Podcasts about ielts task

Go here to join our 3 Keys IELTS Online Course to get a score increase guarantee Today you'll hear about a recent IELTS Task 2 question about data breaches, computers, and companies. Find out if a student answered this correctly or not, and get our own ideas for how you can write about this super difficult IELTS topic. Want to learn more from All Ears English? Listen to the Business English Podcast with Aubrey, Michelle, and Lindsay. Learn formal, semi-formal, and informal English for global business. Listen to the All Ears English Podcast to join thousands of daily listeners. We focus on Connection NOT Perfection! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hi there!Thank you for listening and I hope you have found this episode useful. Please remember to leave a review/rating ( I love to get feedback) and share with friends/colleagues who can also benefit from this podcast.Please note there is no transcript for this episode.Here is the breakdown of the essay question:Some experts believe that it is better to begin a foreign language at Primary School rather than Secondary School.Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?If you would like to know what the OET Success Membership Training looks and how it works, then take a look at this video:https://vimeo.com/746675555/093f780dcfHere is the link to join my OET Success Membership Traininghttps://www.subscribepage.com/k6z3f1Have you downloaded my free OET training “Planning for OET success”? If you are struggling or confused about how to prepare for OET or what you should be focussing on to make sure you get the score you need ….. then you can't miss this training! You can access the training here: https://www.subscribepage.com/oet-success-trainingFor the free IELTS Facebook group join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1472003619588269/ For the free OET Facebook group join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/oetprivatestudygroup/ You can also connect with me on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/kalsoom-butt-8287ab155 and Instagram @kalsoomqbuttTo find out more about how I can help you get the score you need, just drop me an email englishwithitutor@gmail.comTake care and keep working hard!KalsoomThe IELTS and OET Trainer For Medical Professionals.

Do you ever get an IELTS Task 2 topic and think, What?! I do NOT know how to write about this! Today you'll get the 3 steps you need to solve this problem, with a model for a very tricky Task 2 question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

By Ben Worthington, founder and manager of IELTSPodcast.com. An expert IELTS tutor with over 12 years of experience, helping thousands of students pass the IELTS exam with Band 7 or higher each year. What Makes Describing Natural Processes in IELTS Task 1 Challenging? Task 1 in the IELTS exam requires candidates to describe visual data […] The post Master Describing Natural Processes in IELTS Task 1

For a limited time, get Rosetta Stone's Lifetime Membership for 50% off! Visit https://www.rosettastone.com/aee. That's 50% off unlimited access to 25 language courses for the rest of your life. Redeem your 50% off at r-o-s-e-t-t-a-s-t-o-n-e.com/aee] today. Is your Task Achievement score killing your Task 1 writing score? Today we share a common student error that causes students to receive a 4 on Task Achievement. We'll also share the key strategy that will help you get a 7+ on this score so get ready to take notes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  In this episode, we discuss writing tips for academic success in IELTS Task 2. We look at: How to clarify what is expected from you (the IELTS student) The 10 basic rules of academic writing  3 Stylistic elements for advanced writing (redundancy, parallelism, hedging)   The most common types of IELTS Task 2 questions The […] The post IELTS Writing: What do they want from me? appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

  In this tutorial, we discuss how to write one main idea per paragraph in IELTS Task 2.   We look at: The System for Generating Ideas in IELTS Writing How to write one main idea per paragraph in IELTS Task 2. Examples of effective and ineffective examples. How to organise ideas effectively in IELTS […] The post How to Write One Main Idea per Paragraph in IELTS Task 2 appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

  In this tutorial, we look at how to write introductions and conclusions in IELTS Task 2. We discuss: Four parts of a strong IELTS Essay Introduction Three main parts an effective IELTS Task 2 conclusion must contain Sample phrases and sentences for your Task 2 introduction and conclusion Common mistakes to avoid The introduction […] The post How to Write Introductions & Conclusions in IELTS Task 2 appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

  In this tutorial, we discuss how to answer agree/disagree questions in IELTS Task 2. We look at: How to understand agree/disagree question structure Examples of common mistakes test takers make when answering agree/disagree questions How to develop a clear opinion in your answer Tips to help improve your argument with examples Join many other […] The post How to answer Agree/Disagree Questions in IELTS Task 2 appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

IELTS - Task 2 Writing marking criteria: How do examiners score task 2 essays: 1. Task Achievement (TA) score / 9 2. Coherence and Cohesion (CC) score / 9 3. Lexical Resource (LR) score / 9 4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA) score / 9 They add the four scores and divide by 4 to obtain your final score in writing. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dee64/message

  In this tutorial, we discuss sample answers to five IELTS Globalisation questions in Task 2.  We look at: Sample answers to sample IELTS globalisation questions Useful phrases and collocations to use when answering globalisation questions The best way to develop strong and coherent answers How to understand globalisation questions in IELTS Task 2 Read […] The post Sample IELTS Globalisation Essays for Task 2 appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

  In this tutorial, we discuss sample answers and ideas for the latest IELTS Task 2 questions as seen in the exam in January 2023. We look at: How to organise your Task 2 Answer into paragraphs How to answer Task 2 Questions about sensitive topics Using examples in your Task 2 Answer A useful […] The post Sample answers to latest IELTS Task 2 Questions- Jan 2023 appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

Check out our new Business English Podcast! https://link.chtbl.com/businessenglish?sid=ieltsenergypodcast Get your estimated IELTS Band Score. Take the IELTS Quiz at https://www.allearsenglish.com/myscore Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  In this tutorial, we look at a few easy ways to improve cohesion in IELTS Task 2. You will learn: Five tips to boost cohesion in IELTS Task 2 How to reduce mistakes in your writing Examples of four-word collocations to improve Task 2 cohesion  (use these in any type of essay) How to […] The post Improve cohesion in IELTS Task 2 with these tips appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

Get your name on our VIP list for Black Friday: https://www.allearsenglish.com/special-black-friday-offer-coming-soon-2022/ Check out our new Business English Podcast! https://link.chtbl.com/businessenglish?sid=ieltsenergypodcast   You may be making these common mistakes on your IELTS Task 1 essays! Find out how to avoid them today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  In this tutorial, we provide you with sample answers to new IELTS Task 2 questions as seen in the exam in October 2022. We look at the following: Brainstorming tips for writing task 2 essays Sample answers to three new IELTS Task 2 questions How to write a high-scoring paragraph in Task 2 How […] The post Sample answers to new IELTS Task 2 Questions- October 2022 appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

  In this tutorial, ex-examiner Robert reviews an informal letter in IELTS General Task 1. Here's what you will learn: 4 things you must do after reading your Task 1 Question Paragraph-by-paragraph review of the Task 1 Letter How an IELTS examiner would grade this letter How many words should you write in IELTS Task […] The post An ex-examiner reviews an IELTS Task 1 Informal letter appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

Follow the new Business English Podcast from All Ears English: https://link.chtbl.com/businessenglish?sid=ieltsenergypodcast Learn words that you shouldn't use in business emails, or on IELTS Task 2!

  In this tutorial, ex-examiner Robert looks at IELTS Task 1 writing tips for describing two maps or plans. In this specific type of Task 1 essay, you're asked to compare two maps or plans or a kind of “Before” and “After” task.  This type of essay has a lot in common with the statistical […] The post Task 1 Writing tips for describing two plans appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

  In this tutorial, we provide you with Band 9 answers to the latest IELTS Task 2 questions as seen in the exam in July 2022. Listen to the full tutorial and you will learn: How to get and organise ideas for task 2 essay questions Types of essay ideas you should avoid  How to […] The post Band 9 Answers to latest IELTS Task 2 questions July 2022 appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

Individuals who need a score of 7.0 on the IELTS Task 1 Writing can take a course at English Where You Are, called Summarising Statistics 1 by Mark Thompson. Visit https://www.englishwhereyouare.com (https://www.englishwhereyouare.com) for more information.

This podcast talks you through a fortnight of daily tips, with an accompanying YouTube video. https://youtu.be/byb9_Dg2UP8 Get the daily tips here on my website. https://app.getbeamer.com/ieltswithfiona/en In this episode we cover: Pronunciation features - weak sounds e.g Fishnchips How to spot a terrible "Model answer" Free Flashcards for common IELTS topics (Quizlet - Marine Ecosystems) How to use the LABELS in IELTS Task 1 Academic Writing Synonyms for 'houses' in Task 1 A model Task 1 about the construction of houses Banned expressions e.g. "No worries" When to use the ampersand (&) Do you use 'a' or 'an' before abbreviations like "MA" or "FAQ"? Collocations: raise awareness Is it ok to use "and so forth"? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ieltsetc/message

Get your estimated IELTS Band Score. Take the IELTS Quiz at https://www.allearsenglish.com/myscore   What if the IELTS Task 2 question does not ask for your opinion? Do you still need to put an opinion in your essay? What does that mean for your score? Find out the answers to all this and more today!

  In this tutorial, we discuss how to write powerful sentences for IELTS writing task 2. We are going to find out all about:  What makes a powerful sentence? How to break over-complex sentences down; How to build broken sentence patterns up; How to put the main point at the beginning of a sentence; How […] The post How to write powerful sentences for IELTS Task 2 appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

  In this episode, we discuss how to describe two pie charts. You will learn: Useful techniques for describing pie charts Common mistakes that could cost you points Two types of pie charts you're most likely to get during the exam Important vocabulary you need to answer IELTS pie chart questions. Get 85% off on […] The post How to describe two pie charts for IELTS Task 1 appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

  In this episode, we discuss how to describe a pie chart for IELTS Academic Task 1. We look at: The easiest ways to gain points in Academic task 1 The most common mistakes students make when interpreting pie charts How to select the right information from the pie chart A simple tip to help […] The post How to describe a pie chart for IELTS Task 1 appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

Get your estimated IELTS Band Score. Take the IELTS Quiz at https://www.allearsenglish.com/myscore   Will the internet replace printed newspapers and magazines? Today the All Ears English team tackles this common IELTS Task 2 writing question. Listen in for our ideas and high level native vocabulary.

Are you still trying to improve the body and details for graphs in Academic Task 1 writing? In this episode, we're going to dig into this now, here on Hacking IELTS! #ieltswriting #academicielts #ieltsgraphs #ieltstask1 #ielts Check out our exam resources! 10 Hacks for the Speaking Exam  10 Hacks for the Listening Component of IELTS Hacking IELTS on YouTube

Are you new to Task 1 writing? It can be overwhelming when you are looking at all those graphs, and trying to understand what they mean, and then perform your task of analyzing then reporting the main trends! In this episode, we're going to look at the most common mistakes that students make for Task 1 Writing! 10 Hacks for the Speaking Exam  10 Hacks for the Listening Component of IELTS YouTube

Get your estimated IELTS Band Score. Take the IELTS Quiz at https://www.allearsenglish.com/myscore   There's some bad advice out there regarding when and when not to include your opinion in IELTS Task 2 essays. Today, we'll teach you exactly what you need to know to avoid low scores for Task Response on IELTS, and how to write the perfect opinions.

Get your estimated IELTS Band Score. Take the IELTS Quiz at https://www.allearsenglish.com/myscore   More and more, IELTS Academic Task 1 essays require you to write about a static graph as well as one that shows change over time. With today's episode, we share the strategies you need so you'll be ready for this question.

