Daily Lessons With Simon, ex-IELTS Examiner

8/2/2014
ielts-simon.com: Questions/Advice
ielts-simon.com
Daily Lessons with Simon, ex-IELTS examiner
Sunday , July 27 , 201 4
IELTS Advice: worrying wastes time!

I posted this adv ice back in 201 1 , but I thought I would post it again today for people who hav en't seen it. The
first diagram below illustrates the idea that hard work is the only path to IELTS success:
...
Compare this with what happens if y ou spend all of y our time worry ing and hoping to find the 'secret' IELTS
technique:
...
So, which cy cle are y ou in - the 'success' cy cle or the 'worry ' cy cle?
Posted by Simon in Questions/Adv ice | Permalink | Comments (20)
Saturday , July 26, 201 4
IELTS Advice: topic research

If y ou're preparing for a writing or speaking topic, I recommend doing an Internet search for ideas first.
To find ideas for y esterday 's speaking questions, I ty ped the phrase "what makes a good adv iser" into Google, and
http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/students-questions/
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found this webpage. Look at some of the great language that we can steal from it:
turning to an adv iser
a wise choice
make decisions with more confidence
the decision requires ex pertise
use knowledge and ex perience
make an informed decision
some qualities are characteristic of good adv isers
trustworthy , someone y ou can trust
possesses a strong base of knowledge
Remember: the key to high speaking and writing scores is good v ocabulary , so topic research is a v ital part of
y our IELTS preparation.
Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking, Questions/Adv ice | Permalink | Comments (5)
Saturday , July 05, 201 4
Advice about language learning

Are some people naturally better at learning languages?
May be, but in my opinion, good language learners are people who enjoy practising the language as much as
possible. I'v e nev er taught a "language learning genius" who learnt English without hard work and lots of
practice!
Ev ery one who keeps try ing passes the IELTS test in the end, so don't giv e up!
Posted by Simon in Questions/Adv ice | Permalink | Comments (1 9)
Sunday , June 29, 201 4
Students' questions
1. Is it ok to use the words "I", "m y " and "we" in writing task 2?
Y es, it's perfectly ok to use those words. Y ou might be told to av oid them in univ ersity assignments, but the
adv ice for IELTS is different. If the question asks for y our opinion, y ou will probably need to write "I agree", "I
believ e" or "in my opinion".
2. Can we inv ent facts or figures in writing task 2?
I don't recommend inv enting statistics or news stories. I alway s think that doing this makes writing seem 'false'.
Just ex plain y our own ideas and opinions, and giv e reasons and ex amples.
3. Can we use "y ou" to talk about people in general?
In the speaking test, it's fine to say something like "when y ou go on holiday , y ou hav e the chance to relax ". But in
a written essay , I would prefer to change this e.g. "when people go on holiday ...".
4. Is it ok to use "firstly " and "secondly " without a "finally " idea?
Y es, that's fine.
5. Will I lose m arks if I don't giv e both v iews in writing task 2?
It depends on the question. If the question asks y ou to discuss both v iews, y ou must do this. Howev er, if the
question asks whether y ou agree or disagree, y ou definitely don't need to mention both sides of the argument.
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Saturday , June 28, 201 4
IELTS Advice: examiners like examples

If y ou're not sure what to say or what to write, giv e an ex ample.
Add ex amples to support y our ideas for IELTS writing task 2. Giv e ex amples from y our life (like a story ) if y ou
don't know what to say during part 2 or part 3 of the speaking test.
Ex aminers like ex amples because they 're interesting. From y our point of v iew, ex amples can help y ou to keep
talking, or to add a few ex tra words to y our essay .
Saturday , June 21 , 201 4
IELTS Vocabulary: collocations

I often talk about the importance of collocations (see Thursday 's lesson). For a really clear ex planation of what
collocations are, why they are important, and how to learn them, v isit this website. I also like the Online Ox ford
Collocation Dictionary , which y ou can find here.
If y ou like study ing gram m ar, y ou could classify collocations like this:
Alternativ ely , y ou could classify them according to their IELT S use:

Sunday , June 1 5, 201 4
IELTS Advice: two things to improve

A lot of people ask me what they should do to improv e their scores. Generally speaking, there are only two
things that y ou can do:
1 . Work on y our ex am technique
2. Work on y our English
I can often help students to make fast improv ements by teaching them how to organise their essay s, how to look
for key words in the reading test, or how to ex pand their answers in the speaking test. These are ex am
techniques.
Howev er, ex am techniques alone will not get y ou a band 7 . Y ou need a good lev el of English to get a 7 , and that
means y ou need to do the hard work it takes to gradually learn more words and phrases, improv e y our speaking
fluency , and generally become a more confident user of the language.
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Note:
Point 2 takes time. Don't ex pect y our English to improv e from 5.5 to 7 without a lot of work!
Posted by Simon in Questions/Adv ice | Permalink | Comments (1 1 )
Saturday , June 07 , 201 4
IELTS Advice: if you have a grammar question

If y ou hav e a grammar question, this website probably isn't the best place to find the answer. There are many
dedicated grammar sites, so all y ou need to do is put y our problem into a search engine (e.g. Google).
Ex am ple:
A student asked me to ex plain how to use "not only ... but also...". If we do a Google search for "grammar not only
but also", here's the first website that Google suggests: click here.
After reading the ex planation of "not only ... but also...", y ou could try making y our own sentences about
common IELTS topics, such as education, work or the env ironment.
Posted by Simon in Mistakes/Grammar, Questions/Adv ice | Permalink | Comments (8)
Sunday , June 01 , 201 4
IELTS Advice: books that I use

People sometimes ask me which books I recommend for IELTS preparation and English language study .
In fact, I don't think y ou need many books at all. If y ou hav e some of the official IELTS test books, a good
dictionary , and access to the Internet, y ou hav e ev ery thing y ou need. Here are links to the only books that I
regularly use my self:
For IELT S test practice
I only use the official Cambridge books e.g. Cambridge IELTS book 9 .
Dictionaries
My fav ourite dictionary is the Collins Adv anced (Learner) Dictionary .
I also use the Ox ford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English .
Saturday , May 31 , 201 4
IELTS Writing Advice: don't use these phrases

When writing a conclusion for task 2, I alway s start with the words "In conclusion". There's no reason why y ou
should learn any alternativ es.
Here are some phrases that I would not use:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
All things considered

To sum up
In summary
To summarize
In short
In a nutshell
To put it in a nutshell
Note:
Phrases 1 to 5 are acceptable, but I still wouldn't use them my self.
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Don't use any phrase containing the word "nutshell". 6 and 7 are not appropriate for an academic essay .
Posted by Simon in IELTS Writing Task 2, Questions/Adv ice | Permalink | Comments (21 )
Saturday , May 24, 201 4
IELTS Advice: how long will it take?

Many students want to know how long it will take to get the score they need. It's impossible for me to answer this
question because it depends on too many things. For ex ample:
- How many hours of study do y ou do each day ?
- What kind of study do y ou do?
- Do y ou hav e a teacher or someone who can help y ou?
- Do y ou liv e in an English-speaking country ?
- Do y ou like learning English, or do y ou just need an IELTS score?
May be the last question is the most important one. In my ex perience, people who enjoy learning English tend to
make the fastest progress.
Sunday , May 1 8, 201 4
IELTS Vocabulary: practise using it

Hav e y ou practised using the v ocabulary from y esterday 's lesson? For ex ample, y ou could try making y our own
sentences using these phrases:
- As far as I remember...
- One of my first memories was...
- What really struck* me about... was...
- The ex perience (of doing something) made me keen to...
* w h a t st r u ck m e = w h a t su r pr ised / im pr essed m e
Sunday , May 1 1 , 201 4
Ten tips for IELTS study

Here's my latest v ideo lesson. It contains a collection of my best tips from prev ious lessons here on the blog.
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Saturday , May 1 0, 201 4
IELTS Advice: error-free sentences

