Improve your IELTS Test Score - Experience and Tips

 My students in Kazakhstan, Astana (Nursultan) often ask me how to improve their speaking and writing score in IELTS Test. This question is understandable as English is not the primary language of many of my students. People in Kazakhstan speak Russian primarily, and Kazakh as their secondary language.

My tips has been to read a lot and practice a lot. In my view, you can improve the general understanding of any language by reading a lot in that language. So, the knowledge of English can be improved by reading a lot in English. You can start reading first with simple short texts and go on reading complex thematic books, such as books on arts, literature, science, fiction and non-fiction.

Reading a lot of English text will help you to improve your English language skill, and will eventually help you in getting good IELTS Score (band) in your IELTS test

******

To help expats in Kazakhstan, I regularly post on two sites: expat.com (https://www.expat.com/en/blog/asia/kazakhstan/astana/astana-almaty.blogspot.com). I post with a username Hyderabadgermany on expat.com forum, and on Caravanistan Forum. My user Name is IndianGuy there. You can read my posts, experiences there too. https://caravanistan.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=1190

Kazakhstan IELTS Students - Learning continuously

The education sector in Kazakhstan has changed a lot in the last few years. There are very good private universities, and general standard of school education has also improved. English language is spoken by many people now, and the young generation is quite keen to learn and speak English. The university in Almaty - KIMEP and Nazarbayev University in Astana (Nursultan) teach students almost all the courses in English. With internationally educated professors, and international faculty, English has been the only medium of instructions in Nazarbayev University. This I can vouch from my own experience.

Also, the English Education Landscape has changed a lot when it comes to Secondary or English Education. The Schools like NIS (Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools) has contributed a lot in this.

******

To help expats in Kazakhstan, I regularly post on two sites: expat.com (https://www.expat.com/en/blog/asia/kazakhstan/astana/astana-almaty.blogspot.com). I post with a username Hyderabadgermany on expat.com forum, and on Caravanistan Forum. My user Name is IndianGuy there. You can read my posts, experiences there too. https://caravanistan.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=1190

Message to IELTS Students from Kazakhstan

Welcome back everyone in my blog. In fact, Welcome back to myself. This has been after 3.5 (three and half) years I decided to be back in this blog. I hope my information and materials in this blog will be helpful for visitors in Kazakhstan and others who are looking for many different materials on the web. A bit about myself:

I left Kazakhstan in March, 2019 and these days, I am in Nepal. I am bit distanced from teaching at the moment. But, if it may be that I will be back in Astana (Nur-sultan) around 2022 or 2023 AD. I was there in Nursultan, Kazakhstan in August-September, 2021 and things looked preety cool even post COVID-19 Pandemic. I am hoping to be regular in this forum to update this blog and provide, more and more information to all the readers.

***** 

I had not updated this blog for a very long time but I think I need to be active again. This blog which has a lot of contents on IELTS Test is to help students and immigrants to enhance their English skills, to help make their skills better in English Language.

I am restarting this blog on a very auspicious day of Laxmi Puja, Tihar of 2078 BS. I hope Mother Laxmi will be blessing me to continue to write blog posts in addition to making me richer. :) It is also a time when we have almost surpassed the threats created by COVID-19 pandemic. With vaccines being rolled out in many people around the world, the world is opening, is trying to be normal, is trying to get back to business as usual. The borders are opening, and many countries have started, albeit slowly, to open their arms to welcome international students.

For any foreign (international) students, the popular destinations are Australia, Canada, America, and many European countries. I think people would answer me that they are keen to fly to the Australia or America if asked about their higher education. And, to be in all your dream destinations, IELTS Score is one of such important criteria.

I saw a recent Post from a popular educational consultancy, and they had informed that classes with in-person attendance is going to start soon. This advertisement was mainly directed to prospective IELTS Students.

My message to all prospective IELTS Candidates is that you need to have good skills in English to have a great score in IELTS Test. Of Course, you can attend courses run by various institutes. However, there are plenty of free resources and materials on the web. Our blog is one of them.

The materials published on our blog can be used free of cost by all IELTS Candidates. These IELTS resources are meant to assist all IELTS candidates to understand the examination pattern, to learn how to score better, and to be able to gain necessary skills to score good IELTS band.

All Kazakhstani IELTS candidates and candidates from around the world, keep on visiting us for more and more free and useful materials and resources.

Regards,

Chief Editor

IELTS Academic Writing Task - II - IELTS Essay-Academic Writing Task-II: CEFR Band C1-Band 7 IELTS Essay

IELTS Academic Writing Task - II

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Some people think that history as a subject at school is not useful and should be replaced with a more practical subject. Why do you think it is important to learn about history? What would be the effect if children were not taught history?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant example from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Sample Answer:

Across the world, there is no dearth of people who consider that teaching history at educational institution is unproductive and is a waste of resources. The people who advocate such ideas are of the opinion that schools and colleges should impart education on such subjects which have more practical use. Nevertheless, my opinion on the subject is that we must teach history to our children. Therefore, we cannot do away with this subject.