Series on IELTS continues. Focus on IELTS Task 2 Writing. Making an essay plan. 5-paragraph essay style recommended. Focus on the kind of content you can prepare and make good use of in task two essay writing. 1. Writing about the origins of something. For example: The origins of certain customs in your country. 2. Writing about the causes of a problem. For example: The causes of pollution in your hometown / country. 3. Writing about the types of something. Putting things in categories. For example: Kinds of discrimination. 4. Writing about the advantages and disadvantages of something. For example: Studying abroad. 5. Writing about the consequences of something, effects, impact. For example: The consequences of a high unemployment rate. 6. Writing about problems and suggestions for solutions. For example: Social ills 7. Comparing and contrasting. For example: Past and present marriage customs. 8. Predicting the future of something. For example: E-learning. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dee64/message

Click here to get your estimated IELTS band score

  In this tutorial, we review recent IELTS Task 2 questions seen in the exam. Listen to the full tutorial for sample essays and IELTS vocabulary. Read the questions below: Some people say that all popular TV entertainment programmes should aim to educate viewers about important social issues. To what extent do you agree or disagree […] The post Recent Task 2 Questions and Answers Seen in the IELTS Exam 2021 appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

When you get IELTS Writing feedback from your teacher, you should be able to see why you are not achieving your desired score. But this feedback is only useful if you understand exactly what the teacher is talking about when they are pointing out areas you need to work on. Writing Feedback about LANGUAGE is usually easy to understand – most people know the language related to grammar (e.g. wrong tense, article missing, third person -s), spelling and punctuation. But Writing feedback related to CONTENT and academic STYLE is more difficult, especially if you are not familiar with the demands of academic writing. You need to have a good understanding of the terms that the teacher is using so that you can make the necessary changes. Here is a ‘glossary of terms’ that I use regularly in my IELTS Writing Feedback Sessions in the Members Academy. https://ieltsetc.com/2021/05/ielts-writing-feedback-40-words/ See also How to make your writing more formal for Task 2: https://ieltsetc.com/2020/11/ielts-formal-writing/ IELTS Task 2 Structures that strengthen your argument: https://ieltsetc.com/2018/06/structure-strengthens-argument/ How to use 'hedging' in IELTS Writing Task 2 https://ieltsetc.com/2020/12/hedging-in-academic-writing/ #ielts #ieltswriting #ieltsfiona --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ieltsetc/message

In this tutorial, we look at: how to analyze sentence construction and improve it why variety is important in IELTS Task 2 practical, straightforward advice you don’t want to miss   For the full post, click here: https://www.ieltspodcast.com/writing-task-2/improve-sentences/   You can download or listen to the audio version here: |Direct Download Here | Stitcher | […] The post How to Improve your Sentences appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

Click here to get your estimated IELTS band score

Click here to get your estimated IELTS band score

In this tutorial, Ben answers 3 recent IELTS Task 2 questions from the IELTS Exam. We will be focusing on how to answer the different types of essay questions that require you to discuss the advantages and disadvantages.  These questions can be presented in the following forms: What are the advantages? Discuss the advantages and […] The post Sample Answers For Discuss the Advantages and Disadvantages Questions appeared first on IELTS Podcast.

www.goldcoastielts.com www.g.page/gcielts Welcome to Gold Coast IELTS in Southport and online! OK guys so adverbs are those words that (often but not always) end in –ly. They give us extra information about verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. Adverbs are the word that tell us how (manner), where (place), when (time), how often (frequency), or how much (intensity) something happens or is done. An adverb can be a single word ("sometimes") or a phrase ("from time to time"). So how do we use adverbs? Well, they can tell us about 1. Manner – are often formed by adding –ly to the adejctive form: careful – carefully happy – happily These adverbs usually come after the verb (and object if there is one). I plan my trips very carefully. (not I plan very carefully my trips) 2. Place – usually come after the verb: It was the first time I had been there. Try to stay near the old part of the city. 3. Time – such as today, tomorrow, now, since 1996, or for three minutes can go at the beginning or end of a clause: I had a very memorable trip last year. (or Last year I had a very memorable trip) 4. Frequency – usually come before the verb but after be or an auxiliary verb: I often travel for my job. I have always enjoyed my visits there. He’s never late. 5. intensity – affect the strength of adjectives or adverbs PIC The adverbs at the stronger end of the scale (absolutely, completely, totally) can only be used with some adjectives. These tend to be ‘extreme’ adjectives that suggest a limit in their meaning (e.g. terrifying, excellent, exhausted). Other ‘non-extreme’ adjectives (e.g. frightened, good, tired) never collocate with these stronger adverbs. Compare: There are some absolutely stunning examples of Indian silk embroidery. (not fairly stunning) The people are very friendly. (not absolutely friendly) Let’s take a look at this sort of grammar in an IELTS task 2 style essay. Do you best to choose the correct option before you listen to the podcast. Environmentalists and conservationists tell us that there are ways that each of us can help to (1) very reduce / greatly reduce our impact on the planet. We can (2) work hard / hardly work to conserve energy and we can invest in equipment to help us create our own power. People (3) say often / often say that they want to save the planet, but the only way to do this is to (4) take immediately action / take action immediately. It is (5) really important / important really for individuals to (6) responsibly act / act responsibly and try to reduce their contribution to greenhouse gases. There are several ways we can do this. For example there are mini wind turbines that you (7) can install easily / easily can install on your roof as well as very efficient solar panels that (8) work good / work well all year round to provide electricity. But if all this is too expensive, there are other ways to conserve energy that actually save you money. In cooler weather, simply keep the heat (9) inside safely / safely inside by closing doors after you so that the warmth doesn’t escape. It is (10) absolutely essential / very essential that we all take this seriously and do our best to lead a more sustainable life. Answers: 1. greatly reduce 2. work hard 3. often say 4. take action immediately 5. really important 6. act responsibly 7. can install easily 8. work well 9. safely inside 10. absolutely essential So that’s it for the Gold Coast IELTS blog for today guys.

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www.goldcoastielts.com www.g.page/gcielts Today let’s take a look at the future perfect continuous tense and how it can be effectively used in the IELTS exam to explain what will be happening at a particular point in time in the future. Firstly, how do we make the future perfect continuous tense? Basically, it is made in the following way: will + (not) have + been + verb-ing So how do we use the future perfect continuous tense? Basically it is used to show how long an activity or situation has been in progress before a specified time in the future. We usually mention the length of time. For example: By the end of the month, I’ll have been studying at this school for four years. Now let’s check out how the future perfect continuous tense can be used in a real IELTS style task 1 writing task. Check out the bar chart, then try and complete the sentences using the future continuous tense. 1. Twelve students ---- on Saturday afternoon. 2. The students ---- books on Saturday. 3. The largest group of students ---- this Saturday afternoon. 4. A similar number of students ---- and ---- this weekend. 5. A very small number of students ---- this weekend. 6. Approximately 15 students ---- this weekend. Answers: 1. will be watching TV 2. won’t (will not) be reading 3. will be playing computer games 4. will be doing sport; studying 5. will be resting 6. will be seeing friends. OK guys, so any time you get a chart that depicts something HAPPENING in the future, you can use the future perfect continuous tense to describe it. It’s definitely a great way to show off your knowledge of future time, and it you use it in the appropriate situation, you can get a high mark for your grammar criteria. #ielts #goldcoastielts #southportielts #ieltsgoogleclclassroom #ieltscoaching #ieltswriting #ieltsspeaking

www.goldcoastielts.com There is no doubt that in IELTS we need to be able to describe what has happened and what is happening, but we also need to be able to make predictions for the future, and we can use ‘will’, ‘going to’, and a combination of other words to do this. 1. ‘will’ can be used to - make predictions that are based on our opinions of our past experience: I think it’ll be extremely hot there. - talk about future events or facts that are not personal: The best player on the tour will get a special trophy. 2. ‘going to’ can be used to - talk about events in the future we have already thought about and intend to do: We’re going to hire a mini bus. - make predictions when there is present evidence: Well, we’re certainly going to have a varied trip. (I am judging this from what I already know about the plans) 3. ‘will’ and ‘going to‘ can follow words like think, doubt, expect, believe, probably, certainly, definitely, and be sure to to show that it is an opinion about the future. I think it’s going to be a great trip. It’ll probably rain every day. So when do we use ‘Going to’ and when do we use ‘will’? We’re going to have a very varied trip! (prediction based on what I know about the weather) I’m sure we’ll enjoy it. (prediction based on my guess) Now let’s see how these new ideas can be put to use in an IELTS task 2. Read the question, and then think where each phrase can be put. "Thanks to modern technology, there have been enormous changes in the workplace over the past 100 years. What are the most significant changes that have occurred and what changes do you foresee in the next 100 years?" are going to feel are going to happen are likely to lead to are likely to occur are predicted to work is likely to become will be will continue will develop will find will have will result ... So, now let us consider the changes that (1) ---- in the next 100 years. Unfortunately, I believe that not all changes (2) ---- for the better. For example, in the future more and more people (3) ---- work from home and so they (4) ---- more isolated from their colleagues. On the other hand, they (5) ---- (certainly) greater freedom to choose their working hours. A further possible change is that handwriting (6) ---- obsolete. We are already so used to using a keyboard that today’s children are losing the ability to spell without the aid of a word processor. Without a doubt, even greater changes (7) ---- in technology used in the workplace. Computers (8) ---- (undoubtedly) to grow even more powerful and this (9) ---- (probably) in an even faster pace of life than we have now. Let us hope that our employers (10) ---- a way to reduce the stress on workers this fast pace can bring. I also think these improvements in technology (11) ---- even more globalisation than now and companies (12) ---- very strong international links. That’s it for today’s podcast guys. Predictions can be used in all IELTS writing tasks, especially task 2 and academic task 1.

www.goldcoastielts.com The past simple, past perfect, and past perfect continuous tenses are great to use in IELTS. We can use them to compare actions that happened in the past and show the examiner how deep our knowledge of time is. Firstly let’s look at the past perfect simple. This tense is made with had + past participle. It is used in the following ways. 1. When we are talking about the past and want to mention something that happened earlier. Notice that the adverb (already) goes between had and the past participle. Mozart’s father was a composer and his grandfather had also been a musician. 2. We can use words like when, as soon as, by the time, after to show the order of events. When Mozart was born, five of his siblings had already died. 3. To talk about an indefinite time before a particular time, use words like always, sometimes, never, before, by + fixed time. His family were richer than they had ever been before. Next, the past perfect continuous is made with had been + -ing. It is used in the following ways. 1. To focus on how long an activity continued or to focus on the activity itself. Times were hard and the family had been struggling for some time. (to show how long) Mozart’s sister was extremely gifted at the keyboard and she had been making excellent progress. Note that we cannot use the past perfect continuous to say how many times something happened. GOOD – I knew the way as I had visited her several times before. NOT GOOD – I knew the way as I had been visiting her several times. Let’s look at how all of this will work in an IELTS task 1. Look at the chart below, then try and decide which verb will be used – the past simple, or the past perfect simple. The chart shows the percentage of people aged 65 and over in the United States between 1900 and 2000. In the year 1900 jus over 4% of the population (1) was / had been aged over 65. However, by 1960 this figure (2) doubled / had doubled. The number of people aged between 75 and 84 (3) remained / had remained fairly steady between 1900 and 1930, making up only 1-1.3% of the population. The figure (4) began / had begun to rise more significantly in 1940 and by 1970 it (5) tripled / had tripled to reach 3% of the population. Although there (6) was / had been no change in the number of people aged 65-74 between 1960 and 1970, the number of people aged 75 and over (7) increased / had increased during this time. By the year 2000, 12.4% of the US population (8) reached / had reached the age of 65 or more, although this was slightly lower than in 1990 when it (9) peaked / had peaked at 12.6%. The chart shows that today people in the United States can expect to live longer than in 1900. By the year 2000 more then 12% of the population (10) managed / had managed to live to the age of 65 and over compared to only 4.1% in 1900. That’s it for today’s podcast. Try your best to use these past time tenses correctly when you are describing IELTS task 1 charts. www.goldcoastielts.com #goldcoastielts #southportielts #ieltscoaching #ieltsgoogleclassroom #ieltswriting #pastperfectielts #simplepastielts #pastperfectcontinuousielts

