Speaking with the use of the English language is never that tough. As a matter of fact, there are individuals who achieve high scores in this section through their hard work and perseverance. There are also many tips and techniques that they can take advantage of to improve their study habits and learning skills. I have an article here that …
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As you may have already known, a study technique that works quite well for you may not be applicable to someone else. What I am trying to say is that there are many ways to study and you only need to find the techniques that are suitable for you. The internet has made a wide variety of information available, and …
Are you caught in between choosing a private tutor or a tutoring center for IELTS preparation? Well, if you want to make a well-informed decision, then you are on the right page. This article here provides some interesting reasons why hiring a private tutor is a lot better than attending a tutoring center. Hiring a private tutor has become easier …
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There are many mistakes in taking the IELTS test that examinees should learn about and avoid. Knowing and avoiding these mistakes can help them increase their chance in doing great during the exam. I have here an article, which I found yesterday while I was browsing the internet, that talks about guarding yourself against the common mistakes in taking the …
This blog post Preventing the IELTS Test Common Mistakes was originally posted on ielts.com.sg
English proficiency tests such as the IELTS can be very challenging to pass, and this is true to many test takers. However, as a teacher for many years I know that nothing is impossible with those who persevere and work hard. There are actually many fun things that examinees can do to pass and one is to use some apps. …
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I personally agree that the speaking test is one of the most difficult sections of the exam. This is why I also ensure that I provide the right amount of attention to my students especially while they are practicing to become fluent and confident in speaking the English language. I used to remind my students that English is not very …
This post IELTS Speaking Tips for Success was originally posted on http://www.ielts.com.sg
Many people find IELTS writing difficult because of the time pressure. You only have 60 minutes to write two essays. Consequently, many students fail to edit or if they do, they do it incorrectly. Here are some ways on how you can correctly edit your essays and manage your time better.
1. Check 2 to 3 minutes before the time.
It is very important that you spend the last few minutes of your time to check your work. Do it at the end so that you can read the complete essay and check your work for grammatical errors as well as for coherence. On the other hand, it can be harder to check for errors for a long essay.
If you have a strong foundation in grammar, then this style could work for you.
2. Check your essay while writing.
Another way is to check your work while writing your essay. An advantage of this strategy is that you can easily spot your errors in shorter paragraphs compared to a long essay.
If you make a lot of grammar errors, this approach would be recommended for you so that you can easily find your mistakes.
3. Check during and after writing the essay.
This is the ideal approach since you can spot easily the errors and this allows you to check for coherence. However, this can be time consuming since you are checking your essay twice.
Here are some tips on how you can check your essay:
Make sure you check with your pen so that you can see it word per word. You can easily spot what you think you have written and not what you wrote. Reading with a pen is a nice way of checking slowly which ensures that you have read every word.
Read in sentences and not by word. When we read word per word, sometimes we think that the sentence is correct because there are no grammar errors. However, we missed out on the meaning of the sentence which doesn’t make any sense.
Another thing you should keep in mind is to know what to check. There are many different areas that you should check for. Have a list of your common errors. Because you might not have enough time to check all grammar parts. If you are looking for a specific thing, you can easily find it.
Some grammar points that you should look for are the following:
1. Tenses: Make sure that you use consistent tenses and if you are doing graphs, it should match the time stamp in the graph.
2. Articles: This is a very common error in writing. If you’re aiming for a band 7, then you must have most sentences correct.
3. Subject-verb agreement: Remember, singular subjects need singular verbs while plural subjects need plural verbs. This is a very common mistake even for smart students. Examiners can give you a low mark if you make this mistake a lot.
4. Parts of speech: Many students commit a lot of mistakes in these. They make adjectives into adverbs and nouns into verbs.
5. Sentence structures: Don’t use all simple sentences. Try to vary your sentence structures by using compound and complex sentences.
Another thing you should watch out for is vocabulary. Try to avoid repeating the same words in the sentences. Use paraphrases. Check also your spelling of words. Some people also become too wordy in their sentences. Try to avoid technical jargon and clichés in your sentences. Don’t try to use very simple words.
How to Edit Your IELTS Essays first appeared on: http://ielts.com.sg
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Let’s face it. Many students are terrified of IELTS speaking. They believe that it is the hardest test in IELTS. Some aren’t very comfortable with speaking in English. How do you then conquer your fear of speaking? There are several ways on how to do this. Let’s list them one by one:
1. Get a tutor.
It’s hard to practice on your own. You can’t be very objective when you assess your own speech. You need another person, an expert who can point out to you your mistakes especially in grammar and pronunciation. There are online IELTS teachers out there who can help you address your weaknesses.
2. Watch videos.
In Youtube, there are many IELTS speaking videos which you can use to pattern your speech. Take note of their answers especially the language that they use. Note also how they give examples and expand their speech.
