IELTS Simon

IELTS Writing Task 1: timing and introduction

20 minutes is a very short amount of time, so you need to be very organised. I suggest breaking the 20 minutes into four parts, each lasting 5 minutes.

Part 1
First five minutes: read the question, understand it, underline key figures or trends, and write your one-sentence introduction.

Parts 2, 3 and 4
Five minutes for each paragraph: overview, details, details.

Let's start with the first 5 minutes. Go to last week's lesson, read the question, underline key information, and write your introduction by paraphrasing the question statement. Time yourself - can you do this in 5 minutes or less?

Here's my introduction:
The tables show the amount of money spent on Fairtrade coffee and bananas in two separate years in the UK, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium and Sweden.

IELTS Writing Task 2: conditional for imagining

When discussing different views, giving your opinion or suggesting solutions to a problem, you might want to say what would or wouldn't happen in a certain situation. In other words, you are imagining something, and you'll need to write a conditional sentence.

Use the 2nd conditional for imagining: If + past + would

Example: If I had enough money, I would go on holiday.

Here's an example from the essay that I wrote last week:

It may be that employers begin to value creative thinking skills above practical or technical skills. If this were the case, perhaps we would need more students of art, history and philosophy than of science or technology.

Quick exercise - write sentences to imagine the following situations:

1. Imagine a ban on advertising.
2. Imagine a tax on unhealthy junk food.
3. Imagine schools with no teachers (computers doing the teaching).

Students' questions

Here are my answers to some of the questions that people have asked me this week:

1) In the reading test, are the answers in each passage in order? For example, if questions 1-6 are multiple choice and questions 7-13 are gap-fill, will the answers to all 13 questions be in order?

Often they are all in order (but not always) so try searching in order first. For example, when you get to question 7, start searching in the passage from where you found the answer to question 6. If you don't find the answer, you'll have to go back to the beginning of the passage.

2) If we can't find a 'keyword' in the passage, will the answer be 'not given'?

Yes. If you can't find part of the information in the question, the answer must be 'not given'.

3) Is it worth practising the general reading tests in the Cambridge books, even though I'm doing the academic test?

Yes, I think it is worth practising some general reading tests. They are easier than academic tests, but the question types are the same. It's good to be able to practise the 'keyword' technique with some easy questions.

4) What are the methods that you mentioned in last Sunday's lesson?

You'll find lots of methods or exam techniques in the lessons here on the blog. Some examples are: the 4-paragraph structure for writing task 2, how to write introductions and overviews in writing task 1, the keyword technique in reading, and using the breaks to read ahead in the listening test. To become an expert user of my suggested methods, keep following the blog lessons!

IELTS Vocabulary: weekly review

Did you note down the good vocabulary from this week's lessons? Here's a list of some of the best words and phrases. Try using them to make your own sentences.

• erratically
• precipitation
• mishandling, bungling
• convenient, handy
• certain key subject areas
• the courses of their choice
• from a personal perspective
• on the societal level
• job opportunities, career progression, better salaries
• knowledge and skill gaps are covered
• greater future prosperity
• passionate about what they are learning
• value creative thinking skills above practical or technical skills
• if this were the case
• I personally prefer the current system in which...

IELTS Speaking: correct the mistakes

Here are some of the sentences that students wrote in the comments below last week's lesson. Can you correct the mistakes?

1. A few days ago, at the weekend occasion, An educational TV programme made me interested in...
2. I watched a wonderful program which made me interested that program was related to stress.
3. I was looking for a movie channel at my sister's house last night then I was appealed by that one.
4. I'm the kind of person who take care of healthy issue a lot.
5. It provides many helpful guidances for graduated students who currently looking for their desire careers.

IELTS Writing Task 1: table

Several people have asked me for help with the following task from Cambridge IELTS book 10.

The tables below give information about sales of Fairtrade*-labelled coffee and bananas in 1999 and 2004 in five European countries.

*Fairtrade: a category of products for which farmers from developing countries have been paid an officially agreed fair price.

As usual, this is what we need to do:

1. Write an introduction by paraphrasing the question statement.
2. Write a summary of the information (2 sentences). Look for overall trends, not individual numbers.
3. Select the most important information to describe in detail (include between 5 and 10 specific numbers from the table, for example). Try to group this description of details into two paragraphs.

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'university subjects' essay

Today I'm sharing my full essay for the question below.

Some people think that all university students should study whatever they like. Others believe that they should only be allowed to study subjects that will be useful in the future, such as those related to science and technology.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

People have different views about how much choice students should have with regard to what they can study at university. While some argue that it would be better for students to be forced into certain key subject areas, I believe that everyone should be able to study the course of their choice.

There are various reasons why people believe that universities should only offer subjects that will be useful in the future. They may assert that university courses like medicine, engineering and information technology are more likely to be beneficial than certain art degrees. From a personal perspective, it can be argued that these courses provide more job opportunities, career progression, better salaries, and therefore an improved quality of life for students who take them. On the societal level, by forcing people to choose particular university subjects, governments can ensure that any knowledge and skill gaps in the economy are covered. Finally, a focus on technology in higher education could lead to new inventions, economic growth, and greater future prosperity.

