IELTS Simon

IELTS Writing Task 1: overview of 2 charts

If the question shows two different charts, we can summarise each one separately. After the introduction, we can write a 2-sentence 'overview' of the information, with one sentence to summarise each chart.

Let's try this with the question that you can see here.

Overview / summary paragraph:

Overall, females made up a higher proportion of people living alone than males, and this difference is particularly noticeable in the older age categories. We can also see that the most common number of bedrooms in a single-occupant home was two.

IELTS Writing Task 2: words from the question

People often worry about using words from the question in their essays.

While it's important to show that you can paraphrase the question and explain your ideas in a variety of ways, I believe that you should use words from the question somewhere in your essays. But why? Here are 3 reasons:

1. The first reason is easy: some words/phrases are difficult to paraphrase. For example, in my essay about 'living alone' I found it difficult to avoid using the phrase 'live alone'. Almost every sentence refers to this topic, and nobody expects you to find ten or more different synonyms.
2. The second reason is more interesting: repeating certain key words or phrases helps to hold your essay together. The reader cannot miss the connection between ideas (whereas he/she might miss the connection if you use too many synonyms). Politicians often use this technique in their speeches e.g. Barack Obama's famous "Yes we can" speech.
3. The third reason is equally important: repeating words from the question helps to keep you "on topic". Refer to the question to show the examiner that you are answering it. This can help your 'task response' score.

Idea:
Take one of my sample essays, or a sample essay from an IELTS book. Underline key words in the question, then highlight those words in the essay. If the writer used words from the question, it was probably for one of the 3 reasons above. A good essay is likely to have a nice balance between words that are taken from the question and the use of synonyms or paraphrasing.

IELTS Listening: fill the gaps

Listen to the following recording about John Dewey, who was also the subject of yesterday's reading lesson, and fill the gaps in the summary below.

Click here to listen

John Dewey was America's _____ philosopher and philosopher of education. His ideas are important to education today because he recognised that each individual brings a certain _____ and _____ to his or her learning. He also understood the importance of learning in a group or _____, learning from others that are _____ you. The essence of a democracy is that you have different _____ and you learn from each of them, and Dewey celebrated that. He would probably be _____ of the current system of education because it ignores the teaching _____ and what each student brings to the classroom.

Message from Simon: taking a short break

I'm taking a short break to visit family over the Christmas holiday, so there will be no blog lessons for the next few days. I'll be back to normal on Monday 28th December, but my ebook and video lessons are still available while I'm away.

Some other news:
I'm doing a special one-hour Q&A (question and answer) session on the British Council's Turkish Facebook page tomorrow. It's supposed to be for students in Turkey, but anyone is welcome to follow the questions and answers. Click here for more information. It's at 17.30 UK time.

A note about grammar

The two lessons below demonstrate how crazy grammar 'rules' can be. Most people learn that we always use the word "the" with superlatives (e.g. the highest, the oldest), but in reality the English language breaks this 'rule' on many occasions.

I'm not a fan of learning such detailed grammar rules myself; I prefer my students to focus on vocabulary. So don't worry if my "superlative without the" lessons seemed confusing to you. It wouldn't affect your score if you made a mistake when using one of these phrases.

IELTS Grammar: superlative without 'the' (part 2)

Following on from yesterday's lesson, here are some key points to remember.

1) Superlatives can be used after possessive forms, without "the":

• My highest IELTS score was...
• His fastest running time was...
• Britain's oldest person is...

2) Miss "the" if the noun is before (not after) the superlative:

• The UK had the highest revenue from bananas. (noun after, use "the")
• Revenue from bananas was highest in the UK. (noun before, no "the")

3) Miss "the" when the meaning is "at its..." or "at their...":

• Revenue from bananas was (at its) highest in the UK.
• Temperatures are (at their) warmest in the south of the country.

Task:
Here's a puzzle for you. The sentence below is correct, but it seems to break the 'rule' in point 2 above. Can you explain why I wrote "the oldest" even though there is no noun after the superlative?

The London underground is the oldest.

IELTS Grammar: superlative without 'the'

In this lesson I gave a grammatical explanation of when to write "highest" without the word "the" before it. For example:

- The UK had the highest rate of unemployment. (the highest + noun)
- The unemployment rate was highest in the UK. (noun before 'highest', no 'the')

However, there might be an easier way to remember when to miss the word "the".  We miss the word "the" when "highest" means "at its highest" or "at their highest" e.g. The unemployment rate was at its highest in the UK.

Let's try this with a few more examples:

1. Rainfall is highest in October. (Rainfall is at its highest in October)
2. Temperatures are warmest in the south of the country. (at their warmest)
3. Traffic is slowest between 7 and 9am. (at its slowest)

In the above examples, don't put the word "the" before the superlative adjectives.

Note:
I'll add a bit more to this explanation in tomorrow's lesson, so feel free to ask any questions in the comments area below.

IELTS Speaking Parts 2 and 3: 'disagreement' topic

Here are some exam questions that students have asked me about recently:

Part 2

Describe a disagreement that you had with another person. You should say

- who the other person was
- what the disagreement was about
- how you resolved it
- and what the result was.

Part 3

1. What disagreements do teenagers often have with their parents?
2. What do young children tend to argue about with each other?
3. Do you think that it's important to be polite?

IELTS Writing Task 1: two-sentence introduction

My normal advice for task 1 introductions is to write one sentence that paraphrases the question statement. However, there's nothing wrong with writing a two-sentence introduction if there's a lot of different information to introduce.

Last week's question contains a lot of information, so I found it easier to write a two-sentence introduction.

Here's the question statement again:
The bar chart below shows the proportions of English men and women of different ages who were living alone in 2011. The pie chart compares the numbers of bedrooms in these one-person households.

And here's my introduction:
The two charts give information about single-occupant households in England in the year 2011. The bar chart compares figures for occupants' age and gender, and the pie chart shows data about the number of bedrooms in these homes.

IELTS Writing Task 2: essay analysis

Did you analyse last week's essay carefully? Here's an example of how an examiner would analyse it:

Task repsonse

• The essay fully addresses the task; it is "on topic" at all times, and it definitely answers the question.
• The position (opinion / overall answer) is clear throughout the essay. It is presented in the introduction, and then supported in the rest of the essay (with no surprises in the conclusion!).
• Lots of detail is given. Ideas are "fully extended" (explained in depth) and well supported.

Coherence and cohesion

• Ideas are presented in a logical and organised way.
• There is definitely a good "flow" to the essay, so that the argument builds and develops. Paragraphing is well managed, and each paragraph is well constructed.
• Cohesive devices (linking) are used in an effective but subtle way - they help with the development of ideas, but do not overshadow those ideas.

Lexical resource (vocabulary)

• A wide range of vocabulary is used.
• Vocabulary is used appropriately, skillfully and naturally in the development of ideas.
• There are several examples of "less common" items of vocabulary, all of which are used appropriately.

Grammatical range and accuracy

• A wide range of structures is used.
• There are no mistakes!

Task:
Can you add to this analysis by listing the linking words and the good vocabulary from the essay?

IELTS Listening: underline key words

Yesterday I talked about the importance of underlining in the reading test. Do you also underline key words in the listening test? I think you should.

During the breaks in the listening test, read ahead and underline the main words in each question.

Example: Which words would you underline when preparing for the following gap-fill exercise?

1. According to the schedule, the meeting will take place at _____.
2. The decision will mean that full-time employees are allowed to _____ for free.

Tip: Don't underline too many words. I would underline just 2 words in the first example above, and 6 words in the second example. Can you guess which?

IELTS Vocabulary: useful phrases

I used some good phrases in yesterday's letter task. Even if you're doing the academic IELTS test, I recommend that you note them down.

• at short notice
• made the spontaneous decision
• to eat out
• we could not have chosen a better restaurant
• the ceremony had taken place
• my friends and I
• we were relieved to have finally (+ past participle)
• we were in good hands
• friendly and obliging
• such a memorable evening

Task:
Think about how you could use these phrases in your speaking test.

IELTS General Writing: 'thank you' answer

Here's my band 9 answer for the letter writing task in this lesson:

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'newspapers' topic

Try answering the following questions. Remember to give a direct answer, give a reason, then stop! If you say more than this, the examiner will interrupt you.

1. How often do you read a newspaper?
2. Why do you think some people like reading newspapers?
3. Which other sources can people use to find out about the latest news?
4. Do you think that it's important to know about news from other countries? Why / why not?

