Words to Impress the Examiner

In the IELTS speaking test, there are words that you can use to impress the examiner. Though, it is not all about the vocabularies that you use. You, on the other hand, need to pay attention to your FLUENCY, PRONUNCIATION, and RANGE OF STRUCTURE (GRAMMAR) that you use.

My students always ask me if they have to do their best to pronounce the words with American or British accent. The answer would be to always keep in mind that if you can speak with a standard pronunciation of English, you have made yourself understood by the examiner. Being able to speak in BRITISH or AMERICAN accent is NEVER A MUST.

Below, there are some advanced-level vocabularies. Check your knowledge to see how may of them you know:

1. Cajole
2. Erudite
3. Feral
4.  Callous
5.  Coerce
6. Hypocrisy
7. Complacency
8. Flabbergasted
9. Furtive
10. Implacable
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

IELTS Writing Task 2: introduction and conclusion

Economic progress is often used to measure a country's success. However, some people believe that other factors are more important. What other factors should also be considered when measuring a country's success? Do you think one factor is more important than others?

Introduction: Introduce the topic and give a general answer to both questions.

The relative success of different countries is usually defined in economic terms. There are several other factors, apart from the economy, that could be used to assess a country, and in my opinion education is the most important of all.


Conclusion: Repeat / summarise your answer.

In conclusion, nations can be assessed and compared in a variety of ways, but I would argue that the standard of a country's education system is the best indicator of its success.

Is that OK to give negative answers in IELTS speaking part 1?

It's fine to give negative answers in part 1 of the speaking test.

1. What sports or physical activities do you regularly do?
Unfortunately I don't have time to do any sports or physical activities because of my work commitments. I'd like to find more time for regular exercise.

2. Do you prefer watching or playing sports?
I don't watch much sport on TV and I'm not a big sports fan, so I think I would probably enjoy doing sports more than watching them.

How essays are marked!

In IELTS writing task 2, there are basically 4 things that the test taker should pay attention to, in order to get a higher score. It is always important to keep in mind what the scorer is looking for in your writing.
Here, you can see how your essays are marked.

25% Task Response
25% Coherence and Cohesion
25%Lexical Resource
25%Grammatical Range and Accuracy

However, it seems that the easiest one of these four is Task Response and Lexical Resource.

GO INTERNATIONAL. GO IELTS

IELTS Speaking Test in Italy – September 2013

Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?

Cue Card
Talk about a particular subject you learned and why it was important. Please say

- when you started learning it
- what was taught in it
- what you like and dislike about it.

Discussion
Don’t remember.

How Overall Band Score is assessed

 For those who wanted to know:

Candidates receive a Test Report Form setting out their Overall Band Score and their scores on each of the four sub-tests: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.  Each of the sub-test scores is equally weighted.  The Overall Band Score is calculated by taking the mean of the total of the four individual sub-test scores.

Overall Band Scores are reported to the nearest whole or half band. For the avoidance of doubt, the following rounding convention applies; if the average across the four skills ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band, and if it ends in .75, it is rounded up to the next whole band.

Thus, a candidate achieving 6.5 for Listening, 6.5 for Reading, 5.0 for Writing and 7.0 for Speaking would be awarded an Overall Band Score of 6.5  (25 ÷ 4 = 6.25 = Band 6.5).

Likewise, a candidate achieving 4.0 for Listening, 3.5 for Reading, 4.0 for Writing and 4.0 for Speaking would be awarded an Overall Band Score of 4.0 (15.5 ÷ 4 = 3.875 = Band 4.0).

On the other hand, a candidate achieving 6.5 for Listening, 6.5 for Reading, 5.5 for Writing and 6.0 for Speaking would be awarded band 6 (24.5 ÷ 4 = 6.125 = Band 6).

How many of these words do you know? ( Words to impress the examiner)

Some words to Impress an Examiner! (Although it is not ALL about the vocabularies that you use)


aberration (n.) something that differs from the norm (In 1974, Poland won the World Cup, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and Poland have not won a World Cup since).
 

avarice(n.) excessive greed (The banker’s avarice led him to amass an enormous personal fortune.)  

