Daily lessons with Simon,
ex-IELTS examiner
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IELTS Grammar: Write 3 correct sentences
Here are three phrases that I used in my lessons over the last week. Can you write a correct sentence using each one?
Writing Task 1: ‘Flood diagrams’ answer
Here’s another band 9 model answer for ‘comparison diagrams’ task.
General Writing Task 1: Informal holiday letter
Here’s my band 9 answer for the ‘holiday’ letter task. You’ll also see a list of the wide range of vocabulary that I used.
IELTS Speaking Part 3: Longer answers
Here are 3 techniques to help you give longer, more detailed answers.
IELTS Listening: Photographic film
Listen to the recording about the history of photographic film, and fill the gaps in the sentences below it.
IELTS Reading: Multitasking
Read the passage about multitasking, and complete the ‘yes, no, not given’ task below it.
Writing Task 2: Paragraph logic
In this lesson I’m going to test your logic using a quick exercise.
IELTS Advice: Don’t prioritise grammar
Have you been taught to prioritise grammar instead of ideas? Do you try to ‘force’ certain grammatical structures into your writing?
Academic Writing Task 1: Fall or reduce?
These two words are often confused by students. Let’s look at how to use them correctly, specifically for writing task 1.
General Writing Task 1: Holiday feelings
In this lesson you can read my description of a holiday activity, and we then move on to describing our feelings about the holiday.
Speaking Part 2: Describe a team project
This lesson contains an IELTS Speaking Part 2 task and my sample answer: Describe a team project that you worked on.
IELTS Listening: Handedness
Try this multiple choice listening exercise about ‘handedness’ (being right-handed or left-handed).
IELTS Reading: The tutorial method
Read the passage about the ‘tutorial method’, then decide which paragraph contains the given information.
Writing Task 2: ‘Climate’ essay skeleton
Today I’m sharing my essay skeleton for a balanced opinion answer about the benefits of hot and cold climates.
IELTS Advice: One problem with formula phrases
I don’t usually recommend that you learn ‘formula phrases’. There are several reasons for this, but today we’ll just look at one reason.
Academic Writing Task 1: Rise or raise?
These two words are often confused by students. Let’s look at how to use them correctly, specifically for writing task 1.
General Writing Task 1: Holiday activity
In this lesson you can read my description of a holiday destination, and we then move on to describing a holiday activity.
IELTS Speaking: If you don’t know (2)
Here’s some more advice about answering questions when you don’t really know what to say.
IELTS Listening: Studying dolphins
Listen to a talk about research into dolphins, and fill each gap in the summary sentences with one or two words.
IELTS Reading: Biometrics
Read the passage about biometrics, and decide whether the four statements below it are true, false, or not given.
Writing Task 2: 13-sentence outline
Let’s practise essay planning by writing a 13-sentence outline for a ‘discuss both views and give your opinion’ question.
IELTS Advice: A bad mix!
What happens when a beginner tries to play an advanced piece of music?
Academic Writing Task 1: Useful phrases exercise
Here are some useful phrases to describe the table in last week’s lesson. See if you can guess the missing words.
General Writing Task 1: Holiday letter outline
Last week I asked you to write a beginning and ending for a ‘holiday’ letter task. In this lesson we move on to the first paragraph.
IELTS Speaking: If you don’t know
How do you answer a question when you don’t know anything about the topic? There are two things that you can do.
IELTS Listening: Why is the sky blue?
Listen to a talk about light waves and the sky, and fill each gap in the summary sentences with one word.
IELTS Reading: Choose the title 4
Read the passage and choose the best title.
Writing Task 2: Idea generation
This lesson contains five tips about the following problem: How can we come up with good ideas for an essay?
IELTS Grammar: Describing age groups
This lesson contains a quick exercise about the different ways to describe age groups.
Writing Task 1: Waste table
Read my model answer for a task that compares waste production in six countries. Then answer five questions to analyse my answer.