ielts-simon.com

IELTS Advice: daily study habit

In my opinion it's better to study for 30 minutes every day than for 3.5 hours once a week. I try to write these lessons every day to encourage students to get into a daily study habit. It isn't easy, and there are days when you feel like giving up, but it will all be worth it when you get the scores you need!

IELTS Speaking Part 2: band 9 answer

When I wrote my funny situation description last week, I wasn't trying to use 'difficult' grammar or vocabulary. Maybe you read it and thought that it was too 'easy' to get a band 9. If you thought that, you would be wrong!

Here's why my description would get a band 9 (according to the IELTS criteria):

1. Fluency and coherence
The fact that I told a story made my answer really coherent (clear and logically organised). In terms of fluency, my description was written rather than spoken, so of course there are no pauses or hesitations.

2. Lexical resource (vocabulary)
The description might seem simple, but it isn't. A wide resource of vocabulary is used naturally and accurately. There are definitely some 'less common' and idiomatic phrases (e.g. engrossed, the time passed, I suddenly realised, get going, my leg was dead, tipped over, to my surprise).

3. Grammatical range and accuracy
Unless you can find any mistakes, it would be difficult to give my description anything less than 9 for accuracy. The range of structures used is also easily good enough to impress the examiner.

4. Pronunciation
Hopefully this wouldn't be a problem as I'm a native speaker!

IELTS Writing Task 1: line graph overview

The 'overview' is a really important part of your task 1 essay. It's a summary of the main things that you can see on the graph or chart, and I suggest that you write two sentences describing two main things that you notice.

What two main things would you choose for the graph below?

The graph below shows the average number of UK commuters travelling each day by car, bus or train between 1970 and 2030.

Tip: Don't look for particular years or numbers. Look at the overall trend over the whole 60-year period.

IELTS Writing Task 2: ideas and planning

Here's a question that my students and I looked at recently:

Successful sports professionals can earn a great deal more money than people in other important professions. Some people think this is fully justified while others think it is unfair. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

We spent 10 minutes planning, then we wrote half of the essay together:

It is true that the top sports people earn incredibly high salaries. Although reasons can be given to justify this, I personally believe that sports stars should be paid much less.

There are several reasons why some people support high incomes in sport. Firstly, people who reach the highest levels in any sport must be uniquely talented. For example, it is rare to find someone with the football skills of Messi or Ronaldo, and it can be argued that these players deserve salaries that reflect their abilities. Secondly, even the most talented sports professionals must undergo many years of training to develop the skills and fitness required, and this takes great commitment, dedication and passion. Finally, sports salaries are only high because audiences and fans are willing to pay to watch their favourite stars.

Note:
The main reason why these two paragraphs are good is that we planned them carefully. We spent time thinking about the question, making notes, and organising our ideas in a logical way.

IELTS Listening: 'handedness' exercise

Listen to the following recording about right and left-handedness.

Click here to listen

What is the probability of right-handed parents having a left-handed child?

A) more than 10%.
B) about 2%.
C) about 17%.

What comparison is made between males and females?

A) 50% of left-handed people are male.
B) Males are less likely to be left-handed.
C) Males are twice as likely to be left-handed.

A child's handedness can be determined for certain

A) when the child reaches two years of age.
B) when the child is six months old.
C) according to which hand the child reaches with in the first year of life.

IELTS Reading: more vocabulary

The table below shows the key vocabulary for test 4, passage 2 in Cambridge IELTS book 4. Try this test if you have a copy of it. My table should help you to get the correct answers.

IELTS Advice: storytelling

In Friday's speaking lesson I described a funny thing that happened to me. I found it really easy to write my description because I told a true story. I wasn't worrying about grammar or vocabulary; I just told my story in a natural way.

The key to a high speaking score isn't your use of 'complex' grammar structures, big words or idiomatic phrases. The key is to speak as naturally as possible, and real examples or stories help you to do this.

IELTS Grammar: opinion + conditional

Try this useful technique for IELTS writing and speaking:

Give an opinion, then follow it with a conditional sentence.

Look at these examples:

1. In my opinion, governments should invest more money in public transport. If rail and bus services were more reliable, fewer people would need to drive.
2. Schools have an important role to play in children's health. If schools banned junk food, they would help to reduce the problem of childhood obesity.
3. In the future I think more people will do their shopping online. But if Internet shopping becomes more popular, many traditional shops will lose customers.

I've underlined the conditionals. Examples 1 and 2 are second conditionals, while 3 uses the first conditional.

Practice:
Prepare your own "opinion + conditional" ideas for different topics. Having a few of these ideas ready could help you in the writing and speaking tests.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: funny situation

Describe a funny situation that made you laugh. You should say

- when this situation took place
- what happened
- how you reacted and why you found the situation funny.

