IELTS Simon

Lessons with Simon, ex-IELTS examiner

February 26, 2020

IELTS resources
Ebook: writing topics IELTS Writing Task 2: from plan to paragraph
Video course When you have written a plan, you then need to turn your notes into full
How to teach IELTS sentences. Let's try this using the paragraph plan below.
Ebook: 100 Flashcards
Paragraph plan:
Member site
- High street shops are disappearing because of online stores.
- Online shopping is faster, cheaper and more convenient.
This blog
- People can sit at home, search for deals, receive delivery the next day.
Home page - It is impossible for normal stores to compete with the range of choice.
My mission - Personal example: recent purchases on Amazon.
IELTS General Writing Full paragraph:
IELTS Listening
In my opinion, high street shops are disappearing due to competition from online
IELTS Reading shopping websites, which are cheaper and more convenient. Web-based stores
IELTS Speaking allow customers to search for the best deals, make purchases from the comfort of
IELTS Writing Task 1 their homes, and receive delivery of their purchased items the next day.
IELTS Writing Task 2 Furthermore, it is impossible for traditional bricks-and-mortar stores to compete
with the range of choice that can be found online. For example, I recently used
Questions / Advice
the website Amazon to buy some fairly rare academic textbooks that were not
Vocabulary / Grammar stocked at my local bookshop. As a customer, the fact that I can find any product
imaginable online makes it almost pointless for me to make a trip to my local high
Search street.

Comments (25)

Search
February 19, 2020

Archives IELTS Writing Task 2: three aspects of an essay plan

There are three things that you need to think about when planning an essay:

1. How you will answer the question (your position / opinion)

2. How you will structure your essay to communicate your answer
3. The ideas that you will include in your main paragraphs

For example, let's do an essay plan for the question below.

Many high street shops have gone out of business in recent years. Why do
you think this has happened? Is it a positive or negative development?

1. My answer

Online shopping is the main reason. The trend is both positive and negative.

2. Structure: four paragraphs

- Introduce the topic, and give a brief answer to both questions

- Main paragraph about online shopping
- Main paragraph about the positive and negative impacts
- Conclude by summarising the overall answer

3. Ideas for the main paragraphs

Online shopping is faster, cheaper and more convenient. People can

sit at home, search for the best deal, pay, and receive a delivery the
next day. Impossible for stores to compete. Personal example: recent
purchases on Amazon.
Positives: a world of choice, a solution for busy people or those who
can't leave the house. Negatives: rising unemployment, loss of
community as high streets become deserted.

Comments (18)

February 12, 2020

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'high street shops' topic

This was one of my recent 'daily IELTS challenge' flashcards:

This is a good topic for a writing task 2, so let's work on the question below. If you
have any ideas, please share them in the form of a plan rather than a full essay.
I'll write a full essay eventually, but we need ideas first.

Many high street shops have gone out of business in recent years. Why do
you think this has happened? Is it a positive or negative development?

Note: If you haven't seen the daily challenge flashcards, sign up here.

Comments (32)

February 05, 2020

IELTS Writing Task 2: vocabulary review

Here's a list of topic vocabulary from the essay that I shared last week.

the power to unite and connect people

regardless of their cultural backgrounds
reach across cultural and national boundaries
concerts that took place
back in the 1980s
were broadcast to a global audience
two events were held simultaneously
to raise funds for
famine relief
a huge success
international public awareness
the planet's common / shared language
music transcends cultures
different generations
a memorable melody
a strong rhythm
a beautiful singing voice
have a magical effect on us
popular prime-time shows
attract incredibly broad audiences
appeal to children, parents and grandparents alike
form of entertainment
bring families together
is unique in its capacity to
create shared experiences
irrespective of culture and age

Comments (1)

January 29, 2020

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'music' essay

Here's my band 9 sample answer for the question below.

Some people say that music is a good way of bringing people of different
cultures and ages together. To what extent do you agree or disagree with
this opinion?

