Speaking Advice: Written preparation
Use writing to improve your speaking! This might seem like strange advice, but…
IELTS Listening: Compound nouns
Listen to 10 compound nouns. Would you write them as one word or two?
IELTS Reading: ‘Coral reefs’ which paragraph contains?
As you do this exercise, think about the differences between “match the headings” and “which paragraph contains?”.
IELTS Writing Task 2: Discussion essay ‘skeleton’
Write a conclusion to complete my essay outline or ‘skeleton’.
IELTS Advice: Learn one thing
Here’s my favourite question to ask students at the end of each lesson.
Writing Task 1: ‘Household income’ overview
Can you write a two-sentence overview for this bar chart task?
General Writing Task 1: ‘Packing for a trip’ part 4
Can you write a short ‘ending’ sentence to finish this letter task?
How to ‘control’ Speaking Part 2
Here’s an edited recording of my second Zoom lesson, which took place last Friday.
IELTS Listening (spelling): One word or two?
Should you write ‘seafood’ or ‘sea food’?
IELTS Reading: ‘Coral reefs’ paragraph headings
Try today’s paragraph headings exercise.
IELTS Writing Task 2: Discussion introduction
Use my template to write a two-sentence introduction.
IELTS Advice: Common ways to fail
Sometimes, success doesn’t require anything special. It can be achieved by simply avoiding failure, or not ‘messing things up’.
Writing Task 1: ‘Household income’ bar chart
Can you write a one-sentence introduction for this bar chart task?
General Writing Task 1: ‘Packing for a trip’ part 3
Can you write the third paragraph in this letter task?
IELTS Speaking Part 3: Making new friends
Here are some more speaking part 3 questions with my sample answers.
IELTS Listening: Why study history?
Listen to a short talk by a university lecturer in the history department, and fill the gaps in the transcript.
IELTS Reading: Choose the title 16
Try today’s practice exercise. Read the passage and choose the best title.
IELTS Writing Task 2: Always 13 sentences
Let’s apply the ’13 sentences’ method to a new essay task.
Live Zoom lesson 2
Please read this message about a live lesson this coming Friday.
Academic Writing Task 1: Forget about grammatical range
While grammatical accuracy is important, I think you should forget about grammatical range.
General Writing Task 1: ‘Packing for a trip’ part 2
Can you write the second paragraph in this letter task?
IELTS Speaking: Natural but Controlled
Here’s an edited recording of Zoom lesson 1.
IELTS Listening: Spelling test 15
Here’s another spelling test, with 10 words that people find tricky.
IELTS Reading: Second language (true, false, not given)
Try today’s IELTS reading exercise.
IELTS Writing Task 2: Task response problems (3)
Can you list the changes that I made to a student’s paragraph in order to improve ‘task response’?
IELTS Advice: Developing your style
Have you ever thought about the words that describe your writing and speaking style?
Academic Writing Task 1: Ways to paraphrase
Let’s look at some simple paraphrasing methods from last week’s model answer.
General Writing Task 1: ‘Packing for a trip’ part 1
Can you finish the first paragraph in this letter task?
IELTS Speaking Part 1: ‘Paying bills’ topic
Here’s an unusual topic from Cambridge IELTS 18. How would you answer question 4?
Listening Part 1: Easy but important
Are you able to consistently get 10 out of 10 in part 1 of the listening test?