Simone Braverman's Blog: IELTS-Blog.com, page 123

IELTS report, topic: Shopping centre map comparison

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task

The maps below show the Happy Valley Shopping Center in 1982 and 2012. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words

Band 8 Answer

The two maps show the radical changes that Happy Valley Shopping Center underwent during the period between 1982 and 2012. Overall, it is clear that the redevelopment resulted in expansion of the shopping mall and rearrangement of its in-house facilities.

By 2012, the indoor shopping area spread to the west, and the outdoor lake was replaced by a furniture retailer. Additionally, considerable changes were made to the north-west part where a coffee shop was removed and an adjacent food store was relocated to the south-east corner of the mall. Two stores selling sports and electronic goods took over their previous locations along the northern wall. A linear array of themed restaurants moved in along the eastern wall of the shopping centre, replacing sports and electronics shops. On the western side, the lobby area at the main entrance was removed to allow for a bigger central entertainment area.

Yet another alteration was made outside, where a path leading to the main entrance of the mall was removed and instead a spacious car park was built. The entrance, however, was kept in the same location and the lines of trees surrounding the shopping centre remained largely unchanged where possible.

Teacher’s comment: This is a great report. All aspects were covered and a well-developed response was provided. The writer’s vocabulary could have been richer and word choice needs a bit more attention. Overall, seems worthy of Band 8.

Click here to see more IELTS reports of band 8

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IELTS Letter, topic: writing to a friend about an article that captured your attention

The topic of this letter appeared in a recent IELTS exam in Canada. Below is a sample response that is likely to score Band 8 or above in IELTS.

You read a newspaper article that captured your attention. Write letter to your friend and recommended reading the article. Include the following in your letter:

– Where and when the article was published

– What the article was about

– Why it is important that your friend reads it.

Answer

Dear Jack,

I hope that you are well and enjoying your new apartment. I am writing to tell you about an article I have just read in our local newspaper. It was published in “The Croydon News” on September 21 (page 16).

The article is about a new coding course, which will be introduced by the London branch of a well-known international IT company. This program covers a vast number of different topics related to the Information Technology industry, and it was prepared for individuals with different backgrounds, ranging from a complete beginner to an experienced team leader. Moreover, during the initial period of 3 months the course is free of charge and has a flexible schedule, which makes it attractive for people in full-time employment.

As I remember, you always wanted to become a software developer and said that finding suitable courses in our area was nearly impossible. I hope this article will be useful to you and may even help you start your dream career. I am attaching a clipping of the article with all the details to this letter.

Looking forward to catching up with you again soon.

All the best,

Tony

Click here to see more IELTS letters of band 8

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10 expressions to help you get Band 7+ in IELTS (Lesson 3)

If you’ve already learnt the idioms from Lesson 2, well done! But don’t worry if you have only joined us now – you can start from any lesson, as they are all useful, and catch up later on the lessons you missed.

So, we have established that using idiomatic expressions in IELTS helps you get a higher score. Now it is just a matter of learning what expressions to use, and how to use them appropriately.

In this video Adam, an ex-IELTS examiner with 10 years of experience, gives you 10 more excellent idioms to use, to get a Band 7 or higher score in your IELTS Speaking or Writing test. Adam explains what every expression means and how to use it in a sentence.

Watch the video on YouTube here

If you’d like to copy and save these useful expressions for later, here is a list, have a look at the idioms below and ask yourself two questions:

Question 1. Do you know what they mean?

Question 2. Can you use them in a sentence?

And then make a sentence about YOU and use one of those expressions. By doing that you are more likely to remember that idiom, because we tend to remember personal things better!

Go here to check YOUR own Speaking score.

10 expressions to help you get a Band 7 in IELTS

1. To get your act together

2. To give someone the benefit of the doubt

3. To go back to the drawing board

4. To hang in there

5. To hit the sack

6. It’s not rocket science

7. To let someone off the hook

8. To make a long story short

9. To miss the boat

10. No pain, no gain

Check your knowledge of idioms

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IELTS Results competition winners in August 2020

After a period of uncertainty with COVID-19 pandemic halting IELTS exams in many countries, we are delighted to see test takers emerge from lockdowns, with their IELTS skills as sharp as ever!

