My IELTS Classroom Podcast

IELTS 101: Introduction to the IELTS Writing Test

May 05, 2020 Shelly Cornick and Nick Lone Episode 5
My IELTS Classroom Podcast
IELTS 101: Introduction to the IELTS Writing Test
Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

In the final episode of our IELTS 101 series, Nick and I introduce to the IELTS writing test (which is our favourite part of the test!). You can find the full episode notes for this episode and a transcript of the conversation at http://podcast.myieltsclassroom.com/

Episode Notes

There is so much to say about IELTS writing that it was hard for Nick and I to stick to the basics today, but I think that we did a great job of including all the information you need for a broad overview of the two exams (General Training and Academic).

We start by having a look at the content of both tests and the explaining the skills you will need to demonstrate to get a high score. Then we introduce you to the IELTS band descriptors, which are what the examiners use to grade your writing. Today, we will explain the four writing skills that the band descriptors assess and give you a brief explanation of how your writing can satisfy them. Then, we'll end with our top tips for preparing for the writing exam. In short, you will find out everything you need to start your IELTS writing journey in the best possible way!

In this episode, you will learn:

  1. the basic facts about the IELTS writing test and how the Academic and General Training Tests differ
  2. the importance of the word count and how you should divide your time
  3. how your final IELTS writing score is calculated
  4. what you have to do in General Training Writing Task 1
  5. what you have to do in Academic Writing Task 1
  6. what topics you may have to have to discuss in your IELTS essay 
  7. the eight types of IELTS essay
  8. how IELTS writing tests your language and your academic writing skills
  9. what the four parts of the band descriptors are and what they test

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spk_1:   0:02
Welcome to my isles clothe podcast where two ex examiners took a ll things isles I'm Sherry Corner

spk_0:   0:11
and I'm Nick. And today, finally, Eilts writing we're

spk_1:   0:17
going to learn. What are the two

spk_0:   0:18
parts of the test? What types of questions you will

spk_1:   0:21
be asked on how the Examiner will assess your writing. Hey, Nick, how you doing?

spk_0:   0:34
I'm a little bit disgruntled today.

spk_1:   0:37
Really? What happened?

spk_0:   0:39
Well, I know what nobody can see me now. You can only hear my voice. But as you may notice, I haven't had a haircut for about four months because I put it off and then lock down started, and I'm stuck here with quite long hair. The longest has been for many, many, many years. Andi, I can't buy beer anymore. Well, because everybody keeps asking for my idea. And I don't carry around with me

spk_1:   1:04
because you think, how about you have to be to buy beer in in Riga.

spk_0:   1:08
18 like everywhere else. But for some reason, apparently, having along a kind of a long haircut makes me look 15 years younger. So

spk_1:   1:18
I think you should keep that. Heck, I don't know what you want to come here I wish people think I look 15 years. Oh, my God. This is difficult. So, what did they turn you away from the shop

spk_0:   1:30
the first time? They didn't have to go home and get my idea and go back.

spk_1:   1:33
Okay, that is okay. That's amazing. Maybe we'll find a picture of Nick with his long hair and you could tell us. How old do you think it looks right today? We're not drinking beer. We're talking about isles writing. This is the final episode in our isles, 101 Siri's. So if you've been with us for the last four episodes, fantastic. This is the last one. If you've been again, if you've been studying isles for a long time, you may not want to listen to us introducing the writing test. You are welcome to stay. But if you already know all of the basic information, just skip ahead. One episode toe where Nick and I start talking about some more advanced skills. But for those of you who don't know very much yet about the aisles test, well, you're in for a treat. I love I was writing. Do you

spk_0:   2:29
is my favourite part of the aisles test? Probably

spk_1:   2:33
Definitely. I think you said that last episode. Why? What is it about? I was writing that you like more than the other part.

spk_0:   2:39
I'm going to sound a little bit harsh now. Okay, But else writing really separates the wheat from the chaff.

spk_1:   2:47
Wow, That is an amazing idea. Wheat from the chavs. What does that mean? I mean, I know what it means. Maybe explain. Teo are students. What does that mean? Separate the wheat from the chaff?

spk_0:   2:59
Well, it's I mean, you obviously want the wheat if you are farming on the wink. The wheat is the best of top students on the chap is everybody else.

spk_1:   3:10
I hate to say it, but you're right. I think that is extremely common. I mean, most of the students that come to us, they will have scores off 7776 for writing. So I think it is the part of the test that people do find most difficult. Right? I think that I was writing is the most difficult part of the test. Definitely. And we'll discuss why later in the episode. But the reason I love teaching, writing and the reason why that is pretty much what I do all day every day is that although it is the most difficult part of the test, you can really help students to improve in Not that much time. I mean, it's not a quick instant. Improvement is not a part of the test where a few tips and tricks, they're going to help you. But if you've got student who's willing to give you 15 or 20 hours of their time, you can show them. I mean, I love I love structure. When I was, I love math when I was a kid, right? And for me I was writing is a bit like a really difficult maths problem. But if you take people step by step by step is actually becomes really easy. And there's a system and it makes sense. And actually, it's not difficult at all once you understand it exactly. So that's why I love like taking shootings like this is really hard. But if you actually do it in small pieces by the end of it, you're gonna be in to do it. And it is not gonna be that difficult. Oh, I hope all right. Well, you're probably thinking now. Oh, my goodness, why is this exam so difficult? So why don't we? Don't panic, please. It's not that hard, But why don't we start like always in this 11 Siri's. Why don't we start with Nick telling us a few facts about the island's writing test?