Here's my example answer. It's a true story!

• I'm going to talk about a funny thing that happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I think it was a Saturday morning, and I was sitting having a coffee in a café near where I live.
• I was on my own so I decided to read the newspaper while drinking my coffee. I must have been quite engrossed in what I was reading because the time passed quickly, and I suddenly realised that I needed to get going. What I didn't realise was that I had been sitting with my legs crossed, and one of my legs had completely gone to sleep. As I stood up to leave the café, I quickly became aware that my left leg was 'dead', but it was too late; I started to fall. I thought I could catch myself on the table, but the table tipped over and I fell to the floor in front of everyone in the café!
• I can remember being on my knees in the middle of the café, looking up at the staff and customers around me. I felt really embarrassed and I expected the other people to find it funny, but to my surprise nobody was laughing. They were all worried that something really bad had happened to me! As I got up from the floor, I had to explain to the whole café that I was fine. I was embarrassed at the time, but I laughed about it later!

IELTS Writing Task 1: rise or raise?

These two words are often confused by students. Here is the main difference:

• something rises (e.g. the price rose)
• somebody raises something (e.g. the company raised the price)

"Rise" (rose, risen) can be a verb or a noun. I often use it for IELTS writing task 1:

• The price of cigarettes rises every year. (verb, present)
• In 2008, the number of customers rose from 100 to 200. (verb, past)
• There has been a dramatic rise in Internet usage in the UK. (noun)
• In 2008, the UK saw a rise in the divorce rate. (noun)

"Raise" (raised) is almost always a verb. You probably won't use it for task 1:

• The Government raises the price of cigarettes every year.
• Charities work to raise the standard of living in developing countries.

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'marriages' topic

Here's the question that we started to look at last week:

Marriages are bigger and more expensive nowadays than in the past. Why is this the case? Is it a positive or negative development?

After writing the introduction, we need to write a paragraph about the first question (why is this the case?). Here's something I wrote with my students:

Marriages have become bigger and more expensive for three main reasons. Firstly, people in developed countries are wealthier than their ancestors were in the past. They therefore have more money to spend on weddings, which are seen as one of life’s most important and unforgettable occasions. Secondly, in today’s globalized world, people see photos of celebrity weddings and want to copy them. For example, when Prince William got married here in England, the ceremony was shown on television and many people were influenced by what they saw. Finally, the wedding industry has grown, and many companies have an interest in selling products and services to us, using persuasive marketing techniques.

Task:
Analyse the paragraph: Does it answer the question, how is it structured, and what "less common" vocabulary is used?

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 Reading: choose the heading

Choose the best heading for the following paragraph from the list below.

“Big data” is a term being used more and more by politicians. It refers to the concept that any problem – from underperforming pupils to failing hospitals – can be solved by collecting some tightly focused data, crunching it and making tweaks, such as moving pupils or changing nurses’ shifts, rather than dealing with bigger issues, such as poverty or spending cuts. This is an approach that focuses narrowly on “what works” without ever troubling to ask: “works for whom?” Its watchword is “smart”, which can easily be appreciated, rather than “right”, which can’t. Putting trust in highly educated technocrats, it is naturally less interested in public debate.

A) How data can be used to improve society.
B) Big data: a smart approach to politics that works for everyone.
C) A sceptical perspective on “big data”.
D) Why the public trusts technocrats more than politicians.

IELTS Advice: 'less common vocabulary'

According to the IELTS marking system, candidates need to use some "less common lexical items" (vocabulary) if they want to get a band 7 or higher. But what is "less common vocabulary" and how can you learn it?

I'm afraid it's impossible to make a list of all "less common vocabulary items". The only thing I can do is point them out when I use them. Try the task below.

Task: Which words or phrases in the paragraph in this lesson might be considered "less common"?

IELTS Advice: a student's experience of re-marking

A student called Chanaka asked me to share his experiences regarding re-marking and how he eventually got the scores he needed. I hope you find his insights useful.

Click here to read Chanaka's advice

IELTS Speaking: correct the mistakes

Here are some sentences that students wrote about last week's describe a funny situation question. Try to find and correct the mistakes in each sentence.

1. Every person make happy at a one point or the other.
2. It was first time to go to the centre of the town from my village.
3. Nobody who were there stopped laughing include and me.
4. I’m going to talk about a funny but also embarrassed thing that I met.
5. As a child I was keen on the plays between the children with similar ages.
6. I could not held back laughter.

Tip:
Often, the best way to deal with grammar problems is by finding a completely different (and simpler) way to express the same idea.

IELTS Writing Task 1: pie charts essay

Here's my full essay for the 3 pie charts question that we've been looking at over the last two weeks:

The pie charts compare the expenditure of a school in the UK in three different years over a 20-year period.