So today, with great pleasure we present the winners of IELTS results competition in August 2020:

Academic Module – 1st place

Vasanthi Thiyagarajan from India, Band 8

Academic Module – 2nd place

Anurika Onu-Nwaduhu from Nigeria, Band 7.5

General Training Module – 1st place

Amir Ebrahimi from Iran, Band 8
Madhuri Yarlagadda from India, Band 8

General Training Module – 2nd place

Rohitkumar Pokiya from India, Band 7.5

Congratulations on your success! To celebrate your achievements we are sending your special certificates to your emails. Winning IELTS results will be displayed in the IELTS-Blog hall of fame – so if you won, please feel free to show them off to your friends!

How did they score so well?

It is nice to see some of our students among the winners.

Amir Ebrahimi (Band 8) said:

“I’m writing to thank you for your writing correction service that helped me to achieve my dream band score in writing. After several attempts of the IELTS exam, I finally got a 7 in writing, which increased to 7.5 after a remark. Your support and guidance in writing was an important part of this achievement.”

Now it is more important than ever that we hear from the winners of this competition. Why? Because not only did they achieve great IELTS scores, but they also did it in a very stressful situation. They had the strength to keep pushing when others gave up. They remained persistent and strong, and we can all learn that from them. Their advice, as soon as we get it, will be posted on IELTS-Blog without delay, so everyone can use the same technique and get a better score in their own exam.

If IELTS exams in your country are suspended for now, don’t lose hope, don’t shelve your IELTS preparation. Remember that this situation is only temporary, and very soon testing will resume. In many countries you can take an IELTS Indicator test online and get an indicative IELTS score that lots of organisations accept (read all the details here).

The world can only stay in lockdown for a limited time, and as soon as restrictions end, you need to be ready! Many of us have wasted a lot of time already, let’s not waste any more, and get your target score! We at IELTS-Blog.com are here to support you every step of the way, so if you need help, email us any time.

P.S. IELTS results competition runs every month, and everyone is welcome to participate. Learn how to enroll here.

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IELTS grammar: how to use articles (a, an, the) in English

If there is one issue that troubles almost every English learner, it is the use of articles. Articles (a, an, the) are words to be used before nouns, but remembering which article to use and when to use it can be hard. To help you with that problem Adam, our experienced Speaking examiner of 10 years who also taught English for 15 years, made this video. Watch him explain all the cases when you need an article and learn an easy way to remember them!

Watch the video on YouTube here

The great thing about today’s grammar lesson is that not only will your IELTS preparation benefit from it, but also your general knowledge of English. It will help you in your studies, if you study in English, or at work, if English is used in your workplace or your business. It will help you sound more like a native English speaker when you talk to people. It will make your writing look more professional. All you need to do is watch this video, become aware of articles and start practicing in using them correctly whenever you can.

Go here to check YOUR own Speaking score.

A quick recap from the video:

4 Basic Rules for articles a, an, the in English

1. Articles are words ‘a, an, the’ that come before a noun, for example ‘an apple’.

A simple rule to remember – they show quantity: a/an = 1.

Articles also come before adjectives, for example ‘a juicy apple’ and noun phrases, such as ‘a delicious, juicy apple’.

Plural nouns don’t need articles: ‘Cats can be big or small’ (no article before ‘cats’).

2. Articles show whether both the speaker and the listener are familiar with something or not.

‘The restaurant next to our school’ – the speaker and the listener know exactly which restaurant is being mentioned, and that is why the definite article ‘the’ is used before ‘restaurant’.

Articles also show whether the speaker and the listener are unfamiliar with something.

‘I saw a new restaurant on my way to school’ – only the speaker saw the restaurant but the listener doesn’t know about it. This is why an indefinite article ‘a’ is used before ‘restaurant’.

3. Is the noun countable or uncountable?

If the noun is countable and it is singular, put a/an in front of it: a banana, an apple.

Uncountable articles such as ‘money’ don’t need articles – ‘I need money’.

Tip 1: a/an aren’t pronounced clearly, native speakers don’t stress them. Listen to Adam’s pronunciation in the video and try to copy that.

