IELTS Briefing - Writing CUT for presentation

it is Writing

1. Common problems in IELTS writing for Vietnamese candidates British Council Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

2. Common problems in IELTS Task 1 writing

3. Marked in four categories: Task Achievement Coherence & Cohesion Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy 25% for each category. Final mark = average of 4 categories Cannot get .5 in each category  only overall #1 – Not knowing how you are marked

4. Common errors: 1) Forgetting the unit “In 1995, the duration of land line calls stood at around 70 minutes.” 2) Writing numbers as plurals “In 1995, the duration of mobile calls stood at around 35 millions minutes.” “In 1995, the duration of mobile calls stood at around 35 millions.”

5. Common errors: 3) Amounts of money $1,7 billion 1.7$ billion $ 1.7 billion 1.7 billion $ SHOULD BE: $1.7 billion

6. What do you notice about the years? FINISHED PAST EVENTS (PAST TENSES) PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE (NOT 100% SURE WILL HAPPEN)

7. Never use will / going to Always use a “prediction phrase”, such as: is/are expected to + verb ( infinitive ) is/are predicted to + verb ( infinitive ) is/are forecast to + verb ( infinitive ) is/are projected to + verb ( infinitive ) is/are anticipated to + verb ( infinitive )

8. Instructions for all Task 1 prompts: If you only describe the shape of the graph(s), you will not get above a 5 for Task Achievement You can compare things in any type of Task 1 question.

9. #4 – Not Making Comparisons With a partner, look at the graph and make one comparison about: Ranking ( Highest? Lowest? Higher than? Lower than? Mid-level? ) Rate of change ( Increased more quickly than? Increased more slowly than? Decreased more rapidly than? )

10. #4 – Not Making Comparisons

11. “Fish and chips became the most consumed fast food in the UK by the end of the period.” “Consumption of hamburgers increased less rapidly than that of fish & chips.” “Consumption of pizza decreased while the other two increased.”

12. #5 – Clear Overview Somewhere in your Task 1 writing you must have a clear overview Usually in your introduction paragraph after you introduce the situation OR as your conclusion paragraph Usually one sentence, but it can be two. A summary of the most important trends, differences or features of the data. No clear overview = maximum 5 for Task Achievement

13. Example

14. Bad example: “Generally speaking, it is expected that there will be many changes in the demographics of Yemen and Italy.”

15. OK example: “Overall, Italy is expected to have a much older population than Yemen by 2050.”

16. Good example: “Generally speaking, in Yemen the middle-age population is expected to increase and become the majority while in Italy the elderly population is projected to increase greatly.”

17. Any questions about Task 1 writing?

18. Common problems in IELTS Task 2 writing

19. Marked in four categories: Task Response Coherence & Cohesion Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy 25% for each category. Final mark = average of 4 categories Cannot get .5 in each category  only overall #1 – Not knowing how you are marked

20. There are a range of different tasks in Task 2 writing The type of essay you write depends on the task Look at the following five example tasks. For each: What are the missing words in the task? What kind of essay (i.e. argumentative) would be the best for that task? #2 – Writing the wrong type of essay

21. What are the missing words in the instructions? #2 – Writing the wrong type of essay

22. What are the missing words in the instructions? #2 – Writing the wrong type of essay

23. What are the missing words in the instructions? #2 – Writing the wrong type of essay

24. What are the missing words in the instructions? #2 – Writing the wrong type of essay

25. Is there anything unusual about this task?

26. Many candidates are too concerned about time They feel that they must start writing ASAP They start writing immediately without planning This often results in three problems: Misunderstanding the prompt Ideas with unclear support Wasting time to think of ideas while writing #3 – Writing before planning

27. Misunderstanding the prompt Candidates who rush tend to not fully understand the prompt Often write about the theme but not the exact prompt “Universities should accept equal members of male and female students in every subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree?” #3 – Writing before planning

28. I strongly agree that tertiary institutions should accept both men and women. I agree that male and female students should have equal rights at university. There are many reasons why there are more men than women in universities which has led to some serious consequences. #3 – Writing before planning

29. Ideas with unclear support Candidates who “think on the fly” (think of ideas while writing) often change their mind Their supporting ideas change but their topic sentence stays the same This often leads to unclear supporting ideas #3 – Writing before planning

30. Two types of IELTS task 2 prompts: State a position (point of view) No point of view Which type(s) of prompt is each example? “To what extent do you agree or disagree?” “Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?” “Discuss both views and give your own opinion.” “What are the causes of this and what measures can be taken to solve this problem?” “Is this a positive or negative development?” #4 – Unclear position

31. If the prompt requires a position, you must have an opinion / point of view IELTS expects a clear position throughout Thesis statement Topic sentences Supporting ideas Conclusion Don’t wait until the conclusion to give your opinion “Surprise conclusions” are bad. State your position in the introduction, support it in your main paragraphs, and re-state it in the conclusion #4 – Unclear position

32. How does it affect your mark? Task Response 7 : “Presents a clear position throughout the response.” 6 : “Presents a relevant position although the conclusions may become unclear or repetitive .” 5 : “Expresses a position but the development is not always clear and there may be no conclusions drawn .” 4 : “Presents a position but this is unclear .” 3 : “ Does not express a clear position.” 2 : “ Does not express an opinion.”

33. You must include examples Don’t invent fake knowledge “According to a UN survey, 99% of IELTS examiners are geniuses with above average IQ.” “According to scientists, the sky is green.” “Based on recent research, the sun orbits the earth.” “It is widely known that cats have seven legs.”

34. Useful Websites www.britishcouncil.vn/en/exam/ielts/courses-resources ielts .org dcielts.com ielts-simon.com ielts-academic.com ieltsbuddy.com ielts-blog.com

35. Any questions about Task 2 writing?

36. Good Luck!