IELTS Simon

IELTS Grammar: correct the mistakes

Try to improve the following sentences.

1. It is clear that, the commuter numbers by car are dominant.
2. The number of passengers in train showed upward trend.
3. The number of commuters favor car and train significantly increase.
4. About average 5 million commuters traveled by car.
5. The figure for train started from about 2 millions.
6. British people continuously used more car than other vehicles.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: band 9 answer

When I wrote my funny situation description last week, I wasn't trying to use 'difficult' grammar or vocabulary. Maybe you read it and thought that it was too 'easy' to get a band 9. If you thought that, you would be wrong!

Here's why my description would get a band 9 (according to the IELTS criteria):

1. Fluency and coherence
The fact that I told a story made my answer really coherent (clear and logically organised). In terms of fluency, my description was written rather than spoken, so of course there are no pauses or hesitations.

2. Lexical resource (vocabulary)
The description might seem simple, but it isn't. A wide resource of vocabulary is used naturally and accurately. There are definitely some 'less common' and idiomatic phrases (e.g. engrossed, the time passed, I suddenly realised, get going, my leg was dead, tipped over, to my surprise).

3. Grammatical range and accuracy
Unless you can find any mistakes, it would be difficult to give my description anything less than 9 for accuracy. The range of structures used is also easily good enough to impress the examiner.

4. Pronunciation
Hopefully this wouldn't be a problem as I'm a native speaker!

IELTS Writing Task 1: line graph overview

The 'overview' is a really important part of your task 1 essay. It's a summary of the main things that you can see on the graph or chart, and I suggest that you write two sentences describing two main things that you notice.

What two main things would you choose for the graph below?

The graph below shows the average number of UK commuters travelling each day by car, bus or train between 1970 and 2030.

Tip: Don't look for particular years or numbers. Look at the overall trend over the whole 60-year period.

IELTS Writing Task 2: ideas and planning

Here's a question that my students and I looked at recently:

Successful sports professionals can earn a great deal more money than people in other important professions. Some people think this is fully justified while others think it is unfair. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

We spent 10 minutes planning, then we wrote half of the essay together:

It is true that the top sports people earn incredibly high salaries. Although reasons can be given to justify this, I personally believe that sports stars should be paid much less.

There are several reasons why some people support high incomes in sport. Firstly, people who reach the highest levels in any sport must be uniquely talented. For example, it is rare to find someone with the football skills of Messi or Ronaldo, and it can be argued that these players deserve salaries that reflect their abilities. Secondly, even the most talented sports professionals must undergo many years of training to develop the skills and fitness required, and this takes great commitment, dedication and passion. Finally, sports salaries are only high because audiences and fans are willing to pay to watch their favourite stars.

Note:
The main reason why these two paragraphs are good is that we planned them carefully. We spent time thinking about the question, making notes, and organising our ideas in a logical way.

IELTS Reading: more vocabulary

The table below shows the key vocabulary for test 4, passage 2 in Cambridge IELTS book 4. Try this test if you have a copy of it. My table should help you to get the correct answers.

IELTS Advice: storytelling

In Friday's speaking lesson I described a funny thing that happened to me. I found it really easy to write my description because I told a true story. I wasn't worrying about grammar or vocabulary; I just told my story in a natural way.

The key to a high speaking score isn't your use of 'complex' grammar structures, big words or idiomatic phrases. The key is to speak as naturally as possible, and real examples or stories help you to do this.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: funny situation

Describe a funny situation that made you laugh. You should say

- when this situation took place
- what happened
- how you reacted and why you found the situation funny.

Here's my example answer. It's a true story!

• I'm going to talk about a funny thing that happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I think it was a Saturday morning, and I was sitting having a coffee in a café near where I live.
• I was on my own so I decided to read the newspaper while drinking my coffee. I must have been quite engrossed in what I was reading because the time passed quickly, and I suddenly realised that I needed to get going. What I didn't realise was that I had been sitting with my legs crossed, and one of my legs had completely gone to sleep. As I stood up to leave the café, I quickly became aware that my left leg was 'dead', but it was too late; I started to fall. I thought I could catch myself on the table, but the table tipped over and I fell to the floor in front of everyone in the café!
• I can remember being on my knees in the middle of the café, looking up at the staff and customers around me. I felt really embarrassed and I expected the other people to find it funny, but to my surprise nobody was laughing. They were all worried that something really bad had happened to me! As I got up from the floor, I had to explain to the whole café that I was fine. I was embarrassed at the time, but I laughed about it later!

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'marriages' topic

Here's the question that we started to look at last week:

Marriages are bigger and more expensive nowadays than in the past. Why is this the case? Is it a positive or negative development?

After writing the introduction, we need to write a paragraph about the first question (why is this the case?). Here's something I wrote with my students:

Marriages have become bigger and more expensive for three main reasons. Firstly, people in developed countries are wealthier than their ancestors were in the past. They therefore have more money to spend on weddings, which are seen as one of life’s most important and unforgettable occasions. Secondly, in today’s globalized world, people see photos of celebrity weddings and want to copy them. For example, when Prince William got married here in England, the ceremony was shown on television and many people were influenced by what they saw. Finally, the wedding industry has grown, and many companies have an interest in selling products and services to us, using persuasive marketing techniques.