In spite of these arguments, I believe that university students should be free to choose their preferred areas of study. In my opinion, society will benefit more if our students are passionate about what they are learning. Besides, nobody can really predict which areas of knowledge will be most useful to society in the future, and it may be that employers begin to value creative thinking skills above practical or technical skills. If this were the case, perhaps we would need more students of art, history and philosophy than of science or technology.

In conclusion, although it might seem sensible for universities to focus only on the most useful subjects, I personally prefer the current system in which people have the right to study whatever they like.

(297 words, band 9)

IELTS Listening: more keywords

Yesterday I wrote about the 'pattern' that we see in all IELTS reading tests. It's the same in the listening test.

For example, here are the 'keywords' from Cambridge IELTS book 10, page 82:

Remember: You need to be ready to listen for synonyms and paraphrasing. You might not hear the exact words that you see in the questions.

IELTS Reading: are you seeing the pattern?

Over the weekend I ran an IELTS preparation course. After a full morning of IELTS reading work, one of my students said this: "I'm starting to see the pattern."

So, what pattern was he talking about? The 'keyword' pattern.

Here's an example from one of the tests that we worked through:

The more practice you do, the better you'll get at finding the answers by recognising the similar 'keywords' in the questions and in the passages. The IELTS reading test really does get easier as you get used to seeing this pattern.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: educational TV programme

Here's a recent exam question that somebody sent me. How would you answer?

Describe an educational television programme that you liked.
You should say

- what the programme was about
- when and where you saw it
- how you found out about this programme
- and why you liked it.

IELTS Writing Task 2: from plan to paragraph

Here's the question we looked at in last week's lesson:

Some people think that all university students should study whatever they like. Others believe that they should only be allowed to study subjects that will be useful in the future, such as those related to science and technology.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

And here's my plan for the second view (one paragraph only):

1. Topic sentence - only study useful subjects, various reasons
2. Give examples of subjects that are more useful than others
3. Personal reasons - job opportunities, career progression, high salary
4. Societal reasons - cover gaps in knowledge / skills in the economy
5. Future reason - new inventions lead to growth and future prosperity

Now here's the paragraph that I wrote with my students, using this plan:

(1) There are various reasons why people may believe that universities should only offer subjects that will be useful in the future. (2) It is true that university courses like medicine, engineering and information technology are more likely to be beneficial than certain art degrees. (3) From a personal perspective, these courses can provide more job opportunities, career progression, better salaries, and therefore an improved quality of life for students who take them. (4) On the societal level, by forcing people to choose the most useful university subjects, governments can ensure that any knowledge and skill gaps in the economy are covered. (5) Finally, a focus on technology in higher education could lead to new inventions, economic growth, and greater future prosperity.

Note:
To write this 'band 9' paragraph, we simply turned the 5 points in the plan into 5 full sentences.

IELTS Listening: multiple choice difficulties (2)

In last week's lesson I mentioned four difficulties that we face when doing multiple choice questions in the listening test. Now let's analyse the example question that I used in that lesson, in terms of the four difficulties:

1) Lots of information
Yes. We had five choices to think about, and the relevant part of the recording was quite long.

2) Similar choices
Yes. The choices contained two types of swimming pool.

3) All of the choices mentioned
Yes. Both pools, the gym, and sports training for children were mentioned. "The tracks" (which usually means running tracks) were not really mentioned, but the word "lanes" may have confused some people.

4) Synonyms or paraphrasing
the gym = fitness suite
tracks = could be similar to "lanes"
indoor / outdoor pool = there isn't space for an outdoor pool
training for children = children benefit from tuition

IELTS Listening: transcript

Here's the full transcript of Tuesday's recording:

Before we start our tour of the club, I'll just run through some basic information about the facilities we have here, including recent improvements, and explain the types of membership available.

Our greatest asset is probably our swimming pool, which at 25 metres isn't Olympic-sized, but now we've expanded it to eight lanes, it's much wider. This means there are rarely more than a couple of people at a time in each lane. Unfortunately, there isn't space for an outdoor pool here, but the glass roof on the swimming pool is partly retractable, which means you can enjoy something of the open-air experience on warmer days.

Our recently refurbished fitness suite has all the latest exercise equipment, including ten new running machines and a wide range of weight-training machines. Each member is given full training in how to operate the equipment, and there is always a trainer on duty to offer help and advice. Although we do have adult-only times after 6 and at certain times at weekends, children are well catered for. Older children continue to benefit from a wide range of tuition: anything from trampolining to yoga.

Note: Did you notice any new or useful vocabulary?

IELTS Listening Advice: transcribing task

I often recommend transcribing as a good way to improve your listening (and your English in general).

As a quick task, can anyone transcribe the short recording in Tuesday's lesson? I'll show you the full, correct transript tomorrow.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'mathematics' topic

Here are some recent exam questions that somebody shared here on the blog. As usual, my part 1 sample answers are short, direct and simple.

1) At what age did you start studying mathematics?

