IELTS Focus blog. Tips and advice on getting Band 7+

Are you worried about time management?

October 11, 2018October 11, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

Timing and preparation in IELTS Writing

One of the biggest concerns for people doing the IELTS exam, particularly the writing section, is timing.

Many candidates who do the exam get to the writing section and start stressing out because their time management becomes an issue. You only have around 40 minutes to write a 250 word essay, so straight away this tends to create anxiety, and then there is writing task 1 which should only take 20 minutes. That’s 1 hour in total.

Why am I stuck at Band 6 in Speaking?

October 12, 2018October 9, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

This is one of the most common questions I get asked about in IELTS .

‘Why can’t I get Band 7 in speaking?’

There are a lot of IELTS students out there stuck on a Band 5 or Band 6 in the speaking section and are getting frustrated. Many of you are near to giving up on hitting a Band 7. Some people get the wrong advice, poor feedback or are promised a high score by their teacher just to keep them happy. It is important to be realistic about this.

Line Graph Model Answer: Energy Consumption by Fuel Source

October 4, 2018September 26, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

IELTS academic writing task 1, model answer for a line graph.

Here is a line graph from the Cambridge IELTS 9 book about US energy consumption by fuel type. As you can see from this there is a date range from the past with predictions for the future. Always take around 2 minutes to analyse the task before writing anything.

Note that this graph is courtesy of the Cambridge IELTS 9 practice book, only use authentic Cambridge IELTS material when practicing. You can get these books online such as Amazon.com. You can also download free practice tests from ielts.org or the British council website.

Two easily confused essays (problem / causes solutions essay)

September 15, 2018September 12, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

What is the difference between a Causes Solutions and a Problem Solutions essay?

Problem solutions and causes solutions essay are very similar but there is a subtle difference, one type asks about the problems and the other type asks about the causes.

It is very important to spend a couple of minutes analaysing the task question so that you know what to write about in the essay. I have seen many good essays lose marks in Task Response because the writer did not find the issues in the task question, or did not fully understand what to write about.

IELTS Speaking FAQ

September 13, 2018September 5, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

17 commonly asked questions about the IELTS speaking test.

There is a lot of misinformation and myths out there surrounding IELTS, so hopefully these questions and answers should help clear up any confusion before you go into the IELTS exam.

Simply click on the blue buttons to see the answers to these IELTS speaking questions. If there are any questions not listed, leave a comment in the comments section at the bottom of this post. I will try to answer them for you.

Writing Task 1: Fast Food Restaurants Bar Chart

September 13, 2018July 23, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

Model Answer: Bar chart about fast food restaurants

Bar charts are pretty common in IELTS writing task 1 academic, many people panic when they see them but they get easier the more you practice. The most important thing to bear in mind is that the report should be concise, so you must be selective. This means that you should never write about every single detail in the chart. Aim for around 170 to 190 words.

Why can’t I get a Band 7?

July 3, 2018July 3, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

I have heard this question so many times.

Why can’t I get a Band 7?

I get so many people who email me asking me why they can’t hit Band 7 or Band 8 or whatever score they need and are stuck at Band 5 or 6. They all seem puzzled as to why they cannot raise their score. Usually it is to do with their writing as this tends to be the hardest part of the test.

Here are 9 reasons why you may not be getting the score you need.

Model answer for a letter to a friend: Selling a laptop

July 3, 2018June 15, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

IELTS general writing task 1, an informal letter.

There are 2 main types of register that you will need for IELTS general writing task 1, that is either formal or informal. If it is a letter to a friend then it will always be informal. If it’s to your boss, ex boss, a company, or some kind of business situation then it’s formal. Pretty simple really.

IELTS academic writing task 1: Lesson for a floor plan

July 3, 2018June 13, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

Writing about a diagram / floor plan in IELTS.

Here is an interesting task 1 question below. Be prepared as something similar could appear in writing task 1 academic. It’s not a map or a process diagram, it’s a floor plan. You will also notice it has two time periods. The present and plans for the future.

It is essential to analyse the task and it’s main features and then plan your writing before starting your report. Total planning for task 1 should be around 4 or 5 minutes. Remember that you need to paraphrase the introduction and give an overview.

Writing Task 1: How to use ‘number, total, amount, figure, period’

July 3, 2018May 13, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

Useful IELTS academic writing task 1 vocabulary.

To get a good score in IELTS writing task 1 academic, you need to have a good range of grammar and vocabulary. In this lesson we will look at 5 words that can be used in various ways. Those words are : Number, Total, Amount, Period and Figure. Try the exercises at the end of the lesson to test your knowledge then click the green buttons to see the answers. The key to learning is to practice, so think about how you can apply these words to your academic task 1 reports, especially for graphs and trends.