Tutor: Sangye Choiphel

IELTS
International English Language Testing System
CEFR
Common European Reference of framework for language assessment

• IELTS, TOEFL,PTE, DuoLingo, etc. (For Foreign Students)

• SAT, GRE, GMAT (For Native English Speaking Students)
In Bhutan’s context we sit in for the exam to study at a university, for academic
purposes

GENERAL VS. ACADEMIC –

Immigration or study at a university (visa purposes as well as the university
having the con dent in you to understand and communicate the teachings done
in the English language)

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What is IELTS?
1. IELTS is jointly owned by the: British Council, IDP (Australian IELTS)
and Cambridge Assessment English.

2. Test Options for IELTS: PBT, IBT, CBT

3. IELTS is scored in a scale of 1-9. (6.5 is generally needed for

University acceptance)

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 IELTS Scoring
1-9 band score

•CEFR framework categorises your language pro ciency in the following descriptors or levels
A1 Basic use
A
B1 Amateur use
B
C1 Pro cient user. On most cases:(6.5 IELTS
C

This makes it easy for anyone involved in language teaching and testing such as teachers
or learners, to see the level of different quali cations. Hence the average band score needed
for a university (academic) purpose is a 6.5 on your IELTS or 80 on your TOEFL iBT or 580
on TOEFL PBT (the more competitive the university is the higher the score requirement)

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Breakdown of IELTS test Module

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IELTS Academics

• LISTENING (40 questions in response to 4 recordings) 30 minutes plus 10

minutes for Answer transfer.

• READING (40 questions in response to 3 reading passages) 60 minutes

• WRITING (2 tasks: Report Writing and Argumentative Writing) 60 minutes.
• SPEAKING (3 tasks) 11-14 minutes. Taken on another day

• This the order or sequence of how the test is taken.

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Listening
40 minutes
Listening skills in a particular language involve understanding oral communication. Listening is the Initial step in
Comprehension of a language.

Maximun of 4 recordings (at max 5mins per audio) (allotted 10 min per recording to answer questions)

You will listen to four recordings of native English speakers and then write your answers to a series of questions
• Recording 1 – a conversation between two people set in an everyday social context
• Recording 2 – a monologue (one person generally) set in an everyday social context, (service oriented) e.g. a
speech about local facilities/gym membership/ college facilities/courses
• Recording 3 – a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a
university tutor and a student discussing an assignment/ Study group, etc
• Recording 4 – a monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture
Key Tips/Strategies/Skills
-Active Listening is key
-Following the conversation
-Knowing the Question Types (carefully reading the question and understanding what the question is asking)

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Reading
60 minutes
Comprehension of oral language and written language are two very di erent skills. The reading skill
involves understanding the meaning of written language.
-It is impossible to read all the passage and have time left to answer the questions.
-3 reading passages (on average 2500 words)
-(10-13 questions each)
-40 questions in total
-Time Management techniques
-Know the type of Questions to “attack” is essential.
-Reading strategy/skills
-Skimming (get the gist of the reading passage)
-Scanning (locating the answer in the passage
-Detail Reading (to comprehend the reading and making sure to get the right answer)

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 Writing
60 minutes
Writing comes with the same challenges involved in reading. But it can be a challenging skill for
language learners and especially for IELTS as it requires to complete speci c task. But luckily most
Bhutanese are taught in English and has a basic foundation of writing comprehension.

Important skills and strategy:

-Grammar in terms of Sentence structures, linking language device (conjunctions)

-Vocabulary- synonyms, paraphrasing, subject speci c words and collocations
-CoherenceCohesiveness: Organisation/development—Essay Structure (4 paragraph structure),
Signpost Language.

-2 tasks
-Report Writing (150-180 words max)
-Argumentative Essay (250 - 280 words max)

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Speaking
15 minutes
Speaking is a speci c skill, which requires the person to negotiate meaning and attitude
and context in a conversation. Speaking requires communication in real time and may be
one of the most challenging to develop.

-English is a stress-time Language and it’s contextual in nature. It has a unique Rhythm.

-Pronunciation and Fluency is essential as well as accurately answering the question.

3 tasks
-Introduction/Interview (general questions: home, work, education, Hometown,
travel, adventure, technology, communications, etc.)
-Responding to a speci c question (question will be given on a card) 5W,H
-Argumentative Response (why question) related to cue card topic.

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 Learning Methodology
-English is a context-based language which mean we don’t learn the language
by just memorizing vocabulary. It is CONTEXT based learning.

- We need to understand how and why letters are combined to form words and
how words are formed to create sentences (structure- 4 di erent types of
sentence structures) and how sentences are combined to form paragraphs.
-
-Ultimately create relationship with meaningful Text/Speech.
-Simply put it’s the Components of language in relations to each other that
creates meaning and context.

-But you need to do your part. (Practice, Practice, Practice!)

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 Learning Methodology
-How English is learned in English speaking countries vs. how
English is taught in Bhutanese schools. (emphasis on grammar being
taught Vs. learning grammar and vocabulary through collocations)

Ex. In Bhutan you are taught English through grammar- While it’s
good and even essential to know the parts of a speech, it takes a
long time to pro ciently produce or use the language.

Reactive learning (takes lots of time) vs. proactive learning (takes

lots of work)

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 What you need to understand
Speaking and writing is an explicit form of language pro ciency
because you have to produce the language accurately and uently.

While Listening and Reading is an implicit form of language

pro ciency- because you have to have the knowledge of the
components of language to understand it. It is implied knowledge.
Basically, it’s implied that you understand grammar and language
components to comprehend what’s being read or heard.

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Components of Language
Task, Lexical Resource, Grammar, Coherence/Cohesion

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4 key components for IELTS
4 key components for both WRITING AND SPEAKING with slight minor di erence
namely that speaking uses both formal and informal part of English, whereas writing
in academic setting is formal.

1. Content (writing) ---- Delivery/Fluency(speaking)

2. Vocabulary/Lexical Resource range and accuracy (language usage in
the word/sentence level)
3. Grammatical range and accuracy (language usage in the structure
level)
4. Coherence/cohesion (organization/development)

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 Vocabulary/Lexical Resources
1.Vocabulary (body of words that make up the language

•Synonyms (word level

•Paraphrasing (sentence or paragraph level
•Speci c subject words
•Collocation
•Idiomatic Language
•Phrasal Verb
•Signposting Languag
•Linking Language (Conjunctions
•Reporting verbs
•Adverb
•Adjective

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 What is paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is the expression of
a phrase or sentence in another
way
For example, the sentence
‘The school student listened
attentively to the podcast
can be paraphrased as
‘The pupil listened very carefully
to the digital audio le’
.

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3 ways To • Use of synonyms

Paraphras • Verb transformation
Most students think of paraphrasing
• Sentence restructuring
only as meaning using synonyms, but
there are different ways to paraphrase
that don’t require changing the word.
These include changing the word form,
using the passive voice to change the
phrase from active to passive, changing
the sentence structure or using different
clauses to change the verb form. Use as
many of these techniques as you can to
score higher on the IELTS test
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 Strategy 1: use of advantages and/or disadvantages of

reducing the working week to thirty-
synonym ve hours?
Let’s start with our rst strategy: the This essay title asks the writer to
use of synonyms provide the advantages and
• First, read and understand the disadvantages of an idea or solution
question. In your opening introduction, you
• Use a highlighter to highlight the should not immediately provide an
keywords in the question. opinion on the essay topic
• Select synonyms to replace those Instead, paraphrase two sentences,
keywords. using the 3-step strategy.

Unemployment is one of the most

serious problems facing developed
nations today. What are the
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First, read and understand the question You can keep the same overall sentence
Unemployment is one of the most serious structure and change keywords (making
problems for developed nations sure not to paraphrase a xed expression
without checking it carefully – for
A 35-hour working week is a possible
example, high unemployment cannot be
solution to unemployment
changed to ‘high lack of jobs’ – it should
Use a pen to highlight or underline be nationwide lack of jobs or a serious lack
the keywords in the question of jobs
Unemployment is one of the most • unemployment = lack of job
serious problems facing developed • serious problems = grave issue
nations today. What are the advantages • developed nations = industrialized
and/or disadvantages of reducing the countrie
working week to thirty- ve hours? • advantages and/or disadvantages = pros
Select synonyms to replace those and/or con
keywords • working week = professional schedule
)

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 Strategy 2: verb transformatio • Facing = confrontin

Let’s take the same essay topic example • Reducing = lessenin
and apply our second strategy to it: verb Many countries are faced with the
transformation problem of unemployment
In this strategy, we Unemployment, which many
countries are facing, is a serious
Highlight the key verbs
problem in the modern world.
Select new verbs or synonyms OR
transform the verb
Unemployment is one of the most
serious problems facing developed
nations today. What are the
advantages and/or disadvantages of
reducing the working week to thirty-
ve hours?
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 Strategy 3: sentence restructurin Let’s now put our 3 strategies together

Let’s apply our third strategy to the to write sentences with our new
same essay topic. Sentence restructuring synonyms to create an introduction
is using a new sentence format, based on Final Paraphrase using all 3
the writing skill. In this example, the strategies
writer is expected to explain the Lack of jobs is indeed a grave issue
advantages and/or disadvantages of an confronting industrialised countries at
idea this time. Let’s examine the pros and/or
What are the advantages and/or cons of lessening professional
disadvantages of reducing the schedules to thirty- ve hours.
working week to thirty- ve hours?
The sentence can be paraphrased a
Let’s examine the pros and/or cons of …
Let’s look at the pros and/or cons of …
.

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Reporting Verbs
Collocations
Collocations will become very important.
(Collocations- A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just sound "right" to native
English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations may be unnatural and just sound "wrong".)

Good Example: Commit crime,

Bad Example: manufacture babie

Natural Englis
-The Fast Trai
-Fast Foo
-A Quick Showe
-A Quick mea

Unnatural Englis
-The quick trai
-quick foo
-A fast Showe
-A fast mea
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Connective language devices to Create relationship

Conjunctions: words used as joiners. (connective/transitional words) to create relationshi
•Coordinating Conjunctions. (FANBOYS) (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
•Subordinating Conjunctions are words or phrases that link a dependent clause. These words
or phrases indicates that a clause has informative value to add to the main idea of the sentence,
signalling a cause and effect relationship or a shift in time and place between the two clauses.

•Ex. (although, while, in the meantime, on the other hand, since, therefore
•Signposting language: Signposts are words or phrases that help articulate the structure of a
piece of writing and ensure that readers don’t get lost. Signposting will ag the most important
parts of an argument, signal transitions, and clarify the stakes of an argument

However, know how to use your basic transitional words

Prepositions(on, in, at, between, amongst
Pronouns (he/she/they/them
Determiners (the, this, that, these, those)
Articles (a, an
Punctuation (,; : “ ? )
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Grammar
3rd component of language: Grammar)
1. Grammar range and accurac
4 basis sentence structures
•Simple sentence. (subject-verb-object) makes an independent clause
ex. I like football
•compound sentence (using a conjunction to combine two independent clauses makes a compound sentence
ex. Sonam likes basketball but Tenzin likes cricket and I like football
•Complex Sentence (recommended sentence structure in an academic setting) -contains an independent
clause (simple sentence) and at least one dependent clause linked by a subordinating conjunction
Ex. While, playing football my team was unable to score any goals
•Complex-Compound Sentence: has an independent clause and at least two dependent clauses connected
by a coordinating conjunction
Ex. Since I practiced, I improved my skills and scored a goal during the football matc

Independent clause: is a clause that can stand alone as a simple sentence (a complete thought

Dependent clause: is a sentence that cannot stand alone, it doesn’t express a complete thought. It needs a
conjunction to make it a complete thought.