First of all, history helps us to find our roots and connects us with our past which will be very helpful to young learners to shape their views of the modern world. If history is not taught in our schools and universities, people will not get any opportunity to view the contemporary world with the help of past events. In some cases, not teaching history can actually lead to a situation where students fail to fully comprehend the happenings around them. For example, why a country needs a strong army could possibly be best explained on the basis of historical facts and figures. Therefore, study of historical events is very significant from the viewpoint of understanding modern world.

In addition to it, if history subject is replaced with another course, students may be burdened with unnecessary knowledge in another subject. The likely consequences of it could range from lack of interests among students to defective education systems. When students who have not studied history go to work in international forums, they may face several challenges. For example, without learning world history, no one can be expected to be able to work smoothly in the UN.

To sum up, modern schools should not think of removing history subject from their curriculum. Any such move is likely to have unintended consequences such as lack of interests among students in their course of study.

IELTS Academic Writing Task - II - IELTS Essay-Academic Task II-CEFR C1-IELTS Band 7.0

IELTS Academic Writing Task - II

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Some people say children use technology too much these days. Others believe that using technology now will help them in the future. Discuss both these views and give your opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant example from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Many people seem to have a common opinion when it comes to use of technology by young people. There are arguments in support of it and against it as there are equally overwhelming number of people on either side of the argument. In my opinion, children should be allowed to make use of technology on daily life as it helps them to be creative in a long run.

First of all, many parents are worried that children are not focusing on their study but are busy in browsing internet or in games on mobiles and tablets. It cannot be denied that excessive use of technology can affect their studies. For example, a child who plays a lot on his mobile or on tablet is likely to miss deadline for his homework and assignments. If such situations continue, it is a matter to worry as it can have negative consequences.

On the other hand, there are many guardians who give their children the liberty to make use of modern technology. Such parents encourage children to utilize technology not only for play and fun but also in studies. Sometimes, parents take their time out and assist their sons and daughters to find out new educational programs and websites. Such parents hold the view that the technology is very important to succeed in the future and their children need to have necessary skill and experience for their prosperous future. My parents, for example, always allow and encourage my brother to search for new mobile applications, which help him to write better English composition.

To sum up, though there are parents with different approach to technological advances, it is my view that technology is going to be an integral part of our life and of future generation. Therefore, it is recommended that parents guide their children to make effective use of modern technologies in their daily activities.

IELTS Academic Writing Task - II - IELTS Essay Band 6.5-CEFR Level B2

IELTS Academic Writing Task - II

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Crime rates tend to be higher in cities than in smaller towns. Explain some possible reasons for this problem and suggest some solutions.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant example from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Sample Answer

Our cities are overcrowded with people from different backgrounds and provide an opportunity for people with all intentions. One of the impacts of high population in cities can be seen in the rates of crimes. In my view, we can safely state that the high costs of living and the lack of proper law and order in the cities are the main causes of crimes in the big towns.

First of all, villages are small and very few people live there these days. The daily requirement of material things in the countryside is also very low. The costs of living such as rent, costs of transportation are much less in village than in cities. I think this explains why fewer crimes are committed in the villages.

On the other hand, people settle down in cities with a lot of hopes and ambitions. They have to struggle daily to meet the basic needs of their families. This means that there will be high financial burden on the people. To meet such challenges, people resort to financial crimes, for instance, corruption, bribery, theft, and robbery in villages. To solve such problems, government needs to enhance the police administration, install cameras on the streets and with the offices. Such measures are likely to help to reduce these crimes to certain extent.

Another reason of people mainly youth committing crime is lack of moral principle due to the reason that they are far from their parents and families. Many youths come to city and live alone. They are likely to meet some anti-social elements such as drug dealers, and smugglers. Young minds are likely to be attracted to such crimes to quickly be rich and powerful. This problem can be solved by constant moral counseling.

To sum up, the pressure of cost of living, and tendency to be affluent in short time induces people to commit crimes in cities and the solutions to tackle them could be the strengthening of law and order situation.

IELTS Academic Writing Task - II - IELTS Essay Band 7.0 - CEFR B2-C1

IELTS Academic Writing Task - II

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

In some countries, governments are encouraging people to use their cars less and to take public transport instead. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant example from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Sample Answer

There are many government initiatives across the world to control the environmental pollution and one of such initiatives is promotion of public transportation. In my opinion, such efforts do not have many advantages and in fact, its shortcomings are much more than few benefits that we may have.

