IELTS Speaking Part 2: How to start your talk

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Start your talk with confidence by paraphrasing your topic card in IELTS speaking part 2. This video lesson gives advice and tips about the best way to begin your part 2 talk with example paraphrasing techniques to demonstrate a good command of English to the examiner. Target band score 6 and above.

Recommended Lessons

IELTS Video Lesson: How to improve your IELTS speaking: click here
Topics for IELTS speaking part 2: click here

Transcript

hello in this lesson I’m going to show
you

how to start your talk for IELTS speaking
part 2

now there is no right way all wrong way

to start your talk but I want to show
you a good way

to start and the topic we will use for
this lesson

is described a book you

recently read so let’s look at how to
start

here are to different ways to start

you could say I’d like to talk about

or I’m going to tell you about

now this one is a little bit more

formal and this one is less formal

but they are both fine the

IELTS Speaking test is not academic

it’s not formal so it’s okay to use

both of them you can also see here

that I’ve written I’d

and I’m so we don’t say

I would like to tell you about or

I am going to tell you about we say

I’d I’m and

this is to help you get a better band
score for your pronunciation

when you use the contraction I would

I’d this is better for your
pronunciation

now after this what

do you need to put well a lot of students

copy the words on that card and it’s not
very good to do that

if you want to get a band score

6 7 and above you need to show the
examiner

that you can use your own language

that you have flexible language

to paraphrase what is written on your
card

so it now let’s look at how we could

paraphrase that so here is one way

to paraphrase the information on the
card

I’d like to talk about a novel

which I read

two weeks ago so you can see that

the word book we paraphrased for the
word

novel now you need to

learn all the different types books

that you can’t read so was it a novel

was it fiction non-fiction was it a
guidebook

was it a self-help book so that’s
one way to paraphrase

take this word and be more accurate

what kind of book was it you can also
see here

I have put clause into the sentence

and that will help you get a higher band
score for your grammar and

here we’ve got two weeks ago

so instead of repeating the word
recently

we can give the time when

you did it two weeks ago 1 week ago

a month ago you can do that so that’s

a very nice way to paraphrase

and start your talk but we can improve
it

let’s have a look at one more and here’s
how we can improve

that start so you can see here that one
thing you can do

it give more information more
description

and we can use an adjective so here

I’ve used the adjective fascinating

which means really interesting
fascinating

you could also put useful

exciting you can describe

the book more and you can also see that
I’ve changed

this the paraphrase here and instead of
giving the information

I have given a paraphrase which is “not

so long ago” and that in a direct
paraphrase for recently

it’s very nice to use that and it

also means that during your talk

you can give more information about exactly

when you read the book and that’s
a way to

develop and extend your talk so I hope
you understand now

one way a good way to start your talk

well that’s all for this to happen I’ll
see you again

in another IELTS lesson

Filed Under: IELTS Speaking Tagged With: , ,

Structure & Paragraphs for IELTS Writing Task 1

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Learn how many paragraphs for your IELTS Writing Task 1 with tips about where to put your overview statement. In writing task 1, the examiner will mark you on your structure as part of the marking criterion of Coherence & Cohesion, which is 25% of your marks. Below you learn about how to structure your writing, how to organise information into the right paragraphs and which paragraph is the most important.

IELTS Writing Task 1 Structure

In writing task 1, you will be asked to write a report for a bar chart, line graph, table, pie charts, maps or diagram. All IELTS Writing Task 1 have the same structure, regardless of which task you are given. There are four main paragraphs that you need to use for task one. Only occasionally will there be five.

  1. Introduction Paragraph
  2. Overview Paragraph
  3. Body Paragraph 1
  4. Body Paragraph 2
  5. Body Paragraph 3 (not usual, but occasionally possible)

Remember, IELTS writing task 1 is a report, not an essay. This means the structure will be different and the examiner is looking for an overview, not a conclusion. 

IELTS Writing Task 1 Paragraphs

Below read about the individual paragraphs you need in your writing task 1 report.

Introduction Paragraph

The first paragraph will be your introduction and that contains a description of the graph – what it shows. IELTS will always give you a  description and you can use that information for your introduction but don’t copy it. You need to  paraphrase it. So write it again using your own English.

This is your chance to introduction information such as categories, titles, headings, names, dates etc. Make sure your introduction is complete. It is usually one sentence but sometimes it can also contain a second sentence about the measurement of units. 