Present tenses are used a lot in the IELTS exam, especially in the task 1 task. The two kinds of present tense verb in English are present simple and present continuous, and both of them have different functions (ways and times to be used). Lets look at each one separately, and then see how they can be used in the IELTS exam. The present simple tense is made with the bare infinitive verb, and has a number of functions. 1. Regular habits or repeated actions I get up really early and practice yoga for an hour each day. I use the internet just about everyday. 2. Permanent situations My parents own a restaurant. 3. Facts or generally accepted truths Students don’t generally have much money. 4. To give instructions or directions To start the program, first click on the icon on the desktop. The present continuous is made with a ‘be’ verb + the –ing form of the verb. It also has a number of functions. 1. To talk about present situations My cousin is living in Thailand at the moment. 2. To talk about actions that are happening at the moment of speaking I’m waiting for my friends. 3. To talk about trends or changing situations The price of petrol is rising dramatically. 4. To show things happen more often than expected, or to show envy or to criticise My mum’s always saying I don’t help around the house enough! (complaint) He’s always visiting exciting places. (envy) Now lets see how we can use these two present tenses in an IELTS writing task 1 task. Two options will be written for each option. Before you listen, read slowly and try to choose the correct answer. We (1) use / are using energy for three main things: electricity production, heating and transport. For the first two, we (2) have / are having options such as solar and wind power, or natural gas. But oil is still the world’s number one source of energy, and for transport at least, there is currently no alternative. In China, domestic energy production (3) goes up / is going up year by year and demand in similar regions (4) catches up / is catching up fast. We (5) know / are knowing how to use energy more efficiently now than in the past but the worldwide rise in demand (6) causes / is causing concern among experts. Some experts (7) think / are thinking that oil supplies will start to fall within the next twenty years. Most experts (8) agree / are agreeing that we need to find a new source of energy. So guys as you can see using both forms of the present tense correctly and in the right position is a great way to write an accurate task 1 in IELTS. #goldcoastielts #southportielts #ieltscoaching #ieltsgoogleclassroom

Countable and uncountable nouns is a subject that many learners, even very advanced learners, have a lot of trouble with. In this podcast, we will look at quantity expressions that we can use with these types of nouns. I think everyone listening to this podcast probably already knows the difference between countable and uncountable nouns, so lets jump right in and look at the quantity expressions. 1. Some and any Some is generally used in: positive statements = There are some shelves above the desk. polite requests = Would you like some biscuits? to mean ‘an unspecified large amount’ = It would be great to get some money for the rent. Any is generally used in: negatives and questions = My desk hasn’t got any drawers. Have you got any chocolate? positive statements to mean ‘it doesn’t matter which/who/where/when = Call me any time 2. Quantities We can use the following words to talk about quantities. everything = all of for countable and uncountable nouns large quantities = lots of, plenty of, a lot of, many of, most of to talk about countable nouns and uncountable nouns medium quantities = some (of), a certain number of for countable nouns / some (of), a certain amount of for uncountable nouns small quantities = a few of, a small/limited/tiny number of for countable nouns / a little of, a small, limited, tiny amount of for uncountable nouns nothing = no, not any, none of for countable nouns and uncountable nouns One special point we need to be aware of is the difference between ‘a few’ and ‘a little’ and ‘few’ and ‘little’. Compare: 1. Few rooms have such good natural light. (= not many so you are lucky) We have a few rooms available with a sea view. (= a small number) 2. Little research has been done in this area. (= not enough) A little research has been done in this area. (= a small amount) Now let’s look at an IELTS task 1 style essay that uses a lot of these kinds of words. Two options are available each time. You can pause the recording and think by yourself before I say the answer if you like. The (1) amount/number of sleep each person needs depends on (2) numbers of/a number of factors, including age. Infants generally require about 16 hours a day. For most adults, seven to eight hours a night appears to be the ideal (3) number / amount of sleep, although a (4) little / few people may need as (5) few /little as five hours’ sleep or as (6) much / many as ten hours’ sleep each day. Getting too (7) few / little sleep creates a sleep debt, and eventually, your body will demand that the debt be repaid. A large (8) quantity of / number of people over 65 have frequent sleeping problems, such as insomnia, and deep-sleep stages in (9) a considerable amount of / a considerable number of elderly people often become very short or stop completely. Microsleeps, or very brief episodes of sleep in an otherwise awake person, are another mark of sleep deprivation. In a (10) small number of / small amount of cases, people are not aware that they are experiencing microsleeps. The widespread practice of burning the candle at both ends in western industrialised society has created so (11) many / much sleep deprivation that what is really abnormal sleepiness is now almost the norm. OK guys so when you write a task 1 that talks about numbers and amounts, make sure you use accurate quantity words. This is the way to go!

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www.goldcoastielts.com goldcoastielts@gmail.com Time is a tricky thing to get right, and the way you describe it in a task 1 shows how accurate your language is. IELTS task 1 charts usually show information for the past that often continues to the present time. This is a perfect opportunity for us to use the simple past and the present perfect together in one piece of writing. If we contrast them properly, and show the examiner that we know the difference between the two of them, we will be able to get a higher mark for the grammar criteria. Let’s start by looking at the differences between these two tenses. 1. The present perfect links the past with the present / The simple past only talks about the past PP: I’ve made quite a lot of notes. (at some point in time before now and I may take more notes) PS: I made notes on the most important things. (I’ve finished taking notes) 2. The present perfect does not talk about a specific time / The simple past states a specific time, or the time is understood from context PP: Have you read the leaflet? (at some point before now) PS: I read the leaflets when I was at the library. (I’m not in the library now and the reading is finished) 3. The present perfect uses time expressions that show the time period is unfinished / The simple past uses time expressions that show the time is finished PP: I’ve read six articles this week. (the week isn’t finished) PS: I read five books last week. (last week has finished) Before we look at some examples, there are a couple of other things we need to take note of. Firstly, we should note the position of the time expressions that often occur with the present perfect. Time words like recently, already, always, ever, just, and never often occur with the present perfect, and they come between the auxiliary and the main verb. CORRECT: I’ve already finished my essay. INCORRECT: I already have finished my essay. Secondly, some time words come after the main verb. Such time words include all my life, every day, yet, before, for ages, for two weeks, since 2003, since I was a child etc. CORRECT: I’ve felt tired for weeks. INCORRECT: For weeks I’ve felt tired. Let’s take a look at an example of how this works in a task 1. These sentences all describe the same chart. 1. The chart shows the percentage of British adults who HAVE USED the Internet since 1995. 2. The number of women who have used the Internet HAS INCREASED by more than 60% since 1995. 3. The percentage of men who have accessed the Internet ROSE to 60% in 2005. 4. The number of women to have accessed the Internet ROSE each year. 5. The percentage of men who used the Internet WAS greater than the percentage of women from 1995 to 2005. 6. However, British women HAVE OVERTAKEN British men in Internet usage since 2005. 7. The total number of people accessing the Internet HAS GROWN each year although the most significant rise OCCURRED between 1995 and 2000. Now for some analysis. In no. 1 there is a connection to the present time, which is 2005. In no. 2 there is also a connection to the present time. In no. 3 a specific time is being talked about. In no. 4 a time in the past is being discussed with no connection to the present. In no. 5 a period of time is being discussed, but this period of time is finished. In no. 6 a period of time is being discussed that connects with the present, and the word ‘since’ is being used. In no. 7, the first verb is connected to the present, and the second verb is discussing a period of time that is finished. So guys using different tenses and time words to contrast time is a great technique that should be made use of especially when discussing IELTS task 1 charts that show information occurring over a period of time.

Today let’s do a quick podcast and learn a great technique that not many people know about. It’s a simple language variation technique that is especially useful when describing IELTS task 1 charts. One thing that IELTS examiners HATE is language repetition. And one thing they LOVE is language variation. One common way to vary language is to use synonyms. Here is an example. Title: Sales of cars in EU countries 1999-2009 Synonymous language: The chart shows how many automobiles were sold in nations in Europe between 1999 and 2009. The synonymous terms used were (cars = automobiles) and (countries = nations). This is a nice technique, but it is a little common and not special in any way. Today let’s learn a better technique to impress the IELTS examiner. Instead of using synonymous words, lets try to impress the examiner by using different forms of the same word. One easy way to do this is to exchange nouns for verbs, and adjectives for adverbs. Here is an example: Increase (noun) ... Increased (verb) Slight (adjective) ... Slightly (adverb) Let’s look at this technique in action. 1. Car sales showed a SLIGHT INCREASE (adjective + noun) between 2004 and 2006. 2. Sales of coffee INCREASED SLIGHTLY (verb + adverb) between 2004 and 2006. Both of these sentences are saying exactly the same thing, but using different words to do it. If you can put BOTH these structures (adj. + N / V + adv.) in one task 1, you will really impress the examiner. Let’s look at the grammar, especially SVO, in more detail. In the first sentence S = car sales, V = showed, and O = a slight increase. In the second sentence, S = sales of coffee, V = increased, and O = NONE. Let’s look at four more example of this technique below. The domestic car market showed an IMPRESSIVE GROWTH of 50% for three consecutive years from 2001 to 2003. The domestic car market GREW IMPRESSIVELY by 50% for three consecutive years from 2001 to 2003. The world population GREW DRAMATICALLY between 1950 and 2005. The world population experienced a DRAMATIC GROWTH between 1950 and 2005. The number of British households using their own shopping bags when shopping FELL STEADILY between 1965 and 2005. There was a STEADY FALL in the number of British households using their own shopping bags when shopping between 1965 and 2005. House prices CLIMBED STEEPLY during the first half of the year before FALLING SHARPLY in August. There was a SHARP CLIMB in house prices during the first half of the year before a STEEP FALL in August. Guys this a great technique to pull out in your IELTS task 1 description, and it’s also not too hard if you practice the grammar a little bit. Make sure you use BOTH structures in the same essay for maximum score increase. If you need to know more about writing awesome IELTS tasks, please visit my website at www.goldcoastielts.com. I have podcasts, a blog, and all the Cambridge exams for you to practice online along with MP3s. See you next time!

