Hi guys,

Study at Home. Use my Free IELTS Reading Practice Lessons to develop your awareness of IELTS techniques and to build essential skills of paraphrasing and spotting keywords.

The IELTS Reading section of this website contains lots of free practice lessons for different types of questions and also a useful free video lesson and tips. Click on the link below.

Please use the time you have at home to practice your reading skills. My lessons cover the main question types found in both Academic and GT Reading. The TFNG page is particularly useful and challenging as well as the matching endings questions.

CLICK HERE: FREE IELTS READING LESSONS

I will continue to post free lessons and exercises each week. I’ll post a new lesson tomorrow.

All the best

Liz

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Below you will find the answers to yesterday’s lesson about the idiom “Lingua Franca”.

Meaning:

Lingua Franca = One common language used for communication by a group of people who have a different native language.

Sentence Correction

What are the mistakes in the sentences below?

a) One day Chinese might be replaced English as the world’s lingua franca.

Answer: might be replaced = might replace  (this should be active voice, not passive) or you could alter the sentence and write “One day English might be replaced by Chinese as the world’s lingua franca.

b) Honesty breed trust. We should all remember this.

Answer: breeds. Honesty is an uncountable noun and is singular.

Note: I think next time I need to make these idiom lessons more challenging for you all 🙂

All the best

Liz

The idiom “Lingua Franca” is a useful idiom to know for both speaking and writing. It is commonly used in relation to the topic of communication and language. It is fine to use this idiom in IELTS Writing Task 2 as well as in your IELTS Speaking Test. It is high band score. Considering most idioms are informal and can’t be used in your IELTS essay, this is a perfect idiom to learn.

Idiom: Lingua Franca

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Note: This idiom is a countable noun.

Idiom Questions

Let’s look at the meaning and use of this idiom:

Question 1: What is the correct meaning of this idiom?

• a) The French language spoken outside of France.
• b) Being honest, direct and frank when communicating with someone rather than being insincere.
• c) One common language used for communication by a group of people who have a different native language.

Question 2: What are the mistakes in the sentences below?

a) One day Chinese might be replaced English as the world’s lingua franca.

b) Honesty breed trust. We should all remember this.

Answers:

Post your answers in the comments box below.

I will post the answers tomorrow.

Liz

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An IELTS candidate shares her IELTS tips for band score 8.5 overall. I hope this success story and her advice will help you all in your preparation for IELTS. At the bottom of the page, you will also find useful links to more free IELTS lessons and tips.

For the purpose of anonymity, I have called her Sarah. Below are her results and her tips for you all. She took Academic IELTS.

Sarah’s IELTS Results: Overall 8.5

• Listening 8.5
• Reading 8.5
• Writing 7.5
• Speaking 8.5

Sarah’s IELTS Tips for 8.5: in her own words

Shocked by the $365 exam fee, I was adamant to only sit through the IELTS test once and get a C2 in my first try. Which, thankfully, I did – and here are my two cents!

IELTS Success Tip 1:

Use the English Language every day.

Being born and raised in a country, where English is our first language, with a tough education regimen, English exams in school having pretty much the same format as the IELTS test; I must admit that all those factors combined gave me an upper hand. However, that also means that to ace or score well in the IELTS test is simply about familiarizing yourself with the English language.
With that said, read, speak, write, and listen to English every single day be it if it’s from books, online news articles, shows from Netflix, YouTube videos, or ordering a cup of coffee. The IELTS test is all about how fluent and comfortable you are in the English language – so really acclimatize yourself to the language.

IELTS Success Tip 2:

It’s more important to study smart rather than to study hard. I cannot stress this enough.

Don’t waste your time and effort in memorizing all the words in the Cambridge dictionary, instead, study and fully understand the marking scheme and criteria of each component of the IELTS test. (Yes, having a rich and diverse vocab is part of what makes a fluent speaker, but so is using and pronouncing those fancy words accurately. I met a British Council teacher who told us that many students attempted in using idioms and fancy words in their Speaking or Writing test but, unfortunately, they used them incorrectly, which caused deductions in their marks. So you really don’t want to risk that!)

For example, in Writing Task 1, you can’t just use primary school language like ‘goes up/down’ if you want to score a high band score. Instead, familiarise yourself with alternatives such as ‘peaked at’, ‘remained relatively quiescent’, ‘the figure soared/spiked/plummeted/plunged’. Notice how these words aren’t super fancy? Yet, they could either make or break a high band.