spk_0:   4:58
So the dreaded Eilts writing test This is the final test that you will sit on your I'll test day on. This one is different for general training and for academic students. One thing that is the same, though, is that both tests last 60 minutes, during which you have to complete a total off to writing tasks. In the general training test task, one asks you to write a letter based on a prompt. So, for example, you may be asked to give some advice to a friend or complain to accompany or invite somebody to a celebration on DH. The letter should be at least 150 words long. In the academic test task, one asks you to write on academic report based on a chart. So in this one, for example, a line graph a bar chart pie chart, or it could be a table or a map or even a process on the report like the letter should be at least 150 words in length and then in Test two in both exams, you are asked to write an academic essay based on a prompt again based on a prompt. So you may be asked to discuss a problem and provide a solution. You may be asked to respond to an argument or compare and contrast differing opinions. The topics may be slightly different, but the skills that you will need to show the same for both the academic on the general training in part to add in Part two for both tests, the essay should be at least 250 words long on Then, if we talk about scoring Task, one for both exams is worth 1/3 of your final score, or 33% on task, too, is worth 2/3 or 66%. So you should spend roughly how long, 20 minutes on task one and 40 minutes on the task, too. Your work will then be marked by two examiners, one for task one and one for task to on. The Examiner will give you a score from 0 to 9 in four different areas. The 1st 1 is task achievement or task response, which is how well you address the question. Then we have coherence and cohesion, which is how well you have joined your ideas together. The 3rd 1 is lexical resource, which is the quality of your vocabulary and finally, grammatical range and accuracy, the quality off your sentence structures. And then, at the end, the scores for task one anti US two will be combined to give you your final writing score.

spk_1:   7:59
Fantastic. Cheers, Nick. So they are. The basic facts were going to spend a lot of time in this episode talking about different parts, the type of questions, how your paper is marked. But let's just start with some really basic facts that I want to get clear of the beginning. So about the length, I also only gives you a minimum length, right? So part what? So task one. If it's the letter or fits the report, the minimum length is 150 words on for the essay. The minimum length is 250 words. There is no upper word limit. If you wanted to, you could write. 800 words e. I don't know why you would do that, right, But there are some strange ideas that examiners stopped reading after 150 words, or you automatically lose points if you write too much. That is not true. In the past, there was an automatic penalty for if you wrote less than those words. Now we can't discuss what the penalty wars, because that was sensitive information. But the fewer words you wrote, the less your school wass right? So imagine this is an example. This is not true. But let's imagine you wrote 120 words. You would lose maybe one point for task achievement. We used to take it from task achievement. On Biff. You wrote 80 words. You may lose minus three for task achievement. Last year I stopped doing that, so there is no automatic penalty anymore for writing too few words. However, it's unlikely you will get a good score if you don't write that many

spk_0:   9:46
words. I agree

spk_1:   9:47
because you know, for example, for your essay. If you only write 150 words, your ideals won't be explained. They won't be expanded. You won't have enough words to show the Examiner high level sentences. Larry. So you really must make sure you write the minimum number of words that is like the most basic thing you should do when you're writing, if we talk if there's no upper limit. But if we talk about what's the ideal length for task? Fantastic. Because I do think there's an ideal length. What do you think, Nick? For task one for the letter in the report. What? Where should shoot and aim for?

spk_0:   10:24
I think if you try to aim over 1 50 Andi, I would say If you're around 1 80 that's a good number of words on an upper limit of 2 20 Because I think if you go, if you go over to 20 it's just waffle. It's unnecessary information.

spk_1:   10:40
It's unnecessary. And also the more you write, the more mistakes you like exactly. So we've got his balance between extending, showing a good sample to the Examiner but also having time to cheque your work. So I think I think between 1 82 20 is perfect. What about for the essay? To 15 is the minimum. Where should we be on essay

spk_0:   11:05
again the lower limit would be to 18.

spk_1:   11:08
I think to a tee would be the least you could write for. Really well developed essay for seven. If you needed a 6.5, you could Maybe to 60 would be fine.

spk_0:   11:18
Yeah. Yeah.

spk_1:   11:19
I think if we took 7 to 80 and then what would the maximum be there?

spk_0:   11:24
Maybe. I think 34 is probably more than enough to get everything covered.

spk_1:   11:30
I think that is the outer limit.

spk_0:   11:32
Yeah. Yeah,

spk_1:   11:35
I think 3 40 So tried to, you know, how do you know how long your essay or your letter is? If you do the computer test, there's a word count. Now, if you're doing the paper test, you should know how big or small or how many words you write on a line. I explained this in my writing course, but I know, for example, that for me I write eight words per line. So I know that for an essay I need about 30 light. I know what that looks like on the Isles official paper. You and download that on our web site. You can practise with that paper. You should learn to know if you're doing the paper test. What, 180 or 280 words in your handwriting? Looks like definitely. I'll tell you what my handwriting is. A nightmare. It's a complete mess. Also about time now, as we discussed. Task, too, is worth 2/3 of your school and tars one is worth 1/3. So you definitely want to spend more time on task to Antarctica. One definitely. Please. Oh, do know Overlook task one. A lot of students, they just They come to me. They've got a 6.5. Shelly, can you help me? When I look at their essays, their essays are actually sometimes pretty good. Is their report or their letter which is really

spk_0:   12:56
bringing them down,

spk_1:   12:57
bringing them down? I would say each student is different. I know a lot of my students, actually particularly academic students. They tend to spend 25 minutes on task one on 35 minutes on task, too. You will understand more about your own situation as you start to practise. So don't think Oh, you know, I'm spending 22 minutes on task one. That's terrible. That is just a rough guide. You gonna need to decide. And then I think the final thing is about schools, and this gets quite confusing. So can you explain to everybody to guess? Let's get a seven because that's what most people need. You said the Examiner is going to give you a score in four areas. So to get seven, what average score do you need? If I get sort of liked 7776 that's 6.75 I think. Is that a seven?

spk_0:   13:56
So, yeah, if you do get 16 on three sevens, then that is, unfortunately, a 6.5

spk_1:   14:02
exactly on I think that comes as a shock actually going to shock me while I discussed that, And that's one of the reasons why so many people get a 6.5 because it's actually getting a seven in each of the four parts is quite difficult. Most of our students can get three sevens and a six. It might change where the sixes each time, but it's getting that 7777 so you need an average. Here's where it gets more complicated, though. You've got two examiners, right? So let's imagine Nick and I. Nic marks your report I mark your S A We don't discuss this. We don't know this. Yeah, we are. Maybe in different places for the computer based test. Those schools are then put together How nobody knows. Really nobody. Well, no, really. Nobody. Because administrators at test centres enter the schools. And actually, they don't just enter the final school. They enter the four parts for each part of the test of the entire eight schools for each person on the computer has gone algorithm that gives them

spk_0:   15:14
got on algorithm. Really?