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Coherence/Cohesion
4th component of Language: Coherence/Cohesion

1.Topic Development/Organization: Coherence/Cohesio

•Coherence: (Clarity) is it well understood? Does what I have said or written make sense? Does

it tackle the question/task that is being asked? Is it accurate and organized in a logical sequence

•Cohesion: (creating Relationships) words to create sentences, sentences to make paragraph

and paragraph to write essays. Linking Language and Signposting Languag

•To organize/Structure: Signpost Languag

•Transition/connective devices: conjunctions to create relationship and connect ideas.

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 Components of
Language
1. Task Achievement/Content (answering the question)
2. Vocabulary (collocation, synonym, Subject Speci c words,
descriptive words)
3. Grammar (Rules, sentence structure, Paraphrasing, tenses,
Passive/Active Voice, Linking language, Signposting language)
4. Cohesion/Cohesion (Organzation/Development)

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 Lastly:

Plan- think of coherence/cohesion (signpost language to

organize/ Linking Language to Develop your essay

Write- think of grammar (rules of grammar and sentence

structures, connective devices, tenses, voice

Review- think of vocabulary (collocations, synonyms, subject

speci c words, descriptive words and paraphrasing

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Writing Task 1
Report Writing: Content/Essay Structure

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IELTS academic task IELTS Task 1 Marking criteri
Since task 1 makes up 30% of the •Task achievement (25%
test you should plan to spend 20 •Cohesion and coherence (25%
minutes on this section to ensure •Vocabulary (25%
that you make effective use of •Grammar (25%)
your time
.

 WRITING TASK 1: TOPIC

Graphs, charts or diagram ***This section is not an essay.

Bar Grap It is a summary report.
Line Grap
Pie Char
Table ***You should use formal
Process Diagram language and it must be
Cyclical Diagram factual. Use passive voice
Map

 Tips for interpreting pie charts/

graphs/process diagram • Focus on getting all of
the appropriate data/information from
• If you cannot compare the information the charts/graphs/maps/process diagram
on your pie charts, don’t panic. In such a into your writing
case giving a summary of each picture is
ne. Make comparisons where relevant.

• Avoid giving personal opinions at all

costs. Personal opinion must not be
mentioned

• Always pay attention to the time

frame of your charts and use the
appropriate tense (past, present or
future)
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 What is the TASK (paraphrase the main question statement). Then

Summarise and compar offer a general overview, describing trends.
The task may contain two to three charts which The next paragraphs should get into the
may be a line graph, a table, a pie chart, a map, speci cs, grouping your information according
a diagram or a bar chart. To do well in this task to features and then describing each of them
you need paraphrase the question statement Always bear in mind that this is a test of your
and have a general overview of the task. A English-Writing abilities. Use the appropriate
good description will look at trends, at highs vocabulary (synonyms, subspeci c words,
and lows and at the times that these occurred – collocations). Try to showcase as much of your
beginnings and endings in other words. You vocabulary as possible and make sure that your
need to describe the key features and changes English grammar (sentence structure, and
in the graphs. And report on the data provided linking language) is immaculate
Preparing for the exa
The proces The best way to prepare for the exam is to get
Start off by looking at the graphs to determine plenty of practice beforehand. Try your hand
what you need to summarise and compare. at describing and comparing various diagrams
Write an introduction of one to two sentences and graphs.
 

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Step 1 – Prepar • Make a quick analysis – note down the

period of time, dates and
• Start with selecting and reporting the measurements
Main/Key features of the chart. What
does the chart show? Can you quickly • See the big picture, avoid getting lost
think of any synonyms? Write these in the details. After all, this is a
words under the IELTS chart /diagram summarisation task.

• Look for the Most/biggest and Least/

smallest sections of your charts - What
do they represent? What is the
percentage/numerics
.

 Step 2 – Organise your organising information into groups, you

are doing two things at once; reporting the
ndings into two group main features and you can also make
When organising the information into two comparisons where relevant (one group is
separate groups focus on these topics for bigger than the other).
your pie charts For example:
A trend could be that over time, students
• Major trend at the University of Cambridge always
• Major group spent the most money while students at
• Exception the British Council spent the least.
• Group informatio Another trend could be that one category
• Other similar idea started out the least popular and became
the 2nd most popular by the end of the
Note - you do not have to nd examples period studied.
for all these. The point is that by
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 Paragraph 2
Step 3 – How to organise your
In paragraph 2, you should talk about the information that
paragraph you identi ed in step 2. This paragraph should focus on
the rst group. However, it's good to include half a
Structure everything into this four-paragrap
sentence if you can compare the rst group to other data.
Focus on the language we need when we see 2 or more For example; Consumers in Sweden, who spent more than
pie charts to compare. The other issue is organization, twice as much in total than any other country.... follow
how to structure and sequence our answer. with more detail about Sweden
Decide on a paragraph structure – there’s only 20 Paragraph 3
minutes for this. The best is the traditional “introduction”,
Talk about the information that you have separated in step
summary “body”, structure with the main “body” part
2. This paragraph should focus on the second group
divided into two or three body paragraphs. Overall, you
must write at least 150 words For example; In contrast, Belgian shoppers, who spent the
least of any group... follow with more detail about
Paragraph 1
Belgian shoppers
In your essay introduction, write one sentence explaining
Paragraph 4
what the graphs show. You can paraphrase the title
Two sentences summarising your description. (What are
Example:
the major overall trends, changes, etc.)
Pie Chart title: Holiday destinations chosen by Welsh
people 1955-2005.
Your rst sentence: The pie chart shows the vacation
preferences of Welsh people over a fty-year period
starting in 1955 and nishing in 2005.
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 Which tense should you A great tip to improve your answer when
you are writing about past tense is to
use START your body paragraphs with xed
Check the graph title, and the pie expressions in the present tense, then
chart subtitles, look for dates! switch to the past tense.
– if the year is before the present year For example
(i.e. 2023), use the past tense The data shows that between ( xed)
– if the year is after the present year (i.e 2000 and 2003, there was (past tense) a
2025), use the future tense signi cant decrease in the number of..
– if there is no year, use the present
simple tense. In contrast, it is evident that (Fixed) in
Sometimes you will get charts and the following year, the graph shows that
graphs that will require you to use more sales of bread will (future tense)
than one tense, but do this deliberately plummet.
and with caution
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THE TASK FOR REPORT WRITIN

» Use correct synonyms in your writing.
» Use a range of vocabulary.
» Do not repeat words and phrases from the exam
question unless there is no alternative.
» Use some less common vocabulary.
» Do not use the same word more than once/twice.
» Use precise and accurate words in a sentence.

Write an answer with the following structure:

Once you've thought out all patterns on the graph, you can start writing
your answer.

Introduce the graph (ideally 1-2 Complex sentences

Introduction
Topic (paraphrase), Categories, Year, Units

In this paragraph you should describe main trends

General overview
-Overall, highs, lows, remains same, changed over time

Speci c features
Group the given data by some feature. Then describe each
BODY 1 feature supported by data
Use paragraphing! Usually, there should be 1-3 paragraphs
in the body part.
BODY 2
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INTRODUCTIO
What + Where + When +How.
Example: The diagram presents information on the
percentages of teachers who have expressed their views
about the different problems they face when dealing with
children in three Australian schools from 2001 to 2005.
What = the percentages of teachers...
Where = three Australian schools…
When = from 2001 to 2005...
How = Measurement unites are measured: %, $, Numbers
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Vocabulary for the Introduction Part:

Starting Presentation Type Verb Description

shows / represents / the comparison of…

the differences…
diagram / table / gure / depicts / enumerates /
illustrates / presents/ the changes...
illustration / graph / the number of…
chart / ow chart / gives / provides /
information on…
The/ the given / picture/ presentation/ pie delineates/ outlines/
data on…
describes / delineates/
the supplied / the chart / bar graph/ the proportion of…
expresses/ denotes/
presented / the column graph / line the amount of…
compares/ shows contrast
shown / the graph / table data/ data / / indicates / gures / gives information on...
provided information / pictorial/ data on / gives data about...
process diagram/ map/ information on/ presents comparative data...
the trend of...
pie chart and table/ bar information about/ shows
the percentages of...
graph and pie chart ... data about/ demonstrates/ the ratio of...
sketch out/ summarises... how the...
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Vocabulary for the Overview:
1. In general...
2. In common...
3. Generally speaking...
4. Overall...
5. It is obvious...
6. As it is observed...
7. As a general trend...
8. As can be seen...
9. As an overall trend/ As overall trend...
10. As it is presented...
11. It can be clearly seen that...
12. At the rst glance...
13. It is clear,
14. At the onset...
15. It is clear that...
16. A glance at the graph(s) reveals that..
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How to answer IELTS Academic Task 1?

1) Analyse the graph
Firstly, you need to get an overview of the graph/chart/diagram you will describe. Look for general trends, changes and key features to get an idea of how you will
structure the information.
Example:

We can note some trends :

• Car was the most popular type of transport in all countries, except for Germany
• In Great Britain and USA, there are big differences between percentages of people who choose some kind of transport
• In Germany, percentages of people who choose car and bicycle are roughly the same
• In France, percentages of people who choose motorcycle and bicycle are nearly equal
• Motorcycle was the least popular type of transport in all countries, except for the USA
• Overall, car is the most chosen transport, bicycle is on the second place and motorcycle is the least chosen transport

Example:
1. In general, the employment opportunities increased till 1970 and then declined throughout the next decade.
2. As it is observed, the gures for imprisonment in the ve mentioned countries show no overall pattern,
rather shows the considerable uctuations from country to country.
3. Generally speaking, citizens in the USA had a far better life standard than that of the remaining countries.
4. As can be seen, the highest number of passengers used the London Underground station at 8:00 in the
morning and at 6:00 in the evening.
4. Generally speaking, more men were engaged in managerial positions in 1987 than that of women in New
York this year.
5. As an overall trend, the number of crimes reported increased fairly rapidly until the mid-seventies,
remained constant for ve years and nally, dropped to 20 cases a week after 1982.
6. At a rst glance, it is clear that more percentages of native university pupils violated regulations and rules
than the foreign students did during this period.
7. At the onset, it is clear that drinking in public and drink-driving were the most common reasons for US
citizens to be arrested in 2014.
8. Overall, the leisure hours enjoyed by males, regardless of their employment status, was much higher than
that of women.
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Vocabulary to Start the Report Body:

