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How to answer – A City that has changed – IELTS Speaking Part 2

By ielts-jonathan.com on 16 June 2022

Did you know that the second part of the IELTS Speaking test can be the most difficult for candidates, even Native Speakers.

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But don’t despair it can also be the easiest part, and the most enjoyable.

There is a valid reason for this part of the IELTS test, and I will explain this below.

One reason for Part 2 is to allow the candidate speak at length and meet the fluency criteria.

A second reason is to allow the examiner to grade your ability for the follow up questions in Part 3.

They are trained to listen carefully for language range, grammar accuracy and pronunciation is normal speech.

They can then chose the best question sets in Part 3 that allows you to display your real language ability. So it’s important to fill that 2 minutes the best you can.

Part 2 Structure

You are given a set of prompts and a question.

The prompts are not particularly challenging, but follow a pattern to give you ‘ideas’ and ‘structure’ for your 2 minute talk.

This gives the examiner ‘a further opinion‘ to your level, ready for Part 3.

One way to do well in this section is to try and relax.

A relaxed candidate always performs better and responds well.

If you don’t understand something, always ask the examiner to repeat the prompt question.

The examiner can’t help you directly, but repetition might help you understand the prompt better.

Other tips are

Don’t give the examiner an opportunity to ask ‘can you say anything else about that’.
Speak for the full 2 minutes until the examiner stops you.
Don’t hesitate too much, you are allowed to make some mistakes, it’s natural.
Connect your sentences and use the structure given in the prompt.
Attempt to use complex sentences rather than short, simply ones.

and

Don’t be afraid to correct yourself.

What if you really don’t understand the prompt or even worse the prompt doesn’t apply to you?

If you’re preparing for IELTS, and feel you cannot answer some of the speaking questions properly, simply because they really do not apply to your current life experience, then don’t worry as you’re not alone.

For example:

Q. Talk about an object you own that is especially valuable or important to you.

Problem: I have a quite spartan lifestyle and I don’t have any emotional attachment to any objects I own.

Q. Talk about an object that has had great influence in your life, and explain how it influenced your life.

Problem: While I could talk for hours about books that I love, I don’t really feel that there is a book that has truly influenced my life.

Describe a city you know well and that has changed a lot.

You should say

were this city is

why it has changed

how it is changed

and say it has changed for the better

The city I want to describe is London, the UK’s capital. I remember an exhibition I went to and some of the photos used are online now. The exhibition showed how London was in the past and I was able to compare and consider its changes, as I live there now.

The landscape of London has been constantly in flux because of its growth, destruction of parts of the city during the Second World War and its rejuvenation – and the exhibition showcased a tool developed to show just how much the face of the city has changed. Modern Google Street View images overlaid photographs from the first half of the 20th century and these offered a fascinating insight into everyday life in the capital.

I think Londoners would immediately notice the absence of the crowded main roads in well-known districts, like Whitehall and Oxford Circus. The photographs also show trams going along Embankment and horse-drawn carriages making up the majority of traffic. These have all gone, replaced by ‘black cabs’, red busses and more recently silent, electric taxis. The historic images also reflect the changes in the fashion taste of Londoners, with old photographs featuring people sporting straw-boat hats and long frocks. Some of the images show the city in its darker days. An eerie picture of Harrods taken in 1940, the first year of the Blitz, shows deserted streets against a smoggy background.

However, some things have stayed the same. Numerous lesser-known landmarks of the city have endured through the years. Clock towers erected several generations ago in Clapham Common and Stockwell are still standing. The columned exterior of Covent Garden Market has also changed little since 1905.

And traditions, such as the bearskin hats of the guardsmen at Buckingham Palace, have also remained.

Despite this, although the capital is attempting to move into the 21^st century, for example, with infrastructure upgrades and environmental improvements, it remains a product of the 19^th century in the history that can be seen around you.

Note: Adapted from www.independent.co.uk

Solution to this problem

IELTS is a test of your language ability, not intelligence or knowledge.

You may think the IELTS test is an interrogation, but you don’t really need to answer with the truth.

However, I would feel more comfortable with the be honest approach, even if it does not directly answer the question.

You would probably be able to answer more naturally, and therefore be more fluent.

Which one do you think is a better strategy?

You can use tips and information on this website to help make it easier to obtain a higher score, but remember you still need to work at learning the language to be successful.

Please share to someone you know and in the meantime take a look at my Facebook Page and Website for IELTS answers and you can also join my Facebook Group here too.

Good Luck

Jonathan

I’m Jonathan

I’ve taught IELTS and University English in more than a dozen universities and schools around the world.

I’m a parent, traveller and passionate about language teaching and helping students achieve their dreams.

Whilst living in Austria or working in Asia, I run IELTS courses to help students get to where they want to be.

If you are serious about IELTS, connect with me to see how I can help you.

How to prepare for an IELTS 7 Reading Score

By ielts-jonathan.com on 16 June 2022

What strategies does a high-scoring IELTS Reading candidate need?

There are a number of online tips and tricks that if followed claim to improve your IELTS score.

At the end of the day, success in IELTS reading is based on a few key concepts which apply to both the General and Academic Reading papers.

In order to complete the task successfully a candidate needs to be prepared and have practiced the test.