Another example of working smart instead of working hard is in Writing Task 2 – don’t trouble yourself by writing/typing a lengthy essay. There is no such thing as right or wrong ideas in Writing Task 2. To illustrate, if the question asks for the best method in weight loss and you write/type that eating strawberries is the most efficient way, you won’t be penalized even though that is realistically-speaking not entirely correct. You will still stand a chance in earning a fairly high band score as long as you are able to support your argument by further describing the ‘why’ factor and give relevant examples. Structurally speaking, your essay in Task 2 should have at most 5 paragraphs – 1 Introduction, 1 Conclusion, and 2-3 body paragraphs. These body paragraphs should have about 4-5 sentences consisting of a Topic Sentence, elaborations, and examples.

IELTS Success Tip 3:

Prepare for all possible question types in Writing Task 1.

No student will be able to know what sort of question they will get on the exam day. Therefore, the best way to prepare yourself is to practice all kinds of question types in Writing Task namely graphs (line, bar, pie), maps, processes (the production of _____). 

IELTS Success Tip 4:

Learn to move on at the right time.

One of the many things I struggled with when preparing for the IELTS test is the concept of moving on from a question during the listening test. Initially, whenever I miss an answer from the audio, I tend to re-read the question and think of possible answers that would fit. That, of course, ended up in me missing even more answers afterwards.You will have some time at the end of the audio to look through your answers again, so use that time to go back to the questions where you missed. While the audio is still running, remain calm and answer the subsequent questions while you still have the chance.

IELTS Success Tip 5:

Study from credible sources (especially if you’re paying them!)

There is an overwhelming number of materials online for students to prepare for the IELTS test. Always verify that the teacher/company is credible and reliable and is truly familiar with IELTS. Also, read model answers from Band 7 onwards. (IELTS Liz is, of course, a legitimate source and one that I primarily depended on during my preparation.)

IELTS Success Tip 6:

Prepare ideas and vocabs for the Speaking test.

IELTS invigilators are rigorously trained in spotting memorized answers, so don’t memorize and risk getting penalized. There is a fine line between drafting ideas and memorizing them. For instance, Keith from IELTS Speaking Success on Youtube does a great job in touching possible Speaking topics for January through April. He prepares you by giving you ideas and interesting vocab for each question. By having these ideas and vocabs in your head, it allows you to become more flexible and versatile in answering questions asked by the examiners, whereas memorized modeled answers are usually always for a specific type of question. 

IELTS Success Tip 7:

Listen attentively to how the examiners ask the questions during the Speaking test.

Be wary of the tenses used and reply the invigilators in the correct tenses. For example, if asked ‘Where are you staying/living?’. That is present tense, so answer them where you are currently staying at – not where you used to stay or where you would want to stay in the future. These questions are deliberately structured in this manner to test how truly fluent you are. 

IELTS Success Tip 8:

Read the questions before the passages in the Reading section.

To better manage your time, read through the questions in the Reading section first so that you more or less know what you need to be looking out for when you’re reading the passage. Then, at any point when you reach the part of the passage containing the answer, quickly go back to the question and jot the answer down. From my experience, this benefited and helped me tremendously where I previously wasn’t able to complete the Reading section in an hour during my practices at home. 

IELTS Success Tip 9:

Wisely choose between the Computer-based or Paper-based test.

This is another deciding factor that could either make your IELTS paper smooth-sailing to extremely exhausting. Each has its pros and cons but whichever you choose, it has to be something that you perform the best and are the most comfortable in. If you are dexterous and IT-savvy, it’s better to opt for the computer-based test whereas if you write more frequently than you type, it’s wiser to go for the paper-based test.

IELTS Success Tip 10:

Prepare yourself mentally.

The IELTS test is an almost 3 hours paper in ONE sitting. That is excruciatingly draining even for hardcore Asians. Unlucky for me, I even had my Speaking test on the same day with my 3 other papers. Hence, challenge yourself at home in the same way by doing all 3-4 sections at one go. It may be tiring at first, but once you get the hang of it, the actual day won’t be as tiring anymore and your efforts will prove to be worth it.
Different strokes for different folks – these are some suggestions I have which personally helped me, but may not necessarily benefit you in the same manner. Nonetheless, I hope that at least some of these tips helped shine some light on your preparation for the IELTS test. 

Best of luck to every single one of you! I’m sure we can all achieve our goals. (: From Sarah.

Comment from Liz: Very well done, Sarah!! Your score shows the depth of understanding you have in both English and IELTS. Thanks for sharing your value tips. I know many people will be grateful for them.

