• I want to take my boss’s job • I would like to make friends – I have no friends
b) an IELTS course
• I need it to get into university
• I need to get a visa so I can move to England • I need it for my new job Writing Task 2:
The value of TR awareness
Some people prefer to spend their lives doing the same things and avoiding change. Others, however, believe that change is always a good thing.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Some people prefer to spend their lives doing the same things and avoiding change. Others, however, believe that change is always a good thing.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Some people prefer to spend their lives doing the same things and avoiding change. Others, however, believe that change is always a good thing.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Eating a balanced diet is the most important factor for a healthy life.
To what extent do you agree?
Artists need a certain amount of freedom to develop their creativity.
Some people think that artists should have total freedom to express any thoughts and ideas.
To what extent do you agree?
Eating a balanced diet is the most important factor for a healthy life.
To what extent do you agree?
Artists need a certain amount of freedom to develop their creativity.
Some people think that artists should have total freedom to express any thoughts and ideas.
To what extent do you agree?
Writing Task 2:
The importance of a position
Over the last century people are starting to live longer and longer in the majority of countries. Many people argue that that there are far more benefits than drawbacks in this development. Others, however, roundly disagree with this view, and I would count myself among their number. BAND DESCRIPTORS: TASK RESPONSE Over the last century people are starting to live longer and longer in the majority of countries. Many people argue that that there are far more benefits than drawbacks in this development. Others, however, roundly disagree with this view, and I would count myself among their number. Nowadays, stress-related illnesses are becoming increasingly common.
What are the causes? What solutions can you suggest?
More and more people are being reported to suffer from health conditions connected with stress in recent times. Personally, I believe that this trend could be explained by the global shift among employees from physical to mental work, and should be approached in a number of ways suggested by the modern psychological science. BAND DESCRIPTORS: LEXICAL RESOURCE
Over the last century people are starting to live longer and longer in the majority of countries. Many people argue that that there are far more benefits than drawbacks in this development. Others, however, roundly disagree with this view, and I would count myself among their number. Writing Task 2: Developing and supporting ideas How many words? 103 What is more,
How many words? 106
25 words
When people play sports often that are difficult and maybe sometimes dangerous, they will become more healthy and more fit, and it is also positive for their brain when they can 31 words think quicker. Writing Task 2:
The Vanished Stage
1. Brainstorm ideas 2. Select ideas 3. Plan structure 4. Plan language 5. Write People live for a longer time BUT they don’t enjoy themselves - they are too old Despite
Type 1 ‘Despite the fact that’
Type 2 Despite + ‘-ing’ Type 3 Despite + noun phrase Despite
Type 1 ‘Despite the fact that’
Type 2 Despite + ‘-ing’ Type 3 Despite + noun phrase
People live for a longer time BUT they don’t enjoy themselves - they are too old Despite
Type 1 ‘Despite the fact that’
Type 2 Despite + ‘-ing’ Type 3 Despite + noun phrase
Despite the fact that people live for a longer time, BUT they don’t enjoy themselves - they are too old Despite
Type 1 ‘Despite the fact that’
Type 2 Despite + ‘-ing’ Type 3 Despite + noun phrase
Despite people living for a longer time, BUT
they don’t enjoy themselves - they are too old Despite
Type 1 ‘Despite the fact that’
Type 2 Despite + ‘-ing’ Type 3 Despite + noun phrase
Despite their longer lives,
people don’t enjoy themselves - they are old Which other structures might lend themselves to the expression of:
a) Concession / Contrast
b) Cause and Effect
While
People live for a longer time BUT they don’t enjoy themselves - they are too old
While people live for a longer time, BUT they don’t enjoy themselves - they are too old The…The…
People live for a longer time BUT they don’t enjoy themselves - they are too old
The longer people live, the less they enjoy themselves
- they are too old The…The…
People live for a longer time SO they don’t enjoy themselves
- they are too old
The longer people live, the less they enjoy themselves
- they are too old Not only…but also
When people get older, not only do they enjoy themselves less, but they also have less friends due to the fact that they die out. These days, more people are going to university than in the past. They start work later in life and with higher qualifications.
Do you think this is a positive or
a negative development? Contrast/Comparison/Concession?
Cause and Effect?
