IELTS Speaking Part II: How to Improve your Grammar Score

by Dave | Oct 9, 2017 | How To

Be sure to avoid the mistakes that most students make on writing by signing up for my exclusive IELTS Ebooks here on Patreon.

Check out some of my speaking sample answers for free on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@howtodoielts

Your Native Language

This IELTS speaking tip depends a bit on your native language. I’ve taught in Germany, South Korea, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.

In some of those countries, for example Vietnam, they don’t have a the past simple. In Germany, they have it but it is more common to use the present perfect.

So before you decide to do this tip consider this: what are the main grammatical differences between your language and English?

Think about a common area of grammar like the past simple or present continuous.

Vietnamese students very rarely use the past simple during the speaking test even though if I asked them to write a sentence in the past they could do it easily.

Why?

Because the speaking test is fast. You have to focus on your pronunciation, grammar, vocab and fluency and there’s no time to get it right.

So, for Part 2 of the speaking test I recommend to my students to spend their preparation time writing down regular and irregular past simple verbs if the topic takes place in the past (most do).

Write the verbs again and again.

Not only will that help you remember to use them when you talk, but they will also light your way through your response.

Here I am (in a video from our YouTube) talking about the same tip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GiAxfvylKc

Here are some helpful speaking model answers: friends, phones, school, and history.

How to be Relaxed and Confident in the IELTS Speaking Test

by Dave | Oct 9, 2017 | How To

(To really relax check out some of my model answers here: friends, phones, school, and history.)

Check out some of my speaking sample answers for free on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@howtodoielts

Be sure to avoid the mistakes that most IELTS students make on writing by signing up for my exclusive IELTS Ebooks here on Patreon.

Dave

Nervousness

One of the biggest problems students have in the speaking test is they get really nervous.

This is natural.

You’re speaking in your second language to a native language speaker who is silently judging you and determining your future. You should be nervous!

But you shouldn’t.

When you are nervous you probably will: hesitate more often, make more simple mistakes, forget simple vocabulary and speak more softly with worse intonation.

All those things will hurt your speaking score.

You can improve your score on the IELTS speaking by relaxing.

I’ve got some ideas for how to get over that nervousness, but I’m not an expert because I’ve never had to take an IELTS test in another language!

So I asked some of my best students for ideas. Which ones do you think will work for you?

Nguyen: ‘I don’t usually drink coffee much, I prefer tea or something sweet. But when I’m studying I drink coffee to stay alert. Lots of studies have shown that coffee makes your working memory faster and your long-term memory better. If you drink coffee right before the test you will be more confident and remember more words. This really helped me to get an 8 on the speaking exam.’

Minh: ‘Before you take the IELTS test (in Vietnam, but it’s probably similar in most countries) you may have to sit outside the room waiting while the test before you finishes. This is a good opportunity to prepare and the way I prepared was by starting to hate the examiner! I know, haha! But it worked for me. I imagined that he was the most annoying person and I couldn’t stand him. When I went in for my test I wasn’t intimidated at all – I was so confident (and I got an 8, as well).

Here I am talking about some other ways to relax from our YouTube channel:

It might also help you to understand exactly what the examiner is thinking so you can calm down: howtodoielts.com/why-is-the-examiner-like-a-robot-in-ielts-speaking/

So those are some interesting tips from 2 successful students of mine.

Do you have any other normal/crazy ideas for how to relax before or during the IELTS speaking test?

IELTS Ideas & Topics: Space (Part 1)

by Dave | Oct 9, 2017 | IELTS Ideas and Topics

Hi everyone! These were previously posted on Facebook and Instagram but we’re making them available all at once for you now! If you want the high-resolution images, you can download the free pdf .

Be sure to avoid the mistakes that most students make on writing by signing up here for my exclusive IELTS Ebooks here on Patreon.

Now it’s your turn! Put your answers in the comments.

Which was your favourite post about space?

Suggest a topic for us to focus on next time.

IELTS Grammar: How Complex Grammar Improves your Grammar AND Cohesion Scores

by Dave | Oct 9, 2017 | IELTS Grammar

Here’s a tip that I make sure all my IELTS students know – complex grammar not only improves your grammar score, but it also increases your coherence and cohesion score.

