Daily lessons with Simon,
ex-IELTS examiner
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IELTS Listening: Plagiarism in schools
Try this multiple choice listening exercise about the problem of students copying work in schools.
IELTS Reading: What is Wisdom?
Read the passage about wisdom and choose the best answer for each question.
Advantages / disadvantages essay: Global Tourism
Here’s my full essay on the advantages and disadvantages of international tourism. Can you list the ‘less common’ vocabulary that it contains?
IELTS Advice: Be concise!
‘Concise’ means ‘brief but comprehensive’. Let’s have a look at a couple of examples of how I tried to make students’ writing more concise.
IELTS Vocabulary: ‘Tourism’ mistakes
Can you find and correct the vocabulary (not grammar) mistakes in five sentences written by members of this site?
Writing Task 1: Four numbers in one sentence
In this lesson I’m going to compare four numbers in one sentence. Can you fill each gap with the correct number?
Speaking Part 3: Free time (past and future)
Notice the verb tenses in today’s questions. The examiner will be listening to see whether you can use the appropriate tenses in your answers.
IELTS Listening: One-minute transcriptions
A good way to improve your listening is to transcribe short recordings.
IELTS Reading: Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
Read the passage about “IQ” and choose the best answer for each question.
Disadvantages paragraph: International tourism
In this lesson we’ll write a 5-sentence paragraph about the disadvantages of international tourism. Can you finish the last sentence?
IELTS Vocabulary: Practise paraphrasing
If you want to improve your vocabulary repertoire*, you should practise paraphrasing.
General Writing Task 1: Only 8 sentences!
Whether you are writing a formal letter or an informal letter, you only need to write 8 sentences. This lesson contains my 8-sentence template.
Writing Task 1: Finish my overview
Further education bar chart: Read my introduction, and then see if you can finish writing my overview paragraph.
Speaking Part 2: Describe a future plan
This lesson contains an IELTS Speaking Part 2 task and my sample answer: Describe a future plan which is not related to work or study.
IELTS Listening: Arctic ice
Listen to the recording about the problem of melting Arctic ice, and fill the gaps in the summary below it.
IELTS Reading: The Paper Clip
Read the passage about the history of the paper clip and complete the ‘true, false, not given’ exercise.
Video Lesson: Conclusion errors
Here’s a video lesson in which I correct some useful mistakes in students’ conclusion sentences.
IELTS Grammar: ‘lead to’
Can you use ‘lead to’ correctly in a sentence? Test yourself with the quick exercise in this lesson.
IELTS Advice: Why do my scores fluctuate?
Students often wonder why their scores fluctuate, especially in the writing and speaking tests.
Writing Task 1: Education bar chart task
Let’s start work on a new bar chart task. Follow my advice to write the introduction.
Speaking Part 1: Sports (negative answers)
How would you answer four questions about ‘sport’ if you weren’t interested in sport? Read this lesson to see how I did it.
IELTS Listening: Anthropology and archaeology
Do you know the difference between these two fields of study? Listen to the recording and fill the gaps in the summary below it.
IELTS Reading: 7 basic tips
Here are my most basic and important tips for the reading test.
International tourism essay ‘skeleton’
I use the term ‘essay skeleton’ to refer to the main structural parts of an essay, or the ‘bones’ that hold the essay together. Let’s look at an example.
Back on Monday 9th January
I’m going to be away from home visiting family for the rest of this week, so I won’t be able to update the site until next Monday.
Ebook: 365 IELTS Exercises
Happy New Year! In this lesson, members can download my new ebook ‘365 IELTS Exercises’.
Writing Task 1: The most common mistake
The most common mistake in IELTS writing task 1 is not a grammar mistake. Let’s see if you can identify it.
General Writing Task 1: Formal or informal?
Try this quick exercise: Which phrases are formal, and which are informal?
Speaking Part 2: Favourite season
This lesson contains an IELTS Speaking Part 2 task and my sample answer: Describe your favourite season in your country.
IELTS Listening: Bank account
Listen to the recording about bank accounts, and fill the gaps in the summary below it.