Example?
Addition? While…
WHILE A GREATER NUMBER OF PEOPLE TODAY LEAVE UNIVERSITY
WITH GOOD QUALIFICATIONS, THEY OFTEN HAVE LESS PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD. Despite…
TYPE 1 DESPITE THE FACT THAT A GREATER NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE LEAVING UNIVERSITY…
TYPE 2 DESPITE A GREATER NUMBER OF PEOPLE LEAVING UNIVERSITY…
TYPE 3 DESPITE THE GOOD QUALIFICATIONS GAINED BY A GREATER NUMBER OF PEOPLE…
Hypothetical/Turbohypothetical
If the choice of degrees was not as huge, students might make better decisions when choosing a degree
Were there not such a huge choice of degrees, students might….
Comparative cause & effect
THE MORE TIME CONSUMING AND INTENSE THE DEGREE IS,
THE _____RESPECT_______ BY POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS
AND THE _______?_________ JOB PROSPECTS AT THE END
Comparative cause & effect
THE HARDER A STUDENT WORKS,
THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT THEY WILL GET A BETTER JOB
Comparative cause & effect
THE MORE DIFFICULT A DEGREE IS,
THE MORE EMPLOYERS WILL RESPECT THE GRADUATE
BAND DESCRIPTORS: GRAMMATICAL RANGE & ACCURACY Speaking:
An ELT Reminder To throw / have / hold a party
My mother surprised me with
a new Smartphone
I still treasure this gift
I went out for dinner with
my friends
Birthdays are celebrated
differently in my country Contextualise your language teaching within the test Contextualise your language teaching within the test Signpost EVERYTHING To throw / have / hold a party
My mother surprised me with
a new Smartphone
I still treasure this gift
I headed out for dinner with
my friends
Birthdays are celebrated
differently in my country Describe what you did for your last birthday. To throw / have / hold a party You should say: My mother surprised me with a new Smartphone - what you did I still treasure this gift
- where you went I headed out for dinner with
my friends - who was there Birthdays are celebrated differently in my country and explain how you felt during the day Speaking Part 1: Getting off to a flyer Examiner How often do you use your mobile phone?
Candidate Not as much as I did in the past. After I first bought it, I used it almost constantly, but I think that maybe I use it too often and I should try to limit how long I spend on it. I don’t know if that is possible, though, as they are such a big part of everyone’s lives these days, but I have to try. Not completely, though – I need it for my social life. Speaking Part 1: Extending the answer Speaking Part 2: Getting off to a flyer Describe what you did for your last birthday.
NOW Describe what you did for your last birthday.
NOW
1) did or didn’t 2) was or wasn’t 3) had or hadn’t Describe what you did for your last birthday.
NOW
1) So, for my last birthday, we didn’t do anything too out of the ordinary - my wife took me to a fantastic new restaurant in town 2) I wasn’t feeling too happy about turning 40, but I wasn’t being all miserable about it, either. 3) In fact, we hadn’t been to this restaurant before, and I’d been looking forward to it since I found out where we were going. Describe a day when you received good news.
NOW Describe a day when you received good news.
NOW
1) did or didn’t 2) was or wasn’t 3) had or hadn’t Are there any other triplets of grammar that lend themselves to these types of question? Speaking Part 2:
The Dreaded Looooong Turn
PART 2 – THE TWO-MINUTE LONG TURN
Typical Part 2 themes
• Anecdotes • Habitual Behaviour • A Person • Summary and Reaction • A Personal Experience (e.g. of learning) I’ve run out of things to say about this, so I’m going to talk about another [x]
I honestly can’t think I think I’ve said
of anything more to everything I can about tell you about this. this restaurant…
Speaks fluently and at length, developing each
answer appropriately and using a range of connectives and discourse markers to move between ideas together without noticeable effort. Caveat no. 1
It is best viewed as a safety net
Caveat no. 2
Only change ‘topic’ once
Caveat no. 3
Don’t veer too far off course
IATEFL Talk 2019: Functional. Not functional. http://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2019/04/18/iatefl-2019-rethinking-ielts-writing/
Webinar: What is the examiner looking for?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plRpFjlgYWg
Webinar: To err is human: strategies for higher-level IELTS Speaking success
