The recent questions from the IELTS writing task 2 exam are here, task 1 is here and the speaking questions and topics are here.
Dave
IELTS WRITING TASK 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people think that it is a waste of money for countries to host big sporting events like the world cup, and that the money would be better spent on other things. However, others think that hosting large sporting events has a clear, positive impact on a country. Discuss both these views and give your opinion.
Give reason for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
There is fierce competition between nations to host major international sports events like the World Cup or Olympics as it is a unique opportunity to boost the national reputation of the host nation. In spite of its undeniable benefits, I believe that the costs are too great and therefore governments should prioritise other key issues to better benefit their citizens.
On the one hand, becoming a host nation for global events such as the World Cup or the Olympics brings a number of economic and infrastructural benefits. During these events, there is an influx of tourists from all over the world who need places to stay, restaurants to eat in and traditional products to purchase. The efforts made to cater to these tourists will remain long after they have gone. The cost of renovating a hotel might pay for itself during the event and then begin turning a large profit in later years. The other main area of development is related to the rapid expansion of quality infrastructure. Nations will be forced to invest in new sports facilities like swimming pools and stadiums as well as make renovations to pre-existing infrastructure like roads and airports. For example, China used the Beijing Olympics as an opportunity to modernise old buildings and roads.
On the other hand, these competitions use up tremendous resources from the host nation for a temporary competition. To ensure the success of these prestigious events, governments must waste a large percentage of the nation budget in the years leading up to the competition, oftentimes in the billions of dollars. The newly constructed facilities usually fall into disuse after each tournament. A salient example of this is Brazil as many of the swimming pools and sports facilities that were used in the 2014 Olympics are currently abandoned and becoming decrepit. Meanwhile, there are other pressing issues that have been festering including the need for new schools for underprivileged students and quality healthcare for the elderly population. If the government had prioritised these issues the country would be in a better position and its citizens would have a higher standard of living.
To summarize, due to the exorbitant costs, I am of the belief that the government should not allocate such a large percentage of its financial resources to hosting global events with negligible long-term impact. Instead these events should be hosted in the same countries year after year so that the new infrastructure pays for itself over time.
IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer Analysis
1. There is fierce competition between nations to host major international sports events like the World Cup or Olympics as it is a unique opportunity to boost the national reputation of the host nation. 2. In spite of its undeniable benefits, I believe that the costs are too great and therefore governments should prioritise other key issues to better benefit their citizens.
1. My first sentence simply restates what the topic is. Try to write this sentence as quickly as possible as it is not that important.
2. My second sentence includes my opinion and main ideas to support it. Try to put your opinion at the beginning so it is clear throughout your writing.
1. On the one hand, becoming a host nation for global events such as the World Cup or the Olympics brings a number of economic and infrastructural benefits. 2. During these events, there is an influx of tourists from all over the world who need places to stay, restaurants to eat in and traditional products to purchase. 3. The efforts made to cater to these tourists will remain long after they have gone. 4. The cost of renovating a hotel might pay for itself during the event and then begin turning a large profit in later years. 5. The other main area of development is related to the rapid expansion of quality infrastructure. 6. Nations will be forced to invest in new sports facilities like swimming pools and stadiums as well as make renovations to pre-existing infrastructure like roads and airports. 7. For example, China used the Beijing Olympics as an opportunity to modernise old buildings and roads.
1. My first sentence says what the whole paragraph will be about – how these events are helpful.
2. My second sentence explains how tourism will help specific parts of a country.
3. My third sentence introduces the idea that the changes made for tourists will have a long-term impact.
4. My fourth sentence gives an example of the long-term benefit for a hotel.
5. My fifth sentence describes how the events also help a country’s infrastructure.
6. My sixth sentence describes the specific areas of infrastructure.
7. My seventh sentence gives a specific example of this.
1. On the other hand, these competitions use up tremendous resources from the host nation for a temporary competition. 2. To ensure the success of these prestigious events, governments must waste a large percentage of the nation budget in the years leading up to the competition, oftentimes in the billions of dollars. 3. The newly constructed facilities usually fall into disuse after each tournament. 4. A salient example of this is Brazil as many of the swimming pools and sports facilities that were used in the 2014 Olympics are currently abandoned and becoming decrepit. 5. Meanwhile, there are other pressing issues that have been festering including the need for new schools for underprivileged students and quality healthcare for the elderly population. 6. If the government had prioritised these issues the country would be in a better position and its citizens would have a higher standard of living.
1. My first sentence says what the whole paragraph will be about – why they are a waste of resources.
2. My second sentence explains that governments spend billions on these tournaments.
3. My third sentence claims the facilities are not often used after the tournaments.
4. My fourth sentence gives an example of the Olympics in Brazil.
5. My fifth sentence describes the more important issues that have not been addressed in Brazil.
6. My sixth sentence claims that focusing on those other issues would have been better for the people of Brazil.
1. To summarize, due to the exorbitant costs, I am of the belief that the government should not allocate such a large percentage of its financial resources to hosting global events with negligible long-term impact. 2. Instead these events should be hosted in the same countries year after year so that the new infrastructure pays for itself over time.
1. My first sentence summarises my opinion and the main reason for it.
2. My merciful final sentence adds an extra detail containing a potential solution.
Sample Answer Vocabulary
There is fierce competition between nations to host major international sports events like the World Cup or Olympics as it is a unique opportunity to boost the national reputation of the host nation. In spite of its undeniable benefits, I believe that the costs are too great and therefore governments should prioritise other key issues to better benefit their citizens.