A candidate also needs to have a suitable level of vocabulary and grammar, be aware of synonyms and have developed skills for successfully reading the passages within the 60 minutes time limit of the test.

Preparation and practice provide the candidate with the experience and awareness to attempt the reading task in the most efficient way in 60 minutes, with the understanding that Section 2 is worth less marks than Section 1 and 3.

The student’s current level of vocabulary and grammar is likely to limit the IELTS reading band score, and awareness of development in this area is important.

An awareness of synonyms and the use referencing in academic texts will aid higher level language users to access the test materials.

The combined reading skills of detail, skim and scan reading can provide basic strategies to access the text efficiently which is the topic of this post.

Skimming and Scanning Strategies for IELTS Band 7

Skimming and Scanning are two essential aspects of the IELTS Reading Test, but, if you don’t really understand the techniques, you’ll end up making a mess of the exam.

Skim Reading

The purpose of skimming is to get the main ideas or the’ gist’ of the text before you look at the questions. You can do this by reading the title, any headings and a large section of the passage quickly to get an understanding of the topic and the topic context.

Scan Reading

Scanning is the most important skill. Once you have an understanding of the context and arrangement of text, scanning is used to identify the possible answers in the IELTS Reading test. Again, the technique is not difficult, and can be learned but you need to practise often to be able to read quickly.

IELTS Skimming Skills

There are a number of questions types that never follow the order of the passage. The reasons for this is not to trick you but to test the first reading skill which is skimming.

Skimming considers other certain aspects of reading skills, and in this case, it is to locate information in a passage. Questions are never in the order of the passage, as the test would not be valid, reliable or testing you and would be far too easy.

Questions that don’t follow the order of the passage are; Matching Headings, Matching Features and Matching Information questions.

How to skim an article?

Skimming is not a difficult technique to follow and if you practise and learn to master it, understanding the second skill, scanning, becomes easier to learn. I recommend you only use IELTS papers to perfect this technique, but you can apply it to online reading in general.

Here’s how you skim read:

When you have an IELTS paper or an article, don’t just read the questions first, read the whole passage in sections to gain an understanding of the main topic.
Underline any sentence, word or keyword that you think is important, but remember, the main purpose at this stage is to understand the gist. There’s no wrong or write keywords, you only have to mark what you think is related to the main concept within the text.

Points to bear in mind while skimming

Don’t read the questions before you skim.

If you do, you’ll tend to only try to look for answers. If you skim first and then read the passage then you’ll be able to scan for the answers with an understanding of how the text is arranged.

Skim the whole passage, not just the first lines of a paragraph

Often the main idea is hidden between paragraphs or in the paragraphs near the end, so it is important to read the entire text quickly. If you don’t want to read it completely, glance at some repeated words or synonyms as these words may indicate the main idea of the text.

Choosing the wrong answer

The most common reason for wrong answers is reading the wrong section of a passage.

The text will use plenty of synonyms and repeated words which may suggest this is where the answer is but skimming around these words will help you decide if this section is relevant to the question you are answering.

Skim reading effectively by practising the following steps

Read the question (note if it is the type of question that follows the order of the passage) and identify the key phrases and terms
Skim the passage for words and synonyms
Skim read around the words to identify whether this is likely to be the area with the answer
Read in detail to confirm and locate the answer

IELTS Scanning Skills

Scanning is probably the most important skill. Once you have an understanding of the context and arrangement of text, scanning is used to identify the possible answers in the IELTS Reading test. Again, the technique is not difficult, and can be learned, but you need to practise often to be able to read quickly.

How to scan a text?

It’s physically not practical to read the entire text in only 60 minutes. You’ll have three texts to read and 40 questions to answer, which is why it becomes all the more important to learn to scan read.

Did you know that often questions for the reading passage appear in the same order as the text itself?

So, a big tip is to train yourself to answer certain questions in the order they appear. The passage is organised in a logical pattern, and for some questions the purpose of the test is to show that you can focus on a particular meaning or aspect of a certain part of the passage.

Questions that often follow the order of the passage are; True, False, Not given, Yes, No or Not given, Short answer questions and Sentences completion questions.

If you are working on improving your vocabulary and grammar, it is a good idea to practise these test questions, so you can master the skill.

Again, these questions are not designed to trick you; they test your ability to scan and locate specific information.

There is no one way of scanning a text, you are simply practising a number of skills while scanning an article, but, very quickly:

Remember, in contrast to skimming, it IS a good idea to read the questions BEFORE scanning the article.
When you’ve read the questions, spotting keywords related to those questions should become easier so you can circle anything that is related to that keyword.
When you’re reading, don’t read the text word by word, move your eyes over the text and look for specific information or keywords. These could be names, numbers, dates or any keyword from the questions.
Once you have found the keywords, read the question once more, and the sentences with a circled or underlined word. When you believe you have the right answer, note it down in your own words.

Combining the skills for other question types and skills

Questions that ask you to complete notes, diagrams or summaries are often not in the order of the passage.

These questions require you to organise information from the passage in different ways. For example, a diagram may require reorganisation of the text, a flowchart may show chronological order and notes may require information under headings.

