Archives for May 2018

Answers to Organising Bar Chart Paragraphs

I can see that some of you are not clear about paragraphing and organising information in writing task 1.

Paragraphs

You must have an introduction and an overview. They are usually separate paragraphs.

You CANNOT have one body paragraph and you CANNOT have four or more body paragraphs.

Your structure should be:

  • Introduction
  • Overview
  • Body Paragraph 1
  • Body Paragraph 2
  • Body Paragraph 3 (optional and not common)

Can the overview go at the end of the report? See this page: Paragraph Structure

Can you have a conclusion? See this page: Conclusion or Overview

Organising Details in Body Paragraphs

When you organise your body paragraph details, you must choose a simple, logical system. It should be easy for the examiner to understand your organisation. Your body paragraphs should help highlight main features.

The bar chart below shows the hours per week that teenagers spend doing certain activities in Chester from 2002 to 2007.

Source of Bar Chart: https://www.english-in-chester.co.uk

Option 1 Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraph 1 = categories that increased over time

  • going to pubs/ discos
  • watching TV
  • shopping

Body Paragraph 2 = categories that decreased over time

  • doing homework
  • doing sport
  • bowling

Body Paragraph 3 = categories that fluctuated

  • watching dvds

Option 2 Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraph 1 = highest and lowest

  • watching TV
  • bowling

Body Paragraph 2 – all other categories

  • going to pubs/discos + shopping = increase
  • doing homework + doing sport = decrease
  • watching dvds = fluctuate

Which is best?

Both options are excellent. They both highlight key features and are organised logically.

Paragraphs do not need to be equal in length. This is not an essay, it is a report.

Model Writing Task 1

If you would like to see model answers for different writing task 1 as well as tips, click here: Main Writing Task 1 Page

All the best

Liz

Organising Information in Bar Chart

Do you know how to organise information in an IELTS bar chart? Bar charts are common in IELTS writing task 1 academic paper.

You must be able to organise details into body paragraphs in IELTS writing task 1. Some people find this difficult to do when there is a lot of information in the bar chart. Writing task 1 is not an essay, it is a report which needs to be concise and highly organised.

Remember that 25% of your marks for writing task 1 is about your paragraphing, organising and linking methods. Planning your paragraphs is essential.

Check your organisation skills

The bar chart below shows the hours per week that teenagers spend doing certain activities in Chester from 2002 to 2007.

Source of Bar Chart: https://www.english-in-chester.co.uk

Questions for You

  1. How many paragraphs would you have?
  2. How would you organise the categories into body paragraphs? Which categories go into which body paragraphs?

Answers

The answer to this lesson is now available.

CLICK HERE FOR ANSWERS: Answers to bar chart organisation

All the best

Liz

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Answers to Newspaper Questions

Hi guys,

Here are the answers to yesterday’s lesson about newspapers.

Below you will find

  • various answers to the four questions
  • a link to newspaper vocabulary
  1. What is an obituary?
    1. This is a notice of someone’s death. It is usually posted along with a biography of the person which gives information about their personal history and achievements. This is a popular section in the newspapers.
    2. In your IELTS speaking test, the examiner doesn’t usually ask direct questions about vocabulary. However, this is a useful section of the newspaper to talk about in your test.
  2. What is the most popular section in the newspaper in your country?
    1. This is a common speaking part 1 question for the topic of newspapers. Below are various possible answers – some have been posted by you all and I have also added one.
    2. The newspaper section which is currently very popular in my country is the political section. This is because the election period is fast approaching and there are lots of political issues in the country which arouses the interest of the populace.
    3. Well, I believed it’s the horoscope and sometimes the game part, where you can play crosswords and soduku. In my opinion, I find them interesting and often times you can enhance your mind by answering the game part after you’ve read the horoscope of the day.
    4. In my country Nigeria, the most widely read segment of a newspaper is politics. This is because of ethnicity and religious diversity of Nigeria.
    5. The most popular section of the newspaper is the Sports section, since the ongoing of the IPL in India people are more keen to know about the details and comments of experts and the predictions made by them in this regard. People are also take a keen interest in international football, and the spot light is mainly on thew star players, whom they want to hear about.
    6. I think it depends on who is reading. Men will often prefer the sports section or politics, while women might go for the gossip columns or general news. The world news and domestic news sections are pretty popular all round.
  3. Why do some people only skim the headlines?
    1. This is another common speaking question. Below are more answers posted by you and one from myself.
    2.  I think individuals quickly go through the newspaper headlines to know which one is catchy and from the headings one can tell what news it contains.
    3. Skimming through headlines could be a quick way to get a glimpse of what is going on around the world. It could also be that in today’s busy times people don’t have time to go through all of the newspaper and read all the news in details. It could be that, having a quick glance at newspaper to check for a any big news before leaving the house and then go through the details on the internet through the day. It’s always good to be aware of current affairs.
    4. The main reason for people skimming through the headlines is to locate the articles of news that interesting them the most because the headlines contain the gist of the article. It’s one way to save time, instead of ploughing through all the long articles and details which would take ages.
  4. Do you think newspapers will one day be completely replaced by online news?
    1. This is both an IELTS speaking question and also a potential writing task 2 topic. Below I will list ideas for this which you have posted and I’ll add my own.
    2. Yes, because online news provides easiest and quickest information in a single click.
    3. .I have a strong feeling it will, in this era where technology is booming and every thing is done and acquired digitally, why would a person take the pain of carrying a ten page newspaper and trying to find the page of his choice, rather than use a tablet or cell phone where at the press of a button they can get the required page on the go.
    4. Although online news has improved thanks to technological advancement, newspapers will still retain their importance. This situation will be same in future because some people like to read news by physically holding a newspapers.
    5. I don’t think that physical newspapers would go into extinction because there are still people that don’t have access to the internet and also old people are stuck on their old ways of doing things.Everyone has their preference hence they choose the one that suit them best
    6. Yes, I believe over time newspapers will eventually be replaced. Getting news online is a quick and easy way to access up-to-date current events wherever you are. Online news is up-dated, sometimes, by the hour, unlike newspapers which are only printed once daily. Furthermore online news is paperless which obviously is better for the environment.