On the one hand, becoming a host nation for global events such as the World Cup or the Olympics brings a number of economic and infrastructural benefits. During these events, there is an influx of tourists from all over the world who need places to stay, restaurants to eat in and traditional products to purchase. The efforts made to cater to these tourists will remain long after they have gone. The cost of renovating a hotel might pay for itself during the event and then begin turning a large profit in later years. The other main area of development is related to the rapid expansion of quality infrastructure. Nations will be forced to invest in new sports facilities like swimming pools and stadiums as well as make renovations to pre-existing infrastructure like roads and airports. For example, China used the Beijing Olympics as an opportunity to modernise old buildings and roads.
On the other hand, these competitions use up tremendous resources from the host nation for a temporary competition. To ensure the success of these prestigious events, governments must waste a large percentage of the nation budget in the years leading up to the competition, oftentimes in the billions of dollars. The newly constructed facilities usually fall into disuse after each tournament. A salient example of this is Brazil as many of the swimming pools and sports facilities that were used in the 2014 Olympics are currently abandoned and becoming decrepit. Meanwhile, there are other pressing issues that have been festering including the need for new schools for underprivileged students and quality healthcare for the elderly population. If the government had prioritised these issues the country would be in a better position and its citizens would have a higher standard of living.
To summarize, due to the exorbitant costs, I am of the belief that the government should not allocate such a large percentage of its financial resources to hosting global events with negligible long-term impact. Instead these events should be hosted in the same countries year after year so that the new infrastructure pays for itself over time.
Vocabulary Definitions
fierce competition: fighting with each other seriously in sports or business usually
as it is: because it is
unique opportunity: very good, one time only chance
national reputation: how a country is viewed by the rest of the world
host nation: the country where the event is
in spite of: despite
undeniable benefits: clear positives
prioritise: made something the most important matter
key issues: most important matter or question
a number of: many or a lot of
influx: a rush of something or a lot of something suddenly appearing
traditional products: things with an historical background
cater: to serve or try to please
renovating: fixing up or making better
rapid expansion: quickly growing
quality infrastructure: very good roads, buildings, etc.
invest: put money into something
pre-existing infrastructure: the infrastructure that has already been around for a long time
modernise: becoming more modern/new
use up tremendous resources: spend a lot of money/time/natural resources
temporary competition: impermanent tournament
ensure the success: make sure that it will work/be successful
prestigious events: important events
in the years leading up to: the time before something
fall into disuse: no longer used by people
a salient example of this is: an example that stands out
abandoned: left behind
decrepit: old and falling apart
pressing issues: important or urgent problems
festering: getting worse without anyone paying much attention
underprivileged students: students without much money/opportunity
quality healthcare: good hospitals and doctors for people to use
better position: a good place
higher standard of living: good quality of life
exorbitant costs: very expensive
allocate: distribute resources to a particular area
financial resources: money
negligible long-term impact: little effect over a long period of time
pays for itself: will end up breaking even/not losing any money
Vocabulary Practice
There is _________________ between nations to host major international sports events like the World Cup or Olympics _________ a _________________ to boost the _________________ of the _________________. _________________ its _________________, I believe that the costs are too great and therefore governments should _________________ other _________________ to better benefit their citizens.
On the one hand, becoming a host nation for global events such as the World Cup or the Olympics brings _________________ economic and infrastructural benefits. During these events, there is an _________________ of tourists from all over the world who need places to stay, restaurants to eat in and _________________ to purchase. The efforts made to _________________ to these tourists will remain long after they have gone. The cost of _________________ a hotel might pay for itself during the event and then begin turning a large profit in later years. The other main area of development is related to the _________________ of _________________. Nations will be forced to _________________ in new sports facilities like swimming pools and stadiums as well make renovations to _________________ like roads and airports. For example, China used the Beijing Olympics as an opportunity to _________________ old buildings and roads.
On the other hand, these competitions _________________ from the host nation for a _________________. To _________________ of these _________________, governments must waste a large percentage of the nation budget _________________ the competition, oftentimes in the billions of dollars. The newly constructed facilities usually _________________ after each tournament. _________________ Brazil as many of the swimming pools and sports facilities that were used in the 2014 Olympics are currently _________________ and becoming _________________. This means that more than 2 billion dollars from Brazilian citizens was wasted. Meanwhile, there are other _________________ that have been _________________ including the need for new schools for _________________ and _________________ for the elderly population. If the government had prioritised these issues the country would be in a _________________ and its citizens would have a _________________.
To summarize, due to the _________________, I am of the belief that the government should not _________________ such a large percentage of its _________________ to hosting global events with _________________. Instead these events should be hosted in the same countries year after year so that the new infrastructure _________________ over time.
World Cup Quiz!
IELTS Quiz!
Answers:
1. Striker/Forward. 2. Goalkeeper, forward, defender, centreback, fullback, right back, left back, sweeper, winger, midfielder, centre midfielder, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, wide midfielder, centre forward
ANTON CHOOSES TO fight everywhere. Anton is a bouncer and a boxing coach and an instructor at a gym in St. Petersburg that specializes in training hooligans. Anton loves fighting, loves talking about it, loves the language of it.
1. Anton is a hooligan himself. 2. In Russia, football hooligans are very common. 3. Anton enjoys fighting. 4. Anton doesn’t have a job.
Answers:
1. Not Given. He trains fighter but it isn’t clear that he is also a football hooligan.
2. True. If there are gyms training them, then they must be common. It’s logical – most countries don’t have that.
3. True. It says he ‘loves’ fighting so he must enjoy it.
4. False. It says he is an instructor at a hooligan training gym and that is a job, believe it or not.
Traffic and housing problems in major cities could be solved by moving companies, factories and their employees to the countryside. Do you agree or disagree?