Questions that are not often in the order of the passage are; Flowchart completion, Diagram completion, Summary completion and Notes completion

A way to approach these questions is

Identify the key details, for example, are they headings, notes or labels
Identify that you have to transfer words exactly from the text and how many words
Scan the reading text for these details
Skim read around to identify you have the specific information
Detail read to locate the answer
Transfer the words to the gaps and check the spelling

By the way, you now know that some questions follow the order of the passage but did you know that section 1 and 3 questions are worth more marks than section 2?

So, you should not spend too long on section 2 or you may lose marks.

Using official test materials

Remember, you must practice scanning to become competent. Train yourself to scan a text using various official IELTS practice tests and IELTS preparation books. You can find official samples here.

You can use online IELTS practice materials, but beware! I have found this are often inaccurate and more importantly, the questions are not a reflection of the real test.

So, remember, you can practice skimming and scanning with online IELTS practice materials, newspapers, magazines, books and comprehension texts to improve the basic skills of skimming and scanning but to be valid, only official materials should be used for a fair skills assessment.

Focused Practice for IELTS Reading

Now that you can see the reasons for using official IELTS materials, what kind of practice should an IELTS student follow? Well, if you notice in most text books, the skills needed for reading are broken down into micro skills. This means that students can work on weaker areas, and identify strategies to improvement.

The same applies to doing official tests.

Don’t so test after test expecting to see results, break down the tests into section and practice improvements in each part, one, two or three.

Monitor these scores you get to identify which sections of the test you should work on more.

Developing Skimming

Remember skimming is not about the details, but the general gist of the text. If you have weaknesses in this area, to focus your practice in this skill, select a passage for an official test and spend a few minutes skim reading it to try and gather the general information. Depending on the passage and section of the test, aspects you should be looking for are

the general topic or area of study
is it restricted to one country or study or more than one?
does it refer to the past, present of future research or trend?
is the stance positive, neutral or negative?

Developing Scanning

You follow the same approach here, but focus the skills slightly differently by considering key details. Take a passage, again, from an official test and take a look at some of the associated questions. Make a note of at least 5 key details in the questions, such as a name, a date or an unknown technical term and time yourself to see how quickly you can locate the key details in the text.

You will probably find this a small challenge at first, but this activity will likely help you deal with locating information that has been paraphrased and also deal with recognising synonyms used in the passage.

If you create a habit of regularly doing this, then you are likely to learn to do this in the real test as well.

Developing Speed in Reading

The average native speaker is able to read around 100 words within 20 seconds. While this seems a lot, it is still possible for a good non-native speaker to get close to that figure, maybe 30 to 40 seconds, if you can train yourself not to read every single word.

One technique to develop increased reading speed is training with official IELTS materials.

Select a genuine reading text, and then select a passage, for example Section 1. Next select a paragraph and count the words in the passage. When you reach a sentence that contains the one hundredth word, mark the end of the sentence and repeat again and again until the end. You could do this for the whole text, but don’t be overambitious and you are trying to develop your reading speed and this will happen gradually.

Set a timer on your phone for 40 seconds and begin to skim read the first 100 words. Reset the timer and read again, repeating the process until the end of the passage. If you are finishing the 100 words before the 40 seconds then reduce the number to 35 or 30.

Once you have finished, the task is to recite anything you can remember. You are unlikely to remember particular details about the text, but if you read effectively you should be able to gain an overall impression of the passages. Gaining an overall impression of a text, or a picture, if you like, is very useful in comprehension of a reading passage. This particularly works well if you have a partner to work and practice with.

Try to gain the gist of other sections of the reading test and other passages using the same technique and you should gain the confidence and skills to perform well in a test situation.

Remember, using official materials will make this effort valid.

Strategies to Improve your Reading Score

Understanding your current weaknesses and developing strengths in these areas is probably the most useful strategy in improving your score. This is a much better strategy than simply doing test after test, hoping you will get luck. Any gains you make are likely to be modest and you probably continue to make the same mistakes
Notice I keep saying it is important to use official materials that you will use in the test. Reading literature or a scientific paper are very different processes, and the same applies to reading genuine test materials written by trained test writers and those that claim to be. If you use materials that claim to be genuine, then you won’t get a fair assessment of your strengths and weaknesses.
One way of identifying weaknesses is to go back to tests you have completed and notice the sections you got the most wrong answers. Section 2 and 3 mistakes are likely to be related to language, so it is important to revisit the text and identify why you chose the wrong answer. If you have a teacher, go through the text together.
Are there particular questions which are consistently challenging. This can be related to language too, for example, you may need to work on questions that ask why, where, what or how.
Are there question formats that are consistently wrong. This can be related to training and understanding of the question function. For example, Yes, No, Not Given questions are quite different to True, False, Not Given questions.

The importance of Timing

The final strategy for effective reading is an understanding of timing. Although there are 40 questions, Section 2 questions are not worth the same mark as Section 1 and Section 3. Logically, this suggests that these questions are more challenging and so you need to consciously allow a bit more time in these areas. You should probably aim for 3 minutes to skim read each passage, and allow a minute for each questions. If you remember that some questions come in the order of the passage, skip the question that is taking up too much time, use the question number to guide you and come back to it at the end

‘How and If ‘ to get to Band 7 or above

Using a IELTS calculator, you can work out that to score Band 7 you need answer at least 30 out of 40 questions correctly.