Task:
Analyse the paragraph: Does it answer the question, how is it structured, and what "less common" vocabulary is used?

IELTS Advice: 'less common vocabulary'

According to the IELTS marking system, candidates need to use some "less common lexical items" (vocabulary) if they want to get a band 7 or higher. But what is "less common vocabulary" and how can you learn it?

I'm afraid it's impossible to make a list of all "less common vocabulary items". The only thing I can do is point them out when I use them. Try the task below.

Task: Which words or phrases in the paragraph in this lesson might be considered "less common"?

IELTS Advice: a student's experience of re-marking

A student called Chanaka asked me to share his experiences regarding re-marking and how he eventually got the scores he needed. I hope you find his insights useful.

Click here to read Chanaka's advice

IELTS Speaking: correct the mistakes

Here are some sentences that students wrote about last week's describe a funny situation question. Try to find and correct the mistakes in each sentence.

1. Every person make happy at a one point or the other.
2. It was first time to go to the centre of the town from my village.
3. Nobody who were there stopped laughing include and me.
4. I’m going to talk about a funny but also embarrassed thing that I met.
5. As a child I was keen on the plays between the children with similar ages.
6. I could not held back laughter.

Tip:
Often, the best way to deal with grammar problems is by finding a completely different (and simpler) way to express the same idea.

IELTS Writing Task 2: succinct introductions

The introduction technique that I recommend involves writing just 2 sentences: one to introduce the topic, and one to answer the question. Let’s look at this technique in more detail using the following question:

Marriages are bigger and more expensive nowadays than in the past. Why is this the case? Is it a positive or negative development?

First, we can introduce the topic by paraphrasing the question statement:

It is true that weddings have become more costly and extravagant in recent years.

Second, I need a short, simple answer to both parts of the question:

There are several reasons for this, and in my view it is a negative trend.

If I put the two sentences together, I have a really succinct* introduction:

It is true that weddings have become more costly and extravagant in recent years. There are several reasons for this, and in my view it is a negative trend.

*(succinct: clear, precise expression in few words)

IELTS Reading: more keywords

My students and I did test 1, passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS book 4. The table below shows some of the keywords that helped us to find the correct answers:

This table shows how important it is to look for similar words in the reading test. It also shows that IELTS reading is a test of your vocabulary knowledge. For example, do you know the difference between 'yes/no questions' and 'open-form questions'? Do you know what 'coverage' and 'misconceptions' mean?

Students' questions

1. Can I invent statistics to make my task 2 essays more persuasive?

I don't recommend it. I think it will look 'fake' and it won't help your score.

2. How can teachers help students to build their topic vocabulary?

I find that the best way to help my students is by using relevant articles or online videos. I try to find good texts, and I pull out the useful language. My ebook is a good shortcut for self-study, but extensive reading and listening is the key to building students' vocabulary knowledge.

3. What does "went on" mean in this lesson?

If I say "most of my money goes on rent", it means that I spend most of my money on rent, so "40% went on" just means "40% was spent on".

4. Is it normal that my speaking examiner was drinking coffee?

No, that isn't normal. While I usually tell students to ignore what the examiner does (e.g. checking his/her watch or making notes), I think in this case your examiner's behaviour was wrong. Maybe you should report the issue to your test centre.

5. If my score is lower the second time, can I use my first test score?

Yes, I think you can.

6. For the "describe a person" question, can I describe myself?

No. This question always asks you to describe someone else. You'll lose marks if you describe yourself.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: a funny situation

Think about this question and prepare some ideas:

Describe a funny situation that made you laugh. You should say

- when this situation took place
- what happened
- how you reacted and why you found the situation funny.

Tip: The best way to answer this question is to tell a story. If you can't think of a real situation, make one up!

IELTS Listening: another TED video

Here's another interesting video from the TED website. I haven't made an exercise for this one, but I'd like to suggest that you watch the talk 3 times:

1. Watch it once without subtitles - just enjoy the presentation.
2. Then watch it with subtitles so that you understand it fully.
3. Finally, watch again and write and new words or phrases in your notebook.

IELTS Reading: multiple choice

Read the following text and answer the questions below.

The ethos of the aristocracy, as exemplified in the English public schools, greatly influenced Pierre de Coubertin. The public schools subscribed to the belief that sport formed an important part of education, an attitude summed up in the saying 'mens sana in corpore sano', a sound mind in a sound body. In this ethos, a gentleman was one who became an all-rounder, not the best at one specific thing. There was also a prevailing concept of fairness, in which practising or training was considered tantamount to cheating.

1. De Coubertin agreed with the idea that:

A) sport is an activity for gentlemen.
B) schooling should promote both physical and mental health.
C) sport is the most important part of a child's education.

2. In De Coubertin's view:

A) it is easier to be good at many sports, rather than the best at one sport.
B) training is necessary if you want to be an all-rounder.
C) training gives the athlete an unfair advantage.