Post Your IELTS Test Results

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After your test, share your IELTS results and experiences to inspire others 🙂

Post your IELTS test results

  • Post your results in the comments box below
  • Please add your profession or academic subject
  • Add tips and share experiences
  • It is always a pleasure for me to see your results 🙂

Notice:

  • Not all results will be displayed. I receive hundreds of results, only some will be posted – usually the top ones.
  • If you want remarking advice – please read the other comments as I have already replied about this.
  • Scores under band 8 might be delete after a few months. This keeps the page loading time down.
  • If you results are withheld, click here: results are withheld info

Your Own IELTS Tips Page

If you scored band score 8, 8.5 or 9, and you wish to share your tips and experiences with others, email me.: liz@ieltsliz.com. Click here to see an example of a successful candidate’s tips: How I scored….

I hope you did well and are happy with your results 🙂

Liz

If you would like information about the IELTS Test and Results, click here.

If you would like information about the Band Scores, click here.

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IELTS Writing Tips: 10 Sentences to Avoid

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Below are some common sentences and phrases to avoid in IELTS writing task 2. These sentences have been overused in IELTS essay writing or are considered to be learned expressions which are not accepted by the examiner.

IELTS writing task 2 is an academic essay but it is also a test of your English language. You can’t cheat by learning sentences and writing them in your essay. The examiner is trained to spot sentences which are not typical of your level of English.

Phrases to Avoid in your IELTS Essay

1.

This essay will discuss both sides and give an opinion at the end.

This sentence is poor because it is used for the thesis statement but contains no main points. It is a memorised sentence of 15 words. It only repeats the instructions but adds no information to the essay. Try to avoid using such sentences and just present your answer clearly. Another similar sentence is “I shall put forth my arguments to support my views in the following paragraphs” which should also be avoided. Don’t forget that while these sentences might be fine for a usual academic essay, they are not appropriate for an English language test.

2.

With the development of science and modern technology…

Many students use this expression to start their essay. It is only suitable to use if the essay is about science and technology. It is overused and confusing for the reader if the topic is not science or technology. You don’t need any expression to start your introduction, just paraphrase the essay question directly. Learn how to write an introduction for writing task 2.

3.

In the modern era, … / Since the dawn of time ….

This is overused in introductions. Most essay questions are about current issues so you don’t need to put in a time frame unless it is about an issue in the past compared to the present. “Since the dawn of time…” is not a relevant statement for most IELTS issues and should be avoided. Some students also use “Nowadays” to start their essay. Again this is overused. Try to avoid these phrases and just paraphrase the information given by IELTS.

4.

This is a highly controversial issue. 

Most essay questions in IELTS are not controversial. Controversial means that it is deeply debated and causes strong feeling, for example “the death penalty” which results in a person’s death is controversial but “watching sport on TV or playing it” is not controversial. 99% of all essay questions in IELTS will not be controversial so don’t use this phrase. Also be careful writing “highly debatable” as this is also overused.

5.

The crux of the discussion is …

This is a sentence which is used too often. It would be better to write “The most important aspect…” or “One of the key issues is…” as they are more natural to use in writing.

6.

For example, a recent study from the IMF showed that… / Research indicates that…

The examples you give in IELTS writing task 2 do not need to come from published sources or known research. They can just be an example of a situation: “For instance, the majority of working people do not …” Avoid learning opening phrases to common sentences.

7.

It can broaden a person’s horizons. 

I have seen this written in so many essays and so have examiners. It would be better to write about “learning more”, “opening their mind to something” or “developing deeper understanding of something”. Don’t learn sentences, just write naturally.

8.

There are good grounds to argue in favour of… / It cannot be denied that…

This is another example of a learned phrase to avoid. It would be better to write more naturally “One reason that X is important / crucial …”. Using more natural language avoids the examiner thinking you are memorising phrases. Also the phrase “it cannot be denied” is very much overused and mostly used incorrectly. “It cannot be denied” means it is 100% fact but most essay contain opinions which are not fact. Therefore, avoid this phrase.

