IELTS

IELTS Writing: Synonyms

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Here is a link to some useful IELTS advice regarding synonyms:  https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/JebH7ae94u24q2DjSv-QqA Note that the various words presented in the vocabulary list on the other end of that link aren’t necessarily better or worse than other words you might use. The point is that you should try to vary your language by learning how to … Read more

Reading for Writing Strategy – IELTS Preparation

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This article presents a self-study strategy for students preparaing for the IELTS Writing test by reading about the common topics and studying the language typically used to discuss those subjects. Whilst I intend to do more research into this and publish the results to help my students, the recent advances in AI tools means this … Read more

Academic Vocabulary – comparED vs. comparING (useful for IELTS Writing Task 1)

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One of the main things students have to do in academic writing is to make comparisons between different theories, methods and sources of data. In task 1 of the IELTS writing test, students need to compare the significant features of the visual provided. In both cases, it is clearly a big problem if students cannot … Read more

Exploring Academic Vocabulary with BAWE

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This page is set up to help students explore the use of the BAWE corpus as a tool for informing vocabulary choices in academic writing. The examples below come from either common errors in student writing or questions my students have asked about specific lexicogrammar features of English. If you search for words or phrases … Read more

Answering the Question

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Answering the question is a very important academic skill. Not answering the question is the most common reason for students failing at university. In order to make sure that you successfully answer the question, there are two very important things you need to do before you start writing: Make sure you understand the question Break … Read more

Improving your Vocabulary

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Hello! 🙂 Many students learning English as a foreign language find it difficult to learn enough vocabulary to read and write effectively. So, here are some ideas to help you improve your vocabulary in an efficient way. READ A LOT: Reading English is by far the best way to improve your vocabulary range. Read whatever … Read more

IELTS Writing – Task 2

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This article provides important advice for IELTS Writing Task 2. Task Response Many candidates introduce their topic by writing something pointless like this: This essay will discuss both sides and present my own opinion. Such a statement is at best superfluous because it is probably what the essay question asked you to do anyway and … Read more

IELTS Writing – Task 1

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This article provides some important advice for IELTS Writing Task 1. Task Achievement IELTS Writing Task 1 is assessed using the criterion Task Achievement. This basically means the extent to which the writer fulfilled the task (i.e. did you manage to adequately describe the main features of the visual provided?). There is one major requirement … Read more

IELTS Writing – Read the Band Descriptors

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I am frequently asked how to get a better band score in IELTS Writing. Well, I have two main pieces of advice: 1. Read and understand the Band Descriptors. The Band Descriptors are what IELTS Examiners use to rate the completed test papers (in other words, that is how your writing will be assessed). The … Read more