In the IELTS task 1 many people describe the details of the charts quite well, but the forget to make adequate comparisons. There are many ways of comparing in English, the most common being to use adjectives, comparative adjective adjectives, and superlative adjectives. Today, we will focus on some ways of comparing that will guarantee that we get a high mark in this part of the task 1. Let’s look at three cool ways to compare: 1. Comparing with adverbs 2. Add emphasis 3. Other ways of comparing So firstly, we can use adverbs to make comparisons. There are three ways we could do this. We could: i) use more/most + an adverb to make our comparison China is developing more quickly than the US. ii) Use some irregular adverbs like hard, fast, straight, late or quick Men aged over 60 live 20 years longer than they did in the past. iii) We could use irregular adverbs like badly/worse/worst or far/further/furthest Italy did a lot worse than other countries when it came to the Corona Virus response. Secondly, we could add emphasis in a couple of ways. i) Use words like even, far, a great deal, or a little. Children showed much greater increases in weight than expected. ii) Use words like slightly, considerably, or significantly + comparative The numbers for 2003 were significantly higher than those for 1999. Thirdly, we could use some other ways to make comparisons. i) We can say things are the same with as + adjective/adverb + as Sweden is as likely as Germany to achieve their economic goals for 2020. ii) We could add meaning by using just, nearly, half, three times etc. Australia was almost as successful at the Olympics as Canada. iii) We could say things are different with not as + adjective/adverb + as The new vaccine may not be as effective as the older one. iv) We can show the change is occurring over time be repeating the comparative. Pollution levels seem to be getting lower and lower each year. v) We can also use the + comparative + the to show things change over time. The longer a person works, the better is their retirement. Now lets take a look at a simple IELTS task 1 and add some comparisons to it. We will start directly with the details and comparison section. "Looking in more detail we can see that while burglaries started much higher than car theft and robberies, between 2004 and 2007 they decreased more quickly than the other two types of crime. However, by 2008 car theft crimes began to show much greater numbers than either burglaries or robberies. By 2012, there were more than twice as many car thefts as burglaries. Robberies were more than five times less likely to happen than car thefts. Overall, burglary fluctuated greatly compared to the other two types if crime." This extract uses a number of cool comparative structures. Let’s take a look: 1. much higher = much + comparative adjective 2. more quickly = more + adverb 3. much greater numbers = much + comp. adjective + noun 4. twice as many ... as ... = twice + as + many + as 5. less likely = less + adverb 6. fluctuated greatly = verb + adverb

Another skill that is going to help us get a high score on the cohesion and coherence part of the IELTS test is making good use of referencing, which means words like pronouns and determiners. These words can replace nouns or noun phrases. The main referencing words in English are: 1. Personal and possessive pronouns (you, I, yours, mine) 2. Reflexive pronouns (yourself, myself) 3. It 4. You and We 5. They 6. One/Ones Today let’s focus on numbers 3-6 above, and see how we can use this referencing language to really improve our CC score in a task 2. ‘it’ can be used in two ways. i. to start sentences when the real subject is an infinitive or –ing form. It can be good to have professional economists in charge. ii. to refer to phrases, whole sentences, or ideas. When a young person starts studying at a university for the first time, it can be a big change from high school.(it = when a young person starts university) ‘You’ and ‘we’ are used to talk about everybody in general. In Australia you don’t often have rice for breakfast. ‘They’ is used to talk about experts or authority figures. They have discovered a new way to clean mould off concrete. ‘One’ is used to avoid repeating a countable noun. Let’s make a few points about poverty, the first one is that it stops people getting an education. Now let’s look at these referencing words in action. Let’s look at part of a task 2 style essay and analyse all the examples of referencing so we know exactly what is happening. There are many reasons why we should donate money to people in need. The most important one is to create a society where no one is in need. On the other hand, some people do not believe that it is necessary to do this. This essay will present both sides of this case. 'we' – all people in general 'one' – a reason 'it' – a society where no one is in need If people become more generous and donate a part of their income each month, it could lead to a much better society for all. For example, how can you see a person in need and not do something to help them? It is not fair to simply walk by and do nothing. In addition, there is also the argument that from a moral standpoint, if people with a lot of money donated at least ten per cent of it to those with less, the government would not even have to give welfare payments. 'it' – donating a part of a person’s income each month 'you' – all people in general 'it' – to walk by and do nothing 'it' – money OK guys so I think you get the idea about how to use referencing a bit now. Please try to use it because the IELTS examiners really love this and will give you a good CC score it you try to use it. If you need to know more about writing awesome IELTS tasks, please visit my website at www.goldcoastielts.com. I have podcasts, a blog, and all the Cambridge exams for you to practice online along with MP3s. See you next time!

Last time we looked at how to use the passive voice in an IELTS task 1 process essay. Let’s keep going with this idea and check out the last two things we need to use to make a really GREAT written process essay. So the three things we will use to make our process essay are going to be: 1. Passive verbs 2. Sequence connectors 3. Relative clauses We already looked at sequence connectors in the last podcast, so today, let’s carry on and look at great sequence connectors and how to combine them with passive voice and relative clauses, all in ONE SENTENCE. And let’s be clear guys, the trick is to combine all three of these into one medium to long sentence, meaning about 15-25 words if possible. First let’s look at sequence connectors. We can group our sequence connectors into 2 groups – ordering and adverbials. 1. Ordering: first, second, third 2. Adverbials: then, next, before, after (that we can use at the beginning, or even better, in the middle of a sentence) Next, how about relative clauses? As you probably already know these are clauses that give information about nouns (usually in subject or object position) in a sentence. They begin with little words called relative pronouns, of which there are five – that, which, who, whom, and whose. We can also make adverbial relative clauses with where, when, and why. Now let’s turn to an example. Let’s keep looking at the banana chip example that we used in podcast 20. This time, let’s try to make it better by adding some relative clauses and also using adverbial connectors in the middle of sentences. Using the adverbial connectors in the MIDDLE OF A SENTENCE is really a great trick and makes your writing sound a lot more mature. Original: The flowchart shows how banana chips ARE MADE. First, the bananas ARE PEELED by a special machine and then they ARE SOAKED in water. Next, the clean bananas ARE PUT into a chipping machine where they NEED TO BE SLICED into thin chips. After this they WILL BE RINSED.... New version: The flowchart shows how banana chips ARE MADE. First, the bananas ARE PEELED by a special machine which inserts a cylindrical cutter into the banana before they ARE SOAKED in water. Next, the clean bananas ARE PUT into a chipping machine where they NEED TO BE SLICED into thin chips. After this they WILL BE RINSED by a kind of shower that sprays them with water... The new version uses: 1. A range of passive verbs - 'are made', 'are peeled', 'are soaked', 'are put', 'need to be sliced', 'will be rinsed' 2. Sequence connectors - 'first', 'before', 'next', 'after this' 3. Relative clauses – 'WHICH inserts ... ', 'WHERE they need ...' , 'THAT sprays ...' OK guys so please DEFINITELY try to use these great techniques next time you write an IELTS process essay. If you need to know more about writing awesome IELTS tasks, please visit my website at www.goldcoastielts.com. I have podcasts, a blog, and all the Cambridge exams for you to practice online along with MP3s. See you next time!

There are many ways to use the passive voice in the English language. Firstly, let’s take a look at the different forms of the passive, then we can look at its uses. There are 14 different ways to use the passive in English. Here they are for everyone’s benefit: 1. Present simple:The union is runby 7 executive officers. 2. Present continuous:The union is being runby 7 executive officers. 3. Past simple:The union was runby 7 executive officers. 4. Past continuous:The union was being runby 7 executive officers. 5. Present perfect:The union had been runby 7 executive officers. 7. going to:The union is going to be runby 7 executive officers. 8. will:The union will be runby 7 executive officers. 9. infinitive:The union is to be runby 7 executive officers. 10. –ingform: The union insists on the union being runby 7 executive officers. 11. used to: The university used to be runby 7 executive officers. 12. Modals:The university should be runby 7 executive officers. 13. need to/have to:The university needs to/has to be runby 7 executive officers. 14. need + -ing:The university needs runningby 7 executive officers. In a task 1 IELTS process essay it is going to be difficult to use all of these different passives, so we need to choose carefully. The main passive we will use in a process essay is the present simple. We could also use it in the past simple, with ‘will’, with ‘used to’, with a modal, with ‘need to’or ‘have to’, and with ‘need + -ing”. What about the uses of the passive? Well, it has three main uses. Let’s take a look. 1. When the object is more important than the subject. “All applications are processed on the spot.” In this case it is simply not important, or it is obvious, that the library staff process the applications. 2. In formal writing “You are advised to return the application within 3 business days.” In this case the passive is used to keep a distant, formal relationship. 3. When we describe a process “The apples are picked before being peeled and cored for canning.” This is part of the process of canning apples before selling them in a shop. Note here that we do NOT usually use the passive to describe a natural process. The passive is used to describe a man-made process. CORRECT: Plants take upcarbon dioxide from the air as part of photosynthesis. INCORRECT: Carbon dioxide is taken upby plants from the air as part of photosynthesis. As IELTS students, we are only interested in the passive right now because it can help us score highly in a task 1 process essay. The passive should be used liberally (a lot) in a process essay and can be combined with relative clauses and sequence connectors to score very highly. We will look at relative clauses and sequence markers next time. Let’s look at an example for making banana chips. The flowchart shows how banana chips ARE MADE. First, the bananas ARE PEELED by a special machine and then they ARE SOAKED in water. Next, the clean bananas ARE PUT into a chipping machine where they NEED TO BE SLICED into thin chips. After this they need WILL BE RINSED.... This is only the first 4 steps of the process but I’m sure you get the idea....

Web: goldcoastielts.com Instagram: goldcoast_ielts So today guys lets look at how to write the conclusion of an IELTS task 2. A lot of IELTS students get confused at this part and try to rewrite and come up with new ideas. Effectively they are wasting time that they should be spending in the body section coming up with good ideas and showing off their grammar. One thing to remember about the IELTS task conclusion is that it simply mirrors and restates the introduction. So, if you did a good job writing the introduction and followed what I taught in podcasts 8 and 9, writing the conclusion should be very easy and should never take you more than 3 minutes. How is this possible you might be asking? Well, it’s possible because we have a template for the IELTS task 2 conclusion. Before we look at the conclusion however, it will be a good idea to go back and look at the question we used in podcast 8 and 9. Here is it: (1) Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. (2) Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. (3) Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. If you remember, we made a beautiful introduction for this question. Here is it: (Background statement) These days, many people are of the belief that rather than accept a difficult situation like a disappointing job or a lack of finances, it might be better to try and make such a situation better. (Thesis statement) The following essay will discusswhy human beings should always strive to better themselves, and give some examples to arguethis case. In podcast 11 we also wrote some nice topic sentences for this question. Here they are: Topic sentence 1: “It is better to accept a bad situation” Topic sentence 2: “We should always try and improve bad situations” Now we can make our conclusion. Our conclusion will use the following simple template. Conclusion S1:Restate the intro thesis statement using “This essay has...” Conclusion S2: Summarise the topic sentences. Conclusion S3:Give your own opinion or a final thought with a linking word like “Consequently...” OK guys, so now let’s write a sample conclusion! S1: This essay has discussed why people should always do their best to improve situations and has given some examples to support this case. Although it can be sometimes better to accept a hard situation, overall there is more benefit in change and improvement. Consequently, it is essential that we all do our best. Shall we look at the conclusion in a little more detail? The S1 simply restated the thesis statement from the introduction, but it did not copy it word for word. It used some very nice synonyms. What were they? Humans = people Strive to better themselves = do their best to improve situations Give some examples = has given some examples The second sentence combined both topics into one sentence and contrasted them with althoughand a comma. The final sentence use the connector consequentlyand the pattern it + ‘be’ + adjective + relative clause.