It is often said that music has the power to unite and connect people, regardless
of their cultural backgrounds or ages. I completely agree with this view, and will
give my reasons below.

Music can certainly reach across cultural and national boundaries and bring
people together. Perhaps the best example of this would be the Live Aid concerts
that took place back in the 1980s, and which were broadcast to a global
audience. Two live events were held simultaneously in the UK and the US, and
the objective was to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. The concerts were a
huge success, both in terms of the number of people around the world who
watched them and their impact on international public awareness of the famine.
They demonstrated, I believe, that music truly is the planet’s global language.

Just as it transcends cultures, music also has the ability to connect people from
different generations. Regardless of age, we can all enjoy a memorable melody, a
strong rhythm or a beautiful singing voice, and the best songs seem to have the
same magical effect on all of us. This would explain why televised music
competitions, such as ‘The X Factor’ or ‘The Voice’, are such popular prime-time
shows. These programmes attract incredibly broad audiences because singing
and popular songs appeal to children, parents and grandparents alike. I would
argue that no other form of entertainment can bring families together in this way.

In conclusion, I believe that music is unique in its capacity to create shared

experiences between people, irrespective of culture and age.

(265 words)

Comments (20)

January 22, 2020

IELTS Writing Task 2: complex isn't complicated

A colleague of mine, Pete, wrote a useful comment below one of my recent
lessons. I'm sharing it here because I think too many people have the wrong idea
about complex sentences.

Here's the important part of what Pete wrote:

..........

I think it's worth noting that complex sentences are not always complicated
sentences, or even long ones.

Here's an example of a complex sentence: Pete doesn't play football now

because he's too old. This isn't a complicated sentence.

..........

So, complex sentences aren't difficult, and I'm sure you use them all the time. If
you want to improve your grammar score, stop worrying about 'complex
structures'. Instead, work on gradually learning from your mistakes. Accuracy is
more important, and more difficult, than structures.

Comments (2)

January 15, 2020

IELTS Writing Task 2: example-led paragraph

Let's look at what I call an 'example-led' paragraph. In this type of paragraph, we
explain an opinion or develop an idea based on a single example.

Paragraph topic: music connects people from different cultures

Music can certainly reach across cultural and national boundaries and bring
people together. Perhaps the best example of this would be the Live Aid
concerts that took place back in the 1980s, and which were broadcast to a global
audience. Two live events were held simultaneously in the UK and the US, and
the objective was to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. The concerts were a
huge success, both in terms of the number of people around the world who
watched them and their impact on international public awareness of the famine.
They demonstrated, I believe, that music truly is the planet’s global language.

Analysis:

Notice how I introduce a key example after the topic sentence. In the rest of the
paragraph, I simply describe the example in more detail, and I show how the
example illustrates my point.

(You can read about the Live Aid concerts here)

Comments (6)

January 08, 2020

IELTS Writing Task 2: introduction paraphrasing

Let's look at how paraphrasing can be used in an introduction. My ability to
paraphrase demonstrates both range and flexibility of language use.

Task / question:

Some people say that music is a good way of bringing people of different cultures
and ages together. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

My introduction:

It is often said that music has the power to unite and connect people, regardless
of their cultural backgrounds or ages. I completely agree with this view, and will
give my reasons below.

Examples of paraphrasing:

some people say that = it is often said that

music is a good way of = music has the power to
bringing people together = unite and connect people
of different cultures = regardless of their cultural backgrounds

Comments (8)

December 18, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: errors or complex structures?

Which aspect of your grammar score is more important: errors or complex
structures? Watch the short video below to find out what I think.

IELTS writing: errors vs complex structures

The full lesson is about 25 minutes long, and it's on my member site. If you find
my advice useful, feel free to subscribe and join my class!

Comments (3)

December 11, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: improved 'music topic' plan

Some people say that music is a good way of bringing people of different
cultures and ages together. To what extent do you agree or disagree with
this opinion?