Many people claim that moving companies, factories and their employees from cities to the countryside might ameliorate some of the worst traffic and housing issues. I strongly believe that this is a suitable solution for those two particular city problems.
Moving the facilities of major corporations to the countryside will reduce traffic problems by encouraging more people to live in the countryside for their work. It is widely known that more people live in cities today than ever before and this has caused terrible traffic. For example, in Beijing it is not uncommon for gridlocked motorways to delay motorists for hours. Travelers depend on getting in to Beijing for their livelihood but if their jobs were in the countryside, or a nearby suburb, they could live outside the city and reduce traffic. This would have a major impact on overcrowded cities like Beijing that lose billions of dollars a year because of time wasted in traffic jams, according to recent research.
Moving factories and employees to the countryside will also help to mitigate housing issues in cities. In many developing countries, the rush of people from the country to the city has necessitated the construction of massive skyscrapers. A lot of these underdeveloped cities such as Mexico City and Lagos do not have the sophisticated infrastructure including efficient plumbing, clean water and trash collection that is needed to service a concentrated population. By moving jobs and people to the countryside, developing countries will have more time to improve their infrastructure to deal with surging urban populations.
In conclusion, moving people to the countryside will help to reduce traffic and housing problems, especially in developing countries. If more governments studied this closely and enacted laws to encourage people to move, it would greatly improve the quality of life for everyone living in the city.
IELTS Sample Answer Analysis
1. Many people claim that moving companies, factories and their employees from cities to the countryside might ameliorate some of the worst traffic and housing issues. 2. I strongly believe that this is a suitable solution for those two particular city problems.
1. In the first sentence, I simply paraphrase the topic. Don’t waste time on this sentence, write it as quickly as possible.
2. In the second sentence, I state my opinion. It is essential to do this or you will be limited to a 5 for task achievement (you can wait until the conclusion to include your opinion if you want).
1. Moving the facilities of major corporations to the countryside will reduce traffic problems by encouraging more people to live in the countryside for their work. 2. It is widely known that more people live in cities today than ever before and this has caused terrible traffic. 3. For example, in Beijing it is not uncommon for gridlocked motorways to delay motorists for hours. 4. Travelers depend on getting in to Beijing for their livelihood but if their jobs were in the countryside, or a nearby suburb, they could live outside the city and reduce traffic. 5. This would have a major impact on overcrowded cities like Beijing that lose billions of dollars a year because of time wasted in traffic jams, according to recent research.
1. In the first sentence, I write a topic sentence about how people leaving the city will help reduce traffic.
2. In my second sentence, I explain that people in cities now cause traffic.
3. In my third sentence, I give the example of Beijing where the traffic is really bad.
4. In my fourth sentence, I claim that the traffic would be better if people in cities like that lived and worked outside the city.
5. In my fifth sentence, I describe how reducing traffic will also help cities to save money and cite (fake) research.
1. Moving factories and employees to the countryside will also help to mitigate housing issues in cities. 2. In many developing countries, the rush of people from the country to the city has necessitated the construction of massive skyscrapers. 3. A lot of these underdeveloped cities such as Mexico City and Lagos do not have the sophisticated infrastructure including efficient plumbing, clean water and trash collection that is needed to service a concentrated population. 4. By moving jobs and people to the countryside, developing countries will have more time to improve their infrastructure to deal with surging urban populations.
1. In my first sentence, I write a topic sentence saying that moving out of cities will help solve housing problems.
2. In my second sentence, I claim that developing countries have to deal with rushes of people.
3. In my third sentence, I detail how this can be a problem because developing countries aren’t ready for increased populations.
4. In my fourth sentence, I add that if there were more people in the countryside, cities would have more time to deal with those problems.
1. In conclusion, moving people to the countryside will help to reduce traffic and housing problems, especially in developing countries. 2. If more governments studied this closely and enacted laws to encourage people to move, it would greatly improve the quality of life for everyone living in the city.
1. In my first sentence, I summarise my opinion and main ideas.
2. In my second sentence, I suggest that governments should look closely at this issue in order to improve the quality of life for everyone living in a city.
IELTS Sample Answer Vocabulary
Take some notes on the following vocabulary. Write down what you think each word means and a sample sentence and then check your answers below.
Many people claim that moving companies, factories and their employees from cities to the countryside might ameliorate some of the worst traffic and housing issues. I strongly believe that this is a suitable solution for those two particular city problems.
Moving the facilities of major corporations to the countryside will reduce traffic problems by encouraging more people to live in the countryside for their work. It is widely known that more people live in cities today than ever before and this has caused terrible traffic. For example, in Beijing it is not uncommon for gridlocked motorways to delay motorists for hours. Travelers depend on getting in to Beijing for their livelihood but if their jobs were in the countryside, or a nearby suburb, they could live outside the city and reduce traffic. This would have a major impact on overcrowded cities like Beijing that lose billions of dollars a year because of time wasted in traffic jams, according to recent research.
Moving factories and employees to the countryside will also help to mitigate housing issues in cities. In many developing countries, the rush of people from the country to the city has necessitated the construction of massive skyscrapers. A lot of these underdeveloped cities such as Mexico City and Lagos do not have the sophisticated infrastructure including efficient plumbing, clean water and trash collection that is needed to service a concentrated population. By moving jobs and people to the countryside, developing countries will have more time to improve their infrastructure to deal with surging urban populations.
