IELTS Simon

Simon's holiday

I'm taking my summer holiday this week. My ebook and video lessons will still be available, but I won't be able to update this blog. The next blog post will be on Friday 2nd September, so I'll see you then!

IELTS Writing Task 1: comparing line graphs?

We'll look at the following line graphs in more detail next week, but today I'd like to ask you just one question:

Can we compare the two graphs, or should we describe them separately?

IELTS Writing Task 2: climate change paragraph

Here's the question that we've been looking at over recent weeks:

Some people think that instead of preventing climate change, we need to find a way to live with it. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

I wrote the introduction, topic sentences and conclusion last week, so now we can focus on the main body paragraphs.

Here are some ideas for the first main paragraph:

• Topic sentence: various measures to prevent climate change
• Governments: introduce laws to limit emissions, impose 'green taxes', invest in renewable energy
• Individuals: become energy efficient, fly less, use public transport, vote for politicians who want to tackle the problem

Here's my paragraph, using the ideas above:

There are various measures that governments and individuals could take to prevent, or at least mitigate, climate change. Governments could introduce laws to limit the carbon dioxide emissions that lead to global warming. They could impose “green taxes” on drivers, airline companies and other polluters, and they could invest in renewable energy production from solar, wind or water power. As individuals, we should also try to limit our contribution to climate change, by becoming more energy efficient, by flying less, and by using bicycles and public transport. Furthermore, the public can affect the actions of governments by voting for politicians who propose to tackle climate change, rather than for those who would prefer to ignore it.

Can you write the second body paragraph, about the dangers of not tackling climate change?

IELTS Listening: why is the sky blue?

Watch the short presentation and fill the gaps in the sentences below.

Here's a recording in case you can't see the video:

Click here to listen

Fill each gap with ONE word only.

1. The distance between each _____ in a wave of light is called the wavelength.
2. When all the different wavelengths travel together, light appears _____.
3. _____ light waves have a longer wavelength than blue.
4. The atmosphere is made up of _____ which change the way light behaves.
5. Shorter blue light waves _____ with particles more often and spread throughout the atmosphere, filling the sky.
6. Other colours pass through and appear _____-white when they mix together.

IELTS Reading: a student's question

A student called Shakhzod asked about the following question from test 2, passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS 11. The passage is about a ship called the 'Mary Rose' that sank in the 16th century and has recently been recovered.

Question 3 (true, false or not given):
Most of one side of the Mary Rose lay undamaged under the sea.

Relevant part of the passage:
Because of the way the ship sank, nearly all of the starboard half survived intact.

Task:
Do you think the answer is true, false or not given? Which keywords gave you the answer?

IELTS Grammar: active and passive

A student called Rosh asked for some help with the following sentences. Are they active or passive? Are they all correct?

1. My boss recommended me a long holiday.
2. I was recommended a long holiday by my boss.
3. My boss was recommended me a long holiday.
4. Members asked me many questions in the meeting.
5. I was asked many questions by members in the meeting.
6. Members were asked me many questions in the meeting.

IELTS Advice: asking for a re-mark

Recently I've heard from quite a few people whose writing scores were raised from 6.5 to band 7 after they asked for a re-mark. This suggests that some examiners are a bit too cautious when marking, especially at the higher levels.

There are no guarantees when you ask for a re-mark. However, if you think you did well in the writing test, if you got higher scores in the other three parts, and if you missed your target by only half a band, it might be worth a try.

Please share your experiences of re-marking in the comments below.

IELTS Speaking: 'hurry topic' mistakes

Here are some sentences that people shared below last week's lesson. Can you find and correct the mistake(s) in each sentence.

1. I made a huge mistake, which hardly made me miss the flight.
2. I was very hurry to get back to that restaurant.
3. I was so stressed, even I forgot something that I needed to bring.
4. I had two days for research the information.
5. I had applied this job when I was still in my previous job.
6. I forget my admit card in file at home and I realise it when I reached the bus stand.
7. I remembered when I was studied in 9 grades, there was a final exam and I forgot it.

