by Dave | Dec 26, 2017 | Sample Answers
This is an IELTS sample answer on leadership that came up on the test in July – maybe it will come up again next July! (That’s just a joke – questions are not repeated on the test.)
Read this sample answer and complete the vocabulary exercises below it in quizlet so you can be ready for when it comes up again!
Check out the links to articles and videos to become more familiar with a topic that will definitely come up again on the test next July! (Joking!)
If you want some SPEAKING sample answers you can check out our YouTube Channel.
Dave
Task 2 IELTS Sample Question
Some are of the opinion that people are naturally born as good leaders while others feel that leadership skills can be learned.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Sample Answer
It is often said that important people are born with certain characteristics that enable them to become great leaders. The alternative view is that leadership is a learnable quality. Personally, I agree with the latter viewpoint because training and experience are more important than innate ability in this situation.
It is somewhat true that many individuals are born with distinctive personal traits that allow them the opportunity to become talented leaders. Leaders tend to be those who are charming and persuasive. In contrast, those who lack of these characteristics may have a difficulty inspiring the belief and loyalty that all leaders require and end up as followers rather than leaders. For instance, a salesman who often fails to convince his clients to sign a deal may be dissuaded from becoming the sales team leader since he does not believe that he has what it takes to be one. The more convincing salesmen are more likely to rise to that role.
However, there are also people who assert that leadership skills can actually be achieved through proper training and effort. That is why there is a larger number of institutes offering leadership training programmes helping those who want to learn the skills required to be a leader. Public speaking is one of many skills these schools can teach. Individuals who are shy and lack confidence can find their feet in the leadership battle by learning the essence of good body language, pronunciation, and other elements of good public speaking. This will in turn make them better leaders.
In conclusion, although some traits related to leadership are likely inherited there is tremendous room for people to grow into positions of responsibility if they apply themselves fully to learning the skills and personal characteristics of great leaders.
Analysis
Introduction: 1. It is often said that important people are born with certain characteristics that enable them to become great leaders. The alternative view is that leadership is a learnable quality. 2. Personally, I agree with the latter viewpoint because training and experience are more important than innate ability in this situation.
1. The first sentence simply restates one side of the topic (leaders are born).
2. The second sentence restates the other side (leaders are made).
3. The third sentence states my opinion that leaders are made more, not born.
Body Paragraph 1: 1. It is somewhat true that many individuals are born with distinctive personal traits that allow them the opportunity to become talented leaders. Leaders tend to be those who are charming and persuasive. 2. In contrast, those who lack of these characteristics may have difficulty inspiring the belief and loyalty that all leaders require and end up as followers rather than leaders. 3. For instance, a salesman who often fails to convince his clients to sign a deal may be dissuaded from becoming the sales team leader since he does not believe that he has what it takes to be one. 4. The more convincing salesmen are more likely to rise to that role.
1. The first sentence is a topic sentence that includes my main idea for the whole paragraph (there are some natural traits that help people become talented leaders).
2. The second sentence further supports my main idea by pointing out that people who lack certain qualities often become followers rather than leaders.
3. The third sentence further this idea by giving the example of a salesman without the natural charisma to convince clients also not having the personality to lead other salesmen.
4. The fourth sentence supposes that a more naturally convincing person is more likely to become the leader of that team.
Body Paragraph 2: 1. However, there are also people who assert that leadership skills can actually be achieved through proper training and effort. 2. That is why there are a larger number of institutes offering leadership training programmes helping those who want to learn the skills required to be a leader. 3. Public speaking is one of many skills these schools can teach. 4. Individuals who are shy and lack confidence can find their feet in the leadership battle by learning the essence of good body language, pronunciation, and other elements of good public speaking. 5. This will in turn make them better leaders.
1. The first sentence is a topic sentence that includes my main idea for the whole paragraph (people can become leaders through training and effort).
2. The second sentence further supports my main idea by pointing out that many institutions offer training courses for leadership.
3. The third sentence further supports my main idea by saying that there are clear skills a person can learn related to body language, pronunciation and public speaking.
4. The fourth sentence summarises the paragraph by concluding that the training course will make them better leaders.
Conclusion: 1. In conclusion, although some traits related to leadership are likely inherited there is tremendous room for people to grow into positions of responsibility if they apply themselves fully to learning the skills and personal characteristics of great leaders.
1. The first (and only) sentence restates the main ideas and my overall opinion.
Vocabulary Practice
Quizlet is one of the best websites on the internet that you are not using (unless if you are using it – then good!)
Don’t believe me? Click on the link below and use it to easily learn some high-level vocabulary from the sample answer above:
Use this amazing site to learn some of the vocabulary from our sample answer!