In conclusion, moving people to the countryside will help to reduce traffic and housing problems, especially in developing countries. If more governments studied this closely and enacted laws to encourage people to move, it would greatly improve the quality of life for everyone living in the city.
Answers
ameliorate: to make better (There’s no way to ameliorate this situation), a very formal/academic word – not used when speaking
It is widely known: many people know or are aware of something
it is not uncommon: another way to say something is common
gridlocked motorways: streets so full of traffic that they can’t move
depend: relies on
livelihood: the money that you make/your job
major impact: big influence/effect
overcrowded: lots of people (too many!)
according to recent research: studies have shown
mitigate: help to balance out or stop
the rush of people: lots of people doing something at once
skyscrapers: very, very tall buildings in big cities
sophisticated infrastructure: complex roads, water systems, plumbing, etc.
efficient plumbing: the system of toilets, waste and sewage in a town or city
clean water: water that is not dirty
trash collection: picking up trash by sending trash trucks around
concentrated population: lots of people in a small area of land
surging urban populations: rapidly increasing numbers of people in the city
I’ll be totally honest with you: this table is an absolute nightmare! I was sitting with one of the head IELTS trainers when I was marking this one and we had a real tough time figuring out the overview.
In that situation, most (but not all) examiners will be more lenient when it comes to marking the overview. They will take it easy on you because it is a tough graph!
Study the sample answer below so that you won’t feel like that dog on test day!
The recent questions from the IELTS writing task 2 exam are here, task 1 is here and the speaking questions and topics are here.
Dave
The Question
The table below gives information about populations in Australia and Malaysia in 1980 and 2002. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Australia
Malaysia
1980
2002
1980
2002
Total population (millions)
14.7
19.6
13.7
24.3
Male population (%)
49.9
49.9
50.3
50.6
Female population (%)
50.1
50.1
49.7
49.4
Birth rate (%)
1.5
1.3
3.2
2.2
Average annual population growth (%)
1.2
1.3
2.4
2.1
Population aged over 65 (%)
9.6
12.4
3.7
4.3
Examiner Sample Answer (by Dave)
The table compares six demographic indicators of Australia and Malaysia in the years 1980 and 2002. Overall, while the population size in both countries increased considerably over the period, Malaysia’s grew at a much higher rate. Despite the overall rate of growth, the birth rate percentage was in decline by 2002. Both countries had comparable stable figures for the approximately equal male and female population proportions, however Australia had more older people and saw a larger percentile increase there as well.
The total population in both countries witnessed a substantial growth with the figure for Malaysia nearly doubling to 24.3 million while Australia increased from 14.7 to 19.6 million people. The percentage of men and women of Australia remained steady during the period at 49.9% for males and 51.1% for females. In contrast, the Malaysian male population increased its share by .3% to 50.% and there was a reciprocal decline of 0.3% for females.
Both nations experienced a downward trend in birth rates in 2002, with a decline of 1.0% in Malaysia. Overall, Malaysia had a much higher birthrate and annual population growth in 1980 (3.2% and 2.4%) and 2002 (2.2% and 2.1%). In Australia, the changes were less dramatic with the birth rate falling from 1.5% to 1.3% and average annual population growth slipping slightly from 1.3% to 1.2%. Seniors experienced a different trend. Between 1980 and 2002, Australia was home to an extra 2.8% (12.4% overall) of the elderly while the figure for Malaysia rose much less substantially by 0.6% (4.3% in total in 2002).
Sample Answer Analysis
1. The table compares six demographic indicators of Australia and Malaysia in the years 1980 and 2002. 2. Overall, while the population size in both countries increased considerably over the period, Malaysia’s grew at a much higher rate. 3. Despite the overall rate of growth, the birth rate percentage was in decline by 2002. 4. Both countries had comparable stable figures for the approximately equal male and female population proportions, however Australia had more older people and saw a larger percentile increase there as well.
1. My first sentence simply paraphrases the question. Don’t worry about this standard, token sentence – write it quickly.
2. My second sentence begins a torturous general overview. I start with the most important information – population growth for both countries.
3. My third sentence is still part of my never-ending general overview and notes an important decreasing trend related to birth rate %.
4. My merciful final sentence of the overview notes that both countries have similar proportions with the exception of the elderly, of which there are more in Australia.
1. The total population in both countries witnessed a substantial growth with the figure for Malaysia nearly doubling to 24.3 million while Australia increased from 14.7 to 19.6 million people. 2. The percentage of men and women of Australia remained steady during the period at 49.9% for males and 51.1% for females. 3. In contrast, the Malaysian male population increased its share by .3% to 50.% and there was a reciprocal decline of 0.3% for females.
1. My first sentence details the statistics for overall population growth in both countries.
2. My second sentence describes the ratio changes for men and women in Australia.
3. My third sentence does the same but for Malaysia, where there are fewer females.
1. Both nations experienced a downward trend in birth rates in 2002, with a decline of 1.0% in Malaysia. 2. Overall, Malaysia had a much higher birthrate and annual population growth in 1980 (3.2% and 2.4%) and 2002 (2.2% and 2.1%). 3. In Australia, the changes were less dramatic with the birth rate falling from 1.5% to 1.3% and average annual population growth slipping slightly from 1.3% to 1.2%. 4. Seniors experienced a different trend. 5. Between 1980 and 2002, Australia was home to an extra 2.8% (12.4% overall) of the elderly while the figure for Malaysia rose much less substantially by 0.6% (4.3% in total in 2002).