It is clear that teachers’ salaries made up the largest proportion of the school’s spending in all three years (1981, 1991 and 2001). By contrast, insurance was the smallest cost in each year.

In 1981, 40% of the school’s budget went on teachers’ salaries. This figure rose to 50% in 1991, but fell again by 5% in 2001. The proportion of spending on other workers’ wages fell steadily over the 20-year period, from 28% of the budget in 1981 to only 15% in 2001.

Expenditure on insurance stood at only 2% of the total in 1981, but reached 8% in 2001. Finally, the percentages for resources and furniture/equipment fluctuated. The figure for resources was highest in 1991, at 20%, and the proportion of spending on furniture and equipment reached its peak in 2001, at 23%.

(158 words, band 9)

IELTS Writing Task 2: succinct introductions

The introduction technique that I recommend involves writing just 2 sentences: one to introduce the topic, and one to answer the question. Let’s look at this technique in more detail using the following question:

Marriages are bigger and more expensive nowadays than in the past. Why is this the case? Is it a positive or negative development?

First, we can introduce the topic by paraphrasing the question statement:

It is true that weddings have become more costly and extravagant in recent years.

Second, I need a short, simple answer to both parts of the question:

There are several reasons for this, and in my view it is a negative trend.

If I put the two sentences together, I have a really succinct* introduction:

It is true that weddings have become more costly and extravagant in recent years. There are several reasons for this, and in my view it is a negative trend.

*(succinct: clear, precise expression in few words)

IELTS Listening and Writing: spelling

Spelling mistakes can affect your score in the listening and writing tests. If you have a problem with spelling, here are some tips:

1. Type your essays: your computer will find your spelling mistakes.
2. When writing by hand, use a dictionary to check difficult words.
3. Keep a list: write down any mistakes your computer/teacher finds.
4. Memorise: learn difficult words by heart.
5. Test yourself on words you previously spelt wrongly.
6. Never give your teacher an essay that you haven't checked.

If you find that spelling is a big problem, you should work on it every day. Keep a notebook or put posters on your walls. If you do nothing, you will not improve; there is no secret rule that will suddenly solve the problem!

IELTS Reading: more keywords

My students and I did test 1, passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS book 4. The table below shows some of the keywords that helped us to find the correct answers:

This table shows how important it is to look for similar words in the reading test. It also shows that IELTS reading is a test of your vocabulary knowledge. For example, do you know the difference between 'yes/no questions' and 'open-form questions'? Do you know what 'coverage' and 'misconceptions' mean?

Students' questions

1. Can I invent statistics to make my task 2 essays more persuasive?

I don't recommend it. I think it will look 'fake' and it won't help your score.

2. How can teachers help students to build their topic vocabulary?

I find that the best way to help my students is by using relevant articles or online videos. I try to find good texts, and I pull out the useful language. My ebook is a good shortcut for self-study, but extensive reading and listening is the key to building students' vocabulary knowledge.

3. What does "went on" mean in this lesson?

If I say "most of my money goes on rent", it means that I spend most of my money on rent, so "40% went on" just means "40% was spent on".

4. Is it normal that my speaking examiner was drinking coffee?

No, that isn't normal. While I usually tell students to ignore what the examiner does (e.g. checking his/her watch or making notes), I think in this case your examiner's behaviour was wrong. Maybe you should report the issue to your test centre.

5. If my score is lower the second time, can I use my first test score?

Yes, I think you can.

6. For the "describe a person" question, can I describe myself?

No. This question always asks you to describe someone else. You'll lose marks if you describe yourself.

IELTS Advice: common topics first!

Students often write to me asking about a strange or difficult question that they have found. Personally, I think that studying strange questions is a waste of time when there are some really common topics that appear again and again.

Topics like education, family and work in the writing test, and 'describe a person' or 'describe a place' in the speaking test are so common that you should definitely prepare these topics before you start worrying about any unusual questions.

Use the 'real' questions in the Cambridge IELTS books and the topics here on my website before you worry about anything else.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: a funny situation

Think about this question and prepare some ideas:

Describe a funny situation that made you laugh. You should say

- when this situation took place
- what happened
- how you reacted and why you found the situation funny.

Tip: The best way to answer this question is to tell a story. If you can't think of a real situation, make one up!

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'details' paragraphs

Last week I asked you to think about how to divide the information from 3 pie charts into 2 groups in order to write 2 'details' paragraphs (click here to see the pie charts again).

Here are two paragraphs that I wrote with my students:

In 1981, 40% of the school’s budget went on teachers’ salaries. This figure rose to 50% in 1991, but fell again by 5% in 2001. The proportion of spending on other workers’ wages fell steadily over the 20-year period, from 28% of the budget in 1981 to only 15% in 2001.