Can y ou write an error-free sentence? How about an error-free paragraph?
If y ou want to get a band 7 or higher for IELTS writing, the ex aminer needs to see that y ou "regularly write
error-free sentences". This means that sev eral of the sentences in y our essay s should contain no mistakes.
The best way to improv e y our grammatical accuracy is by learning from y our mistakes. Try to find a teacher or
nativ e speaker who can check y our work and highlight the errors. Then make sure y ou understand the mistakes
y ou made, and try to av oid making them again. Aim to write more error-free sentences each time y ou write an
essay .
Posted by Simon in Questions/Adv ice | Permalink | Comments (21 )
Sunday , May 04, 201 4
My best study tips for IELTS

For nex t weekend I'm making a v ideo lesson that brings together my best study tips for IELTS. These will be v ery
general tips like "create good habits", rather than specific tips about each part of the test.
Can y ou guess what my top 1 0 tips will be?
Sunday , April 27 , 201 4
IELTS Advice: using 'easy' words

Y ou might think that a word is 'easy ' because y ou understand it. But do y ou really know all the uses of that word?
Take the word 'interest' for ex ample. When teaching a class of adv anced-lev el students recently , I used the
phrase "out of interest" (e.g. I decided to take the course out of interest in the subject*). My students admitted
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that they had nev er heard the phrase "out of interest" before.
*out of interest in the subject = because I'm interested in the subject
If y ou check in a dictionary (click here for ex ample), y ou'll see a lot more uses of the word 'interest'. Look
through the list, and see if y ou learn any thing new.
Saturday , April 26, 201 4
IELTS news from Australia

Earlier this month they changed the order of the IELTS test in IDP centres in Australia, and a few people hav e
asked me to ex plain what's happening.
This is what I hav e found out:

- This change is only happening in IDP test centres in Australia.
- No reasons hav e been giv en for the change, but I assume that it's a trial.
If y ou take the test in Australia with the new order, let us know what y ou think.
Sunday , April 1 3, 201 4
Students' questions about IELTS speaking

Here are my answers to some questions that people hav e asked me recently .
1. In this lesson, the adv ice for speaking part 3 was that it's fine to ask for help. Is it still possible
to get band 7 or higher if y ou do this?
Y es, it's definitely still possible to get band 7 or higher if y our answers are really good. It's not a big problem if
y ou ask for one question to be ex plained in part 3.
2. In the speaking test, what should I do if I understand the question but I hav e no idea what to
say in m y answer?
Y ou could use this formula: "Well, I don't really know much about... because..., but I suppose..." In other words,
y ou admit that y ou don't really know what to say , y ou ex plain why , then y ou inv ent an answer any way .
3. Is it ok if m y pronunciation is a m ix of British and Am erican English?
Y es, that's fine. Just focus on speaking clearly .
4. In speaking part 2, can I ask for a different cue card?
No, I'm afraid y ou can't.
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5. My teacher told m e to av oid using the word "y ou" in the speaking test. Is this adv ice correct?
No, that adv ice is wrong. It's completely normal to use "y ou" in the speaking test. Look at answer 3 in this lesson.
Saturday , April 05, 201 4
IELTS Advice: good habits

I'd like to share some feedback that a student sent me recently . What I particularly like is that the student talks
about "hav ing good habits". For me, good habits are the secret to success!
Hi Simon,
I am so excited to tell you that I finally got 7 .0 in w riting! Additionally I got overall 8.0 w hich is my personal
best score ever. While practising w riting skills after your course, I remembered how you demonstrated
w riting, beginning w ith brainstorming, follow ed by organising the ideas, then putting it all into sentences. It
seemed very easy and I tried to w rite as you w rote both in practice and in the examination. Magic happened. I
finished w riting task 2 w ith 5 minutes extra time! Unbelievable.
This clearly show s how your message of "having a good habit" is extremely pow erful. I have applied this
message in my daily life and hopefully I w ill pass medical examinations to be qualified as a doctor in this
country very soon.
Thank you very much!
Sunday , March 30, 201 4
IELTS Vocabulary: from this week's lessons