9.

In a nutshell, …

Many students use this idiom to start their conclusion. It is informal and not appriopriate to use in IELTS essay writing. To learn how you can start your conclusion, follow the link.

10.

… the aforementioned arguments offer insights into vindications for the impression that…

This is a typical sentence that should be avoided in a conclusion. You only need to restate the main points clearly without using learned phrases.

To see some more phrases that should be avoided, see Chris Green’s IELTS website.

If you would like to add any sentences to the list above, please post them in the comments box below.

Other Useful Pages for IELTS Writing

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Body Language Vocabulary

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Here is a list of body language communication and a free video watch with extra vocabulary. There are many examples of how body language is a form of communication. Body language is used in every country and culture throughout the world.

Why is body language important to understand?

  •  Body language is used to assess people’s characters. It is one of the first ways we assess a stranger’s character.
  • Body language is used to communicate directly with someone when language is not possible.
  • Body language is commonly used and assessed at work and interviews.
  • Body language is an essential part of friendships and relationships.
  • Body language can lead to great misunderstanding between different cultures.

The video tutorial below gives some of the most common examples of body language. More examples are listed under the video.

Body Language Vocabulary: Video Tutorial

A great video to learn some vocabulary for body language communication. A fun video to show that learning vocabulary can be fun!!!

List of Body Language

Below is a list of body language that is common in the west with the common meaning.

Facial Expressions

  • Avoiding eye contact = shy, worried, lying
  • Crinkling nose = disgust
  • Deadpan face (without any expression) = emotionless or hiding feelings
  • Direct eye contact = confidence
  • Eyes staring into the distance = dreamy, not concentrating
  • Pressing lips together (tight lipped) = annoyed, angry
  • Raised eye brows = doubtful, disbelieving
  • Smiling = friendly

Physical Actions

  • Arms behind back, shoulders back = confidence
  • Arms crossed = defensive or insecure but sometimes it means being angry
  • Bowing (bending at the waist) = greeting someone new (in some countries)
  • Biting nails = nervous
  • Blushing (going red in the cheeks) or stammering (speaking with hesitations and repeated letters) = embarrassment
  • Eye rubbing = tired or disbelieving
  • Hands covering gaping mouth = scared
  • Putting arms up with palms facing forward = submission
  • Scratching one’s head = confused
  • Shaking the head = negative, no
  • Shrugging shoulders (moving shoulders up and down) = don’t know, doubt, confused
  • Stroking one’s chin = thinking deeply
  • Nodding head =  agreement, yes
  • Firm handshake = strong and decisive / limp handshake = weak

International Problems with Body Language

Nodding head = In some countries, it means “yes” but in other countries it means “no”. Likewise, a shaking head means “no” in some countries but “yes” in others.

Silence = In the West, this can be negative and be a problem between people. However, in other countries, such as China or Japan, it can be a sign of agreement or femininity.

Personal space = In countries, such as England, people should stand a respectful distance from each other but in other countries, such as Spain, people touch each other when talking. In Japan, the person space is often bigger between people than in England. Respectful space between people changes depending on countries.

Eye Contact = In the West, this is a sign of confidence and is important when listening actively to someone. On the other hand, there are countries where this might be a sign of aggression and confrontation.

Practice Using Body Language Vocabulary

Fill the gaps of these sentences with the suitable words:

1. I had no idea what she was talking about. Then suddenly she asked a question that I couldn’t understand so I just ………….. my shoulders and walked away.

2. My boss always tells tall stories. Yesterday he came to work with another unbelievable story but the only response I could give was to ……….. my eyebrows.

3. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s being late. Once I was in a really long meeting at work and by the time we finished I was late to meet my friend. During the meeting, I could feel myself getting impatient and my foot started ……………. on the floor.

