The Final Playlist! Two-Question Essays - (Marriage costs)

On his way out, Brother Joko noticed that although we got the stained glass in over a week ago, no one had yet put up the final open pane in the ceiling of the Task 2 chambers!

I don't think I would be too off in saying that many IELTS students have a fear

Phones and Work Lead to Health Problems & Climate Change

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Okay, I'm being sarcastic, a bit, but in that statement we cover: 

• modern technology 
• work
• health
• the environment

Those seem to be the "Big Four" when it comes to the general topics that you'll find most often on IELTS Writing Task 2 questions. Of course, there are lots of others, but those are the four, or permutations thereof, that seem to crop up quite frequently. I'd guess maybe half the Task 2 questions that I've come across include at least one of those elements.

Consequently, having a full toolbox of topic-related vocabulary on those four would be an excellent thing for a test candidate to have.  I'm sure you've got

THE TASK ONE CAFE: Hilarious IELTS Video with Tips on Overviews and Handling Difficult Tables

It started off as just a means to...  You'll hear. The story of the origin of pizza-charts and the menu simile takes a good chunk of the video.

My continued to devotion to emphasizing the overview in Task One writing is on full display here in this video project that took many hours to get even halfway right. If you'd like a really in-depth analysis of Task One, check out my 3-part lecture on the topic herE. 

IELTS Speaking: When to be an Actor on Stage.

A random post on Facebook inspired me this morning.  Maybe I can pass on that inspiration to you as well.

 It started off with a very self-aware, but somewhat self-conscious plea for help. 

3 Discuss Both Sides Essays: Exams as Assessment, Teaching Children, Career Success

Are exams the best way to assess students question:

Issues: Repeating yourself

Tips and Essay Corrections: Discuss Both Views and Give Your Own Opinion

This lesson? …presentation?... extended feedback report? I’m not sure what to call it, will be coming to you in two parts. The first half contains tips on what to think about when writing a Task 2 essay of the “discuss both views and give your own opinion” variety.

The second part is actually three parts, correcting the essays of three students who I found on the Facebook page “IELTS Tips and Tricks”.

Honestly, both halves were created in part just to test out new methods of using media and my computer in hopes of creating IELTS materials that are

The Self-Correction Technique of Guided Feedback

One major advantage that classroom teachers have over online teachers is the ability to interact with students directly, and help them correct their own mistakes on writing tasks. Immediately. Directly. Face-to-face.  Try to get the students to understand what they are doing wrong for themselves. One way to do this is through the self-correction technique. This is what I usually do in class.

When I return writing tasks (IELTS or general English) to my students, they come with little letters above the words or phrases, codes to tell them what type of mistake that there making. Is it a missing word?(mw) Is it a lexical, a word choice, error?(wc) Is it a grammar error?(gr) Spelling?(sp) Then, I insist that the students don't just look at it and put it away, that they do their best to correct their own mistakes, and then ask me,  "Hey teacher, is this right now?" or, "I'm sorry teacher, I don't understand what I did wrong here. Please help."

Speaking Test Simulator

One day about a month ago, I had some free time, and started thinking about how the Temple could help people with their IELTS Speaking. I had an idea, and posted this on the Facebook Tips and Tricks group:

Super-Secret, Triple-Effective Tips to Guarantee a Band 9 IELTS Score!

These are absolutely proven tips and tricks!

Reading:

•  For fill in the blank type questions, if you can't find a word that fits, use a word that rhymes with the previous answer. They might give you credit for being poetic.
•  For T/F/NG and Y/N/NG type questions, don't be boring and just answer "true" or "false". Show off your vocabulary by using qualifiers, synonyms and idiomatic expressions.