IELTS Simon

IELTS Speaking Part 3: make it personal

In part 3 of IELTS speaking, it really helps if you give personal examples:

1. Do you think it's important for people to have hobbies? Why?

Yes, I think people need to have hobbies because we all need to do things we enjoy in our spare time. In my case, I find that playing football once a week with some friends helps me to relax, keep fit and forget about work. I think it's the same for everyone.

2. Can hobbies have any negative effects?

Yes, if you spend too much time on your hobby, it can affect other parts of your life. I remember that one of my friends spent most of his time at university playing computer games instead of studying. In the end, he failed most of his exams.

IELTS Writing Task 1: maps of an island

Last week I linked to this webpage which shows an interesting task 1 question. Now let's write our essay step by step. I'll write the first 2 paragraphs today, and the rest next week.

1. Introduction: As usual, we can start the essay by paraphrasing the question (rewrite the question in your own words).

Question
The two maps below show an island, before and after the construction of some tourist facilities.

My introduction
The diagrams illustrate some changes to a small island which has been developed for tourism.

2. Overview: For our second paragraph we need to summarise the information in a couple of sentences. When comparing diagrams, we can count the number of changes and look for the main types of changes.

My overview
It is clear that the island has changed considerably with the introduction of tourism, and six new features can be seen in the second diagram. The main developments are that the island is accessible and visitors have somewhere to stay.

IELTS Writing Task 2: find the good vocabulary

In last week's lesson I explained what I mean by 'band 7 vocabulary'. Read the lesson again, then study the paragraph below.

Which words or phrases in the following paragraph might be considered 'band 7 or higher'?

It is true that there are some disadvantages to learning a foreign language at primary school age. The main problem is that young children need to study other subjects which can be considered as more important than a second language. The core subjects in most primary schools are the mother tongue language, mathematics and science, and it can be argued that lessons in a new language take valuable study time away from these key disciplines, as well as causing confusion in the young learners. In particular, some people might worry that lessons in the new language could delay the development of a child’s first language.

Note:
The paragraph above would be part of my answer to this question.

IELTS Reading: matching exercise

Today I've attached a matching exercise. The answers are given on the last page, but try not to look at them until you've done the exercise.

Click here to download

IELTS Advice: how to use a private teacher

If you have the chance to take some lessons with a private teacher, here are some tips for writing and speaking:

• Ask the teacher to identify your problem areas. Focus on improving those things first.
• First, work together on 'big things' like overall essay structure, paragraphs or making sure you answer the question. Only work on 'small things' like grammar mistakes when you have perfected the big things.
• Ask your teacher to write a full essay in front of you. Watch how she does it, and ask her to explain what she is thinking as she writes it.
• Ask your teacher to mark your essays in front of you, and ask her to explain each correction.
• When you practise questions for the speaking test, ask your teacher to play the part of the student. Record her answers and listen to them at home. Try to copy some of the phrases she used.
• Practise doing speaking tests, and always ask the teacher for feedback: what did you do that was good, and how could you improve your answers?

Private lessons might be more expensive, but they can be hugely beneficial if they are done in the right way.

IELTS Advice: meaning and usage

Many people think they know a word when they understand its meaning. But understanding the meaning is not enough.

You only really know a word when you can use it in a variety of ways and contexts. Don't take it for granted that you know a word until you have studied its usage.

IELTS Speaking: prepare by writing your answers

Although this is a speaking test, a good way to prepare and practise is by writing your answers down. Here's a quick example:

Describe a recent journey.

I’m going to talk about a recent journey to London. It was a couple of weekends ago, and I decided to visit the capital with some friends. I had never been before, so I wanted to go there to do some sightseeing.  I don’t have a car, but my friend does, so he volunteered to drive. He had done the trip a few times before, so he knew the way. Maybe it was a bad idea to travel by car because the traffic between Manchester and London was terrible. We spent a lot of time sitting in traffic jams, which were due to roadworks and minor accidents, and it took us the best part of an afternoon to get there...

Note:
The description above is easy to understand, but it contains enough 'less common vocabulary' (underlined) to impress the examiner.

IELTS Writing Task 1: compare the maps

Cambridge IELTS book 9 contains a great 'map' question. These questions are quite rare compared to questions containing graphs or charts, but you still need to be prepared for them.

You can see the question on this website, but I would write my essay in a slightly different way to the essay shown on the site.

Before doing the map question, have a look at this similar question and this essay. I think we can write the 'map' essay in the same way.

