IELTS Listening: one word or two words?

Several students have asked me this question:

Is it acceptable to write words like "bookshop" or "seafood" as two words (book shop, sea food)?

To answer this question, you need to look at the question instructions.

• If the instruction says you can use two words or three words, "book shop" and "sea food" would be accepted.
• However, if the instruction tells you to use only one word, you must write "bookshop" or "seafood". If you write two words, it's wrong!

Note: When doing practice tests, always look up words that you are unsure about in a dictionary.

Comments

[Shukur]

Hi Simon!
Could you answer my question about writing task 2? do we get any score for our opinion in the essay? I mean, if grammar and coherence are OK but our opinion is weak.

[Simon]

Hi Shukur,

You need good ideas and opinions to answer the question well. If you don't have ideas, you won't be able to write anything.

You can have any opinion you want (if it's relevant to the question) - your opinions don't need to be 'correct' or the same as the examiner's opinions, but you do need ideas and opinions to be able to answer the question.

[leona]

Hi，Simon
Could you recommend some free online dictionaries for me.I am a high school student in china，and I have no idea about which type of dictionary suit me.
Thank you！

[Dorian]

Hi Simon,

I wanna know for an essay of band 7 or above, are the examples necessary for each paragraph(for and pro)?In most of the cases, I dont give examples for all ideas,sometimes I just give one in one paragraph,and expand ideas in another paragraph(because i cannot think of one)
And can I use some of your arguments in your ebook as examples, for me they come off as examples (i.e In many countries, meat is the main ingredient in traditional meals)

Another question is What are the ways to illustrate examples except for saying "for example",I want some variation.

Thanks.

Dorian

[Shukur]

thank you a lot!

[Jobs]

Dear simon,
Thanks for ur advices which u have already given..i am going to attend the exam on 19 nov..with ur help there is a considerable improvement in my writing..however i stil dont get enough time for proof reading thouh i complete the exam in time..i write about 250 wrds in task 1..how can i reduce to may be around 170 or so..other wise i believe it will be a bad exam for me..pls help me asap.

[Simon]

Hi Leona,

Just put "online dictionary" into Google (or another search engine) - there are many different dictionaries online, so try a few and decide which you prefer.

Tip: a 'real' dictionary (the traditional paper version) is also a good thing to have.

...

Hi Dorian,

You don't need to use "for example" to give an example - just give the example without any phrase to introduce it (e.g. "In many countries..." is an example). Whenever you explain an idea, you are giving a reason or example from your own experience - the only thing you really need is to do is give ideas and explain/support them. It's fine to use the ideas from my ebook.

...

Hi Jobs,

You just need to be stricter with yourself. 250 words for task 1 is too much - you need to select key information more carefully. Have a look at my essays, and you will see that I miss out a lot of the small details. It's impossible to describe everything in only 20 minutes, and 'selecting' is considered to be an important skill.

Good luck on the 19th!

[Moka]

Dear Simon
When they say in the listening June 6th

Can I write
6th June
6 June
Thanks

[Moka]

Dear Simon,
One of the speaking tasks was to talk about an equipment at home other than the computer .
Is it right to talk about Television ? Is equipment the same as device?
Please wish me luck , my exam is on the 19th I am already panicking:(

[Simon]

Hi Moka,

Yes, you can write dates in both ways, and you can talk about TV - in this case, equipment and device really mean the same thing.

Good luck for tomorrow!

[Venky]

Hi Simon,

I have got my IELTS score today.

Listening 6.5
Reading 6.5
Writing 6
Speaking 6
Overall Band 6.5

I have targeted 7.0 but got 6.5 only. Do you think its still a good score?

I used to face the major problem with Reading but I have put my efforts and did enough practice and got good score.

I have not expected 6 in Writing and Speaking but I have to accept.

What are the chances where I could increase my score? Please suggest.

Thanks,

Venky

[Simon]

Hi Venky,

Those are good scores - you've done well. I think the fact that you got similar scores in the 4 parts means that 6/6.5 is your 'true' level at the moment. To improve, you just need to keep practising and learning more English words and phrases.

[Rezene]

Hi Simon
Normally people find my accent realy hard to understand. Thus I am realy wooried about the score in speaking as the examiner might not get my ideas smoothly. How could I help my self in the exam? Please suggest, my exam is on 3rd december.
Thanks,
Rezene

[Simon]

Hi Rezene,

The main thing is to speak clearly. Try not to speak too quickly, and try to pronounce words well. When preparing at home, maybe you could record yourself and listen to your pronunciation - try to work on any words or sounds that you find difficult.

Good luck on the 3rd!

[laxman]

hello simon.. can u please tell me how to know if it is one word or two words? for example i wrote 'Helen dale' for name of the station but the answer is 'helendale'...i often find myself in this situation..

[Simon]

Hi laxman,

Don't worry too much, both answers are usually accepted. It's not really a problem unless the instruction tells you to use "one word only".

[laxman]

thankyou simon.
can you please tell me the number of correct answers required to achieve band score 7 in academic reading..in some websites it is 27, in another 30 n in others 32..is it different for different institues??

[Natalia]

Hi Simon,

Could you explain me, please, if I answer with one word in a question where it says "No more than two or three words", it will count as a mistake? For example, if I write "garden' instead "flower garden".

Is it error if I answer "17 March" instead "17th March"?
Thank you in advance!
Natalia.