This means there are 5 further questions for Band 8 and 10 for Band 9. Don’t waste time answering these questions, focus on the 30 you need!

Finally, as an ex-exam invigilator, I often saw students still transferring their answers to the answer sheet at the end of the test.

In the exam you are given a 10 and 5 minute end of test warning, so don’t let those higher level questions rob you of your Band 7 ambition by not completing the marking sheet.

I’m Jonathan

I’ve taught IELTS and University English in more than a dozen universities and schools around the world.

I’m a parent, traveller and passionate about language teaching and helping students achieve their dreams.

Whilst living in Austria or working in Asia, I run IELTS courses to help students get to where they want to be.

If you are serious about IELTS, connect with me to see how I can help you.

How to IELTS General Training – Write a Formal Letter to Inform Task 1

By ielts-jonathan.com on 16 June 2022

A common GT IELTS task can be writing a formal Letter to Inform.

Completing the IELTS General Task 1 might seem easy, but when was the last time you sat down and wrote a letter?

Who was it to?
Why did you write?
What was the purpose and
what did you write about?

Believe it or not, people still write letters in their daily lives. What do you think most people write letters for?

Writing emails is less demanding in terms of language and structure, and so IELTS General Training questions are there to display to display the language and structuring ability of the test candidate.

The last time I wrote a complete letter, rather than an email, was last year.

It was a letter of complaint to an insurance company.

I had to say what had happened and why I was dissatisfied with the service. I also asked for a refund.

I remember it took quite a long time to complete.

So don’t worry if you think IELTS General Task 1 is a challenge.

In this post we will learn the structure and vocabulary needed to complete task and answer the question to get the highest score in task achievement.

IELTS General Training

Exam task – Writing a letter to inform

Exam focus – General Training Writing Task 1

In this post, I am going to give you the skills for to construct a letter to inform;

This will help your approaches to planning a letter and also make sure you’re using the appropriate language and organisation.

Introduction – Recognising types of Letters

Learn how to write an email to your university professor.

Here is the question

IELTS GENERAL TRAINING QUESTION — IELTS JONATHAN GENERAL IELTS TRAINING

Remember you must answer all three prompts in order to get Band 5 or above – This means at least three paragraphs in your letter.

Task 1

In order to prepare for you to use the best language, do the exercises I have prepared below.

Preparation task

Match the vocabulary (1–6) with the more formal way of saying the same thing (a–f).

Vocabulary

More formal vocabulary

1. …… at the moment

2. …… a problem

3. …… to tell you

4. …… talk about it more

5. …… worried

6. …… to ask for

a. to inform you

b. to request

c. an issue

d. concerned

e. currently

f. discuss the matter further

Answers

Vocabulary

More formal vocabulary

1. …… at the moment

2. …… a problem

3. …… to tell you

4. …… talk about it more

5. …… worried

6. …… to ask for

e. currently

c. an issue

a. to inform you

f. discuss the matter further

d. concerned

b. to request

Reading text: An email to your class tutor

Dear Professor Richards,

1) I am writing to inform you that, unfortunately, I am unable to continue to attend the Spanish as an additional language course this term/semester. I would like to request permission to defer as I understand that this is only possible with your approval.

2) The issue is that I am currently doing an internship with HSCB Corporation. It started in July and will continue until the end of the term/semester. The internship takes up 25 hours per week and I am concerned that it does not leave me with enough time to study. I have already asked if I can reduce my hours at HSCB, but this is not possible.

3) With your approval, I could take Spanish next semester instead. I realise that this would mean a heavier workload than usual next semester, but I assure you that by that time I would be able to manage my time and keep up with classes.

4) Thank you for considering my request and I would be happy to come in and discuss the matter further.

Regards, Jenny Liu

Task 2

Which paragraphs perform which prompt in the question?

Paragraph

Prompt

a. conclude

b. discuss

c. suggest

d. inform

e. request

Answers

Paragraph

Prompt

a. inform d. request

b. discuss

c. suggest

e. conclude

It’s a good idea to follow the prompts in the question and also think about the audience you are writing to.

Use the person’s job title if you don’t know their name (e.g. Dear Admissions Tutor, Dear Marketing Manager, Dear Customer Relations Manager).
Start your email by clearly giving your reason for writing and then explain the issue.
Working people are busy, so it’s important to be make the letter short and to the point, include only the most important information.
If you have a solution to the problem, suggest it and politely ask if it can be If you don’t, politely request for help or a suggestion.
Finish by thanking the person for their assistance and offering to discuss the matter further if needed.
Regards, (also With regards, Best regards, or Kind regards,) is a more friendly-sounding sign-off than Yours sincerely, but it is still formal enough to be appropriate.

Task 3

Reading text: An email to your class tutor

Dear Professor Richards,

I am writing to inform you that, unfortunately, I am unable to continue to attend the Spanish as an additional language course this term/semester. I would like to request permission to defer as I understand that this is only possible with your approval.

The issue is that I am currently doing an internship with HSCB Corporation. It started in July and will continue until the end of the term/semester. The internship takes up 25 hours per week and I am concerned that it does not leave me with enough time to study. I have already asked if I can reduce my hours at HSCB, but this is not possible.