spk_1:   15:16
Yeah, and I have a feeling I don't know, right. Are they rounded up? So if you get for its own port a seven for your essay on a 6.5 for your report letter, I think you probably get a seven overall. Okay, but what happens if you get a 7.5 for your essay and a six for your letter that, you see gets really complicated really quickly. Nobody knows. And if anybody tells you they know they're lying because I wish I knew and I trust me, I've tried to find out, but I don't know what the algorithm is. So the only way you could be really sure. It's just to make sure you're getting seven. If you need a seven, you're getting seven for both.

spk_0:   16:02
For both parts. Definitely.

spk_1:   16:03
Yeah, you to 6.5. Make sure you can get a 6.5 for the letter on the essay. Don't forget task. What? All right, so I think they're just some really basic facts were going to spend a lot. We'll have a lot of episodes about writing way. Both Lovett The's just basic information. So let's now, let's just have a look then at what the students are going to do in Task one and fast, too. Um, we're going to start with General Training Task one. If your academic student, you can skip forward. But you know what? Maybe listen is still quite interesting. So you said she was gonna have to write a letter. They are based on a prompt what is a prompt?

spk_0:   16:45
So So as we discussed in speaking, it's a cue card again.

spk_1:   16:49
Yeah,

spk_0:   16:50
which is just eyes in a four piece of paper. I don't actually know about the race

spk_1:   16:54
you're given. You're given both task that's important. You're given both tasks at the same time, and they come on an a three piece of paper,

spk_0:   17:03
a three piece,

spk_1:   17:04
which is folded in.

spk_0:   17:05
Ah, so on the

spk_1:   17:06
front, it says, You know, like the date and the place and you open it and then you've got on the left. Task one on the right past, too. And on the back, there's nothing on. There's loads of space there for making notes. Okay? Yeah, it's really good. Is handy. Yeah, so? So what would a problem like?

spk_0:   17:24
So it's just like a box, basically with some text inside it on. Very similar to the speaking question, it will give you the question itself. You have seen an advertisement in an Australian magazine for someone to live with a family for six months and look after their six year old child. Write a letter to the parents on. Then it gives you What would you do? What would you call these? The three bullet points.

spk_1:   17:49
I call them bullets. Actually, bullets. Okay. It gives you three bullets. So it might say, like in your letter. Explain why you would like the job. Give details of why you'd be suitable for the job and say how you would spend your free time while you're in Australia. And this is really important. You're right, Nick. This looks like pretty much the cue card for the speaking. You're given a topic. You're given three things, but there is one major difference. Which is that

spk_0:   18:18
you must talk about the three things on the

spk_1:   18:21
Yes. So in the cue card, you can ignore the bullets. But if you were even speaking sorry in the in the in the speaking test, Yes. Let's be very clear. In the speaking test, you can ignore the bullets. It makes no difference in the writing test. If you do not include every single piece of information, you will automatically get five. And you need to be super careful here. Now, I've got a fantastic you know, if you're listening to this, just maybe even stop now and go to my full website. I've got four introductory lessons to General Training Task one. So you just go to www dot my child's classroom dot com. Go to general training task. One lesson one discuss discusses how important it is to make sure you include every piece of information, because if it says, for example, give reasons plural why you would like the job if you only give one reason. Exactly five. Right. So unfortunately, with isles is strict. So make sure you are answering and including every piece of information on the process. But I won't. You know, I can teach you how to do that less thing, though. Why is Tasked one different for general training and academic? Well, I think you should probably know this is half final 101 Why did Why are they asking us to write a letter name

spk_0:   19:54
again? It comes back to that functioning in society. We're not. Students were not studying at university Were living working existing in a foreign country. So we need to be able to perform tasks that citizens should perform.

spk_1:   20:10
Exactly. So we are testing essentially, if you have the language to perform different functions. So I would say you need to be able to make requests, offer advice, thank people, explain the situation, give news, make an invitation. Apologise, complain Each of those fun each of those types, or like those functions, requires a completely different set of language.

spk_0:   20:37
Of course.

spk_1:   20:38
Plus, to make it more difficult in general train task one, we ask you to be able to do those things at three different levels or formality. So you need to be able to, for example, make a request informally. So to a friend, formally, to in a serious situation to somebody you don't know on DH semi, formally. So semi formal Again. I explained this in my introduction lesson is, when you're writing to somebody you know, But you have a distant relationship. We're friends. Really? You're not friends, so that could be, for example, university lecturer. Okay? Your neighbour or even your bottle work true? Yeah. Yeah, so someone you know, But you have a formal relationship with them, so you're gonna have to know, You know, if you're going to make a request to somebody you know, you don't know in a formal situation, you might say something like, Could you possibly send me some information about the accommodation available on your campus? That is a formal request. But if Nick if I'm asking you for a favour, I might say, Nick, you couldn't drive me to the airport, could you? So that's what we called a question tag. You couldn't drive unstable, could you? We add that could you. It's a lovely natural way of making informal request. That's the type of thing we are testing you can do in general training. Toss one. What do you think the most common error is in general training? Tough one,

spk_0:   22:12
I think. Formality. Khun, Khun Cause a problem, sometimes with people on. And you know what? The main thing is, how people start and end their letters

spk_1:   22:23
yet. So I think. And actually I think you can combine those two things, right? So we've got, like openings of letters and closings of letters. But I think the main thing is for high scoring. This is what we call tone ItT's making sure if you're right into a friend, everything is informal or everything is former bond. But the biggest problem students have they spent hours preparing for the essay. So then, when they write their letters to their friends, their way to formal on, particularly at the end of the letters, you know often it's like write a letter to your friend did invite them to the cinema, and then the student ends. I look forward to your response. You would never write that to a friend. Um, but that's a very sad, I think. Really. That's just a general introduction to what you have to do in general training. Task one it's all about. Are you able to write these letters with the right function with the right tone and are you able tto organise your letters? Well, have the right what we call opener and closer. If you want more information, just go to my website. You can complete the lessons. I've got a really amazing hand out that shows you how to open and close every type of letter, every formality. It's all there. But focus on tone would be my first piece of advice, right? Right. So that's our general training students. So they're writing a letter because they need to be able to function in society are academic students. So what are they doing in task one?