First of all, the advantages of encouraging the use of public transportation are less consumption of fossil fuels and congestion on the road. However, these positives consequences are negligible if a comparison is made between merits and demerits of public transportation. If people stop using their cars and taxis, then, there will be enormous pressure on the government to provide public transportations such as buses, metros and trams. This will certainly put a financial pressure on the government. There is a possibility that the government may be compelled to allocate fewer budgets on health and education, and more on transportation segment. Such scenario will have serious and deleterious consequences.

Another serious outcome of not using cars is that workers have to get up early, and leave home much early in the morning to catch the suitable means of transport to reach the office on time. This will disturb the normal day of every human resources. Since public vehicles will stop at multiple locations before reaching one’s destination, a lot of man hours are wasted while commuting from home and from work. Similar would be the case when an employee returns from work in the evening. Since the travelling with many large crowds creates fatigue, the quality of works also gets affected due to it.

In my conclusion, I would like to state that any benefit that may accrue from the use of public transportation is likely to be insignificant as the disadvantages are too many to neglect. 

IELTS Academic Writing Task - II - IELTS Band 6 Essay-CEFR Level B1-B2

IELTS Academic Writing Task - II

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Many children these days have an unhealthy lifestyle. Both schools and parents are equally responsible for solving this problem.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant example from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Sample Answer

We cannot deny the fact that many school going children these days eat unhygienic food. In my opinion, the problem is caused mainly by lack of attendance at home and in school. Therefore, I agree that the family as well as the school administration should share the blame and do to improve the situation.

First of all, it is the responsibility of our family to teach the importance of healthy and hygienic food to their sons and daughters from their childhood. Every child should be made aware of the positive and negative consequences of eating good and bad food. In addition to it, parents should find time to prepare and provide nutritious food to their kin and kith. At present, the parents do not have enough time to spend with their children. Because of the heavy workload or being out of the home most of the time, parents are unable to cook and feed healthy dishes to their children. This has created havoc in the health of child.

On the other hand, school administration should step in such situations to avoid the problem. Since many young boys and girls spend a lot of time at school, health education should be made part of their curriculum. The teachers can closely observe the students and will be able to identify the children at risks due to unhealthy eating habits. Schools, for instance, can create a concept of mid-day meals, and provide healthy and nutritious diet to their students. In my opinion, by doing so, schools will help to resolve the problem to certain extent.

To sum up, I would like to restate my opinion by emphasizing the fact that both family and learning centers should play its part to mitigate the damage caused by unhealthy food consumption.  

Tips for the Writing test - Task 2 - General & Academic Writing Task - 2-IELTS Writing

Tips for the Writing test - Task 2 - General & Academic Writing Task - 2-IELTS Writing

In Task 2 you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. You can use a fairly personal (informal) style. The question may ask you to say why you agree or disagree with the statement in the question or ask you to outline the advantages or disadvantages to a general statement.

It’s best to approach this task with a method to ensure you answer the question correctly, structure it appropriately and have enough time to write well.

Here are some tips to approach the task:

Planning and Organising

Read the question carefully and underline the key words

Decide what structure to use. Most Task 2 questions will ask you to discuss or analyse an issue in terms of advantages/disadvantages and/or take a position by agreeing or disagreeing. This means you can almost always use a four paragraph structure, for example:

Advantages/disadvantages question 

- Introduction: paraphrase the question and give a general answer
that will summarise your opinion
- Main paragraph 1: what are the advantages
- Main paragraph 2: what are the disadvantages
- Conclusion: paraphrase your argument and highlight or restate your personal opinion or position on the issue.

Agree / disagree question

- Introduction: paraphrase the question and give a general answer
that will summarise your opinion
- Main paragraph 1: I agree/disagree because … + supporting reasons
- Main paragraph 2: Another reason I agree / disagree is …
- Conclusion: paraphrase your argument and sum up.

Make sure you note down examples and supporting details for each paragraph. Your arguments should also clearly link back to the position you stated in the introduction.

Spend some time thinking of good vocabulary related to your topic. Note it down.
Writing

Start each paragraph with a topic sentence i.e. the general topic of the paragraph.

Develop your ideas in each paragraph by giving reasons for your answer and include examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Keep your examples fairly short. Don’t go into too much detail; make sure you stay on topic.

Try using linking words like ‘firstly, secondly, finally’ to connect your ideas within each of your main paragraphs. This will help your writing to flow.

© British Council

IELTS General Task I-General Training (GT) - CEFR C1-IELTS Band 8

IELTS General Task I-General Training (GT) - CEFR C1-IELTS Band 8

 

You have seen an advertisement for an evening course to study a foreign language. Write a letter to the institution offering the course. In your letter ask for details of the course, ask if the course teachers are qualified native speakers, request that the institute sends you their brochure.

