IELTS Simon

Students' questions

1) In the reading test, are the answers for "summary completion" questions in order in the passage?

Usually, yes. I've seen one or two summary questions where one of the answers breaks this rule, but you can assume that answers will almost always be in order in the passage.

2) Is it ok to write "T, F, NG" instead of "True, False, Not given"?

Yes, I've been told that "T, F, NG" is fine (although I prefer to write the full words).

3) My teacher told me to avoid using "Firstly, Secondly, Finally" because too many other students will use the same words. What do you think?

I disagree. Examiners are not comparing you with other students, and they care much more about the content between the linking words than the linking words themselves. Read this lesson.

4) Is there a maximum number of words in the writing test?

No, there is no maximum.

5) What linkers can I use to improve my "lexical resource" score?

Linkers don't help your lexical resource (vocabulary) score! They only help you to organise your essay. If you want to improve your vocabulary score, you need to use good words and phrases that relate to the question topic (e.g. 'global warming' is vocabulary for the environment topic).

IELTS Speaking Part 1: strange questions

In part 1 of the speaking test, the examiner will ask around 10 easy questions. However, students have reported some strange questions, such as:

1. Do you like parks?
2. Do you think different colours can change our moods?
3. When do people give flowers in your country?

Don't be shocked by these questions. Just give a simple answer with a reason. Don't worry about using fantastic grammar or vocabulary; just try to answer without hesitating. For example:

1. Yes, I like parks because they are great places to relax. I think all cities need green areas.
2. Yes, I think bright colours, like red, can make you feel energetic. Some greens and blues can be more relaxing.
3. People give flowers on special occasions like birthdays or on Valentine's Day. In my country, giving flowers is seen as romantic.

IELTS Writing Task 1: the most important skill

Probably the most important skill for task 1 is to be able to describe numbers correctly. Look at the table below.

It's useful to think about how to start your sentences. For example, here are some sentences about the year 1970:

1) 60 million tonnes of goods were transported by road.
2) The amount of goods transported by road totalled 60 million tonnes.
3) Road vehicles were used to transport 60 million tonnes of goods.

You should notice that it's much easier to begin with the number (sentence 1). This is how I usually prefer to write sentences for task 1.

Number 2 is good, but you might find that you repeat "the amount of goods" too many times if you only use this type of sentence.

Number 3 is the most difficult. You can't say "Road was used", so you have to add the word "vehicles". Most students make a mistake here.

IELTS Listening: gap-fill, multiple choice

Listen to the information about driving tests, and answer the questions below.

Click here to listen

1. Fill the gaps below with no more than 3 words.

On the day of your test, you need to take the following with you:
- both parts of your ______
- theory test ______
- appointment letter or ______

2. What two things will the examiner do before the test?

A) Ask for a paper driving licence
B) Check your paperwork
C) Speak to your driving instructor
D) Give you the option of bringing your driving instructor with you
E) Give you and your instructor some feedback

3. Which two of the following statements are true of the test?

A) An eyesight check is not part of the test
B) You can ask the examiner questions about safety
C) You have to drive in a variety of traffic conditions
D) The test lasts about 10 minutes
E) You will be asked to follow signs or spoken instructions

IELTS Reading: keyword technique

What do I mean by the 'keyword' technique?

By 'keywords' I mean: words in the text that have a similar meaning to words in the questions.

The table below shows the keywords that helped my students to find the answers to the test on page 122 of Cambridge IELTS 6.

Note: this comes from a General Training test, but the technique is the same for both general and academic tests.

IELTS Speaking Advice: get to the point

Yesterday I wrote that you should avoid using long phrases to begin your answers. So what should you use instead? Native speakers say things like:

- I think...
- I guess...
- Well,...

These words/phrases might seem less impressive, but you have to remember that examiners are not impressed by the long phrases either! The important thing is to get to the point of your answer.

IELTS Speaking: avoid these phrases

In the speaking test, examiners don't like it when students use phrases like:

- That's a very interesting question...
- It is my personal opinion that...
- Personally, I would have to say that...
- I am of the opinion that it depends on...
- To be honest, I personally believe that...

These phrases sound unnatural, and it is obvious to the examiner that the student has memorised them.

So what should you do instead? My advice: just answer the question directly. Stop using memorised phrases, and just get straight to the point.

