1.

You just need to write clear, organised sentences which answer the question and contain some
good vocabulary.
2. As I've said before, good vocabulary is the key to a high score in IELTS writing and speaking.
3. Martin, an IELTS teacher, suggested these 4 steps for improving vocabulary:
a. Browse Simon's website thoroughly and look for good vocabulary.
b. Take note of "band 7 words and phrases".
c. Use a dictionary to see how each word or phrase is used in a sentence.
d. Practise by making your own sentences! This last one is crucial.
4. Here are some mistakes that can really affect your IELTS score:
a. Writing less than 150 or 250 words. My advice: count how many words you write, on
average, per line. If you write about 10 words per line, make sure that you write more
than 25 lines for writing task 2.
b. Not separating paragraphs. Your score will immediately drop if you don't separate
paragraphs clearly. My advice: leave a full line between paragraphs.
c. Not answering the question (writing and speaking). My advice: in the writing exam, keep
checking the question to make sure you are answering it fully. In the speaking exam,
answer the question directly, then explain your answer.
d. Not finishing the reading test. My advice: you must get to the end of the test paper. If
you get stuck on a difficult question, miss it out and return to it later.
e. Making spelling mistakes in the listening test. My advice: if you have a spelling problem,
you must keep a list of your mistakes and learn the correct spellings by heart. Test
yourself every day.
5. The only words or phrases that you can use for any topic are 'linking' words or phrases. These
might help you to organise your ideas, but they won't help your vocabulary score. The only way
to get a good vocabulary score is by using 'topic specific' words and phrases.
6. One thing I noticed as an examiner is that many students forget to use simple words like "and"
or "but". At the same time, they overuse words like "moreover" and "furthermore".

Native speakers use "and" all the time (in both speech and writing). You can use "and" or "but"
as many times as you want; the examiner will not notice!

On the other hand, if you use "moreover" or "furthermore" more than once, the examiner will
notice straight away. These words do not get you a high score. In fact, in the speaking exam,
they make your English sound 'forced'
7. Good question. First, testing yourself is not the best practice. You should test yourself from time
to time (e.g. once a week), but spend much more time studying rather than testing. 'Studying'
means that your aim is to learn something from what you read. For example, when reading
newspaper articles, you might learn a new word or phrase, or you might learn how to use a
word correctly in a new context. Don't forget to check things in a dictionary or by searching
online, and write new language in a notebook.

The Cambridge IELTS books are a great resource for studying (as well as testing). Try doing some
reading tests without a time limit. Allow yourself to use a dictionary to check words, and aim to
 get all of the answers right. Analyse your mistakes carefully, and make keyword tables (click
here to see a good example). 9

Above all, remember that IELTS reading is a vocabulary test. Ask yourself what new vocabulary
you have learnt this week. Can you point to a page of your notebook and say "I've learnt these
10 or 20 new words and phrases this week"? If you can, you are improving.
8. At the end of yesterday's lesson I mentioned that you could prepare some examples or stories
to make your descriptions more interesting (for speaking part 2, and maybe part 3).

When speaking in our own languages, we tell stories all the time. For example, you might tell a
member of your family about what happened at work today, or you might tell your friends
about a film you saw last night.

The ability to tell a story in English is a sign that you are becoming a proficient user of the
language. Test yourself: try telling a story in English now! Start with something easy, like "what I
did yesterday"
9. In the reading test, is it a good idea to skim all of the questions before looking for the
answers?
No, I think you'll waste time if you do that, and you will probably forget most of the questions
that you skimmed. My advice is to start straight away with question 1 (unless it's a 'paragraphs'
question - do those last).
In the reading test, is it a good idea to read the first line of each paragraph before starting the
questions?
No, I would have a quick look at the title and maybe the first few lines of the whole passage (to
see what the topic is), then go straight to the questions.
Can I write everything in capital letters in the writing test?
When I trained as an examiner, we were told that students should not write in capitals in the
writing test. Somebody told me that this rule has changed, but personally I still think it's better
not to write essays in capital letters.
How can I improve my grammar and reduce the number of mistakes I make?
Learn from your mistakes! Every time you make a mistake, you have a learning opportunity. If
you analyse your mistakes and/or ask someone to explain what you did wrong, your grammar
will gradually improve. This kind of hard work is the only solution.
10. For process diagrams, can we suggest ways of improving the process?
No, you should never include opinions or suggestions in your task 1 essay. Just describe what
you see.
Can I use "illustrates", "indicates" or "mentions" instead of "shows"?
I tell my students to use "shows", "illustrates", "compares" or "gives information about". You
don't need to learn any more ways. I wouldn't use "indicates" or "mentions" because they're not
quite right for the context.
If the examiner asks me where I come from, should I say where I live now (e.g. in the UK) or
should I talk about the country I was born in?
It doesn't matter. You can say either, or both!
In the speaking test, do examiners look at the notes we made for part 2?
 No, your notes do not affect your score at all.
In the writing test, what is considered as 'memorised' language?
'Memorised language' usually refers to phrases or sentences that can be used for any topic e.g.
"This is a controversial issue nowadays, but every coin has two sides." These phrases don't help
you to get a good score; the key to a high score is what I call "real content". Click here to see
what I mean by this.
Isn't the phrase "different countries" strange? All countries are different, so it seems absurd.
I see what you mean, but I can tell you that "different countries" is a normal and common
phrase in English. Languages are not always perfectly logical.

IELTS Writing Task 2: how to write faster

A student asked me for some tips about how to write task 2 essays faster. Here's my advice:

1. The first step is to write better, not faster. If you can't get the score you need when it takes you
2 hours to write an essay, you won't be able to write a good essay in 40 minutes.
2. Click here to read about a student who started slowly and got faster with practice.
3. The next step is to break the 40 minutes into smaller parts. For example, you could practise
writing introductions in only 5 minutes. Don't work on full essays yet; just practise the parts
according to my advice in this lesson.
4. Separate the 'thinking' from the 'writing'. I do all my thinking (planning or brainstorming) in the
first 10 minutes. When I'm happy with my essay plan, I start writing. I try to stick to my plan so
that I can focus on writing rather than more thinking.
5. Finally, remember that improvements happen gradually. You have to be prepared to do the
hard work: practising lots of essays and parts of essays, preparing ideas and opinions for topics,
building your vocabulary repertoire, and learning from mistakes. Do the work and you'll get
better and faster!