Wednesday 18 October 2017

IELTS Top Tips: Part 2

Following on from our IELTS Top Tips: Part 1 covering listening and reading, this week we bring you our guide to the productive sections of the exam: speaking and writing

Speaking

  • Build a library
Collect your favourite phrasal verbs/idioms and make sure they can be used in a variety of contexts: e.g. describing likes and dislikes. Remember, you have a limited time to impress and it is vital you show off your knowledge

  • Start your preparation early
Don’t leave speaking preparation till the end of the course. Start using your favourite expressions soon and try to use them every time you practise. The aim is for you to be able to produce a range of grammar and vocabulary that will impress the examiner and not seem forced.

  • Use your voice
Don’t make the mistake of thinking pronunciation is only about vowel and consonant sounds. While accurate production is important you should also remember to change the speed and pitch of your voice to add emphasise, and enhance meaning.



Writing

  • What’s true for speaking is true for writing
Like speaking, start your writing preparation early aiming to collect advanced grammar and vocabulary that you will be able to use in part 2. One possibility is to prepare a model for part 2 into which you can insert the details of your particular topic.

  • Be practical in part 1
Remember that while part 2 is literary, part 1 is more scientific. You do not need beautiful vocabulary or a wide range of advanced structures to succeed here. Rather, ask yourself if a reader could recreate the graph/diagram/chart from your description. Focus on accuracy and detail.

  • Tactics, tactics, tactics

You should be able to do well in writing as it is so tactical. Learn the rules and follow them. Pay close attention to the word count and most importantly: ANSWER THE QUESTION and resist the temptation to alter it to suit your interests or knowledge.


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Thursday 12 October 2017

IELTS Top Tips: Part 1



We all know what an important exam IELTS is, and many of our students at ELA-Edinburgh come to us with a target score for entrance to a British university.

For all IELTS students, here are our top tips for every section of the exam!

This week we tackle the receptive skills: reading and listening

Reading
  • Read the questions carefully
There are many different task types in the reading section so don’t assume you know what to do!

  • Underline the words that gave you the answer
Always check your answers before transferring them to the answer sheet. When you do this, ask yourself why you chose that answer. Look at the words you underlined and check you agree.

  • Only take information from the text
It’s tempting to allow outside knowledge to affect your answer but remember the only relevant information is that in the text.



Listening

  • Focus at all time
Remember listening is active and requires 100% concentration. It is hard work but switching off will cost you valuable points.

  • Predict
Use the time you get before the exercises well. It is vital, especially in gap fill exercises, that you guess what could be in the gap.

  • Keep calm
The exam writers are not your friends. They know you’re nervous and likely to put the first viable answer you hear. If you know the answer is a number, it highly probable there will be two or three numbers designed to confuse you.

Check the blog next week for our tips on the productive skills: writing and speaking

Contact us to see how we can help. 

info@elacademy.co.uk +44 (0)131 226 6182 

Find us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram