IELTS Writing - Some ideas on how to approach this

IELTS WRITING : Some suggestions on how to approach this IELTS WRITING

How can I get band 7 in writing? : I don’t know my level I’ve taken the exam and got less than 7 I keep getting 6.5 I’m writing lots of essays to improve How can I get band 7 in writing?

Be realistic about your English level : Can you write at Band 7 level? What was the last writing you did? Has a teacher looked at your writing recently? How are you assessing what you write? Be realistic about your English level

Approach the writing systematically : Do you know how to analyse the questions? Can you plan effectively? Do you know what the structure should look like? How many paragraphs? How many sentences in each paragraph? How will these sentences be related? Approach the writing systematically

Can you manage the language? : Do you know a good range of linking words? Can you deal with complex sentences? Do you have an armoury of great opening sentences? Do you have some wonderful closing sentences? Can you organise your ideas logically and sequentially? Can you manage the language?

Improve your General English : Get some general writing practice Learn how to plan effectively Widen your vocabulary Read widely (anything at all but a range) Do exercises to help with your writing technique Understand how pieces of writing are constructed, how the sentences and ideas relate to one another – how we relate to text as a reader Improve your General English

Slide 7 :

Now start your IELTS practice : Do one essay at a time Take as long as you need to produce a Band 7 Task 1 or Task 2 piece of writing Get someone to check them who really knows what they are doing When you have your band 7 piece of writing you’re ready to develop it Now go for Band 8! Now start your IELTS practice

Slide 9 : Use Models Find sample essays at band 7 and 8, compare with yours Check the vocabulary, linkers, sentence openings etc. What makes it band 7 or 8? Play with the ideas, how are they expressed? How does the language make the ideas come alive? Go very deep into these essays Look at ‘real’ pieces of writing, do the same

Live, breathe and sleep writing : Become an expert Compare styles Find your own style Keep improving, keep experimenting Don’t worry about timing yet Live, breathe and sleep writing

Task 1 : Look at business pages – great models e.g. http://www.guardian.co.uk/data Know all the possible task 1 types of writing Look at examples of process, comparisons Learn vocabulary around numbers Learn collocation of numbers Learn how to sequence events Task 1

Task 1 - more : “guardian will help them to understand why we use data in our life and every one can do this” (a student comment) Don’t rely on the work of friends even if they manage to get 7 – analyse writing from the ‘REAL’ world Focus on the task and how you can explain this in the best English possible Blogs: Daily lessons with Simon Dominic Cole Task 1 - more

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Task 2 : Look at the reading passages Go over past topics – make sure you have enough language to deal with these Read widely for the information you will need to include (newspapers, articles etc..) If you hear a useful topic in the news follow it up in a written form Reading informs writing Task 2

Task 2 - more : Do essays one at a time and spend time on them Do not fail to plan your essays A good plan Gives your essay structure and balance Makes your essay easier and quicker to write Cuts down on the number of mistakes Gives you the chance to check Get someone to mark them (Task 1 & 2) Task 2 - more

Task 2 - Question : Task two: Write an essay on the topic below (200 – 250 words)   Technology is making communication easier in today’s world, but at the expense of personal contact as many people choose to work at home in front of a computer. What dangers are there for a society which depends on computers rather than face to face contact for its main means of communication? Task 2 - Question

My Contact Details : My Contact Details berni.wall@language-tuition.co.uk www.gapfillers.co.uk www.language-tuition.co.uk Skype: rliberni Twitter: @rliberni My blog: Radical Language: http://rliberni.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/how-to-be-a-good-language-student-10-suggestions/ http://www.scoop.it/t/the-world-of-ielts