IELTS What to do if you don't understand

Hopefully you know that when you take your IELTS writing test, you should start with task 2. It is worth more points, but what do you do if you get a question with words you don’t understand.

“Some people think that universities should provide graduates with the knowledge and skills needed in the workplace. Others think that the true funknotion of a university should be to give access to knowledge for its own sake, regardless of whether the course is useful to an employer.

What in your opinion, should be the main funknotion of a university?”

Words you don't need

Please note in a writing exam like IELTS you can use some of these to show off your vocabulary and get marks. If you are doing a formal piece of writing, you should be taking this advice.

1. Very, basically, totally, essentially, really

Why are you using these words before an adjective, it would look better if you used an extreme adjective or something.

Which sounds better?

“Basically, it was very hot” or “It was scorching.”

IELTS Writing: Task One Graphs

When you start your IELTS task one, you need to look carefully at what the graph or chart is showing you. It is very common for students to lose points for not understanding the graph. 

Look at the sentences below and the graph that follows. One sentence is correct, which one, and what is the problem with the other sentences. Answers are at the bottom

IELTS Writing: Task Two Introduction

Your introduction is the first part of the essay, and remember first impressions count. A bad introduction leaves the examiner unhappy, and you will get a lower mark.

Here are some common problems I have seen from IELTS task two essays

1. Too General

Nowadays, in modern society … then some general information about the topic. Don’t be general get to the topic in the first sentence.

IELTS Pronouns

Hopefully you know that when you are writing in Academic English exams (such as IELTS), you should use correct language. Today we are focusing on one aspect, not using pronouns in your work.

What are pronouns?

Subject Pronoun	Object Pronoun	Possessive Adjectives	Possessive Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun
I	me	my	mine	myself
You	you	your	yours	yourself
He	him	his	his	himself
She	her	her	hers	herself
It	it	its	(not used)	itself
We	us	our	ours	ourselves
You	you	your	yours	yourselves
They	them	their	theirs	themselves

IELTS Writing: Phrases To Avoid

There are a lot of common phrases students like to use in their writing, and a great many schools who will teach them to you. There are some phrases you should not be using (even if your teacher says you can), they are what we are looking at today. We will also suggest some better phrases to use too.

In my judgment

Good or bad? It is a good phrase, but you have to be careful. Academic English doesn’t use personal pronouns. 

IELTS Task One Analysis

IELTS Writing: Word Count Explained

When you take the IELTS writing test, you are probably well aware of the word count requirements, a minimum of 150 words in task one, and 250 words in task two.

According to the rules, how many words are there in this sentence.

“It’s believed that some one who has travelled abroad will be forty four times more likely to travel abroad again.”

In IELTS there are 20 words here.

IELTS Writing: Task Two Question Parts

The 3 parts of a Task 2 IELTS writing question

Generally task two writing questions come in three parts.

1. The general topic (a situation which is generally accepted as being true)

2. The focus (an opinion, suggestion or speculation about the situation)

3. The task words (telling you what you should do)

IELTS Do's and Don'ts

4 things you should do, and 4 things you should not do when you are taking your IELTS writing test.

DO

1. Make sure you answer the question.

Read it carefully, and do exactly what it asks you to do. Then make a plan to get your ideas in order before you start.

IELTS Writing Task One Tips

IELTS Writing Task One is more important than many people think. Essentially it is testing your ability to describe and understand information that you will be shown in a chart, diagram, table or graph.

You will need to paint a word picture of the trends, compare and contrast data, and sometimes give a description of a process.

IELTS Writing: Useful Language

Here is a collection of phrases, which you should consider using in task two of your IELTS writing. 

To Introduce the Topic

It can be argued that …

It should be considered whether …

This question raises the issue of …

IELTS: Writing Structure

When you are taking your IELTS exam, one of the most important things to do is use the correct structure.

Remember they know you only have 40 minutes, so they don't expect a perfect piece of work. You can get the structure right though, and that will go a long way with the examiner.

Writing: More Tips

Taking the IELTS writing exam is very stressful. There are a few things you should keep in mind, no matter what the questions are though.

General Tips

-Don't do task one first, task two is worth twice as much.

Before you write:

-Read the question, and keep the key points in your mind. 

-Think about what the overall trends or stages are, get them wrong loses marks.

IELTS Writing: Tips

Today we are going to go through the steps you should follow when you are taking any writing exam.

1) Answer the Question not the Topic.

Writing: Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is a very important skill in your academic writing. Firstly it helps you avoid plagiarising what someone else has written, and secondly it shows your wide vocabulary.

What is paraphrasing?

It means you change the wording of a text so that it is significantly different from the original source, without changing the meaning. Effective paraphrasing demonstrates that you have understood what you have read.

IELTS Writing: Facts

There are some common questions people have about the IELTS writing test. If we missed anything, or you have any other questions about IELTS, put them in the comments and we will do our best to answer them. 

Q. Can I use a pen or pencil or during the test?

You can only use a pencil in most exam centres.

IELTS Writing: Linking

We are going to focus on how to write a good academic paragraph that will be essential in your writing not just for IELTS but also for any formal writing you find yourself doing.

Logical flow is important, by that we mean the sentences should fit together like a jigsaw. You are building a paragraph with them.

IELTS Writing: Compare & Contrast

Often your writing question in task 2, while be asking you to compare and contrast something. When you get this type of question you need to give your ideas and opinions clearly, so try to use some of these words.

While

As opposed to

However