Because
Obviously the word you will use most is “because” but there are some useful
variations.
notes
1. “because” , ‘as a result”and “as a consequence” are used with a verb and “because
of”,”as a result of” and “as a consequence of” with a noun
2. some people believe you shouldn’t start sentences with “because”. This is rubbish
but in the exam it may be sensible not to do it
3. “due to” is normally used with negative situations and “thanks to with “positive
situations”
Organise your ideas – decide if they are main ideas or supporting detail
This obviously relates to the point above. A lot of essays go wrong because it is hard
to tell what the main points are. The ideas get confused. Is this an example? Is it a
reason? So before you start writing you must decide what type of ideas you have.
This is a simple method – perhaps too simple – but it can work and is a good
starting point. You use these categories for your ideas. They come from the writing
instructions which tell you:
Discuss [this word changes from question to question but this is your main point]
Give reasons
Include examples
Take a look at my complete paragraph to see how this can work.
MAIN IDEA International bodies and governments should take action on global warming
immediately. REASON This is because it has been shown that there is a clear connection
between CO2 emissions and burning fossil fuels and climate
change. REASON Furthermore, research from scientists shows that the number of natural
disasters EXAMPLE such as drought and famine is guaranteed to increase unless steps are
taken now. REASON Indeed, the scale of the problem means that a global solution must be
found and that it is not enough for a few countries to EXAMPLE invest in renewable forms
of energy such as wind farms.
Before I started writing I decided that
CO2 emissions was a reason
Natural disasters were a reason
The size of the problem was a reason
I also decided that
Drought and famine were examples of natural disasters
Investing in wind farms was an example of what some countries do
WRITING TASK 2
1. The passive
I start with the passive because it is so often misused. It is not the case that the
passive is an academic structure that should be used in essays. We use it all the time
in all sorts of contexts. Here, though, is one way you might find it helpful in
writing: to avoid repeating words – especially nouns/pronouns. You may want to
avoid using some words too much – especially words from the question. Here the
passive can help you. In a question about government action, rather than writing:
The government should introduce measures to you can try
Measures should be introduced so that you don’t repeat the word “government”.
2. Relatives
This is another piece of grammar you need to feel comfortable with and can help
you. You should be careful, however, not to overuse relatives as they can make your
writing both confusing and confused. One tip I would give you here is to try and
restrict yourself to one relative per sentence and to try and avoid them in already
complex sentences. Look at this example:
There is a real danger that allowing people to travel for free would
deprive transport authorities funds which they need and lead to a lower standard
of service.
The relative can be avoided by changing it into an adjective phrase:
There is a real danger that allowing people to travel for free would
deprive transport authorities of much needed funds and lead to a lower standard of
service.
When you do use relatives though is to define terms and add detail. Here is an
example in action:
More than that, if the authorities plan carefully, they can use the occasion of the
sporting event to help finance public works which benefit the whole population in
the long term.
I want to say what sort of “public works” I am referring to so I define them in the
relative which benefit the whole population in the long term.
3. Conditionals
Here is another piece of grammar that can help you out. Provided that is, you see
how and when to use it.
One of the best ways to use these conditionals to explain and give examples.
This means they are likely to come in the body of your paragraphs and not the
introduction/opening sentence. Try this example:
There is also, however, a strong argument not to implement this proposal. This
argument is based on economic competitiveness. If a company was forced to employ
more workers to produce the same amount of goods, then its wage bill would rise
and its products might become more expensive and less competitive compared to
companies with longer working weeks. In this case, it is possible that the company
either might become insolvent or it would have to make some employees
redundant. As a result, the intended benefit to the personnel would not happen.
This time around I have given you the whole paragraph so that you can see the
context. I use a conditional because I am explaining a point. You should also see that
we use “might” and “would” in the following sentences even though there is no
“if”.
Do you want to show off? Then you might consider using conditionals that do not
use if. So you could use:
4. Parallel structures
There are a number of different parallel structures we have in English. They come in
useful when we are combining, comparing or contrasting points – again something
that you are likely to do in your essays. This is a useful piece of grammar to focus
on, as when used well they make your writing more cohesive. For example
Not only would unemployment be reduced, but the working conditions of
employees on very long shifts would also be significantly improved.
You may think “not only..but also” is too easy to impress. Don’t. Simple things done
well impress too and this sentence is complex enough as it is.
5. Verb tenses (of course), impersonal structures and modals
The point to remember here is that it is not difficulty of grammar that is important,
rather it is variety of grammar. This means that some bits of grammar that you think
are rather simple (e.g. tenses) are still important. The point I want to make here is
that the one tense you are going use most is the present simple.
Checking my essays, I find that easily the most common tense I use is the present
simple. That’s how it should be – it is easily the most common tense in English.
You do want some variety though, and here is how I get it. I use a lot of impersonal
structures”
There are several reasons why and I also use a large number of modal verbs:
It can also be argued that the point here is that I use them to make impersonal points
or sound academic. They too have their meanings and uses.
You will be given time to read through the questions before you listen. You will
hear each recording of the Listening test only once.
As you listen, write your answers on the question paper. At the end of the test,
you will have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet in pencil.
You may write your answers in lower case or capital letters.
It is essential that you transfer your answers to the answer sheet. Nothing you
write on the question paper will be marked.
if you cannot hear the audio clearly, let a member of staff know straightaway
try and anticipate what the speaker will say; this will require concentration
do not worry if there is a word you do not understand; you may not need to use it
if you do not know the answer to a question, attempt it but do not waste time;
move quickly onto the next one
do not panic if you think the topic is too difficult or the speaker is too fast; relax
and tune in
pay attention to the word limit; for example, if you are asked to complete a
sentence using no more than two words, if the correct answer is ‘leather coat’,
the answer ‘coat made of leather’ would be incorrect
if the question asks you to complete the note ‘in the…’ and the correct answer is
‘morning’, note that ‘in the morning’ would be incorrect; the correct answer is
'morning'
It is essential that you write your answers on the answer sheet. Nothing you
write on the question paper will be marked.
