Monday, January 30, 2012

Overview – IELTS Listening Test

The IELTS Listening Test is the same for the Academic and General Training modules (the modules are only different for the reading and writing parts of the test. Candidates have to listen to English speech spoken in a social or academic context and answer a series of questions. The audio is played only once so you have to practice sufficiently beforehand to pick up what’s being said the first time around.

Listen carefully, I will say this only once...
The listening test is divided into four sections with 10 questions in each part (a total of 40 questions). The listening test lasts for about 30 minutes plus candidates will get an extra 10 minutes at the end to transfer their answers to the answer sheet.

Candidates will hear a number of recorded conversations and dialogues and each of the four sections of the IELTS Listening Test will focus on a different type of speech:
  • Section 1 – A social or transactional dialogue – a conversation between 2 people and the conversation is divided into 2 parts (10 questions)
  • Section 2 – a monologue (one person speaking) about a general topic divided into 2 parts (10 questions)
  • Section 3 – A conversation in an academic context between 2, 3 or 4 people divided into 2 parts (10 questions)
  •  Section 4 – An academic lecture divided into 2 parts (10 questions)

Every listening test has 40 questions and each question is worth one point; the number of correct answers a candidate needs to get a particular band score is based on the number of correct answers:
  • 16 to 22 (out of 40) = band 5
  • 23 to 29 (out of 40) = band 6
  • 30 to 34 (out of 40) = band 7
  • 35 to 38 (out of 40) = band 8
  • 39 or 40 (out of 40) = band 9

It is however important to note that the scores (above) are averages and overall band score can vary from week to week depending on how difficult (or easy) a particular test paper is.

The listening test measures how well candidates can listen for main ideas, specific information, supporting information, facts and opinions.

A variety of question types will be used:
  • Classification
  • Matching
  • Multiple choice
  • Notes/diagram/flow chart completion
  • Short answer
  • Sentence completion
 The variety of question types means that candidates sometimes need to write an answer as opposed to just simply making a choice of the right answer from a list of options. For this type of question (one that is not a multiple choice question), correct spelling is important and if candidates get the spelling wrong, the answer will be marked incorrect. Even a small error can mean that a candidate loses marks: e.g.  if the answer to a question is "lessons"; and you instead write "lesson", this answer  can be marked as being a wrong answer. Candidates have to make sure they spell answers correctly and also include the correct (required) information. If the answer is "free English lessons" and they write only "free lessons", they may lose a valuable mark.

The accents of the speakers on the audio are from a variety of different countries (they are not only British); some accents (for example Australian) can be difficult to understand for some candidates who might be more used to North American accents. While some American accents might be used, do be prepared for there to be a variety used (remember the test is created by IDP who are Australian, the British Council and the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate so there is a definite British connection!); the exam partners will do their best to ensure that a variety of accents are used to represent the international nature of today’s English. If is however a good idea to make sure that candidates know the most common differences between British and American vocabulary!

One very important point is that when the listening part of the test ends (the audio conversations and speaking), candidates are given ten extra minutes to transfer their answers from the IELTS Question Booklet to the answer sheet. Please make sure that you transfer you answers to the correct numbers on the answer sheet and that in this time you make sure you put an answer for every single question.

Some General Tips:
At the beginning the IELTS Test there is a short (two and a half minute) introduction. Use this time to read through the test booklet to get a general understanding of what the sections are going to be about.

After each section, candidates are given one minute to check their answers but it is no possible to check any answers without hearing the audio again!  Use this time to read ahead and get an idea of what the next set of questions is going to be about.

The questions follow the oral text (the Answers you are looking for will be answered  in chronological order); this makes it easier for candidates to focus on the current question and to know if they have been left behind (the speakers might have gone on to provide the answer to subsequent  questions)

Try to read two questions at a time and keep in mind what all the questions for the section you are listening to are – you might find that the answers to several questions occur in a single sentence.

If you don’t catch the answer to a question, go onto the next question;  you will only hear the audio once. The answer might be repeated later on anyway.  If not, then you can come back in the final tern minutes after the audio is finished and take a good guess.

If you get totally lost, wait until the other candidates turn their pages so that you can find out where you are in the questions. 