4. Possessive adjectives (her, my, their) don’t need articles.

When we know who the owner is (her book, my pen, their father), we don’t use articles. The same is true about adjectives that show quantity and location: that book, those books, any day, each day, one day.

Tip 2: to understand and reinforce your knowledge of articles, read and remember this story:

“I was walking to school when I saw a cat. The cat started looking at me. Then a man tapped me on the shoulder. The man asked if the cat scared me.”

Advanced rules – IELTS Band 7 to 9

1. The – for entertainment

I went to the cinema / the pub / she shops

2. The – for transport

I arrived at the airport, the bus stop; I took the bus / the subway

3. The – for musical instruments

I play the piano / the violin / the guitar

4. The – for common places

I went to the hospital / the post office / the police station

5. The – for rivers, mountain ranges, oceans and seas, groups of islands

Example: the Nile, the Rocky mountains, the Pacific ocean, the Maldives

6. The – for hotels, cinemas, political groups, newspapers

Example: the Hilton, the Cinemas, the Democrats, the New York Times

7. No articles for most time expressions

Example: next month / last year / on Monday / on my day off

Exception: At the weekend

8. No articles for meals

Example: I had breakfast and I will eat lunch later.

9. No articles for work, home, bed

Example: I went to work, then I came home and went to bed.

10. No articles for proper nouns – names, places

Example: ‘I will talk to Adam’ or ‘I went to Toronto’

And finally – idioms don’t follow any rules. You just have to memorise the full idiom as one expression, such as ‘in a hurry’, ‘off the record’, ‘out of action’

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IELTS essay, topic: What is the best motivation for workers – salary, job satisfaction or helping others?

This is a model response to a Writing Task 2 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is likely to score IELTS Band 9.

Set 3 Academic book, Practice Test 15

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

There are many things that can motivate people to perform well in their work. These can include the salary, job satisfaction or the chance to help others. What do you feel is the best motivation to do well at work?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Sample Band 9 Essay

To perform well in a job, people have to be motivated. There are multiple strategies for employers to insentivise their employees. The most obvious one is the salary; however, job satisfaction and the ability to help people are other methods of improving performance at work.

For the majority of the people, receiving their salary at the end of the month is their motivation. This is because money is necessary to fulfill the most basic needs and other materialistic desires. Employees see these opportunities when receiving their salary and therefore work to achieve money. Furthermore, performing well in a job can often lead to promotions with higher pay packages. To receive this, staff have to stand out positively in their jobs. Salary is therefore a key motivational tool for many workforce participants.

However, money is far from being the only incentive. Another aspect affecting performance is job satisfaction. If a person is comfortable in their work, they are more likely to perform well. Therefore this motivational tool interlinks with salary, as when people are content and perform well, the chances of promotion increase. For some individuals though, only their passion can drive them. Prime examples for this are humanitarian jobs. The salaries are often not very high, but those choosing to work in this field are often very driven; their passion to help others is prioritised over their own salary.

In conclusion, while income might be the most common motivational factor, it is unusual to be the sole incentive for working hard, and some people are motivated wholly due to other reasons.

Go here for more IELTS Band 9 Essays

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10 expressions to help you get Band 7+ in IELTS (Lesson 2)

Many test takers know that using idiomatic expressions in IELTS helps you get a higher score. Not so many know what expressions to use, and how to use them appropriately.

In this video Adam, an ex-IELTS examiner with 10 years of experience, gives you 10 excellent idioms to use, to get a Band 7 or higher score in your IELTS Speaking or Writing test. Adam explains what every expression means and how to use it in a sentence.

Watch the video on YouTube here

If you’d like to copy and save these useful expressions for later, here is a list, have a look at the idioms below and ask yourself:

A. Do you know what they mean?

B. Can you use them in a sentence?

And then make a sentence about YOU and use one of those expressions. By doing that you are more likely to remember that idiom, because we tend to remember personal things better!

10 expressions to help you get a Band 7 in IELTS

1. A blessing in disguise

2. A dime a dozen

3. To beat around the bush

4. Better late than never

5. To bite the bullet

6. To call it a day

7. To cut somebody some slack

8. To cut corners

9. To get out of hand

10. To get something out of your system

Go here to check YOUR own Speaking score.