4. I can’t stand watching films at the cinema because you can’t relax like you can in private, particularly when watching an action movie full of surprises and shocks. When there is a really sudden unexpected scene, my eyes ………. and my mouth ……… open which I find really embarrassing in public.

5. I remember once I was late for an appointment. When I arrived, which was over 1 hour late, I ………….  deep red and stammered an apology.

Answers
  1. shrugged (the answer isn’t “shrugged off” because that means to get rid of – usually a feeling – and does relate to shoulders)
  2. raise
  3. tapping (the answer isn’t stamping because stamping is when you are very angry not impatient)
  4. widen    gapes  (don’t forget the “s”)
  5. blushed

Using vocabulary in IELTS

Q) In what way is body language a form of communication?

A) Well, people use body language to send a message or to indicate something so it is definitely a way to communicate. For example, when people raise their eyebrows, it often means they are incredulous or disbelieving and when they tap their foot on the floor, you know they are impatient. So, using facial expressions and physical actions can communicate things to other people.

Q) Do you think it is possible to misunderstand someone’s body language?

A) Yes, definitely. When someone avoids your eye, it is possible to think that they are avoiding your question and don’t want to talk to you. But really, it might be that they are just shy. So, it’s quite easy to grasp the wrong meaning in people’s actions.

Q) Describe a time you were late for an appointment.

A) I remember, about one month ago, organising to meet someone in the town center at 9pm. Unfortunately, I was delayed because of traffic and didn’t arrive until about 9.30pm. My friend was really mad. She had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot impatiently on the ground. I was so embarrassed and blushed a lot. I stammered my apology but felt really uncomfortable because she was staring at me with angry eyes. Anyway, we sorted out our differences and have been really good friends ever since. (this is an example of part of a talk for speaking part 2 – add details and descriptions)

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Communication: Practice Exercise

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This is a common topic for IELTS speaking part 3. How good is your vocabulary for the topic of body language which is one part of communication?

Fill the gaps of these sentences with the suitable words:

1. I had no idea what she was talking about. Then suddenly she asked a question that I couldn’t understand so I just ………….. my shoulders and walked away.

2. My boss always tells tall stories. Yesterday he came to work with another unbelievable story but the only response I could give was to ……….. my eyebrows.

3. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s being late. Once I was in a really long meeting at work and by the time we finished I was late to meet my friend. During the meeting, I could feel myself getting impatient and my foot started ……………. on the floor.

4. I can’t stand watching films at the cinema because you can’t relax like you can in private, particularly when watching an action movie full of surprises and shocks. When there is a really sudden unexpected scene, my eyes ………. and my mouth ……… open which I find really embarrassing in public.

5. I remember once I was late for an appointment. When I arrived, which was over 1 hour late, I ………….  deep red and stammered an apology.

What words would you use to fill in the gaps above?

Answers: Follow this link for the answers: Body Language Vocabulary

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IELTS Writing Task 1: Life Cycle Diagram

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Below is an IELTS writing task 1 life cycle diagram model answer and practice. This lesson focuses on the use of plural and singular nouns as well as using the correct verb form. You will also see how to write an introduction and overview for a diagram report.

IELTS Life Cycle Diagram

IELTS Lady Bird Diagram

Source: Each diagram above was sourced from google and compiled to create this diagram for IELTS practice.

IELTS Diagram Model Answer & Practice

This gap fill gives the first two paragraphs of the above IELTS practice diagram.

Use the words listed to fill in the gaps. You may need to alter the form of the word to ensure the sentence is grammatically correct, for example singular or plural nouns or verb form. Not all words are used.

wing     fix     spot    remain     hatch      end     behind      stage      emerge      eggs       lay         structure        elytra      finish     curl      over      

The first diagram illustrates the (1)……………. in the life of a lady bird, while the second diagram shows its body (2)…………………………… Overall, there are four stages in the life cycle of a lady bird from (3)………………….. to adult insect. The lady bird’s anatomy is characterised by colourful (4)………………. of red and black.