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Overview – IELTS Reading Test

In this Blog post, it is time to take a look at the IELTS reading test:

A little often (from an early start) is better than cramming in practice time

Candidates should remember that there are two versions of the IELTS test; a General Training IELTS Reading exam or an Academic IELTS Reading exam.  The difference between the two versions is in the Reading and Writing modules only (the Listening and Speaking modules are the same for both versions of the test) and the main difference between the Academic and General Reading Modules of the IELTS test is the content of the reading passages. The General Module uses easier texts from social, academic, and work contexts whereas the Academic Module uses more advanced texts, at an undergraduate or graduate level, from academic sources. The skills and abilities that are tested are the same for both versions of the test

One mark is awarded for each correct answer and your total score (out of 40) is converted into a band score on the IELTS scale (from 0 to 9). Scores are reported as a whole band or as a half band so it is possible to score 6.5 or 5.5 but the top score is 9 (not 9.5)
The Academic and General Training Modules for the reading test however are similar:

Ø  Both last for one hour
Ø  Both contain 3 passages to read in one hour
Ø  Both have around 40 questions to answer
Ø  Both are scored in the same way

But there are some important differences (we will however go into more detail looking at the academic test)


IELTS General Training Reading Paper
This is divided into three sections of increasing difficulty and there are 40 questions in total, the sections are as follows:

Section 1 – two to three short texts - Notices, advertisements, publicity booklets, timetables, etc. (14 questions)

Section 2 – two texts - College catalogues, course descriptions, rules and regulations, library guides, etc. (13 questions)

Section 3 – one long text - Newspapers, magazines, journals, books, etc. (13 questions)
Don't get stressed out about the IELTS reading test
IELTS Academic Reading Paper
Candidates have 60 minutes to read the three passages and answer 40 questions (11-15 questions for each section). Candidates are advised to spend about 20 minutes on each passage. Do not waste time worrying about items that you can’t answer and pay special regard to the fact that the texts will probably get progressively more difficult. Therefore it can be a good idea of candidates to divide their time into three 20 minute segments as follows:


Ø  17 minutes on section 1
Ø  20 minutes on section 2
Ø  23 minutes on section 3

If you have a particularly difficult question, mark it so that you can return to it later and move onto the next question. If you finish early, you can use time at the end of the test to come back.

All answers must be entered on to the Answer Sheet during the 60-minutes allowed, while candidates may write their answers on the Question Paper first if they wish to, it should be heavily emphasised that no extra time is allowed to transfer answers to the Answer Sheet (this is a major different from the listening test where candidates do have 10 minutes after the audio finishes in which to transfer their answers).


The Academic Reading Module will use passages that are based on undergraduate or graduate level texts; they could be taken from books, newspapers or magazines. One passage usually has general academic content, one passage presents a logical argument, and one passage includes a diagram, graph or illustration. Candidates do not require any specialist or technical knowledge to understand the texts. Any   passages that contain technical vocabulary will be explained (in a glossary or footnote or in the text itself).

There are 10 basic task types, some with possible variations. A variety of task types will be used in all tests and more than one task type may be used for each passage. Candidates should remember that questions might appear before passage and after a reading passage.
The 10 types of questions are:

1.    Multiple choice
2.    Short-answer
3.    Sentence completion
4.    Tables, diagrams, flow charts
5.    Summary completion
6.    Paragraph headings
7.    Locating information
8.    Identifying writer's views or claims
9.    Classification
10. Matching

The test asks candidates to show their ability to identify main ideas, supporting ideas, writer’s opinions and specific information.

Pay special attention to the exam questions - when the instructions state that the candidate should answer in, for example, “NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS” – do not exceed the word limit or it will be marked incorrect (that includes using articles “a” “an” “the”).

All words that candidates will need in order to answer the questions will be given in the passage, so they should be encouraged to transfer their answers to the Answer Sheet with care. Candidates should be aware that poor spelling and grammar are penalised.

The test is designed to ensure that Candidates should be able to demonstrate that they can:

Ø  Grasp the big picture as well as the minor points
Ø  Distinguish facts from opinions and attitudes
Ø  Identify the overall purpose of the passage
Ø  Follow the main arguments in a written text
Ø  Locate specific details and relevant information
Ø  Summarize any key points
Ø  Infer meaning
Ø  Use accurate spelling and correct grammar

In later posts we will examine some of the key skills needed to do well in the Reading Test.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Overview – IELTS Writing


Over the coming weeks, I will look at how the different parts of the test are marked, but to start with, I will continue with just giving an overview of the various parts of the test.  Today, we look at the IELTS writing test.