Overview Paragraph

This paragraph is the most important paragraph in your IELTS writing task 1 report. This is where you collect all the key features shown in the task  and present them together. This paragraph has a direct impact on your band score for Task Achievement, which is 25% of your score. You can read more about the band scores here: IELTS WRITING TASK 1 BAND SCORES 5-8 TIPS. But to give you an idea:

  • Band Score 5 = key features are very limited or there is no overview 
  • Band Score 6 = a relevant overview is attempted (it is tried but not well done)
  • Band Score 7 = presents a clear overview
  • Band Score 8 = key features are skilfully selected (referring to the overview)

The clearer and more complete your overview paragraph is, the higher your score for Task Achievement. The biggest challenges with the overview are: 

  • not spotting all key features
  • spreading key features into various paragraphs instead of into one overview paragraph
  • presenting only one key feature

You can see examples of key features in all my model answers for writing task 1: ALL MODEL ANSWERS. 

All writing task 2 reports have an overview no matter which task you get. An overview is not the same as a conclusion. Writing task 2 has a conclusion, writing task 1 has an overview. This is clearly stated in the IELTS Band Score Descriptors. An overview has a different function to a conclusion. See the video below:

An oldie, but a goodie. My older videos are still packed with useful tips. All still relevant today.

Overview or Conclusion Video

Body Paragraphs

These paragraphs (usually two) contain the details. If your task contains numbers, such as a chart, you will need to support your sentences with data. Failing to do that will lower your score for Task Achievement. 

You should organise the details of the task into logical body paragraphs based on the key features. You should also take into consideration what type of task you have. For example, a bar chart shows comparisons between two things, such as men and women, for different categories so your aim is to compare men and women within each category. You would then see which categories are most  popular and which are least and then organise categories into body paragraphs. Of course, it might not be about popularity, it might be about which categories have the biggest differences or the least differences. Which ever way you organise the information, it must be logical.

WRITING TASK 1 STRUCTURE & PARAGRAPHING – A SUMMARY

To sum up, it can feel complicated and overwhelming when you first start preparing for your writing task 1. So, I made this video years ago to sum up how to organise your task 1 report. It’s an old video, but of course still relevant today. The test hasn’t changed.

How to Organise Your Writing Task 1 Video

Another oldie which is still great today and reviews the paragraphing for writing task 1.

  • I hope you enjoyed this page and found it useful. I wanted to give you as much as I could because it’s so important to your scores. All the best, Liz

Now it’s time to review model answer for writing task 1 and see what the paragraph looks like. See links below:

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Filed Under: IELTS Writing Task 1 Tagged With: ,

Common Topics for IELTS Speaking Part 1

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The key for success in speaking is to prepare the common topics which the examiner can ask you about in IELTS speaking part 1. You will be asked a total of 3 topic for IELTS speaking part 1. The examiner has a list of subjects to take the questions from so you need to prepare ideas for a range of different topics.

This video tutorial will explain what the common topics are for part 1 and which ones you should focus on for your preparation.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Common Topics

Transcript

Hello my name is Liz
in this lesson I’m going to look
at the types of topics
that the examiner could ask you
in IELTS speaking part 1
and at the end of this lesson
I’ll give you a link so that you can
take a look at the topics and questions
for yourself
the examiner will probably ask you
about 12 different questions
in speaking part 1
and these questions come from usually
3 different subjects these are all
familiar and they are topics that
are common to everybody
throughout the world
now the first IELTS speaking part 1 topic of these three
usually come from one of these
work study home and hometown
you will probably get
one of them for your first topic
work or study now if the examiner
decides to ask you about work or study
the first question that
the examiner will ask
is “do you work or do you study”
now the examiner is asking
this question
only because he or she needs
to know which
topic to choose to ask
the questions so with this question
you do not need to expand your answer
you can just say very clearly
“I work” or “I study”
now if you’re a students and
you’ve finished university
but you aren’t not working either
then you need to tell the examiner that
and you need to say “I’ve just finished
university but I don’t have a job yet”
and the examiner will then continue
and ask you about the topic of study. Now with
these topics the common questions
which the examiner could ask you is
where do you study or work
why did you choose that subject or job
the examiner might ask you about
your first day
about the people you that
you work or study with
and other things about your work
or your study
Now for the topic of home
this topic is all about where you live
so it could be about your house
or your apartment
and in that topic
the examiner can ask you
about the rooms in your house
how they are decorated
so what you can see on the walls
or what you kind of views you have
from the windows
the examiner might also ask you
about the people you live with
or the area and street that you live in
And the last topic hometown
now if you get the topic of hometown
this is about the place
where you were born or where you
spent your childhood
and for this topic
the examiner often asks you
about places in your hometown
for example buildings or
old buildings in your hometown
the examiner might ask you
about the weather
or transportation
in your hometown
or if you plan to still live
there in the future
so those are To read more, click here

Recommended

List of Topics and Questions for Speaking Part 1, click here
IELTS Video Tutorial for speaking part 1 1: What’s your favourite…?, click here

Filed Under: IELTS Speaking Tagged With: , ,

IELTS Essay Length: Video Lesson Advice

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Learn about the recommended number of words you should write for your essay in IELTS writing task 2. You must write over 250 words and if your essay is under the word count. you will be penalised. Watch this lesson to find out what is the best length to aim for in task 2.