1. As it is presented in the diagram(s)/ graph(s)/ pie
chart(s)/ table...
2. As (it is) shown in the illustration...
3. As can be seen in the...
4. As the diagrams suggest...
5. According to the...
6. Categorically speaking...
7. Getting back to the details...
8. Now, turning to the details...
9. The table data clearly shows that...
10. The diagram reveals that...
11. The data suggest that...
12. The graph gives the gure...
13. It is interesting to note that...
14. It is apparently seen that...
15. It is conspicuous that...
16. It is explicitly observed that...
17. It is obvious...
18. It is clear from the data...
19. It is worth noticing that...
20. It is crystal clear/ lucid that...
21. It can be clearly observed that...
22. It could be plainly viewed that...
23. It could be noticed that..
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Trends Verb form Noun Form

rise / increase / go up / uplift / rocket(ed) / climb / a rise / an increase / an upward trend / a
Increase upsurge / soar/ shot up/ improve/ jump/ leap/ move
upward/ skyrocket/ soar/ surge.
growth / a leap / a jump / an improvement/
a climb.
a fall / a decrease / a reduction / a
fall / decrease / decline / plummet / plunge / drop / reduce /
downward trends /a downward
Decrease collapse / deterioriate/ dip / dive / go down / take a nosedive /
slum / slide / go into free-fall.
tendency / a decline/ a drop / a slide / a
collapse / a downfall.

unchanged / level out / remain constant / remain steady / a steadiness/ a plateau / a stability/ a
Steadiness plateau / remain the same / remain stable / remain static static

an upward trend / an upward tendency / a

Gradual increase ------------

ceiling trend
a downward trend / a downward tendency / a
Gradual decrease ------------

descending trend

level(ed) off / remain(ed) constant / remain(ed) unchanged

/ remain(ed) stable / prevail(ed) consistency / plateaued /
Standability/ Flat reach(ed) a plateau / stay(ed) uniform /immutable /
No change, a at, a plateau.
level(ed) out/ stabilise/ remain(ed) the same.
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Example: Types of Changes/ Differences and Vocabulary to present them:
1. The economic in ation of the Great change / Huge difference:
country increased sharply by 20% in Adjectives Adverbs
2008. Overwhelming Overwhelmingly
Substantial Substantially
2. There was a sharp drop in Enormous Enormously
industrial production in the year Big change / Big difference:
2009. Adjectives Adverbs
3. The demand for new houses Signi cant Signi cantly
dramatically increased in 2002. Considerable Considerably
Medium change / Moderate difference:
4. The population of the country
Adjectives Adverbs
dramatically increased in the last
Somewhat Somewhat
decade. Moderate Moderately
5. The price of oil moderately Minor change / Small difference:
increased during the last quarter but Adjectives Adverbs
as a consequence, the price of daily Fractional Fractionally
necessities rapidly went up Marginal Marginally
Slight Slightly
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 Percentage, Portion and Numbers: Dates, Months & Years related

Percentages: vocabulary and grammar:
10% increase, 25 percent decrease, increased by 15%, dropped by 10 per cent, fall at
50%, reached to 75%, tripled, doubled, one-fourth, three-quarters, half, double fold,
» From 1990 to 2000, Commencing from
treble, 5 times higher, 3 timers lower, declined to about 49%, stood exactly at 43%. 1980, Between 1995 and 2005, After 2012.
» By 1995, In 1998, In February, Over the
Fractions: period, During the period, During 2011.
4% = A tiny fraction. » In the rst half of the year, For the rst
24% = Almost a quarter.
25% Exactly a quarter. quarter, The last quarter of the year, During
26% = Roughly one quarter. the rst decade.
32% Nearly one-third, nearly a third. » In the 80s, In the 1980s, During the next 6
49% = Around a half, just under a half.
50% Exactly a half. months, In the mid-70s, Next 10 years,
51% = Just over a half. Previous year, Next year, Between 1980 -
73% = Nearly three quarters. 1990.
77% = Approximately three quarter, more than three-quarter.
79% = Well over three quarters.
» Within a time span of ten years, within
ve years.
Proportions: » Next month, Next quarter, Next year,
2% = A tiny portion, a very small proportion. Previous month, Previous year.
4% = An insigni cant minority, an insigni cant proportion. » Since, Then, From
16% = A small minority, a small portion.
70% = A large proportion.
72% = A signi cant majority, A signi cant proportion.89% = A very large proportion.
89% = A very large proportion.
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Use Approximation words/Phrases:

Approximately
Nearly
Roughly
Almost
About
Around
More or less
Just over
Just under
Just around
Just about
Just below
A little more than
A little less than.
 A small fraction…
Vocabulary /Language us
Exactly 30% of students…
(If the percentage is around 25%) Roughly a
Here are a few examples of good wording quarter of respondents
for the largest section of your pie charts
…whereas sales for _____ were just 10%.
It is clear that ____represents the largest
In 1955 approximately three quarters were
portion of _____, whereas _____ is
____, whereas in 1960 this had fallen to just
undoubtedly the smallest.
under a fth.
Sales of _____ stood at __% in 1925, which
Written forms of percentages and fractions
is the majority of_____.
look like this
(If the percentage is around 60%) - Nearly a
a half, 50%, 1/2
third…
a third, 33%, 1/3
(If the percentage is around 52%) - Over a
half of all respondents… two thirds, 66%, 2/3
Here are a few examples of good wording three quarters, 75%, 3/4
for the smallest section of your pie chart a quarter, 25%, 1/4
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What criteria would a band 9 graph response satisfy?

Task Achievement:
A) Fully satis es all the requirements of the task.
B) Clearly presents a fully developed response.
What will be assessed by the examiner?
a) How appropriately, accurately and relevantly you ful l your task requirements.
b) How accurately you write your report and how appropriately you present the data (compare/
contrast/ show the most striking trends/ features/ data.)
Coherence and Cohesion:
A) Uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention.
B) Skillfully manages "paragraphing".
What will be assessed by the examiner?
a) No misinterpretation and presentation of data and trends.
b) How well you organise your paragraphs.
c) Overall clarity and uency of your report and message.
d) How well you have organised and liked the information, data and ideas in your writing.
e) Logical sequencing and appropriate use of linking devices between and within your
sentences.

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 Lexical Resource: Grammatical Range and Accuracy:

A) Uses a wide range of vocabulary A) Uses a wide range of structures with full
with very natural and sophisticated exibility and accuracy.
control of lexical features. B) Rare minor errors occur only as "slips".
B) Rare minor errors occur only as Tips:
"slips". Do not use the same sentence structure and data
What will be assessed by the comparison/ contrasting style over and over
examiner? again. Bring a variety in your writing to show
a) The range of vocabulary you have that you can formulate different sentence
used in your writing. structures without making any grammatical
b) How accurately and appropriately mistakes.
you have used words/ phrases while
presenting the graph(s) as a report.
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 per cent, followed closely by vegetables at

10.5 per cent, and then bread at 5.5 per
cent. The smallest food group in terms of
world consumption is rice, at 2.4 per cent.
The graphs show that overall global
consumption is widely dispersed among
food types; no one type has a majority
share. Animal-based foods (meat and sh)
• do make up the majority of consumption
This pie chart shows the shares of total
when added together. It is important to note,
world food consumption held by each of
however, that based on the information in
seven different food types in 2014.
this pie chart no conclusions can be drawn
Meat is consumed the most, at 31.4 per cent. about the dietary diversity of an individual
Fish has the second-highest consumption person
levels, at 27.9 per cent. Cereals
consumption represents 11.7 per cent of the
total. Fruits’ share of consumption is 10.6 Band score: 6/6.5
.

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Example line graph question In Scotland, the amount of rain in January was 125ml,
The line graph shows the average rainfall for three dropped unexpectedly to its lowest level to 20ml in
countries in Great Britain over a 12 month period in February, and rocketed in next month to its peak value
2018. Summarise the information by selecting and of 135ml. In April, the amounts of rain were less than
reporting the main features, and make comparisons 50ml, then start went up slightly until June. Then after
where relevant. Write at least 150 word it is predicted to drop until September, the following
month it will start climbing up to October, and it will
be decreased to 50 ml before reaching to 105 ml in
December.
The line graph reveals the information of rainfall in In wales, the rainfall was 50ml in January increased
three countries: England, Scotland, and Wales for one slightly in February and decreased to its lowest point
year starting from January to December in 2018. in April around 30ml. In next month went up sharply to
In England, the amount of rainfall in January was 110ml and dipped by 50ml in June. It is predicted that
recorded just above 100ml, which slightly increased in the highest amount of rain will be in July at 125ml and
the next month by 5ml, and dipped to 90ml in March. went down just below the month of June’s record. It will
The trend of raising and falling continue for a couple remain constant for two months before reaching 105ml
of months and reached its lowest gure in the graph for in November and it will dip down in December to 52ml.
the month of June at around 70ml. After that, it is Overall it can be clearly seen that in each country the
predicted that the level of rain will uctuate and will amount of rain in January will be approximately same
remain around 120ml in December. in the month of December.
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 Let's look at the essay above with ex-IELTS examiner commentary on each section GR4 - in the next month GR5 - started to go u
The line graph reveals the information of rainfall (LR1) in three countries: England, CC3 - Take care with your use of linking words
Scotland, and Wales for one year starting from January to December in 2018. TR4 - As with the previous paragraph, make sure you report the information correctly
TR1 - A good opening paragraph. Effective use of paraphrasing and you have included GR6 - Stick to using past tenses as all the information relates to 2018
the key information LR4 - Omit the ‘to’ - ‘... reaching 105ml…
LR1 - This could sound more natural. Perhaps ‘shows information about rainfall’,
‘shows rainfall statistics’ or ‘shows how much rain fell…’
In wales (GR7), the rainfall was 50ml in January increased (CC4) slightly in
February and decreased to its lowest point in April (LR5) around 30ml. In next
In England (TR2), the amount of the rainfall (GR1) in January was recorded just month went up sharply to 110ml and dipped (LR6) by 50ml in June. It is predicted
above 100ml, which slightly increased in next month by 5ml, and dipped to 90ml in that the highest amount of rain will be in July (TR5) / (GR8) at 125ml and went
March. The trend of raising (LR2) and falling continue (GR2) for a couple of months down just below the month of June’s record. It will remain constant (LR7) for two
and reached its lowest gure in the graph for the month of June at around 70ml. After months before reaching 105ml in November and it will dip down in December to
that, it is predicted that the level of rain will uctuate and will remain 52ml.
(TR3) / (GR3) around 120ml in December. GR7 - Take care with your use of punctuation. Use a capital letter for the name of a
TR2 - Good to adopt a systematic approach to presenting the informatio country
GR1 - the amount of rainfal CC4 - You need to be careful with the way you link your ideas together. Perhaps ‘... in
LR2 - Check the difference between ‘rise’ and ‘raise’. GR2 - continue January and this gure increased…’
TR3 - Make sure you report the information accurately LR5 - Very natural use of language
GR3 - Stick to using past tenses here as all the information relates to 201 LR6 - Good to incorporate a wide range of appropriate vocabulary
TR5 - As before, you need to report the information accurately
In Scotland, the amount of rain in January was 125ml, dropped (CC1) unexpectedly to GR8 - As in the previous paragraphs, this is an inappropriate use of tenses
its lowest level to 20ml (CC2) in February, and rocketed (LR3) in next month LR7 - Despite the problems with tenses, this vocabulary is appropriately selected
(GR4) to its peak value (LR3) of 135ml. In April, the amounts of rain were less than Overall it can be clearly seen that (CC5) in each country the amount of rain in
50ml, then start went up (GR5) slightly until June. Then after (CC3) it is predicted to January will be (TR6) / (GR9) approximately same in the month of December. (TR7)
drop until September, the following month it will start climbing up to October, and it
CC5 - On the right track to introduce the main features of the graph
will be decreased (TR4) / (GR6) to 50 ml before reaching to 105 ml (LR4) in
December. TR6 - As before, there are problems with task achievement
CC1 - You need to link your ideas together in an appropriate way. Perhaps ‘125ml, and GR9 - Inappropriate use of tenses
this gure dropped…’ TR7 - I think this paragraph is intended to be your overview? If so, this would be a
CC2 - As before. Perhaps ‘... to its lowest level, 20 ml, in February’ useful area to work on as it is one of the key differences between a ‘6’ and a ‘7’ for task
achievement
LR3 - Accurate use of some key language to describe graphs
PROBABLE IELTS SCORE: 6.5 / 7.0
 

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Describing a natural process (A process Diagram

Process diagrams are quite frequent in Task 1 of writing in IELTS and many students nd them quite
overwhelming as the processes can look quite complicated and they are often scienti c.
These process diagrams can include anything from recycling, concrete making, solar panels, heating
systems to making glass.
You are NOT expected to know about any of these!
You are given the key vocabulary you need!
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IS
• Where to start in understanding and interpreting the Diagram.
• Which language to use to connect your ideas and link the stages in the process together
• How to improve your coherence
• Grammatical suggestions to score really highly in this task by using the passive voice and participle
clauses
.

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 Quite often, and this is really important to reassure yourself, it

simply does not matter where you start as long as you include
most of the key stages and are clear and coherent in your
response.
Hunting for visual clues.
Look to see if the diagram is divided - for example if the cycle
starts in one place and then splits, or if there are any arrow to
show you the direction of something
This might help you nd a clear start. Very often in a natural
process - as the name suggest is cyclical so whether you start
with a chicken or an egg does not matter!
Natural cycles.
This diagram (source Internet, unknown) is labelled The Life
Cycle of a Frog and includes key vocabulary to guide you
You can use these words but equally if you can nd your own
• better or alternative words then we recommend you do as this
Step 1. Looking at the diagram. will score you marks in lexical resource.
Understand the cycle and identify stages. The rubric will say
The rst thing to remember is that your aim is to describe what is You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
happening (it can help you to imagine that the examiner does not The diagram illustrates the Life Cycle process of frogs in a
have the picture in front of him) so you need to be very clear pond.
about the start, the different clear stages, and the end
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
main features and make comparisons where relevant.
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The life cycle of a frog - • This cycle is not dif cult so all you
have to do is explain the stages and
how to start. describe this clearly using academic
• Use arrows (if there are any) to help language.
you. Here there are no arrows
• The arrows take you from mature frog,
through the reproduction process (not
shown but assumed), the stages of
development of tadpoles in the pond
and back to the fully grown frog again
• It is a circular diagram - a life cycle so
it does not matter where you start
• We are going to start with the embryos
as this feels logical
 

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 Step 2 - Decide which •After that

connecting words and •The next stage in the cycle/ process is..
•After the completion of this stage, the next
vocabulary you need. step is usually
Use CHUNKS (Collocations) or •While / A
FRAGMENTS(Signposting) of language. •Once A is nished, B is able to start
To score highly in this task 1 you need to •As a result of …
link the stages together. •When
•First stage •As soon as
•The rst stage is when + noun + ver •Wher
•To begin with •Final stages
•The process commences wit •Subsequently
•Initially •Following this
•MIddle stages •Once this stage is complete,
•This step involves + in •This results in .
•Then •Finally
•Once •Eventually.
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 Vocabulary and synonyms - You should, however, try and nd

alternatives for the more general English
lexical coherence (Subject words if you can and this will help you
Speci c Words). score marks on lexical range. It will also
help your lexical coherence as you are
This diagram gives you a certain amount
using words belonging to the same lexical
of language. You have the choice of
eld or group. Subject Speci c words
whether to repeat it in your description or
try and vary it. Frog : amphibian, toad.
What you do here will depend on how Mature: adult, fully grown. Mating:
well you understand the diagram and the reproduction process or cycle.
words. It is not an absolute disaster in this Frog spawn: fertilised eggs.
task if you do repeat some of the words Pond: water. Tadpole: no alternative.
from the diagram as they are technical Growing: developing, maturing. Young
terms. frog: baby, small frog, young.
Legs: limbs.
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Step 3 - Quickly plan and • Make sure that you form the active
and passive correctly
organise your answer • Use linking words
• Write an overview using words to
describe a sequence such as stage,
step, phase
• Use the correct tense to describe the
sequence. As this is a natural cycle
which is repeated, use the present
simple
• Make sure you use transitive and
intransitive verbs correctly - these
are verbs which can / can’t be used in
the passive voice
.

 Model answe is complete back limbs begin to appear

The diagram shows the natural process of which allows the tiny creature to swim
a life cycle of a frog. Overall, the process faster.
describes the seven developmental The baby frog is nourished from food and
phases from the embryo stage to a fully nutrients stored in its tail, and the next
grown amphibian. stage in the cycle is for front limbs to
Initially, the fertilised eggs grow into begin growing while the tail shrinks and
embryos from which very small tadpoles eventually disappears. At each stage the
emerge and shelter under plants in the creature continues to enlarge signi cantly
water or pond. The tadpole begins life and changes in colour from black, to dark
black in colour and it has a long tail and green and ultimately to bright green.
shorter body. As it grows, external gills Once the tail has disappeared the frog is
for breathing are produced while supported on four limbs and continues, in
subsequent stages in its development the nal phrase, to develop into a full
include a longer tail and when this stage sized amphibian.
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 Map Example:
The diagrams below show the changes that have taken place at West park Secondary School since its construction in
1950.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Model Answe
The diagram illustrate the changes, which have taken place at West Park secondary school
from 1950 to 2010.
Overall, farmland and houses disappeared from the map and the playground was
abridged. Further, major changes were seen in the establishment of science block, car
park as well as a sports eld. In contrast, the main road remained unchanged throughout
the period
Firstly, signi cant alterations occurred to the farmland, it was redesigned to a sports eld
in 1980 and then to a car park in 2010. There was an expansion of the car park in 2010
and the sport eld was placed between the car park and the playground, making it
noticeably smaller
Moreover, substantial changes happened to the houses. They were removed from the map
replaced by the car park and science block. Furthermore, a science block was added to the
school building in 1980 and the playground was reduced in size. However, the locations
of the playground and school were not modi ed
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Some nal practical advic how time differences will affect
•Do not start writing before giving your choice of verb tenses.
yourself enough time to think.
First, decide the language you
will need in your answer. Give
yourself 5 minutes to look, think
and plan
•Study the charts carefully: the
titles for example to check if they
deal with the same or connected
topics
•Check the time frames very
carefully in the charts and plan
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Writing Task 2
Argumentative Essay
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Argumentative Essay
Format

• IELTS task 2 of the writing section is an argumentative essay where you need
to make a stand on the extent of agreement/disagreement, advantage/
disadvantages on a subject matter.

• Note that the questions aren’t about just any topics. Most of the time, they
are about education, work and lifestyle preferences. (You will have an opinion
on it)

• 250-270 words
• Suggested you take 40 minutes out of the 60 minutes to complete this task.

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Argumentative Essay
Rubrics

Critical IELTS Evaluation criteria that an IELTS examiner employs while checking
your writing task 2 are as follows
1.Task Response (TR
2.Coherence and Cohesion (CC
3.Lexical Resource (LR
4.Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA)

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 Rubrics

1. Task Response (TR) on IELTS Writing Task 2

IELTS will give you full scores in this criterion if your essay has at least 250
words with fully developed reasoning to back your position. Additionally, the
essay should not have any repetition of ideas. And lastly, you must have also
included examples either from knowledge or from experience to support
your reasons and ultimately your position. If you fail to add any of these
components, you won’t score well on Task Response.

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Rubrics

2. Coherence and Cohesion (CC) on IELTS Writing Task 2

It deals with the overall structure of the essay. Coherence asks for clear
ideas which are organised logically. It merely means that the ideas that help
you explain your position must leave no ambiguity in the reader’s mind. At
the same time, Cohesion deals with the appropriate usage of cohesive
devices and checks whether the essay has a clear-cut representation of
subtopics in paragraphs. In short, if your essay contains well-developed
ideas organised in appropriate paragraphs, you can full score well on
Coherence and Cohesion.
•
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Rubrics

3. Lexical Resource (LR) on IELTS Writing Task 2

The essay reader checks whether you have used a range of words without
compromising the sentence’s meaning. And, so you must use all your words
with precision. The examiner will also be impressed if you could use typical
phrases and collocations used by the native speakers. Lastly, he or she will
also look for spelling mistakes. Yet keep in mind IELTS will ignore a few
minor spelling mistakes which actually don’t change the sentence’s meaning.

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Rubrics

4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA) on IELTS Writing Task 2

According to the norm, you should be able to use tenses appropriately. The
IELTS examiner would be very happy to see a variety of sentence structures
which are used accurately. Lastly, your writing must also have appropriate
punctuations without any mistakes.

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STRUCTURE
The essay that you write must have an introduction, body paragraphs and an end paragraph.
Introduction
45 words
Explain the scope of the essay and answer if you agree or disagree.
Body Paragraphs
180 words
Write 4 points and 2 examples
End Paragraph
45 words
Summarise all points and write opinion if asked
Whole essay
The introduction should explain the scope of the essay in about 45 words at the start of the essay. In this
way, the reader knows what to expect in the actual article while you make a stand.
The body paragraphs, which are the main components of an essay, would have about four Points and
two examples to explain your stand. These paragraphs would contain a total of about 180 words.
Lastly, the end paragraph summarises the points and presents an opinion in about 45 words.
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Sample Essay
• Comparison of a band 6.5 and a band 8 essay:
• Question: More students are travelling abroad for further education. Do you believe the
advantages of this experience are greater than the drawbacks associated with it?

Introduction:

Since the last ten years, there are many more students who travel abroad to study to international
universities. I will investigate the advantages and disadvantages on this pattern in this essay.

Analysis:

In this example, the writer develops the idea of the title that more students travel abroad to
study.
There are four grammatical errors in the use of prepositions and tenses.
Moreover, the introduction is short, and the range of language is appropriate but basic. This
paragraph deserves a score of 6.5.

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Introduction:

There have been an increasing number of students travelling internationally for further
education in recent years. Whereas some people argue that studying abroad is a very
positive experience, others suggest that there are several problems associated for it. I
believe that the advantages of a study-abroad experience outweigh the drawbacks.
Analysis:
In this example, the candidate writes a more developed introduction and o ers a
reference to the pros and cons of studying abroad.
Apart from one preposition error, the use of complex grammar and tense are
accurate.
The writer uses a linking word of contrast (Whereas) to introduce an adverbial clause
appropriately.
Moreover, the paragraph is coherent and there is a wide variety of language. This
type of writing merits a score of 8.