With your approval, I could take Spanish next semester instead. I realise that this would mean a heavier workload than usual next semester, but I assure you that by that time I would be able to manage my time and keep up with classes.

Thank you for considering my request and I would be happy to come in and discuss the matter further.

Regards, Jenny Liu

Are these sentences true or false?

Answer
1. The email follows the structure of introduction, main point, what you want to happen next.	True	False
2. The tone is formal.	True	False
3. The email includes unnecessary details.	True	False
4. The writer suggests a solution to their problem.	True	False
5. The closing phrase means there is an obligation to discuss the subject.	True	False
6. Regards is for use between friends in emails.	True	False

Answers

Answer
1. The email follows the structure of introduction, main point, what you want to happen next.	True	False
2. The tone is formal.	True	False
3. The email includes unnecessary details.	True	False
4. The writer suggests a solution to their problem.	True	False
5. The closing phrase means there is an obligation to discuss the subject.	True	False
6. Regards is for use between friends in emails.	True	False

Task 4

Circle the best answer.

1.	I am writing to you of a change of address.
	a. inform	b. warn	c. instruct
2.	I sent an email last week to information about the Philosophy course.
	a. demand	b. ask	c. request

3.	I seven classes before I had to take time off for sickness.
	a. assisted	b. attended	c. appeared
4.	I am about managing the workload of the course at the same time as my other responsibilities.
	a. bothered	b. concerned	c. upset
5.	I think one has been the difficulty in accessing the library as a distance student.
	a. mess	b. subject	c. issue
6.	, family circumstances mean it is difficult for me to study in the evenings.
	a. Currently	b. Actually	c. Momentarily
7.	I would like to request your for a change of timetable.
	a. toleration	b. promise	c. approval
8.	I would be happy to come in and it with you.
	a. discuss	b. argue	c. dispute

Answers

1.	I am writing to inform you of a change of address.
	a. inform	b. warn	c. instruct
2.	I sent an email last week to request information about the Philosophy course.
	a. demand	b. ask	c. request

3.	I attended seven classes before I had to take time off for sickness.
	a. assisted	b. attended	c. appeared
4.	I am concerned about managing the workload of the course at the same time as my other responsibilities.
	a. bothered	b. concerned	c. upset
5.	I think one issue has been the difficulty in accessing the library as a distance student.
	a. mess	b. subject	c. issue
6.	Currently, family circumstances mean it is difficult for me to study in the evenings.
	a. Currently	b. Actually	c. Momentarily
7.	I would like to request your approval for a change of timetable.
	a. toleration	b. promise	c. approval
8.	I would be happy to come in and discuss it with you.
	a. discuss	b. argue	c. dispute

Task 5

Write one word in each gap to complete the email.

(1)……………………………… Professor Vazquez,

Many thanks (2)……………………………… your feedback on my assignment.

I’m writing (3)……………………………… inform you that, unfortunately, I have had (4)……………………………… postpone my current module until next term. I requested approval (5)……………………………… the English department (6)……………………………… this and I have (7)……………………………… permission, as long (8)……………………………… I am able to catch up with the work.

I (9)……………………………… very much enjoyed your module and I hope (10)……………………………… be able to rejoin the course (11)……………………………… January, after (12)……………………………… small operation on my foot. I wanted to explain (13)……………………………… situation and to assure

(14)……………………………… that I will use my recovery time to keep (15)……………………………… with the reading for the course.

I (16)……………………………… be happy (17)……………………………… come in and discuss the matter further.

Kind (18)……………………………… ,

Jenny Lui

Answers

(1)Dear Professor Vazquez,

Many thanks (2)for your feedback on my assignment.

I’m writing (3)to inform you that, unfortunately, I have had (4)to postpone my current module until next term. I requested approval (5)from the English department (6) for this and I have (7) been given permission, as long (8)as I am able to catch up with the work.

I (9)have very much enjoyed your module and I hope (10) to be able to rejoin the course (11) in January, after (12) a small operation on my foot. I wanted to explain (13) the situation and to assure

(14) After that I will use my recovery time to keep (15) up with the reading for the course.

I (16)would be happy (17) to come in and discuss the matter further.

Kind (18) regards,

Jenny Lui

Discussion

What are some good and bad reasons for giving up a course? Do you think this was a good reason and response to the prompts below?

Remember you can write over the 250 words limit. This is a minimum, not a maximum target.

The Letter below is a Band 9 example because….

It answers all three prompts (inform, discuss, suggest) and expands the details sufficiently and appropriately
The tone is appropriate for the task (with your approval, thank you for considering)
It structures the letter, paragraphing is focussed sufficiently and appropriately.
Topic sentences clearly link paragraphs together ( I am writing to inform, The issue is that , With your approval I could take Spanish next semester )
It uses the formal language required for the task i.e, writing to a professor (I am writing to inform, I would like to request )
It shows an awareness of style and a wide range of vocabulary
The tone of the concluding sentence is clear and appropriate ( Thank you for considering, I would be happy, discuss the matter further )

Dear Professor Richards,

Thank you for considering my request and I would be happy to come in and discuss the matter further.

Regards, Jenny Liu

Finally….

