1. Is it ok to use rhetorical questions in writing task 2?
No, don't put any type of question in your essays. It isn't considered appropriate academic style.
2. What is the difference between IDP and the British Council?
The IELTS exam is the same wherever you take it. IDP, the British Council and Cambridge University work together to make the test.
3. When describing a map (writing task 1), can we use north, south, east, west even if no compass is shown?
Yes, I often do. I think it's fine to assume that the top of a map is north.
4. The speaking examiner stopped me before I had spoken for 2 minutes. Is that a bad sign?
First, I don't recommend that you time yourself in the exam, so you shouldn't really know how long you spoke for. Examiners sometimes stop candidates when it is clear that the person has nothing left to say. If you spoke for at least one minute and said some good things, don't worry.
5. Is it possible to get band 7 if my essays are unfinished or under length?
It's possible, but not easy. You'll need to get really high scores for vocabulary, grammar and organisation.
Hi all!
Hello Mikel, Sorry I couldn't see ur post the same day. Actually I was busy planning my test strategy. THank u so much for ur help.
I have decided to go for re-evaluation, I have come to know that for speaking part if u are confident enough u can expect ur score to increase by some extent. Is that true! Also I have to wait for 8 to 10 weeks
for my result thats annoying. I am also planning to take ISLPR exam in Melbourne Australia. If somebody has some information about this test pls contact me thro' this blog
Posted by: Mamta India | June 15, 2013 at 12:19
Hi Simon,
Many Thanks for your advices
Saleem
Posted by: saleem | June 15, 2013 at 13:49
Simon
My teacher here in England learn me to write open quetion in introduction for essay after topic sentences . Also I did it in last exam and I have in writing 5.5 .
Now I am confuse about this point .
Do you advice me to cancel any quetion from essay ?
I look forward to hearing from you
Thanks
Posted by: Maap | June 15, 2013 at 18:12
Hi Simon,
I hope you're fine. Thank you so much for answers and suggestions.
Wish for you a great weekend.
Regard's
Suman
Posted by: Suman | June 15, 2013 at 19:27
Today,I`ve taken ielts in uk.Writng 2 q was
"some ppl argue that creative arts(music,theatre n paintng)shud recieve financiail support from govt.other argue that
creative artists shud seek for other kind of
resources.discuss both views n give ur opinion?
Posted by: zainab | June 15, 2013 at 20:09
Good morning ,
any one from India , who has gave IELTS exam on 15/6/13 , what was the topic in writing task II?
Posted by: raj | June 16, 2013 at 05:34
Hi Simon,
I have finished ielts speaking test. After part 2 of test, my examiner marked 5.5 on his paper. So, whether or not can I get overall 6 for 3 part?
Posted by: Nhung | June 16, 2013 at 07:27
Hello everyone
i was wondering if i can get some help!!
i tried to a task 2 and i wasnt sure what kinds of quesiton is
Do you think that being a celebrity brings more benefits or more problems?
is this discussion+opinion essay or Opinion (agree/disagree)essay
the question is from cambridge ielts 9 General
Posted by: irene | June 16, 2013 at 15:39
Hi Simon,
can you please explain the organisation and lexical resource in writing task 2? i got a 6.5 in writing last time.i need 7 at any cost this time, because thats the requirement for my PLAB exam.
Posted by: hiba | June 16, 2013 at 21:54
Regarding question#2, believe or not, I have heard of cases in which people have actually flown from California to Texas (3-hour flight) simply because it was rumoured that a certain examiner was "nicer" and would likely give band 7 in speaking.
For ALL students reading this, PLEASE DO NOT waste your time and money seeking for that nice test center and/or examiner!!!
Posted by: Martin | June 17, 2013 at 21:04
Hello Simon,
I am going to take the IELTS test on June 22nd(this Saturday).I have a question that has been bothering me for quite some time now. I want to get an overall score of 8 which means that I need to get 8.5/8 in reading/listening..So,my question is the following:
In the listening section(e.g. Cambridge IELTS 9 Test 1) the tapescript says ....near THE LIBRARY the task is to write no more than THREE words so I write THE LIBRARY,however, in the answers it says only library. This is not in just 1 test so I am getting a bit worried because when I don't include articles such as 'the'and 'a'my answer is wrong and when I decide to use them, they often are not in the answers.
Please tell me if this will be marked as a mistake
P.S I know that some answers are optional ( in brackets) but this in particular was not
Posted by: Kristina Petrova | June 19, 2013 at 15:53
Hi Simon,
I took my test on 08th June 2013 and results are out today.
Reading - 9
Listening - 7
Writing - 7
Speaking - 6.5
As I need 7 in all, I am planning to go for remarking in speaking.
Can you please tell me whether it is a good idea to go for remarking?
Posted by: Mahi | June 20, 2013 at 21:02
Hi Simon,
The most recent test has revealed a tricky question. The question asked for a date of birth, and the answer were given "March 30, 1988". However, the task required the answer comprised just TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER. I am still not sure about what the correct answer is supposed to look like; whether it is "March 30" or "March Thirtieth, 1988". Could you please provide your opinion?
Michael
Posted by: Michael | June 22, 2013 at 11:22
I took the test on 22 June 2013. I wonder if the answer to the last question in the listening test is ''emergency', or 'fire'.
Posted by: Sally | June 24, 2013 at 12:30
Hi Michael,
I noticed the same problem, so I meant to write Thirtieth' down. However, I wrote "Thirteenth" instead! What a stupid thing I've done!!
Sally
Posted by: Sally | June 24, 2013 at 12:35
Hi Sally,
Thanks for your feedback. I guess the last answer was "emergency", however, I cannot remember the question. I figured that no one have ever written "March Thirtieth, 1988" for the day of birth. So, I put "March 30" as the answer.
Michael
Posted by: Michael | June 25, 2013 at 05:20
Hi,Simon
My speaking answers are sometimes not well associated with the questions.
Can you give me some efficient advice?
Posted by: Jerry | August 06, 2013 at 13:05