Vocabulary for Newspapers

Click here: Newspaper Vocabulary

Hope this was useful 🙂

All the best

Liz

Newspaper Questions for You

Hi guys.

The topic of newspapers is a common topic for IELTS speaking and IELTS writing.

I would like to check how much you know about the contents of a newspaper.

Newspaper Questions

  1. What is an obituary?
  2. What is the most popular section of the newspaper in your country?
  3. Why do some people only skim the headlines?
  4. Do you think newspapers will one day be completely replaced by online news?

Answers

Post your answers in the comments box below.

I will post sample answers with extra vocabulary tomorrow.

All the best

Liz

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Answers to Royal Wedding Listening

Below you will find:

  • Questions
  • Recording
  • Transcript
  • Answers

Note: If you have not completed this listening exercise, please click here to do the lesson before you look at the answers. Click here: Royal Wedding Listening Exercise

Questions

  1. When did Queen Victoria get married?
  2. Which date in May did Prince Harry and Megan get married?
  3. How many people were invited to their wedding?
  4. How old is Prince Philip?
  5. What is the approximate cost of the wedding?
  6. How long was the bride’s veil?
  7. How many people watched the wedding worldwide?
  8. What year was Anne Boleyn executed?

Recording

.

Transcript

Use the transcript to listen and practice your pronunciation.

Royal Wedding Listening Practice

Two hundred years ago the colour white was used for funerals. However, in 1840 Queen Victoria decided to wear a white dress for her wedding to Prince Albert. Since that day, white dresses have been considered traditional for, not only royal weddings, but all weddings in the UK.

The wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle took place on Saturday, 19th May, 2018 at Windsor Castle. About 600 people were invited to the service and even Prince Harry’s grandfather, Prince Philip, who is 96 years old, attended . The cost of Prince Harry and Megan’s wedding has been estimated at over £20 million. The dress alone is put at about £300,000. It was a simple design with a 16ft veil. The ceremony was watched by about 18 million people around the world. Strangely enough, the date of May 19th was actually the date that King Henry VIII executed Queen Anne Boleyn in 1536.

Notice: This information is from this website: Reader’s Digest

Answers

Answers may be written in lower case or upper case. I recommend you all to USE CAPITAL LETTERS FOR ALL ANSWERS.

  1. 1840
    1. No other answer is possible
  2. 19 / 19th / SATURDAY 19 / SATURDAY 19th
    1. No other answer is possible.
  3. 600
    1. no other answer is possible
  4. 96
    1.  no other answer is possible
  5. £20 MILLION / 20,000,000 POUNDS / £20,000,000
    1. £20 million is the best way to write the answer. If you have written 20000000 – it is very hard for the person marking to see correctly. Always punctuate your numbers to help the reader.
    2. £20 millions is wrong – there is no “s”.
  6. 16ft / 16 FEET / 16 FOOT
    1. No other answer is possible
  7. 18 MILLION / 18,000,000
    1. No other answer is possible. “millions” is wrong.
  8. 1536
    1. No other answer is possible

I hope you found this lesson useful 🙂

All the best

Liz

Listening Practice: Royal Wedding

This listening practice is based on the Royal Wedding between Prince Harry and Megan Markle in the UK.