You have to write a minimum of 150 words, include relevant details and use appropriate language and style so that the purpose of your letter is clear to the reader.

There is no choice of questions, you are given the task and you need to answer all the prompts.

I’m Jonathan, an online-IELTS preparation specialist.

I help IELTS students to achieve the IELTS score they need with clear teaching, courses, training and feedback.

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I have taught IELTS and University English in more than a dozen universities and schools around the world.

I’m a parent, traveller and passionate about language teaching and helping students achieve their dreams.

Whilst living in Austria or working in Asia, I run IELTS courses to help students get to where they want to be.

If you are serious about IELTS, connect with me to see how I can help you.

Jonathan

How to answer – Work Experience – IELTS Speaking Part 2

By ielts-jonathan.com on 16 June 2022

Did you know that the second part of the IELTS Speaking test can be the most difficult for candidates, even Native Speakers.

But don’t despair it can also be the easiest part, and the most enjoyable.

There’s a good reason for this part of the IELTS test, and I will explain this below.

One reason for Part 2 is to allow the candidate speak at length and meet the fluency criteria.

A Second reason is to allow the examiner to grade your ability for the follow up questions in Part 3.

They are trained to listen carefully for language range, grammar accuracy and pronunciation is normal speech.

They can then chose the best question sets in Part 3 that allows you to display your real language ability. So it’s important to fill that 2 minutes the best you can.

Part 2 Structure

You are given a set of prompts and a question.

The prompts are not particularly challenging, but follow a pattern to give you ‘ideas’ and ‘structure’ for your 2 minute talk.

This gives the examiner ‘a further opinion‘ to your level, ready for Part 3.

One way to do well in this section is to try and relax.

A relaxed candidate always performs better and responds well.

If you don’t understand something, always ask the examiner to repeat the prompt question.

The examiner can’t help you directly, but repetition might help you understand the prompt better.

Other tips are

Don’t give the examiner an opportunity to ask ‘can you say anything else about that’.
Speak for the full 2 minutes until the examiner stops you.
Don’t hesitate too much, you are allowed to make some mistakes, it’s natural.
Connect your sentences and use the structure given in the prompt.
Attempt to use complex sentences rather than short, simply ones.

and

Don’t be afraid to correct yourself.

What if you really don’t understand the prompt or even worse the prompt doesn’t apply to you?

For example:

Q. Talk about an object you own that is especially valuable or important to you.

Problem: I have a quite spartan lifestyle and I don’t have any emotional attachment to any objects I own.

Q. Talk about an object that has had great influence in your life, and explain how it influenced your life.

Problem: While I could talk for hours about books that I love, I don’t really feel that there is a book that has truly influenced my life.

IELTS Speaking Topic: Work experience that you have done

Describe some work experience you have done.

You should say:

where the experience was

what work did you do

how long was the work experience

was it enjoyable

was it useful

So, the topic I am going to talk about is related to the work experience I gained at school. When I was younger, probably about the age of 15, all the pupils in my year had to take part in two-weeks of work experience as part of their vocational and academic timetable. What this meant was that instead of attending school, two weeks were spent in a company, an organization or a business and I suppose the experience was to give you a taste of working life.

In my city, we are quite lucky as there are many international companies and administration departments, so the work experience could be quite varied. There were also opportunities to work at the zoo, and in veterinary centres too. I had the chance to work in a national bank, and I if I am honest, the experience was a little disappointing. I thought it would be much more interesting than it was. For example, as I was young, I had no responsibility and was mainly observing and learning from what others were doing. I did some filing and collected documents and files from different departments so I could see some of the different kinds of work that takes place, but that was the limit.

At the end, I was given a report on my attitude and behaviour and I needed to write a small report as well. I think that it taught me something, probably that work is very different to school and college. I also realized that I didn’t want to work in a bank, so I think it was a useful experience, but others might not think so.

Now I have graduated, I am looking for an internship in an international company again. In many ways it might be a similar experience because I probably won’t have any responsibility at first, but I think I will enjoy this experience more because I want to work in this industry in the future.

Solution to this problem

IELTS is a test of your language ability, not intelligence or knowledge.

You may think the IELTS test is an interrogation, but you don’t really need to answer with the truth.

However, I would feel more comfortable with the be honest approach, even if it does not directly answer the question.

You would probably be able to answer more naturally, and therefore be more fluent.

Which one do you think is a better strategy?

You can use tips and information on this website to help make it easier to obtain a higher score, but remember you still need to work at learning the language to be successful.

Please share to someone you know and in the meantime take a look at my Facebook Page and Website for IELTS answers and you can also join my Facebook Group here too.

Good Luck

Jonathan

I’m Jonathan

I’ve taught IELTS and University English in more than a dozen universities and schools around the world.

I’m a parent, traveller and passionate about language teaching and helping students achieve their dreams.

Whilst living in Austria or working in Asia, I run IELTS courses to help students get to where they want to be.

If you are serious about IELTS, connect with me to see how I can help you.

How to answer – Teaching someone something – IELTS Speaking Part 2

By ielts-jonathan.com on 16 June 2022

Is IELTS Part 2 Speaking difficult?

The second part of the IELTS Speaking test can be the most difficult section for many candidates, even Native Speakers.

But don’t despair.