You may write your answers on the question paper and transfer them to the
answer sheet before the end of the test if you like. However, it is important to
note that you will not be given extra time to do this.
look out for the title, headings and any special features such as capital letters,
underlining, italics, figures, graphs and tables
make sure that you understand the questions and follow instructions carefully
pay attention to timing; do not spend too long on one passage or question
do not try and read every word; remember, you are reading for a purpose
if you do not know the answer to a question, attempt it but do not waste time;
move quickly onto the next one
do not panic if you do not know anything about the subject of the text; all
the answers can be found in the text
the word(s) you use must be taken from the Reading text; you must not change
the form of the word(s) in the text
do not worry if there is a word that you do not understand – you may not need to
use it
check your spelling
be careful to use singular and plural correctly
focus precisely on what you are asked to do in ‘completion’ type questions
if the question asks you to complete the note ‘in the…’ and the correct answer is
‘evening’, just use ‘evening’ as your answer; note that ‘in the evening’ would be
incorrect
pay attention to the word limit; for example, if you are asked to complete a
sentence using no more than two words, if the correct answer is ‘silk shirt’, the
answer ‘shirt made of silk’ would be incorrect
attempt all questions; there are no penalties for incorrect answers, so you have
nothing to lose
check your answers
IELTS Reading tips: True, False, Not Given
Every IELTS Reading test, no matter Academic or General has tasks of this
kind. Lots of students tell me (and I agree) that this is a very confusing task.
For those who have no idea what I am talking about, I’ll explain – this task has
a statement, and your job is to say whether or not it is True, False or Not Given
according to the reading passage.
How do you “attack” this question type? First learn the rule:
If you didn’t find the statement to be either True or False – it is Not Given
For example:
“Smoking is dangerous and can lead to cancer” – T, F, NG
1) If the text clearly says that “smoking is dangerous and leads to cancer” then
the answer is T.
2) If the text says that “No research showed evidence that smoking is dangerous
and leads to cancer” then the answer is F.
3) If the text says “The research included smokers of both genders of ages 30 to
45″ and nothing else about smoking – your answer is NG.
Don’t assume anything based on your knowledge and experience, read the
text! It is the oldest trick in the book and they use it a lot in IELTS exams.
Don’t “over think” your answer – you could start building long logical
sequences that will lead you to the wrong answer.
5. Once you locate the target words, read carefully around the target word to
find your answer.
Let’s look at the questions from this sample. Below I copied the questions &
identified key words to search for, which I put in BOLD.
Question 10: Research completed in 1982 found that in the United States soil
erosion
A reduced the productivity of farmland by 20 per cent.
B was almost as severe as in India and China.
C was causing significant damage to 20 per cent of farmland.
D could be reduced by converting cultivated land to meadow or forest.
Straight away I take note of 1982, which is easy to scan for since it’s a number
and the United States, which is also easy to scan for since it’s a country name.
So I scan for 1982 and find in the passage (1st paragraph):
The United States, where the most careful measurements have been done,
discovered in 1982 that about one-fifth of its farmland was losing topsoil at a
rate likely to diminish the soil’s productivity. The country subsequently
embarked upon a program to convert 11 per cent of its cropped land to meadow
or forest. Topsoil in India and China is vanishing much faster than in America.
Now we read carefully in choosing the right answer. I look closely at the
sentence with 1982 and the United States. It says that “about one-fifth of its
farm was losing topsoil at a rate likely to diminish the soil’s productivity.” I
notice:
“One-fifth” (1/5) is another way of expressing 20%. (You should be aware of
how data is expressed differently, for example, one-fourth, 1/4, a quarter,
25% are all the same.)
“Diminish” is another word for “reduce“, which means to make smaller or
less. “Reduce” is in answer A
productivity is a key word for answer A
**BUT - we need to be careful! Read answer A carefully – it states that
productivity will be reduced by 20%. This is a percentage about reducing
productivity. This is NOT THE SAME as 20% of its farmland was losing
topsoil at a rate likely to diminish soil’s productivity. This percentage refers
to the amount of land.
So we look at another answer with 20%, which would be C. Here, C states
that soil erosion (which is another expression for “losing topsoil”) is causing
significant damage to 20% of farmland.
Therefore, the correct answer is C.
Question 12: Which one of the following increased in New Zealand after 1984?
A farm incomes
B use of fertiliser
C over-stocking
D farm diversification
After quickly scanning for New Zealand and 1984, I find the following in the 3rd
paragraph:
In the late 1980s and early 1990s some efforts were made to reduce farm
subsidies. The most dramatic example was that of New Zealand, which scrapped
most farm support in 1984. A study of the environmental effects, conducted in
1993, found that the end of fertiliser subsidies had been followed by a fall in
fertiliser use (a fall compounded by the decline in world commodity prices,
which cut farm incomes). The removal of subsidies also stopped land-clearing
and over-stocking, which in the past had been the principal causes of erosion.
Farms began to diversify.
We’re looking for something that increased, so reading through the following
sentences, we can knock out:
answer B (“fall in fertiliser use”)
answer A (“decline in world commodity prices, which cut farm incomes”)
answer C (“…also stopped land-clearing and over-stocking”)
We see that “Farms began to diversify,” which indicates that it started and
therefore increased. So, the answer is D.
Vocabulary Note: Diversify means to become diverse and varied. If you didn’t
know the meaning, you could still answer this question if you know
your suffixes. “Diversification” (from answer D) is the noun form of the verb
“diversify”.