The table below shows 'keywords' from the exercise in this lesson. Notice, in particular, the different ways to describe years.
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Dear Simon,
Thank you very much for your daily lessons, which are much appreciated.
It took me a while to apply the 'key word' strategy properly to the real tests. Finally, I am able to master this very useful skill and use it well in my last test. So I did really well in my reading section. Unfortunately I did badly in writing because I was off topic. Now I am very anxiously waiting for my test result. As always, it only took one silly mistake in the test, I have to start all over again.
I enjoy reading you daily lessons and it has become my every day routine.
Thank you
Best wishes
Posted by: Jing | July 20, 2015 at 22:36
Dear Jing,
May you please explain how you could apply key words strategy from the beginning until you mastered it.i am struggling in reading and I don't know how to apply it properly?
I wish you good result.
Thanks in advance
Posted by: lana | July 21, 2015 at 00:51
hi Jing, may I have you mail?
Posted by: sun | July 21, 2015 at 01:51
I think learning key word strategy is gradual process day by day. We need to accumulate as much words as we can, and expand our reading field in order us to master this key words in reading section.
Posted by: Tian | July 21, 2015 at 07:37
Dear Jing,
Do you have webchat or facebook these kind of social media network?
Posted by: Tian | July 21, 2015 at 07:41
Hi Simon,
Thanks for your lesson. I have a question and would appreciate you advice. This is maybe out of the whole subject.
I have attempted IELTS 4 times yet my best was 6.5 and I need 7. So, I decided to move to PTE exam instead, what do you think?
Posted by: storm | July 21, 2015 at 09:00
hi
need ielts speaking partner ( 7 band score) feel free to add javid.abd
Posted by: Javid | July 21, 2015 at 09:06
Hi Lana, Sun & Tian,
Thank you for being interested in my experience in reading. I was struggling with reading in previous a few tests. Now, I feel I am confident in reading providing the passages are not very hard.
To begin with, I only looked for key words, then I realised that key words were everywhere in the texts. I went to Simon's Saturday reading lessons, and asked Simon why key words were everywhere. Simon suggested that I may read too quick. Along with other very useful skills such as solving ambiguities in reading, I find Simon's reading lessons help me greatly. However, you still need to adjust the reading speed yourself in the real test. In a couple of tests, I hanged around too long for some difficult questions and ended up running out time, when I had this state of mind that I must read carefully. So it took me a few tests to get the just right speed for me in reading. You need to read at the speed that you can understand what you read where questions are related, and abandon the sentences irrelevant to questions.
To summary my personal experience:
1. Make full use of key words strategies in particular in some ambiguous questions.
2. Set the right speed of reading for yourself in the test.
2. Increase vocabulary.
Hope this will help
My email: [email protected]
My Facebook: [email protected] (I log in with my email address, sorry, not sure it is my account)
I have got a wechat, which is 00447468482560, but not webchat.
Good luck with your test.
Posted by: Jing | July 21, 2015 at 09:51
Sorry, forgot to say once you can understand the texts, key words strategies are very useful, in particular in gap filling and ambiguous questions for me.
Posted by: Jing | July 21, 2015 at 11:28
Hi Jing,
Thank you so much for your invaluable advise! I really appreciate it!
Yes, I have noticed that the key words strategies can also apply to the gap-filling questions in reading test. It seems like reading test is kind of vocabulary game in IELTS exam.
Posted by: Tian | July 21, 2015 at 13:11
hi everyone
i have a question,a reply is greatly appreciated
last week i tried to reading test of Cambridge 9. test 2 and test 3.
test to, for me was pretty difficult and 30 out of 40 was result. i even couldn't understand why some of the answers were right!
test 3 was vice versa. the result was 38/40.
you see a huge gap! i wonder if the people who are in charge of IELTS exam consider the difficulty of their exams are not the same?
if they don't its not fair really its not fair.
most of the time my result is 35-36 but 30 was very strange.
thanks a lot
Posted by: shapol | July 21, 2015 at 22:02
Shapol,
I could not agree with you any more in this aspect. The levels of difficulties in reading do fluctuate considerably, as well as in writing. This is why many IELTS candidates struggle to pass the test, particularly for the people who need to get 7.0 or+ in each section in the same test. Basically, only the people, who have the level well above the required score or have a good luck, can pass the test. However, it is impossible to have all four sections well above band 7 unless you are very close to the level that native speakers have. Therefore, some people repeatedly take the test with the hope one day a good luck comes to them, or some people give up after diligently working on the test for a long period of time.
Posted by: Jing | July 23, 2015 at 22:14
For me, taking IELTS test is very painstaking, stressful and frustrating process.
Posted by: Jing | July 23, 2015 at 22:19
Hi all
I'm learning to paraphrase:
Became Popular = widely spread all over the world
In the 19th Century = in the 1900’s
Over the last 200 years = in the last two centuries
The general public = the people
May be funded = financially supported by
Hope you could review it
Thanks
DLS
Posted by: DLS | July 24, 2015 at 04:06
Javid u didn't mentioned the apps wither u can be reached on skype,what's app or any other.
Could you please tell me about your id javid.abd?
Posted by: Muhammad Ayub Khan | July 25, 2015 at 09:47
hi Jing
I read your comment but i cant understand why you aren't agree. this fluctuation as you mentioned should be considered in scoring, in my view. i cant take the exam ore than once because in my country based on our currency its really expensive for many of us, so i need to do my best but if the exam be more difficult than it used to be,it will be disappointing.
i really agree its stressful, i will take the test at 29th of August, its more than two weeks i dream about it almost every night.
thanks
Posted by: shapol | July 26, 2015 at 14:50
Hi Shapol,
Only just see your message. I am sorry to confuse you. What I really mean is that I completely agree with you. If you only want to take the test once, you should probably do some mock tests at home before the real test, then the way you perform and the scores you get will be similar to that in the real test. Do not worry too much, the test is not getting more and more difficult, but occasionally the test may be harder or easier than normal, it depends on luck.
Good luck with your test
Posted by: Jing | July 26, 2015 at 15:52
Dear Jing
thanks for your advice. yeah i'll do that by using Cambridge 10 tests. i hope i can do my best at real test and it be the simple one and my lucky day!
i also hope you get your favorable test result and don't take the test anymore.
best wishes
Posted by: shapol | July 27, 2015 at 19:17
Dear sir/Madam,
I have problem with my reading. How can you help me?Kazi
Posted by: Kazi | October 08, 2015 at 13:02