If you understand the test and have a few strategies to hand, it can also be the easiest part, and the most enjoyable. 🙂

There is a valid reason for this part of the IELTS test which helps both you, the candidate, and the examiner.

One reason for Part 2 is to allow the candidate speak at length and meet the fluency criteria.

A second reason is to allow the examiner to grade your ability for the follow up questions in Part 3.

They are trained to listen carefully for language range, grammar accuracy and pronunciation is normal speech.

They can then chose the best question sets in Part 3 that allows you to display your real language ability. So it’s important to fill that 2 minutes the best you can.

Part 2 IELTS Structure

You are given a set of prompts and a question.

The prompts are not particularly challenging, but follow a pattern to give you ‘ideas’ and ‘structure’ for your 2 minute talk.

This gives the examiner ‘a further opinion‘ to your level, ready for Part 3.

One way to do well in this section is to try and relax.

A relaxed candidate always performs better and responds well.

If you don’t understand something, always ask the examiner to repeat the prompt question.

The examiner can’t help you directly, but repetition might help you understand the prompt better.

Other tips are

Don’t give the examiner an opportunity to ask ‘can you say anything else about that’.
Speak for the full 2 minutes until the examiner stops you.
Don’t hesitate too much, you are allowed to make some mistakes, it’s natural.
Connect your sentences and use the structure given in the prompt.
Attempt to use complex sentences rather than short, simply ones.

and

Don’t be afraid to correct yourself.

What if you really don’t understand the prompt or even worse the prompt doesn’t apply to you?

For example:

Q. Talk about an object you own that is especially valuable or important to you.

Problem: I have a quite spartan lifestyle and I don’t have any emotional attachment to any objects I own.

Q. Talk about an object that has had great influence in your life, and explain how it influenced your life.

Problem: While I could talk for hours about books that I love, I don’t really feel that there is a book that has truly influenced my life.

IELTS Speaking Topic: Something you have taught someone

Describe something you have taught someone.

You should say:
what the situation was
what you taught
who this person was
and explain how this may have helped this person

So, I want to talk about something I have taught someone, the person I want to talk about is my daughter, Rebecca and the subject is learning to love books. So, Becky, that’s her short name, is now 11, but since the age of about 2 and half, I read to her every night from some kind of book before she fell asleep. I did this when she was very young because I wanted to create an interest in books, and I believed it would help her at pre-school.

So, in the evening we would look at picture books, or show and tell books, like any parent might do, I suppose. Although this was tiring after a long day at work, I felt it was very important as I REALLY wanted her to love books. Then, as she got older, we began to read phonic books, the books that help children learn the strange spellings and sounds in English, and I think really this helped at infant school. Later on, we progressed onto short stories, which we read over and over again! I can see now that she’s really got into books. Although there may be days where she doesn’t look or pick up a book, when she does, she often reads it from cover to cover and usually in one go.

So, how did this help this person? Well, I wouldn’t say she is gifted, but she was certainly advanced in reading when she got to school and she has proved to be really good at spelling, much better than I was at that age. Her teachers also commented on her creativity and her imagination. I can’t take the credit for that, I think it’s just how children develop, I mean she doesn’t enjoy maths so much.

So, while I know that I’ve only helped to teach her to read, I recognise that her schoolteachers did that, that’s their job, I like to think I have taught her to love books, knowledge and reading.

Solution to this problem

IELTS is a test of your language ability, not intelligence or knowledge.

You may think the IELTS test is an interrogation, but you don’t really need to answer with the truth.

However, I would feel more comfortable with the be honest approach, even if it does not directly answer the question.

You would probably be able to answer more naturally, and therefore be more fluent.

Which one do you think is a better strategy?

You can use tips and information on this website to help make it easier to obtain a higher score, but remember you still need to work at learning the language to be successful.

Please share to someone you know and in the meantime take a look at my Facebook Page and Website for IELTS answers and you can also join my Facebook Group here too.

Good Luck

Jonathan

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I’m Jonathan

I’ve taught IELTS and University English in more than a dozen universities and schools around the world.

I’m a parent, traveller and passionate about language teaching and helping students achieve their dreams.

Whilst living in Austria or working in Asia, I run IELTS courses to help students get to where they want to be.

If you are serious about IELTS, connect with me to see how I can help you.

How to answer – A subject you didn’t enjoy – IELTS Speaking Part 2

By ielts-jonathan.com on 16 June 2022

Even native speakers can find the second part of IELTS speaking a challenge.

But don’t despair it can also be the easiest part, and the most enjoyable.

There is a valid reason for this part of the IELTS test, and I will explain this below.

One reason for Part 2 is to allow the candidate speak at length and meet the fluency criteria.

A second reason is to allow the examiner to grade your ability for the follow up questions in Part 3.

They are trained to listen carefully for language range, grammar accuracy and pronunciation is normal speech.

They can then chose the best question sets in Part 3 that allows you to display your real language ability. So it’s important to fill that 2 minutes the best you can.

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Structure

You are given a set of prompts and a question.

The prompts are not particularly challenging, but follow a pattern to give you ‘ideas’ and ‘structure’ for your 2 minute talk.

This gives the examiner ‘a further opinion‘ to your level, ready for Part 3.