spk_0:   23:59
So an academic task one students are given a chart and it's their job to summarise the information in the chart and to write a fairly short I would say report

spk_1:   24:15
it is pretty sure. Yeah, it is. And so these charts now, you know, as I said before, I love maths. So for me, these charts, like heaven. It's like my opportunity to be a little math teacher. Not right. I think. Unfortunately, for a lot of students, they become really frightened when they see these charts. Yeah, you've got a line graph with four different items going up and down. So, as Nick said before, there are lots of different types of charts. Right there. Pie charts, line charts, bar charts, processes mats. But actually, even though isles may give you the information in a different way, so the chance may look different. Actually, what you have to do is always the same, right, so every Eilts report is always going to be organised in the same way. Now, if you skipped the general training task, one academic students, the good news is I can show you that right now in my free lesson on our website. So that's it. Www dot my i's classroom dot com. Just click on Academic task. One is the real red. Some now, and just watch the first few lessons which are free. They will show you how to organise your chart, but the key thing really is what you want to be able to do with this chart is not just if you've got a line graph, for example, that shows the price of petrol. You don't just want to explain every single small change to the examiners. You don't want to say the price of petrol started a dollar. Then it rose to $2. Then it fell to four. Then it fell to $1.50. Then it rose to a peak of $5. Then it fell. That up, down, up, down is not what we want in an academic report what you want. Yeah, What what we really want? An academic report is for you to understand what we call the key features one of the main changes that happening in that chart. We put those key features in something called an Overview. So an overview is just a short paragraph. It usually comes after the introduction, and that tells the reader what the chart shows again. I can teach you how to do this in the course, but here's my main piece of advice. I think if you don't have the overview, you are going to get a five for task achievement. So it really much yeah, is the most important part off your report why I tell students to put it directly after the introduction so they don't forget on the overview is not talking about the specific small changes. It's taking a step back and is looking at the chart on is describing the more general changes. So here's how I explain it. Let's imagine I can see the child a Nick who I work with cannot see the child. If I say if Nick says to me, Hey, Shelly, you've got the chart about house prices in England. What does it say if I said to Nick Well, in 1980 the houses houses 100,000 and in 1985 there were 120,000. Then they went up and then they went down. Nick, your brain would explode. And would you would be like, What? But if I said to you, well, knit house prizes rose in every area of Britain. With the exception of the North. Uh, that's an overview. Sadly, yeah. Sorry. So think of the over you like a summery. No numbers, no statistics. The most general thing that you can see happening in the chart. I can help you do this. I love this, so don't panic. But that is what the overview is. And you must have one with the I don't care if you put it after your introduction at the end. Don't have both. Just have one. But put that overview somewhere. So every chart, it doesn't matter what type of charge you've got. Every child is gonna have an overview. And then I would say, You know, we've got pie charts, line charts, bar charts that all of these different charts. But we could divide them into four main types of charts that you need to know the language for. So what would the first chart beaning?

spk_0:   28:33
So I think one of the most common types of chance that you get in task one is a chart that shows change.

spk_1:   28:39
Yes, definitely. So that might be a bar chart. Which shows you 19 92,000. It could be like a line

spk_0:   28:48
graph. It could be a line graph with actually a fair few points of information. You could have, for example, six different years or seven different years. Could

spk_1:   28:58
you? Sometimes you can even be like 5100 years for some of the ones about like life expectancy. Yeah, So I think the key thing, if you've got changes, you're going to need the vocabulary to describe change. So for any chart where you've got more than one year, you're going to need some verbs and some now's that describe change, you're gonna need words like Increase grew fluctuate hit a peak surged, right? So, like more words, you know, the better. As you said, sometimes you know, if you've got a line graph which has got you might have, like four different items on 100 years, you can't describe every year the thing you're only gonna need to describe the main or the key points on the job. Some charts show change. Some charts are just for one year. They are. So it may be, I'm thinking like how different countries used water for different purposes in one year, or a survey off a shopping centre. And how many people were satisfied or unsatisfied with

spk_0:   30:08
services in different shops, for example,

spk_1:   30:11
different year. So obviously, if you've only got one year, so one set of data, nothing increases and nothing decreases. So all of that lovely vocabulary you're going to learn goes into the rubbish bin. Now you're going to need to be able to write sentences that show comparisons. You're gonna have to say, like the majority or farm, or or far fewer. So is learning how to write those types of sentences. Um, I don't have official figures, but I I'm gonna guess that about 80% of Iowa's questions are either a change chart or compared to you. That's the most the thing you're most likely to get in your tests. True, however, sometimes there was no chart, but there is a process, so that could be how to make chocolate. Strangely, recently, there was one which I've used in my cause. I don't think they copied May, but it's taken from Wikipedia. They copied Wikipedia, which was how to make cheese, which I

spk_0:   31:16
thought was a

spk_1:   31:17
funny one. So again, now you're throwing all of the other kind of language away, and now you're going to need to be able. Teo described the steps of a process so that could be a bit tricky, because normally we describe processes in the present. Simple.

spk_0:   31:32
Yeah, but we're not going to be a way to

spk_1:   31:34
do that. Yeah, we need to know If you join the course, I'll show you how to use nice joining words like after plus a participle or having done something

spk_0:   31:45
passive voice as well for a process

spk_1:   31:47
Definitely passive voice on in the same way. Sometimes you're given a map, so you may be given sometimes in town on. Then you'll be given the town I know in 1990 then the town in 2010 and you have to explain how the town changed. It could just be a building. Nowadays, they often give, like a sports centre or a school or a park, and then you have to describe the changes that happen in a strange way. I think most students would like a process or a map before they start to prepare because it looks friendlier. Actually, once you prepare, I think they don't always give you the opportunity to really show off your language.