Be sure to avoid the mistakes that most students make on writing by signing up for my exclusive IELTS Ebooks here on Patreon.

Dave

What is Cohesion?

Good cohesion is about how well your writing is linked together. For most IELTS students, this means using a good range of linking phrases.

For low level students this means using a range of basic linking phrases like in the example below:

Many people argue that as modern life becomes more convenient, people are more inactive. Firstly, our homes and offices are equipped with devices that take care of so many tasks. As a result, people save significant time and effort on domestic and office chores. Secondly, the development of the internet allows people to shop, study and even pay their bills online.

This is a good start but it can feel unnatural and robotic, so the maximum score it will get you for coherence and cohesion will be a band 6.

If you want a band 7 or above, you will need to link your writing in a more natural way, and this is where grammar can help.

Complex grammar like relative clauses and participle clauses link your writing in a more natural way, while also helping to widen your range, which is needed for a band 7 for your grammar.

You should practise a range of structures so you can use them flexibly in your IELTS Task 2 essay. Don’t rely on one structure as that is not natural.

Complex Structures

Let’s look at some different ways to use complex structures. Compare the examples and see how different structures improve the flow of the writing.

Simple Sentences.

Junk food is readily available. Therefore it is high in sugar and salt.

Homes and offices are equipped with devices. This takes care of many tasks. Therefore this saves society significant time and effort.

Standard Complex Sentences.

Places are becoming increasingly similar because products are becoming ubiquitous.

Products are becoming ubiquitous so places are becoming increasingly similar.

Conditionals

If people use the internet regularly they are less active than those who don’t.

If products continue to become ubiquitous, then places will become increasingly similar.

If smartphones and the internet hadn’t been invented, the world would be a very different place right now.

Non-defining Relative Clauses

Junk food, which is high in sugar and salt, is readily available.

Globalised products, which are becoming progressively ubiquitous, are making places increasingly similar.

Defining relative clauses.

People who use the internet regularly are less active than those who don’t.

This issue has been compounded by the development of the internet, which has allowed people to shop.

Junk food is heavily marketed through sophisticated advertising campaigns, which are increasingly aimed at children.

Homes and offices are equipped with devices that take care of so many tasks, which saves society significant time and effort.

Participle clauses

People using the internet regularly are less active than those who don’t.

Places are becoming increasingly similar, making products ubiquitous.

Junk food is heavily marketed through sophisticated advertising campaigns, increasingly aimed at children.

Homes and offices are equipped with devices that take care of so many tasks, saving society significant time and effort (relative clause & participle clause).

Now it’s your turn! Put your answers in the comments

In some countries, governments are making some criminals do voluntary community work rather than being put in prison.

To what extent do you agree with this?

Write some complex sentences about the above topic. Try to use a range of structures.

IELTS Grammar: Five Grammar Websites Every IELTS Student Should Know

by Dave | Oct 9, 2017 | IELTS Grammar

Let’s be honest, grammar is hard and kind of boring.

But it’s important! It’s worth 25% of your writing and speaking scores, and a good knowledge of grammar also improves your reading and listening skills.

Be sure to avoid the mistakes that most students make on writing by signing up for my exclusive IELTS Ebooks here on Patreon.

The internet is full of websites that offer to help you with your grammar, so it’s difficult to know where to start.

So I’ve made it easy for you. Here is a list of my favourites:

1. Learn English by British Council

Containing very clear explanations and lots of examples to help you understand and practise a range of structures. Check out their section on relative and participle clauses.

2. English Grammar 101

Not the most beautifully designed but this site is very comprehensive and contains lots of online practice activities to help you review the basics and master more complex grammar as well.

3. Englishgrammar.org

A nice looking site with clear explanations and online practice activities as well as free PDFs to download.

4. Grammar Monster

A well presented site with a good focus on punctuation (commas, full stops etc) which also counts towards your grammar score in IELTS writing.

5. Using English

Lots of quizzes and printable worksheets to help you practise the basics and work on more advanced structures.

Now it’s your turn! Put your answers in the comments

Try out these five websites. Which one is your favourite?

Do you know any other good grammar websites?