Writing Task 2: ‘Two adjectives’ essay plan
What is a “two adjectives” essay? It’s an essay in which each of the two main body paragraphs has an adjective as the central idea.
IELTS Vocabulary: Phrases for any essay?
Is there a list of high-scoring phrases that we can use in any essay?
Writing Task 1: Using ‘to’ and ‘by’
What is the difference between “increased to” and “increased by”?
General Writing Task 1: Book review letter
Here’s my band 9 answer for the ‘book review’ letter task. You’ll also see a list of the good vocabulary that I used.
IELTS Speaking: Three tips
Read these 3 simple tips that could make a difference to your score.
IELTS Listening: Spelling, capitals, plurals
People often ask me about spelling, capital letters and plurals. Read my advice in this lesson.
IELTS Reading: Yes, no, not given
Read the passage about the importance of exercise for children, and complete the ‘yes, no, not given’ exercise below it.
IELTS Writing Task 2: ‘Supporting old people’ topic
This lesson contains a great example of how I brainstorm ideas to get started on a new writing task.
Vocabulary: Review every week
The ability to use a wide range of vocabulary is probably the main thing that separates band 7-9 candidates from those at band 6 or lower.
Writing Task 1: Waste graph
Can you fill the gaps to complete my band 9 description of a line graph?
General Writing Task 1: Book review part 4
In this lesson I use three collocations with the word ‘habit’: to confront a habit, to break a habit, to implement a habit.
Speaking Part 3: ‘Television’ topic
Do most people watch TV for education or for entertainment? Today’s lesson contains my sample answer to this question and two others.
IELTS Listening: Map directions
There’s a ‘map’ question in Cambridge IELTS book 11. Would you be able to follow the map directions quickly?
IELTS Reading: Children’s intelligence
Today’s gap-fill exercise is quite tricky. See if you can do it!
IELTS Writing Task 2: Two types of example
I advise students to use two types of example in their essays. Do you know what they are?
Advice: Practise ‘sentence pairs’
What are ‘sentence pairs’, and why is it important to practise writing them?
Writing Task 1: The overview
An IELTS examiner recently told me that the most common mistake in students’ writing task 1 answers is that there is no overview.
General Writing Task 1: Book review part 3
In this lesson we continue to write our letter to a newspaper editor about a book that influenced us.
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Studying
Here are some more part 1 questions with my model answers. Today’s topic is ‘studying’.
IELTS Listening: Multiple choice about redevelopment
Listen to a recording about the redevelopment of an area, and choose the best answer to complete each of the two sentences below it.
IELTS Reading: T, F, NG about a library
Here’s another exercise to illustrate the difference between true, false and not given.
IELTS Writing Task 2: ‘Roads vs railways’ essay
Governments should spend money on railways rather than roads. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Writing Task 1 Advice: Variety and repetition
In a task 1 report, how much variety do you need, and when is repetition acceptable?
Writing Task 1: Children’s sports
This lesson contains my band 9 description of two line graphs that give information about children’s sports.
General Writing Task 1: Book review part 2
In this lesson you’ll see how I take ideas from a speaking part 2 answer and use them in a general writing task 1 letter.
Speaking Part 2: Describe a prize
Describe a prize that you would like to win. Read my sample answer to get some good ideas and vocabulary for this task.
IELTS Listening: More tips!
Here’s another list of quick tips for IELTS listening.
IELTS Reading: History of the computer
One possible question type in the IELTS reading test is “name matching”. This lesson contains a useful practice exercise.
IELTS Writing Task 2: Which two trends?
Which two trends might make railways less and less important in today’s world?
IELTS Vocabulary: ‘less common’ not ‘advanced’
Examiners are not looking for advanced vocabulary; they are looking for less common vocabulary.