IELTS Writing Task 1: different introductions

Have you ever tried writing several different introductions for the same question? It's a useful exercise. Take this question for example:

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

(Cambridge IELTS 4, page 31)

Here are 3 introductions that paraphrase the question in different ways. Notice that I sometimes use words from the table to help me.

1) The chart compares percentages of Australians from six different family types who were classed as poor in 1999.

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

3) The table compares different categories of Australian families in terms of the proportion of people living below the poverty line in each one.

IELTS Writing Task 2: band 9 paragraph

Last week I asked you to try rewriting the third paragraph in this essay. The paragraph below is an edited compilation of students' ideas. I think it's good enough for a band 9.

On the other hand, I can understand the view taken by many people that artists should not expect the state to fund their work. Most musicians and the majority of painters make a living by performing or selling their artistic creations to fans or collectors; they would not expect to receive any help from their governments. Industry sponsorships can be another useful source of revenue for creative artists. For example, media companies like the mobile giant Apple are often willing to pay huge fees to inspirational designers who work on their advertising campaigns, product packaging, and even the appearance of their electronic devices. Finally, some artists may be lucky enough to receive donations from wealthy individuals.

IELTS Listening: nature or nurture?

The "nature or nurture" topic has appeared in different parts of the IELTS test. Do you know what "nature or nurture" means?

Watch the video and fill the gaps in the summary below.

We are all born with certain physical characteristics ______ by our genes. But does our DNA ______ how we act? Researchers say that genes help control how we ______ our environment, but can environment influence which genes are ______? That leads to debate over the role parents play in ______ their children. Some believe the stronger ______ influences happen outside the home. As scientists study DNA, they are starting to understand better what makes us ______.

If you can't see the video, here's an audio version:

Click here to listen

IELTS Grammar: collocations

A student asked me to explain which is better: 'a prime example' or 'a primary example'.

I would say 'a prime example'. Why? The answer is that 'prime example' is a normal collocation in English. It's the phrase that English speakers would use.

Native speakers instinctively know which words go together more commonly. They recognise groups of words like 'prime example'. This is what we mean by "collocation".

Tip:
Put "prime example" and "primary example" into Google (don't forget the speech marks), and look at the numbers of results. It should be clear which collocation we prefer.

IELTS Writing Task 1: language for comparing

If you look carefully at the bar chart essay I wrote last week, you'll find some good phrases for comparing. See if you can adapt them to other task 1 questions.

• The chart compares... in terms of the number of...
• ...is by far the most... OR ...has by far the highest number of...
• the figures for... tend to be fairly similar
• In second place on the chart is...*
• The number of... is slightly higher than...
• Only four other countries have...
• ...all with similar proportions of...
• ...is the only country with a noticeably higher proportion of...

*Note: Only use phrases like "in second place" if the chart shows some kind of competition. Don't write "in first / second place" if the chart shows unemployment or health problems!

IELTS Writing: rewrite and improve!

Last week I showed you an essay that I had written with my students. I later noticed that the third paragraph didn't fully answer the question.

If you make a mistake like this, or any other type of mistake (grammar, vocabulary etc.), you need to rewrite and improve what you wrote.

Task:
Try to rewrite the third paragraph (beginning "On the other hand") in this essay. Make sure you write more than I did about 'alternative sources of money for artists'. I'll choose my favourite paragraph for next week's lesson.

IELTS Listening: real test samples

Yesterday I gave you a link to the reading test samples on ielts.org (the official IELTS website). Here's the link to the listening samples:

Click here for sample listening tests

Print the question sheets first. Don't try to do the tests on your computer.

IELTS Reading: real test samples

Have you done the free practice tests from the official IELTS website (ielts.org)?

If you haven't, click the link below. There are 7 sample tasks that you can download and print. The answers are at the bottom of each page.

Click here to go to reading samples page

IELTS Writing Advice: keep checking the question

On Wednesday I showed you a task 2 essay that I wrote with some of my students. After reading the essay again, I noticed that we hadn't fully answered all parts of the question. Paragraph 3 needed to say more about "alternative sources of funding for artists".