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'positive or negative' essay

Here's my full essay for the 'positive or negative development' question that we've been looking at over the last few weeks.

In some countries, many more people are choosing to live alone nowadays than in the past. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

In recent years it has become far more normal for people to live alone, particularly in large cities in the developed world. In my opinion, this trend could have both positive and negative consequences in equal measure.

The rise in one-person households can be seen as positive for both personal and broader economic reasons. On an individual level, people who choose to live alone may become more independent and self-reliant than those who live with family members. A young adult who lives alone, for example, will need to learn to cook, clean, pay bills and manage his or her budget, all of which are valuable life skills; an increase in the number of such individuals can certainly be seen as a positive development. From an economic perspective, the trend towards living alone will result in greater demand for housing. This is likely to benefit the construction industry, estate agents and a whole host of other companies that rely on homeowners to buy their products or services.

However, the personal and economic arguments given above can be considered from the opposite angle. Firstly, rather than the positive feeling of increased independence, people who live alone may experience feelings of loneliness, isolation and worry. They miss out on the emotional support and daily conversation that family or flatmates can provide, and they must bear the weight of all household bills and responsibilities; in this sense, perhaps the trend towards living alone is a negative one. Secondly, from the financial point of view, a rise in demand for housing is likely to push up property prices and rents. While this may benefit some businesses, the general population, including those who live alone, will be faced with rising living costs.

In conclusion, the increase in one-person households will have both beneficial and detrimental effects on individuals and on the economy.

(band 9)

IELTS Listening: last week's keywords

If you tried last week's listening exercise, did you also note the 'keywords' that you heard? Here's my keyword table for the exercise. Listen to the recording again, and check that you hear the phrases in the table.

IELTS General Writing: correct the mistakes

Can you correct and improve the following sentences, which were written by students below last week's General Writing lesson?

1. We were looking for a place to gathering and we found it through an adds published on a newspaper.
2. Because it has good rating in the app, my friends and I went to your restaurant.
3. My husband and me visited there to celebrate it. All people around us are looking happy and cheerful.
4. We love to gather, grab a beer and watch some sport every Friday.
5. Keep up with your good work.
6. I couldn't thank enough to make this even more better.

IELTS Vocabulary: this week's review

In my Saturday blog lessons, I often list the good vocabulary from the previous week. Today I'm going to ask you to do this week's vocabulary review.

So, look back through this week's lessons here on the blog, and make a note of any good vocabulary that I used. Feel free to share your lists in the "comments" area below.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: expanded answers

Last week we looked at the first half of a question:

Describe a long walk that you enjoyed.
You should say

- when you went on this walk
- where it took place

I explained that it would be easy to give a very short answer to these two points:

"Last summer I walked along a beach during my holiday in..."

But we need to expand this answer to include more information about "when" and "where". For example:

When
I’m going to describe a walk that I enjoyed last summer while I was on holiday on the south coast of England. It was the first week of August, and we set off on the walk on the first morning of the holiday just after breakfast, at around 9 o’clock. The walk took us the whole morning and finished at lunchtime.

Where
As I mentioned, the walk took place on the south coast of England. I was on holiday with my family in a place called Dorset, and we were staying in a rented house. Our aim was to walk from the house to a place called Durdle Door beach. First we had to find the coast path, and then we followed this path for several miles until we reached Durdle Door and finally descended the steep steps that led to the beach.
...

Durdle Door

IELTS Writing Task 2: different perspectives

A good way to organise your ideas is by thinking about the topic from different perspectives or points of view. Click here to see another lesson about this.

I used the 'perspectives' technique to write a paragraph about the positives of more people living alone (see last week's lesson).

Here's my paragraph with the perspectives highlighted:

The rise in one-person households can be seen as positive for both personal and broader economic reasons. On an individual level, people who choose to live alone may become more independent and self-reliant than those who live with family members. A young adult who lives alone, for example, will need to learn to cook, clean, pay bills and manage his or her budget, all of which are valuable life skills. From an economic perspective, the trend towards living alone will result in greater demand for housing. This is likely to benefit the construction industry, estate agents and a whole host of other companies that rely on homeowners to buy their products or services.

Task:
Try writing about the negatives of the same trend, from two or three different perspectives.