Simone Braverman's Blog: IELTS-Blog.com, page 116
March 4, 2021
3 IELTS success stories to learn from
Friday is the day to get some motivation for the upcoming weekend! This is why we would like you to meet three winners of our monthly IELTS results competition. They achieved great results, ranging from IELTS Band 7.5 to 8, and today they are sharing their stories to help you get your target score. As you will see, our winners have different approaches to IELTS preparation, but the one thing they agree on is, if you put in the work, you will get the result!
Khamdam is a young man from Uzbekistan. He took the Academic IELTS test and got Band 8. Khamdam said,
“So delighted to hear the news from you, since it was unexpected… Anyway, thank you much for giving me this opportunity.
I’ve got a lot to recommend, because indeed, as you know, IELTS is a journey, a long one. However, if I have to walk IELTS candidates through with the most important suggestions, they’d be these:
Know your destination.
Knowing whether your aim is Band 6, 7 or 8 is paramount to understand in which direction you should head and how much effort you should invest. Setting clear and realistic goals is important so that you will work your best towards them. I know some students who are not sure which score they need and why. Most do not normally set exact goals, while others tend to base their aims on senseless purposes.
Invest the right amount of time and effort.
Once you get to know what your target is, spend a decent amount of time working on your skills. I met lots of students who failed to achieve their desired score in IELTS, because they have been busy at work, contending with a heavy workload, or at their colleges, working to a tight deadline. Whatever category you fall into, give yourself enough time to work on your English as well as prepare for your exam.
Spend more time analysing your test than doing the test.
If you really fancy improving your score by practice, a solution to always bear in mind is to allocate some time to the analysis of the tests at the end of your practice. This will allow you to thoroughly understand the format of the test, the ways IELTS distracted you, and find out where your weaknesses are. At the end of the day, quality is always better than quantity.
I wish all candidates best luck and their dream scores! May God bless you all in your exams!”
Samer is from Yemen, he lives in Saudi Arabia and speaks Arabic. He took the Academic IELTS test and got Band 7.5. Listening and Reading were his stronger skills, but his writing needed attention and Samer concentrated his efforts on it. Samer said,
“Practice… practice… practice!
Do as many mock tests as you can and get the best evaluation for your essays with IELTS-Blog.com experienced experts.
I hope you can achieve your dream score with consistent effort, just believe that you can do it.”
Malavika comes from India, her first language is Malayalam. She took an Academic IELTS exam and got Band 7.5. Here is her advice to you:
“I’m sooo happyyy!!!
I would say set a goal and work for it. Make some time to do a mock test on your own and see which part you are weak in and work on that.
Make sure that you are talking very freely to the speaking examiner. Feel free to be yourself, but make sure to avoid short forms and slang.
In the writing section make sure to allocate time for both writing tasks and then start writing. Managing time is really important.
I’ve heard a lot of people advising others to learn new words each day to improve vocabulary. I would say it doesn’t work like that. Try to read books and watch movies to improve your vocabulary. And the most important tip is to believe in yourself and do your best. All the best everyone!”
We would like to thank Khamdam, Samer and Malavika for sharing their stories, and congratulate them on their great IELTS scores!
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March 3, 2021
Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 – How to Describe Line Graphs
When you don’t get Band 7 for your Academic writing, even though you have good grammar knowledge and a wide range of vocabulary, it is disappointing and seems very unfair. In the 10 years Adam worked as an IELTS examiner, he saw it happen too many times – all because people didn’t know how to write a correct Writing Task 1 response.
In this video Adam shows you step by step how it is done. He gives you a way to analyse the line graph before you start writing, some tips how to reword the task prompt easily, and he also demonstrates how to write a great overview and how to compare and contrast.
Watch the lesson on YouTube, or below:
In the video
1. What are you comparing?
In this particular double line graph it is the length of stay of public and private hospital patients.
2. How are you comparing?
Here you need to look at the units used in the line graph. You want to note that the length of stay is measured in days, and that there are many age groups, each with its own length of stay.
3. When are you comparing?
For this graph it is last year, which means you will be using past tense to describe the graph. The period of time always affects your grammar, and you should be aware of that.
4. Is there an overall trend?
If both line graphs follow the same trend, even for some of the time, it will help you describe them.
5. What are the similarities?
Look at the two graphs to see where they declined or rose at the same time.
And there is a lot more to learn, so do watch the entire video, because Adam explains everything in a very easy to understand way. It won’t take you long to start writing Band 7+ reports!
Adam doesn’t give you a model response in this lesson, because he would like you to have a go and write your own. But if you’d like to see a Band 9 sample, check out our High Scorer’s Choice IELTS practice tests. This particular topic can be found in Package 2 and we also provide a model response for it, as well as all the other writing tasks.
Enjoy the lesson!