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'band 7 vocabulary'

I sometimes use the term 'band 7 vocabulary' and several people have asked me to explain what I mean by this. Here goes:

1. First, when I say 'band 7 vocabulary', I'm talking about vocabulary that could help you to get a band 7 or higher.
2. There is no list of band 7 vocabulary that you can use in any essay.
3. 'Band 7 vocabulary' refers to words and phrases that relate to the question topic. For example, a phrase like "delay the development of a child's first language" would be band 7 vocabulary, but a linking word like "moreover" would not.
4. Examiners are looking for 'less common' vocabulary. They wouldn't expect many students to write "delay the development of a child's first language", so this phrase would impress them.
5. Remember that we are not looking for 'big' words that are difficult to understand. We are looking for groups of words used naturally and accurately together. The phrase "delay the development of a child's first language" is easy to understand, but not many students would think to use it.

IELTS Listening: education videos

I've used videos from ted.com in my lessons before, but did you know that there is a YouTube channel called TED-Ed which has some great education videos?

Here's one that I found interesting:

Can anyone summarise the content of this video?

IELTS Grammar: 'for example' and 'such as'

Students often make mistakes when using these two phrases. To avoid mistakes, follow this simple advice:

- Use For example, at the start of a sentence.
- Use such as in the middle of a sentence.

Compare these examples:

1. Children should eat less junk food. For example, they should avoid eating burgers and chips.
2. Children should avoid eating junk food such as burgers and chips.

Notice that 'For example' is followed by a comma and a full sentence. 'Such as' is in the middle of the sentence, followed by two nouns. You can use 'For instance' instead of 'For example'. You can use 'like' instead of 'such as'.

IELTS Advice: less testing, more preparing

Many students do a lot of testing but not enough preparation. The problem with tests is that you don't learn anything new. You don't improve.

"To train for a marathon, you don't run a full marathon every day!"

The solution is to spend more time preparing. Don't test yourself on a new topic that you have no idea about. Spend some time researching the topic to find good ideas and vocabulary. Then try to write a 'perfect' essay using your research, a dictionary, your teacher to help you etc. Type the essay on a computer, check for spelling and grammar mistakes, re-read it, look at how the paragraphs are organised, highlight the 'band 7 vocabulary'. If I've covered the topic on this website, use my ideas to make 'perfect' paragraphs and ask a teacher to check them.

When you have written a 'perfect' essay, wait for a few days and then test yourself on that topic. Imagine the difference!

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'telephoning' topic

Here are some part 1 questions and sample answers from Cambridge IELTS book 9. Remember to make your part 1 answers short and simple. Just give a direct answer, followed by a reason or one extra piece of information.

1. How often do you make telephone calls?

I probably make three or four phone calls every day, usually just to make arrangements with work colleagues or to speak to family and friends.

2. Who do you spend most time talking to on the telephone?

I think it would be one of my closest work colleagues. We often call each other rather than meeting face-to-face.

3. When do you think you'll next make a telephone call?

My family are expecting me to phone them as soon as I finish this exam. They'll want to know how it went.

4. Do you sometimes prefer to send a text message instead of telephoning?

Yes. I prefer to send a text message when I'm arranging something simple, like a time to meet someone. In those situations, a phone call isn't necessary.

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'language learning' topic

My students and I worked on this question from Cambridge IELTS 9:

Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

Here's our plan for a 4-paragraph essay:

1. Introduction: Topic = best age to learn a foreign language. Our opinion = better to learn at primary school age.
2. Disadvantages of learning languages at primary age: other subjects are more important at that age (maths, mother tongue language, science), learning a new language is confusing and wastes time, could delay development of child's first language.
3. Advantages of learning languages at primary age: young children learn faster, they are less self-conscious or shy, they pick up the pronunciation better, they enjoy copying and learning through games, nowadays languages are just as important as maths etc.
4. Conclusion: repeat / summarise our answer.

The plan took us 10 minutes to write. With a plan like this, it should be easy to write a good essay in 30 minutes.

IELTS Reading: always review vocabulary

Even if you find a reading exercise easy, it's always useful to review the key vocabulary that helped you to get the answers.

Here's my review of the vocabulary from last week's exercise:

IELTS Grammar: rules and exceptions

When learning a language, grammar rules are useful because they show you how the language normally behaves. For example, you might learn that the word "to" is followed by the infinitive of the verb. The rule tells you that "to have" is correct and "to having" is wrong.

However, you should also be prepared to meet some exceptions to the grammar rules that you learn. For example, students are often confused by phrases like 'look forward to having' or 'advantages to having', both of which are correct.

When you find an exception to a grammar rule, don't get frustrated; consider it an opportunity to expand your knowledge of the language, and perhaps to impress the examiner!