Write at least 150 words.

Dear Sir,

I came across an advertisement in the morning newspaper about your language center and the courses offered. From the adverts, I could see that your language school is going to start an evening class for English language learners. Being a working professional, your course seems to fit my requirements. Therefore, I am writing you to get additional information about the course.

As mentioned, I am very keen to improve my English language skills as I intent to go abroad for higher education. You may see from this letter that I have some sort of knowledge of English language but I need to get a good score in IELTS exam. Therefore, I would like to improve my language with a native speaker.

I therefore, request you to provide me further details about the course. I would appreciate if you could write me in my email the duration of the course, applicable fees and the date of commencement of the course. Could you please also send me an electronic copy of information booklet in my email? 

I look forward to receiving information at the earliest.

Regards,

A

Essay topics: IELTS General Writing - Writing Task I - CEFR C1-IELTS Band 7.5

Essay topics: IELTS General Writing - Writing Task I
You saw an advert asking for volunteers to run a charity event:

1. Explain why you are interested in helping
2. give details suitable past experience
3. suggest ways you might help with the event

Write at least 150 words.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I came across your advertisement regarding the fund raising event to support environment protection. I am keen in charity events and always try to participate and provide my help where needed. I have a can do attitude and a passion for protecting the environment. Therefore, I would like to apply for the post.

I am a student of Science University and I am studying ecology. I believe I have the right skills and expertise to qualify for the role. I have a profound understanding of environmental challenges as well as relevant experience in conducting the charity events. I have been engaged as a volunteer in a number of fund raising activities arranged by both international and local NGOs.

My experience entails analysis of the requirements, planning of events, estimating the budget, and promoting events. I’m keen to offer my help with any of these work streams and beyond. I would be happy to meet and discuss the support I can provide to you with the event.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Regards,
A

Essay topics: Letter of Advice - IELTS Writing Task - I, General Test - CEFR C1-IELTS Band 7.5

 Essay topics: Letter of Advice - IELTS Writing Task - I, General Test - CEFR C1-IELTS Band 7.5

A friend has written to you asking for advice about a problem at work. You have had a similar problem in the past. Write a reply to your friend. In your letter: tell your friend you understand the problem, explain what happened to you in the past, suggest possible solutions to the problem. Write at least 150 words.

Dear R,

I fully appreciate the challenges of working in a corporate world. Unfortunately, hard work and discipline do not always help to get a promotion. Instead, one should be really smart in building and expanding internal and external networks.

Few years ago, I had the same issue with self-promotion and visibility. In other words, irrespective of the hard labour and efforts to meet work deadline, my contributions remained unnoticed. On the contrary, colleagues and employees who were more vocal, visible and well-connected scored excellent performance ratings and received the laurels. Clearly, I had to change my behaviour and working style in order to promote my contributions in the firm. I had a few coaching sessions with senior leadership team member who shared some tips to succeed in workplace. A couple of months later, my natural modesty were replaced by assertive and confident behaviour.

So, let me give you some advice.

First of all, you should not shy away from sending an email to your supervisor and leadership team stating your achievements in a particular task or project. Secondly, it is likely that people notice you easily when you start writing articles in internal and external journals. Finally, I would suggest you not to miss any opportunity to make presentations at town-hall and meetings.

I hope you will find these suggestions helpful and wish all the very best in your life.

Regards,
A

IELTS General Training-Writing Task I- For band 7, CEFR C1

Essay topic for IELTS General Test Writing Task - I

You are planning to take leave from office because of study reasons. Write a leave application to your manager asking to grant one month leave. In your letter, tell the reason of leave, who will replace you and how you are planning to keep up to date while away.

Write at least 150 words.

Sample Essay:

Dear J,

I am writing to request one month leave, which is required for me to better prepare for my IELTS exam. The exam is scheduled for March 2017 and I am conscious that I am not yet at the level I aspire to. I find it challenging to balance between the work and study. Therefore, I need a break from office.

To keep abreast of the developments at work, I will check my office emails on a weekly basis. In addition, I would be available for our bi-weekly team meetings.

As for my temporary replacement, I think Jane has the required level of experience and knowledge of my project. I am confident that she is the right person to keep the momentum and make the project a success.

We have been working together for a number of years and you know that I always did my best to meet the business requirements. I would appreciate your understanding of my personal situation. I am happy to discuss what support I can give to ensure we keep the ball rolling while I am away.

Regards,
A

IELTS Essays-C1 CEFR Level- Essay for IELTS Band 8

A well-known magazine for English language learners has asked for reviews from readers about useful resources for learning English.

