Daily lessons with Simon,
ex-IELTS examiner
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Advice about language learning
Are some people naturally better at learning languages?
Writing Task 1: Bar chart sentences
Study the bar chart, then complete the quick exercise below it.
General Writing Task 1: ‘Returning a product’ part 2
Can you finish the second paragraph in this letter task?
IELTS Speaking Part 2: I’m going to talk about…
Some students worry that the phrase “I’m going to talk about” might be too common, too easy, or too old-fashioned.
IELTS Listening: Nobel Peace Prize gap-fill
Try today’s quick gap-fill exercise.
IELTS Reading: Nobel Peace Prize
Try today’s multiple choice exercise.
IELTS Writing Task 2: The BIG mistake
What is the biggest overall mistake that examiners see in candidates’ writing task 2 essays? It could be this one.
IELTS Advice: Writing Task 1 is important!
Don’t make the same mistake as the student that I tell you about in this lesson.
Writing Task 1: New bar chart task
Let’s start work on a bar chart task about physical activity in Australia.
General Writing Task 1: ‘Returning a product’ part 1
Can you finish the first paragraph in this letter task?
IELTS Speaking Part 3: Technology and society
Here are some part 3 questions and band 9 sample answers on the topic of ‘technology and society’.
IELTS Listening: Student adviser gap-fill
Listen to part of a talk by a student adviser from the British Council, and fill the gaps in the summary.
IELTS Reading: Paragraph headings about ‘lifespan’
Choose the best heading for each paragraph in a passage about human lifespan.
IELTS Writing Task 2: Ignore the word ‘academic’
IELTS essays are not the same as university ‘academic’ writing assignments, and you don’t need to use ‘academic’ words.
IELTS Vocabulary: Noun phrase practice
Try the quick exercise in this lesson: Can you rewrite the four noun phrases?
Academic Writing Task 1: Easy verbs, long nouns
Don’t try to impress the examiner with ‘difficult’ verb structures. Work on your noun phrases instead.
General Writing Task 1: ‘Returning a product’ task
Can you write a ‘purpose sentence’ for the formal letter task in this lesson?
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Stop and smile!
Many IELTS candidates make the mistake of saying too much in part 1 of the speaking test. You should learn to answer then stop confidently.
IELTS Listening: Plastic pollution (multiple choice)
Listen to a short talk about the problem of plastic pollution and answer the multiple choice questions.
IELTS Reading: The printing press (T, F, NG)
Try today’s ‘true, false, not given’ exercise.
IELTS Writing Task 2: ‘Old people’s health’ essay
You can now read my model answer for the ‘old people’s health’ task. Have a look at the useful vocabulary list too.
IELTS Vocabulary: Usage instead of explanation
An explanation might help you to understand a meaning, but it won’t necessarily help you to use vocabulary in a natural way.
Writing Task 1: ‘Appliances and housework’ answer
Read my model report and answer the quick study questions below it.
General Writing Task 1: Informal phrases
Can you explain why the five phrases in this lesson are informal?
IELTS Speaking Part 1: ‘Age’ topic
Here are some part 1 questions and model answers on the topic of ‘age’.
IELTS Listening Advice: Just practise!
You won’t improve your listening by learning exam tricks or techniques; you’ll improve your listening by practising.
IELTS Reading: Early policing (which paragraph contains?)
Read the passage about the ‘early modern policing’, then decide which paragraph contains the given information.
Writing Task 2: Proper examples
A proper example should not explain, it should illustrate.
IELTS Advice: ‘Difficult’ words
Many IELTS candidates mistakenly think that the way to get a higher score is by using big, difficult or original words.
Writing Task 1: Start simple, add detail
When writing a sentence, start with the clearest, simplest structure first. This is your foundation; if it is strong, you can add detail.