1. My first sentence describes the percentage changes for birth rates.
2. My second sentence compares Malaysia which had much higher overall growth rates.
3. My third sentence compares Australia, which had lower growth rates.
4. My fourth sentence introduces the category of seniors.
5. My fifth sentence compares the data for seniors in Malaysia and Australia.
Vocabulary Analysis and Practice
The table compares six demographic indicators of Australia and Malaysia in the years 1980 and 2002. Overall, while the population size in both countries increased considerably over the period, Malaysia’s grew at a much higher rate. Despite the overall rate of growth, the birth rate percentage was in decline by 2002. Both countries had comparable stable figures for the approximately equal male and female population proportions, however Australia had more older people and saw a larger percentile increase there as well.
The total population in both countries witnessed a substantial growth with the figure for Malaysia nearly doubling to 24.3 million while Australia increased from 14.7 to 19.6 million people. The percentage of men and women of Australia remained steady during the period at 49.9% for males and 51.1% for females. In contrast, the Malaysian male population increased its share by .3% to 50.% and there was a reciprocal decline of 0.3% for females.
Both nations experienced a downward trend in birth rates in 2002, with a decline of 1.0% in Malaysia. Overall, Malaysia had a much higher birthrate and annual population growth in 1980 (3.2% and 2.4%) and 2002 (2.2% and 2.1%). In Australia, the changes were less dramatic with the birth rate falling from 1.5% to 1.3% and average annual population growth slipping slightly from 1.3% to 1.2%. Seniors experienced a different trend. Between 1980 and 2002, Australia was home to an extra 2.8% (12.4% overall) of the elderly while the figure for Malaysia rose much less substantially by 0.6% (4.3% in total in 2002).
Practice – categorise the vocabulary from the sample answer below:
Vocabulary for describing growth:
Vocabulary for describing decline:
Ways to say big/fast:
Ways to say small/slow:
Answers:
Vocabulary for describing growth: increased, grew at a much higher rate, substantial growth, rose much less substantially
Vocabulary for describing decline: was in decline, reciprocal decline, downward trend, slipping slightly
Ways to say big/fast: much higher rate, considerable, substantial
Ways to say small/slow: less dramatic, slightly, less substantially
Grammar Analysis and Practice: Present Simple
Wait, don’t skip this section right away! I know, I know – present simple. The simplest, most basic grammar.
If you are reading this, you already know about present simple.
But you wouldn’t believe how many students make simple mistakes in the first sentence of their writing and give the examiner a really bad first impression.
My tip is to make sure you get the subject/verb agreement here correct as a reminder to keep getting it correct as you continue writing.
The tablecomparessix demographic indicators of Australia and Malaysia in the years 1980 and 2002.
Red: Subject – is it singular or plural (table is singular, tables is plural)
Table: Verb (if the subject is singular then there is an ‘s’ – compares. If it is plural, then there is no ‘s’ – compare.
Correct: The tablecompares six demographic indicators of Australia and Malaysia in the years 1980 and 2002.
Incorrect: The table compare six demographic indicators of Australia and Malaysia in the years 1980 and 2002.
Let’s do some simple practice:
Correct the mistakes:
1. The pie charts illustrates the band scores for IELTS candidates in Vietnam in 2005 and 2018.
2. The diagram describe the process by which an examiner marks IELTS.
3. IELTS examiners likes marking Task 1 because it is easy.
4. IELT Writing Task 1 stop many students from getting the scores that they deserve.
5. IELTS students almost never spends enough time to prepare.
Answers:
1. The pie charts illustrate the band scores for IELTS candidates in Vietnam in 2005 and 2018.
2. The diagram describes the process by which an examiner marks IELTS.
3. IELTS examiners like marking Task 1 because it is easy.
4. IELT Writing Task 1 stops many students from getting the scores that they deserve.
5. IELTS students almost never spend enough time to prepare.
I know it’s simple – just make sure you do it and then remember that your subjects and verbs should always agree (regardless if it is present simple or not).
My Handwritten Notes
IELTS Tables Vocabulary
Links
Student Band 5.5 Example (for Comparison)
The table compares six population information of Australia and Malaysia in the years 1980 and 2002. Overall, the population size in both countries increased considerably over the period. The two countries saw differences in the rates of birth, average annual growth and aging population.
After 22 years, the total population in both countries witnessed a substantially growth. The figure for Malaysia nearly doubling its previous data, reaching 24.3 million. While the percentage of men and women of Australia remained steadily during the period, there was a slight growth by 0.3% in Malaysian male population.
The two nations experienced a downward trend in birth rates in 2002. Their older population, by contrast, increased. Between 1980 and 2002, Australia had an extra 2.8% of the elderly while Malaysia rise by 0.6%. Average population growth rate grew by 0.1% in Australia yet fall by 1% for the other nation.
Practice: Complete the notes for your overview
1. Population ____________ in both countries
2. __________’s population increased quicker than __________
3. Male and female proportions were relatively _______.
4. ___________ had a higher birthrate, but with a ____________ trend.
5. ___________ had a larger older population.
6. __________’s older population increased more quickly.
Now use your notes to write an overview. Try to combine the information into a maximum of two or three sentences. Look back at my overview to check your answers. Write your overview in the comments below!
When it comes to political decisions that impact millions of people in America and around the world, Donald Trump doesn’t make any mistakes. He’s perfect. He wouldn’t say it but he is. Everyone knows that.
But when it comes to English grammar and vocabulary, his record is a bit mixed.
I don’t think it is fair to pick apart a few tweets with mistakes in them and call him an idiot. Twitter is about sending out fast messages. Most of his tweets do not have mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes – we shouldn’t pretend that typos are actually important!
