Andrew’s Tips for IELTS Speaking Band Score 9

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Andrew was successful in scoring band 9 in IELTS speaking. Below he shares his tips with you on how to prepare and tackle IELTS speaking. Andrew clearly demonstrates his full understanding of IELTS speaking and how prepare properly.
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Andrew’s IELTS Results

Overall IELTS Band Score 8.5

  • Listening: 8.5
  • Reading: 8.5
  • Writing: 7
  • Speaking: 9
“On one side I was confident of my abilities but as it was my first attempt on such a test,  I had a lot of jitters. Though I was disappointed about my score in writing, I was more than happy about the other modules. All credit goes to you and your amazing blog.” Andrew

Andrew’s Band 9 IELTS Speaking Tips

Regarding tips, I did not follow many for speaking, but I did a few:
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1 Calming yourself

Right before the speaking test one tends to get tense and nervous, this if unchecked could lead to stammering, loss of words and a general discontinuation of speech. To overcome this I simply took deep breaths, for about five minutes till the examiner called me, to calm my nerves.

2 Timing

This is an integral part of the module where one must practice the speaking test using a timer to time their answers, as one cannot afford to speak too less or too much. Use  timer to time your answers. Timing is everything.

3 Part II

Go through all the possible questions for part II of the speaking test test. This helps a lot as you one will not have enough time to think and speak, so therefore it must be sub-conscious. It pays to prepares answers to such questions before hand(but don’t memorize) to have an idea, even if the questions seem similar to you.

4 Work hard

Though the exam can be taken again, it is quite a morale booster when one achieves in the first go. Practice speaking the answers, attempt mock practice tests till you are confident. Spend some time practising daily. Consistency is the key.

5 Language

When speaking don’t worry about the correctness of your answers, the examiner is looking at your language and not on your knowledge. Even if you do not know the exact answer for a question, you can beat around the bush to an extent.

6 Notes

For part II the examiner  will give you paper to make notes. Make notes in the order of your speech, in a logical manner. Write hints and not sentences. I guess it is safe to say that the examiner does look into it for their final scoring. Comment from Liz: That’s correct. Your notes are not marked and do not influence your score.

7 Practising with a Recorder

Doing so will give you an idea of the flow of your speech pattern, your speed, pronunciation, pitch of sound and clarity of voice, with which you can improve all parts of you speech. It also aids you to consciously categorize your thoughts before speaking.
 
These were the tips I followed for speaking test. Once again I would like to thank you. Andrew.
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IELTS Liz Message: I want to congratulate Andrew on his excellent results. Band score 9 in IELTS speaking is something to be very proud of. Andrew, your tips will certainly help many IELTS candidates to not only gain confidence but also tackle this test in the right way. Thank you and well done 🙂
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For more tips about IELTS speaking, visit this page: IELTS Speaking Tips, Topics & Model Answers
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Listening Practice: Future of Libraries

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A listening lesson about the future of libraries. This is an interesting topic that can appear in IELTS speaking, listening, reading and writing task 2. So, it’s well worth using this lesson to gain ideas and vocabulary. The questions are sentence completion which are common question types in IELTS listening.

Listening Practice

Future Libraries

Questions 1-5: No more than two words and/or a number.

  1. Libraries provide creative spaces and learning ………..
  2. Libraries can help to improve technological ……….. in society.
  3. ………… to any given book becomes possible using Library Bookmark.
  4. Patrons would be able to receive books at home using …………….
  5. Fingerlink allows the user to combine …………….. with a printed book.

Recording:

Source: Information was taken from ebookfriendly.com. Their article contained more ideas for this topic so take a look.

Transcript & Answers

Click below to reveal the transcript and answers for this lesson.

Transcript

Today, libraries are not only about lending books. They are creative spaces, not only for individuals, but also teams. They are economic incubators and learning hubs. Most of all, the libraries are the entry points to the digital world. They are the way to embrace technology and avoid digital exclusion. Therefore, to improve technological literacy of local communities, libraries should be equipped with relevant technologies.

Here are some suggestions for future improvements of technology in libraries:

  1. Library Bookmark: First of all, the device would be a perfect companion when navigating through the library, by giving turn-by-turn directions to the book the patron wants. The device could also keep track of all borrowed books, as well as remind the user of the return dates.
  2. Delivery Drones: To get the book from a library, you can either go and find it, or you can let it find you. The future belongs to the unmanned flying machines, and just like Amazon drones can deliver the goods to customers, libraries could deliver the books to patrons.
  3. FingerLink: It is a project currently developed by Fujitsu that will let you use digital tools to work with a printed book. It’s a stand you can put on a library desk. It includes two elements: a camera to read the information from the real world, and the projector to display digital information in the real world.
Answers

Spelling must be correct to have the answer marked correct. Using all capital letters is recommended for listening and reading answers.