Web: goldcoastielts.com Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Let’s talk about cohesion and coherence today. I wrote a blog about this topic, which explained what you should do to get a high CC score. In this podcast I will try to explain this topic in more detail, with examples of good IELTS task 1 and task 2 discourse connectors, linking language, and transitions. Firstly, what is a discourse connector? We need to be very clear about this. Discourse connectors are single or multi-word elements that link ideas across sentences, across paragraphs, or even across larger pieces of text. The problem that most students make in the IELTS exam is that they use the same kinds of discourse connectors (single word), and only use them to link across adjacent sentences. All discourse connectors establish MEANING RELATIONSHIPS within a text, which leads to COHESION and COHERENCE. Now we know the problems, let’s look at the different types of connectors that are available to us. 1. Ordering The ordering connectors are the most commonly used connectors in the IELTS exam. They are the first ones taught in a course but will never get you beyond a 5.0 in the exam. These connectors include: first, firstly, in the first place, first of all, for one/another thing, to begin with, then, next, finally, lastly,andlast of all. They are useful in a task 1 to show steps in a process. Example: Firstly, the pears are picked from the tree. After thatthey are peeled and boiled. In a task two they are useful for introducing points. Example: As a first point, we should always remember that education is just as important as experience. 2. Summary Summary connectors establish summarising or concluding ideas. They include: all in all, in conclusion, overall, to conclude, finally, in sum, in summary, to summarise,and to sum up. I always recommend using In summaryor Overallin a task one, and To concludeor In conclusionin a task 2. 3. Additives Additive connectors show information that is building on information that came before. Common additives include: also, in addition, further, furthermore, moreover, too,and on top of that. Many learners commonly misuse the additive moreover. Let’s look at how to use it properly. People often use in addition and moreover interchangeably, but this is a mistake. In addition only adds another piece of information. Moreover adds some information that moves towards a conclusion. a. Social media can be bad for kids because it keeps them inside too much. In addition, it can be dangerous because they never know who they are communicating with. b. He didn’t really know much about the stock market, and had made a few bad investments. Moreover, in the GFC, he lost nearly all his money, and decided to stop investing entirely. In the first example, In additionis simply adding another fact. In the second example, moreoverintroduces the conclusion (he stopped investing entirely). Be careful to understand the subtle differences between discourse connectors!

Web: goldcoastielts.com Instagram: goldcoast_ielts 4. Exemplification/Restatement Exemplification connectors clarify preceding information. These connectors may introduce examples or an expansion. The most common exemplification connectors are for example and for instance. Restatement connectors give deeper explanations of preceding information. Restatement connectors include that is, in other words, more precisely, which is to say, that is to say, and namely. Exemplification: There are ways in which you might build a house cheaply. For example, you could become your own project manager. Restatement: He managed to save $70,000 on the total cost of his home build. In other words, it would have cost him over $1,000,000 if he had used a well-known building company. Don’t get exemplification and restatement connectors mixed up! Your essay will sound very strange. 5. Result Result discourse connectors introduce information that is a consequence of some preceding information. Examples of result connectors include: accordingly, consequently, hence, therefore, thus, as a consequence, as a resultand so. When the result follows from an event that was described, consequentlyand as a result are usually used. When the result is inferred, thereforeor thusare used. Socan be used in both cases. Let’s look at some examples: Result of event: It was getting dark. Consequently/As a resultthey decided to call off the search. Inference: You have three and I have four. Therefore/Thuswe have seven altogether. 6. Concession The concessive discourse connectors include: nevertheless, nonetheless, in spite of that, despite that,and still. Neverthelessusually introduces content that is surprising. Example: Laura had the highest result in the whole school. Nevertheless, she still couldn’t get into the medical course. 7. Contrast Discourse connectors of contrast include: in contrast, by way of contrast, conversely, by comparison, however, instead, on the contrary, and on the other hand.There are some points to be aware of when using contrast connectors. In contrast is usually used when two subject (nouns) differ somehow. Let’s take a look. Example: American cars have traditionally had big engines. In contrast, European makers have focused on fuel economy. Howeveris a much loser contrast connecter than In contrast. We could not use In contrast in the example below. Example: He wanted to take a trip to Europe. However/In contrasthe didn’t have enough money. Finally, on the other handis used to contrast qualities of a single subject. Let’s take a look at an example. Example: Teaching is a hard job. On the one hand, you want to treat everybody individually. On the other hand, you don’t want any student to get left behind. 8. Cognitive stance Cognitive stance connectors express the writer’s attitude opinion. They should be used in IELTS task 2 responses to get high marks. They include: As it happens, indeed, in fact, actually, in actual fact,and in reality. As it happens, indeed, and in factall show the preceding information is true. They EMPHASISE what was said in the previous sentence. Example: He did not object to the idea. Indeed/In facthe actually seemed to support it. 9. Abrupt topic shift A few connectors can be used to quickly change to another topic. These include: Incidentally and apropos. Try to use a range of the discourse connectors I have shown you in today’s podcast for high marks!!

Web: goldcoastielts.com Instagram: goldcoast_ielts OK guys so I don’t have a lot of time today. Corona virus seems to have made me more busy than usual even. Today let’s focus on some different ways to make topic sentences. The way we will do this is by expanding the connecting phrase from last time to include seven new words that we can use depending on the situation. Let’s introduce these seven words below, along with the (prepositions) and (other elements) that go with them. 1. An explanation + for + NOUN 2. A drawback + of + NOUN / GERUND 3. An advantage + of + NOUN / GERUND 4. A consequence + of + NOUN / GERUND 5. A justification + for + GERUND 6. A way + to + INFINITIVE 7. A reason + why + NOUN A good safe way to write the topic sentence of a body is to use a connecting phrase such as “On the one hand,” and combine it with one of these seven phrases. Let’s take a look at an example for the following question from Cambridge IELTS 13: Living in a country where you have to speak a foreign language can cause serious social problems, as well as practical problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Body paragraph topic sentence 1: On the one hand, one drawback of speaking a foreign language is that it can cause a lot of social problems, such as reclusiveness and friction. If we analyse this body paragraph topic sentence we can see it closely follows a structural formula. 1. Connecting phrase = “On the one hand,” 2. Topic = “one drawback of speaking a foreign language” 3. ‘be’ + that 4. Subject = “it” 5. Claim (modal + verb) = “can cause ...” Shall we try again for the body 2? Let’s do it. Body paragraph topic sentence 2: On the other hand, an advantage of talking in a different language is that a person can grow and develop a new skill. The second body matches the first one and adds a very nice sense of balance to the body section. One thing we do need to be aware of when we use these phrases, and a problem I have noticed with my own students is that when they use number 5 (“a justification”) they often do not know how to use it. This phrase follows a special formula. We basically use “justification” to talk about doing something that will upset a lot of people but finally lead to a good result. Let’s take a look. On the one hand, a justification for laying off half the work force (bad thing that will make many people unhappy) is that the company will be able to remain in business (good result). So if you guys to write better topic sentences using these nice tips, I’m sure you will be on the road to achieving a 6.0+ for your task 2 essays. See you next time!

Web: www.goldcoastielts.com Instagram: goldcoast_ielts All body paragraphs will need to have a very clear topic sentence in the sentence initial (S1) position. The purpose of the topic sentence in an IELTS task 2 body paragraph is to introduce the topic, link the paragraph forwards or backwards to another paragraph, and to give the author’s belief or stated position in relation to the topic. So we have the following three parts in every topic sentence: 1. Phrase to connect paragraph to other paragraphs 2. Main subject of the paragraph 3. Claim about the subject of the paragraph If you include these three things in your body topic sentences, and you do it with the good clear grammar that I will explain in a moment, your body paragraph will be off to a very good start. So now let’s take a look at a typical IELTS task 2 question, one that we in fact used in the previous podcast on analysing questions. The topic of this question is tourism and its effect on traditional societies around the world. An increase in tourism has had a significant effect on traditional society’s way of life. Many people argue that this change has brought about progress. Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. If you remember from last time, we broke this question into three parts, which are reviewed below. a. The instruction: Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. b. The topic: An increase in tourism / Traditional society’s way of life. c. The issue Whether this change has brought progress or not. With this information in hand, we can now construct one of our body topic sentences. Here we go: Body paragraph 1 topic sentence: On the one hand, one negative effect of an increase in tourism is that the lifestyles of traditional people are significantly damaged in a number of ways. Let’s analyse this body topic sentence. 1. Phrase to connect = “On the one hand, one negative effect of an increase in tourism is that“ 2. Main subject of paragraph = “the lifestyle’s of traditional people” 3. Claim = “are significantly damaged in a number of ways” Now let’s try the topic sentence for the second body, which will state the opposite side of the question. Body paragraph 2 topic sentence: On the other hand, some positive effects of an increase in tourism are that traditional people will be able to earn more money and send their children to school for a better education. Let’s do some analysis: 1. Phrase to connect = “On the other hand, some positive effects of an increase in tourism are that” 2. Main subject = “traditional people” 3. Claim = “will be able to earn more money and send their children to school for a better education” If we look closely we can see that these sentences sound great, but there are some very simple grammatical rules holding everything together. The phrase to connect should start with a little cohesion marker like “on the one hand”, and finish with “is/are that”. The main subject should be a singular or plural noun. The claim should start with a modal verb like “will”, “may” or “might” which should be followed by a ‘be’ verb such as “is” or “are”. In today’s podcast I have taught you how to write a fairly simple body topic sentence that should make you feel confident and help you to save time. See you next time!

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: www.goldcoastielts.com In today’s podcast let’s take a step back. We probably should have done this a few weeks ago so I have to apologise about that. Today, let’s look at how to properly analyse task 2 essay questions. So basically every task 2 essay question will have three parts. We can call these parts a) the instruction(what you have to do), b) the topic(what you have to write about), and c) the issue(the problem you have to analyse). Let’s take a look at a couple of examples and try our hand at analysing them. Example 1: An increase in tourism has had a significant effect on traditional society’s way of life. Many people argue that this change has brought about progress. Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. Let’s break example 1 down into the three parts: a. The instruction: Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. b. The topic: An increase in tourism / Traditional society’s way of life. c. The issue Whether this change has brought progress or not. Let’s try again with the question from last time. (1) Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. (2) Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. (3) Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. So we can see that the instruction = 3 or Discuss both these views and give your own opinion, the topic = 1 or bad situations, and the issue = 2 or should we try to improve bad situations or not. Today’s topic is not so big so you only have to listen to a short podcast today. Good job and whenever you read a new IELTS task 2 question, try to divide it into these three parts. It will make your job of writing the essay that much easier. See you next time!

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: www.goldcoastielts.com As I promised you all in podcast 12, today we can look at another, alternative way to write a fairly simple IELTS task 2 body or 90 words. Today’s body will have only four sentences, so we need to make each sentence go for about 20-25 words. This might be a big tough for some of you out there who have lower levels of grammar, but let’s do our best! So, here is the structure of our new body paragraph. Sentence 1 (Topic sentence): This sentence will introduce the topic of the whole paragraph. Sentence 2 (Explanation): This sentence will explain the problem or topic in greater detail. Sentence 3 (Example): This sentence will give an example from the real world using real places and real numbers or statistics. Sentence 4 (Result): This sentence will give the result of the example given in sentence 3. Let’s review the tools we will use to write this first body. Here is the question again. (1) Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. (2) Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. (3) Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. We cannot really use the body plan for paragraph 2 that we made in podcast 11, so let’s make a new plan below. Body paragraph 2: Topic sentence: “We should always try and improve bad situations” Explanation: Humans are hardwired biologically to keep improving things. Example: In the medical field, doctors are searching for a vaccine to corona virus. Result: Millions of lives will be saved. Now we can write our body paragraph: Most rational people believe that we should keep trying to improve all situations. For instance, if you ask scientists and researchers, there is actually a lot of evidence that humans are biologically hardwired to look for ways to improve things. As a case in point, if we look closely at the medical field right now, there are hundreds of researchers around the world right now who are searching for a vaccine for the Corona Virus. As a consequence, once they have succeeded, hundreds of thousands of lives will be saved. This body paragraph is exactly 90 words long. It uses more advanced linking words like “most rational people believe that”, “As a case in point”, and “As a consequence”. It includes some great wining vocabulary like “biologically hardwired”, “medical field”, “vaccine”, and “Corona Virus”. There is also some really great grammar in here like the conditional “if”, and a relative clause with “who”. There are always ways to make body paragraphs better. If you are interested in improving the above body paragraph to a 7.0+, why not sign up with Gold Coast IELTS for an online IELTS writing preparation course, or do it face-to-face in Southport! See you next time!