If you think you’re smarter than the president because you can spot some typos he made on Twitter, you need to completely re-evaluate your life.
Still, I won’t judge whatever you need to feel better about yourself – we all need a pick-me up and Donald Trump is picking up the whole world at the moment!
First I’m going to look at his writing (and some speaking) mistakes based on the four IELTS criteria: vocabulary, grammar, fluency/cohesion & coherence, and task achievement. I’ve included spelling as a separate category because there are so, so many spelling mistakes…
IELTS Writing Task 2 Tip: Edit for mistakes if you have an extra minute at the end. Practice this tip by using all of Trump’s mistakes below.
Then I’ll give him his IELTS band scores as if he was a regular IELTS candidate!
Be sure to check out my post and video on Donald Trump’s IELTS speaking score as well (if you don’t have enough Donald Trump in your life already – how did we ever live before Donald Trump was president?).
I’m honered to serve you, the great American People, as your 45th President of the United States!
China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters – rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act!
Reports by @CNN that I will be working on The Apprentice during my Presidency, even part time, are rediculous & untrue – FAKE NEWS!
Looks to me like the Bernie people will fight. If not, there blood, sweat and tears was a total waist of time. Kaine stands for opposite!
These politicians like Cruz and Graham, who have watched ISIS and many other problems develope for years, do nothing to make thing better!
@AndreaTantaros- You are a true journalistic profesional. I so agree with what you say. Keep up the great work!
All of the phony T.V. commercials against me are bought and payed for by SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS, the bandits that tell your pols what to do
Leightweight chocker Marco Rubio looks like a little boy on stage. Not presidential material!
Thr coverage … gas been so false and angry
The dying @NRO National Review has totally given up the fight against Barrack Obama. They have been loosing for years. I will beat Hillary!
If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House waite so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?
ANSWERS:
I’m honored to serve you, the great American People, as your 45th President of the United States!
China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters – rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act!
Reports by @CNN that I will be working on The Apprentice during my Presidency, even part time, are ridiculous & untrue – FAKE NEWS!
Looks to me like the Bernie people will fight. If not, there blood, sweat and tears was a total waste of time. Kaine stands for opposite!
These politicians like Cruz and Graham, who have watched ISIS and many other problems develop for years, do nothing to make thing better!
@AndreaTantaros- You are a true journalistic professional. I so agree with what you say. Keep up the great work!
All of the phony T.V. commercials against me are bought and paid for by SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS, the bandits that tell your pols what to do
Lightweight choker Marco Rubio looks like a little boy on stage. Not presidential material
Their coverage … has been so false and angry
The dying @NRO National Review has totally given up the fight against Barrack Obama. They have been losing for years. I will beat Hillary!
If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?
GRAMMAR MISTAKES – Can you find all 24!?
So funny, the Democrats have sued the Republicans for Winning. Now he R’s counter and force them to turn over a treasure trove of material, including Servers and Emails!
No dream is too big, no challenge is to great
Cooper: “Did you use that $960 million loss to avoid paying personal federal income taxes?” Trump: “Of course I do. Of course I do.”
This memo totally vindicates “Trump” in probe. But the Russian Witch Hunt goes on and on. Their was no Collusion and there was no Obstruction (the word now used because, after one year of looking endlessly and finding NOTHING, collusion is dead). This is an American disgrace!
For those asking, the Republicans only have 51 votes in the Senate, and they need 60. That is why we need to win more Republicans in 2018 Election! We can then be even tougher on Crime (and Border), and even better to our Military & Veterans!
The Fake News Media hates when I use what has turned out to be my very powerful Social Media – over 100 million people! I can go around them
No matter how good I do on something, they’ll never write good. I mean, they don’t write good. They have people over there, like Maggie Haberman, and others, they don’t write good. They don’t know how to write good
This Russian connection non-sense is merely an attempt to cover-up the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton’s losing campaign
So funny, the Democrats have sued the Republicans for winning. Now he R’s counter and force them to turn over a treasure trove of material, including servers and emails!
No dream is too big, no challenge is too great
Cooper: “Did you use that $960 million loss to avoid paying personal federal income taxes?” Trump: “Of course I did. Of course I did.”
This memo totally vindicates “Trump” in probe. But the Russian witch hunt goes on and on. Their was no collusion and there was no obstruction (the word now used because, after one year of looking endlessly and finding NOTHING, collusion is dead). This is an American disgrace!
For those asking, the Republicans only have 51 votes in the senate, and they need 60. That is why we need to win more Republicans in 2018 election! We can then be even tougher on crime (and the border), and even better to our military & veterans!
The fake news media hates when I use what has turned out to be my very powerful social media – over 100 million people! I can go around them.
No matter how well do on something, they’ll never write ‘good.’ I mean, they don’t write ‘good.’ They have people over there, like Maggie Haberman, and others, they don’t write ‘good.’ They don’t know how to write ‘good.‘
This Russian connection nonsense is merely an attempt to coverup the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton’s losing campaign,
VOCABULARY MISTAKES – Can you find all 8!?
Ted Cruz is totally unelectable, if he even gets to run (born in Canada). Will loose big to Hillary. Polls show I beat Hillary easily! WIN!
We must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DON’T HAVE STEEL, YOU DON’T HAVE A COUNTRY!
I’m not unproud
China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters – rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act.
Despite the constant negative press covfefe
Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. Council
Buy American & hire American are the principals at the core of my agenda, which is: JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! Thank you @exxonmobil
Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my “wires tapped” in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!