spk_0:   32:27
That is true. Now that is true. I agree with you because I love maps, but you don't really get to flex your lexical muscles very much.

spk_1:   32:36
You like maps because you don't like chart? Yeah, no, you don't. And in a strange way, I think sometimes it could be harder than to get a good school if you if you know how to tackle the Chartwell. If you don't like maths, don't worry. A promise is not so bad. The key things. Remember our make sure you've got the language to be able to answer those four main types of charts. You got some language for change, some language of compare process and map. Just also make sure then you know how to organise the information in your birth. I think that's important.

spk_0:   33:10
I think it's one of the hardest things to do is to organise the information in the report.

spk_1:   33:14
Yeah, and I think it's once you understand, you know you, you need to organise you. Give yourself a chance to write nice sentences and sometimes that's not always obvious. But really think about how you organise, You know, if you've got bar chart and two things increase in two things decrease, it makes sense to talk about the increases together in the decreases

spk_0:   33:36
group in information through urination,

spk_1:   33:40
it is. But again, I would say what we're giving you now is a nice introduction, but it's nowhere near as good as watching me on a video with examples and I will give you the opportunity to practise. And then we'll cheque it together. And so really, just go have go to the website. Have a look at those introduction lessons because I think they're going to really help you. Hello. My name is shiny and my favourite Lessen my eyes. Customers introduction toe complex sentences.

spk_0:   34:16
Hi, I'm C Barrage, my favourite. My IRS classroom B The Olof Ernest Emotion, A George and my favourite my eyelids. Classroom lesson is hedging. This is my little

spk_1:   34:31
my out. Thiss is my i else classroom. Right, So that is a task one. Let's move on, then. To the essay. So then over There were many things that we could talk about here. But why don't we start with the real basics? The essays are always sort of based on a different topic. Um, and although general training and academic, both groups of students need to write an essay, sometimes the topics are not the same.

spk_0:   35:07
Yeah, they're not really general topics, I would say are a little bit easier than the academic topics,

spk_1:   35:15
right? I mean, there is some overlap, so I think that topics like work money, education, city's health. They appear in the general training and the academic test because they are kind of both relevant to people who were gonna work on relevant to people who were goingto study exactly. I think, though there are also definitely questions, which only also topics which only appear in the general test because because they're topics which are focused more on living in another country. So I'm thinking you often get topics about leisure activities.

spk_0:   35:53
Yeah, yeah, that's true.

spk_1:   35:55
Or family and young people you'd never get asked about young people in the academic text in the academic test. But a lot of questions about young people ta general training. And you get a lot of questions about technology and general training as well, because that's all about life and society, right, whereas in academic and oil says, you know, the general training essay topics are general topics not useful, But it's true in the academic topics. You are gonna have some more abstract academic. What did you think off that the academic students might get?

spk_0:   36:34
They love to talk about government spending in academic government should do this. Government should do then should they spend

spk_1:   36:43
Mohr on the arts rather than roads or something. Yes, definitely.

spk_0:   36:50
Questions about the environment. Massive, very popular at the moment.

spk_1:   36:55
I am loves the environment in reading, text listening. I mean, every part of the exam you could put it is unlikely to sit a full I'll steps and not have something that's about the environment. Somewhere true. True? Yeah. I also think you've got a lot more sort of like society in law. Sort of like more abstract questions about changes in society or laws that could be introduced. Yeah, that's kind of the most general topics were both tests, but you can just have random topics Sometimes. I mean, you may be asked about spending on space or what makes somebody happy. Or, you know, unfortunately, you just deny what? You just need to be prepared to sit down and talk about anything. You D'oh! Yeah, And I think as you said previously, these essay questions are very much like the questions in speaking Part

spk_0:   37:46
three. Yeah. Yeah, I think so.

spk_1:   37:49
So, you know, as you're practising for speaking part three, think about those topics because they could actually be recycled and become an essay question. Exactly. So in any. You know, when you sit your test, you will be asked a question on a particular topic. I guess then we need to discuss, like what those questions will look like causes? No, always one type of question, is it? It's No, no, no. So there was some disagreement about how many types of questions there are. I personally think there around eight, so listen

spk_0:   38:24
more than me.

spk_1:   38:28
Let's start with the most common types of questions, right? So I think definitely one of the most common types of questions are where you are asked to discuss both views on give your own opinion. S o. An example of that question would be How can you think of a common question?

spk_0:   38:48
Some people think that it is better tio have the same job or your life. Others think that changing your job regularly is better. Yes is a common one.

spk_1:   38:58
Yeah, discussed both views and give your own opinion. So, you know, I spent many years teaching English for academic purposes in universities. Yeah, I would call this a discussion essay. The discussion essay is where you are able to discuss other people's views, make it clear that These are not your own views as well as give your own opinion. And that's what that type of question is. Checking. Are you able to give somebody else's views and show it's not yours on? Give your own view and make it clear what your position is. Yeah, this is just a first look at the aisle steps. We could spend hours talking about discussed fuse questions. Where where do you put your opinion? How do you do it? You know, in my cause, I think I've got five lessons just on discuss both fuse. What do you think is the second most common type of

spk_0:   39:54
question? Definitely. It's to what extent do you agree or disagree? Yes. So they love these questions?

spk_1:   40:03
Yes. One example of that would be, you know, university education should be free. To what extent do you agree or disagree? If you're a general training student, they may not say to what extent do you disagree with

spk_0:   40:14
me? Do you agree? Just

spk_1:   40:16
do you agree or do you disagree? Purse.

spk_0:   40:18
Sorry I cut you off.

spk_1:   40:19
No, you didn't. Personally, I recommend you always strongly agree or disagree again. We can talk about this later when I was teaching at a university, that type of question we were calling argumentative essay because this type of essay cheques, if you can argue for your own Phew! So now we're not discussing other people's views. We are saying, Hey, this is my opinion on this is why I have my opinion exactly. Um, is there a correct answer to a question like that?