Here's the essay plan that I asked you to think about last week:

1. Introduction: completely agree

2. Main paragraph: why music transcends cultures and age groups
3. Main paragraph: how music connects people
4. Conclusion: repeat / summarise

But KiKi suggested an alternative plan, which I think is better:

1. Introduction: completely agree

2. Main paragraph: why music transcends or connects cultures
3. Main paragraph: how music connects different age groups
4. Conclusion: repeat / summarise

KiKi has noticed that the question contains two ideas: cultures and ages. It makes
sense to look at these two ideas separately and use them as the basis for our two
main paragraphs. This is a great way to approach many IELTS questions.

Comments (7)

December 04, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'music' topic

A student on my member site asked me about the following question:

Some people say that music is a good way of bringing people of different
cultures and ages together. To what extent do you agree or disagree with
this opinion?

(From Cambridge IELTS 14, test 3)

The student asked whether the following plan would work. What do you think?

1. Introduction: completely agree

2. Main paragraph: why music transcends* cultures and age groups
3. Main paragraph: how music connects people
4. Conclusion: repeat / summarise

*I added the word 'transcend' myself (to summarise the student's point). What do
you think I mean when I say that "music transcends cultures"?

Comments (10)

November 27, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: extend, develop, progress...

You'll see these three words in the band descriptors for writing task 2. If you want
a high score, you need to extend and develop your ideas, and your writing
should progress from one sentence to the next.

How do you achieve this?

My tip is to make sure that each sentence says something new. The new
information could be a reason, an example, a consequence, an alternative, a
prediction...

It's easy to make the mistake of repeating the same idea in slightly different ways.
Don't do this. Don't feel that you need to rephrase a point that you've already
made. Instead, make your point and then extend or develop it.

Comments (4)

November 20, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: improved 'task response'

Have a look at the two paragraphs below. The second version is better in terms of
task response. Can you see why?

Version 1 - highlighted sentences don't extend my response

The negative implications of genetic engineering are often discussed in terms of

two key areas, which are food production and the cloning of humans. Genetically
modified crops are already being grown, and people are concerned that they may
damage whole ecosystems as foods become resistant to diseases and natural
predators. But perhaps even more worrying is the possibility that humans could
be modified or cloned. Some people imagine a world in which cloned humans are
used to fight wars or to provide body part replacements. Although perhaps not a
threat to life on earth, the implications of such practices would be unprecedented.

Version 2 - highlighted sentences extend and develop my ideas

The negative implications of genetic engineering are often discussed in terms of

two key areas, which are food production and the cloning of humans. Genetically
modified crops are already being grown, and people are concerned that they may
damage whole ecosystems as foods become resistant to diseases and natural
predators. For example, scientists are able to produce a variety of corn that
releases a toxin to kill certain insects, but this intervention could lead to the
disappearance of birds that feed on those insects. In the human realm, some
people imagine a world in which clones are used to fight wars or to provide body
part replacements. Perhaps cloning could even be used to bring deceased
people back to life, which would certainly be a threat to humanity as we know it.

Comments (9)

November 13, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: why planning is so important!

The essay that I shared last Wednesday was good, but it wasn't perfect. The
problem was that I didn't follow my own advice: I wrote the main body paragraphs
without doing a plan first.

Look at the 'unplanned' paragraph below:

The negative implications of genetic engineering are often discussed in terms of

two key areas, which are food production and the cloning of humans. Genetically
modified crops are already being grown, and people are concerned that they may
damage whole ecosystems as foods become resistant to diseases and natural
predators. But perhaps even more worrying is the possibility that humans could
be modified or cloned. Some people imagine a world in which cloned humans are
used to fight wars or to provide body part replacements. Although perhaps not a
threat to life on earth, the implications of such practices would be unprecedented.

