Vocabulary:
let's face it = we should be honest and accept
properly (adv) = in the correct way
disaster (n) = a terrible event
extremely (adv) = very, very
exhausted (adj) = very, very tired
We are all guilty of thinking we can learn everything the night before the exam but let's face it, if you don't know it now, you're not going to know it well enough to use it properly and under pressure in a few hours time! Also, don't book a test in a city miles away and think you can get up at 4 a.m. on the day and travel. This is a recipe for disaster! If your test is far away you need to travel there the day before and find the test centre so that you do not have that added stress on the morning of the exam. The IELTS exam is extremely tiring and you need your full attention and brainpower so don't disadvantage yourself by going in there already exhausted. Organise yourself so that the night before you can just relax, eat and sleep so that you are mentally and physically ready to get up in the morning and get that result you need!
Vocabulary: let's face it = we should be honest and accept properly (adv) = in the correct way disaster (n) = a terrible event extremely (adv) = very, very exhausted (adj) = very, very tired Students are under the impression that it is necessary to use only complex/ academic vocabulary and grammar in their speaking and writing exam and whilst, yes, there are marks for more complex words and constructions, there is also credit given for accurate use of more simple vocabulary and grammar.
Whatever you do, do NOT experiment with new words/ grammar in the real exam. The place to experiment is in the classroom, in your homework and practice tests. In the real exam. however, do NOT use the more complex language if you are not completely sure of how/ where to use it or how to spell/ pronounce it. Use the language you are confident and comfortable with. It is better to be simple and correct than complex and wrong. Vocabulary: to be under the impression = to believe/ think that complex (adj) = complicated accurate (adj) = correct All too often I hear students saying "I need more academic words so I've bought a vocabulary book and I read it before I go to bed". When I ask those students which words they have learnt so far they can very rarely tell me. The fact is: reading meaningless words in a big long list of words is extremely boring and usually ineffective. To learn more 'academic words' you need to see the words in context, in a meaningful piece of writing and not simply in an isolated list. Then, you can see the words in use, understand their meaning and record them. Where should you find these words? The IELTS exam! Use your past papers or practice exams - these are the best source of 'academic vocabulary'. Use all four parts of the exam, try to understand the meaning of unknown words before looking them up in the dictionary and then of course record them on your Vocabulary Record. Then, test yourself regularly. For most of us it is not enough to see a word once and remember it - it takes more effort and time.
Vocabulary: so far = until now rarely (adv) = not often, hardly ever ineffective (adj) = without effect in context = in use, in a meaningful piece of writing isolated (adj) = separated from everything, alone Too many people do not realise how important the title is in Writing Task 2 - answering the question is 25% of your mark here. DO NOT just see the topic and write something connected to that subject - you MUST answer the specific question that is there on the paper. Anything you wrote that is not connected to that title will simply lose you marks and waste your time. Here are some ideas for how to approach the question: 1. Read the question slowly and carefully. 2. Copy the title exactly onto your answer paper (this can help you to focus on the question and by placing it at the top of your paper, when you are writing you can easily keep checking to make sure you are answering that question). 3. Underline the key words. 4. List some synonyms of the key words - this can help you to gain points in the Lexical Resource part. 5. Identify the type of question, for example, advantages/ disadvantages, problem/ solution, agree/ disagree etc. 6. Identify the separate parts of the question to make sure you are answering ALL of the question. 7. Make a plan. Here is an example of the approach. Question University lecturers are seeing more and more badly written essays. Many students do not realise the importance of planning, editing and checking their work, yet in order to produce a good, well-structured essay, these three steps are essential. To what extent do you agree or disagree? 1. Read the question slowly and carefully. 2. Copy the title exactly onto your answer paper (this can help you to focus on the question and by placing it at the top of your paper, when you are writing you can easily keep checking to make sure you are answering that question). 3. Underline the key words. University lecturers are seeing more and more badly written essays. Many students do not realise the importance of planning, editing and checking their work, yet in order to produce a good, well-structured essay, these three steps are essential. To what extent do you agree or disagree? 4. List some synonyms of the key words - this can help you to gain points in the Lexical Resource part. badly written essays - poorly written work - assignments that are badly written - weak writing - a poor piece of writing importance - how important - essential - extremely important planning - making a plan - preparing - writing a plan editing - changing where necessary - adding/ deleting - improving checking - having a look - making sure - looking again good - strong - solid - impressive well-structured - well-organised - logically organised - complete essay - piece of writing 5. Identify the type of question, for example, advantages/ disadvantages, problem/ solution, agree/ disagree etc. Agree or disagree - choose which you think and find three strong reasons to support your point of view. 6. Identify the separate parts of the question to make sure you are answering ALL of the question. University lecturers are seeing more and more badly written essays. Many students do not realise the importance of planning, editing and checking their work, - make sure you rephrase this problem in your introduction - this is the situation/ background and should be the first thing you write about in your essay. yet in order to produce a good, well-structured essay, these three steps are essential. - this is where you should answer the question - whether you think these three steps are needed or not. Do not explain why at this point - simply say if you think they are essential or not. To what extent do you agree or disagree? - this gives you the structure for your essay. In your introduction, after you have introduced the situation and given your opinion, you should then say that your essay will provide three reasons why you hold such a belief. 7. Make a plan. Introduction - describe situation - increase of bad essays, students do not plan and check - give opinion - agree the three steps are necessary - explain structure - this essay will provide three reasons for this argument Main body Paragraph 1 - Planning: structure, logical order, clear argument Paragraph 2 - Editing: re-read when writing, reviewing ideas and opinions, allowing others to see Paragraph 3 - Checking: spelling, punctuation and grammar Conclusion - Give your opinion again - Make a statement about the future Here is an example essay answering the question above.
Vocabulary is such a huge part of the IELTS exam. See 'Record, Remember and Repeat' for more details. It is important to know if a word is a noun, verb, adjective or adverb (its word class) and how it changes for each word class. You need this information in the following parts of the exam: - When filling gaps in the reading/ listening exam - if you do not use the correct form and spelling of the word, you will not get the point. Example: WRONG - I have the CHOOSE (this is the verb - you need the noun here) CORRECT - I have the CHOICE - When speaking/ writing, one of the criteria listed in the exam marking scheme 'lexical resource' section is that the correct form of the word is used. So, when you find, record and learn a new word, it is beneficial to learn all of its forms. See the example vocabulary record sheet as an idea for how to lay out your vocabulary record. Vocabulary: huge (adj) = very big gain (v) = to get beneficial (adj) = useful
Remember that you aren't really writing for you, you're writing to make the examiner happy. For that reason, it is essential to know what the examiner is looking for. This can be found in the official IELTS writing marking scheme. This document can be quite difficult to understand so I have translated it into simple English for you.
Use our checklist to make sure you have done all the things that should make the examiner happy.
Before you begin studying it is very important to recognise your strengths and weaknesses. Then, you can make sure you concentrate on the things you most need to concentrate on and you don't waste your time. First of all, decide whether your strengths/ weaknesses are in the skills of speaking, reading, writing or listening and then look at the sub-skills within each of these. Make your study plan based on the strengths and weaknesses you recognise. Use our template to help you.
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AuthorMy name is Helena Stakounis. I am a Master's Graduate in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching. After many years of teaching at home and abroad, opening my own school (Language Cafe) and lecturing at university (Salford), I decided to start a blog to help people succeed in the IELTS exam. I hope you find the information useful. Archives
August 2016
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