spk_0:   40:55
Very similar to the aisle speaking test Part three. There are no correct and incorrect answers. Anything that asks for your opinion is asking for that your opinion.

spk_1:   41:07
So there is no, you know, I personally think education university education should be free. But if you disagreed and you gave me two nice arguments for why you disagreed, that does not affect your school. It'll there is no correct opinion, right? Your arguments need to be good on relevant, but your Pierce is totally up for you. So you may be asked to discuss two views and give your own opinion. You may be asked toe argue strongly if you agree or disagree with a view. Here's a type of question which I look at as a totally different type of question. Some people don't. This is what I call a best way question. So sometimes I arts will say, For example, the best way to tackle the problem of obesity is to educate people about healthy eating. So they've offered you not just a good way, but the best way on DH. I think this type of questions a little bit different, because if somebody says something is the best way, it's hard to say that it's terrible, you know? I mean, you can't say, Oh, it's rubbish. It must be pretty good, Yeah, So I think for this one, this is what I think is different is that you can't just say I disagree. Healthy eating is rubbish. That doesn't make sense. I think what we need to do in this one is, say, yet healthy. Eating or educating people about healthy eating is good

spk_0:   42:38
is a good idea, but

spk_1:   42:40
I don't think it's the best. So I think something better. Yeah, I can think of no better. So I do think there's a small difference not many teachers teach. This is a separate essay, but I do because I think this one, they're asking you to evaluate a solution there, asking you like. How good is this solution? So I think there's a good way we can answer that Talking about solutions. Problem solution is the other major type of essay question.

spk_0:   43:10
My favourite is it? Yeah. I love this one.

spk_1:   43:13
Yeah, I mean, I think she was, like, problem solution because there's there's no opinion. There's a relief s so you might have a question. Many people today do not know their neighbours. Why is this what can be done to solve the problem? So your job is to explain, you know, the causes of this problem? Yep. On then, provide some potential solutions. Students sometimes struggle with solutions. Oh,

spk_0:   43:41
sometimes they do. But

spk_1:   43:42
not always. Yeah, Wass. I just remember students had a good way to encourage people to know their neighbours is to invite them to your wedding, which it could work. It just seemed quite extreme. It's

spk_0:   43:56
a very specific kind of solution. It's not on a very wide scale,

spk_1:   44:00
no, really,

spk_0:   44:01
especially if you're only going to get married once in the next five years,

spk_1:   44:04
and only because you don't know your neighbours exactly. All right, so there's problems and solutions. The other kind of classic type of questions are ones that ask you to discuss advantages and disadvantages on. There's actually a couple of advantages. Disadvantages questions. If you're a general training student, you may just be arsed to describe them. So that question would be, you know, today more people travel abroad for pleasure. What are the advanced years and disadvantages off this trend? You just need to say what's good and bad. There's no opinion there. You don't need to say, You know what you think. You just need to describe the advantages in the dispatches. In the academic test, you're not going to be asked eyes too easy. So they're going to say to you are is always gonna be do The advantages outweigh the disadvantages. That means Do you think there are more advanced use, orm or disadvantages? And for that you're going to need an opinion. Why did they ask advances? Disadvantages, questions? It's really to see if you can compare and contrast different things. Exactly. So that's another set of language, right? It's, you know, being able to describe a problem or provide a solution is different. To comparing is different to giving opinion where I always wants to know you've got all of these skills. You may only have one will be able to show one on your test day, but you still have to prepare to show them all with um um, and then another one is not quite the same as advantages. Disadvantages, but it is. Becoming more popular is they may ask you if something is a positive or negative development. So like many people, too, they communicate with their friends using only social media. Is that a positive or negative development? So not quite the same as advantages and disadvantages, right? It's not

spk_0:   46:02
quite the same.

spk_1:   46:03
No, because I think here you need your sort of evaluating yeah, thie trend. You're not just describing why it's good or what's bad. You're saying, Why you think it's positive or negative? Exactly. Um, so, as I said, each of these essays is going to require a slightly different organisation in terms of the paragraphs. But not a massively different organisations shouldn't become very focused on how do we organise each essay? But really, organisation of essays does not contribute very much to your school in terms of like the order of your paragraphs. I think there are many other things which we're going to test you about, which is not the order of your paragraphs. But they definitely require you to know different sets of language. So the language of problems, solution essays is very different to the language of opinion essays. We want to make sure that you can answer, You know that you know how to organise on the types of language that you can use in each this's nor from Pakistan. Despite English being my first language, I was unable to get a seven inviting. Shelley taught me that the testes more about the technique of riding better than the language itself. So if you want your desire to score, you should come join my Isles. No, no, wait. Scratch that. Our classroom. Oh, it doesn't matter what type of essay you get in your exam. The examine. It is only ever going to evaluate your essay using one thing. How are they? What are they going to use Neck?

spk_0:   47:53
The band descriptors the

spk_1:   47:54
band descriptors. Yeah. What are the band descriptors? I often talk about them, but maybe these students, you know, first time What are they? What? What does that even look like,

spk_0:   48:05
I think just But as this is an introduction lesson, we shouldn't go into too much detail because you have your lovely new book. Yeah, Free to download.

spk_1:   48:18
Yeah, I've got my 67 page e book all about the band descriptors

spk_0:   48:24
about the brand description.

spk_1:   48:25
Just about s a bad script is what they are and how the Examiner uses them. Ah, to give you your score for writing. But I guess essentially, if you look at the manuscript is like a big chart. Right on gone. The chart you've got, like, the four areas where the Examiner tests you. So task response, clearance occasion, grammar, Lexus. And then there's a little box that says what you need to do in each of these areas to get a particular school. So it says, like for a six. You need to do this for seven. You need to do this for eight. So, you know, people complain about islands, you know. Oh, why did I get a 6.5? Everything you need to know is in those banned descriptors,

spk_0:   49:13
and it's all public information.