Analysis:

The first highlighted sentence doesn't extend my ideas. It would be

better to go straight to the point about cloned humans fighting wars. I
could then add more 'depth' and 'detail' to that particular idea, and this
would help my task response score.
The second highlighted sentence is fine as a 'concluding' sentence, but
it would be better if I explained what the "implications" are. Reading
this sentence now, I can tell that I wrote it without planning; I relied on
my vocabulary knowledge to cover up my lack of real ideas!

This is what happens when you neglect the planning stage. It's so easy to write
sentences that fill a space but don't move the essay forward.

Task: Let's improve this paragraph by refining the two highlighted sentences.

Comments (15)

November 10, 2019

IELTS Vocabulary: good essay phrases

Let's review the good vocabulary from the essay that I shared on Wednesday. It
was full of 'less common' collocations and phrases.

with broad implications for

may have its dangers
the negative implications
the cloning of humans
genetically modified crops
damage whole ecosystems
foods become resistant to
natural predators
humans could be modified or cloned
provide body part replacements
would be unprecedented
a more optimistic prediction
mitigate the risks
genetic technologies
famine in developing countries
can be grown in harsh conditions
from a medical perspective
produce vaccines
cure diseases
to correct a genetic defect
if properly regulated
the cloning of individual organs
for transplant purposes
have a positive impact on our lives
people's fears will be unwarranted

Comments (4)

November 06, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: genetic engineering essay

Here's my sample essay for the question below.

Genetic engineering is an important issue in society today. Some people

think that it will improve people’s lives in many ways. Others feel that it may
be a threat to life on earth. Discuss both these views and give your own
opinion.

It is true that genetic engineering is a key area of modern scientific research, with
broad implications for all human societies. While I accept that this field of
technology may have its dangers, I believe that the benefits of genetic
engineering outweigh the drawbacks.

The negative implications of genetic engineering are often discussed in terms of

two key areas, which are food production and the cloning of humans. Genetically
modified crops are already being grown, and people are concerned that they may
damage whole ecosystems as foods become resistant to diseases and natural
predators. But perhaps even more worrying is the possibility that humans could
be modified or cloned. Some people imagine a world in which cloned humans are
used to fight wars or to provide body part replacements. Although perhaps not a
threat to life on earth, the implications of such practices would be unprecedented.

A more optimistic prediction, and one that I favour, is that humans will find ways
to mitigate the risks and use genetic technologies in a responsible way. From the
food production perspective, genetic engineering could be the solution to famine
in developing countries, if, for instance, crops can be grown more reliably in harsh
conditions. From a medical perspective, scientists may use genetic engineering
to produce vaccines, to cure diseases, or to correct a genetic defect before a
child is born. If properly regulated, even cloning can be done in a way that
improves lives. For example, the cloning of individual organs, such as a heart or
kidney, could be permitted for transplant purposes.

In conclusion, I am convinced that genetic engineering will have a positive impact

on our lives, and that people's fears will be unwarranted.

(283 words, band 9)

Comments (14)

October 30, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: genetic engineering 'essay skeleton'

Let's return to the question below.

Genetic engineering is an important issue in society today. Some people

think that it will improve people’s lives in many ways. Others feel that it may
be a threat to life on earth. Discuss both these views and give your own
opinion.

Here's my 'essay skeleton':

Introduction
It is true that genetic engineering is a key area of modern scientific research, with
broad implications for all human societies. While I accept that this field of
technology may have its dangers, I believe that the benefits of genetic
engineering outweigh the drawbacks.

Topic sentence, paragraph 2

The negative implications of genetic engineering are often discussed in terms of
two key areas, which are food production and the cloning of humans.

Topic sentence, paragraph 3

A more optimistic prediction, and one that I favour, is that humans will find ways
to mitigate the risks and use genetic technologies in a responsible way.

Conclusion
In conclusion, I am convinced that genetic engineering will have a positive impact
on our lives, and that people's fears will be unwarranted.

Tasks:
Can you explain the risks of genetic engineering, in terms of food and cloning?
Can you suggest how we might use genetic engineering responsibly?

