IELTS Listening: more practice Listen to the following introduction to a series of lectures about food. Click here to listen Fill the gaps below with no more than TWO words. Monday, December 09, 2013 IELTS Reading: choose the title Read the following passage. The cinematograph is a motion picture film camera which also serves as a film projector and developer. It was invented in the 1890s, but there is much dispute as to the identity of its inventor. Some argue that the device was first invented and patented as Cinématographe Léon Bouly by French inventor Léon Bouly on February 12, 1892. Bouly coined the term “cinematograph”, which translates in Greek to “writing in movement”. It is said that Bouly was not able to pay the rent for his patent the following year, and that the brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière bought the licence. A more popular version of events is that Louis Lumière was the first to conceptualise the idea. The Lumière brothers shared the patent, and they made their first film, Sortie de lusine Lumière de Lyon, in 1894. Choose the best title for the whole passage from the list below. A) How the cinematograph was invented B) The first film projector C) Who invented the cinematograph? D) What is a cinematogr Sunday, December 08, 2013 IELTS Advice: how to know when youre ready How do you know when youre ready to take the IELTS exam? Heres my advice: 1. If youve never taken the exam before, take it as soon as you can. Youll be surprised how difficult a full day of testing is! Treat your first attempt as a practice test to get used to what it feels like. Also, taking the exam is the best way to assess your level. 2. Your next step could be to read about the best ways (techniques, methods) of doing each part of the exam; this is what I try to provide here on the website. Read my advice, analyse my model answers, and try to copy the way I approach each part of the test. 3. Using what you have learnt, you need to practise and train yourself. This is not the same as testing yourself. Read this lesson to understand the difference. 4. Finally, you need to do some tests and get feedback. You need to find out what you are doing wrong and what you need to do to improve. The best form of feedback is from a teacher who can read your essays or listen to you speak. You will know that you are ready when you consistently get the score you need in all of your practice Saturday, December 07, 2013 IELTS Vocabulary: good phrases Looking back at Im surprised to see how many good phrases I used. Try making your own sentences with the phrases below. Check to see how I used them before you write anything. - caught my eye - out of curiosity - I ended up (+ing) - dedicated to - I hadnt intended to..... - approached me - I wondered what..... were - the various..... on show - I found..... fascinating - he had a passion for..... - he didnt mind (+ing) - I had made it clear that..... Friday, December 06, 2013 IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a conversation Describe an interesting conversation you had with someone you didnt know. You should say - who the person was - where the conversation took place - what you talked about - and explain why you found the conversation interesting. Heres my sample (band 9) answer: • I’m going to talk about an interesting conversation that I had a couple of weeks ago in a music shop. I was walking along one of the main shopping streets in the city centre, when a large window displaying all sorts of musical instruments caught my eye. Out of curiosity, I decided to go in and have a look around. • The person I ended up speaking to was a shop assistant on the second floor, in the area of the shop dedicated to acoustic guitars. I hadn’t intended to speak to anyone, but the assistant approached me in a friendly way and asked whether I had any questions. • I explained to the assistant that I hadn’t played the guitar for years, but that I wondered what the differences were between the various acoustic guitars on show. He talked to me about the different makes and models, whether they were factory or hand made, the woods and varnishes used, the variation in sound quality, and of course the price range. • I found the conversation fascinating because the shop assistant was so knowledgeable. It was obvious that he had a passion for the guitar, and he didn’t mind talking to me even though I had made it clear that I didn’t intend to buy anything. He even picked up and played three or four of the instruments to demonstrate the differences in their s Thursday, December 05, 2013 IELTS Writing Task 1: avoid common mistakes Heres some advice to help you avoid common mistakes in IELTS writing task 1: 1. Dont copy the question for your introduction. You should paraphrasethe question (i.e. rewrite it using some different words). 2. Dont forget to separate your paragraphs clearly. 