[su_youtube url=”http://youtu.be/TcQKUwmOMFo”]

Recommended Lessons

IELTS Video: How to write an essay introduction, click here
IELTS Writing Task 2 Video Lesson: Ideas Tips, click here
Model Opinion Essay Band Score 9, click here

Transcript

hello in this lesson I want to look at a
very important question

that many students ask me about IELTS

writing task 2 here’s the question do I
get

a higher band score if I have

a longer essay now this is a very
important question

how long should you essay be there are a
number of points I want to explain to

you

about the length of your essay so

the first point is of course you must
write

over 250 words that

is the task given to you those are your
instructions

and if you write under that

there could be problems and yes the
examiner will check

how many words you’ve written number two
and here is a direct answer

to the question you do not get

more marks for a longer essay now

I know that for many of you at
University

if you write a longer essay you get
better marks

but this does not apply to IELTS

the examiner is not looking for

a long essay the examiner is looking for
relevant

ideas number three the other point

is you only have about 35 minutes to
write

you essay now they recommend

that you have forty minutes but at least

5 minutes should be spent planning your essay

you need to look at the statement given
to you

need to analyze it and you need to plan

relevant ideas for your answer

it’s very important to have

five minutes for planning your ideas and
you answer

are worth 25% if your marks so
that means

you only have about 35 minutes to

actually write your essay so

aiming for longer essay will not give
you more marks

and will be very difficult in

the time you’ve got the next point

is a lot of students when

they try to extend their writing to
write

over 300 words they put

lots of extra information in that essay

and this information is often a little
bit

relevant or it’s off the topic

now in IELTS you will lose

marks if you write irrelevant
information

or if you go off the topic in your essay

so is a very bad idea to try to write

300 words if the information you are

adding will go off topic so

the recommendation I recommend you aim

for between 260 and 280

that is enough words to extend

and develop each main idea

in order to get a higher band score
well

if you found this lesson useful please
share it with your friends

and don’t forget follow me on Facebook
if you want to get

the regular lessons or check my blog and
you can find

all my free IELTS lessons see you next time

Filed Under: IELTS Writing Task 2 Tagged With: ,

IELTS Discussion Essay Video Lesson: Useful Language

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Learn expressions to use in your discussion essay for IELTS writing task 2 with this video lesson. It is important to use a variety of language to express both sides in your essay. Being able to have flexible language for giving other people’s opinions is a good way to increase your vocabulary band score.

Transcript

Hello in this lesson I’m going to look at some expressions that you can use for a discussion essay for IELTS writing task 2. Now when you have a discussion essay you have to support two different sides and this is not about your opinion this is about what other people think, other people’s opinion and you have to support what they think. so here are some very useful expressions to help you show other people’s thoughts and opinions.

Now there’s quite a lot of expressions you can use. I will run through each one but I will tell you now there are two expressions here that you shouldn’t use. can you see which ones? well I’ll tell you at the end of the lesson let’s have a look the first one. “Many people believe that ” this is a very common expression to use for IELTS It is not high band score but its clear and its academic so don’t worry, please use it. The next one “it is commonly believed that” this is a very nice expression because you can see here “is believed” that is the passive and it’s very good to give the examiner some passive tense in your essay. It will improve your band score and you can see this word here “commonly” that means many people so it has the same meaning as this sentence and this word we can change, we could say “it is frequently believed that” or we could say “it is often believed that”. So we could put a different adverb of frequency here. The next one “some people think that”  again it’s very simple but it is academic and its clear. “It is often thought that” here we’ve got another passive, so very nice to use. But “on the side of” or “the other side of the coin is” this is the other opinion, the other side. “It is considered by many that” this is a very nice expression is very academic. It’s very good to use for IELTS and again you have a passive here and you can change this word if you want and you could say “it is considered by some that”. The next one here “many argue that” is very nice very clear. You don’t need to say “many people”, you could say “many argue that “. Another one, “it is argued by some that”, again here we’ve got the passive and you can change this word, “it is argued by many that”. “On the one hand” and”On the other hand”, so that’s the one side of the argument, on the other hand that’s the other side of the argument. The last one “some people support the opinion that” again this is very nice, very academic.