I can't exactly remember, but it was probably in my first year at primary school when I was 5 years old. I probably learnt simple addition at that age.

2) Do you like mathematics? Why / why not?

I don't dislike maths, but I wouldn't say that I've ever really liked the subject either. I'm happy to do simple calculations, but my brain can't cope with the complex stuff!

3) Is it necessary for everyone to learn mathematics?

Yes, I think it is. We all need a basic grounding in maths so that we can do daily tasks, like managing our money, working out bills, and so on.

4) Do you prefer to use a calculator when doing mathematics?

It depends. I quite like exercising my brain with anything that's easy enough, but I use the calculator on my phone for anything tricky.

IELTS Writing Task 1: trying too hard!

One of my students asked me why she isn't getting band 7 in writing task 1. When I looked at one of her reports, the main problem was clear:

She was trying too hard to use 'difficult' vocabulary or sentence constructions, and she was making mistakes that could easily be avoided.

Here are some examples, with problems underlined:

1) The highest number of people residence in Australia are those living in cities.
2) The highest population of birth are those born within Australia.
3) This figure was over 50% of those given birth to outside Australia.

Can you suggest 'easier' versions of these sentences, without any mistakes?

IELTS Writing Task 2: good plan = good paragraph

My students and I looked at the following question from Cambridge IELTS 10.

Some people think that all university students should study whatever they like. Others believe that they should only be allowed to study subjects that will be useful in the future, such as those related to science and technology.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Here's our 5-sentence plan for the second view given in the question:

1. Topic sentence - only study useful subjects, various reasons
2. Give examples of subjects that are more useful than others
3. Personal reasons - job opportunities, career progression, high salary
4. Societal reasons - cover gaps in knowledge / skills in the economy
5. Future reason - new inventions lead to growth and future prosperity

With a good plan like this, it should be easy to write a good paragraph. Just try writing one full sentence for each of these five ideas.

IELTS Advice: the wrong thing to focus on

In yesterday's lesson I mentioned that someone asked me this question: "Can we use the passive in writing task 1?"

If you ask a question like this, it tells me that you're focusing on the wrong thing. Your method, or your whole approach to the IELTS test is wrong.

When you look at a graph or chart in writing task 1, you shouldn't be thinking, "can I use the passive to describe this information?". You should be thinking, "what is the main trend, which numbers should I compare or contrast, how will I paraphrase the question etc.?".

Don't take a 'grammar approach' to your IELTS preparation. Take a 'task response' approach: focus on answering the question.

Students' questions

Here are my answers to some of the questions that people have asked me recently.

1) Can we use the passive voice in writing task 1?

Sometimes, yes. But don't write things like "the number was increased". When describing numbers, just write "the number of... increased". I'll say a bit more about this question in tomorrow's lesson.

2) If the question asks "Is this a positive or negative development?", should we write about both postives and negatives?

It's your choice. You can take a strong view and argue that the development is 100% positive (or negative), or you can take a balanced view and give the positives and negatives. If you do discuss both sides, it might be best if you make an overall decision e.g. "In spite of the negative effects of..., I believe that it is a positive development overall."

3) How can I improve my ability to answer multiple choice questions in the listening test?

Everyone finds multiple choice questions difficult, including me! The reason is that there's a lot to read, and a lot of information to keep in mind while you're listening. My advice is to underline one or two key words in the question and in each choice; this means that you'll have less information to focus on when listening. Also, the keywords will act as "signposts" so that you don't get lost in the middle of the recording.

4) In part 2 of the speaking test, should we follow the order of the points on the task card?

Personally, I think it's easier to follow the order of the points on the card. However, there isn't a rule about this, and it's fine to return to a previous point if you need to fill time.

5) If I make a mistake in the speaking test, should I correct myself?

Yes. Occasional self-correction is good. It only becomes a problem if you self-correct so often that you lose fluency.

IELTS Speaking: correct the mistakes

Here are some sentences that people wrote in the "comments" below last week's speaking lesson. Can you correct the mistakes?

1. After graduating high school, every my classmates and I also wanted to study in the university.
2. For 6 years I was studying in university in first year I chose my major and I was frightening for many things.
3. I didn’t contact any friends of mine, shut off all social networks, totally devoted myself to the preparation and even didn’t talk much to my parents every day.
4. It was very challenging because the exam given was very difficult, almost all answers in the multiple choice questions are common.

IELTS Writing Task 1: pie chart and table

If you get a question like this one from Cambridge IELTS book 8, you don't need to worry about comparing the two charts. Just describe them separately:

1. Introduction: say what each chart shows
2. Overview: write one general sentence about the pie chart, and one about the table
3. Details: describe the pie chart
4. Details: describe the table

Here's an example 'overview'. Notice that I write a separate sentence about each chart, and I paraphrase several of the words from the question.

Overview (paragraph 2):
It is clear from the pie chart that there are three principal reasons why farmland becomes degraded, and over-grazing is the main one. The table shows that Europe had a far higher proportion of unproductive land than Oceania or North America in the 1990s.

Task: Find the examples of paraphrasing in the paragraph above.