spk_1:   49:14
It's all public information now that are slightly different. Ban descriptors for examiners but they are exactly the same. It is literally five words. They're different and they don't make a big difference. I don't know why they've done it, to be honest. So if you're preparing for Isles, you know there's so much information online. It's so confusing. But the only thing you really need to know is the band descriptors. Sasha. We'll talk about these in more detail, but let's just really quickly think about these ban descriptors. There are four different areas, right over tart response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource and grammatical range and accuracy. However, even though there are four areas, I think there are really two completely different things that are tested in those banned descriptors. I think lexical resorts and grandma are testing your language over on task response and coherence of cohesion are testing your academic writing skills. Yes, yes. So, in other words, 50% of your score is language, but 50% of your score is academic writing skills on DH. Guess which one? Students don't have the academic writing skills loads of my students have got great language skills, but they don't really have those academic writing skills, and that's why I often students get lower marks, I think, as we described in the last Ah, in the last episode about reading, Yeah, they've got great language. But without those skills, unfortunately, you're going to get a lower score than you deserve. So let's quickly look at then those those two band descriptors that test academic writing skills Start with task response. Essentially tasked. Response is how well you have completed the task you were given. How well did you answer the question? So what does that really mean for the essay neck?

spk_0:   51:14
So that basically means that you have written an essay that 100% addresses the question Yes, on it has a clear opinion. If you've been asked for your opinion on DH, it has arguments that are well supported, like you can't you can't just say, for example, cats are better than dogs.

spk_1:   51:33
Brilliant example. You would need to explain why you think that

spk_0:   51:36
exactly. And you have to give you no logical reasons for your arguments. So if you don't have a clear opinion, you're going to get a low score, no matter how good your languages. So if you have superb vocabulary, you have superb grammar If you can't form an argument, you're going to get a score.

spk_1:   51:57
Or even, I think even more common is that she really high level students. They finish. And you just think when I still don't know if they agree or disagree, because they said at the beginning they agreed. And then they said that they disagreed. And now I'm just confused. You have to have a clear opinion in aisles to get high school.

spk_0:   52:15
That other thing that people do, which is a big problem with task responses They just give, like long lists of single sentence ideas instead of nice, long extended sentences.

spk_1:   52:26
Yeah, or having multiple sentences to extend your idea. Yeah, yeah, I think that promise is that a lot of people look up essays just like shopping lists rather than actually giving an argument explaining an argument supporting the argument, giving an example, way discusses. That's for essays for task one for the general training students, for your task is called Task Achievement for Task. While, as we said before, main problems here are, you don't cover all of the information in the bullets or your tone is wrong. So this is where I also will punish you if it's an informal letter. But you use formal language on an academic tasks. One. What did I say you must have is an overview s o for here. Your task achievement is Have you summarised the information in the charts? Have you compared items? Or have you just described every small change, which is what we don't want? So none of those skills are connected really to language. They are all academic abilities having good ideas. Having good arguments, I mean, is partly an intelligence test. I'm going to be honest. It's not only about language that's tasked response. I think coherence in cohesion is kind of the same. That is another purely academic skill. Um, I think even those words confusions. What? What? What is coherence and cohesion?

spk_0:   53:58
Well, coherence means how well you're writing can be understood. And cohesion is how well your writing is joined on. To get a high score here, you really need to learn how to logically organise not just the paragraphs in your ESA, but also the sentences inside the paragraphs on. Plus, you have to show the relationship between your ideas on this means using transition signals not too many? Obviously,

spk_1:   54:29
Yeah, I think that's a really common error. Students like students who were starting to write essays they're like, Oh, I need these words. In addition, moreover, furthermore, therefore, they think if you just add those words between the sentence, that's a nine. Forget parents occasion. No,

spk_0:   54:45
it's not even close. It's

spk_1:   54:47
very unnatural. Yeah, Andi, think the other. A common error with currents Occasion is repeating information S o. It's not repeating the same. So repeating the same idea. So you're so you're argument never develops or just repeating the same words in the text and not using referencing exactly. Yeah, again, these are academic skills, and these are the skills which I think you should learn not just for isles, but because if you were going to study in an inter speaking country, if you you know these skills are going to help you, right, Fantastic essay. You're going to get much, much higher schools. If you know howto organise, join logically present information. You're going to be streets ahead

spk_0:   55:37
of everybody else. And it's quite interesting, you know, having toilets in a couple of different countries into a couple of different students. The education system off a country can really make a big difference to the academic skills of the students on DH. Obviously, you're still in Russia, and he always used to shock me about Russia. How at the right in school was always so much lower than everything else. Yeah, and it's just because I, like people who have studied at university, are especially at school. They don't know how to write an essay.

spk_1:   56:06
Yeah, because in Russia, everyone's tested all really? Yeah, exams usually spoken in terms. There's other things I've spent a lot of time researching. Different logics have different countries and continents. So, for example, in English were very direct. We have an idea. We extend that idea. We give the result. Where is in Asian countries, like so, if you look to English, logic is like an arrow. It goes ABC in one line, who was in Asian countries? The logic is like a spiral. They start and then they start to come to the point. But they go round and round and eventually they arrive. So probably we seemed really rude because we're just like, directly a B C D. But that can also influence your ability to write in English essay True Really is really is kind of fascinating. So I would say that these academic skills, they're not something you're going to learn from a tip or trick in a five minute lesson, right? Like, you know, my writing course is 33 hours work. 10 hours of that is grammar. So if we remove the grammar, we've got, like 20 hours for Task one and tasked to shows like 10 hours for each more or less. Um, that may sound like a lot of time, but actually that really isn't a massive amount of time like that is a week. If you sat down and he did the lessons in a week in the practise activities, maybe it's two weeks, but if you really sit down and learn those skills properly, like the logic on really understand and not just three quick trick or add in addition between two sentences, you are going to become a good writer and you're probably gonna pass. I'll first time, hopefully second time, and you're going to save yourself so much pain if you really just learn how to write properly, rather than just try to tip intricate is all I can say

spk_0:   58:13
and it is true. Actually, a lot of people do you think that, as you say about just adding, In addition, it seems to me looking online that there are so many YouTube videos and websites that are trying to to push students towards and sell students basically isles writing hacks on DH. Unfortunately, there are no hacks for the aisles writing test. You have to be able to write an academic essay to get a good score, and that's it. It's a simple Is that so? You might as well learn how to do it.