Some news from Simon

I'd like to share some news with you about another project that I'm working on. It isn't IELTS-related, but I thought some of you might be interested to know what else I do with my time!

I'm currently creating the English teaching programme for a summer course that combines language learning with football here in Manchester. Here's the link if you'd like to read about it.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'library' topic

Several students shared their descriptions of a library below this lesson. Here are some sentences that contain mistakes. Can you correct them?

1. There was no any room to stay here for reading borrowed books.
2. I am going to talk about a library, where I used to go there every day during my graduation years.
3. I was accustomed to be there always because I found it very useful.
4. It is one of the biggest library in my country.
5. I used to went there when I was the student as it was at a walking distance from my campus.

PS. It's worth reading the descriptions by 'Librarian' and Martin below last week's lesson. Both are really good.

IELTS Writing Task 1: full essay

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

Here's the essay I wrote with my students' help:

The line graph compares figures for daily travel by workers in the UK using three different forms of transport over a period of 60 years.

It is clear that the car is by far the most popular means of transport for UK commuters throughout the period shown. Also, while the numbers of people who use the car and train increase gradually, the number of bus users falls steadily.

In 1970, around 5 million UK commuters travelled by car on a daily basis, while the bus and train were used by about 4 million and 2 million people respectively. In the year 2000, the number of those driving to work rose to 7 million and the number of commuting rail passengers reached 3 million. However, there was a small drop of approximately 0.5 million in the number of bus users.

By 2030, the number of people who commute by car is expected to reach almost 9 million, and the number of train users is also predicted to rise, to nearly 5 million. By contrast, buses are predicted to become a less popular choice, with only 3 million daily users.

IELTS Writing Task 2: when to give your opinion

Do the following questions ask for your opinion or not?

1. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
2. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages.
3. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
4. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
5. Is this a positive or negative development?
6. What are the benefits and drawbacks?

Answers:
- Numbers 2 and 6 are discussion questions. Discuss both sides of the issue, but don't give an opinion about which side you agree with.
- Numbers 1 and 5 are opinion questions. Give your opinion and support it. If you have a strong opinion, you don't need to mention the other side of the argument.
- Numbers 3 and 4 can be called discussion + opinion questions. Discuss both sides and make your opinion clear too.

Students' Questions: 'complex' sentences

People often ask me about using 'complex' sentences and 'difficult' words or grammatical structures. Here's an example question that someone asked me:

I can see you did not use any long and complex initial sentences to begin your paragraphs. I wonder if sentences like this are useful: "In recent years, …. has never failed to attract people’s attention and spark controversy over the potential impacts of this trend on individuals."

My answer is that examiners are not impressed by this kind of sentence. Instead of judging it as 'complex', they are more likely to judge it as 'memorised'.

Here's my tip: instead of trying to impress the examiner with big words or memorised phrases, try to impress him/her by answering the question really well. Plan some good ideas before you start writing, then do your best to express them in a natural way and without making too many mistakes.

IELTS Advice: get Cambridge book 9

I've just bought a copy of Cambridge IELTS book 9, the latest collection of official IELTS exam papers. I'll be using it with my students here in Manchester, and I'll probably refer to it in lessons here on my site.

If you're looking for test practice, the Cambridge books are the only ones you can really trust. If you can get a copy of book 9, I'm sure you'll find it useful.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a library

Has anyone had the following question recently?

Describe a library that you visited? You should say

- where the library was
- what facilities it had
- why you went there
- and explain whether you found the library useful or not.

This question might surprise you if you're not ready for it. However, I think it's actually quite an easy topic. The easiest way to answer would be to talk about a school or university library where you went to study for an assignment or exam.

IELTS Writing Task 1: two main points

Last week I asked you to choose two main things to write about for your overview (summary) of the graph below.

Here are my choices:

1. The first thing you should notice is that the car was easily the most popular form of transport in each of the years shown on the graph.
2. Secondly, you could contrast the rising trends for car and train use with the falling trend for bus users.

Here's my overview paragraph describing the two points above:

It is clear that the car is by far the most popular means of transport for UK commuters throughout the period shown. Also, while the numbers of people who use the car and train increase gradually, the number of bus users falls steadily.

PS. Sorry today's lesson is so late!

IELTS Writing Task 2: quick conclusions

The easiest way to write a short, effective conclusion is to paraphrase what you wrote in your introduction. Let's try this with the introduction I wrote last week.

Introduction
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.

Conclusion (loosely paraphrasing the introduction)
In conclusion, I do not accept the argument that sports professionals deserve to be paid so much more than people who do other important jobs.

Note:
Notice that I wrote "loosely paraphrasing" (I paraphrased the overall idea, rather than word for word).