Daily lessons with Simon,
ex-IELTS examiner
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Writing Task 2: Structure is not the secret!
IELTS students often get this wrong…
IELTS Advice: Misinformation!
This lesson contains probably the most common piece of misinformation about the IELTS test.
Writing Task 1: ‘Airport diagrams’ details 2
Can you write the second ‘details’ paragraph for the ‘airport diagrams’ task?
General Writing Task 1: ‘Hotel booking’ part 3
Let’s finish the ‘hotel booking’ task. Can you write a short paragraph asking for advice about tourist activities?
IELTS Speaking: If you use an idiom
I tell students to avoid idioms, colloquial expressions, proverbs and other sayings in the IELTS speaking test. Why?
IELTS Listening: ‘Public bicycles’ multiple choice
Listen to a description of the public bicycle scheme in London, and choose the best answer to the multiple choice questions.
IELTS Reading: ‘Environment’ gap-fill
Fill the gaps in a passage about the environment using the words provided.
IELTS Writing Task 2: Focus on ‘real content’
Whenever people ask me for one good tip for writing task 2, I tell them to focus on ‘real content’ rather than grammar, linking or structure.
Stick with the methods and you will pass!
Today’s lesson contains some advice from a subscriber who recently passed the IELTS test with a 7.5.
Writing Task 1: ‘Airport diagrams’ details
Let’s write the first ‘details’ paragraph for the ‘airport diagrams’ task.
General Writing Task 1: ‘Hotel booking’ part 2
Can you write two error-free sentences to ask about facilities at a hotel?
IELTS Speaking Part 3: Money
Here are some part 3 questions and band 9 sample answers on the topic of ‘money’.
IELTS Listening: Use the transcripts
Do you ever check the listening transcripts after doing practice tests in the Cambridge IELTS books?
IELTS Reading: Choose the title 10
Try today’s practice exercise. Read the passage and choose the best title.
IELTS Writing Task 2: ‘New products’ essay
Read my band 9 essay about the advertising of new products, and see if you can list the ‘less common’ vocabulary that it contains.
Improving your vocabulary and grammar
A subscriber asked me a huge question this week: How can I improve my English vocabulary and grammar?
Writing Task 1: ‘Airport diagrams’ overview
Let’s write our overview paragraph for the ‘airport diagrams’ task.
General Writing Task 1: ‘Hotel booking’ part 1
Can you write two sentences to complete the first paragraph in this formal email to a hotel booking department?
IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a maths lesson
Describe something important that you learned in a maths lesson at school. Read my sample answer and useful vocabulary list.
IELTS Listening: ‘Fertility rates’ multiple choice
Listen to a presentation about fertility rates in China, South Korea and France, then complete today’s multiple choice exercise.
IELTS Reading: ‘Corpus’ multiple choice
Try today’s multiple choice exercise.
Writing Task 2: ‘New products’ paragraph
Read my band 9 paragraph and complete the quick vocabulary exercise below it.
IELTS Grammar: ‘Although’ and ‘but’
Remember not to use ‘although’ and ‘but’ together. Open the lesson to see some examples.
Writing Task 1: ‘Airport diagrams’ introduction
Let’s write an introduction for the ‘airport diagrams’ task.
General Writing Task 1: ‘Hotel booking’ task
Can you write a ‘purpose sentence’ for the formal letter task in this lesson?
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Art (negative answers)
In this lesson I demonstrate that it’s fine to give negative answers in part 1 of the speaking test.
IELTS Listening: The ‘once only’ problem
The most difficult thing about the IELTS listening test, in my opinion, is the fact that you only hear the recording once.
IELTS Reading: ‘Estuaries’ paragraph heading
Try today’s quick paragraph headings exercise.
Writing Task 2: ‘Advertising products’ conclusion
Can you write a conclusion to finish my ‘essay skeleton’?
IELTS Advice: Examples spark ideas!
I can’t stress enough how important and how useful examples are! We can use them to support our ideas and also to spark more ideas.