Useful IELTS Links for FREE Self-Study

Click below to open free IELTS materials and advice:

Useful Resources for IELTS & English

IELTS Writing Task 1 Band Scores & Tips

IELTS Writing Task 2 Band Scores & Tips

100 IELTS Essay Questions

Practice Charts for Academic Task 1

Practice Letters for GT Task 1

IELTS Writing Task 2: Free Model Essays, Tips, Videos etc

Coronavirus Vocabulary & Pronunciation Audios

More Tips from Successful IELTS Candidates

Click below to open page:

How I got Overall Band 9

Overall Band 8.5 Tips

How I scored band 9 in Speaking

How I scored Band 9 in Reading

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Hi guys,

I’ve linked below three useful lessons to help you learn how to write an introduction paragraph for IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic Paper).

Just click below to open the lessons:

Introduction Paragraph Practice

Introduction Paragraph Common Errors

Introduction & Overview for Bar Chart

All Free Lessons & Tips for WT1 (including GT essential tips).

Other Useful Links:

IELTS Band Score Information

Useful Links and Resources for IELTS

Coronavirus Vocabulary: Word Lists with Pronunciation Audios

Hope you find the lessons useful 🙂

Liz

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Is it ok to wear a face mask for your IELTS test? Will Speaking Test examiners wear face masks? Find useful tips and information.

IELTS Face Mask Policy

On the official IELTS page, you will find information about IELTS policies regarding face masks during this Coronavirus outbreak of 2020. Below I have summarised the policies for you:

1. It is possible that staff in the test centre might be wearing face masks. Do not panic about this. It will just be a precautionary measure and not because they have the Coronavirus.
2. IELTS Speaking Test examiners might wear face masks. This is also a precautionary measure and not because they are sick.
   1. However, this might make it more difficult for you to understand them. We often read lips as well as listen when someone speaks. So, wearing a face mask might make it more difficult for you to understand what the examiner is saying.
   2. In this case, ask the examiner to repeat the question again more clearly: “Please could you say that again more clearly because I couldn’t hear you properly” or “Could you say that again, please, because I didn’t catch what you said.”
   3. It is 100% fine to ask the examiner to repeat the question. It will NOT affect your score in a negative way at all.
3. Test takers can wear face masks. This means you can go to your IELTS test and wear a face mask.
   1. However, you might be asked to remove it so they can confirm your identity. You must be prepared for that.
   2. If you wear a face mask for your Speaking Test, please make sure you speak very clearly and enunciate even more carefully than normal so the examiner can hear you and understand you through the face mask. 
   3. PLEASE, do not go to any IELTS test centre if you have the following symptoms: respiratory problems (that are new), a persistent cough and a fever. These are the symptoms of Coronavirus and you must be careful not to have contact with others if you have those symptoms. In such a case, contact your test centre to arrange a refund or reschedule your test.

Hygiene During your TEST

I would also like to point out some other basic hygiene tips.

1. Wash your hands when you arrive at your IELTS Test Centre to make sure you don’t bring germs in from outside.
2. Continue washing your hands frequently while you are at the Test Centre. This will help you and others.
3. Try to keep a good distance from others when possible.

I hope this will help you feel more relaxed about going to your Test Centre. You can find out which Test Centres are closed on this page: Official List of Suspended IELTS Tests Worldwide. You will find the above information confirmed on that page.

Coronavirus Vocabulary

Learn new vocabulary with pronunciation audios for the coronavirus. This is essential learning at this time. Click here: Coronavirus Vocabulary

Self-Study at Home

To continue self-studying from home, my website has hundreds of pages of free lessons, tips, model answers, videos, topics etc that you can learn from for FREE. Go to the HOME PAGE or use the RED MENU BAR at the top of the website to open the main pages.

All the best and stay safe!

Liz

Below you will find both the questions and answers for the exercise on Coronavirus Vocabulary.

If you have not completed this lesson, please review the vocabulary before you attempt the exercise. The vocabulary list is very comprehensive and contains essential vocabulary for this time in our lives. Click here: Coronavirus Vocabulary

Questions

1. In some countries, governments advise that the entire family should (a)……………. if just one member experiences symptoms such as a (b)……………….. cough, (c) ………………problems or a fever.
2. Avoiding large gatherings and practising social (a)…………………….. can help reduce the (b)…………………. rate of the virus.
3. When you seek information regarding Covid-19, always go to official sources and be careful of ………………. spread online.
4. Many countries are ……………………. their efforts to try to contain the spread of this virus.
5. As yet, there is still not enough known about the ………………………….. of the virus and precisely how long it survives on cardboard or plastic.
6. People with pre-existing medical conditions that affect their breathing, such as ………….., should take extra precautionary measures.
7. Covid-19 was declared a ……………..  by the WHO on March 11th 2020.
8. In the current situation, we are likely to see good examples of ……………. behaviour as neighbour helps neighbour.
9. Most governments around the world are doing their ………….. to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Answers