You have recently discovered Write and Improve, a new writing tool for learners of English. Write a review for the magazine describing the main features of the tool and why it is/isn’t helpful. Include details about what you like about the tool and about any difficulties you had with it, and finish by giving your recommendation for other readers.

Write your review.

****************

I have encountered a website called "Write & Improve - a language improvement tool" developed by Cambridge University Press. I was directed to the website when I was looking for some information on resources for learning English few days ago. I found it to be quite useful even though I that that there are areas for improvement on this website. I would like to review the main features and attributes of this website in my article. Additionally, I would also provide some feedback and recommendations for future improvement.

To begin with, it is easy to navigate within the site. I could locate the resources easily. Since the website is designed by reputed University center, the materials provided were of exceptionally high quality. Without much hassle, I was able to submit my article. As per the instructions, I was told that “submit button” needs to be clicked after writing the article and I meticulously followed the instructions. On submission of my article, I was promptly taken to the next page where I could see the result and feedback on my essay. Overall, I had the pleasant experience. The website did the checking of language, grammar and spelling swiftly.

Despite being easy to make use of the resources in the website, it also suffers from some avoidable drawbacks. First of all, the feedback were system generated, without intervention of human beings, which sometimes, make them unreliable and unbelievable. Unless the student has high speed internet, it slows down the generation of reviews. The designers need to look at it at the earliest. 

IELTS Essays-B2 CEFR Level- Essays for band 6.5

Should computers and tablets completely replace books in schools and universities?

Write an essay giving your opinion.
Computers, tablets and other modern advanced devices can be used in addition to textbooks in schools and universities as I do not believe that these modern tools can completely replace the traditional means of teaching.

First of all, tablets and computers may be ubiquitous but still are very expensive. Not all the students can afford it especially if they are from poor families. On the other hand, printed copy of text books, and references materials are much cheaper in comparison to computers and accessories.

Another drawback of having gadgets is that students may not be able to focus on a single task. There might be a temptation to play games online, or to watch videos instead of doing homework or revising lessons. Frequent shifting of tasks does not help in learning.

To conclude, the purpose of learning is not met unless the students have a good internet connection to make effective use of these gadgets. Unfortunately, high speed internet is beyond reach of many families in remote villages and in developing countries. Hence, instructions in a classroom should be based on printed books and articles.


How do you feel about birthdays? Do you think they are important? How would you choose to celebrate your birthday if you could do anything you wanted?

Write your autobiographical essay.

Birthdays are important milestone in our life as it reminds us an important day and event. Since a baby is born after a painful labor and a lot of care and love of a mother goes into it, I feel it is naturally significant day not only in a person's life whose birthday we celebrate but also in lives of close relatives. The birth of someone in a family is a moment of joy and happiness and it makes it even more significant to celebrate it.

I am no different than many others who would consider birthday as an important event. Since I have been brought in that environment where birthdays are regarded as sacred day, I think I am conditioned to think in this way.

For a minute, I would like to detach myself from the society and would like to give a serious thought on the necessity of celebration of birthday. On one hand, it is a customary practice to mark this day with dinner with close family and relatives. On the other, we sometimes need to question its purpose.

As I am not a natural extrovert, I feel that I would spend this day quietly and away from hustle and bustle of city life if were able to decide myself. Additionally, I would go on a long trip somewhere near to seashore and would love to feel the serene life in order to recharge my batteries. Such moments also provide ample opportunities to re-energize ourselves. I hate spending money on liquor and parties.

****************

Курсы английского в Астане. Подготовка к TOEFL, подготовка к IELTS в Астане
Повысим Ваш уровень английского языка. С нашей подготовкой нет границ в познании галактики. записаться на пробный урок.

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) – это самая востребованная международная система тестирования на знание английского языка. Ежегодно IELTS сдают более 2 миллионов человек.

IELTS открывает перед вами новые возможности. Если вы успешно сдали экзамен, это поможет в учебе или работе за границей или в переезде в другую страну на постоянное место жительства. Более 9 000 организаций в 140 странах мира, включая правительственные учреждения, учебные заведения и агентства по трудоустройству, признают результаты IELTS.

Фактически, IELTS – единственный тест по английскому языку, который требуется сдать для иммиграции в страны, где требуется подтверждение знания английского языка.

Вам необходимо подтвердить уровень знания английского языка для подачи заявления в Иммиграционную и визовую службу Великобритании (UKVI)? IELTS входит в список тестов на знание английского языка (Secure English Language Tests; SELT), утвержденных UKVI.