Overview – IELTS Writing


There are two versions of the writing test and both versions have two parts. There is a general training module and an academic module.

Both versions of the test have two parts and you have one hour in which to complete the writing part of the test. The two parts of the writing test are:

  • Task 1 – a shorter task – write at least 150 words in 20 minutes
  • Task 2 – a longer task (essay) – write at least 250 words in 40 minutes
Candidates therefore choose the Academic Module or the General Training Module.

General Training Writing Module

General Training Part 1 – Part one of the general training will be to write a letter to another person and you will be expected to write at least 150 words in around twenty minutes.  You will be told what kind of person you are writing to and what information should be included in your answer.

Example of General Training Task 1:
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You are at college and have to share a room another student. This situation is however, causing you many problems and you find it very difficult to work.

Write a letter to the accommodation officer at the college. In the letter,

·         describe the situation
·         explain the problems and why they make it difficult for you to work
·         say what other kind of accommodation would be better

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam


General Training Part 2 – the second part requires the writing of an essay in around 40 minutes of 250 or more words. The question is not normally as difficult as the academic question but it still requires the writing of an essay.

Example of General Training Task 2: 
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

In some countries, when someone starts to get old they often go to live in a home with other old people where there are people to look after them.

Who do you think should pay for this care, the government or the family?

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

Write at least 250 words


Academic Writing Module

Academic Module Part 1 – Part one of the Academic module will expect you to write at least 150 words in around twenty minutes. You will be given a graph or some other type of picture showing data of some sort for you to analyse and present the information in a report.  The data could be a line graph, bar chart, pie chart, table, process diagram, or it could even be a map showing past, present and future aspects of a town or area.

Example of Academic Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The table below shows different recruitment method used by UK companies to find new staff in two different years.

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

Write at least 150 words




Academic Module Part 2 – This is the most difficult part of the writing test and you need to be able to write a minimum for 250 words in 40 minutes. Please note that the 250 words is a minimum and if you need a higher level score (a score of 7 or above) it will not be enough and a much longer and more detailed answer will be required.

Example of Academic Task 2:
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic.

Road transport is increasing in almost every country in the world. In some countries there are more cars than there are people. Some people think that relying on cars is a negative development and that other alternative forms of transport should be encouraged.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

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

Write at least 250 words

In future blogs, I will look at how candidates get their scores and what you can do to get the best score possible. We will also look in more detail at some of the writing tasks!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Overview - IELTS Speaking Test

The IELTS speaking test lasts only 11-15 minutes and it is split into three parts:

The IELTS Interview - not as bad as you might think...

IELTS speaking Part 1 (3-4 minutes): Short Questions and answers about some very familiar Topics. The first questions will be about your name and where you are from and then there will be some questions about where you live or where you work/study. This  will then be followed by questions on one or two additional topics that should be quite familiar to you; topics such as entertainment, holidays, leisure activities, sport etc.

IELTS speaking Part 2 - "the long turn" (2 minutes plus 1 minute to prepare): Candidates are given a topic card and then given 1 minute to prepare for a 2 minute answer. The topics can be a little bit more difficult than those in the first part and can include describing or commenting on a book, building, person, movie, situation. After you have given your presentation, the examiner could ask 1 or 2 rounding-off questions before moving onto the final part.

IELTS speaking Part 3 (4-5 minutes): This is a discussion based on the topic area used in the second part. Questions normally are more difficult in terms of thinking and will be about more abstract and general concepts; they might ask the candidate to compare, analyse or speculate on the prior topic. The examiner could also really try to push the candidate to see what their linguistic boundaries of ability are.

How is the speaking test graded?
The speaking test is graded with a mark being given (from 1-9) based on  four key criteria:

Fluency and coherence: Fluency is the ability to speak at a normal speed without too much hesitation and repetition. Coherence is whether speech delivery is easy to understand. In order to score highly, you need to talk at length and develop your topic (do not give single word answers and try to give as much detail as you can). In general, it is good if you can use connectives and discourse markers and avoid pauses and restarting sentences.

Vocabulary: To score highly on this criteria, you must use higher level words, pay attention to collocation, and also use some more idiomatic language. You should also try to show ability to paraphrase and try to avoid using too much slang or any rude words. Remember, this is an academic test so your vocabulary choice should reflect that.

