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!