Initially, eggs are (5)…………………. on the underside of a leaf and (6) …………………. there for between two to five days. After this, larvae (7)……………… from the eggs and continue in that form for 21 days. At the end of the three weeks, the pupa stage begins where the larvae pupate by (8)……………… into a pupa on the backside of a leaf and this lasts for 7 days. At the (9)…………… of this stage, an adult lady bird emerges and the life cycle starts again.

The second diagram shows that the lady bird has bright red elytra with black (10)…………….. that cover both the wings and the abdomen. It also has six legs in total, three on each side. On its head, it has eyes and antennae, while just (11)……………. the head there is the pronotum.

Answers
  1. stages
  2. structure
  3. egg
  4. elytra
  5. laid
  6. remain
  7. emerge
  8. curling
  9. end
  10. spots
  11. behind

 

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IELTS Listening Practice: Sports Festival

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IELTS summary completion and sentence completion practice for listening about the topic of sport.

Tips

  • Spend time reading through the questions for the summary and sentence completion because the audio will cover all questions.
  • Pay attention to the title and key words in the questions.
  • Predict the type of answer you will need to listen for (grammar will help you).
  • Notice that the instructions (word count) changes as the type of question changes – pay attention to this.
  • Be ready to move from one set of questions to another. Identify a key word that will help you to know when to move questions.
  • Remember that some key words can be paraphrased.

Mongolian Sports Festival

Questions 1 – 3

Complete the summary using no more than one word and/or a number.

Naadam is a festival of three sports in Mongolia: (1)……………….. horse racing and archery. This festival is traditionally for men and takes place during (2)……………….. Previously, women were unable to (3)………………. in the festival but now they can take part in two out of the three sports.

Questions 4 – 6

Complete the sentences using no more than two words and/or numbers.

  • 4) Historically, this festival was used to generate ………………….
  • 5) People don ……………………………… for the festival.
  • 6) Each year the celebration is held between ……. and ……………….

 

Answers & Vocabulary

Click below to see answers:

Answers
  1. wrestling
  2. midsummer (one word)
  3. participate or compete (two possible options)
  4. warriors or skillful warriors (must be plural) or skillful men
  5. colourful clothes or traditional clothes or distinctive clothes (three possible options but no more than two words possible for the answer)
  6. 11 13 July / 11th 13th July (you must have both numbers and the month. The month does not need to start with a capital letter. See this page regarding the use of capital letters: IELTS Listening Tips)
 Transcript

Naadam is a traditional games festival in Mongolia comprising of three sports: Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery. It is otherwise known as “the three games of men” because traditionally men were the only ones who could compete.  It is held over midsummer throughout the country. Nowadays, women are able to participate in archery and horse racing but not wrestling. The name “Naadam” means “festival or feast of sports”.

In ancient times, the Mongolian great kings and military generals used to train their warriors and the warriors’ main battle tool, horses, through this competition. While competing and feasting, those three manly traditional sports have been used to create skillful men for centuries.

During the festival, Mongolians dress in colourful and distinctive traditional clothes and ride their most beautiful horses. Official festival celebrations take place throughout the country between 11th and 13th July annually.  The Naadam celebration in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is the most marvelous.

Useful Vocabulary
  • comprising of = made up of / consisting of
  • wrestling – a sport of holding and throwing an opponent to the ground
    • mongolia_naadam_10
  • archery – using a bow and arrow to hit a target
    • Naadam_women_archery
  • compete = participate / take part in
  • to be held / to take place
  • in ancient times = historically
  • manly = activities suited to a man
  • generate = create
  • to dress = to don (this is formal verb)
  • marvelous = spectacular (this synonym is used only in this context)

 

Naadam Festival Information

Watch a great video about this wonderful festival in Mongolia. The person giving the information is Mongolian and does make mistakes with English but she still has a wide range of interesting vocabulary and can explain her ideas clearly.

