completely new career path can be a reinvigorating experience. Secondly, some people see their jobs as simply a means of earning money, and they are happy if their salary is high enough to allow them to enjoy life outside work. Finally, job satisfaction is often the result of working conditions, rather than the career itself. For example, a positive working atmosphere, enthusiastic colleagues, and an inspirational boss can make working life much more satisfying, regardless of the profession.

IELTS Grammar: correct the mistakes

Find the mistakes in the following sentences:

1. Parents influence on their children and give them many advices.
2. Students need to develop their knowledges and skills.
3. We can use the Internet to do some researches.
4. If we want to find some informations fastly, the Internet is the best resource.

Feel free to share your answers in the "comments" area. I'll give you my answers tomorrow.

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 Speaking: another garden description

Last week I described a famous garden. Martin, an IELTS teacher who often contributes to the comments on this site, sent me a description of his own garden. You might find it more useful than my famous garden description!

Martin's description:

Today I'd like to describe my home garden, which I think is a beautiful one and which I like very much. The garden is part of my home's backyard, and my house is located in the suburbs, about a 1-hour drive from the city of San Francisco. There is a big tree right in the middle of my garden, which is surrounded by a hot tub, a small water fountain, several bushes, a section for vegetables, and different kinds of flowers.

This garden was actually one of the reasons why my wife and I chose to buy our house because it had been beautifully maintained by the previous owner’s gardener and landscaper. It’s been only 1 year since we bought the house and now we are taking care of the garden ourselves. Even though we are not experts in gardening, we still try our best to plant things that we like, such as roses and tulips, and we even grow our own tomatoes.

Whenever family and friends come to visit us, we invite them to have a relaxing time in our hot tub, and enjoy the view. So in other words, our garden has also become a kind of resort! It definitely requires lots of hard work to properly maintain the garden, but it gives us a great sense of accomplishment to “decorate” it the way we like.

All in all, the garden is one of the best features of my home and it is a place where I can relax after a long day of work or during the weekends.

IELTS Writing Task 2: rules for introductions

Many people decide on a career path early in their lives and keep to it. This, they argue, leads to a more satisfying working life.
To what extent do you agree with this view?
What other things can people do in order to have a satisfying working life?

In today's lesson I just want to look at how to write an introduction for this type of question. My simple rules for task 2 introductions are:

1. Write 2 sentences: introduce the topic, then give a general answer.
2. Mention everything that the question mentions.
3. Don't save any surprises for the conclusion; give your opinion in the introduction if the question asks for it.

Here's an example introduction:

It is true that some people know from an early age what career they want to pursue, and they are happy to spend the rest of their lives in the same profession. While I accept that this may suit many people, I believe that others enjoy changing careers or seeking job satisfaction in different ways.

I'll look at the main paragraphs next week.

IELTS Listening: multiple choice practice

Here's a multiple choice question from the official IELTS website, ielts.org. The transcript and correct answers are below the questions.

Click here to download the questions

Click here to listen

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a garden

Describe a beautiful garden that you like. You should say
- where it is
- what you can see there
- what people do there
and explain why you like it.

Here are some ideas:

1. The garden I'm going to describe is famous because it belonged to the French painter Claude Monet. It's in a place called Giverny, which is in northern France, about an hour away from Paris in the province of Normandy.
2. There are actually two gardens at the Monet house in Giverny: a flower garden, and a Japanese inspired water garden. Apparently, Monet designed the gardens himself; he even had the pond and the famous Japanese bridge made. After creating the gardens, Monet painted some of the most well-known paintings in the world, such as those of the waterlilies below the bridge on his pond.
3. Thousands of people visit the gardens at Giverny to see the magnificent scenes that inspired Monet's paintings. Visitors can walk around the gardens and take pictures, which is what I did when I went there.
4. I like Monet's gardens because they are such beautiful creations, and it's amazing to see the 'real thing' having seen the famous paintings so many times.

To learn more about Monet's gardens, have a look at this site.

IELTS Writing Task 1: describing 2 charts

Here are some tips for writing about 2 charts, graphs or tables:

1. Introduction

Write one sentence, but introduce each chart separately e.g. "The first bar chart shows..., and the second chart illustrates..."

2. Summary of main points

Write 2 sentences. If the information in the charts is not connected, find one main point or general trend for each chart. If the charts are connected, try to make comparisons.

3. Main body paragraphs

If the 2 charts are completely different (e.g. a graph and a table), write a separate paragraph about each.

If the charts are the same, and show the same information (e.g. 2 pie charts), don't describe them separately; the examiner will want to see comparisons. In this case, you could write one paragraph describing all of the information, but I still prefer to write 2 paragraphs because it makes the essay look more organised.

IELTS Writing Task 2: using the word "I"

Here is a question that a lot of students ask:

Is it acceptable to use "I" or "my" in IELTS writing?

As an ex-examiner, my advice is that you should use phrases like "I believe" or "in my opinion" when the question asks for your opinion e.g To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some teachers tell students not to use "I" in academic essays, but this advice is really for university academic writing, not IELTS.

IELTS Listening: gap-fill about goals

Many people set themselves goals at the beginning of a new year. Watch the video about this topic then fill the gaps in the summary below.

Summary:

When you talk to others about a goal, you already feel one step ______ to achieving it. However, that good feeling actually makes you less ______ to achieve the goal. Telling someone your goals makes them ______ likely to happen because the mind is ______ into feeling that the goal has already been achieved. This goes against conventional ______. In one study, people who announced their commitment to a goal tended to ______ earlier than those who kept their mouths ______.

Note:
I thought this was quite interesting. Do you agree with the speaker?