Here are some of the useful words and phrases from this week's lessons. Remember that y ou need to be able to
use this v ocabulary , not just understand it.
the cost of liv ing
property prices
pay a deposit and a mortgage
a better quality of life
families are becoming smaller and more dispersed
rely on / depend on / count on
transport infrastructure
populated areas
growth / dev elopment / ex pansion
open-minded and welcoming
the mix of cultures that immigration and tourism bring
cosmopolitan
benefit from someone with local knowledge
character and customs of the local people
Saturday , March 29, 201 4
IELTS Advice: the wrong idea

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Many students (and some teachers!) hav e the wrong idea about what a band 7 , 8 or 9 essay looks like. For
ex ample, a few people commented that they thought the essay in this lesson wasn't good enough for a high score.
Please remember that the IELTS ex am is a test for non-nativ e speakers of English, not professional English
writers. It's much easier than some people think to write a good IELTS essay . Don't try to use strange or 'difficult'
language; just keep it clear and simple, and try to dev elop y our ideas so that y ou fully answer the question.
Some people won't want to believ e me, but the essay in Wednesday 's lesson would get a band 9.
IELTS Advice: answer the question!

In the IELTS speaking and writing tests, the most important thing is to answer the question. This seems obv ious,
but many students are so worried about using 'difficult grammar' that they don't giv e relevant answers.
In the speaking test, listen carefully to the question and answer it as if y ou were speaking to a friend. Try to speak
without thinking too much; forget the grammar and just hav e a normal conv ersation.
In the writing test, take some time to understand each question and plan y our answer. Check the question ev ery
time y ou write a new idea; make sure that ev ery thing y ou write is relevant. If part of y our answer is not related
to the topic y ou will lose marks, ev en if y our grammar is perfect.
IELTS Advice: I should have been more direct

In Thursday 's lesson I said that "y ou don't need to write a conclusion" for task 1 .
I'v e realised that I should hav e been more direct with this adv ice. I should hav e said "y ou should not write a
conclusion for writing task 1 ".
English speakers are sometimes too tactful when giv ing adv ice. We find it hard to say "y ou should" or "y ou must"!
Posted by Simon in Questions/Adv ice | Permalink | Comments (7 )
Saturday , March 1 5, 201 4
IELTS Advice: sometimes it's boring!

I often adv ise students to try to enjoy study ing English and preparing for the IELTS test (see this lesson for
ex ample).
Howev er, sometimes the boring things are the most useful: rewriting an essay to improv e it, looking up words in
a dictionary , learning correct spellings by heart.
Practice can be enjoy able, but more often it's difficult and boring. The only solution is persistence!
IELTS Advice: for speaking and writing

Did y ou notice that I used "firstly , secondly , finally " in my speaking lesson y esterday ?
For speaking parts 2 and 3, it might help if y ou imagine y ou are writing a paragraph: start with a direct answer,
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then either use "firstly , secondly , (finally )" to giv e two or three reasons, or use the ex plain, alternativ e, ex ample
technique if y ou only hav e one idea.
IELTS Advice: don't just test yourself

An important message in y esterday s lesson was this: when preparing for IELTS, y ou need to do more than just
test y ourself. Testing will show y ou what y our current lev el is, but it wont take y ou up to the nex t lev el. If y ou
want y our score to improv e, y ou need to do more training than testing.
Sunday , February 23, 201 4
Some news from Simon

On the 1 st of January I wrote two New Y ear's resolutions for my IELTS lessons this y ear. Here's a quick update:
1 . The first resolution is going quite well. I'm still doing one v ideo lesson ev ery week (on Y ouTube and V imeo),
and people seem to be finding those lessons useful.
2. Unfortunately , it hasn't been so easy to find a way of doing good quality "liv e" v ideo lessons. I'm afraid I'll
hav e to postpone this idea while I ex periment with different sy stems. It's not alway s easy to keep to a New
Y ear's resolution!
Saturday , February 22, 201 4
IELTS Advice: create positive habits

I'm a great believ er in the power of habits: if y ou do something often enough, it becomes easier and more natural
to y ou.
An ex ample could be the "why , alternativ e, ex ample" technique from y esterday 's speaking lesson. Imagine
practising this technique once a day for a month. Y ou might start to find it easy to giv e longer answers that
include a conditional sentence (the 'alternativ e' part). This one simple habit could make a real difference in y our
test.
Sunday , February 1 6, 201 4
IELTS Advice: from 6.5 to 7