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/Biccc_CRfN8″]

Below is some excellent vocabulary that was used in this video:

  • delighted
  • preparing warriors for combat
  • huge
  • great noise / shouting
  • rush
  • testing not only speed but endurance
  • bare feet
  • saddle
  • cheering
  • sharpness
  • brings the community together
  • harsh weather
  • lifts the spirits of everyone

You may consider her accent difficult to understand in parts but her vocabulary, as you can see above, is very strong and flexible. She is able to explain her ideas and concepts very clearly.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson. Let me know if there any special customs or celebrations in your country that you wish me to make a lesson for. Liz

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Essay Ideas: Should libraries invest in technology or books?

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Ideas for and against libraries invest more in technology than books. This topic of libraries was reported in the IELTS writing task 2 test and can also appear in speaking. Here are some ideas to help you answer this essay question.

IELTS Essay Question

Libraries should provide more books rather than invest in new technology such as computers and e-books. To what extent do you agree?

Ideas for this topic:

Libraries should invest in books

  • Not all books are available on digital format which means some specialised books are still in paper form.
  • Paper books are not easily lost unlike e-books which can be deleted accidentally or malfunction. Paper books are more reliable.
  • Libraries should be responsible for keeping paper books as one day the internet may not exist. It is a known fact that paper books are the only reliable and safe source of information.
  • Paper books help people focus and concentrate. They are not easily distracted. Reading online tempts people to search for new books, visit websites, and look up links rather than focus on the book they are reading.
  • Children should be given paper books to read rather than allowing them to read online which opens them up to uncensored sites.
  • Seeing a shelf full of books and topics is inspiring and stimulates the imagination.

Libraries should invest in technology

  • Technology, such as e-books, allow the same information to be stored in a fraction of the space. This is more cost effective than paper books because they need more storage space.
  • Computers allow users to locate information more quickly, providing better customer service.
  • Looking for and using books online is user friendly. This means people don’t need to leave their seat in order to find one or more books they want.
  • Technology is the way forward for all companies and services.
  • Providing more technology makes more services available as people can access the internet for more information than that provided solely by the library.

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How to Put Examples in Your Essay

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Learn the best way to add examples to your essay to support your ideas. You need to use a range of linking words in your essay and also use them flexibly in different locations in the sentence. See below for a list of useful linking words with sample sentences:

Linking Words for Giving Examples

  • for example
  • for instance
  • to illustrate
  • as an illustration
  • to give a clear example
  • take, for example,
  • such as
  • namely

Video Tutorial: How to Add Examples in an Essay

Sample Sentences with Supporting Examples

Please note that the linking words do not need to be at the start of the sentence. You can use them more flexibly by changing their location.

Global warming should be taken more serious as it can result in a number of disastrous consequences. To give a clear example, the melting polar ice caps have not only caused a loss of habitat for polar bears but are also threatening seas levels worldwide.

More and more women are choosing to start a family later in life. 20% of women giving birth to their first child, for instance, are over the age of 30 in the UK.

Crimes should not have the same punishment. Minor crimes, such as pick pocketing and traffic offences, should not have the same penalty as major crimes, namely murder and manslaughter.

Children often learn behaviour from the adults around them subconsciously. To illustrate, around 50% of children who are brought up by aggressive parents often use aggression to solve their own problems later in life.

Parents should be responsible for teaching their children right and wrong. If, for example, they see their child using bad language, they should spend time explaining to their child the serious consequences that can result from this type of behaviour.

More and more people are leading sedentary life styles due to work conditions. Take for example office workers in the UK who spend at least 8 hours a day, 5 days a week  sitting in front of their computers.

All Linking Words for Essay Writing

You can find a list of all linking words that can be used in essay writing: Linking Words for Writing.

IELTS Essay Questions

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