IELTS Academic WRITING TASK 1 - IELTS in Astana, Kazakhstan

IELTS Academic WRITING TASK 1 - IELTS in Astana, Kazakhstan

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph below shows the amount in grams of potatoes, pasta and rice eaten in a European country between 1976 and 2006.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Model Answer:

The graph chart shows the consumption quantity of potatoes, pasta and rice in a European state during the period of 30 years from 1976 to 2006. Overall, it is seen that the proportion of potatoes in a weekly diet has greatly reduced in the span of 30 years whereas intake of pasta has substantially increased during the same time period.

In 1976, the consumption of potatoes stood at the highest among the three food items. More than 400 grams of potatoes were consumed by a person in a week. Pasta was the least eaten product in that year (About 270 grams per person per week).
Initially until around 1986, potatoes were the most sought after food products. However, this trend got reversed and people started eating less amounts of potatoes thereafter. Especially after 1991, there was a steep decline of quantity of potatoes forming part of diet and in 2006; it was at the bottom position (little more than 100 grams per person per week).

In contrast to this trend, people started consuming more quantity of pasta and its quantity on weekly meals continued to increase until 1996 (reaching 500 grams per human per week) and thereafter, it has stabilised.

It can also be seen that the consumption of rice was declining until 2000 and thereafter it slightly peaked up. However, its consumption in 2006 (around 200 grams per person per week) was much less than in 1976 (little more than 300 grams per person per week).

IELTS Academic Writing Task - 2: Sample Answer

IELTS Academic Writing Task in Astana, Kazakhstan

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

In the past, when students did a university degree, they tended to study in their own country. Nowadays, they have more opportunity to study abroad. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this development? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

*******

It is a worldwide phenomenon that many people travel to different countries for the purpose of higher education. This was not possible and less occurring in the past mainly due to lack of knowledge about foreign countries, and expensive travel and cost of studies. However, the globalisation and the revolution in information technology has made it possible today that many people are benefitting from the quality education from universities.

Arguments can be made in favour of study in foreign countries. However, we need to be mindful that there are many critics to such patterns. First of all, opportunity to receive quality education is one of the most important benefits of going to foreign university. This is so true in case of students from poor and developing nations where there is hardly any infrastructure and investment in good universities, colleges, and research centres. Secondly, when students enrol in the foreign universities, they can use their time in understanding cultures, customs and traditions of another country and of other students. It augurs well when young students learn to respect other cultures and languages.

As said before, there are plenty of negative consequences of joining foreign universities. A country which is already poor loses a lot of foreign currency reserves when a student travels to another country. Prospective graduate and undergraduate candidate has to spend a lot of money for his college admission, for hostel, for books in another country and this could be detrimental to poor country’s economy. The second disadvantage of studying in international universities for anyone is that he or she is not able to gain the required amount of knowledge of his home country and there could be some difficulty to work in his or her country when they return.

Therefore, in my conclusion, I would like to state that education in foreign country is not without demerits and each individual should make his own assessment with regard to what is best for him.  

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Sample Question and Answer

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Sample Answer:

The bar charts provide the information about number of men and women in tertiary education in Britain in three different periods from 1970/71 to 1990/91 and also show the data pertaining to full time and part time enrolment for further study. Overall, it can be observed that the number of men and women opting for full time study gradually increased in the given period whereas the choice of women in part time education was seen gradually increasing in contrast to the choice of men which did not follow any particular discernible pattern.

During the period 1970/71, men outnumbered women in part-time education (1,000,000 men versus about 700,000 women). By the time of 1990/91, this trend was reversed. In 1990/91, the number of women participating in part-time study was significantly higher than men (1,100,000 women versus 900,000 men). The selection of part-time education by women went up steadily in all the periods, i.e. in 1970/71, in 1980/81, and in 1990/91 (700,000, more than 850,000, and 1,100,000 consecutively).

With respect to full-time education among males, marginal increment in numbers could be seen after each decade. In case of female students, the rate of rise in number of full-time students was much more striking in 1980/81, and 1990/91 in comparison to 1970/71.

Comment by IELTS Teacher: The above essay will get 7 in IELTS Exam.

The comment below is from eRater/eGrader of Testbig.com

Grammar and spelling errors:

Line 1, column 191, Rule ID: EN_COMPOUNDS
Message: This word is normally spelled as one.
Suggestion: fulltime
...91 and also show the data pertaining to full time and part time enrolment for further stu...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 1, column 205, Rule ID: EN_COMPOUNDS
Message: This word is normally spelled with hyphen.
Suggestion: part-time
...ow the data pertaining to full time and part time enrolment for further study. Overall, i...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 1, column 316, Rule ID: EN_COMPOUNDS
Message: This word is normally spelled as one.
Suggestion: fulltime
... the number of men and women opting for full time study gradually increased in the given ...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 1, column 403, Rule ID: EN_COMPOUNDS
Message: This word is normally spelled with hyphen.
Suggestion: part-time
...n period whereas the choice of women in part time education was seen gradually increasing...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 4, column 262, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
..., and 1990/91 in comparison to 1970/71.
^^^^

Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, if, so, whereas, in contrast, in contrast to, with respect to

Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments

Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 6.0 7.0 86% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 2.0 1.00243902439 200% => OK
Conjunction : 7.0 6.8 103% => OK
Relative clauses : 2.0 3.15609756098 63% => OK
Pronoun: 3.0 5.60731707317 54% => OK
Preposition: 43.0 33.7804878049 127% => OK
Nominalization: 9.0 3.97073170732 227% => Less nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.

Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1085.0 965.302439024 112% => OK
No of words: 209.0 196.424390244 106% => OK
Chars per words: 5.19138755981 4.92477711251 105% => OK
Fourth root words length: 3.80221413058 3.73543355544 102% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.71721472796 2.65546596893 102% => OK
Unique words: 113.0 106.607317073 106% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.540669856459 0.547539520022 99% => OK
syllable_count: 302.4 283.868780488 107% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.4 1.45097560976 96% => OK

A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 2.0 1.53170731707 131% => OK
Interrogative: 0.0 0.114634146341 0% => OK
Article: 4.0 4.33902439024 92% => OK
Subordination: 0.0 1.07073170732 0% => More adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 3.0 0.482926829268 621% => Less conjunction wanted as sentence beginning.
Preposition: 7.0 3.36585365854 208% => Less preposition wanted as sentence beginnings.

Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 8.0 8.94146341463 89% => OK
Sentence length: 26.0 22.4926829268 116% => OK
Sentence length SD: 74.370272959 43.030603864 173% => OK
Chars per sentence: 135.625 112.824112599 120% => OK
Words per sentence: 26.125 22.9334400587 114% => OK
Discourse Markers: 8.375 5.23603664747 160% => OK
Paragraphs: 3.0 3.83414634146 78% => More paragraphs wanted.
Language errors: 5.0 1.69756097561 295% => Less language errors wanted.
Sentences with positive sentiment : 5.0 3.70975609756 135% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 0.0 1.13902439024 0% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 3.0 4.09268292683 73% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?

Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.323223211291 0.215688989381 150% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.165704791841 0.103423049105 160% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0821434524584 0.0843802449381 97% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.226778267028 0.15604864568 145% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0902626395604 0.0819641961636 110% => OK

Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 16.1 13.2329268293 122% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 62.01 61.2550243902 101% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 6.51609756098 135% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 11.1 10.3012195122 108% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.12 11.4140731707 115% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.48 8.06136585366 105% => OK
difficult_words: 47.0 40.7170731707 115% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 19.0 11.4329268293 166% => OK
gunning_fog: 12.4 10.9970731707 113% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.0658536585 81% => OK
What are above readability scores?

---------------------

Rates: 78.6516853933 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 7.0 Out of 9
---------------------
Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.

IELTS General Writing Task - 1: Sample Writing and Comments from Examiner

WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You are applying for a job and need a letter of reference from someone who knew you when you were at school. Write a letter to one of your old teachers asking for a reference. In your letter:

-say what job you have applied for
-explain why you want this job
-suggest what information the teacher should include

Write at least 150 words.

**************

Dear Peter,

I hope this letter finds you well.

I am applying for a new job and would like to ask you to provide a reference letter to support my application. This is a project manager role which will focus on improving the interface between HR business partners and HR service desks. The project manager will lead the group of subject matter experts from different areas of HR. This will be a short term international assignment in London.
I am excited about this role as it affords a wonderful opportunity to put research findings on change management in practice. This project will set a base for future changes in the way HR function operates in the company. I think I will get a valuable experience from this opportunity.
It would be great if you could mention the research projects I have done and the experience I have had in change management and in HR operating models in the reference letter.

I appreciate your support.

Regards, 
Aida

**************

Examiner's Comments/My Comments/Rajib's Comments:

The letter is simple and well written. It has enough words (more than 150 words as required) and gives answers to all the questions asked. It is a writing sample for band of 7-7.5

Suggestion for improvements: Need to use more complex words and wide range of grammar should be used for better score.

This essay (Writing sample) was submitted to eRater site (testbig.com) and it suggested that the essay may get almost 8 in IELTS. Your IELTS teacher does not believe this but we are sharing the comments/feedback received from testbig.com as it will give you an idea on how this writing sample can be improved. Please have a look below and ask us if you have any questions. 