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IELTS essay, topic: Excessive use of modern technologies is negatively affecting the reading and writing skills of children (agree/disagree)

Some people believe that excessive use of modern technologies, such as computers and smartphones, is negatively affecting the reading and writing skills of our young people. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Sample Band 8 Essay

Parents and teachers in many countries are feeling increasingly concerned about the effect of digital devices on vital skills of school-aged children. They are alarmed by the declining ability of young people to read and write and its suspected link to the influence of modern technology, and I wholeheartedly share their view. This essay will outline the reasons to watch out for the consequences of widespread use of computers and mobile phones by our youngsters.

Primary school is a very important period when children develop their fine motor skills, which are involved in learning to write. Time spent typing on a mobile phone or a tablet doesn’t contribute to the necessary workout of the small muscles in the hands and fingers of young people. Not only do they get less practice in writing but also fewer opportunities to train in spelling words, since the ‘autocorrect’ and ‘autocomplete’ features use the first few letters to guess the entire word, therefore making it unnecessary for the child to remember and type it correctly. Another companion of unrestrained use of mobile devices is the jargon that is often used in text messages, where words are shortened or distorted. Exposure to ‘texting’ tends to replace the correct words with abbreviations in young minds, causing their spelling accuracy to decline.

Reading is another casualty of unrestricted access to smart devices. Video content can be more appealing and immersive for kids and they often are automatically drawn to it instead of books. Reading requires regular practice and needs to become a habit in order to fully develop as a skill; however, it is being perceived as a boring and labourious activity by many youngsters compared to effortless video-watching. Easy and instant access to videos and movies pushes books further down the list of preferences of young audience, and it takes a significant commitment from parents and teachers to ensure that children continue to read books.

To sum up, modern technology can be a friend or a foe for young children, depending on the choices adults in their lives make, regulating the amount of screen time and its purpose. Without due care the writing and reading abilities of kids can be harmed by other, more enjoyable activities they can use the devices for.

Click here to see more IELTS essays of Band 8

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IELTS Speaking Band 7.5, Full Test with Examiner’s Feedback (Murat)

In this video you will watch Murat take a mock Speaking Test – it shows you what happens on the test day in the real examination room. Due to COVID19 precautions there may be a plexiglass screen between you and the examiner, and you may be required to wear a face mask for your Speaking test. It is a good idea to ask your IELTS test centre about this, so that you know what to expect.

The questions our examiner is asking Murat are on topics that often come up in real IELTS Speaking exams. You can find the exact questions in Speaking Test 20 in the “High Scorer’s Choice” IELTS Practice Tests book series.

There are 3 parts in the IELTS Speaking Test.

In Part 1 the examiner asks personal questions on everyday topics, such as your job or studies, your home, your family or friends, your habits, likes and dislikes.

Part 2 is different, because there is no discussion in it. Instead, you receive a topic card (cue card) to talk about for 1 to 2 minutes, with 4 bullet points you should cover in your talk. Part 2 is the only part of the Speaking test where you get 1 minute preparation time and you can write down some ideas to talk about. This doesn’t happen in Part 1 or Part 3.

In Part 3 the examiner asks you questions related to Part 2 topic. You are expected to give longer, more elaborate answers and talk in-depth about the topics your examiner brings up.

How can you make the most of this Speaking test video?

1. Get familiar with everything that happens in the Speaking test. It will help you feel prepared when it’s your turn.

2. Listen to the questions the examiner asks and note how Murat answers them. Then think about what YOU would say in response to these questions.

3. Spot Murat’s mistakes and avoid them when you speak.

4. Go over Examiner’s Feedback below to learn how he rated Murat’s performance and why (he also points out some of his mistakes!)

5. You can even use this as a Listening exercise, and switch on subtitles on YouTube to understand every word on the recording.

Watch the video on YouTube here:

Examiner’s Feedback

This section shows you what goes on in the examiner’s mind when he rates a Speaking test. Make sure you read this before looking at the scores he gave Murat in every criterion, because this explains the reasons he got those scores.