Grammar: Use a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, complex) and try your best to avoid grammatical errors. Problems with articles (a / an / the), prepositions and word order can make your speaking difficult to understand. Try your best to control word endings (correctly use singular/plural / word endings) and ensure that you use the correct tense.

Pronunciation: Your accent, the extent that it is easy or difficult to understand. This includes how you use language features that a native speaker would use; for example intonation, stress, and rhythm.

It is perhaps unfortunate that some problems can count in two categories; for example, some grammatical errors might also result in a lower score for pronunciation or some pronunciation problems might also result in a lower score for grammar.

IELTS Vocabulary - Idioms

Today's Word - Draw the line
Today we add another idiom to our word-bank (something that you will need to demonstrate if you are aiming for a higher score!).




Sunday, January 22, 2012

Task 2 - Education: Work and travel instead of study


There are only so many topics that IELTS can ask you about for the writing tasks, that is mostly because it is an international exam and that the subjects to write about chosen must be suitable for all countries and all cultures. 

Most questions can be categorized in to the following topics and we will examine these in more detail in future posts! They are all topics that educated people should be able to speak and write about in their own language!

The main topics are: 
  • Education (this is quite a common topic)
  • Employment and money 
  • Environment and housing
  • Family
  • Globalisation (a difficult topic to cover but appears often)
  • Government
  • Health
  • Language and culture (seems to be quite popular as well)
  • Law and order
  • Media and advertising
  • Science and technology
  • Sport and leisure 
  • Travel and transport

You might notice that most task 2s that we have looked at so far have been about education, that is no accident. Education as a topic is probably the most popular topic

There is a general trend in some countries of students taking a break from their studies between school and university and either going travelling or taking a job for a year. What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing this?

Answer:
Lots of students upon finishing high school decide to take a break from study and either embark upon a programme of travel around the world or take a job to get some important real world experience. This trend is especially prevalent in certain Western societies where many teenagers in a gap year strap on a backpack and go travelling around the globe or put away their school uniforms in exchange for some kind of work attire and commence employment. There are some great benefits of doing this but there are also unfortunately some serious disadvantages as well.

The advantages of taking a year break from studies prior to embarking on further study are many. This year gives students a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience new people and new experiences away from their normal comfort zone before the responsibilities of life such as supporting a partner or children or be worried about money and a mortgage start to build which would inhibit people from doing embarking on this kind of undertaking later in life. The new experience of work and travel should be fun and an adventure, it will be the first time that these young people will have any degree of freedom over their lives and the ability to choose a job that a person is interested or a place to travel to might inspire them to try something new or something they are interested in. That experience can then be used in the course of their studies; either as a stimulus for the subject of study or as an experience to make the person a more rounded individual. In essence, having a gap year tends to make people have a much greater degree of self-confidence and self-discipline. There is also another advantage that real world experience of work or travel can make it easier for a person to differentiate themselves from the common herd when it comes to applying for jobs or places on academic courses.

There are however some serious drawbacks to counterbalance the positive aspects of working or travelling as a young person before progressing onto further study. The cost of taking a year off to travel might be high in terms of costs, especially of problems arise, for example if some kind of medical treatment is required overseas, the costs can spin totally out of control. For work, a student will not be able to get a very fulfilling job and will be stuck doing the most menial of tasks; in effect their year spent working will be of little value when it comes to actual marketable skills and knowledge they can take to a subsequent employer. Traveling overseas, while it can be exciting, can also be very dangerous as well. Being young and ignorant of life’s dangers, these students could be potential targets of criminality in the areas they choose to travel to. Spending this time away doing something that may not be too productive can also mean that these people are a year behind their peers when it comes to work and study and will always be playing catch-up in terms of career and study.

In conclusion, there are both benefits and drawbacks to the young taking a break from study and entering the world of work or going around the world travelling. It seems likely that the trend of travelling in a gap year may decline in the future due to negative economic but the trend of working might increase as students try to save some money so they are not so greatly indebted by the cost of their studies. It does seem that people who take this kind of opportunity have a much more rounder view of the world and they do seem to have derived a great deal of benefit from the overall experience.

(635 words)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

IELTS Vocabulary

I will be adding some words and phrases each week as you will need some more idiomatic language and good knowledge of collocations in order to get the higher scores in the IELTS test. 