spk_1:   58:47
And I mean that sincerely, even if you don't want to study with, may find somebody who is a good teacher. Yes, put in the time, learn the academic skills. Just just they accept that you're gonna have to spend a little bit of time learning this bit, which is annoying. I understand. But at the same time I've spent the last 20 years teaching, you know, is, you know these are real skills which required real teaching us, so we just find someone who can teach you there. The two academic parts, they're also half. As we said, 50% is going to be based on your language, so we'll quickly go through these. So 25% of your school is for lexical resource. That just means vocabulary. What is the main problem that you see with vocabulary name,

spk_0:   59:42
I think, for vocabulary, students try to think of difficult words that sound complicated and then forced them into sentences and into places where they don't really fit on DH. It can be extremely frustrating. Sometimes a za marker. Teo read like these words that keep getting repeated, like in calculate

spk_1:   1:0:08
yes to recapitulate, which means nothing. Yeah, and I think the most frustrating thing, so is that a lot of the students who do that have actually got a really good vocabulary.

spk_0:   1:0:21
Yeah, that's true. That's really true. They just want to sound even better.

spk_1:   1:0:25
Somebody has told I'll students. If you need a seven, you must in every sentence use three or four impossible words, which nobody understands over, and that is just not true. Number one. You can repeat words in an active in an essay. In fact, some words. There are no synonym for what's the synonym for elephants. There is a one, but trust me, my students have tried. Yes is okay to repeat words and yet you might need one or two synonyms, but you don't need, You know, seven synonyms for secondary school students end up saying the school which students go to after the ages of 14 and before 17. I mean, come on. You can repeat words. Use referencing instead of repeating. I just think if you focus on your argument, if you focus on making just remember, we're writing an essay. Essays give information. If you focus on making your essay is clear and easy to understand as possible, you were going to do well, and you're probably if you have got good English going to naturally use some high level vocabulary as you make your arguments exactly all about using words naturally and correctly in context. Um, as for Grandma, it's really grammar, really is a fight between accuracy and range. So in Iowa, it's the type of sentences you want, what we call complex sentences. I've got a great introduction lesson on the website for complex sentences and obviously no every complex sentence is the same. So, for example, like if you started a sentence if you had a sentence that uses because you know, I went to the shop because I needed some bread. That's a complex sentence. Is at a high level, complex centre today.

spk_0:   1:2:23
It's not No,

spk_1:   1:2:24
no. It's like a five is a basic, complex enterprise. We learn those right at the beginning way. We got to six. You might have a sentence that starts with, I don't know, although,

spk_0:   1:2:38
although while so that All

spk_1:   1:2:42
right, So we've got, like, these senses that show contrast. If we're going up to a seven, then you might have words that you know that sentences that use despite or 1/3 conditional. So we want complex sentences on. We need examples of some some higher level complex sentences. No, every sentence needs to

spk_0:   1:3:05
be her complex. Please. No,

spk_1:   1:3:07
please. So you do need to show examples of some higher level things. But the most important thing is that you need to be accurate. So the what I'd say the biggest difference between a seven and a sex is that in a seven, the majority of sentences are

spk_0:   1:3:24
roughly yes. I would agree with that. Yeah, on

spk_1:   1:3:27
That's what you need to look for. So number one. You need to learn these enough complex structures to be able to reach your score on. Then you need to practise them so you can write them without errors.

spk_0:   1:3:41
All

spk_1:   1:3:42
right, so I think we have reached the end, not just of our writing 101 but of our complete five episode introduction. Tow boats. I don't know about you, Nick. I need a cup of tea. I just want to say we've tried to put as much information as we can in these episodes, right? Like they are full of information. You do not have to understand everything. Don't worry. If you're sitting at home now feeling, Oh, there's so much to learn. It's okay. Like I think that's really natural. I would say for writing. Please, just go now and have a look at my free lessons on my website. You don't have to sign up, but they will get you moving in the right direction. Yeah, definitely. And they're going to show you all of this again, but much more slowly with nice pictures, something fun animation on. They're going to give you the chance to do some activities and to practise essentially, I'm going to teach you. What I'm doing now is not really teaching, right. What we're doing now is giving information. Yeah, yeah, but actually, I'm no electoral. I'm a teacher. So let me teach you in the lessons. God, more positively now that we finished our hearts one on one section that means that in the next episode, Nick, what we're going to be looking at,

spk_0:   1:5:07
I think we're going to be looking at the aisle. Smith's on way.

spk_1:   1:5:11
We are next episode Eilts Truth or myth?

spk_0:   1:5:17
Oh, no given

spk_1:   1:5:22
so all of these hours of people online arguing, Oh, I'd better cancel his best. It's just a waste of a climb. You're No, it does not change your score. So that's what we'll be discussing in the next episode to make sure you don't miss it. Remember to subscribe to us on iTunes stitcher, Google play or any podcast provider on. We'll see you next week.

spk_0:   1:5:54
My Iove classroom podcast is production of my eyelids classroom. Nick and I do not represent Eilts. Everything you heard in this episode is our own personal. You can find the show notes and transcript for this episode on our block. That's blogged dot my classroom dot com. And if you're looking for our video courses speaking lessons on marking service, you can find that at www dot my i's classroom doctor. If you have a question or query or just want to chat, you can email Nick and I at hello at my iob dot com. Our fee music is by heartbeat on. Our artwork is produced by David. Have a great week. Study hard and remember, thiss is my Isles classroom. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next week.

Introduction
The importance of the IELTS word count
How should you divide your time between the tasks in the Writing exam?
How is you final IELTS writing score calculated?
General Training Writing Task 1
Academic Writing Task 1
What type of essay topics are common in Writing Task 2?
The eight types of IELTS essay
How will the examiner assess your writing?
Task Response / Task Achievement
Coherence and Cohesion
Lexical Resource
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Final advice for starting your IELTS writing preparation