Comments (11)

October 23, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: should you mention both sides?

I often receive questions like this from students:

For 'agree or disagree' questions, my teacher told me that I should mention both
sides of the argument, even if I have a strong opinion. Is this true? And how do I
do it?

Here's my answer:

It is not true that you must always mention both sides.

The way you answer will depend on the particular question and on
the ideas that you have.

Let's look at some examples:

1) Look at the strong opinion essay that I shared here. My argument is that we do
have too many choices, and I think it would be strange to contradict myself by
writing about the opposite view. Why would I want to mention the view that we
don't have too many choices?

2) Now look at this essay. You'll see that I express a strong opinion in paragraph
two, and then I refute (argue against) some opposite views in paragraph three. In
other words, I do mention the other side of the argument, but in a negative way.

3) Finally, if you study this essay, you'll see that I am able to write about both
sides of the topic in a balanced way, even though I disagree with the argument
given in the question.

Note:
When somebody tells you that you must always answer in a certain way, you
should be cautious. If you're confused, just forget all of the advice, and focus
instead on what the question is asking you to do.

Comments (6)

October 16, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: ignore the word 'academic'

Many people are confused by the idea that they are doing the IELTS academic
writing test. They think this means that they need to use "academic" words, or
that IELTS writing is similar to university academic writing.

All of this is wrong. Here's why:

Examiners are not looking for "academic" words. There is nothing in

the scoring criteria that tells examiners to do this. Instead, examiners
are told to look for a wide range of vocabulary, collocations, and some
less common vocabulary.
IELTS writing (especially task 2) is more like a high school writing
task, rather than a university assignment. In a university assignment,
for example, you will never see the question "do you agree or
disagree?". At university you are expected to use research as the basis
of your writing, but in the IELTS test you only have your own ideas and
opinions. You are even told that you can use examples from your own
personal experience in IELTS writing task 2. This isn't very "academic"!

So, it's best to ignore the word "academic". Ignore any advice that relates to
university academic writing; IELTS writing has its own 'rules' and requirements,
and I do my best to explain these here on the blog.

Comments (3)

October 09, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: writing a conclusion

When writing a conclusion, this is what I do:

1. I check the question again, because I want to make sure that I answer
it properly (but briefly) in my conclusion.
2. I also think about key words or phrases from the question that I could
reuse or paraphrase.
3. And I look at my introduction again. I want to make sure that the
'position' that I express in my conclusion is consistent with what I wrote
in the introduction.
4. I can also paraphrase what I wrote in my introduction when writing the
conclusion.

Look at the question and the introduction that I showed you last week. Here are
some of my thoughts before I write the conclusion:

I'm going to start with 'In conclusion', and I want to write one concise
sentence only.
I need to repeat the idea that the benefits of genetic engineering
outweigh the drawbacks (using different words).
In my introduction I used a "while" sentence (while I accept the
dangers, I believe the benefits...).
So I'll start my conclusion with the benefits and then use the phrase "in
spite of" to mention the dangers.
Instead of "threat to life" or "dangers", I could write about the "risks".
Instead of "improve people's lives", I could write that it will have a
"positive impact".

Here's a concise conclusion using the ideas above:

In conclusion, I am convinced that genetic engineering will have a positive impact

on our lives, in spite of its potential risks.

Comments (4)

October 02, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: normal introduction technique

Here's the question that I showed you last Wednesday:

Genetic engineering is an important issue in society today. Some people

think that it will improve people’s lives in many ways. Others feel that it may
be a threat to life on earth. Discuss both these views and give your own
opinion.

And here's an introduction, using our normal 2-sentence technique:

It is true that genetic engineering is a key area of modern scientific research, with
broad implications for all human societies. While I accept that this field of
technology may have its dangers, I believe that the benefits of genetic
engineering outweigh the drawbacks.

Note:
The first sentence introduces the topic, using paraphrasing and some extra
information. The second sentence covers both views and makes my own opinion
clear.