1. 1. a) self-isolate. The answer is not quarantine. This is something you are expected to do on your own in your own home, not in another designated place.
   2. b) persistent. The answer is not “dry”. Although Coronavirus does cause people to have a “dry cough”, so does central heating and other things. What we need to look out for is the persistent nature of the cough. It does not go away. Another possible answer might be “a persistent dry cough”.
   3. c) respiratory or acute respiratory. However, generally speaking if the person already has symptoms of Coronavirus and then develops acute respiratory problems, that is the time to reach out for medical help rather than just self-isolating.
2. 1. a) distancing
   2. b) transmission
3. misinformation
4. ramping up
5. surface transmission
6. asthma
7. pandemic
8. altruistic
9. utmost

If you got some of these answers wrong, please review your vocabulary relating to Coronavirus. Click here: Coronavirus Vocabulary

I hope you found this useful. Stay safe!

All the best

Liz

For more useful vocabulary for topics, click here: Vocabulary

 

Vocabulary with pronunciation audios relating to coronavirus Covid-19. The aim is to help you develop your English language on an issue that is affecting all our lives at the present moment. These keywords will help you communicate and understand official information more easily. The audios will help you with pronunciation as some of the words are not easy to say correctly. This page is for non-native English speakers.

Vocabulary Practice: After all the words lists below, you will find an exercise to test your understanding of the vocabulary. Let me know if you want more practice lessons for this vocab.

High Level Coronavirus Vocabulary & Pronunciation

The list of words below are either high level words or words that are difficult to pronounce. Read the list and definitions first. After that, listen to the audio to learn the pronunciation.

A-N Word List

1. acute respiratory problems
   1. acute – quickly becomes severe
   2. respiratory problems = breathing difficulties
2. alcohol based antimicrobial hand sanitiser
   1. antimicrobial = kills bacteria and microorganisms.
   2. hand sanitiser = a hygienic cleaner for the hands
3. altruism (n) / altruistic (adj)
   1. selfless concern for the welfare of others – without agenda.
4. asthma
   1. a respiratory condition due to inflammation of the air passages in the lungs.
   2. (pron – silent “th”)
5. contact tracing
   1. tracking who might have had contact with an infected person.
6. contagious
   1. spread of a disease through direct or indirect contact with other people.
   2. this can also be used in reference to emotions: “The feeling was contagious as the excitement spread.”
7. to contain an outbreak
   1. to control the spread of an illness
8. to contaminate
   1. to infect
9. curfew
   1.  a specific time when people must stay indoors
10. epicentre
    1. this word usually relates to earthquakes – the point on the surface which is the focus of the earthquake.
    2. in terms of Covid-19, it is being used to describe the area where the virus is most active.
11. fomite / fomites
    1. an object or objects that becomes contaminated with infected organisms
    2. such objects can transmit illness from one person to another
    3. examples of such surfaces: kitchen surfaces, toys, bathroom surfaces, mobile phones etc
    4. To practise good hygiene relating to the coronavirus, we must disinfect surfaces, including our smart phones, regularly. Soft surfaces, such as children’s toys, can be washed.
    5. (pron = fomites has more than one type of pronunciation)
12. herd immunity
    1.  when a significant proportion of the population are immune to a disease either through a vaccine or by having naturally built up immunity by having had the disease and recovered from it.
13. incubation period
    1. the time between exposure to an illness and when the symptoms start to become apparent. 
14. misinformation
    1. false or inaccurate information 
    2. this is a common problem online
    3. always take your advice about Covid-19 from official sources
    4. this is also the case with IELTS – misinformation online confuses people about the test
15. a new strain
    1. new strain = a genetic variant or subtype
    2. in this case, Covid-19 is a new strain of coronavirus
    3. it is sometimes referred to the novel coronavirus (new coronavirus not previously known)

Audio A-N Word List

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Download Word List: Coronavirus Vocabulary Download