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March 2, 2021
IELTS test in the USA – February 2021 (General Training)
Thanks to our lovely friend K.M. we are sharing the questions from a recent IELTS test in the USA:
Writing test
Writing task 1 (a letter)
You recently bought a children’s toy online and you noticed that it was not working properly. Write a letter to the manager of the toy company to complain about it. Include the following in your letter:
– What was the problem?
– What did you do about it?
– How did you feel?
Writing task 2 (an essay)
Many cultures around the world are becoming more similar. What do you think are the reasons for it? Do you think it is a positive or a negative development?
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview)
– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– Where do you live?
– What does your apartment look like?
– What do you like about it?
– What can you see from your windows?
– Let’s talk about remembering names.
– Do you remember people’s names easily?
– What do you do to remember their names?
– How do you feel when you forget someone’s name?
– How do you feel when somebody forgets your name?
– Let’s talk about the New Year’s celebrations.
– How do you usually celebrate the New Year?
– What was your best New Year’s party so far?
– What kind of food do you eat on New Year’s Eve?
– Why do you think people start something new on this day or make New Year’s resolutions?
Part 2 (Cue Card)
Talk about a person who wears unusual clothes. Please say
– who the person is
– how you know this person
– what kind of clothes he/she wears
– and explain why you think his/her clothes are unusual.
Part 3 (Discussion)
– What do people wear to the office in your country?
– Do people shop online in your country?
– Do young people and old people wear different clothes or similar? If different, what is the reason?
– Why do some people prefer to shop online and and others like to shop in-store?
– Do you think it is possible that there won’t be any stores in the future and people will only shop online?
IELTS test in India – February 2021 (General Training)
Thanks to our generous friends K.P. and P.M. we are sharing the questions they remembered from a recent IELTS test in India:
Writing test
Writing task 1 (a letter)
You enjoyed a holiday organized by a tour company. Write a letter to the manager and praise the tour guide who accompanied you on the journey. In your letter
– Give the details of your holiday
– Explain what the tour guide did that was special and helpful
– Suggest how the manager may reward the tour guide.
Writing task 2 (an essay)
Nowadays cultures around the world are becoming more and more similar, as compared to the past. What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or a negative development?
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview)
– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– How may I call you?
– Do you live in a flat or a house?
– What kind of house do you live in?
– What can you see through your windows?
– Let’s talk about celebrations.
– How do you celebrate festivals in your country?
– What was the last festival you celebrated?
– How did you celebrate it?
– Do you celebrate the New Year?
Part 2 (Cue Card)
Talk about your favourite toy from your childhood. Please say
– what the toy was
– who gave it to you
– when he/she gave it to you
– and explain how you felt about it.
Part 3 (Discussion)
– Do you think children have lots of toys these days?
– Why do parents give so many toys to their children?
– What kind of toys are children interested in?
– Why don’t parents allow their children to play with other kids sometimes?
February 28, 2021
IELTS test in Kuwait – February 2021 (Academic Module)
Our friends from Kuwait and Nigeria shared their questions from a recent IELTS exam (it appears the test was almost the same in the two countries). Here is what they remembered:
Writing test
Writing task 1 (a report)
We were given two bar charts showing the number of people interested to study media, biology, chemistry and mathematics. One bar chart was describing the numbers in 1998 and another – in 2010.
Writing task 2 (an essay)
Some people argue that air travel should be restricted due to pollution and excessive fuel consumption. To what extend do you agree or disagree?
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview)
– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– Where are you from?
– Do you live in a house or an apartment?
– What can you see through your windows?
– Let’s talk about farming.
– Is farming important?
– What are the common vegetables grown in your area?
– Are you interested in farming?
– Let’s talk about teaching.
– Do you think everyone can be a teacher, why or why not?
– Can you teach?
Part 2 (Cue Card)
Talk about a skill you would like to teach others. Choose from the following: driving, mathematics, cooking. Please say
– What the skill is
– How you learnt it
– Who you would teach
– And explain why you would like to teach that skill.
Part 3 (Discussion)
– What other skills do you think a teacher should have, aside from teaching?
– What are some modern ways to teach?
– Should teaching have elements of fun in it?
– What are the most important skills you can learn?
February 25, 2021
How to stop using ‘so’ to quickly improve your IELTS score
Linking words ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’ and ‘because’, just like other words, have synonyms which help you avoid using the same word over and over again. We all are guilty of overusing these linkers sometimes, and the reason is, we haven’t trained our brain to replace them. If I had a coin for every time I said ‘so’, I’d be rich!
Why should you make an effort to avoid using ‘so’? To increase your IELTS score, of course! As an ex-examiner Adam knows the power of what happens when you stop using these four simple words and start using their synonyms instead. Last week he covered ‘because’ and in today’s video he takes the word ‘so’ and shows you how you can live without it!
Watch the lesson on YouTube, or below:
A quick sneak peak at what’s in the video:
Accordingly – He did not complain to the police, accordingly, the police did not take any action (instead of ‘so, the police did not take any action’).