  1. HUBS
    1. You must have “s”. If you write this answer as “hub” it will be marked wrong. You are being tested on being able to hear the difference between plural and singular.
  2. LITERACY
  3. NAVIGATING
  4. (DELIVERY) DRONES
    1. Brackets are used in the answer key of test books to show possible answers. In this case, it is possible to have the answer “drones” or “delivery drones”. You cannot use brackets in your test – you must choose only one answer.
    2. It is not possible to have “flying machines”. The paraphrase of drones is actually “unmanned flying machines” but it contains 3 words which goes over the word count limit.
  5. DIGITAL TOOLS

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Answers: Spelling Vocabulary about Zoos

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Below are the answers with a pronunciation audio to the lesson about zoos that tested your ability to spot spelling mistakes.

If you have not completed this lesson yet, please do so before looking at the questions. Click here to complete the lesson: Spelling Practice Lesson

There are 14 spelling mistakes in the paragraphs. Check your answers below and listen to the recordings at the same time to improve your pronunciation. The words spelled incorrectly have been highlighted.

Paragraph 1

 

There are a number of reasons why it is wrong to put wild animals in zoos. Firstly, wild animals are not domisticated (domesticated) and should be free to rome (roam) around their natural habitate (habitat). Putting them in confinned (confined) spaces in zoos means that they will never be able to return to the wild again. Secondly, animals have natural instinkts (instincts) which they develop from living in the wild and pass down to their own off spring (offspring). These instincts will gradually fade and never return if they are kept in capivity (captivity).

Paragraph 2

On the other hand, keeping animals in zoos does serve some useful porposes (purposes). Zoos can serve a way to protect indangered (endangered) species. Many species are facing dwinling (dwindling) numbers due to the distruction (destruction) of their habitat or from disease so by keeping them in zoos, they are protected from extinction. Another reason why zoos can be useful is that they can serve as a way to educate the public. Most people will never come into contract (contact) with such a range of species in their lives. So, by having zoos, people are able to experiance (experience) seeing them and also learn about them. Hopefully this will help with the pretection (protection) of animals in the future as people will learn to appreciate animals.

 

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Spelling Practice: Vocabulary for Zoos

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Spelling is part of the IELTS writing task 2 marking criterion of vocabulary, which is 25% of your final marks. Spelling mistakes will lower your score for writing task 2.

The passage below is based on the Advantages & Disadvantages of Zoos. A common topic in IELTS writing task 2.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Zoo

Spelling Practice: Read the paragraphs below and spot the 14 spelling mistakes. What is the correct spelling? Please note, this is NOT a full essay. 

There are a number of reasons why it is wrong to put wild animals in zoos. Firstly, wild animals are not domisticated and should be free to rome around their natural habitate. Putting them in confinned spaces in zoos means that they will never be able to return to the wild again. Secondly, animals have natural instinkts which they develop from living in the wild and pass down to their own off spring. These instincts will gradually fade and never return if they are kept in capivity.

On the other hand, keeping animals in zoos does serve some useful porposes. Zoos can serve a way to protect indangered species. Many species are facing dwinling numbers due to the distruction of their habitat or from disease so by keeping them in zoos, they are protected from extinction. Another reason why zoos can be useful is that they can serve as a way to educate the public. Most people will never come into contract with such a range of species in their lives. So, by having zoos, people are able to experiance seeing them and also learn about them. Hopefully this will help with the pretection of animals in the future as people will learn to appreciate animals.

Answers 

The answers are now available for this lesson. Click below:

Answers for Spelling Zoo Vocabulary Lesson: Answers

All the best

Liz

This lesson was suggested by a student called Karamdeep. If you have any ideas for lessons, please let me know by posting your ideas in the comments box below.

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IELTS Model Answer Bar Chart Writing Task 1

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IELTS bar chart model answer for writing task 1. This IELTS bar chart appeared in two different years in the IELTS writing task 1 test and will likely appear again. The model answer below will help you understand how to organise your ideas and support your statements with data. Also check the 10 useful tips below to help you understand the model answer better.

IELTS Bar Chart Sample Question

IELTS Bar Chart for writing task 1 with sample answer

IELTS Model Answer for Bar Chart

The bar chart illustrates the proportion of women, men and children consuming five servings of fruit and vegetables each day in 8 years from 2001 to 2008 in the UK.

Overall, it can be seen that the highest percentage of all people consuming fruit and vegetables was women, while children consistently accounted for the lowest proportion. Furthermore, a significant increase in the proportion of people eating these food items can be seen over the period given.

The percentage of women who ate fruit and vegetables started at just over 20% in 2001. This figure then rose steadily to reach a peak of almost 35% in 2006, before falling slightly to 30% in the final year.