Leadership Articles
Leadership Videos
Example Notes
Here are some notes that I wrote myself (with the aid of a cup of coffee) from our Instagram page:
Student / Expert Answer comparison (Spot the mistake in body paragraph #2?)
Now it’s Your Turn! Comment below:
Are leaders born or made?
by Dave | Dec 10, 2017 | IELTS Reading
It gets pretty boring trying to improve your reading everyday using practice tests – reading the news is a great way to work on your IELTS!
Your life is already pretty boring so let’s see if we can find some ways to make it slightly more interesting.
The news used to be boring too, but now that Donald Trump is president it is better than watching an action movie!
Let’s take a look at how you can use the news in a structured way over a long period of time to improve your reading skills and do better on the test (these tips apply to books and other online articles as well – not just the news).
You can get more tips and reading materials from our Facebook group, too!
Dave
Tip #1: Know your Websites
Here are my favourite websites for reading the news, including a mixture of American and UK sites:
news.google.com Takes the top headlines from hundreds of newspapers and websites. Also allows you to personalize and search news all over the world.
theatlantic.com This magazine has been around for 160 years and employs some of the best writers and journalists in the world.
pitchfork.com The best and most popular blog for reading music news.
bbc.co.uk The gold standard for UK news, publicly funded and 100% impartial.
dailymail.co.uk Often considered to be the pinnacle of professional journalism.
nytimes.com LIberal-leaning and the most famous news organisation in the world.
Tip #2: Read lots of Related Articles
Here are two of the related articles at the bottom:
Make sure that you read articles from the same topic. Since both articles are related you will be able to review a lot of the same vocabulary.
Some of the common vocabulary in both articles includes: administration, white house, democratic, campaign, conceal, institutions and many more!
This is how you learn a language: you read the same words over and over again in slightly different texts and over time understand the word fully.
You don’t learn words with vocabulary lists and translations from L2 to L1 (or even from dictionaries!). That is superficial.
This method of learning slowly as you read a word over and over again encourages deep, meaningful learning, not simple memorisation.
Tip #3: Keep a Journal for Vocab and Ideas
The difference between successful and unsuccessful IELTS students is how active they are.
Don’t just read. Read and DO SOMETHING.
Here are some images of good note-taking (from our Instagram page):
Tip #4 Practice Activities
Besides taking good notes, you should also try to do some meaningful practice with what you read.
You don’t have to be in the classroom with some old, ugly teacher to do practice activities.
Here are some activities you can do all by yourself:
1. Read the article and write a short summary (1-2 sentences long). Then go back the next day and re-read the article and add more detail to your summary.
2. Write your opinion of what is happening in the article.
3. Write a prediction for what will happen in the future related to the article.
4. Record your favourite quotes/lines from the article. Try to memorise them.
5. Add an extra sentence to every paragraph in the article.
by Dave | Dec 7, 2017 | How To
The Most Common Score (because of IELTS overviews)
They should be getting a 6 overall (or higher) for Task 1 Writing. But their scores look like this:
Task Achievement: 5
Cohesion & Coherence: 6
Vocabulary: 6
Grammar: 6
Overall: 5.5
That person’s score should be a 6. But it’s not.
And the reason is because they made one minor mistake with their overview.
The band descriptors state:
Writing that does not have an overview at all gets 5.
Writing that does not have a clear overview also gets a 5.
There’s one minor mistake that makes a major difference and stops the vast majority of students every week from writing a clear overview.
The Minor Mistake
This happens with every type of graph (maybe 75% of the time) but almost 100% with tables.
Here’s a table:
The graph below shows the average number of cups of coffee drunk per minute per person in three countries in 2000 and 2010.
|
2000
|
2010
|
Nepal
|
1.2
|
1.1
|
Vietnam
|
4.2
|
4.2
|
Indonesia
|
8.7
|
9.2
|
For their overview, 99% of students write:
People in Nepal drank the least coffee in both of the years while Indonesians drank the most.
Here’s another example:
The graph below shows the number of tourists (in thousands) visiting different attractions in the United States in 2004 and 2017.
|
2004
|
2017
|
The Grand Canyon
|
110
|
108
|
Yellowstone National Park
|
231
|
252
|
The Golden Gate Bridge
|
301
|
234
|
Disneyland
|
364
|
375
|
Trump Tower
|
870
|
952
|
And another common overview:
Trump Tower had by far the highest total number of visitors in both years surveyed while the Grand Canyon accounted for the lowest number.
The problem with both these overviews is that they just mention the top and the bottom, the high and the low.
That is not an overview – it is only the two key areas.
Both of these students will get 5 for Task Achievement even if the rest of their writing is absolutely amazing.
That’s because the overview requires an overview of all the information.
It is not a summary.
It is not writing about the main factors.