Today's Word - Vicious Circle

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Task 2: Competition V Cooperation in Schools

Question: Some people think that competition is important in schools and is a vital part of education. Others feel that the purpose of education is to encourage students to work together and thus the education system should emphasize cooperation. 

Discuss both points of view and give your own opinion. 

This week we look at a more difficult topic but one that comes up very often in task 2 - an examination of some aspect of education. Very often we will have to consider two conflicting ideas. it is important to remember that there is no single correct answer and that we could take any position we want as long as we can support it. Remember the IELTS test is not just a test about English, it is also a test of your academic thinking too!

Answer:
Competition is a fact of life, we all compete amongst ourselves for resources due to the fact that scarcity is a dominant feature of economic life and the only way in which those scarce resources can be allocated is by way of competition. At some schools it might seem strange that children are encouraged to engage in competitive behaviour and some critics have been very vocal in opposing this style of traditional education and have instead favoured a more cooperative model of teaching and learning. This has culminated in an opposing model of education; a liberal and cooperative ideal that is pitched against a conservative or competitive one.

The highly academic schools are always very competitive, they track student progress for each and every class and rank students according to their achievements. This kind of environment generally promotes the idea of all students trying their best to achieve their highest possible standard of work and produce the best quality of work. Just like in a free market, where competition allows companies to produce the best quality goods and services, a competitive environment at school will also produce the best qualities for  students. It should also be remembered that the real world of work is very competitive and that this nature of reality needs to be instilled into children so that they and their society can succeed as eventually all students will eventually become adults and then take their role in a competitive world.

More liberal doctrines of education have highly emphasised cooperation rather than competition as part of  a kind of “all must have prizes” ethos. They argue that competition might be good for the top ten per cent but that the results are not so great for the other ninety percent who might then be marginalised and thereby lose motivation. This might culminate in the less confident and less able not wanting to participate to their fullest extents; some individuals might be crushed by their experiences in education and unable to cope with the sort of stress that is engendered by competition. Due to the fact that the people have to cooperate in all fields of human endeavour, in business, in academia and in government; it is much better for children to be taught to work together because we all are stronger when we are part of a team.

At the present moment, the general trend had been to move towards inclusive methods of education which encourage cooperation. As we can see more and more people heading onto university to study qualifications that for some will lead inevitably to many of them not being able to subsequently secure the type of career they deem to be worthy of them; it is time to bring some competition back into the system (starting with school) so that we can reimagine the education system as being a producer of excellence with high standards and not one that encourages mediocrity for all.

Competition and cooperation are not mutually exclusive concepts and both can be used by children to bring out their best qualities. A system with no competition is not doing any favours for those who experience it as a competitive world awaits them upon completion of their studies. It is a shame that more liberal doctrines have tried to totally remove competition from schools as demonstrated in changes to academic and sporting life in schools. Competition should be encouraged and as long as there is some cooperation as well, this should enable our children to be all that they can be and also prepare them for the real world.

(597 words)

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Task 1 - Smoking

Today we will look at a very simple Task 1 style essay - there is nothign too difficult about this graph but it does have 3 lines and enough data for us to report on. Please not that IELTS task one is not generally as simple as the example below but it does allow us to look at how the essay task should be strutured and approached. 

I wrote the task in about 12 minutes but for task one, getting it done in 20 minutes is fine. You should write at least 150 words in order to get the best score you can but to get the really high scores, you need to write much more  than that in the time! 

Personally, I find task 1 much more difficult than task 2 in showing good vocabulary but we will look at other types of task 1 in the coming weeks (maps / processes etc.) which are a but more fun. 

Task 1 - Cigarette Smokers in the UK 
(Picture: news.bbc.co.uk /data: Office of National Statistics)

Answer: 
The graph shows the percentage of people in the United Kingdom who indulged in the habit of smoking cigarettes between 1974 and 2003. The data itself can be broken down into the three groups that are shown on the chart; men, women and an overall average derived from an aggregate of both males and females. There is a very clear overall trend that cigarette smoking has experienced a rather dramatic fall in terms of popularity over the three decades shown but that this decrease seems to have tailed off somewhat in the more recent past. 

The percentage of men who smoke which was always larger than that for women was just over 50% in 1974 whereas for women, the respective figure was approximately 40%. From 1974 to 1982, the percentage of men and women who smoke fell to 37% and 35% respectively and then continued to fall more so that by 1990 it stood at 32% for men and 30% for women. After 1990, the percentage still continued to fall however the level of any further falls was much less dramatic for both men and women. 2003 saw that around 28% of the male population smoked. The percentage of women smokers also continued to diminish but at a greater rate than it did for men so that by 2003 only 25% of women were smokers.