One thing that this shows you is that nobody is perfect! A more important lesson to learn is that you should keep checking the question as you write your essay. Make sure you cover everything that the question asks you to cover.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: recent topics

New question topics are added every now and then. Here are two recent examples that students have asked me about:

• Describe a picnic or a meal that you ate outdoors.
• Describe a situation when you were late.

Here are 2 tips to deal with new questions:

1. Try to adapt a topic that you have already prepared. For the 'picnic' topic, we could use ideas from the birthday topic or the meal topic.
2. Choose something that you know a lot about (e.g. your job, your studies). For the 'late' topic, you could describe arriving late for work or for a lesson.

IELTS Writing Task 1: stacked bar chart essay

The chart below shows the total number of Olympic medals won by twelve different countries.

The bar chart compares twelve countries in terms of the overall number of medals that they have won at the Olympic Games.

It is clear that the USA is by far the most successful Olympic medal winning nation. It is also noticeable that the figures for gold, silver and bronze medals won by any particular country tend to be fairly similar.

The USA has won a total of around 2,300 Olympic medals, including approximately 900 gold medals, 750 silver and 650 bronze. In second place on the all-time medals chart is the Soviet Union, with just over 1,000 medals. Again, the number of gold medals won by this country is slightly higher than the number of silver or bronze medals.

Only four other countries - the UK, France, Germany and Italy - have won more than 500 Olympic medals, all with similar proportions of each medal colour. Apart from the USA and the Soviet Union, China is the only other country with a noticeably higher proportion of gold medals (about 200) compared to silver and bronze (about 100 each).

(178 words, band 9)

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'artists' essay

Here's a full essay that I wrote with my students about the topic below.

Some people think that governments should give financial support to creative artists such as painters and musicians. Others believe that creative artists should be funded by alternative sources. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

People have different views about the funding of creative artists. While some people disagree with the idea of government support for artists, I believe that money for art projects should come from both governments and other sources.

Some art projects definitely require help from the state. In the UK, there are many works of art in public spaces, such as streets or squares in city centres. In Liverpool, for example, there are several new statues and sculptures in the docks area of the city, which has been redeveloped recently. These artworks represent culture, heritage and history. They serve to educate people about the city, and act as landmarks or talking points for visitors and tourists. Governments and local councils should pay creative artists to produce this kind of art, because without their funding our cities would be much less interesting and attractive.

On the other hand, I can understand the arguments against government funding for art. The main reason for this view is that governments have more important concerns. For example, state budgets need to be spent on education, healthcare, infrastructure and security, among other areas. These public services are vital for a country to function properly, whereas the work of creative artists, even in public places, is a luxury. Another reason for this opinion is that artists do a job like any other professional, and they should therefore earn their own money by selling their work.

In conclusion, there are good reasons why artists should rely on alternative sources of financial support, but in my opinion government help is sometimes necessary.

IELTS Reading: true, false, not given

Read the following passage and answer the questions below.

A Stradivarius is one of the violins, cellos, and other stringed instruments built by members of the Stradivari (Stradivarius) family, particularly Antonio Stradivari, during the 17th and 18th centuries. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or equal it, though this belief is disputed. The name "Stradivarius" has become a superlative often associated with excellence, and the fame of Stradivarius instruments is widespread, appearing in numerous works of fiction.

Depending on condition, instruments made during Stradivari's "golden period" from 1700 to about 1725 can be worth millions of dollars. In 2011, his "Lady Blunt" violin from 1721, which is in pristine condition, was sold at Tarisio auctions for £9.8 million.

These instruments are famous for the quality of sound they produce. However, the many blind tests from 1817 to the present have never found any difference in sound between Stradivari's violins and high-quality violins in comparable style of other makers and periods, nor has acoustic analysis. In a particularly famous test on a BBC Radio programme in 1977, the violinists Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zukerman and the violin expert and dealer Charles Beare tried to distinguish between the "Chaconne" Stradivarius and three other violins, including one made in 1976, played behind a screen by a professional soloist. None of the listeners identified more than two of the four instruments. Two of the listeners identified the 20th-century violin as the Stradivarius.

Are the following statements true, false or not given?

1. The superior reputation of Stradivarius instruments has never been questioned.
2. The “Lady Blunt” Stradivarius is the most expensive violin every sold.
3. Tests have shown that experts are able to distinguish the famous Stradivarius sound.

PS. Thanks to those of you who wished me a nice holiday!