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P-Z Word List Coronavirus 

1. pandemic
   1. a global outbreak of a disease
2. patient zero
   1. the first person to contract the disease (relating to outbreaks)
3. persistent cough
   1. persistent = doesn’t go away / continuing
   2. (pron cough = kof)
4. pneumonia
   1. a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs. See this page for details: NHS UK Pneumonia and WHO Pneumonia
   2. severe cases of coronavirus Covid-19 can develop pneumonia
   3. (pron = silent “p” at the beginning of the word)
5. precautionary measures
   1. steps taken in order to be safe
6. to ramp up
   1.  increase
   2. this is usually used in spoken English rather than formal writing
7. respiratory droplets
   1.  small drops when someone exhales
   2. one way the novel coronavirus is spread is by droplets from an infected person breathing, coughing or sneezing being inhaled by someone else in close proximity
8. respiratory problems
   1.  breathing problems
9. quarantine
   1. a time when someone who has been potentially exposed to an illness is put in isolation away from others to prevent the spread of a disease
10. a state of emergency
    1. a time of danger when the government introduces temporary rules to deal with a situation
11. stockpiling
    1. collecting large amounts of an item or items for future use, often in an emergency
    2. at present some people are stockpiling food in panic which is causing a shortage of some items
12. stringent
    1.  strict
    2. stringent measures 
13. super-spreader
    1.  a person who transmits infections more than other people do
14. surface transmission
    1. when an disease or bacteria is spread through contact with contaminated surfaces
    2. see “fomite”
15. transmission rate
    1.  the speed at which a disease is spread 
    2. this can also be used in reference to data
16. vaccine
    1. a substance that stimulates the production of antibodies in a person to give them immunity from a disease
17. ventilators
    1. a machine that provides artificial respiration for a person
    2. at present governments around the world are urging for an increased production of ventilators to help support those patients who are severely affected with Covid-19 and who have acute respiratory problems
18. vigorous action
    1. strong action
19. vulnerable person
    1. vulnerable = easily physically hurt
    2. this can also apply to those who are at risk emotionally or mentally as well
    3. relating to Covid-19, it means people with certain medical conditions or of a particular age who are more likely to have severe symptoms or die when infected
    4. the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) have a list on this page: CDC at risk groups  relating to the coronavirus
    5. when the government asks people to stay at home, it is not only to protect themselves but also to protect the vulnerable who are more at risk of this illness 
20. wheezing
    1.  making a rough noise when breathing due to breathing difficulties
    2. (pron = the “h” is silent)
21. zoonotic
    1.  relating to a disease that is transmitted between animal and people

Audio P-Z Word List

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More Useful Vocabulary

The words below are more commonly known which is why I have not put a definition with them. If you are in doubt, check in your dictionary. I have put an audio with these words so that you can check if you are pronouncing them correctly.

1. acceleration phase
2. anxiety
3. to catch a disease
4. community spread
5. death toll
6. to disinfect
7. face mask
8. to be hospitalised
9. large gatherings
10. lockdown
11. physical distancing
12. precautions
13. protective clothing
14. to self-isolate
15. severity
16. social distancing
17. symptoms
18. utmost (adj & noun)

Audio for Above List

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Download Word List: Coronavirus Vocabulary Download pdf

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Vocabulary Practice

Complete the sentences below using a word or words from the list above. If the gap requires a verb, you might need to alter the verb form to ensure the sentence is grammatically correct on completion.

1. In some countries, governments advise that the entire family should (a)……………. if just one member experiences symptoms such as a (b)……………….. cough, (c) ………………problems or a fever.
2. Avoiding large gatherings and practising social (a)…………………….. can help reduce the (b)…………………. rate of the virus.
3. When you seek information regarding Covid-19, always go to official sources and be careful of ………………. spread online.
4. Many countries are ……………………. their efforts to try to contain the spread of this virus.
5. As yet, there is still not enough known about the ………………………….. of the virus and precisely how long it survives on cardboard or plastic.
6. People with pre-existing medical conditions that affect their breathing, such as ………….., should take extra precautionary measures.
7. Covid-19 was declared a ……………..  by the WHO on March 11th 2020.
8. In the current situation, we are likely to see good examples of ……………. behaviour as neighbour helps neighbour.
9. Most governments around the world are doing their ………….. to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Download Word List: Coronavirus Vocabulary Download pdf

ANSWERS

The answers are not available for this lesson.

CLICK HERE: ANSWERS TO CORONAVIRUS VOCABULARY EXERCISE

From Liz

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Suspended IELTS Tests

Use the following link to check if your test has been suspended and find information on dates when the tests are likely to continue in your area. Click here: Suspended Test Updates

Free Vocabulary & Listening Practice

Get free topic based vocabulary on this page: Vocabulary Main Page.

Get free listening practice on this page: IELTS Listening Main Page

All the best and stay safe!

Liz