One of the most common questions that people ask me is: "How can I improv e my score from 6.5 to 7 ?"
Here's some adv ice if y our current score is 6.5:
The good news is that y ou are not doing any thing wrong in terms of ex am technique. The fact that y ou are
getting 6.5 means that y ou are doing the ex am in the right way .
Y ou are v ery close to getting a 7 . In the writing and speaking tests, a score of 6.5 means that y ou are already
achiev ing band 7 in half of the requirements.
Y ou don't need a special technique or piece of adv ice. Y ou only need to make sm all im provem ents. For
ex ample, in the speaking and writing tests, try to ex press y our ideas in a bit more detail, and try to reduce
the number of small mistakes that y ou make.
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Saturday , February 1 5, 201 4
Students' questions
1. Is it ok to use quotations by fam ous people in m y task 2 essay ?
I wouldn't recommend using quotations. Unless y ou hav e thousands of them in y our head, it's unlikely that
y ou'll remember a relev ant one. The ex aminer is likely to judge a quotation as 'memorised language'.
2. How do ex am iners know whether I'm using 'm em orised language'?
All of the language in y our brain is memorised, so I should ex plain this properly . The ex aminer would be
impressed by a memorised phrase like "greenhouse gas emissions contribute to global warming", if the question
asked y ou to ex plain an env ironmental problem. Howev er, ex aminers are not impressed by the kind of phrase
that students think they can use for any question e.g. "This is a controv ersial issue that has led to heated debate
among people on both sides". Can y ou see the difference?
3. Can y ou help m e with apostrophes (e.g. student's or students')?
Y ou really need a grammar website for help with that. Try this one.
4. Should we use different language in the speaking and writing tests?
Y ou can use some less formal language in the speaking test. Here's an ex ample.
Saturday , February 08, 201 4
IELTS Writing Advice: a useful question

A student asked m e the following useful question:
I am confused about the question "Do the adv antages outweigh the disadv antages?". Is this an opinion question
or discussion + opinion question?
Here's m y answer:
Strictly speaking, "Do the adv antages outweigh the disadv antages?" is asking for y our opinion (do y ou think there
are more adv antages or disadv antages?). Technically , y ou could giv e a one-sided "opinion" answer e.g. y ou
could argue that there are many adv antages and almost no disadv antages.
Howev er, I think the ex aminer would ex pect and prefer to see a balanced discussion of both sides as well as y our
opinion. Therefore, I think it's best (and easiest) to write a discussion + opinion essay .
Posted by Simon in IELTS Writing Task 2, Questions/Adv ice | Permalink | Comments (1 2)
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8/2/2014

IELTS Advice: worrying wastes time!

IELTS Advice: topic research

Advice about language learning

Saturday , June 28, 201 4

IELTS Advice: examiners like examples

IELTS Vocabulary: collocations

Alternativ ely , y ou could classify them according to their IELT S use:

Posted by Simon in Questions/Adv ice | Permalink | Comments (6)

IELTS Advice: two things to improve

IELTS Advice: if you have a grammar question

IELTS Advice: books that I use

IELTS Writing Advice: don't use these phrases

All things considered

IELTS Advice: how long will it take?

IELTS Vocabulary: practise using it

Ten tips for IELTS study

Posted by Simon in Questions/Adv ice | Permalink | Comments (40)

IELTS Advice: error-free sentences

My best study tips for IELTS

IELTS Advice: using 'easy' words

IELTS news from Australia

This is what I hav e found out:

Students' questions about IELTS speaking

IELTS Advice: good habits

IELTS Vocabulary: from this week's lessons

IELTS Advice: the wrong idea

IELTS Advice: answer the question!

IELTS Advice: I should have been more direct

IELTS Advice: sometimes it's boring!

IELTS Advice: for speaking and writing

IELTS Advice: don't just test yourself

Some news from Simon

IELTS Advice: create positive habits

IELTS Advice: from 6.5 to 7

Posted by Simon in Questions/Adv ice | Permalink | Comments (38)

IELTS Writing Advice: a useful question

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