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First paragraph:

First of all, studying abroad is exciting and you can meet a lot of persons from other countries.
You can nd opportunities to study new subjects you are not nding at your home town
university. Yet, you can be feeling lonely and feeling homesickness from time to time. As
example, I have had this experience when I visited Japan for my study experience three years
ago.

Analysis:

In this extract, the candidate attempts to present a topic sentence with examples. However,
there are signi cant grammar and tense issues.
The writer uses Yet instead of the linking word of contrast However.
An example of studying abroad is provided, but it is not clear why this example is given, or what
is shows in relation to the topic sentence.
Although this paragraph is understandable, the redundancy (use of feeling twice in line 3), lack
of a conclusive example and inaccurate structure will limit the score to a 6.5.

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 First paragraph:

First of all, a study-abroad trip o ers the opportunity to experience education in a new
culture. For example, the Erasmus program allows Spanish students to attend
university in The United Kingdom. These students can develop English language skills
of the country they are visiting. Furthermore, they can learn in a system that is
di erent to that of their home country. This is a truly invaluable experience for any
person wishing to enrich their education.
Analysis:
This paragraph o ers a topic sentence. The writer then elaborates the topic further by
giving a very speci c example.
An appropriate linking word (Furthermore) develops the main idea. The employment
of connectors is precise; the use of vocabulary is varied and appropriate.
To summarize, the essay that achieved the higher score had a cohesive structure,
developed the answer with very speci c examples, used connectors and maintained
clear, complex grammar and use of language.

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As you can see, using a more advanced vocabulary and more developed
sentences will get you a higher score. Making sure to use the right linking
words, and have a varied vocabulary will also increase your Band.
Overall, a candidate with a score of Band 8 or higher will address all parts of
the writing task su ciently, and in at least 250 words. The writer will create a
well-developed response to the questions, followed by speci c examples to
support their ideas.
The candidate will use appropriate connectors to sequence points in a logical
manner, and create paragraphs in a cohesive format.
When the structure is right, the use of the language is a little more advanced,
and the thought process is thorough, getting a Band 8 or higher for an essay
should not be a problem.

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 Essay topics: Some people say that children should play games which require teamwork such as football and basketball
whereas, some think they should be doing individual sports such as swimming and running. Do you agree or disagree
Band 6.5 IELTS essay sampl
It is argued that in spare time, youngsters should play kind of games like football and basketball which require
teamwork. While I agree with this argument for some extends, I believe that children should also play individual games
such as swimming and running
On the one hand, in my opinion, there are several bene ts for children when they play teammate games. Firstly, it is
often more enjoyable when children can play with their friends. According to a recent research, scientists have
con rmed that the number of children playing games with their peers is more satisfying than those who play alone.
Secondly, while joining in these types of games, children can learn how to communicate and be a part of a team. For
example, in order to win a match of a game, they cannot rely on solely one person, so they have to work together and
make a plan to achieve their goal
On the other hand, I also believe participating in individual activities has many advantages. One advantage is that
playing alone is much easier because they do not have to gather a group of people to operate a game. For instance, if a
child wants to improve his running performance, instead of wasting time waiting to run with someone, he can practice
whenever he wants. Another advantage is that the development of such crucial characteristic as independence is
attributed mostly in doing individual activities. This ability plays an important role in the success of a person, because
this kind of person is capable of leading other and achieve high goal

In conclusion, although team activities have many positive consequences to children, individual games also have their
own advantages. So, I would argue that children should play both types of games.
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Lets Review Further

IELTS Writing Task
If you are prepared, there is no reason to fear writing Task 2. The writing
task is split into 2 parts and Task 2 is worth 66%. So, you should allocate
40 minutes to writing it. It must contain at least 250 words so waste no
time, concentrate and focus on the task at hand
The academic task 2 will require you to write a formal essay. The most
common questions are advantage/disadvantage, opinion essays, direct
questions and point of view discussions
…

IELTS Mark allocatio

The marks are allocated as follows for the IELTS Writing Task 2
•25% for task response
•25% for vocabulary
•25% for grammar
•25% for coherence and cohesion
It goes without saying, that to do well in the task 2 you should
avoid making silly grammatical errors and you must ensure that
you demonstrate your vocabulary and command of the English
language. Writing Task 2 of the IELTS test is really all about
method
.

The questions 4 types (solution is room and by practicing ahead of the

same exam
The questions for IELTS Writing Make sure that you read and
Task 2 are fairly general and could understand the question and that you
cover a wide range of topics. This is a answer it in its entirety. Identify what
formal essay and will take one of the type of question it is and then
following forms: give you opinion, underline the keywords and
discussions, advantages/disadvantages instructions. Keep referring back to
or providing solutions to problems. the question.
You can’t prepare the essay ahead of
time, but you can prepare for the
exam by using a system in the exam
.

The essay structur

1.Structure your writing task 2 essay well. Remember you should write at least
250words. Ensure that each idea and opinion is expressed in its own paragraph.
There are no right or wrong answers in the IELTS exam so don’t be afraid to
present your views. You can argue from any viewpoint
2.It is also a good idea to examine the opposing point of view. Remember that
this is test of your vocabulary and your ability to write uently in English. It is
not a test of your opinion or your world knowledge
3.A good IELTS essay has a clear introduction which should give the examiner an
idea of what the rest of the essay is about. Make sure to paraphrase the question
in the introduction. It is a good way to show off your vocabulary
4.The essay must also have a clear conclusion which should summarise the text
and connect back to the question
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 IELTS Writing Task 2 Tip English to expand your knowledge and

• Be sure to Understand the question: A lot of vocabulary
students rush into writing the essay before they • Manage your time : Time is very important,
completely understand the question. It is remember that you should only spend about 40
important to identify the main keywords and minutes on Task 2. Practice your time
understand what is expected from you in the management skills before the exam
essa • Improve your vocabulary : Your vocabulary
• Plan your ideas for the essay before you accounts for 25% of your nal score so it is
start: It is important to map out your ideas very important to improve your vocabulary
before you start writing your essay. It will save before your exam. Examiners want to see that
you time and your essay will be more you can use a variety of vocabulary in your
structured essay. Focus on learning some new vocabulary
• Get to know the questions asked in Task and phrases to improve your score
2: When you're preparing for the exam, it is • Use paragraphs in your essay : A general
important to practice using common topics rule to work on is to have one paragraph for
used in the task 2 test. This will help you think one idea. Explain each idea in detail with
of different ideas and help you expand your relevant examples in one paragraph. Then,
vocabulary. It is also important to listen to start another paragraph with a new idea.
podcasts, read newspapers and watching TV in
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 Let’s take a look at two examples of the rst paragraph people living in London are working at low income
of essays that respond to the same question of task 2 salaries but the cost of living is so higher in contrast.
writing. The rst one scored in band 7 Therefore, it is dif cult for these people to have extra
Q money for extra things.
Should wealthy people be obliged to share their
nancial success with poor people by supporting health In the introduction, the writer addresses the rst part of the
services and education, or is this the responsibility of question but doesn’t respond to the second part regarding
the poor to improve their own standard of living? the poor taking responsibility for its own standard of
living
I believe that wealthy people should be obliged to share There is a punctuation error and some redundancy using
their wealth with poorer people. But they should not have the word but. In the second paragraph, the candidate
to support health services and education only, but other provides a topic sentence and example. The example is
areas if they prefer. quite vague – there is no reference to a speci c train station
First of all, we cannot avoid people which are poor. As an or how rich people could give money to the poor. Instead
example, we see homeless in the train station, at the bus of using a synonym, the writer uses the word money three
stops and asking us for money. Rich people have extra times
money and therefore, they should give some help to people The second paragraph is slightly better as the example
with no housing and money. provided is speci c. It refers to London and illustrates the
Secondly, many people now are not nding jobs or contrast between the cost of living and purchasing power
although they are working, they are not having enough However, the errors in tense, wrong possessive adjective
money to pay for his houses or ats especially in city- (his instead of their) and basic, repetitive language will
living which has a high cost of living now. For example, keep the scoring of this essay to a 7.
 

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 Let’s turn now to an example of an essay that would governmental bodies, scienti c reports have proved countless times that the
initiative must start with external assistance. For instance, a pilot study showed that
have most likely scored a band 9 when poverty stricken individuals where motivated by more than just themselves i.e
Income and equality is an issue that has plagued civilisation since the beginning external mentors, they had a success rate three times higher than self motivated
of time. Whereas, some societies strongly disagree with “every man for himself” candidates. Thus, experts generally agree that the most effective humanitarian
others believe in helping their neighbour. The following essay will cover European assistance involves helping one to help themselves, which underscores the common
approaches using real world examples to support arguments. expression “no man is an island”.
plagued civilisation - collocation. laying the responsibility with - sophisticated grammatical structure.
Whereas, - more advanced grammar structure. “improve their lot” - very appropriate idiomatic expression because it’s strongly
“every man for himself” - correct use of idiomatic expression. related to wealth.
helping their neighbour - not exactly an idiomatic expression, but a stylistic way of erroneous policy - more sophisticated than saying “wrong policy”.
referring to helping out others. humanitarian governmental bodies - topic speci c vocabulary.
The following essay … - Signals to the examiner the direction we will take the essay. …. success rate three times higher than self motivated candidates - comparison
grammar structure.
“no man is an island” - yet another idiomatic expression from a famous English
Wealth distribution for social ends such as healthcare and education is seen as a
poem.
basic societal right in Denmark. There are also tremendous bene ts for levelling the
playing eld. For example, a recent study by the University of Copenhagen showed
that when the rich were forced into sharing their income amongst the economically To conclude, it is clear that when the rich share their wealth -albeit under duress-
challenged, over 70% of the wealthy reported feeling a higher sense of wellbeing they stand to bene t. Furthermore, when the poor gain direct support the help given
afterwards. Therefore, although it is undoubtedly contentious, there are tremendous has a multiplier effect, therefore both actions should be strongly encouraged
bene ts for rich and poor alike to participate in wealth sharing endeavours. -albeit under duress- a very sophisticated way of saying forced.
Wealth distribution - collocation. multiplier effect - collocation.
social ends - eloquent manner of expression and also less common than other
expressions. Each paragraph starts with a topic sentence that clearly de nes the writer’s opinion
economically challenged - variation of language - not consistently using “the poor”. and main ideas
“levelling the playing eld” - appropriate use of a speci c idiomatic expression. Complex adverb clauses – starting with Whereas and While – are well-structured
rich and poor alike - more sophisticated way to express “both”.
Instead of repeating the word obliged, the writer uses synonyms such as required
and have a duty to offer a variety of language. The examples in the rst and second
Secondly, evidence from history shows that laying the responsibility with the poor paragraphs are very speci c and clearly develop the main idea
to improve their lot is clearly an erroneous policy. In most humanitarian
 

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Review

• Agree or Disagree: Pick a speci c • Speci c Question:

option.

• To What extent do you agree or

disagree: Pick a speci c option
plus add another related element.