So can you see the 2 expressions that you shouldn’t use? Well, it is these 2 here this one is not very academic, we use it more for speaking, and this one many students love to use this because it is an idiom however it is very informal and we don’t usually use that for an academic essay for IELTS so please don’t use that one in your discussion essay. But all the others are great and when you’re writing your discussion essay it’s very important that you give the simple tense and then sometimes a passive as well and you can keep changing that through your essay to show flexibility. Well that’s all for this lesson I’ll see you again in another IELTS lesson

Discussion Essay Model Answer

Filed Under: IELTS Writing Task 2 Tagged With: , ,

IELTS Video: Listening practice with numbers

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It is common in IELTS to be asked to listen for a number. The most common numbers that IELTS use are the numbers 15 / 50. Many students have a problem with hearing the difference between these numbers.

Watch this lesson to test yourself on listening for these difficult numbers and also review the pronunciation.

Filed Under: IELTS Listening Tagged With: ,

IELTS Writing Task 2 Video Lesson: Only 5 mins left – Help!

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Learn what to do with the last 5 minutes if you haven’t finished your essay.

The last 5 minutes are essential to use well. It could be the difference between a band score 5 and a band score 6 or 7.  Watch this lesson to learn how to use your last 5 minutes effectively.

.

Transcript

hello what should you do

if you only have a few minutes left

in your IELTS writing test but

you haven’t finished writing your essay
well

there is a very clear answer for that and I will
explain

now the time management is yours

you decide how long to spend writing

each part of your essay and you should continue
to check the clock

to make sure you don’t run out of time
but

if you only have a few minutes left and
you haven’t

finished then please go and write your
conclusion

now the examiner is going to test you

on 4 different criteria

of the IELTS writing and that is your
answers

that’s task response this one here

your organization and linkers vocabulary
and grammar

each of those is quarter of your marks

25% now for task response

for your ideas the examiner is looking

for a conclusion and if

your essay has no conclusion you

will get band score 5 for

this criteria of your writing so 25%
of your marks

will only be band score 5 so

your conclusion is essential the
examiner

is looking for it you must give it if
you want to get

band score 6 or 7 or

above so in the last few minutes

quickly start a new paragraph and write

in conclusion at the beginning and then

right 1 or 2 sentences that contain

the main points of your essay and

that is enough to have a conclusion

and get more than band score 5

for task response now if you want some
more

IELTS tips I post them regularly on my
facebook

so please come and find me on Facebook
I’ll think you

and another IELTS lesson

Filed Under: IELTS Writing Task 2 Tagged With: ,

IELTS Writing Task 2 Video: Essay Length

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How many words should you write for your essay in IELTS writing task 2? There is a lower limit of 250 words but there is no upper word limit. Watch this video to learn how long your IELTS essay should be and if the number of words you write is important to get a good band score. Transcript

hello in this lesson I want to look at a
very important question

that many students ask me about IELTS

writing task 2 here’s the question do I
get

a higher band score if I have

a longer essay now this is a very
important question

how long should you essay be there are a
number of points I want to explain to

you

about the length of your essay so

the first point is of course you must
write

over 250 words that

is the task given to you those are your
instructions

and if you write under that

there could be problems and yes the
examiner will check

how many words you’ve written number two
and here is a direct answer

to the question you do not get

more marks for a longer essay now

I know that for many of you at
University

if you write a longer essay you get
better marks

but this does not apply to IELTS

the examiner is not looking for

a long essay the examiner is looking for
relevant

ideas number three the other point

is you only have about 35 minutes to
write

you essay now they recommend

that you have forty minutes but at least

5 minutes should be spent planning your essay

you need to look at the statement given
to you

need to analyze it and you need to plan

relevant ideas for your answer

it’s very important to have

five minutes for planning your ideas and
you answer

are worth 25% if your marks so
that means

you only have about 35 minutes to

actually write your essay so

aiming for longer essay will not give
you more marks

and will be very difficult in

the time you’ve got the next point

is a lot of students when

they try to extend their writing to
write

over 300 words they put

lots of extra information in that essay

and this information is often a little
bit

relevant or it’s off the topic

now in IELTS you will lose

marks if you write irrelevant
information

or if you go off the topic in your essay

so is a very bad idea to try to write

300 words if the information you are

adding will go off topic so

the recommendation I recommend you aim

for between 260 and 280

that is enough words to extend

and develop each main idea

in order to get a higher band score
well

if you found this lesson useful please
share it with your friends

and don’t forget follow me on Facebook
if you want to get

the regular lessons or check my blog and
you can find

all my free IELTS lessons see you next time

[su_youtube url=”http://youtu.be/TcQKUwmOMFo”]

Recommended Lessons
To learn more about the recommended length for your writing task 1 and task 2 essays, check the sample writing below.

Opinion Essay Sample Writing for task 2, click here
Line Graph Model for task 1, click here

Filed Under: IELTS Writing Task 2 Tagged With: ,
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