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: goldcoastielts.com OK guys we are back, and today we are going to do something amazing. We will use the plan from podcast 11 to write a 90-word body paragraph. As you can probably imagine, there are different ways to write a body paragraph. What we will try and do today is write a 90-word body of 5 sentences. Each of these sentences will have a clear function, and we need to stick to these functions as we write. Here are the functions for each sentence: Sentence 1 (Topic sentence): This sentence will introduce the topic of the whole paragraph. Sentence 2 (Point 1): This sentence will give our first main idea and include linking language and some colourful vocab. and grammar. Sentence 3 (Example 1): This example will function as evidence to support sentence 2. Sentence 4 (Point 2): This sentence will introduce our second main idea and include more linking language, vocab. and high-level grammar. Sentence 5 (Example 2): This sentence will function as an example to support sentence 4. Let’s review the tools we will use to write this first body. Here is the question again. (1) Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. (2) Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. (3) Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. We will also use the body paragraph 1 plan from podcast 11. Here it is again: Body paragraph 1: Topic sentence: “It is better to accept a bad situation” Point 1 (brainstorm point 4): Beauty can be found in suffering Example 1: A lot of the best literature is based on overcoming human suffering. Point 2 (brainstorm point 5): It is impossible to improve, so why even try? Example 2: Disadvantaged circumstances often continue from one generation to the next. Now we can write our body paragraph: Nowadays, a great many people are of the opinion that it can be better to accept a hard situation. Firstly, people who work in the artistic world usually say that beauty can be found in suffering. One example of this is the huge body of literature we have that is based on human suffering. Secondly, people who do social work say that we really should not try to improve the lot of disadvantaged people. A clear illustration of this is that in 90% of cases, extreme poverty continues from one generation to the next. This body paragraph is a tad over 90 words. It uses linking words like nowadays a great many people are of the opinion that, firstly, one example of this is, secondly, and a clear illustration of this is that. It has some nice vocabulary like artistic world, the huge body of literature, human suffering, improve the lot, disadvantaged people, and extreme poverty. For grammar we have some modal verbs like can, would, should not as well as no mistakes at all (accuracy is very important). The paragraph includes expert testimony from artists and social workers (completely made up), and some statistics like in 90% of cases. Of course there are ways to make this IELTS body paragraph much better. In podcast 13 we will write the second body paragraph, and use a different, 4-sentence method to do it, so come back in a few days!!! See you next time!

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: goldcoastielts.com Last time we looked at how to brainstorm ideas for the body paragraphs of a task 2. In today’s podcast, we will see how to progress to the next step, which is to turn the brainstorm into a plan. The body plan is what we will use to write our 180-word body section. The plan could be for three 60-word paragraphs, or two 90-word paragraphs. At Gold Coast IELTS we prefer the 2x90 model because it gives us more room to flesh out our ideas. It should never take more than 2 minutes to complete the brainstorm and accompanying plan as most of the work is done inside our head. The result should be a very basic plan containing a few key words on a piece of paper. Let’s keep using the same essay question that we used in podcasts 8 and 9. Here it is again for those that have forgotten: (1) Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. (2) Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. (3) Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. If you remember the podcast from last time, we came up with the following brainstorm points based on the IDEAS acronym. Let’s review them below. 1. Industry leaders might say that it is always better to improve a bad situation because if we don’t the economy will never improve. 2. Doctors might say that if we don’t strive to improve a bad situation like a disease, people will suffer. 3. Engineers might say that it is only because of the constant need to improve that we have such incredible buildings and places to live today. 4. Artists might say that there is no need to improve a bad situation because beauty can be found in suffering, which leads to better inspiration. 5. Social workers might say that it is often impossible to improve the situation of economically disadvantaged people, so it could be better not to even try. Now, we need to choose four of the above brainstorm points to make a plan, to which we will add some examples. And guys don’t forget that this is going to be a very basic plan, aiming for about a 6.0 band-score. Because this is a discussion/opinion style essay, we can choose two “for” points, and two “against” points. Here is the plan: Body paragraph 1: Topic sentence: “It is better to accept a bad situation” Point 1 (brainstorm point 4): Beauty can be found in suffering Example 1: A lot of the best literature is based on overcoming human suffering. Point 2 (brainstorm point 5): It is impossible to improve, so why even try? Example 2: Disadvantaged circumstances often continue from one generation to the next. Body paragraph 2: Topic sentence: “We should always try and improve bad situations” Point 1 (brainstorm point 1): We should always strive to improve things for the sake of the economy. Example 1: After the Corona Virus we will need to work hard to return to good times. Point 2 (brainstorm point 2): We should always improve so we can eradicate disease. Example 2: Once cancer has been cured, many people’s lives will be saved. Now we have a nice little plan that only took a minute or two to create, we can start writing these ideas into our body section using beautiful English. See you next time!

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: goldcoastielts.com In podcasts 8 and 9 we learnt how to write a nice introduction without doing too much work. Now we need to sit back and take a break because we need to do some serious thinking now. After finishing the introduction, the next stage is to do a quick brainstorm to generate quality ideas for the body section of the essay. This will help us to score really well for the Task Achievement criterion of the task 2. Under exam conditions the brainstorm will ideally take a minute or 2, and will generate four quality ideas to write about in the two body paragraphs. Each of these paragraphs will be 90 words long and include two brainstorm ideas along with examples or contrasts. Let’s keep using the same essay question that we used in podcasts 8 and 9. Here it is again for those that have forgotten: (1) Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. (2) Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. (3) Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. If you find it difficult to come up with ideas for this to use in your body paragraphs, it can be really useful to put yourself in another person’s shoes. For this we can use the IDEAS acronym, which stands for Industry leaders (or business people), Doctors, Engineers, Artists, and Social Workers. The idea is to imagine what these people would say about the task question, and then use the best ones for our body paragraphs. Let’s have a go. 1. Industry leaders might say that it is always better to improve a bad situation because if we don’t the economy will never improve. 2. Doctors might say that if we don’t strive to improve a bad situation like a disease, people will suffer. 3. Engineers might say that it is only because of the constant need to improve that we have such incredible buildings and places to live today. 4. Artists might say that there is no need to improve a bad situation because beauty can be found in suffering, which leads to better inspiration. 5. Social workers might say that it is often impossible to improve the situation of economically disadvantaged people, so it could be better not to even try. The next step would be to choose four of the above ideas, and expand them with examples to create a plan. Let’s explore the IELTS body plan in podcast 11 next time we meet. See you then!

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: goldcoastielts.com In podcast 8 we learnt how to write the first sentence of our task 2 introduction. This is known as the “background statement” and its purpose was to contextualise the essay in the real world. Today let’s move on to the second sentence of our essay which is called the “thesis statement”. The purpose of this sentence is to let the audience know what we will do in the essay. We can also introduce our main argument here if we want to. Let’s keep using the same essay question that we used in podcast 8. Here it is again for those that have forgotten: (1) Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. (2) Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. (3) Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. And here is the background statement we came up with last time for this question: S1: These days, many people are of the belief that rather than accept a difficult situation like a disappointing job or a lack of finances, it might be better to try and make such a situation better. Now we need to write the second sentence, or the thesis statement. We should always begin this sentence with one of the following phrases. Of course there are better phrases for a higher mark, but for a 6.0-6.5, these two should be adequate: 1. The following essay will.. 2. This essay will... OK let’s try to make it. S2: The following essay will discusswhy human beings should always strive to better themselves, and give some examples to arguethis case. This thesis statement has stolen the verb “discuss” from the question, and used the verb “argue” to clearly show that we are giving our opinion. It has also laid down a clear plan for the two body paragraphs. Let’s look at the entire two sentence introduction of 58 words. (Background statement) These days, many people are of the belief that rather than accept a difficult situation like a disappointing job or a lack of finances, it might be better to try and make such a situation better. (Thesis statement) The following essay will discusswhy human beings should always strive to better themselves, and give some examples to arguethis case. Although not too complex, this method of writing a Task 2 introduction thesis statement will help you write quickly and clearly, setting the path for a very nice body section.

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: goldcoastielts.com OK so today guys we are going to check out how to write the introduction sentence 1 of our task 2. This is a very, very important sentence because it is going to set the whole tone of our beautiful IELTS task 2. Today let’s keep it pretty easy and just focus on how to do the Task 2 S1 that will get a band-score 6.5 or so. We can pimp it up to a 7.5 in the next podcast or at a later date. So basically this introduction S1 has only one goal, which, like a task 1 S1, is to restate the question. So firstly, let’s take a look at a fairly typical Task 2 question. This one is from Cambridge IELTS 14, Test 1. (1) Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. (2) Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. (3) Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. This is a combination discussion/opinion style task 2 because of the language presented in the instruction (3). We will use the language given in the topic and issue sentences (1 and 2) to construct our introduction S1. First, let’s look for some synonyms. Four or five would be a perfect number to concentrate on... Some people = MANY PEOPLE Accept = BELIEVE Bad = DIFFICULT Unsatisfactory = DISAPPOINTING Shortage = LACK Improve = MAKE BETTER OK, let’s try to use these syonyms to write our S1. If possible, we can also add some informationand rearrange some of the grammar. Here we go! These days, many people are of the belief that rather than accept a difficult situation like a disappointing job or a lack of finances, it might be better to try and make such a situation better. Good job! This is a beautiful IELTS task 2 S1. Let’s dive in deeper and see exactly how it was done: 1. Firstly a number of synonyms were used. 2. Secondly, some information was added like the time phrase “these days”, extra words like “are of the belief”, and a modal like “might be better”. 3. Finally, the grammar was rearranged by putting the adverb “rather” in the first line. Try writing your IELTS task 2 introduction S1 like this, and you will never go wrong!!

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: goldcoastielts.com In this podcast let’s check out how to create the final part of our task 1 – the summary section. Note that we call this a summary and not a conclusion because conclusion is strictly reserved for the final paragraph of a task 2. Ideally, we want to write two sentences for this part of our task 1. The first one should begin with “Overall” or “In summary” and the second sentence should begin with some sort of linking word or adverbial, most likely a comparative such as “However”. Let’s keep using the map illustration from podcast 5 and write a nice summary for that. Here is the summary... In summary, it can be clearly seen that the entire island was made more welcoming to tourists because of the addition of a wide range of touristic facilities. However, while this may result in greater income for local people, the environmental impact of these changes is more difficult to predict. It could be argued that at 50 words this summary is about 10 or 15 words too long, but it is a very nice summary that accomplishes two goals. Firstly, it successfully summarises the main change in the illustration (sentence 1). Secondly, it adds a complex contrast in the second sentence to prompt the reader on to greater thought. Try to use these techniques when you write your own IELTS task 1 summary!