Ted Cruz is totally unelectable, if he even gets to run (born in Canada). Will lose big to Hillary. Polls show I beat Hillary easily! WIN!
We must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DON’T HAVE STEEL, YOU DON’T HAVE A COUNTRY! (You can still have a country without steel)
I’m not ashamed,
China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters – rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act.
Despite the constant negative press coverage (maybe?).
Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. counsel.
Buy American & hire American are the principles at the core of my agenda, which is: JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! Thank you @exxonmobil
Terrible! Just found out that Obama tapped the phones in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!
COHESION & COHERENCE – Can you find all 1 million mistakes?
Talking about his first 100 days in office:
Number one, there’s great responsibility. When it came time to, as an example, send out the fifty-nine missiles, the Tomahawks in Syria. I’m saying to myself, “You know, this is more than just like, seventy-nine [sic] missiles. This is death that’s involved,” because people could have been killed. This is risk that’s involved, because if the missile goes off and goes in a city or goes in a civilian area—you know, the boats were hundreds of miles away—and if this missile goes off and lands in the middle of a town or a hamlet …. every decision is much harder than you’d normally make. [unintelligible] … This is involving death and life and so many things. … So it’s far more responsibility. [unintelligible] ….The financial cost of everything is so massive, every agency. This is thousands of times bigger, the United States, than the biggest company in the world.
TASK ACHIEVEMENT – Does Donald Trump answer the interviewer’s question?
BOB WOODWARD: And the real first question is, where do you start the movie of your decision to run for president? Because that is a big deal. A lot of internal/external stuff, and we’d love to hear your monologue on how you did it.
DONALD TRUMP: Where do you start the movie? I think it’s actually —and very interesting question — but I think the start was standing on top of the escalator at Trump Tower on June 16, which is the day — Bob, you were there, and you know what I mean, because there has. . . . I mean, it looked like the Academy Awards. I talk about it. There were so many cameras. So many — it was packed. The atrium of Trump Tower, which is a very big place, was packed. It literally looked like the Academy Awards. And . . . .
BW: But we want to go before that moment.
DT: Before that? Okay, because that was really . . . .
BW: Because, other words, there’s an internal Donald with Donald.
ROBERT COSTA: Maybe late 2014 or before you started hiring people?
DT: Well, but that was — okay, but I will tell you, until the very end. . . . You know, I have a good life. I built a great company. It’s been amazingly — I’m sure you looked at the numbers. I have very little debt, tremendous assets. And great cash flows. I have a wonderful family. Ivanka just had a baby. Doing this is not the easiest thing in the world to do. People have — many of my friends, very successful people, have said, “Why would you do this?”
BW: Can you isolate a moment when it kicked to yes?
DT: Well, I’ll tell you a moment.
BW: Because that’s what Bob and I are looking for.
DT: I’ll tell you a moment when it kicked to yes. Because it was a monetary moment also. So you saw that it made a lot of money because it was certified. Now it’s much more, because I also have a big chunk of the show. We chose Arnold Schwarzenegger to take my place. Okay? And hopefully Arnold will do well; who knows? But there was a moment in, I would say, February of last year, so that would be four months, three, four months before I announced, when Steve Burke, great guy, of Comcast — the head — came to see me with the top people at NBC. And they wanted to extend my contract. And I said, “Steve, I think that I am going to run for president. And if I do that, I’m not allowed to have a show.” In fact, when I did “Saturday Night Live” recently, it was a whole big deal. I’m not allowed to be on, and they actually had to give certain periods of time to other candidates that were running. It was a whole big . . . . So. I disagree with the equal time provisions. I think they’re very unfair. But nevertheless, you have them. So I said, “Steve, I can’t have a show if I run. I can’t be having a show, so I’m not going to run.” He says, “No, no, no, you’re going to do it.” I said, “Steve, I’m going to.” And they actually went to the upfronts and they announced that “The Apprentice” — in fact, you had a problem with it, because you were hearing that I was going to run, and then they announce that they’re going to renew “The Apprentice” with Donald Trump. And I remember he called one of my people, maybe Hope. But he called one of my people and said, “Wait a minute, he’s going to run, but he just announced he’s doing ‘The Apprentice.’ ” Do you remember that problem?
In this post, you’re going to do some practice and learn some tips for IELTS speaking, listening, reading, and writing (while talking about The Avengers).
For speaking, we are going to learn about Part 2 with two different sample answers.
For listening, we are going to focus on Part 1 of IELTS listening and writing down names and letters.
For reading, I’ll show you how to deal with True/False/Not Given questions.
Finally, we will take a look at a possible Writing Task 2 question and writing your main ideas for it.
Let’s go! Here is the full video – watch it and then read the analysis below:
Dave
SPEAKING
In the speaking I focused on Part 2 Speaking.
The question was:
Talk about a superhero you admire. You should say:
Who it is
Why you admire him/her
Other heroes you admire
Here is my full answer:
The superhero that I want to talk about is Batman and the reason that I admire Batman is because he doesn’t have any superpowers. So in the last movie he was in was the Justice League – he has to come together to protect the world to bat– there’s a battle between good and evil – a threat has come out and they have to try to fight it together. So he needs needs Wonder Woman’s help and he has to go get all these other superheroes to work together to fight the evil threat and again the reason I admire him is cuz he has no superpowers – he’s just a normal kind of crazy, angry, violent man but really amazing because all the other heroes they’re fighting and they’re not gonna die – they’re fine you know, even if they lose they won’t die – just all the people in the world will die but for Batman it’s different he could actually die – all the other superheroes it’s like it doesn’t really matter. Worst case scenario: the other people die, the whole world dies but least they are okay. But Batman it could actually be him who dies.