The average figure for smokers in the UK also mirrors the trend experienced by male and female smokers, in 1974, the average was 45% but it then fell to 35% in 1982 and by 2003 is sitting comfortably between the male and female percentages at approximately 27%.

It is abundantly clear that a decrease in cigarette consumption has occurred for both the male and female segments of the cigarette market in the UK (this is also reflected in the average figure as well). The reduction in the number of people who smoke could possibly be due to individuals being better informed about possible health issues that are related to tobacco products or could even be a reaction to increases in the price of cigarettes as part of a deliberate government policy to try and discourage smoking by making it much more expensive and thereby reduce the number of smokers in the country. 

(377 words)


Friday, January 13, 2012

Task 2 - Freedom of Speech

People should have the freedom to express their ideas however they want and there should be no government restriction on what they can say, To what extent do you agree or disagree.

Answer:

There is an obvious paradox inherent in the two conflicting principles; freedom of speech versus a right to privacy and an associated principle to restrict what people can and cannot say. On the one hand it has been argued that there should be an inherent right for people to be able to express their opinions and ideas without any kind of restrictions on what they say. On the other hand, there is an equally valid argument that there must be some kind of limitation on this right otherwise the very fabric of society could be under threat. he well know scholar of jurisprudence expressed this issue most succinctly, stating that “the most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic”; in other words there need to be some kind of fettering of the right to freedom of speech. The fact that we are dealing with the abrogation of a basic human right means that we need to take a very cautious approach.

The first amendment of the US constitution is perhaps particularly well known as a guarantee of the right to freedom of speech. Free speech is a basic and fundamental right for all people and it vital in any kind of democratic state. People need to be able to pass comment on politicians and other public figures without fear of legal reprisals; newspapers and the media also need to be able to report news which is sometimes adversarial and critical with regard to the government, companies or even specific individuals. Examples in the recent past are easy to cite; there have been various political scandals such as the cash for questions affair in the British Parliament where members of parliament were paid by businessmen to put forward questions to the government of the day on their behalf in return for some kind of financial incentive. These kinds of scandals are often exposed by newspapers or other public minded individuals; in the Internet age this would be on website, on social networking sites or even on Blogs. It is clear that a freedom to speak one’s mind is vital in a democratic country and is also integral to ensure the proper functioning of the rule of law.

Limits have been placed on what people are able to say which can severely hamper people’s ability to express themselves freely. Slander and libel law make it a civil offence to say something that is not true about a person that might damage their reputation. Laws against pornography and blasphemy also exist to try to protect the social and moral underpinnings of society. Governments often place prohibitions on expression in the national interest or due to security concerns. There are in fact many restrictions on what people can say and how they are allowed to articulate their thoughts and ideas.

Clearly, the two positions we have considered are polar opposites. Generally there should be no restriction on how people express themselves and what they are able to say but I think that the best approach to finding middle ground between the two principles is to follow the “harm principle”. In other words, people do have an absolute right to say anything they want as long as it is not to the detriment of another individual or a threat to the security of the country. If there is serious potential for harm that is not then counterbalanced by there being a genuine public interest or some other justification, for example to bring information into the public domain such as when a crime has been committed but had hitherto been unreported; there must be some kind of government restrictions on what can be said but not so that it would threaten the ability to bring place before the public any information or facts that they need to know. (645 words)

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Task 2 - Education - Student Behaviour

Remember that the word count in IELTS is a minimum of 250 words for task 2. In order to get a higher score, 250 words will not be enough to achieve a 8 or 9 score and will require a lot more!

Question: In many countries schools have problems with student behaviour. What are the causes of this? What can be done to solve this problem?


Answer:

No school or educational institution is perfect and every single place of learning will at some point experience problems with student behaviour. In some cases, the problems are minor; for example, low level disruption in the classroom. In other cases, the problems can vary, some can be exceedingly severe with drug addiction and severe physical assaults being perpetrated on school grounds. The causes of the varying degrees of bad student behaviour are varied and complex, but once they are identified, solutions can thus be proposed to effect positive change.