It is like a bird flying over a field seeing everything. You must include everything in your overview or it doesn’t count as an overview.
Are all countries mentioned? Are all tourist attractions mentioned?
If not, it’s not an overview. Task Achievement = 5.
How to Fix the Mistake
What can you do to make sure that you include an overview of everything?
Think of your overview as two sentences, not one.
For the first graph:
The graph below shows the average number of cups of coffee drunk per minute per person in three countries in 2000 and 2010.
|
2000
|
2010
|
Nepal
|
1.2
|
1.1
|
Vietnam
|
4.2
|
4.2
|
Indonesia
|
8.7
|
9.2
|
Band 5 Overview (just the high and low):
People in Nepal drank the least coffee in both of the years while Indonesians drank the most.
Band 6 Overview (all areas included):
People in Nepal drank the least coffee in both of the years while Indonesians drank the most. Vietnamese people occupied the middle position.
Band 7+ Overview (all areas included with more detail):
People in Nepal drank by far the least coffee in both of the years and there was a slight decline over the years while Indonesians drank considerably more than both other countries, including a small upward trend. Vietnamese people were almost directly in the middle in terms of coffee consumption and there was no change over the years.
You can still mention the top and the bottom as the main information.
Just include one more sentence so that you write about everything.
Same thing with the second graph:
The graph below shows the number of tourists (in thousands) visiting different attractions in the United States in 2004 and 2017.
|
2004
|
2017
|
The Grand Canyon
|
110
|
108
|
Yellowstone National Park
|
231
|
252
|
The Golden Gate Bridge
|
301
|
234
|
Disneyland
|
364
|
375
|
Trump Tower
|
870
|
952
|
Band 5 Overview:
Trump Tower had by far the highest total number of visitors in both years surveyed while the Grand Canyon accounted for the lowest number.
Band 6 Overview:
Trump Tower had by far the highest total number of visitors in both years surveyed while the Grand Canyon accounted for the lowest number. The middle posititions were occupied by Yellowstone National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge and Disneyland.
Band 7+ Overview:
Trump Tower had by far the highest total number of visitors as well as the largest rise in both years surveyed while the Grand Canyon accounted for the lowest number and experienced a small drop off. Trump Tower’s popularity was followed distantly by three attractions with roughly similar numbers: Disneyland, Yellowstone National Park, and the Golden Gate Bridge (the only one of the three to also have a downward trend).
The extra sentence does all the extra work!
What You Should Do
When you get to the overview in your Task 1 Writing – slow down.
Open your eyes. Write your overview.
Then go back to the graph and tick all the areas to make sure that everything has been mentioned.
Once you have done this, you know you will get at least a 6 for Task Achievement and the score you deserve.
Now it’s Your Turn!
Write an overview for the following table and post it in the comments below or on our Facebook Group:
by Dave | Dec 5, 2017 | Sample Answers
Climate change is a very common topic in IELTS generally and for Task 2 Writing in particular.
Read this sample answer and complete the vocabulary exercises below it in quizlet.
Check out the links to articles and videos to become more familiar with a topic that will probably come up somewhere on your IELTS test!
If you want to read another sample answer you can check out this one on Leadership.
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
Task 2 IELTS Sample Question
Climate change is a phenomenon that affects countries all over the world. Many people strongly believe that it is the responsibility of individuals, rather than corporations and governments, to deal with this problem.
To what extent do you agree?
Sample Answer
Climate change is a very real danger that threatens not only our lives but also the quality of life of future generations. To combat this I strongly disagree that individuals need to take responsibility because governments, in cooperation with private companies have both a greater responsibility and capacity in this matter.
Climate change cannot simply be the responsibility of private citizens because they do not have the ability to affect large systemic changes in the way that governments in conjunction with corporations do. People can only contribute in small ways; for every person who recycles there are several people who do not and there is no certain way to change this. Governments, on the other hand, can enact legislation requiring both individuals and large corporations to abide by certain restrictions. Laws for corporations are the real solution as they contribute by far the most to climate change and by reducing how much waste produced and how they treat that waste, climate change can be seriously countered.
The second reason governments should be responsible for combating climate change is that governments are responsible for global problems while individuals should only have to deal with local and personal problems. A person should only concern themselves with their job and personal life because that is the extent of their responsibility. Governments are responsible for various things related to their citizens including security, health care in some cases, and education. Included in security is the environment because it impacts citizen’s well-being; therefore this falls under the remit of governmental responsibility.
Individuals will never be able to have the effect government will and it is not their responsibility at any rate. In my opinion, governments, by taking measures to rein in corporate and private waste are taking up their rightful burden.
Analysis
Introduction: 1. Climate change is a very real danger that threatens not only our lives but also the quality of life of future generations. 2. To combat this I strongly disagree that individuals need to take responsibility because governments, in cooperation with private companies have both a greater responsibility and capacity in this matter.