Transition Words or Phrases used:
if, well, i think
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 3.0 7.48453608247 40% => More to be verbs wanted.
Auxiliary verbs: 8.0 4.92783505155 162% => OK
Conjunction : 4.0 5.05154639175 79% => OK
Relative clauses : 1.0 3.03092783505 33% => OK
Pronoun: 21.0 32.9175257732 64% => OK
Preposition: 20.0 26.3917525773 76% => OK
Nominalization: 10.0 3.85567010309 259% => Less nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 801.0 937.175257732 85% => OK
No of words: 166.0 206.0 81% => More content wanted.
Chars per words: 4.82530120482 4.54256449028 106% => OK
Fourth root words length: 3.58944267634 3.78020617076 95% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.78126077987 2.54303337028 109% => OK
Unique words: 101.0 127.690721649 79% => More unique words wanted.
Unique words percentage: 0.60843373494 0.622605031667 98% => OK
syllable_count: 246.6 290.88556701 85% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.41237113402 106% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 9.0 9.13402061856 99% => OK
Interrogative: 0.0 0.360824742268 0% => OK
Article: 1.0 0.824742268041 121% => OK
Subordination: 0.0 1.83505154639 0% => More adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 0.0 0.463917525773 0% => OK
Preposition: 0.0 1.44329896907 0% => More preposition wanted as sentence beginning.
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 10.0 12.6804123711 79% => Need more sentences. Double check the format of sentences, make sure there is a space between two sentences, or have enough periods. And also check the lengths of sentences, maybe they are too long.
Sentence length: 16.0 16.3608247423 98% => OK
Sentence length SD: 45.8356748713 44.8134815571 102% => OK
Chars per sentence: 80.1 76.5299724578 105% => OK
Words per sentence: 16.6 16.8248392259 99% => OK
Discourse Markers: 1.7 4.34317383033 39% => More transition words/phrases wanted.
Paragraphs: 5.0 4.29896907216 116% => OK
Language errors: 0.0 2.54639175258 0% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 8.0 7.41237113402 108% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 0.0 1.49484536082 0% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 3.0 3.94845360825 76% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.199950679304 0.216113520407 93% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0790339044926 0.0766984524023 103% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0799032048056 0.0603063233224 132% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.131468715158 0.12726935374 103% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.058680264071 0.0580467560999 101% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 9.6 8.37731958763 115% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 63.7 70.7449484536 90% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 3.82989690722 81% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 8.4 7.45979381443 113% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 10.44 8.71597938144 120% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.14 7.59969072165 107% => OK
difficult_words: 39.0 41.2886597938 94% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 8.0 8.62886597938 93% => OK
gunning_fog: 8.4 8.54432989691 98% => OK
text_standard: 8.0 8.15463917526 98% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 87.0786516854 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 7.75 Out of 9
---------------------
Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.

Important language points in IELTS Exam, in IELTS Test

There was a question at FUTURELEARN Forum, and the question was:

What have you identified as the most important language points you need to work on to help improve your IELTS score?

First of all, FutureLearn is a Forum which conducts/organises many free courses in English Language. I was attending a course on IELTS. For example, the course on IELTS which I am attending at the moment is: INSIDE IELTS CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT. You can get the more ideas about IELTS and this free course by visiting this link:

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/cambridge-english-ielts/2/study-group

Now, let us talk about IELTS. IELTS is one of the toughest exams if you have not studied in English medium, or if you have not studied enough English. I have seen that many people in Kazakhstan and especially in Astana - the new capital of Kazakhstan - dream of "passing" IELTS though there is no such concepts as pass or fail in IELTS. What they mean is that they want to receive a good score in IELTS so that they can prove their English language skills, or apply to foreign Universities.

I am always ready to help you in case you need any help from me to crack IELTS examinations in Kazakhstan. I will be able to help you in reading, writing, listening and speaking part of IELTS. You can contact me through this blog to realise your dreams of getting good IELTS score. If you are based in Astana, Kazakhstan, we can meet face to face and talk about IELTS in Kazakhstan, and if you are located in other cities, you can learn via SKYPE.

******

What have you identified as the most important language points you need to work on to help improve your IELTS score?

I think it is difficult to pinpoint to only one language skill to get good scores in IELTS. Vocabulary is very important in reading, writing and speaking. If you know a lot of multi-syllable words, good collocations and compound words, you can read the text easily, quickly and can understand it without much efforts. It will enhance your confidence and helps to save a lot of time.

In writing and speaking, vocabulary plays a good role but I think examiners are not only looking for your word lists. You need to be able to exhibit multiple skills when it comes to writing and speaking exams. In writing, a good grammar is very important and use of complex grammar without mistakes is highly desirable. Similarly, coherence in expression of ideas, use of suitable collocation is extremely important.

When it comes to speaking, you need to speak like a native speaker. That means we need to use correct grammar, varieties of colloquial expressions, diverse words but not necessarily complex ones.

Now, in listening, ability to understand different accents and dialects of English is important and it comes only through practice. So, the students start from reading different texts on variety of topics.