Royal Wedding Listening Practice

Listening Questions 1-8

This listening practice is designed to check your ability to listen for numbers.

  • Always read through the questions before listening.
  • Get your pencil and paper ready to make notes!!
  • It’s quite an easy listening exercise, but there are a lot of numbers to note down 🙂

Questions

Answers should be no more than one word and/or a number.

  1. When did Queen Victoria get married?
  2. Which date in May did Prince Harry and Megan get married?
  3. How many people were invited to their wedding?
  4. How old is Prince Philip?
  5. What is the approximate cost of the wedding?
  6. How long was the bride’s veil?
  7. How many people watched the wedding worldwide?
  8. What year was Anne Boleyn executed?

Recording Audio

Listen only once.

Answers

The answers are available to this lesson. Click below to see the answers:

ANSWERS TO ROYAL WEDDING LISTENING

All the best

Liz

For more listening practice, click here: Listening Practice & Tips for IELTS

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May 2018 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Essay

Below are two IELTS model essays for May 2018 in writing task 2. There is one essay for the Academic test and one for the General Training test. You can all benefit from both of them.

IELTS Essay Question May 2018

Caring for children is very important for our society. Therefore all mothers and fathers should take a childcare training course. To what you extent agree or disagree?

IELTS Model Essay 2018

It is thought that all parents should attend a childcare training course in order to properly understand how to bring up their children. In my opinion, while I agree that parents should learn about childcare, it is not realistic to have mandatory childcare training courses for all parents.

Firstly, it is certainly essential that parents learn the basics of childcare, particularly in the early months and years when they first have a child. Understanding a baby’s needs and the possible medical problems that can arise is essential for the baby’s safety. Without such knowledge they could easily put their baby at risk or not be ready to respond to critical situations in the right way.

However, although childcare is important, it would be practically impossible to have obligatory childcare training courses for all parents due to the large number of new parents each year. For example, there are over half a million children born annually in the UK at present which means that over 750,000 parents would have to attend a childcare training course each year. Both the large scale and cost of such a training course makes this option very difficult to implement.

Finally, a more practical solution to teaching parents, therefore, would be to provide easily accessible information on a website with a free online video training course. This would ensure all parents have access to the necessary information at a fraction of the cost. This would also allow parents to decide which information is useful and still bring up their children according to their own culture or religion.

In conclusion, it is best to provide a free video training course and website which is cheap to make and accessible to all parents rather than a training course which parents need to attend in person.

IELTS Essay Question May 2018 (GT)

Some people believe that travelling within a city is better by car while some other think bicycle is a better means. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

IELTS Model Answer May 2018 (GT)

People hold different opinions about whether a car or a bicycle is the best form of transport in a city. I believe within the city centre a bicycle is best, but a car is better if someone must travel further.

On the one hand, it is commonly thought that a car is the best option for transport in a city as it offers great comfort in terms of seating, air conditioning and other features. A further reason for people preferring cars is that they can easily transport a number of people at the same time and is especially safe for children. Cars are, moreover, time effective. being able to cover long distances in less time.

On the other hand, bicycles are healthier options for getting around a city centre according to some. The majority of people lead a sedentary life style with little or no exercise which can cause serious health problems. This is often due to the lack of time available in their daily routine for exercise. By using a bicycle to travel, people will get the necessary physical activities without any inconvenience.

Finally, in my opinion, bicycles are certainly an asset in a city centre where traffic jams are frequent. They can pass through congestion with minimal effort and offer health benefits. However, if a person lives in the suburbs, the most logical option would be a car for travelling longer distances into the city centre, particularly with more than one person to transport.

In conclusion, both bicycles and cars offer advantages depending on whether the travel is only with the city centre or outside the centre. However, for families travelling together, a car will always be the best option.

Comments

These essays are possibly longer than essays you might aim to write in your real test. There is no actual upper word limit for IELTS writing task 2. However, there is a time limit which will prevent you writing a long essay. Also errors will lower your score. This means you should aim for quality rather than quantity. Most people will aim for between 270 and 290 in writing task 2.

To learn more about the length of your essay, click here: Tips on IELTS Essay Length  If you would like to see more tips on writing task 2, click here: IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips, Info and Answers

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Did you read this word list? Environmental Problems

Hi guys,

I want to check that you have read my vocabulary and listening page for the topic of Environmental Problems?

It’s a useful page that contains all the key environmental problems with useful vocabulary.

Click here: Top 10 Environmental Problems

All the best

Liz

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