3. Dont forget to write a good summary/overview of the information. A quick one-sentence conclusion is not good enough. I prefer to put the overview straight after the introduction, and I try to write 2 sentences describing the information in general. You wont get a high score if you dont write a good overview. 4. Dont describe items separately (e.g. 2 lines on a graph). You should always try to compare things if it is possible to do so. Instead of describing 2 lines separately, compare the 2 lines at key points. 5. Dont try to describe every number on a chart or graph (unless there are only a few numbers). A key skill in task 1 is being able to choosethe key information and describe or compare it well. I usually mention around 6 or 7 numbers in my main paragraphs. 6. Dont spend longer than 20 minutes on task 1. Practise spending 5 minutes on each of your 4 paragraphs. Stop yourself after 20 minutes; remember that task 2 is worth more marks. Wednesday, December 04, 2013 IELTS Writing Task 2: strong opinion answer Foreign visitors should pay more than local visitors for cultural and historical attractions. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Last week I said that we needed a strong opinion answer to the question above. Heres my suggested outline for a 4-paragraph essay: 1. Introduction: make your opinion clear (e.g. I completely disagree) 2. First reason why you disagree 3. Second reason why you disagree 4. Conclusion: repeat / summarise your opinion Note: It is possible to mention the opposite view in one of the main paragraphs, but you should make it very clear that you disagree with it. Heres an example: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 IELTS Listening: improve your ear Improve your ear was point 7 in the list of advice that I gave last week. Heres some more practice to help you with that IELTS Reading: paragraph headings Read the following passage about cognitive behavioural therapy: A) Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapeutic approach: a talking therapy. CBT aims to solve problems concerning dysfunctional emotions, behaviours and cognitions through a goal-oriented, systematic procedure in the present. B) The particular therapeutic techniques vary, but commonly may include keeping a diary of significant events and associated feelings, thoughts and behaviours; questioning and testing cognitions, assumptions, evaluations and beliefs that might be unhelpful and unrealistic; gradually facing activities which may have been avoided; and trying out new ways of behaving and reacting. Relaxation, mindfulness and distraction techniques are also commonly included. C) Going through cognitive behavioural therapy is not an overnight process for clients; a typical course consists of 12-16 hour-long sessions. Even after clients have learned to recognise when and where their mental processes go awry, it can in some cases take considerable time or effort to replace a dysfunctional process or habit with a more reasonable and adaptive one. CBT is problem-focused and structured towards the client. It requires honesty and openness between the client and therapist, as a therapist develops strategies for managing problems and guiding the client to a better life. Choose the best headings for paragraphs A, B and C from this list: 1. A slow process 2. A new type of therapeutic approach 3. The benefits and drawbacks of CBT 4. A goal-oriented therapeutic approach 5. CBT therapists are always honest with their clients 6. The range of CBT interven Sunday, December 01, 2013 IELTS Grammar: two important points Here are two grammar points to note from the mista 1. Commas dont connect sentences You cant write They asked me to do an interview, I felt so shy with a comma connecting the two ideas. You would need a full stop or a linking word like and or but (e.g. They asked me to do an interview, but I felt so shy). 2. Dont put which and it together You cant write a conversation which I found it interesting. Delete the it. IELTS General Writing: informal letter I wrote the following letter with some of my students here in Manchester. It contains some great examples of informal phrases. Can you guess what the full question was? IELTS Speaking: correct the mistakes Here are some sentences that students wrote about last weeks describe a conversation question. Try to correct and improve them. 1. It was very interesting for me to have a conversation foreigner first time. 2. Few years ago, when I was still a student, I and my friend meet a foreigner. 3. They asked me to have an interview that will broadcasted on TV, I felt so shy since I never had a one like before. 4. I am going to talk about my conversation with unknown people which I found it very interesting. 5. I was one of few passengers get on the bus. 6. Through our conversation, I knew that he is from the USA. IELTS Writing Task 1: specific details Last week I wrote an introduction and an overview for the graph below. Today Im going to describe specific details. T
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 15:30:00 +0000