Expenditure on insurance stood at only 2% of the total in 1981, but reached 8% in 2001. Finally, the percentages for resources and furniture/equipment fluctuated. The figure for resources was highest in 1991, at 20%, and the proportion of spending on furniture and equipment reached its peak in 2001, at 23%.

Analysis:
You can see that I chose to put the two types of salaries together in one paragraph, and the other three categories together in the second paragraph. There are other ways to divide the information, but this seemed the most obvious way to me.

IELTS Writing Task 2: longer introductions?

Recently a few people have asked me whether writing a longer introduction could be the way to improve their task 2 scores. My answer is no! A longer introduction is more likely to harm your score, not help it. The more time you spend on your introduction, the less time you have to write good main body paragraphs. The main body is the key to a high score!

So, how can we improve our main body paragraphs? I think there are 3 easy steps you can take:

1. Spend more time planning and writing the main paragraphs.
2. Spend less time on the introduction and conclusion.
3. Prepare ideas for common topics before you take the exam.

IELTS Listening: another TED video

Here's another interesting video from the TED website. I haven't made an exercise for this one, but I'd like to suggest that you watch the talk 3 times:

1. Watch it once without subtitles - just enjoy the presentation.
2. Then watch it with subtitles so that you understand it fully.
3. Finally, watch again and write and new words or phrases in your notebook.

IELTS Reading: multiple choice

Read the following text and answer the questions below.

The ethos of the aristocracy, as exemplified in the English public schools, greatly influenced Pierre de Coubertin. The public schools subscribed to the belief that sport formed an important part of education, an attitude summed up in the saying 'mens sana in corpore sano', a sound mind in a sound body. In this ethos, a gentleman was one who became an all-rounder, not the best at one specific thing. There was also a prevailing concept of fairness, in which practising or training was considered tantamount to cheating.

1. De Coubertin agreed with the idea that:

A) sport is an activity for gentlemen.
B) schooling should promote both physical and mental health.
C) sport is the most important part of a child's education.

2. In De Coubertin's view:

A) it is easier to be good at many sports, rather than the best at one sport.
B) training is necessary if you want to be an all-rounder.
C) training gives the athlete an unfair advantage.

Students' questions: why did my score drop?

Students often ask me to explain why their scores have dropped. For example, one student got a band 7 in speaking last month, but his speaking score dropped to 6 this month. How is that possible?

You might think that the examiner has been too strict or has done something wrong, but this is probably not the case. The best explanation for fluctuating IELTS scores is performance on the day.

Some days you perform well: the topics in the exam seem to suit you, your brain seems to find good answers and remember good words or phrases, and you finish all parts of the test in the time allowed. Other days nothing seems to go right; you simply have a bad day.

Don't worry if your score fluctuates; this is completely normal. One day everything will go perfectly, and you'll get the scores you need!

IELTS Grammar: 'finally' or 'at last'?

This week I wrote a lesson about using "Firstly, Secondly, Finally", and a student asked me whether it's ok to use "at last" instead of "finally".

The answer is no. "Finally" and "at last" are not used in the same way.

Use "finally" in the IELTS writing test when you want to make your final point, or to talk about the final stage in a process e.g. Finally, as well as making life more fun and interesting, new experiences can be good for our physical and mental health. (taken from this lesson)

Only use "at last" when you have been waiting for a long time for something to happen e.g. At last I've passed the IELTS exam!

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'friends' topic

In part 1 of the IELTS speaking test, remember to keep your answers short and simple. Here are some example questions and short answers:

1. Are your friends mostly your age or different ages?

Most of my friends are about the same age as me because we met at school or university. I've got one or two friends who are older or younger that I met through work.

2. Do you usually see your friends during the week or at weekends?

I tend to meet up with my friends at weekends because everyone's too busy during the week.

3. The last time you saw your friends, what did you do together?

It was one of my friends' birthday last weekend. Six of us went out for a meal to celebrate.

4. In what ways are your friends important to you?

I think it's important to have friends that you can talk to and share experiences with. My friends make me laugh, but I know I can also rely on them whenever I need help or support.

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'details' paragraphs

If you've read my task 1 lessons, you'll know that I always write 4 paragraphs:

1. Introduction - paraphrase the question
2. Overview - describe 2 main or general things
3. Details
4. Details

Let's forget the introduction and overview for the moment, and focus on the two 'details' paragraphs. Why do we need two paragraphs?

The answer is that this encourages you to divide the information into 2 groups, and hopefully this means that your essay will be better organised and you'll make some useful comparisons.

Click here to see 3 pie charts (taken from Cambridge book 8). Thinking about the 'details' paragraphs only, how would you divide the information into 2 groups?