Comments (10)

September 25, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'genetic engineering' topic

It's time to start work on a new question, so let's try this one that a student asked
me to look at:

Genetic engineering is an important issue in society today. Some people

think that it will improve people’s lives in many ways. Others feel that it may
be a threat to life on earth. Discuss both these views and give your own
opinion.

This is one of the common topics that I covered in my ebook. You can see some
ideas from the ebook here. We'll start writing the essay next Wednesday.

Comments (15)

September 18, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: topic preparation

As well as learning how to write introductions, main paragraphs and conclusions,
are you preparing your ideas and opinions for different topics?

Look at the last five essay topics that I've covered on this site:

1. Are small families a good or bad thing?

2. Advantages and disadvantages of books, radio and TV.
3. Do we have too many choices nowadays?
4. Do people choose hobbies only because they are fashionable?
5. Positives and negatives of artificial intelligence.

Do you have ideas and opinions for these five topics?

Task: Give yourself five minutes to note down some ideas for each of the topics
above. Then look at your ideas and be honest: how good are they?

Comments (1)

September 11, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: relying too much on linking

Some IELTS candidates rely far too much on linking words. If you start every
sentence of your essay with a typical linking word (firstly, furthermore, moreover
etc.), your writing will seem 'mechanical' and you probably won't get higher than a
band 6 for coherence and cohesion (25% of your score).

The opposite extreme is to use none of the typical linking words. In last week's
lesson I showed you an example of this. I called it "the art of linking without
linking". The only problem with this way of writing is that you need to be an
advanced user of English to do it well. It's the kind of thing that a native speaker
or band 9 candidate might do.

Most candidates should aim to be somewhere between these two extremes. Try
to use linking words in a natural way. It makes sense to use 'Furthermore' when
you're adding to an idea, and it makes sense to use 'For example' when you're
giving an example.

In short, linking words are useful, but you shouldn't rely on them; they are not
going to impress the examiner or magically give you a high score.

Comments (3)

September 04, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'advanced' linking

Most people learn linking words like firstly, furthermore, moreover, however,
whereas. There's nothing wrong with this type of linking; I use it myself.

Another way to link ideas between or within sentences is to use pronouns and
determiners like it, they, which, this, that.

And perhaps the most 'advanced' form of linking involves no linking words at all.
Instead, you rely on the topic vocabulary itself to create cohesion.

I call this "the art of linking without linking". Here's an example:

..........

The trend towards people living alone is perhaps even more damaging because
of the psychological effects of reduced human interaction. Individuals who live on
their own have nobody to talk to in person, so they cannot share problems or
discuss the highs and lows of daily life. They forgo the constant stimulation and
hustle and bustle of a large family, and are left to their own devices for extended
periods of time. The lack of human contact in the home is necessarily replaced by
passive distractions, such as television, video games, online chat rooms or
Internet surfing. This type of existence is associated with boredom, loneliness,
and feelings of isolation or even alienation, all of which are factors that are known
to increase the risk of mental illness.

..........

I've used different coloured highlighting to show which phrases are connected.
So, for example, the phrases in blue all develop the idea of 'reduced human
interaction'.

Can you see how the vocabulary itself holds the paragraph together? This is
probably how you write in your own language.

Comments (10)

August 28, 2019

IELTS Writing Task 2: excellent 'topic vocabulary'

Here's a list of some of the good collocations and phrases from the essay that I
shared last week. I hope you can see how much excellent 'topic vocabulary' the
essay contained.

are seeing a rise in

one-person households
is becoming a rarity
the traditional family support network
a nuclear family
a single-parent household
a stressful part of daily life
the absence of
adult family members
the primary influences on
the decline of the extended family
psychological and behavioural problems
amongst young people
the psychological effects of
reduced human interaction
discuss the highs and lows of daily life
They forgo the constant stimulation
hustle and bustle of a large family
left to their own devices