1. The first sentence simply restates the topic and adds an extra detail to make it more powerful.
2. The second sentence clearly states my opinion, which necessary to get at least a Band 5 for Task Achievement.
Body Paragraph 1: 1. Climate change cannot simply be the responsibility of private citizens because they do not have the ability to affect large systemic changes in the way that governments in conjunction with corporations do. 2. People can only contribute in small ways; for every person who recycles there are several people who do not and there is no certain way to change this. 3. Governments, on the other hand, can enact legislation requiring both individuals and large corporations to abide by certain restrictions. 4. Laws for corporations are the real solution as they contribute by far the most to climate change and by reducing how much waste produced and how they treat that waste, climate change can be seriously countered.
1. The first sentence is a topic sentence that includes my main idea for the whole paragraph (governments can effect more change).
2. The second sentence further supports my main idea by pointing out that individuals will not be able to have a large impact on the environment.
3. The third sentence further supports my main idea by saying what governments can do to have a large impact.
4. The fourth sentence provides more detail about what the government can do specifically (enact legislation).
Body Paragraph 2: 1. The second reason governments should be responsible for combating climate change is that governments are responsible for global problems while individuals should only have to deal with local and personal problems. 2. A person should only concern themselves with their job and personal life because that is the extent of their responsibility. 3. Governments are responsible for various things related to their citizens including security, health care in some cases, and education. 4. Included in security is the environment because it impacts citizen’s wellbeing; therefore this falls under the remit of governmental responsibility.
1. The first sentence is a topic sentence that includes my main idea for the whole paragraph (governments are more responsible).
2. The second sentence further supports my main idea by pointing out that individuals should only have to worry about personal problems.
3. The third sentence further supports my main idea by saying that governments have many responsibilities towards their citizens.
4. The fourth sentence further supports this by saying that protecting the environment is part of the basic security the government owes to all its citizens.
Conclusion: 1. Individuals will never be able to have the effect government will and it is not their responsibility at any rate. 2. In my opinion, governments, by taking measures to rein in corporate and private waste are taking up their rightful burden.
1. The first sentence restates the main ideas from the sample answer.
2. The second sentence adds an extra detail (a solution) that is needed to get above a Band 7 for Task Achievement according to some, but not all, examiners.
Vocabulary Practice
Quizlet is one of the best websites on the internet that you are not using (unless if you are using it – then good!)
Don’t believe me? Click on the link below and use it to easily learn some high-level vocabulary from the sample answer above:
Climate Change Articles
Climate Change Videos
Example Notes
Here are some notes taken by one of our students, Nguyen: (from our Instagram page)
Now it’s Your Turn! Comment below:
Should governments or individuals be more responsible for climate change?
by Dave | Dec 1, 2017 | Structuring your essay
So many students lose a lot of marks because they don’t know or forget to do the basic things that examiners want to see in your writing for a band 7 or even 6.
In this article, I’m going to share with you a tip that can help you remember easily, and therefore save you a whole band score.
Dave
The Basics for a Band 7
According to examiners I know, so many students lose marks for their Task Achievement and Coherence and Cohesion because they don’t do the basic things that are needed for a band 6 or 7. This includes things like:
clear introduction
clear conclusion
clear overall opinion
main ideas supported well
one main idea per body paragraph.
Don’t know how? Let us help
If you’re not sure how to write a band 7+ introduction or conclusion, please check out the other blog posts in our Task 2 Writing section.
Once you know clearly what you need to do to make the examiner super happy, then of course the next step is to spend weeks, even months practising so you can do it for any topic or question type.
Don’t forget in your exam!
But then, there is one last challenge – remembering to do it in the exam.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that based on the examiners I talk to, more than half of IELTS students fail to do these basic things in the exam.
So why do many students fall at this hurdle? Is it a lack of practice or could it be nerves?
Whatever the reason, all of that study and practice will go to waste if you don’t remember to do it in the exam.
Write a Mini Checklist!
The solution is to write a quick checklist to remind you of all this basic stuff. So as soon as you open your question paper, quickly write down the following notes:
POS 2-2 OWE
And this is code for…
Your introduction – POS:
Paraphrase the question, give your opinion, and then signpost to the examiner what you will do in the essay.
Your Body paragraphs – 2-2:
2 main ideas for 2 body paragraphs – one main idea per body paragraph, supported with relevant explanation and examples.
Your conclusion – OWE:
Restate your opinion, say why Reasons, then finish with a related extra thought or idea.
Customise it!
You could add to it or even come up with your own version.
Whatever you do, just make sure you find a way of remembering to do the basic things that will help you to get a band 7 for your Task Achievement and Coherence and Cohesion.