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: goldcoastielts.com Today let’s take another look at a different kind of task 1 body section and do a line chart. This will be a bit different from the map in the last podcast because we can try to use some more comparative language here. Some language we could use to do this would include: 1. In comparison 2. But 3. Although 4. In contrast 5. While Now let’s take a look at an IELTS task 1 line chart, and find four details to write about. 1. The total rose over the period, but ended up unchanged at the end. 2. Refined cane and beet sugars started high, while all other foods started extremely low. 3. As refined cane and beet sugars decreased, corn sweeteners rose at a similar rate. 4. Edible syrups and honey remained extremely low over the entire period. Now lets write the full details section. Looking in more detail, it can be seen that total sweetener availability increased markedly around the turn of the century, but decreased to finish up close to where it started in 2011. In 1966 refined cane and beet sugars accounted for the vast majority of the total, but by the end of the period, had decreased significantly to around 50% of total sweeteners. A further observation is that although refined cane and beet sugars and corn sweeteners started at very different points, they coverged in 1986 and accounted for similar numbers until 2011. In sharp contrast to these trends are the numbers shown by honey and edible syrups, which both started and ended at less than 5% of total sweeteners available. At 121 words, this body might be a little long, but it used many good techniques that IELTS examiners appreciate a lot. Lets look at what was done. First, four different trends were described in detail. Second, a range of comparative language was employed to compare the lines (but, although, in sharp contrast). Third, some good grammatical combinations were used such as adj. + N (total sweetener availability), and V + Adv. (decreased significantly). This is definitely the way to do your IELTS body so try out these techniques next time you practice writing a task 1.

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: goldcoastielts.com Today we’ll move on from the first sentence of the task 1 body and find out how to continue writing the “details” part of the body. Before writing this section we really need to take a close look at the chart and find about three detailed pieces of information from the chart that we can use in this part. Ideally, this section will be two or three sentences long, and is a great opportunity to show the examiner our knowledge of synonyms, grammar, and English connecting language. Lets take a look at an IELTS task 1 map illustration, and find three details to write about. 1. A restaurant, reception area, and accommodation have all been built 2. Paths and vehicle tracks have been built to connect everything together 3. A pier has been built for boats. Now lets write the full details section. "Looking in more detail, it can be seen that a number of new facilities have been built on the island, including a restaurant and a reception area in the middle, with bungalow-style accommodation on either side. Footpaths have been laid in ring formations to connect the bungalows together, while a vehicle track extends from the pier before encircling the reception area and continuing on the to restaurant. Finally, a T-shaped pier has been constructed so that guests can enjoy yachting off the coast of the island." This is a great details section of 86 words. After this we would continue on to write a short summary to finish off the task 1. Lets look at what was done. First, all three sentences are quite long, with the longest being over 40 words. Secondly, a number of nice connecting words were used, such as ‘Looking in more detail’, ‘including’, ‘while’, ‘before’, ‘finally’, and ‘so’. Lastly, some great vocab was incorporated, such as ‘facilities’, ‘bungalow-style’, ‘ring formations’, ‘encircling’, and ‘T-shaped’. What a great way to describe the details of a chart! Try to incorporate some of these tips the next time you write a task 1.

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: goldcoastielts.com Welcome back! Today we’ll look at how to make the first sentence of the body paragraph for our task 1. Lets call this sentence the S1. This sentence will describe one key detail of the chart. In the chart below, it would probably be the line for the UK, which rose a lot more than any of the other lines in the chart. In fact, this line rose by about 20 per cent. Some of the language we could use to start this sentence is given below. We could say something like: 1. Looking in more detail, the line chart illustrates that ... 2. A closer look at the line chart shows us that ... Now lets try to make a great S1 for our IELTS task 1. Take a look at the chart below to jog your memory. Firstly, lets describe the line for the UK in simple terms. S1: Looking in more detail, the line chart illustrates that the line for the UK increased a lot. This is OK, but we can make it better by adding some numbers and better detail. Lets try again. S2: Looking in more detail, the line chart illustrates that the percentage of female members of parliament in the UK increased by around 20%. This is much better, but we can make it even cooler by adding a little comparison with a relative clause at the end. S2: Looking in more detail, the line chart illustrates that the percentage of female members of parliament in the UK increased by around 20%, which is about 9% or 10% more than any other country. What a great way to start your body paragraph! It is a long sentence, at 33 words, but does many amazing things. It shows off your grammar, uses connecting language, gives detail and makes a little comparison.

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: goldcoastielts.com Welcome back! In the first two podcasts we looked at how to make the first sentence of our introduction, which was basically a cleverly worded paraphrase of the chart title. Today we’ll look at how to make the second sentence of our introduction, or the S2. This sentence will describe the key trend of the chart. What is the key trend? This is simply the first thing that jumps out at you when you take a look at the chart. It could be a general increase, a general decrease, or no change. There are many possibilities. Firstly, we need to look at the language we can use to start this sentence. Here are a few good S2 starters: 1. In general, we can see that ... 2. In general, it can be seen that ... 3. Overall, the chart shows a (ADJECTIVE) trend ... 4. Overall, it can be seen that while ... , ... . Now lets try to make a solid introduction with an S1 and an S2. Take a look at the chart below(SEE CHART ON PODCAST 3 EXPLANATION): The first step is to make a good S1 using the title. How about something like: S1: The line chart shows the proportions of women in government in European nations of the 12 year period starting in 2000 and ending in 2012. Now we need to make our key trend S2 sentence: S2: Overall, it can be seen that the percentages of women serving in government increased in all the countries represented. Lets put them together, and our introduction is complete! The line chart shows the proportions of women in government in European nations of the 12 year period starting in 2000 and ending in 2012. Overall, it can be seen that the percentages of women serving in government increased in all the countries represented. This is a nice little task 1 introduction of 44 words.

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: goldcoastielts.com Last time we looked at how to write the first sentence of our task 1 introduction. Today, lets expand on that theme and practice doing this a bit more. Lets imagine we have three different task 1 titles, and that we have to write three different S1s for some introductions. Lets take a look at each one of them in turn. Number 1: “Visitor numbers to New Caledonia 1995-1999” There are a number of things we could do with this task 1 title. We could change one or more nouns, for example visitor to traveller. We could add some information, for example the island of New Caledonia. We could also play around with the dates and say something like, the final five years of the twentieth century. Here is our S1 paraphrased from the title: (The line chart shows) the total number of travellers to the island nation of New Caledonia in the last five years of the twentieth century. Number 2: Average length of holiday in weeks (2000-2009) With this title, we could change average to a synonymous term like mean, length to duration, and holiday to a two-word synonym like days off. We could add some information to the time phrase and say something like the ten year period 2000-2009, or the decade starting in 2000 and ending in 2009. We could also add a passive verb like taken off. Here is our S1 paraphrased from the title: (The bar chart clearly shows) the mean duration of days taken off over the decade starting in 2000 and ending in 2009. Number 3: Females in manual jobs (1900-2000) This is quite a short title so we could add some new information to it. The easiest thing to add would be a relative clause beginning with ‘who’. We could also change the adjective manual to something like blue-collar, physical, or labour-intensive. Finally, the time phrase could also be easily changed to the century. Lets see how our S1 looks below: (The chart illustrates) the number of women who were doing labour-intensive jobs over the entire twentieth century, starting in 1900. All of the above are really great ways to get off to a good start with your task 1 introduction. To be able to do this properly you will need to increase your topic-specific vocabulary, as well as get good at manipulating grammar forms. Remember, practice makes perfect. Next time we can look at the second sentence of a task 1 introduction. See you then.

Instagram: goldcoast_ielts Web: goldcoastielts.com Do you ever get that feeling you just don’t know how to start a task one? Don’t worry, we’re here to help you. A good IELTS task one intro only needs 2 sentences. That’s right, just two. Let’s call them S1 and S2. The good news is, each of them has a structure, and a purpose. Let’s dive in a little deeper. Your Task 1 intro S1 has only one purpose, to restate the title of the chart you are looking at. We can use paraphrasing, new grammar, or additions to achieve this. Let’s say you have a task one table and the title is “Amount of sleep for secondary school students”. We can use this title to write our S1. Always start with the words “The table/line chart/map/process diagram shows ...” and then add the information from the title. Here’s an example of a nice S1. “The table shows the lengths of time that different aged high school students spend sleeping.” This is a nice little 15 word task 1 S1. If we analyse it, we can see that the S1 used some synonyms. "Amount" become "length of time", and "secondary school students" became "high school students". Some of the grammar was also changed. "Sleep" became "spend sleeping". Finally, some new but important language was added to the S1. Just before "high school students", the new language "different aged" was added. Doing these three things in the first sentence of your task 1 will help you get a really high score. Keep studying hard!

รูปแบบ Passive Voice ในส่วน IELTS Task 2 จะช่วยทำให้นักเรียนเขียนผ่านจำนวนคำได้จริง แต่ถ้าใช้ไม่ถูกต้อง หรือไม่ถนัดด้านแกรมม่า สิ่งนี้จะทำร้ายนักเรียนได้ง่ายๆเลยนะ มาดูว่าทำไม...เข้าดูคอร์ส IELTS@HOME : คว้า BAND ที่ต้องการ คืนเงินได้ภายใน 30 วัน

เขียนตั้งเยอะ แต่กลับไม่ได้คะแนนเลย..เป็นเพราะอะไร? ตอนครูตรวจ Essay ครูเจอหลายคนที่เขียนได้ยาว ครบจำนวนคำของ IELTS TASK 2 แต่แค่ครูอ่านประโยคแรกก็ต้องตีกลับไปแก้..เพราะการเขียนแบบนี้ คนตรวจข้อสอบตัวจริงก็จะไม่อ่านเช่นกัน...เข้าดูคอร์ส IELTS@HOME : คว้า BAND ที่ต้องการ คืนเงินได้ภายใน 30 วัน