Then – Take a break now, then you won’t be so tired later today (instead of ‘so you won’t be so tired later today’).
Consequently – All the restaurants were closed, and consequently we had to make dinner at home (instead of ‘and so we had to make dinner at home’).
Thus – He is not satisfied, thus we must prepare a new proposal (instead of ‘so we must prepare a new proposal’).
Hence – A better working environment improves people’s attitude, and hence productivity also increases (instead of ‘and so productivity also increases’).
And of course there are more ways to avoid saying ‘so’ – keep watching until the very end.
Happy learning!
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February 24, 2021
IELTS Speaking test in the UAE – February 2021
When J.P. took IELTS in Dubai, UAE, he was asked the following questions in Speaking. Many thanks for sharing, J.P!
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview)
– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– Where are you from?
– Do you work or study?
– Do you live in a flat or a house?
– Describe your place.
– What can you see from your window?
– Do you prefer several short breaks or one long one?
– What do you do during your break?
– Do you sleep during breaks?
– What is one important festival that you celebrate in your country?
– How did you celebrate it last year?
Part 2 (Cue Card)
Describe an occasion when you tried a new food for the first time. Please say
– When was it?
– Where was it?
– What was the food?
– And explain whether you liked it or not, and why.
Part 3 (Discussion)
– What kind of food is popular in your country?
– Do older and younger people have different food preferences? In what way?
– Do you think young people will change their taste in food in the future?
– Who should be responsible for teaching children healthy food habits, teachers or their families?
– Can social media influence people to follow healthy eating habits?
February 23, 2021
IELTS test in Oman – February 2021 (Academic Module)
Thanks to our generous friend S.S. from Oman we are sharing the questions she remembered from a recent IELTS test:
Writing test
Writing task 1 (a report)
We were given a diagram describing the process of catching fish and its distribution to supermarkets.
Writing task 2 (an essay)
Scientists believe that computers, not humans, will control cars in the near future. What are the reasons for that? Would this be a positive or a negative development?
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview)
– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– Where are you from?
– Do you work or study?
– What do you study?
– Where do you study?
– What is your major subject?
– Do you like it? Why?
– Let’s talk about changes and decisions.
– Describe some changes that happened to you.
– Do you like these changes?
– What age is suitable for making important decisions, in your opinion?
– Do you think parents have a role in making decisions for their children?
– Do parents have more influence than friends? Why?
Part 2 (Cue Card)
Talk about an instance when you changed your opinion and had to make a new decision. Please say
– What was the decision?
– When and where was it?
– How did people react to that?
– How did you feel about that decision later?
Part 3 (Discussion)
– Do you believe change is an important thing?
– Do you think social media is shaping up our decisions?
– Do you think famous people affect people of a certain age more than others?
– Do you think we need people in the country who express opinions openly?
February 22, 2021
IELTS Speaking test in Canada – February 2021
We are grateful to D.N. who took IELTS in Canada and shared the following Speaking questions with us:
Speaking test
Interview
– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– Where are you from?
– Do you work or study?
– What do you do?
– Let’s talk about growing things.
– Have you ever planted a tree?
– What tree have you planted?
– What type of trees are popular in your country?
– Let’s talk about your morning routine.
– Have you ever woken up early?
– Why do you wake early?
– What do you do in the morning?
– Do you like to sleep in at weekends? Why/why not?
Cue Card
Describe a time when you encouraged a person to do something they didn’t want to do. Please say
– Who is he/she?
– What did you encourage him/her to do?
– How did he/she react to it?
– And explain why you encouraged him/her to do it.
Discussion
– Why do parents encourage their children to do new things?
– In what ways do they motivate their children?
– Should parents reward children with prizes for doing well?
– How can employers motivate their workers to do better at work?
– What is better, to offer money or more time off work, to motivate an employee?
February 21, 2021
IELTS Speaking test in India – February 2021
Thanks to our awesome Instagram follower K.P. we can share his questions from a recent IELTS Speaking test in India:
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview)
– What is your full name?
– Can I see you ID please?
– Do you live in a house or a flat?
– What can you see through your windows?
– Let’s talk about farming.
– Is farming important?
– What are the common vegetables grown in your area?
– Are you interested in farming?
– Let’s talk about happiness.
– What is happiness to you?
– Is happiness the same for everyone?
– Would you be happy if you didn’t have to work or study?
– What was the last thing that made your family happy?
Part 2 (Cue Card)
Talk about your favorite part of any city or town. Please say
– Where it is
– What you like about it
– Why you like it
– And explain what you do when you go there.
Part 3 (Discussion)
– What defines the character of any city?
– What is the difference between old and new cities?
– What kind of cities do old people prefer to visit?
– What kind of cities do younger people like?
– Is there any difference between older cities and newer cities?
– What are the differences in perception of older and younger people regarding cities?
– Do you think more people will move from villages to cities in the future?
– What are the effects of globalization on cities and villages?
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