Avoiding mistakes in Writing

Here are some things to be aware of during the Writing section of the IELTS exam.

Some may seem very easy, childish even, but remember that when writing under pressure it is very easy to think of the rules of the native language and forget those of English or even write without any rules in mind.

·         Ensure that your handwriting is legible.

·       Ensure that the first letter of the first word in every sentence is a capital letter.

·       Make sure that you know which types of words in English need to be written with initial capital in all situations and write them correctly (for instance: days of the week, names of languages, etc.)

·      You can start writing from the left hand side of the page (block style) or you can begin the first sentence of every paragraph with an indent (a small blank space at the beginning of the line).

·     Try to avoid using question marks (?). Use indirect questions instead.

                 e.g.: What is the time?
                         I would like to know what the time is.

·     Try to avoid using exclamation marks (!), even if you are writing a letter of complaint. You are not writing an email or a blog post. Try to be polite.

• Make sure that other punctuation marks are placed right after words.
e.g.: … people.   NOT  … people  .

       … people,   NOT  … people  ,

• If you reach the end of the line it is also important to keep punctuation together.
e.g.:                                                                                               … people’s

NOT                                          …people

‘s

• If you are at the end of the line and realise that you cannot write an entire word in the space left, do not break it into syllables. Erase it and write the whole word on the next line instead to avoid mistakes.
e.g.:                                                                                                                                    … impo-    rtant                

                                                                          is incorrect

Until next time,

God luck

Good news!

If you're worried about making grammar mistakes in the IELTS test here's something new to help you.
Cambridge University Press has recently launched a new grammar app based on Raymond Murphy's book "English Grammar in Use". The app is now available for Apple devices. The version for Android products will be available soon.


Happy exercising!

How to improve the Writing score

I am often asked about ways to increase the IELTS scores, especially for the writing section. Most students I talk to often get a 'something point five' score, either a 5.5 or 6.5, but what they really need is a full 6 or 7. So they wonder what is wrong with their writing, what is causing them to lose that precious half a band?

I usually find that problem to be grammar. Here are some things to bear in mind when you are writing, in no particular order:

v  Nouns: Are they in singular or plural? This helps you determine if you need a singular or a plural verb. In English the subject – verb agreement is important.

v  Articles: Do you need one or not before the noun? Most times in English we do need to use articles. Make sure that before the test day you are familiar with the rules for using articles and more importantly with the exceptions to the rules.

v  Adjectives: What is their correct order before a noun? Find out the rules and apply them when you are practising. To avoid mistakes try not to use too many adjectives before a noun.

If you feel that there are other grammar related issues you’re struggling with, please write a comment and I will try to help.

If you need a quick review of the usage of articles in English, see my eBook, ‘Which Article?’, available at eBooks distributors such as Smashwords, Apple, Scribd, txtr, Flipkart, Oyster and many more.

 

Until next time,

Good luck

And the Writing test (2)

As soon as the issue with ideas is dealt with, the students move on the inevitable next question:

How do I write?

Many people who have not written anything major since school have probably forgotten that any piece of writing must have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Simply starting by answering your first question will not bring you many points.

When marking your paper one of the criteria is lexical resource, which simply means vocabulary. The marker wants to see a wide range of vocabulary, from simple, everyday words to more complex, topic-specific ones. Please be aware that using fancy 3- or 4-syllable words in the wrong context will not bring you points.

So if you’re writing the answer to the General Training task 1 -the letter- and you’re writing to a friend then your language should be informal. However, if you’re writing to a potential employer formal vocabulary is needed.

Other things that require attention are grammar and sentence structure. Using simple tenses and short sentences is not always to your advantage. Before the test, take some time to revise the grammar of English and when practicing try to write longer, more complex sentences involving more tenses.

Until next time, Good luck!

And the Writing test

If there was a World Cup of the most disliked part of an English language exam, the IELTS Writing would win every time. Nowadays many people don’t believe that writing skills in a foreign language are useful thus when studying they often skip this part or write very little. So when it’s time for the IELTS, writing about unknown topics in a limited amount of time only makes things worse.

When I walk into a classroom and only mention a writing task I can already see the annoyance on the students’ faces and know exactly what the first question is:

What do I write about?

Keep in mind that you don’t have to be experts in all fields to be able to write 150 words for task 1 and 250 words for task 2. And you are allowed to use your own experiences and knowledge and you can bring information from your own country.

Before the test day make sure you practise writing answers for as many questions as you can. The old-fashioned ‘practice makes perfect’ really applies to the IELTS. Also you should try to watch TV, listen to the radio or read newspapers in print or online. This will help you get some more ideas and you might also learn some new words to add to your vocabulary.