Some educational commentators place the blame for student delinquency on the schools themselves for creating the problem. They cite examples of bad teaching where monotonous styles can cause students to lose interest and thus as a result start to disrupt lessons. The curriculum has also been targeted as not being relevant to modern student needs and interests which means that is requires updating to have more in common with the “internet generation”. The solution proposed for this would be to involve students directly in the way that school education is designed and allow them to help shape the way the way their own education is conceived, created and delivered. Methods of teaching could also be changed to focus more on students and cater for different ways of learning. Even the hours of study could be changed to better suit the teenage body clock and teenage lifestyle.


The schools however are not solely to blame as the family of badly behaved students must also shoulder some of the blame. Good behaviour starts at home with the parants and if parents spoil their children and let them get away with everything and anything, the end result will be children who are absolutely out of control. It is hardly fair to ask schools to deal with this problem which is one that they did not create. The best way to improve this situation would be to education parents so that they know the best psychological approaches to take when dealing with child behaviour and thus stop behavioural problems from getting out of hand or hopefully, stopping them from occurring in the first place.


One final reason is that the problems could be due to problems in the brain that then cause bad student behaviour. This kind of illness is called ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and some medical professionals think this is a serious problem for which medication is used to then bring student behaviour back to normal and enable this kind of student to behave better. Many schools and parents in the United States take this problem very seriously and medicine is given routinely to quite a few students to try and improve student behaviour.


To conclude, there are many reasons for student behaviour that help to explain why not all students behave well at all times in the classroom. There is also a good way to deal with each aspect of each single cause, further research is needed to try to make sure students have no real excuse for not concentrating and not working hard at school.
(514 words)

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Welcome to my Blog and a chance for you IELTS students to have a look at some model answers for part one and part two for the writing part of the examination.

I am a teacher of Business and English based in Bangkok Thailand and have been teaching academic writing for the last 10 years as well as being an academic examiner.

Each week I will be adding new essays for task 1 and task 2 to show how a good answer looks. If you have have questions that you would like to have a model answer for, then please leave a comment on this Blog with your essay question or a link to a task 1 graphic.

Each essay was written in the appropriate time (40 minutes for a task 2 and 20 minutes for a task 1) and they were all written under examination conditions.

Question: Happiness is important in life. Why is it difficult to define? What factors are important?


Answer:
Of course, everyone desires to be happy rather than sad in the same way that most people would prefer to be rich rather than poor. There is no doubt that happiness is the ultimate goal of people but therein lies a problem; happiness is almost possible to define in concrete terms that are generally applicable to all and there are also many factors that are important in determining happiness in a person’s life.

The concept of happiness is very difficult to put into words. Firstly, it is an abstract and not a physical concept that is very subjective in that every single person will define it in a slightly different way. It also relies on a multitude of factors which will be different depending on who you ask which will in turn rest upon demographic of cultural considerations such as a particular stage of life a person is in, their geographical location and their socialisation within their respective culture. In particular, although we can say that there are some general factors that do lead to happiness more often than not, the level of emphasis will be vastly different from person to person,

The first factor that lead to a happy life is a person’s personal life. Being part of a loving family where one is valued, where a person can have a role that positively influences other people that they care about and also be cared for not only gives you happiness but also allows happiness to permeate the very fabric of familial existence. Having good friends is also very important, other people you can turn to for help or advice in times of trouble or times of need. These two aspects of friends and family are a very important aspect for anyone to achieve happiness.

The second factor would be for many people a fulfilling work life. A job that gives satisfaction and a feeling of self worth where success is achievable that can lead to greater self esteem, promotion or even a higher salary. We spend so much time at work, it is important to do something we love and not wake up every day hating the idea of having to go to work. We should live to work and not work to live.

The third and final factor should be leisure time and what we can do in our spare time; this is also a significant factor in determining happiness. This again will vary from person to person. Some people just require time to unwind by watching movies, sleeping, in general, just having personal time ot unwind. Others try to again happiness by improving either themselves by for example study , playing sport or by reading. The might also try to improve their environment with DIY or gardening activities. Other people like to spend time also or socialising with their friends. Ultimately having free time for doing things you choose to do is very important in achieving the goal of happiness.

To conclude, there are so many factors that determine happiness and they will all be different slightly for every person in the world. It should be emphasised however that a loving personal life, a fulfilling occupation and spare time to pursue personal interests are all key for most people in order for them to be happy.

(550 words)








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