Daily lessons with Simon,
ex-IELTS examiner
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IELTS Listening: Blended learning
Listen to a talk about blended learning, then fill each gap in the summary with a maximum of two words.
IELTS Reading: Volcanoes
Read the passage about volcanoes and decide whether the statements are true, false or not given.
Writing task 2: model ‘problem and solution’ essay
Here’s another band 9 sample answer with my essay plan and a list of band 7-9 vocabulary.
Writing Advice: Using model sentences
Here’s a different way to practise sentence grammar.
Writing Task 1: Check these sentences
A student asked me to check 8 sentences that describe the same figures in different ways. Can you find any mistakes?
Writing Task 1: Road problem
Here’s another band 9 formal letter with some useful phrases.
IELTS Speaking: Don’t use these phrases!
Please don’t learn linking or filler phrases. They don’t impress examiners. In fact, they are likely to make your performance worse.
IELTS Listening: Video games
Listen to a talk about video games, then fill each gap in the summary with one word only.
IELTS Reading: Best cities
Try this paragraph headings exercise about the world’s best cities.
Writing task 2: Sentences have ‘jobs’
In this lesson I want to return to the idea that each sentence in your essay should do a particular job.
Teaching IELTS: Warmer exercises
A quick ‘warmer’ exercise is a good way to get students’ attention and put them in “IELTS mode”. This lesson contains four examples.
Writing Task 1: Coffee process
This lesson contains a band 9 model answer and some analysis questions.
Writing Task 1: Travel insurance
The model letter in this lesson contains some excellent formal phrases for both general and academic IELTS candidates.
IELTS Speaking Part 3: Competitions
Here are three more speaking questions with my model answers at band 9 native-speaker level.
IELTS Listening: Delayed language development
Listen to a recording about delayed language development in children, then fill each gap with a maximum of three words.
IELTS Reading: Stradivarius
Read the passage about a famous violin maker and decide whether the statements are true, false or not given.
Writing task 2: Better linking
Most students learn simple linking words, like Furthermore or However. But did you know that there are other, more sophisticated ways to link your ideas?
IELTS Advice: Knowledge vs Skill
Do you still feel like a beginner or an intermediate learner even after many years of studying English? Read this lesson to understand why this is a common feeling.
Writing Task 1: Past and Future
In academic writing task 1, you may have to describe information from the past or predictions for the future. To prepare for these different situations, try the exercise in this lesson.
Writing Task 1: Lost photo
The model letter in this lesson contains some good informal phrases. Check the list below the letter to see if you know them.
IELTS Speaking Part 3: Emotions
Here are three more speaking questions with my model answers at band 9 native-speaker level.
IELTS Listening: Sustainable Tourism
Try this gap-fill exercise about the topic of sustainable tourism.
IELTS Reading: Sharks
Read the passage about sharks and decide whether the statements are true, false or not given.
Writing task 2: ‘owning or renting’ essay
Here’s another band 9 sample answer with my essay plan and a quick study task.
Grammar: number, amount, proportion, figure
Can you use these four words correctly? Here’s a quick guide.
Writing Task 1: Describing numbers
Try this quick exercise to practise describing numbers.
Writing Task 1: New house
The model letter in this lesson contains some good informal phrases. Check the list below the letter to see if you know them.
IELTS Speaking Part 3: Verb tenses
In part 3 of the IELTS speaking test, you may be asked questions about the past and the future. Try to answer using the correct tense.
IELTS Listening: Dissertation
Here’s some more listening practice. Fill the gaps as you listen to a university lecturer talking about dissertations.
IELTS Reading: Pierre de Coubertin
Try this multiple choice exercise about the founder of the International Olympic Committee.