IELTS Writing Task 2: climate change 'skeleton'

In this lesson I explained my idea of the 'essay skeleton' - the basic structure of an IELTS essay, which consists of the introduction, a topic sentence for each main paragraph, and the conclusion.

Here's a possible essay skeleton for the climate change question that we started looking at last week:
..........

Introduction
Climate change represents a major threat to life on Earth, but some people argue that we need to accept it rather than try to stop it. I completely disagree with this opinion, because I believe that we still have time to tackle this issue and reduce the human impact on the Earth's climate.

Paragraph 2 topic sentence
There are various measures that governments and individuals could take to prevent, or at least mitigate, climate change.

Paragraph 3 topic sentence
If instead of taking the above measures we simply try to live with climate change, I believe that the consequences will be disastrous.

Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear to me that we must address the problem of climate change, and I disagree with those who argue that we can find ways to live with it.
..........

Can you see how the 'skeleton' communicates my overall answer very clearly? The only thing missing is the detail in paragraphs 2 and 3.

IELTS Listening: similar words

I often talk about the importance of looking for "keywords" or "similar words" in the reading test, but the same advice applies to many questions in the listening test.

Look at the following question from Cambridge IELTS 4:

Which argument was used against having a drama theatre?

A) It would be expensive and no students would use it.
B) It would be a poor use of resources because only a minority would use it.
C) It could not accommodate large productions of plays.

Find the answer by looking for the "similar words" in the transcript below.

There was, however, much disagreement about whether to build a drama theatre. Just over forty per cent of the respondents were in favour, but a largish minority were strongly against it, claiming that it is elitist and a waste of funds.

IELTS Advice: strong opinion but only one idea

A student called Sebastian asked me the following useful question:

In writing task 2, what if I choose a strong opinion answer (e.g. completely agree) but I only have one idea? In other words, I only have an idea for one main-body paragraph, so what can I write in the second body paragraph?

Here are my tips to address Sebastian's question:

1. You could solve this problem during your planning time, before you start writing. If you realise that you only have one idea, you still have time to change to a 'balanced' opinion answer.
2. Alternatively, you could use the 'perspectives' approach to planning. This might help you to divide your main idea into two parts (e.g. the same idea from an individual perspective and from a social or economic perspective).
3. Another method that I use is to support my opinion in paragraph 2, and then refute the opposite opinion in paragraph 3. This is the essay structure that I suggested in Wednesday's lesson. You only need one main idea if you do this.

IELTS Advice: don't write this!

A student asked me whether I would write the following sentence:

Nonetheless, the extremely central issue is whether the significance of this pivotal factor is totally sufficient for convincing us to provide a closed-form formula or not.

My answer is no! Examiners hate this kind of sentence. It just seems to be a list of big words that have been thrown together; it's completely unnatural, and contains almost no real meaning.

Please don't learn sentences like this. Just write in a clear, direct way, and focus on answering the question.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'hurry' topic

Here's an interesting part 2 question that someone sent me:

Describe a time when you had to do something in a hurry.
You should say

- what you were doing
- when this was
- why you had to hurry
- and explain how you felt at that time

If you can remember a real example of a time when you were in a rush recently, use that. Alternatively, you could try to adapt a topic that you have already prepared (e.g. attending an event or celebration - you could say that you were late).

Feel free to share your ideas in the 'comments' area below. I'll continue with this topic next week.

IELTS Writing Task 1: little things to notice

In the task 1 answer that I wrote last week, there are some small details that an examiner or teacher might notice:

• visitors' responses (correct use of apostrophe for possessive plural)
• hotel guests (compound noun)
• hotel's visitors (first noun with possessive)
• rated... as... (correct use of verb 'rate' with 'as')
• gave this rating (noun 'rating' used with correct verb 'give')
• a clear majority (good collocation)
• Looking at the positive responses first,... (grouping information)
• With regard to negative feedback,... (new paragraph and grouping)
• considered... to be... (correct use of verb 'consider' with 'to be')
• reflects the fact that (good phrase used in correct context)

IELTS Writing Task 2: introduction and plan

Let's continue to look at the 'climate change' question below.