• Advantage/Disadvantage,
Problem/Solution, Looking at
both sides of the Argument:

• Two Part Questions:

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PRACTICE QUESTION IN CLAS
Computers have become so advanced and
interactive that students in the future will have
no need for a human educator in the classrooms.
Do you agree? Why or why not?

 Response:

The chart provides data on women advancing to universities in ve

di erent countries (UK,USA, Australia, South Korea and France) in the year
1980 and 2015. Units are measured in percentage.

Overall, there are more women who attended higher eduction in 2015
compared to 1980. While Australia had the highest percentage of women
for both of the years, it also remained the same. Whereas, South Koreans
saw the least percentage of women opting for higher education for both
the years.

In terms of Australia, about 60% of females had went for higher studies
making it the highest amongst all the countries for both 1980 and 2015.
Although, South Korea remained the lowest for the two time periods with
approximately 15% in 1980, the percentage of women doubled to exactly
30% in 2015.

United States of America saw a signi cant increase from about 35% in
1980 to levelling with Australia at around 60% in 2015. France had a slight
increase from precisely 50% in 1980 to about 55% in 2015 as opposed to
UK that saw a far sharper rise from about 35% in 1980 to around 55% in
2015.
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 INTRO
In this day and age, learning English has been given more
importance rather than regional dialects resulting in risks of
native languages disappearing. (Start your thesis here)
Option 1: In my opinion, I believe that everyone should learn
English instead of wasting time on local languages since English
has become a crucial form of communication at an international
level.
Option 2: Although I believe it is pertinent for people to learn
English, I also feel local languages has to be promoted equally.
Option 3: This topic is a hotly-debated issue that often divide
opinions the following easy will look into both sides of the
argument.
Option 4: Thus, I am a huge advocate of preserving native
languages instead of giving signi cance to learning English.
BODY : You would give your reasons and examples to support
your answer/Thesis.
CONCLUSION: paraphrase the main topic and summarise your
points/reasons and then nally give your appropriate opinion.
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Key Features:
Speaking
113
Components of Language for
Speaking

114
Component of Language
Speaking

• Pronunciation
• Vocabulary/Lexical Resources Range and Accuracy
• Grammar Range and Accuracy
• Coherence/Cohesiveness (Organisation: connective language devices)

115
116
Speaking
Attributes of Pronunciation

• Pronunciation ( the way a word is sounded)

• Phonology (the way words sound- Phonemic Chart)
• Syllable Stressing
• Sentence Stressing
• Intonation: Rhythm, Stress and Melody

117
Phonemic Chart
• 26 Alphabets in the English
• 5 vowels (a,e,i,o,u). 21 Consonants (the rest of the letters in the alphabet)
• But English has an overall of 44 distinctive Sounds known as Phonemes.
• Vowels: Monophthongs(single vowel sound) and Diphthongs (double vowels
sound),

• Consonants and digraph (sound of two letters put together. ex. “Ph” makes
an “F” sound)

• The Phonemic Chart: https://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/phonemic-

chart-ia.htm

118
 Phonemic Chart
Monophthong vowels are arranged
by mouth shape:
• left > right, lips wide > lips round
• top > bottom, jaw closed > jaw
open

The rst two rows of consonants are

paired:
• above, voiceless
• below, voiced

• 119
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120
Syllable Stress part 1

121
122
Intonation
How is the IELTS Speaking test assessed
Your test will be marked according to the following criteria
• Fluency and coherence (25%)
Your uency is assessed by your ability to speak smoothly with little effort and little to no hesitation.
To increase your score for uency and cohesion, make sure that you're able to connect your sentences
by using connectives in your sentences. Speak smoothly and continuously, while using pauses
correctly and extending your answers with as many relevant details as possible
• Lexical resource (25%)
This refers to the speaking vocabulary that you have learnt to be able to communicate your ideas and
opinions clearly. To achieve a high band score, it is important to use a wide range of vocabulary. You
need to show that you're able to communicate freely, using appropriate vocabulary. Using idiomatic
language correctly in your speaking exam will increase your score
• Grammatical range and accuracy (25%)
This criteria refers to how good your grammar is. It is important to avoid making grammatical
mistakes and to use more advanced grammatical structures in your responses
• Pronunciation (25%)
In the IELTS exam, pronunciation is a very important criteria to focus on. You need to be sure that the
examiner can understand what you are saying so that they are able to assess you.
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Speaking
Part 1
The examiner will ask you general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics,
such as home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between 4 and 5 minutes.
Part 2
You will be given a task card and the examiner will ask you to talk about a topic. You will
have 1 minute to prepare before speaking for up to 2 minutes. The examiner will then ask
one or two questions on the same topic to nish this part of the test.
Part 3
You will be asked further questions connected to the topic in Part 2. These questions will
allow you to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. This part of the test lasts between 4
and 5 minutes.
 

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How to Respond Quickly and assessed in this state is fairer than being
Automatically in IELTS Speakin judged when you are nervous and worried

The format of the IELTS speaking test Sample Part 1 Speaking Questions To
•IELTS Speaking Part One (4-5 minutes Expect: – What is your full name? – Can I
In this section of the IELTS speaking test, see your ID? – Where are you from? – Do
the examiner will introduce him/herself and you work or study? – What do you do? –
check your identity. Examiners are required Where do you live now? – What is the most
to follow a script throughout the interview to interesting place to visit in your hometown?
help ensure consistency across all IELTS – Do many tourists visit your country? – Do
speaking tests you like long or short holidays? – Where do
you like to go on holiday? – Do you prefer
The examiner will ask you everyday
beach holidays or city holidays? – Do you
questions about your life like where you live
have close friends? – What do you value
and what work you do. He/She will also
the most in your friends? – Do you meet
touch on questions about your family and
often with your friends
what you do in your free time
The goal of part 1 of the exam is to make
you feel comfortable and relaxed. Being
.

IELTS Speaking Part Two (3-4 minutes questions – What types of buildings are
In this section of the test, you will be asked there in your hometown? – Is it a good
to give a short talk using a cue card. You trend to have skyscrapers in the city? – Do
will have one minute to prepare what you think buildings’ shapes and structures
you’re going to say and then you’re will change in the future? – Would you like
expected to speak for 1-2 minutes. When to live in a different-shaped building,
the time is up, the examiner will ask round or triangular? – Why is that
another question or two to wrap up this 2. Cue Card:
stage of the test Talk about advice you received from
Sample Cue Card Questions for Part 2 someone that was very helpful.
1.Cue Card: Please say – What was the advice? – Who
Describe a new public building you want gave it to you? – Why was it helpful?
to visit. Please say – What building it is – Possible Follow-up Questions – Do you
Where and when was it built? – Why do often get advice from older people? – Do
you want to visit it? Possible Follow up you like to give advice to others? – Why
don’t many people follow good advice?
.

IELTS Speaking Part Three say the same thing in a different way
( Duration: 4-5 minutes than before. (Paraphrasing)
Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking exam
involves a discussion where you will
have the opportunity to really develop
your answers. You will be asked open-
ended questions relating to part 2 of
your exam. There is no set number of
questions that you can be asked to
answer. The questions are usually quite
abstract and will most likely seem like
they are asking the same thing over and
over again. When this happens the
examiner is assessing whether you can
)

What is the examiner listening for Grammar: your range of structures, that is, of
In part 1, the examiner is reading the the different verb tenses, modal verbs and
questions from the booklet. If we know what conditional sentences as well as correct word
the examiner is looking for, that can help us order. Someone who only talks in the “present
plan our answers. The questions are designed tense” will not receive a high band score
so that the candidate can begin to show his or Pronunciation/Intonation: you must speak
her language skills when talking on familiar clearly with acceptable pronunciation of
topics in the four areas the examiner is individual sounds and use intonation to
assessing express meaning, such as the voice rising or
Fluency: your ability to keep talking without falling at the end of an utterance, for example.
long pauses or hesitations. This includes our There is no problem with having an “accent”
ability to re-phrase, to backtrack and say as long as any native English speaker would
something in a different way not have problems in understanding you
Vocabulary: if you have a wide vocabulary Part 1 topics and the sets of questions on each
of general and specialised words and how you one, are designed not only to give you the
combine words together in familiar patterns chance to talk about yourself but also for the
(collocations examiner to nd your level in the 4 areas.
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 IELTS Speaking: Part

Time: 4-5 minutes
Good morning. My name is John Smith. Could you tell me your full name please?
Can I see your identi cation please? Thank you
-
In this rst part, I’m going to ask you some questions about yourself. Let’s talk about your family.
Do you have a big family
- How much time do you spend with your family
- What do you like to do together as a family
- Are people in your country generally close to their families

Let’s move on to talk about technology. Do you use any gadgets on a daily basis
- How often do you use Internet
- What is your favourite technological device
-

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 IELTS Speaking: Part

Time: 3-4 minutes
Okay. Now we move on to Part two of the speaking test. Have a look at this
card and read it carefully. You have about one minute to think about your
answer. Then approximately one to two minutes to talk to me about what's on
the slip. You can use a pen and paper to make some notes
Don't worry if I stop you, I'll let you know when the time is up
Describe your friend. You should say
•Who is he/sh
•When did you mee
•Why is he/she so close to yo
and say what do you like about your friend the mos
- Do you have a lot of friends
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 IELTS Speaking: Part

Time: 4-5 minutes
- What do you think is the best time to get new friends?
- Do you think friendship is important nowadays?
- Is it important to stay in touch with your friends throughout
the years?
- What personal qualities are the most important to be a good
friend?
-
Thank you! Your speaking test is over now. You can enjoy the
rest of your weekend
-

How to prepare for IELTS Speaking

You may encounter different types of questions on IELTS Speaking, for
example your topics may include work, studies, accommodation, food,
weather, health, hobbies, relationships and so on
The best way to prepare for IELTS Speaking test is to
1.read a lot of speaking questions and try answering the
2.learn a lot of advanced speaking vocabulary (collocations and phrases
3.practise answering IELTS Speaking questions, using vocabulary that
you've learn
4.read more IELTS Speaking samples with answers, adopt new phrases
and vocabulary in your speec
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 SPEAKING PART different topics to talk about. There are

Overvie 4 questions to answer on each topic.
Part 1 takes up the rst 5 minutes and Stop a moment and think about this
begins when the examiner greets the Total time: 5 minutes (includes about
candidate with a “Good morning/ 30 seconds to establish identi cation at
afternoon. My name is ………. . the start
4 questions about work/study or where
The time has come for you to speak. you live. 4 questions each on 2 topics
This rst part is not so demanding. You topic
will be asked about whether you work And, the examiner can ask you to
or study or, alternatively, about where explain your answers in more detail
you currently live. Then, the examiner with a simple “Why?” as a follow up to
will ask 3 follow-up questions. After many questions
that, the examiner will ask you about 2
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Topics and question types Why? Because the 3 follow up questions