 

cajole(v.) to urge, coax (Magdas friends cajoled her into drinking too much.) 

 

coherent(adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (William could not figure out what Harold had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)  

 

confidant(n.) a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, he became my chief confidant.) 

 

acquiesce (v.) to agree without protesting (Though Mr. Pospieszny wanted to stay outside and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had better come in to dinner, he acquiesced to her demands.) 

 candor(n.) honesty, frankness (We were surprised by the candor of the politician’s speech because she is usually rather evasive.)

 

debase(v.) to lower the quality or esteem of something (The large raise that he gave himself debased his motives for running the charity.) 

impertinent(adj.) rude, insolent (Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don’t wish to dignify them with an answer.) 

 

hypocrisy(n.) pretending to believe what one does not (Once the politician began passing legislation that contradicted his campaign promises, his hypocrisy became apparent.)

 

fabricate(v.) to make up, invent (When I arrived an hour late to class, I fabricated some excuse about my car breaking down on the way to work.) 

    

Some Band 7-9 Phrases

Here are some band 7-9 phrases from "IELTS Speaking Part 2: favourite season"
- a typical winter would last...
- when I say..., Im really thinking about...
- wintry months
- the temperature drops below zero
- we’ve had periods of quite heavy snowfall
- to the extent that...
- roads have been blocked and schools have had to close
- everything covered in a layer of white
- the snow is what differentiates winter from the other seasons
- the landscape looks beautiful

IELTS Grammar: using 'with' instead of 'and'

A) The IELTS exam is popular, and over 1 million people take it every year.
B) The IELTS exam is popular, with over 1 million people taking it every year.

A) The cost of living is high, and prices are going up every year.
B) The cost of living is high, with prices going up every year.

Notice the use of the 'ing' verb form after 'with'. Notice also that there is no auxiliary verb 'are' in the second example. To practise this type of sentence, try making an example of your own!

BBC-6-Min English-----Rules and Regulations at Work

BBC-6-MinEnglish

Rules and Regulations at Work

IELTS Speaking Test in the USA and India – September 2013

Interview
- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- What type of people are living in your city?
- What does ‘being polite’ mean to you?
- Who taught you about it?
- When do you need to be polite?

Cue Card
Talk about a special meal that you would like to have. Please say
- What is it?
- Where and with whom would you like to have it?
- What other food would you like to try?

Discussion
- What type of food do people like in your country?
- What is more important: quality or price of the food?
- Should parents stop their children from eating junk food?
- What should the government do about this?
- Do you like home made food better than restaurant food?

IELTS Reading: true, false, not given

The Paper Clip

According to the Early Office Museum, the first patent for a bent wire paper clip was awarded in the United States to Samuel B. Fay, in 1867. This clip was originally intended primarily for attaching tickets to fabric, although the patent recognized that it could be used to attach papers together. Although functional and practical, Fay's design along with the 50 other designs patented prior to 1899 are not considered reminiscent of the modern paper clip design known today.

The most common type of wire paper clip still in use, the Gem paper clip, was never patented, but it was most likely in production in Britain in the early 1870s by "The Gem Manufacturing Company", according to the American expert on technological innovations, Professor Henry J. Petroski.
Are the following statements true, false, or not given in the text?

1. Samuel B. Fay’s paper clip was only patented for one specific use.
2. Fay’s paper clip was not as practical as those we use today.
3. Nobody has a patent on the paper clip that most people use today.

IELTS Writing Task 2: argument or discussion?

Simon at 

http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2013/10/ielts-writing-task-2-argument-or-discussion.html

argues that:

"Many people ask me about the difference between an 'argument' (opinion) essay and a 'discussion' essay. Here's an easy way to think about the difference:

• When you argue, you are trying to persuade the other person to agree with your point of view. You might even get angry!
• When you discuss, you consider different points of view, and nobody gets angry.

The question should make it very clear what it wants you to do. If it asks you to "discuss", you should write about both sides or two views.
If the question asks whether you "agree or disagree", it's asking for your view. For this type of question, give your opinion in the introduction and support it in the rest of the essay. Develop an argument that persuades the reader to agree with you. Note: you can have a strong view or a balanced view - it's your choice".