3. Expand your vocabulary.
Have a vocabulary list which you can use when delivering your speech. Make a list of words on common IELTS topics such as environment, technology, education, leisure, work and travel.
4. Divide your answers.
Some students have a tendency to become circular in their speech. It’s not about the length of your answers. It’s about the quality of your answers that matters. Make sure that you always think of top two main points such as the top two advantages, causes, problems, etc. Structuring your answers will help you focus on your speech.
5. Build rapport with the examiner.
Don’t think of the speaking test as a job interview. Think of it as having a conversation with a friend. It doesn’t have to be very formal. Imagine the examiner as the most comfortable person you’re talking to. When you do that, you become more at ease and it will help you build rapport with the examiner. Be friendly and interact with the examiner.
6. Establish eye contact.
Some people are intimidated with the examiner so they don’t make eye contact. If you’re intimidated by the examiner, you can look on his/her forehead. He/she wouldn’t notice that you’re not looking through his/her eyes.
7. Use personal experience.
Some examiners get bored with hearing the same answers. When it’s your own experience, it’s more interesting. Moreover, when you share your personal experience, it’s easier to draw from your long term memory. If it’s hypothetical, that’s when you grasp for words and get dead air.
8. Use language of comparisons.
There are some questions that ask you to compare people or compare past and present. In these kinds of questions, try to use the language of comparisons such as better, more or less. For instance, you might be asked to compare males and females in terms of work. You can say that males have strong physique compared to females.
9. Use concrete descriptions.
In the IELTS speaking, you’ll be asked to describe things, people, places and events. Make sure that you exhaust all senses such as size, color, shape, and material. For example, you are asked to describe your favorite object. You can talk about your mobile phone. You can describe it by mentioning the model, the style, the color of your phone.
10. Extend your answers.
There is no such thing as a Yes or No question. Always extend your answers. Avoid one-liner answers. Provide reasons why you answered yes or no. For example, in the question “Do you cook?” You can answer, “Yes, I cook and my favorite dish is lasagna.”
If you follow these tips, you can very well get a high score in IELTS.
The post How to be more effective in IELTS speaking appeared first on Score 7.0+ with an IELTS Private Tutor In Singapore.
Many IELTS students in Singapore find it very difficult to write essays. A number of them make a lot of mistakes which can cost them their band scores. Here are some of the common mistakes students make in IELTS writing:
1. Lack of time management
Some students spend a lot of time in Task 1 which results to not being able to finish the Task 2. Task 1 should only be done in 20 minutes while Task 2 should be done in 40 minutes. Make sure that you be conscious of the time and write quickly. Spend the last 5 minutes to check your essays for grammar errors and spelling.
2. No plan
One reason why students don’t know how to start their essays is that they don’t have a plan. As a result, their essays lack organization and coherence. You should spend the first minutes of your time to make an outline of your major points. This will lead to a more structured essay.
3. Repetitive vocabulary
Vocabulary is a major criteria in IELTS. Many students have limited vocabulary that’s why they just copy the words from the task question or they use the same words over and over again. Read books and newspapers to help expand your word power. Read through academic word lists and list them in your notebook. Try to know the synonyms of words so that you can paraphrase them.
4. Long sentences and paragraphs
Another common issue that is found in many essays are long sentences and paragraphs. Some sentences need to be split into two or some have redundancies that need to be removed. Avoid wordiness in your sentences. It is better to be economical by using one word rather than five words with the same meaning. Moreover, paragraphs should have only 3 to 5 sentences. A guideline is to have only 50-65 words per paragraph.
5. Multiple main points in one paragraph
Having two topic sentences in one paragraph is a major no-no. This results to lack of focus in your essay. The rule is one topic sentence, one paragraph. If you have a new topic sentence, there should be a new paragraph.
6. Examples in the first line of the paragraph
There are some students who write examples first before the topic sentence. Examples are specific while topic sentences should be general. Topic sentences should come first. Then the examples should come after your topic sentence since they are considered as support for your topic sentence.
7. One-sentence paragraphs
Some students write one-sentence paragraphs which lack supporting details and concrete examples. Paragraphs should have 3 to 5 sentences. Make sure that your paragraphs are well developed.
8. No transition words
Some essays are choppy because they lack transition words. Use transition words to help thoughts move smoothly. This will make your essay more coherent. Transition words are used for giving examples, summarizing, etc. Examples of them are furthermore, however, as a result, to sum up.
9. Many grammar errors
Grammar mistakes can really pull down your band score. Some of the common grammar issues are on subject-verb, tenses and use of articles and prepositions. Try to review the grammar rules on these topics. Spend the last minutes of your time to proofread your work for any grammar errors.
10. Off-topic essays
Make sure you read and understand the question so you don’t get an off-topic essay. Because the examiners won’t give you the score you deserve, if you write an off-topic essay.
There you have it. The top 10 mistakes that students make in IELTS writing.
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