Some people think that instead of preventing climate change, we need to find a way to live with it. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Introduction:
Climate change represents a major threat to life on Earth, but some people argue that we need to accept it rather than try to stop it. I completely disagree with this opinion, because I believe that we still have time to tackle this issue and reduce the human impact on the Earth's climate.

Planning:
Here's a 4-paragraph essay plan using the opinion that I expressed above.

1. Introduction: completely disagree
2. Main paragraph: things that we can do to prevent climate change
3. Main paragraph: the problems of trying to live with climate change
4. Conclusion: repeat that we should try to prevent climate change now

IELTS Advice: my favourite 'comments' on this blog

There are some really useful comments and questions below the lessons on this site. Someone asked me: "What's your favourite type of comment from students?"

The answer is simple: my favourite comments are those that relate directly to the lesson above them. This tells me that the student has read the lesson and thought about it carefully.

Of course, you are welcome to ask other questions about IELTS, but comments that show an engagement with the lessons are my favourite.

Please note: I can't answer most comments individually these days, but I do still read them all, and they help me to create new lessons.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: think 'paragraph'

In part 3 of the speaking test, you should try to give longer, detailed answers. A good way to do this is to imagine that you are making a paragraph.

Remember the 'paragraph building' techniques that we use in writing task 2:

Idea, explain, example
Start with a direct answer to the question, like the 'topic sentence' in a written paragraph. Then explain your answer in more detail, and support your explanation with an example.
Try answering this question: Do you think that it's important for people to go on holiday?

Firstly, secondly, finally
Start with the direct answer, then explain it by giving two or three reasons, and maybe an example too.
Try answering this question: Why do you think some people prefer not to go abroad on holiday?

IELTS Writing Task 1: pie charts report

Here's my full answer for the pie charts task below.

The charts below show the results of a questionnaire that asked visitors to the Parkway Hotel how they rated the hotel's customer service. The same questionnaire was given to 100 guests in the years 2005 and 2010.

The pie charts compare visitors’ responses to a survey about customer service at the Parkway Hotel in 2005 and in 2010.

It is clear that overall customer satisfaction increased considerably from 2005 to 2010. While most hotel guests rated customer service as satisfactory or poor in 2005, a clear majority described the hotel’s service as good or excellent in 2010.

Looking at the positive responses first, in 2005 only 5% of the hotel’s visitors rated its customer service as excellent, but this figure rose to 28% in 2010. Furthermore, while only 14% of guests described customer service in the hotel as good in 2005, almost three times as many people gave this rating five years later.

With regard to negative feedback, the proportion of guests who considered the hotel’s customer service to be poor fell from 21% in 2005 to only 12% in 2010. Similarly, the proportion of people who thought customer service was very poor dropped from 15% to only 4% over the 5-year period. Finally, a fall in the number of ‘satisfactory’ ratings in 2010 reflects the fact that more people gave positive responses to the survey in that year.

(193 words, band 9)

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'climate change' topic

How would you answer the question below? Would you completely agree, completely disagree, or try to write a balanced answer?

Before you decide which view to take, brainstorm some ideas. Then think about your 4-paragraph essay structure and what points you would include in each paragraph.

Some people think that instead of preventing climate change, we need to find a way to live with it. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

IELTS Listening: listen for interest

Sometimes it's best to watch or listen to something simply because it's interesting. It's still good practice for your ear.

Here's a YouTube video that I enjoyed watching this week:

IELTS Reading: how to do multiple choice

Try following these steps when doing multiple choice questions:

1. Read the question and underline the "keywords" - these are the words that you will try to find in the passage (the main words that give the meaning of the question).
2. Read the choices and underline one or two keywords for each one. Focus on words that make the difference between each choice.
3. Go to the passage and look for the keywords from the question.
4. When you have found the right part of the passage, look for keywords from the choices.
5. Read the relevant part of the passage carefully, comparing it to each choice.
6. To be sure you have the right answer, you should be able to show that the other answer choices are wrong.