admire (verb): look up to or respect. “I admire Elon Musk because he dates a lot of celebrities.”
come together (verb): work as part of a team. “If we come together on this, we can accomplish anything.”
a battle between good and evil (noun phrase): a fight between the good guys and the bad guys. “Every Hollywood movie basically boils down to a battle before good and evil.”
threat (noun): Something that could harm or hurt you. “The threat of prison prevents most people from committing crimes.”
work together (verb): work as part of a team (same as above). “If we work as part of a team, we can accomplish anything.”
actually (adverb): in fact or really. “I’m not into superhero movies. Actually, I hate them.”
doesn’t really matter (expression): it is not important. “It doesn’t really matter how long you practice, you’re going to end up with the same score.”
worst case scenario (expression): the worst thing that could possibly happen. “Worst case scenario we will have to find a new place to work.”
I also gave a second example answer for the same question:
I want to talk about another superhero from the Marvel movies and his name is Captain America. Now I’m an American – that isn’t the reason why I like Captain America but it doesn’t hurt. So I like Captain America because in fact actually before the last Avengers movie I didn’t like Captain America he was my least favorite and that was because he’s always on his high horse – he always thinks he’s the best and he’s so self-righteous. He thinks he’s such a good guy and I always hate characters like that. I like characters more like the polar opposite – like a Tony Stark Iron Man – guys who are full of themselves and arrogant and fun but in the last movie I did feel that the actor who plays him – his character – because he’s got so much conviction he believes what he says so much that that I started to respect his character – I even liked his character more than the other characters.
on his high horse (idiom): feels superior/smarter/more ethical that everyone else. “Don’t get on your high horse with me.”
self-righteous (adjective): consider yourself to be right all the time. “Don’t get that self-righteous attitude with me.”
polar opposite (noun): completely different, 100% opposite. “We’re polar opposites – we can’t agree on anything!”
full of themselves (verb phrase): thinking very highly of yourself, arrogant. “My boss is so full of himself – I can’t stand him!”
arrogant (adjective): thinking very highly of yourself, full of yourself. “I’m not arrogant – I’m very humble!”
conviction (noun): believing strongly in something. “One of the key qualities of a leader is conviction.”
I recommend that you take the time to record, write down, and keep practicing your part 2 speaking answers until they get better!
You can also try practicing with my answers to build up your confidence.
Get some help from the Avengers on IELTS!
LISTENING
In part 1 of the listening test, you are being tested on 1 simple things: you ability to listen and write.
The vocabulary is simple so it won’t be a big problem in this part. There also aren’t many distractors or synonyms (which you will find in listening parts 2, 3, and 4(.
If you are trying to get above band 6, you probably need to get all the questions in part 1 correct.
Luckily, it is the easiest section to practice for! Just practice listening and writing.
2. Find another video on YouTube (I recommend BBC One Minute World News). Listen and write down the key words. Listen repeatedly. Or listen and write all the nouns or verbs. Try different ways – just make sure you are listening and writing something.
3. Use an IELTS practice test – but don’t do the whole test! Listen to section 1 again and again. Then read and listen to the tapescript. Focus on the ones that were hard or you got wrong. Figure out why you got it wrong and then practice that. For example, if you always miss the letter ‘s’, listen to a YouTube video and write down all the words with ‘s’.
READING
In my experience as a teacher and IELTS examiner, students struggle the most with True/False/Not Given questions (actually, even native English speakers struggle with them!).
Here’s the same example from the video above:
Avenger’s 4’s first weekend at the box office was the highest grossing for any film ever.
True/False/Not Given?
1. Avenger’s 4 made more money than any other superhero movie in its first weekend.
2. Avengers 4 is a popular film.
3. Avengers 4 has made more money than any other film.
The answers are:
1. True
2. True
3. Not Given
The first one is true because if it made more money that ANY film, that also includes other superhero movies, even though it didn’t mention other superhero movies you can infer this logically.
The second one is true because if a movie makes a ton of money then it has to be popular. This is also logical (common sense).
The third one is not given because even thought it may become true later, it is only talking about the opening weekend – not the total amount of money made.
For True/False/Not Given you need to be careful of: questions that are almost true – but not quite. Those are going to be not given.
Let’s try one more example of a question that is ALMOST true – but not quite:
Dave was an IELTS examiner.
True/False/Not Given
1. Dave worked for the IELTS department at either BC or IDP.
2. Dave is still a current IELTS examiner.
3. Dave also teachers IELTS.
Number 1 is true because BC and IDP are the only two places where you can take IELTS and to do IELTS you obviously have to work for the IELTS department.
Number 2 is false because it says that I was in the past. If it was still true it would say ‘Dave has been an IELTS examiner for years.’
Number 3 is not given. You can assume it is true but it doesn’t actually say it – so false. These are the ones you have to be most careful of – that ones that are ALMOST true.
WRITING
Here is the question from the video above:
Some people think that governments should have authority over superheroes. To what extent do you agree?
Based on the movie Captain America: Civil War, there are two main sides – what Iron Man (Tony Stark) thinks and Captain America (Steve Rogers).
If Iron Man were taking IELTS he would agree 100% because he thinks governments are elected by the people and the people should have power of the decisions of superheroes.
If Captain America were taking IELTS he would completely disagree because he doesn’t think governments can be trusted and superheroes are more responsible and ethical.
If you were doing it – well why don’t you tell me!
Write your own sample answer in the comments below (using my main ideas or your own). I will give band scores for free for anyone who comments a full sample answer!
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