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In this episode, Eliot and Naomi talk about how to understand and respond to an IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 essay question. They'll cover:  Writing Task 2 requirements Different ways you can write responses to three Task 2 Agree-Disagree example questions Episode resources and links:  IELTS Academic Writing Task 2: The Complete Guide IELTS Writing: To What Extent Do You Agree or Disagree? The Best IELTS Task 2 Writing Template Brainstorming Ideas for the IELTS Task 2 Essay IELTS Paraphrasing Task 2 | Video Post Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com   Episode 26 Transcript - 3 Example Agree-Disagree Questions Translations: (Tiếng Việt) Intro Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Episode 26. In this episode, you’re going to learn how to understand and respond to an IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 essay question that is formatted as an Agree-Disagree question. First Eliot and I will explain the Task 2 requirements, and then we’ll walk you through the different ways you can write responses to three Task 2 Agree-Disagree example questions. And don’t forget to visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep! Okay, let’s get started! Part 1: Naomi: Today Eliot and I are discussing IELTS agree-disagree questions.  You may run into this type of essay question in the Academic IELTS Writing Task 2. Eliot: In this episode, we’re going to go over three example agree-disagree question prompts, and show you the ways you could structure your response to each of them. Naomi: Before we get started with the example questions, let’s talk a little more about Academic Writing Task 2. Eliot, what do you think students should know about this section of the IELTS? Eliot: Well, IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 is the second of two writing tasks on the IELTS. In Task 2, you’ll be asked to respond to an open-ended essay prompt. If the prompt ends with the phrase: ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree’, you’re dealing with an agree-disagree essay question. Naomi: Task 1 definitely isn’t easy, but most students find IELTS Writing Task 2 even more challenging. Would you recommend that students spend more time on Task 2 than on Task 1? Eliot: Yes, definitely. You’ll have a total of 60 minutes to complete both tasks. I suggest that you spend only 20 minutes on Task 1 and use the remaining 40 minutes for Task 2. Naomi: Ok, so what makes Task 2 more difficult than Task 1? Eliot: Well, first of all, Task 1 just asks you to transfer information from a visual into writing. But Task 2 requires you to answer an open essay question. There’s no clear or “correct” answer. Naomi: And Task 1 has a lower minimum word count, right? Eliot: Exactly. Task 1 requires that you write 150 words or more, but for Task 2 you will be expected to write at least 250 words. Naomi: So are the two Tasks weighted equally in terms of points? Eliot: That’s a great question, and the answer is no! Task 2 is worth twice as many points as Task 1, so it’s a really good idea to spend a bit more time on Task 2. Naomi: So to recap: you recommend that students spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2. How should students break down those 40 minutes? Eliot: Writing speed varies a lot from student to student, so how you’ll want to break down that 40 minutes will depend a lot on how fast you can write. Naomi: Can you give us a rough guideline? Eliot: Sure...I suggest you spend between 2 and 10 minutes planning your essay, 25 to 32 minutes writing, and the remaining 5 (or more) minutes editing your work. Naomi: Great, anything else students should know? Eliot: Well, the more you practice Task 2 responses, the quicker you will become, so don’t worry too much if you're not hitting your timing goals right away. You just need to keep practicing! Naomi: Before we hear the agree-disagree sample questions, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh. Midroll: Kevin: Do you want a great IELTS score? Magoosh can help! Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh: In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam 24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep. Now back to the show! Part 2: Naomi: So Eliot, let’s talk about the agree-disagree essay questions. What are some examples of this type of prompt? Eliot: An agree-disagree prompt would be something like: “The leaders or directors of organizations are often older people. But some people say that young people can also be leaders. To what extent do you agree or disagree?” Naomi: And how would you answer a question like that? Eliot: Before writing anything, you should have a clear point of view. Notice how the question asked “to what extent” do you agree or disagree? Make sure your answer responds to that part of the question. Naomi: What do you mean? Eliot: I would suggest that you choose one of the three following positions: Either, “I completely agree…”, “I completely disagree…”, or “I partly agree and partly disagree…”. Naomi: Oh, I see...So let’s start with the “I completely agree” answer. How would you structure a “completely agree” essay response to the prompt from earlier? Eliot: So remember the prompt was “The leaders or directors of organizations are often older people. But some people say that young people can also be leaders. To what extent do you agree or disagree?” Naomi: Right. Eliot: Begin with an introduction stating that you completely agree that young people can be leaders. Naomi: Okay, sounds like a good start. You’re writing a five-paragraph essay...that means that after the introduction there will be three body paragraphs, followed by a conclusion. What should you write for the body paragraphs? Eliot: Use each of the first two body paragraphs to state one reason why you agree with that young people can be leaders. You can use the third paragraph either to state a third reason why you agree, or to explain why the opposite view is wrong. Naomi: Okay, and what about the conclusion? Eliot: For the concluding paragraph, restate your position one last time, in this case, that you completely agree that young people can be leaders. Naomi: Okay great, thanks Eliot! Let’s look at another example question, and talk about how to respond if you “completely disagree”. Eliot: So here’s our second example question: “Maintaining public libraries is a waste of time since computer technology is now replacing their functions. To what extent do you agree or disagree?” Naomi: Okay, so where should you start? Eliot: It’s really the same format as for our last example. You’ll just be giving arguments as to why you think the view is wrong rather than right. Naomi: Okay, so start with an introductory paragraph stating that you completely disagree that maintaining public libraries is a waste of time? Eliot: Exactly! Then you’ll write your three body paragraphs. And in each one, give one reason that you think that computers aren’t a substitute for public libraries.  Naomi: And then for your conclusion, should you quickly summarize your body paragraphs, and restate that computer technology hasn’t replaced public libraries, and therefore, we should still maintain them? Eliot: Yes, that’s perfect. You see how similar the “completely agree” format is to the “completely disagree” format? Naomi: Yes, it’s the same basic structure. You’re just arguing in the opposite direction. Eliot: Right. But if you decide you’re going to argue for “partly agree and partly disagree”, things will look a little different. Naomi: How so? Eliot: Well let’s look at one more prompt. Here’s the example: “People’s shopping habits depend more on the age group they belong to than any other factor. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”  Naomi: Okay. So how do you answer? Eliot: In the introduction you’ll want to say that you partly agree and partly disagree that age group is the most important factor in determining shopping habits. Then state a few points you agree with and a few points you disagree with. Naomi: Okay, what about the body paragraphs? Eliot: You only really need two body paragraphs, but they’ll be a little longer than the body paragraphs in the “completely agree” or “completely disagree” answers. In the first body paragraph, explain the points you agree with. Then in the second body paragraph, explain the points you disagree with. Naomi: And then in the conclusion you’ll restate your view? Eliot: Exactly! And those are the three examples of how to answer agree-disagree Task 2 questions on the IELTS! Outro: So what did you think? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again. Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!   Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

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In this episode Eliot and Naomi talk about how to prepare for the Academic IELTS Writing Task 2. They'll cover:  organization structure tone example questions scoring Episode resources and links:  IELTS Writing Task 2: Sample Question and Outline Sample IELTS Task 2 Essay  5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Types Improving your IELTS Writing Task 2 Score Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com    Episode 22 Transcript: How to Prepare for the IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 Translations: (Tiếng Việt) Intro: Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Episode 22. In this episode, you’re going to learn about IELTS Academic Writing Task 2. We’re going to discuss everything you need to know about this second essay, including organization, structure, tone, example questions, and scoring. Don’t forget to visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep! And now, for the show! Body Part 1: Eliot: Today Naomi and I will discuss IELTS Writing task 2, and talk about some tips and tricks for writing a really good second IELTS essay. Naomi: Eliot, what would you say is the first thing students should know about this essay? Eliot: They should know that this is a bigger essay-- one that takes more work and time than IELTS Writing Task 1. The IELTS recommends you spend 20 minutes on Writing Task 1, but 40 minutes on Task 2. Naomi: So most of your IELTS Writing section time should be devoted to the second essay? Why is that? Eliot: There are a few different reasons, actually. One of the reasons comes down to scoring. Task 2 makes up two-thirds of your writing score. And you’re expected to write more-- they need to state an opinion and defend it with examples and details. That’s why there’s a 250 word minimum for the second essay versus the 150 word expectation for that first task. Naomi: Wow! How can students write all that in just 40 minutes? Eliot: The key is careful time management for each stage of writing. IELTS Task 2 Essay planning should take 2-10 minutes, then the actual writing should take 25-32 minutes, with 5 minutes left over to go back and proofread. Naomi: So how exactly should you organize things? Eliot: In both your outline and your essay, there are a few rules you should follow. Obviously, you’ll want to start with the introduction. Keep that part fairly short. Just restate the topic, and add your thesis. That’s where you state your position and your main points. After that, you can move straight to the body paragraphs. Body paragraph 1 will give supporting details for thesis main point 1…. Naomi: ...And body paragraph 2 covers thesis main point 2? Eliot: You’re getting the idea! Then, after the body, end with a conclusion, where you restate and review the main points. The conclusion should be short and sweet--like the introduction. Naomi: What about the writing style? Any special words or sentence structures students should use? Eliot: The writing will be academic--formal. So we want sentences that are complete, and sometimes compound and complex. Naomi: So there should be sentence variety. Eliot: Definitely. And you don’t just need sentence variety. Top scoring Task 2 essays also have word variety. Students should avoid using the same words and phrases over and over. Oh, and keep the tone formal and academic. Naomi: OK, I think I can almost picture what a good outline and essay look like. But how can I know for sure that I’m picturing the right thing? Eliot: Well, fortunately for you and our students, Magoosh has some sample materials for that. If you go to our Complete Guide to IELTS Writing Task 2, you’ll see a sample question for the second IELTS essay, and a model outline. Our guide has a model IELTS Writing Task 2 essay as well. We’ll put links in the show notes. Naomi: That’s great. Now that our students know how to outline and write the essay, what else should they know? Eliot: It’s also a good idea to look at the question types, and the way this essay is scored. Naomi: Before we look at IELTS Writing Task 2 question types and scoring, let’s hear from Magoosh. Midroll: Kevin: Do you want a great IELTS score? Magoosh can help! Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:             In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts             Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam             24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep. Now back to the show!   Body Part 2: Naomi: So you were saying there are different types of questions? How many different types? Eliot: Students will be happy to hear that there are just five question types for IELTS Writing Task 2. There are agree-disagree question types, advantage/disadvantage, cause and solution questions, questions where you discuss both sides of an argument, and thematic questions that focus on a special topic. Naomi: In a lot of these questions, I notice you need to discuss two sides to a debate…. Eliot: Most questions are like that, yes. But there are also “Cause and Solution to a Problem” questions. The students need to propose a solution, but they don’t really have to choose a position in the same way. Naomi: Interesting! I’ll be honest, though. I’m having a little trouble imagining examples of each type of question. Is there a place I can go to see some actual questions? Eliot: Yes! This is another place where Magoosh has you covered. Our complete guide to IELTS Writing Task 2 includes examples of each of the 5 IELTS Writing Task 2 question types. Check the show notes for that link. Naomi: Nice! And the outline and structure you described above--that works for any question type? Eliot: Sure. Essays can be structured the same way no matter what kind of question you get. Naomi: That’s a relief. But what about scoring? If you answer a different kind of question, will your essay be scored in a different way? Eliot: Not to worry, all essays are scored by the exact same standards. But I’m glad you brought that up. It’s really important for students to know exactly how IELTS Writing Task 2 is scored. Knowing the scoring system is a powerful way to aim for the best score. Naomi: So how does the scoring system work, in a nutshell? Eliot: Well, you get points in 4 categories: Task Response, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Lexical Resource, and Coherence and Cohesion. Naomi: What do these category names really mean? Eliot: Great question! Let’s start with Task Response. Here, the scorers ask themselves “Did this student fully answer the question”? If you follow the structure we talked about earlier-- introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion, you have the best chance of answering the question completely. Naomi: Got it! I think after task response, you mentioned grammatical range and accuracy? That one’s exactly what it sounds like, isn’t it? Eliot: Pretty much, yeah. In the Grammatical range and accuracy category, scorers look for the kind of sentence variety we discussed earlier. The grammar of sentences should be varied, and used correctly. Naomi: OK, and lexical…. Eliot: Lexical resource! “Lexical” means related to words and their meanings. Lexical resource is the use of a good range of vocabulary. It’s the vocabulary variety I mentioned before. With correctly used words, of course! Naomi: That leaves us with coherence and cohesion…. Eliot: That category is all about your ability to present your ideas logically and clearly. You earn points for laying your your ideas in logical order, with clear connections between the information. Naomi: And let me guess… I can see more tips and examples for these scoring categories in Magoosh’s Complete Guide to IELTS Writing Task 2, right? Eliot: That’s right! You can see examples and a lot of extra advice in our Complete Guide to IELTS Writing Task 2. It’s all in the section entitled Improving Your IELTS Writing Task 2 Score (By Scoring Category). Don’t worry, we’ll put links to all of the resources we covered in the show notes. Outro So what did you think? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again. Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!   Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

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In this episode, Rob guides you through how to get ideas for another IELTS Task 2 Writing question.

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This is your key to the most difficult part of the IELTS Task 2 Writing. Rob will show you how to get ideas for IELTS Task 2 Writing.

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IELTS Task 2: problems/solutions --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ieltsetc/message

Learn how to describe a process in IELTS Task 1 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ieltsetc/message

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IELTS Task 2 topics and ideas. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ieltsetc/message

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