In terms of men and children eating fruit and vegetables, the rate remained relatively stable in the first three years (about 17% and 12% respectively). From this point, the proportion of men climbed gradually to peak at about 27% in both 2006 and 2007, after which it dropped to about 26%. A similar growth in the figure for children was evident reaching 25% in 2007 and around 24% in the final year.

Tips for Analysing the Model Answer:

  1. Paraphrasing does not need to be complicated. Not all words can be changed all the time. Choose which words you will and won’t change. Trying to paraphrase too often will result in too many errors and a lower score.
  2. Highlight highs, lows and trends in your overview where possible.
  3. Make sure statements in your body paragraph are supported by data.
  4. Make sure paragraphs are easy to see.
  5. Remember this is a report, not an essay
  6. Look at the logical organisation of information in the model answer above. It is easy to read and not confusing. If your report is confusing to read because you jump about with information, it is a bad report. All reports should be logical and clear.
  7. Check the linking words used.
  8. Note the variation in sentence structures.
  9. Don’t overload your report with too many small details – be selective.
  10. Aim for around 170-190 words. This model answer is 184 words in length. You do not need to write your word count on your test paper.

GT Candidates: You will only have to write a letter for your writing task 1 (GT Writing )

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ALL MODEL ANSWERS, LESSONS & TIPS FOR WRITING TASK 1

Writing Task 1 Band Scores Explained

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IELTS Writing Task 1 Bar Chart October 2018

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This IELTS writing task 1 bar chart (October 2018) was reported and reproduced by an IELTS candidate. It appeared in the IELTS test three days ago. You can download a pdf copy below.

IELTS Writing Task 1 October 2018

Download: IELTS Writing task 1 October 2018

Model Answer

A model answer is now available for this writing task 1.

Click here: MODEL ANSWER FOR TASK ABOVE

All the best

Liz

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Answers to Review Questions

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Below are the answers to the topic review questions I posted yesterday.

Vocabulary Review Questions

The questions below are from the topics: Advertising, Animals & Art. The length of the missing word is given in brackets.

  1. Companies that advertise on prime-time TV have maximum media e………………. (8 letters)
  2. Children often p…………. their parents to buy things they see advertised on TV.  (6 letters)
  3. Testing drugs on animals is one way to check for any possible s…… e………… (4 letters & 7 letters)
  4. Deforestation and intensive farming can result in a loss of h………… for many animal species. (7 letters)
  5. Some animals kept in c………. or enclosures live in cramped conditions. (5 letters)
  6. Some works of art can incite h……….. which can lead to violence. (6 letters)
  7. Locals should have free a………… to tourist attractions in their area.  (9 letters)

Answers

  1. exposure
  2. pester
  3. side effects
  4. habitat
  5. cages
  6. hatred
  7. admission

As soon as my e-book “Ideas for IELTS Essay Topics” is ready to purchase, I’ll post a notice for you all. I hope it will be ready in a couple of months.

All the best

Liz

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IELTS Writing Task 1: Introduction Errors

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IELTS Writing Task 1 Introduction Paragraph – learn what mistakes to avoid. The introduction should be short and factual based on the information given. It should also be the quickest part of task 1 for you to write.

Look at the graph and introduction paragraph below. Then answer the questions.

comp-ownership-graph

Source: The above chart was not created by IELTS Liz.

Introduction Paragraph

Look at the introduction below and spot the mistakes.

Introduction: 

The graph give the information about the number of computer ownership by education level in two different years.

Questions:

  1.  How many mistakes are there in the introduction above?
  2. How would you write the introduction?

ANSWERS

Click below to reveal the answers and a model introduction.

Answers
  1. The graph
    1. should be = The bar chart
  2. give
    1. should be: gives (s)
  3. gives the information about
    1. should be = gives information about (no “the”)
  4. the number of
    1. should be = the percentage of / proportion of
    2. also, even if the chart did show numbers, you can’t say “the number of ownership”, you should say “the number of people owning a computer”
  5. computer ownership by education level = copied from graph. Do not copy phrases from the question paper. You can use the words, but change the order or paraphrase where possible.
    1. you should give the number of educational levels shown
    2. you can change the order of information for the purpose of paraphrasing
    3. education levels = levels of education (changing word order is paraphrasing)
    4. use a clause “people who owned …”
    5. use a longer noun phrase “people from five different levels of education”
  6. in two different years = always provide full information. Give the precise dates or the period it covers
Model Introduction

Model Introduction

The bar chart gives information about the proportion of people from five different levels of education who owned a computer in two different years (2002 and 2010).

Model Introduction Comments: As you can see, the first words are not altered because they are not required to be paraphrased. A bar chart is a bar chart. However, the verb is paraphrased and the rest of the information is reworded. As the education levels are length to write, it is possible to give information about how many there are in your introduction. Regarding dates, you can use brackets in IELTS Writing Task 1 and you can see that the dates are given in the brackets in this introduction. 

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