One way to do well in this section is to try and relax.

A relaxed candidate always performs better and responds well.

If you don’t understand something, always ask the examiner to repeat the prompt question.

The examiner can’t help you directly, but repetition might help you understand the prompt better.

Other tips are

Don’t give the examiner an opportunity to ask ‘can you say anything else about that’.
Speak for the full 2 minutes until the examiner stops you.
Don’t hesitate too much, you are allowed to make some mistakes, it’s natural.
Connect your sentences and use the structure given in the prompt.
Attempt to use complex sentences rather than short, simply ones.

and

Don’t be afraid to correct yourself.

What if you really don’t understand the prompt or even worse the prompt doesn’t apply to you?

For example:

Q. Talk about an object you own that is especially valuable or important to you.

Problem: I have a quite spartan lifestyle and I don’t have any emotional attachment to any objects I own.

Q. Talk about an object that has had great influence in your life, and explain how it influenced your life.

Problem: While I could talk for hours about books that I love, I don’t really feel that there is a book that has truly influenced my life.

IELTS Speaking Topic: A Subject you didn’t enjoy

Describe a subject you didn’t enjoy (like) in high or secondary school.

You should say:
what the subject was
how the teacher taught this subject
how long you studied this subject
and explain why you didn’t like it.

Well, I’m afraid that the subject that I didn’t like in my high school was maths. I didn’t enjoy this subject, but I had to study this because of exams. In the UK, it is one of the compulsory subjects taken for the last 5 years of a high school education.

My maths teacher always tended to be quite demanding with us as students and it seemed he often made quite simple theories over complicated, at least to me. I sometimes didn’t understand what my teacher had said, and so I often struggled with the homework.

This often left me feeling frustrated. I felt that maths was the most challenging subject in the world and I nearly gave up.

Another reason was that there were too many abstract formulas I had to remember. I know that I am not that good at memorising things, so I often used the wrong formula in the practice exams, and made lots of mistakes which got low marks as a result.

Maths was such an important subject that I had decided to focus hard and had some extra tuition. The tuition was a completely different experience and I gained a lot from it, so much so that I didn’t do too badly in the final test.

Solution to this problem

IELTS is a test of your language ability, not intelligence or knowledge.

You may think the IELTS test is an interrogation, but you don’t really need to answer with the truth.

However, I would feel more comfortable with the be honest approach, even if it does not directly answer the question.

You would probably be able to answer more naturally, and therefore be more fluent.

Which one do you think is a better strategy?

You can use tips and information on this website to help make it easier to obtain a higher score, but remember you still need to work at learning the language to be successful.

Please share to someone you know and in the meantime take a look at my Facebook Page and Website for IELTS answers and you can also join my Facebook Group here too.

Good Luck

Jonathan

I’m Jonathan

I’ve taught IELTS and University English in more than a dozen universities and schools around the world.

I’m a parent, traveller and passionate about language teaching and helping students achieve their dreams.

Whilst living in Austria or working in Asia, I run IELTS courses to help students get to where they want to be.

If you are serious about IELTS, connect with me to see how I can help you.

All IELTS Guides

Did you know that the second part of the IELTS Speaking test can be the most difficult for candidates, even Native Speakers.

Part 2 Structure

A relaxed candidate always performs better and responds well.

What if you really don’t understand the prompt or even worse the prompt doesn’t apply to you?

Solution to this problem

Like this:

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Skimming and Scanning Strategies for IELTS Band 7

IELTS Skimming Skills

IELTS Scanning Skills

Combining the skills for other question types and skills

Using official test materials

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Like this:

A common GT IELTS task can be writing a formal Letter to Inform.

IELTS General Training

Introduction – Recognising types of Letters

Task 1

Preparation task

It’s a good idea to follow the prompts in the question and also think about the audience you are writing to.

Discussion

You have to write a minimum of 150 words, include relevant details and use appropriate language and style so that the purpose of your letter is clear to the reader.

There is no choice of questions, you are given the task and you need to answer all the prompts.

More IELTS General Posts

I’m Jonathan, an online-IELTS preparation specialist.

Jonathan

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Like this:

Did you know that the second part of the IELTS Speaking test can be the most difficult for candidates, even Native Speakers.

Part 2 Structure

What if you really don’t understand the prompt or even worse the prompt doesn’t apply to you?

IELTS Speaking Topic: Work experience that you have done

Describe some work experience you have done.

Solution to this problem

Which one do you think is a better strategy?

Like this:

Is IELTS Part 2 Speaking difficult?

Part 2 IELTS Structure

A relaxed candidate always performs better and responds well.

What if you really don’t understand the prompt or even worse the prompt doesn’t apply to you?

IELTS Speaking Topic: Something you have taught someone

Describe something you have taught someone.

Solution to this problem

Like this:

Even native speakers can find the second part of IELTS speaking a challenge.

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Structure

A relaxed candidate always performs better and responds well.

What if you really don’t understand the prompt or even worse the prompt doesn’t apply to you?

IELTS Speaking Topic: A Subject you didn’t enjoy

Describe a subject you didn’t enjoy (like) in high or secondary school.

Solution to this problem

Which one do you think is a better strategy?

Like this:

Let me help you get the IELTS Result you need

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