The first question remember is either: require more complex language.
Let’s talk about what you do. Do you What’s more important, the work you
work or are you a student or do or the people you work with?
Let’s talk about where you live? ……. (comparisons, correlations,
conditional, explanations)
The best way to start is to be brief and put
your response into context. Something Do you think you will live in this
like:- (house) for a long time? (future,
conditionals)
Well, I’m the Human Resources Manager
in a multinational company. You’ve
probably heard of it (name company). I’ve Think and write about work, studies,
been there about 4 years and I’m where you live. Answer the What?
responsible for all the stages of recruiting Where? Why? When? Who? How long?
as well as sending staff members on Prepare the vocabulary (collocations and
courses to update their skills and subject specific words, idiomatic
knowledge and so on. language)) you need, talk in the past,
present, future to show that you know
tenses. (When you practice)
What about the other two topics When was the last time you read a book or a
There’s a wide range including general areas such as magazine about history?
The Arts ( lm, television, art, music, Do you think it is important to learn about the
photography) Education (history, mathematics, history of your country?
science Many questions begin with the following
Communication (emails, contacting Do you ….? What type of …? Is there a ….?
friends) Technology (computers, smartphones Did you …..? Have you changed ….?
Free time (weekends, birthdays and national holidays, Would you ……? Do you think you will ….? Why do
breaks and vacations) Styles and tastes (jeans, shoes, you think ….?
colours, hairstyles They’re all about YOU but there will be some we
Relationships (friends, family, neighbours, pets, wild don’t normally talk about or even notice. (Questions
animals) Environment (weather, the sky) are general but strange) Ex. Let’s talk about the sky:
Again, the questions go from the factual and personal Do you ever look at the sky
to the more speculative and general. The pattern Do you prefer the sky by night or during the day?
throughout Part 1 is to start with an “opener” plus 3 Did you study the stars and planets at school?
more questions. Let’s take this topic: History
Would you like to learn more about the stars?
Do you ever go to museums to learn about history?
So, be prepared for the possible “strange” subject.
Did you enjoy history classes at school?
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How long should you speak for? Is there a type of music you don’t
Let’s go back to the arithmetic. like?
Minimum 12 questions, 3 main topics Hmm. Yes, there is. I really can’t stand
in 4 and a half minutes equals an what they call heavy metal because it’s
average of 1:30 each topic, that’s just loud and the singer just shouts
about 20 – 22 seconds per instead of really singing. Apart from that,
question including the examiner asking the lyrics are pretty meaningless, if you
it. How much can you say in 20 can understand what they’re saying, that
seconds? is. I prefer songs that are more romantic.
Perhaps up to 4 connected thoughts or (4 connected “ideas”)
“ideas”. It’s important not to say too little Try it yourself with as many questions
or too much. But if we say too much, the and topics as you like. Time yourself.
examiner finds a way to interrupt and go Remember always to add something to
on with the next question. your basic opinion or idea. Give reasons
and, where appropriate add an example.
 Troubleshootin impress the examiner but it can sound false. Please be you,
(1)Things can go wrong. Maybe you don’t hear the question be natural
clearly or didn’t fully understand it. In these cases, there’s
nothing wrong in asking for clari cation. Just make sure Prepare yoursel
you do it in the “right” way Some nal tips
I’m sorry. Could you repeat that please? I’m sorry, I didn’t 1.In pairs, groups, take topics, including the work/study/
quite catch that. Do you mind saying it again? live one. Prepare and answer at least 4 questions on each
(2) You realise you made a mistake immediately after 2.Take turns as examiner/candidat
saying it. Don’t worry. Any time you “repair” or correct 3.Record yourselves. Note the exact times
yourself is very positive (as long as there are not too many 4.Together note positive strengths and weaknesses in
times! vocabulary, grammar and pronunciatio
…so I’ve been working there since 6 years…I mean for 6 5.Always remember in Part 1 to make it personal. Give
years explanations and example
(3) Sometimes we are not sure of what to say: we don’t 6.Write out your answers to cue cards and sample task
have a quick answer. We all use some kind of llers to questions, use a google doc to catch grammar errors
occupy a little time while we are thinking of an answer. 7.Apart from practising speaking, also read widely, listen
Often simple “umm” but we can maybe use to Podcasts and watch news broadcasts and
documentaries
Hmm. Yes, that’s an interesting question. Hmm. I’ve never
8.Work at your grammar and vocabulary, make meaningful
thought about that before but ….
lists of expressions, collocations, linking words.
But, my advice is not to overuse these expressions.
Sometimes a candidate will learn them and use them to
 

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SPEAKING PART
What notes should I make for IELTS
speaking part 2
This is a very important question
because learning how to prepare your
answer in the one-minute preparation
time can help you to achieve a high
band score
Key points are
Understanding the cue card in IELTS
speaking part
Developing your idea
Expanding your answer
.

 Understanding the cue card in

IELTS speaking part
The rst thing that you need to do is
look at the structure of the cue card. It
is divided into three parts. Take a look
at this IELTS speaking part 2 topic
Talk about an older person you
admire
You should say:
who this person is
how long you have known him/her
what qualities he/she has
And why you admire him/her
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 Ok, so now I understand the cue card, how do I make higher, then you need to write words that are going to
notes impress the IELTS examiner
I’ll start by telling you what not to do and unfortunately it’s And remember…
the thing that the majority of IELTS candidates tend to do You only have one minut
DO NOT TRY TO WRITE YOUR ANSWER WORD So this means, realistically you can only write ve or six
FOR WORD!!! words/phrases. ‘That’s not enough’, you are probably
As soon as the IELTS examiner says ‘Your one minute thinking, well it’s what you do with the words that is
starts now’, many candidates start writing important
‘The person I am going to talk about today is my friend. His My notes for answering the topic ‘Talk about a person you
name is Mike and I have known him for seven years.’ admire…’ would be
Then the voice of the IELTS examiner says A born leader
‘Please can you start speaking now please.’ Entrepreneurial skill
A look of fear appears on the candidate’s face because they Determined
are thinking ‘oh no, I haven’t got enough to say’. They start Charismatic, charming
reading what they have written and ten seconds later… Well-respected
silence and panic
Inspirational/a positive role model
SILENCE GETS YOU NOTHING IN IELTS
These words/phrases are all going to impress the IELTS
SPEAKING!!!
examiner because they are much more complex than ‘nice’
or ‘fun’
What should you do
Only make notes that are going to get you a high band scor
I have seen candidates write the words ‘nice’ or ‘fun’ –
that’s ne if you want IELTS 5.0, but if you are aiming for
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 Practise using more detailed note …we were both playing football
Instead of just writing down words, you could Remember that IELTS Speaking is not a test of
also try thinking of more detailed phrases/ideas knowledge, it is a test of communication so the
so for example for the question ‘how long have more language you can use to communicate, the
you known him/her’, the tendency is to answer same way you would in your native language,
this by saying ‘I’ve known him for 6 years’, but the more it will impress the examiner. Don’t just
again this is not going to impress the IELTS sit there like a robot answering the questions
examiner. Answering the ‘reason’ question – that tricky
Something like ‘I’m not entirely sure when we last question on the cue car
met, it could have been about seven years The last part of the cue card is the ‘how/why’
ago… yes that’s right, it was when we were question and it is the part where you should
both playing football for the school team…’ is have the most to say. It is, however, the most
much longer, more detailed and contains much dif cult part. You need to think of a few words/
more complex language that you need for phrases that you can use in this part e.g.
IELTS 6.5 and above. The notes that you would inspirational, a positive role model
write down might be
I’m not entirely sure…
…it could have been
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 So with these ve/six words/phrases that you have written down, detail to describe this quality), so it’s hardly surprising that he is
what do you do now running his own company.
You expand them Another reason though is his entrepreneurial skill (another quality).
Look at this sample answer for this part 2 speaking topic and note He set up an online company with very little money, he doesn’t have
how the words/phrases above have been expanded a billionaire father like Donald Trump! At rst, he faced lots of
dif culties, but he was very determined (another quality) and his
Talk about an older person you admire
determination (here I’m adding another word from the same word
You should say: family to show the examiner my exible use of language) paid off
who this person is and he now has an incredibly successful company.
how long you have known him/her In addition to his skills, he has great qualities such as charisma and
what qualities he/she has charm (more qualities). He is the most charming and charismatic
And why you admire him/her (here again I’m using words from the same word family to show
the examiner my exible use of language) man I’ve ever met. '
Right, well the person that I’m going to talk about today is my
friend, Mike. He’s a very close friend of mine and someone I admire Why do I admire him? (here I am focusing back on the cue card to
greatly (here I am adding some extra detail to who he is). prepare myself to answer this question and by asking the question
I am giving myself some extra thinking time). Well, there are a
I’m not entirely sure when we met, it could have been about seven
number of reasons… (this is a useful way to remind yourself to not
years ago… yes that’s right, it was when we were both playing
just say one thing)
football for the school team… (here I avoid saying ‘I’ve known him
for…’ and make the answer longer and more detailed) Firstly (using this helps with your band score for cohesion and
coherence), he is a well-respected businessman and has gained the
We’re both mad about football so it was this shared love of the sport
respect of all his employees. Moreover (using this helps with your
that got us talking (here I am adding some extra detail about our
band score for cohesion and coherence), setting up a business in a
friendship). Since leaving school, Mike has set up his own company
recession is also inspirational and the fact that he never gave up
and has become a very wealthy man.
despite some dif culties in the early period, makes him such a
He is a born leader (now I am starting to talk about the qualities), positive role model. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to achieve what he
you could see this when he was younger… he was the captain of the has in such a short time, but he has inspired me to try so you can see
football team and head boy in our year (and I am adding extra why I have so much admiration for him.
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IELTS Speaking part 3:

(How/Why question)
Developing your idea
 Part 3 lasts between four and ve minutes and it questions fully, it’s a good idea to use this
is the most challenging part of the IELTS strategy:
speaking test. The examiner will ask you further, 1.Give your opinion. Ideally, try to paraphrase
more abstract questions about the topic in part rather than repeating the question, to show off
two. He or she will begin part three by saying, for your IELTS vocabulary
example Perhaps, ‘I think the tourism industry in Turkey
We’ve been talking about a place you’ve visited, has expanded dramatically over the last two
and I’d like to discuss with you one or two more decades.’
general questions related to this. So, let’s consider 2.Then explain the reasons for your opinion
rst of all tourism in your country. a) How do you
‘Improved transportation systems around the
think tourism has changed in your country in the
world have made it easier to travel than ever
last twenty years? b) Do you believe this is a
before.’ … and provide examples: ‘In the past,
positive or negative development? Why? c) In
tourists who wanted to visit Turkey had to y into
some parts of the world, tourism is having a
one of the major cities, such as Istanbul or
negative impact on the environment. In your
Ankara, but these days lots of the towns along the
opinion, what can be done about this
Mediterranean coast have their own international
airports! For example, you can y directly from
All these questions require you to give your
the UK to Bodrum, which is one of the most
opinion. To help ensure that you answer the
popular resorts in Turkey.’
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Let’s try the same strategy with the second question. First, give it’s a good idea to have a strategy: First, state an advantage: ‘In my
your opinion – paraphrasing if you can. opinion, one of the main reasons for the popularity of online shopping
‘My feeling is that the advantages of this growth outweigh the is that it’s so convenient.’
disadvantages, at the moment at least.’ Then explain your reasons… Then explain why it is an advantage… ‘If you want to shop at a
‘Turkey is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and shopping centre, you have the hassle of getting there, and shopping
although it is not a country which is dependent on tourism, this centres have xed opening hours.’’
industry still generates a signi cant amount of revenue.’ … and give an example:
… and provide examples. ‘However, if you shop online, you can shop from the comfort of your
‘Turkey just has so much to offer international visitors. Whether you own home, at any time of the day or night.’
want to visit historical monuments, bustling bazaars or stunning Then provide a second advantage: ‘Another positive aspect of online
beaches, there is something for everyone. We obviously need to manage shopping is the fact that you have access to a much wider variety of
the impact which this increase in tourism is having on the environment, products.’
but I think we are heading in the right direction.’ An explanation… Bricks-and-mortar stores only have so much space
These are some phrases you can use to express your opinion during to store and display their merchandise, whereas online shops don’t
your IELTS speaking exam: I think… I believe… In my opinion… suffer from the same constraints.
My feeling / opinion is that… Here is another example of a set of … and an example:
questions you might encounter in part three
For instance, if you want to buy clothes, you will be able to nd far
more styles and colours to choose from if you shop online.
We’ve been talking about a place you’ve visited, and I’d like to discuss
with you one or two more general questions related to this. So, let’s Then follow the same strategy to help you talk about the disadvantages.
consider rst of all tourism in your country. a) How do you think Useful phrases include: One of the main advantages / bene ts / upsides
tourism has changed in your country in the last twenty years? b) Do (of online shopping) is…
you believe this is a positive or negative development? Why? c) In Another positive aspect is…
some parts of the world, tourism is having a negative impact on the One key disadvantage / drawback / downside (of online shopping) is…
environment. In your opinion, what can be done about this Another negative point is…
Let’s focus on the rst question – which is asking for advantages and
disadvantages. Again, to help ensure that you answer the question fully,
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Part 1 – The topi In this part the questions are always asking what,
This basically means the subject you are going to talk when, who or where and they require you to give
about. For example, it could be a book, a lm, a meal detailed information. The mistake many candidates
or in this case a person - Talk about an older person make here is to simply answer these three questions
you admire. There are many topics connected with and after about thirty seconds they cannot think of
people so it is a useful topic to look at, as the anything else to say. It is important that you add
vocabulary here could be used in many IELTS ‘Talk detail to these questions so for example, you could
about a person who…’ speaking topics talk about how you met this person
It is important to remember that
Part 3 – Answering the ‘how/why’ questio
It is always going to be a general topic – not an
academic topic, it is not a test of your knowledg This is often the hardest part because here you have
It will be about something personal to you – to explain and explaining is harder than describing.
something you have done, someone you kno In this topic, you need to explain ‘why you admire
him/her’
Part 2 – Describing the topi This part gives you the opportunity to say more, as
explanations are usually longer than descriptions,
This part focuses on the three questions however they are often harder. This requires more
who this person is thinking on your part, but done well can help you to
how long you have known him/her achieve a high band score
what qualities he/she has
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Reading
The format of the reading
test
• tests last 60 minutes. Each has 40
questions. The 60 minutes includes
the time you have to ll in the answer
sheet
• The academic reading test has three
passages taken from magazines,
newspapers, journals, books. These
texts can be descriptive or factual or
more discursive and analytical. Topics
are of general academic type interest
but not too specialised.
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Different kinds of questions in • Matching: you may be asked to match
headings (one sentence summaries) to
the IELTS reading tes
the lettered paragraphs to check your
We can classify the questions into four understanding of the aims of each or
main groups; what the main ideas are.
• Multiple choice questions: you have • Completion: there are several
to choose the correct answer to a completion type questions. All of them
question, usually through lettered require you to ll in gaps with a
choices (A, B, C, D) precise number of words, anything
• True/false/not given: does the from one word only to perhaps no
statement correspond to what is in the more than three.
text? Yes or no is sometimes used
instead of true or false. If there is no
evidence, if it’s not mentioned, the
answer is not given.
 

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 Question Type
6) Summary completio
1) Multiple choice question A summary part of the text will be given to you. You are required to
These are types of questions that requires you to pick the correct answer complete it by picking words from the text with a given maximum number
from the given choices which are in capital letters of ABC and D. This type of words to complete it
of questions tests your ability to understand detailed and speci c
information 7) Features matchin
These are types of questions that that requires you to nd a speci c
2) Information identi cation question information about given features and match it. For example you can be
These are types of questions that requires you to identify whether the given given different people who discovered different things at different times.
information is either true false or it’s not given. This type of question tests You are now required to match who discovered what at what time. You
your ability to clearly understand what the text is talking about therefore need to be very keen when matching

3) Information matchin 8) Matching sentence ending

These types of questions requires you to nd a speci c information and This is a very simple question. Part of a sentence is picked from a line in
placing them where they t to be. You need to have clearly understood the the text. What you need to do here is to just locate where it has been taken
text and be able to understand every paragraph and what information it from and complete the sentence and there you have your have your correct
contains answer

4) Head Matchin 9) Short answer question

These questions requires you to pick a heading from the given headings You have to be extra careful here! This is a question that expects you to
and place each of them to the paragraphs. Mainly, if you have clearly answer the question from the given facts in the text. Moreover you need to
understood the given text, you’ll be able to make a heading out of every check the number of words because you are limited. A maximum number
paragraph of words is always given

5) Sentence completio 10) Matching informatio

In this type of question, you will nd an incomplete sentence. You are You just need not to get this question wrong. All that is required of you
supposed to complete it with words taken from the text. You therefore need here is to nd some given information and place them where they t
to quickly map the incomplete text to a particular location in the text for Having highlighted the kind of questions you would expect in an IELTS
you to nd the correct answer reading task exam,try these few tips and expect exemplary performance!
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 Your preparation/Strategie
i) Read many article v) Titl
A week or two prior to the exam, ensure that you read as many articles The title of the text that you are reading will tell you what the text is all
as you can. This will give a certain kind of experience and con dence about. First read the title. It will give you an idea of the content of the
for that matter. This is the most important tip here. You can’t just wake text so you’ll have an ample time comprehending since you already
up someday and go hit a band score of 8.0 in IELTS reading task have an idea of what you are reading
module without reading practice
vi) Time managemen
ii) Skimmin This is very key! The IELTS reading task module is 60 minutes long
This is a IELTS reading task technique that allows you to read through and there are three questions for you to answer
a given text very fast and within the shortest time possible while Do NOT share time equally so that you allocate each question twenty
identifying main ideas of the given text. This technique will help you minutes. The IELTS standard works with an increasing dif culty that
save on time and will also allow you to have an idea of what the text is means the last question dif culty level will be higher than the last two
all about within the rst reading so make sure that you’ll have close to thirty minutes for the last
question
iii) Scannin
This is a technique where you read through every line very quickly xiv) There is something called intelligent guessing
looking for a speci c word or phrase At times you’ll be given dif cult words in the passage that you may
It comes in handy when you are looking for a one word answer. It’s have no clue at all. What should help you make a correct guess is the
quite different from scanning because the latter doesn’t require you to context in which the word has been used. Certainly this dif cult word
nd any speci c word or phrase will always be related to the topic of the given text

iv) Use Keyword xv) At times the unfortunate happens

This is self-explanatory. Reading a text without identifying the I am talking of elapsed time and you haven’t nished up. If you have a
keywords is a suicide mission! Don’t try it multiple choice question left guess! There is always a 25% chance that
you’ll get a correct answer in a question of ABC and D multiple choice
Ensure that you mark some of the keywords as they will be helpful
answer.
when time for answering questions come .You wouldn’t need more
time to scan through the text again
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 vii) Check gramma x) It is very tragic to answer all the questions in the question
Be extra careful with the grammar at the beginning of the paper and get caught up by time before transferring it to the
questions. More so the negatives because they totally change the answer sheet
question and if you are not careful enough you may end up I would strongly recommend that after answering every question,
answering oppositely with all your gathered con dence. Every just ip over to your answer sheet and write your answer
beginning of a sentence is very important
xi) There are those questions that dictate the number of
viii) Do not read the whole text words
Yes! You heard me right. Time is of essence here. There will Ensure that you abide by the rules. Count your words one by one
never be enough time to read through all the text. There are parts and remember that a vowel in a sentence e.g. “a” is also counted
of that text that you will never nd any question rising from so no as a word
need to read. Just remember that your job is to look for the right
answers not reading everything xii) Spelling mistakes will always count
Try as much as possible to check on your spelling when you are
ix) If you can’t nd an answer of the current question, leave it writing short answers and if you get time after answering all the
pending and proceed questions then check once again in case you made any spelling
The trick here is moving from the known to the unknown so just error
mark it maybe with a big star and move on to answer another
question but always remember that you have unanswered xiii) There are those questions that you are required to
question. Once you have nished writing your answers then go complete the sentence
back for it
Make sure that you put all your attention on the meaning of the
sentence not just throwing any word to t in. You need to do well
in this exam remember.
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• LETS TAKE A LOOK AT SAMPLE

TEST THAT WE CAN COMPLETE
TOGETHER.

• https://ielts-up.com/reading/
academic-reading-sample-1.2.html
Listening
 zero for writing 'LONDON', 'london' or
Important things to ‘lonndon'
remember about the But you can decide to write all in
IELTS listening tes CAPITAL or Lower case (need to be
consistent
You will only hear the audio ONCE for
The IELTS listening test takes about 30 each part. A variety of voices and
minutes to complete and you will native-speaker accents are used. You
receive an additional 10 minutes to should do as many IELTS listening
transfer your answers to an answer practice questions as you can so that you
sheet can feel con dent listening to
When you transfer your answers, they Australian, American and regional
must be spelt correctly and have capital English accents.
letters in the right places. For example,
if the answer is 'London', you will score
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The following types of • Summary completion

questions are used in the
listening test
• Multiple Choice (can be dif cult
because it can be long
• Matchin
• Form completio
• Map completio
• Table completio
• Note completio
• Diagram completio
• Sentence completio
• Short-answer question
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There are four parts to the Part 4: One person giving a talk/
presentation in an academic setting (e.g.,
listening test a university professor)
Part 1: Two people talking (a typical
everyday conversation, e.g., two friends
arranging to meet)
Each part has 10 questions so there are
Part 2: One person talking (a talk or
40 questions in total. You will get time
speech in a social situation, e.g.,
to work through the answers and also
explaining membership at a local gym)
some time to check your answers.
Part 3: Multiple people talking
(minimum 2, maximum 4) in a training
or educational situation (e.g., a training
workshop/seminar or a study group)
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 How to handle the listening perfect, however - remember that you

have 10 minutes at the end of the
test IELTS listening section to transfer
• Do not open the listening test question them onto the IELTS listening answer
paper until you are told to do so sheet so it's ne to have some answers
• Write your name and candidate changed or crossed out
number in the spaces at the top of the • Read the instructions and questions
listening test answer page carefully before you listen
• Write your answers on the question • As you transfer answers, make sure
paper as you listen, not the answer you write something for every single
paper question. Many candidates leave
• Remember you will only hear the multiple choice answers blank - that's
audio once. So make sure that you crazy!! Just guess, make an
read, write and listen all at the same intellectual guess.
time. Your answers do not have to be
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