IELTS Reading and Writing Preparation Course – Central London

IELTS Teacher

If you are interested in a one day IELTS Reading and Writing course in central London (or know someone who might be) then please read on. I wanted to let you know about something that we're all excited about. IELTS Preparation Course - Central London We're now offering live IELTS preparation courses - with a professional IELTS teacher. We've decided we would now like to meet students face to face and are offering IELTS preparation courses in Central London. The first one was on Saturday February 9th 2013 from 10 a.m. until 3.15 p.m. and looked at Reading Techniques for Band 7+ and … [Read more...]

IELTS Writing – Who’s, Whose, Who, Whom, Its and It’s

IELTS Writing – Who’s, Whose, Who, Whom, Its and It’s

In IELTS writing, good spelling and grammar go almost unnoticed but poor spelling and grammar are immediately apparent – especially to an IELTS examiner! Poor spelling and grammar detracts from the overall quality of a piece of IELTS writing. Repeated errors will result in lower band scores as it suggests; that you don’t know the correct way; or, that you are sloppy and pay little attention to detail. Remember that writing in the IELTS test is by hand – not a computer – so spelling and grammar check tools are not available to pick up a wrongly spelled word or incorrect … [Read more...]

IELTS Writing – How to Ace the Two Writing Tasks

IELTS Writing

There are many reasons why students do not get the band they require in their IELTS writing. Probably the most obvious reason is that when students practise the IELTS writing task ones and task twos outside of the academic environment, they are not as strict with themselves about the time limits, which under exam conditions are strenuously controlled, so that you have exactly one hour in which to write the two tasks. Prepare wisely and develop your English – but time your writing and stick to it rigidly If you give yourself more than the allotted times when you prepare, you will have … [Read more...]

How many English words do you need for the IELTS Test?

IELTS_Vocabulary

Your performance in all aspects of the IELTS Test improves more with a broader vocabulary. You understand more and can express yourself better. Key attributes are required if you are to do well in the IELTS Test! It’s obvious really. Isn’t it? Here are some interesting statistical facts, which may surprise you: Just 10 words make up almost a quarter (23.7%) of the ink on any page. These are the repeated words like; a, the and of. 86,741 word families make up 100% of the ink on a page. I should add that there are more words in the English language, so there is a very, very small … [Read more...]

7 Spelling Rules for IELTS Vocabulary

Is spelling Important in the IELTS Test?

Have you ever experienced a situation where you are stuck with the clock ticking because you can’t figure out how to spell a word? You wracked your brain yet nothing came out? This is a universal struggle of both native and non-native speakers of English, let alone IELTS Test candidates. Spelling Most people, in their lives, have experienced this inability to spell correctly. Even professional writers. Why should we spell correctly? Is it really important?      Read this passage: Aoccdrnig to rscheearch by the Lngiusiitc Dptanmeret at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it … [Read more...]

How Tiger Woods and David Beckham help you to IELTS Test success

Beckham-Woods

David Beckham and Tiger Woods each possess more talent in their little fingers than most of us have in our whole body. Yet they still practise. Boy, do they practise! Beckham and Woods never stop practising When Beckham was at Manchester United Alex Ferguson (Team Coach) said that he “practised with discipline to achieve an accuracy that others wouldn’t care about”. Tiger Woods is the same. The day after he won the 2000 PGA championship he didn’t take a well-deserved break. He was back on the range practising! A high band score in the IELTS examination does not come on a … [Read more...]

7 Skill Improvement Tips for IELTS Band Score 7

Prepare using serious publications

What stops you from achieving IELTS band score 7? Is it low language proficiency, the lack of time for your preparation? Perhaps it is the psychological trauma caused by trying several times while your band score remains resolutely nailed at band score 5. To achieve IELTS band score 7, a candidate’s discourse must be advanced. This means that your vocabulary must be broad and more sophisticated than most, for example using “however” instead of “but” or “competent” instead of “good”. Your sentence structure must be complex to achieve the higher band scores: compare … [Read more...]

IELTS Task 2 – Job Satisfaction at Work

IELTS Writing Task 2 - Adult Job Satisfaction

Here is another real example of a marked and corrected IELTS Task 2 essay question. I would like to thank the student, Sabina Khadka, for giving me permission to use it for the benefit of others visiting our website. It's one of a series of marked and corrected IELTS Writing Tasks on this website. The question and Sabina's unmarked response is presented and this is followed by our assessor's marked and corrected version.   Question As most people spend a major part of their adult life at work, job satisfaction is an important element of individuals well being. What … [Read more...]

What Adidas and Nike Can Teach IELTS Test Candidates about Success

What Adidas and Nike Can Teach IELTS Test Candidates about Success

“Impossible is nothing”; “Just do it”. Do they ring a bell? Probably several rings - which are loud and clear. These Adidas and Nike mottos trip off the tongues of budding sports stars on sports fields across the world. Their impact is not just in the creation of huge sales but in transforming lives of ordinary people like YOU and ME by encouraging us to dream and act. Dreams are not just wishful thinking. The word dream is an emotive word and it is so powerful when coupled with action. Just do it! Most of us have dreams but what decides if we achieve them or not? … [Read more...]

IELTS Task 1 mistakes which annoy the examiner and lose you marks for grammar

IELTS Test - Annoyed Teacher

IELTS Test candidates seeking band score 7 or higher often lose marks needlessly by making elementary mistakes which annoy the examiner. In this short post I've included some examples for you, with the correct answers. You can find more IELTS Test grammar tips here. Can you correct the following? IELTS Task 1 Mistakes A singular noun/expression needs a singular verb: a) The pie diagram give information about tourists. b) The first chart illustrate c) The table below show the consumer durables d) Each durable have e) The process demonstrate f) This increase slightly … [Read more...]