Daily lessons with Simon,
ex-IELTS examiner
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Writing Task 1: Study charts
This lesson contains my model description of two bar charts that give information about reasons for study among different age groups.
General Writing Task 1: The opening sentence
In this lesson we look at the best ways to begin formal and informal letters.
IELTS Speaking Part 3: ‘paragraph’ answers
‘Paragraph’ answers are particularly useful in part 3 of the speaking test. Here are some examples.
IELTS Listening: Transcribing practice
Listen to the following short talk by a school teacher. Can you transcribe (write down) exactly what she says?
IELTS Reading: Healthcare technologies
Read part of an article about healthcare technologies, and fill each gap with a word from the list.
Sentence pairs analysis
Let’s take a closer look at the “sentence pairs” in the essay about self-employment that I shared last week.
Advice: Think in paragraphs
Whether you’re writing, speaking or even just thinking about something, it always helps to think in paragraphs.
Writing Task 1: Paraphrasing
The easiest way to start your Task 1 report is by paraphrasing the question. This lesson contains a list of paraphrasing examples.
General Writing Task 1: Sports centre closure
Here’s another band 9 formal letter with a list of useful phrases and collocations.
Speaking Part 2: Describe a foreign culture
This lesson contains an IELTS Speaking Part 2 task and my sample answer: Describe a foreign culture that you like.
IELTS Listening: Biometrics
Listen to a talk about biometrics, and fill each gap in the summary with one word only.
IELTS Reading: Coffee consumption
Here’s another quick reading exercise for you. Feel free to share your answers in the comments area.
Two-part essay: Self-employment
Here’s my band 9 sample answer for the self-employment question that we’ve been working on. Make a list of the best phrases and collocations that I used.
Writing Advice: Sentence ‘pairs’
Writing “pairs” of sentences encourages you to develop coherent ideas, add detail, and use different cohesive devices (linking).
Writing Task 1: Transport incidents chart
This lesson contains my model description of a chart that shows incidents and injuries on different types of public transport.
General Writing Task 1: Formal thank you
Here’s another band 9 formal letter with some useful phrases.
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Accommodation
Here are some speaking part 1 questions and my model answers on the topic of accommodation.
Listening Advice: Keep a spelling list
Simple spelling mistakes can lose you marks in the IELTS listening test, even if you have the right answer.
IELTS Reading: Book review
Read the excerpt from a book review and decide whether the statements are true, false or not given.
Essay writing: 13 sentence jobs
When you have a 13-sentence plan, it’s easy to write your essay. Just write a full sentence for each of the 13 points.
IELTS Advice: Changing your Approach
Many students and teachers have the wrong approach to IELTS preparation and language learning. But some are seeing that there’s a better way!
Writing Task 1: Singular or plural?
Students often make simple mistakes with singular and plural forms, especially in Writing Task 1.
General Writing Task 1: Formal phrases
Here are some formal phrases that I’ve used in my model letter answers. See if you can use them in your own letters.
Speaking Part 2: Describe a website
My sample answer in today’s lesson is easily at band 9 level.
IELTS Listening: Cycling coach
Listen to a talk by a cycling coach, then fill each gap in the summary with one word only.
IELTS Reading: John B. Calhoun
Read the passage about animal behaviour research, then decide which paragraph contains the given information.
Essay planning: 13 Sentences method
Here’s a different way to plan an essay. Perhaps you will prefer this method over the normal note-taking or brainstorming approaches.
When should you give your opinion?
Some essay questions ask for your opinion but others don’t. Make sure you only give your opinion when the question asks fo it.
Two bar charts: Marriage and divorce rates
The task in this lesson gives you two different charts, and you can describe them separately.
Writing Task 1: Requesting time off work
Here’s another band 9 formal letter with some useful phrases.