On the day of the test it is extremely important that you read the questions (rubrics) carefully. Read them two or three times if you need to and underline key words if it helps. It is imperative that you fully understand the questions, especially for task 2. The next step is to write down all the ideas that go through your head then choose two or three that you can fully develop into paragraphs.

Keep in mind that every new idea has to be written in a separate paragraph. Ideally, they should begin with a linking word to ensure a connection with the previous sections and a nice flow of thoughts.

Until next time, Good luck!

Changes

There have been changes in the order of the IELTS written papers.

I wonder how the candidates feel about this.


Good luck everyone!

Quote of the week

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”

 

                                                                                     Louis L'Amour

And the Reading test (2)

One of the things I usually do before or at the beginning of the lesson is to talk to my students. It’s not just to pass the time while waiting for everybody to come and settle down, I use these five – ten minutes to answer their questions and ask some of my own.

One day I was trying to find out why my IELTS students got the scores they got in their previous test. This is useful research for the teacher to see where the students struggle. So here is another story to put under the ‘how your studies can get you into trouble’ file.
While doing the Reading section of the Academic module test, my student (a graduate of Medical School) came across a text which he found very interesting, as it somehow connected with his studies and his future career as a medical doctor. He read the text, got the gist then read the text again, got the details and answered the questions. But by the time he finished he realised he didn’t have enough time to read the last text properly and answer the questions. So, after a quick skim he answered some questions and then he started choosing the answers randomly.

He got good score, but not the one he needed, so he had to re-take the test.

That was the first time I heard that someone was so wrapped up in the information that they forgot about the exam completely. Usually, the students complain about the texts being boring, as they are on unfamiliar topics, and containing unknown words.

So, please be careful and always keep an eye on the clock, no matter how (un)interesting your text is.

Until next time, Good luck!

And the Reading test

This is where things get a little more complicated as candidates taking the General Module test will get different texts from those doing the Academic Module, but they will have the same number of questions to answer.

In most cases, using your background knowledge is very useful (see Phrase of the day post) as it will help you connect things and answer questions quicker.

However, there are situations when this background knowledge, more specifically your studies, will cause you some trouble. Here’s how.

While teaching an IELTS preparation class one day I noticed that a student in the back row was becoming very upset as I was going through the answers for an Academic reading text. The topic of the text was research in the field of psychology.

The student got most of the answers wrong, so at the end of the lesson I talked to her to offer some encouragement as it was the first time she was taking the test. That’s when she told me that she wasn’t upset because of the wrong answers. She was upset because she felt the text had outdated information (she had recently graduated with a Bachelor degree in Psychology) and she had chosen answers based on what she had learned. I explained to her that these texts don’t always have the latest and most accurate information as it takes some time to create the questions for an IELTS test.

True, our first instinct when we read something is to put it either in the ‘Agree’ or ‘Disagree’ box in our head. But that’s not something I recommend during the test. The information you have (or may not have) in the text is what you must base your answers on.

 
Until next time, Good luck!

And the Listening test

So you’ve got the booklet and the answer sheet and you’re clutching that pencil as if your life depended on it. Suddenly, the invigilator hits the Play button. For the first five to ten minutes you concentrate to the maximum and write down the answers. But at some point, maybe around half-way through the recording or just after, your mind seems to drift away. By the time you come back to reality you’ve missed a couple of answers, at which point your brain goes into overdrive and you have no idea what you have to write and you miss one or two more answers.

This happened to me and to a lot of people. Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate for long periods in that kind of artificial environment.

Other reasons for missing answers:

- the testing venue is near a busy road and traffic noises are louder than the recording

- other test takers around you are coughing or sneezing or making noise

These are things we can’t control so you can’t let them get to you. Becoming angry or upset on test day is not going to help you.

What can you do before the test?

- do some practice listening tests and listen without headphones to get used to ambient noises. You can find a lot online these days if you haven’t bought the books with CDs.

- watch the news or documentaries on TV (or listen to the radio), but not while you’re doing something else. Set aside some time for this activity only to see how long you can concentrate. You need to be able to do it for 20 minutes or more.

What can you do during the test?

If you’ve missed some answers, read the text/paragraph again and try to guess them. Most times they will be everyday words and in some cases alternate answers can be accepted as correct.

Until next time, Good luck!

Phrase of the day

Read! Anything and everything.

Hello everybody!

Welcome to The IELTS Corner shop, yet another blog about the famous exam.
But unlike other blogs here you won't find samples of past exams or example answers (genuine or not) and text with errors (provided my trusty keyboard doesn't fail me).

All I can offer is advice and answers to your questions. I have the experience of the test taker, teacher, clerical marker and writer of IELTS preparation books.

In case you were wondering, there is no magic trick that can get you the score you want. You simply need to practise.

If you have any (other) pressing questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Until next time, good luck with your exam.