Speaking Test, Part 1 – 0:20

Murat delivered a good and confident section 1. He provided thoughtful and full answers and easily fulfilled the time requirements. Murat spoke mostly fluently and coherently, with only short pauses to access ideas rather than language. He also uses humour to add to his communication. Murat’s vocabulary was excellent and he showed a range of appropriate lexis, sometimes showing he had access to some higher-level language, i.e. “significant impact” and “schemas of the world”. Murat’s grammatical range and accuracy was also very good with only some minor errors creeping in, i.e. he used “favourable” once instead of the adverb, “favourably”, and he had a tense consistency mix up once, saying “when I go back” instead of using “went” as he was referring to the past. Murat has a discernable Turkish accent, but it very rarely impedes his communication.

Speaking Test, Part 2 – 6:13

The cue card Murad was given is below:

Describe a memorable journey that you once took.You should say:

– what this journey was

– why you took it

– how long it took

– and explain why you feel this journey was so memorable.

Murat gave a good, full section 2. He was a little hesitant from time to time, but in general he was mostly fluent and always coherent. Murat showed that he had a good range of lexis to express what he wanted to say. There were, however, some occasional awkward moments when not quite the right word was chosen, i.e. “approach on/of the outside world”, “best for them”, “forced to believing”, “and the only option out” and “the same out-take”. “Criteria” was also slightly misused. These are all fairly minor examples though and the communication was very good. Murat’s grammar was very accurate and he used an appropriate range of structures to communicate. Again, Murat displayed an accent, but this did not interfere with communication in any way.

Speaking Test, Part 3 – 9:31

In Section 3, Murat gave intelligent and full answers and easily fulfilled the required time. There were more pauses in this section to access ideas and some language with the more demanding questions, but in general Murat was fluent and coherent. There was again some slightly awkward language expressed, i.e. “on a greater scope”, but this did not happen often. There were also lots of examples of elegant and well-chosen language, i.e. “without misinterpreting what others have to say.” Again, Murat’s grammar had a good range and very good accuracy. He didn’t really provide many complex structures, but he was able to speak without needing them. His accent again did not impede Murat’s pronunciation and excellent communicating ability.

Murat’s IELTS Speaking score

The marking of the IELTS Speaking Test is done in 4 parts.

Fluency and Coherence 7

Lexical Resource 7

Grammatical Range and Accuracy 8

Pronunciation 8

Estimated IELTS Speaking Band 7.5

Need more Speaking tests with Examiner’s feedback? Find them in High Scorer’s Choice book series.

If you’d like to get your own Speaking evaluated, you can – go here to learn how.

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IELTS essay, topic: People who read for pleasure develop their imagination more and acquire better language skills compared to people who prefer watching television (agree/disagree)

It is believed that people who read for pleasure develop their imagination more and acquire better language skills compared to people who prefer watching television. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Sample Band 8 Essay

Some people subscribe to the belief that reading helps enhance language skills and creativity, whereas watching television does very little for these skills. Personally, I support this opinion for several reasons, which will be laid out in this essay.

As we all know, books use text to convey ideas and quite often there are no images or illustrations to picture the scenes described in the book; therefore, we have to use our own imagination while reading. For example, reading a fantasy novel that contains mythical creatures one would normally imagine the appearance of those creatures in their mind in order to follow the plot. In contrast, the creatures on a TV screen are usually created for the viewer by directors and producers of the movie. Watching TV substitutes the need to develop one’s own imagination because the characters and their surroundings are shown on the screen.

Furthermore, it is argued that reading is the best way to expand one’s vocabulary. The reader learns the correct spelling of a word by seeing it printed in a book, and they grasp its meaning from the context, without having to look it up in a dictionary. To illustrate, English teachers in many schools use English novels as teaching materials. Students are asked to read the story and capture the keywords to answer the questions in the exam. Not only new words but also numerous sentence structures can be learnt from books. In comparison, learning new words while watching a TV show isn’t always easy because the viewer’s attention is drawn to what is happening on the screen and if there are no subtitles, they don’t see the words’ spelling. All this makes a book a more effective tool for a language learner compared to TV.

In conclusion, I believe people who love to read tend to have a more active imagination and advanced linguistic comprehension than those who watch television, since readers are required to imagine the story in the book and learn the meaning of new words from the context.

Click here to see more IELTS essays of Band 8

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