IELTS Focus. Free lessons and advice on getting Band 7+

IELTS listening: labelling a map

September 25, 2025October 30, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

Labelling a map in IELTS listening.

Listening for directions in a map task can be quite tricky for some people. In IELTS listening you often get a map where you have to listen to someone giving directions and then label that map. This lesson should help you when you are faced with this in the exam.

The main language you need here is location language and prepositions of place.

This kind of task comes up usually in part 2 of the listening section but you could also get it in other sections of the listening test. Nearly always it is one person speaking, such as a tour guide or someone showing people around a building or a farm.

Sometimes you will be given a list of words to match the gaps with. Other map tasks just have a gap, so you will need to pick up the words from listening only.

IELTS Grammar: Conditional sentences.

November 10, 2024August 28, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

How to use zero, 1st, 2nd and 3rd conditionals (if sentences)

Updated: November 2024

There are four kinds of conditional sentences. The zero conditional describes real or specific situations, while unreal Conditionals describe unreal, imaginary situations or hopes for the future. With unreal conditionals, there is a difference in the likelihood of them happening. However, they don’t refer to the past. The 3rd conditional is for past regret, how something could be different or a past hypothetical situation.

9 tricky IELTS speaking part 2 topics

October 9, 2023August 22, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

Tips and ideas for difficult IELTS speaking part 2 topics.

Updated: September 2023

Sometimes in IELTS speaking, you will get a tricky topic to answer in part 2. It can cause anxiety if you go into the exam and get presented with one of these. The important thing here is to use your imagination if you cannot think of a story.

Be prepared with a few ideas beforehand as that will go a long way to easing your nerves. I haven’t given any model answers here because there are so many variations on how you could answer these. Click the blue buttons to see the tips and ideas.

Writing task 1: Process diagram about recycling aluminum

October 9, 2023July 11, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

Model answer for a process diagram about recycling.

Updated: February 2023.

Process diagrams are some of the easiest tasks in IELTS Academic writing task 1 as you are logically explaining a process using sequencers and passive grammar. The data is static so there are no trends to report on, it is pretty straightforward with enough practice.

IELTS General writing task 1: Letter to a friend

October 9, 2023July 1, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

Model answer for a letter to a friend about exercise.

In the general version of IELTS writing task 1, there are 2 types of letters, Informal and formal. Some teachers say there is a third semi-formal style but if the task is a letter to a friend it is informal, while everything else would be formal.

8 things that could lower your IELTS writing score

September 4, 2025June 13, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

Things to avoid in IELTS essays.

Updated: September 2025

The essay writing section of IELTS is formal. This is the same for the academic writing task 1 reports, so you must use the right register. You could lose marks in vocabulary or grammar if you are writing informally, using idioms, or using memorised stock phrases.

In IELTS general writing task 1 you will sometimes get an ‘informal’ letter to write, so obviously in that specific case, you will write the letter in an informal register.

You may not lose a band score if you are doing just one of these things below but if you are making a combination of errors then it could be the cause of being stuck at band 6 or 6.5.

Paraphrasing and synonyms in IELTS reading

October 9, 2023June 7, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

Synonyms and paraphrasing exercise for IELTS reading.

Updated: September 2023

A key skill for a high score is your ability to understand paraphrasing in IELTS reading. Paraphrasing is also a crucial skill for the writing section as you need to change the wording of the task question. It is also very useful in speaking and it shows up in the reading and listening sections.

Paraphrasing is when the wording changes but the same meaning is retained. It can be done with synonyms, changing the grammatical structure and the use of set phrases.

How to write an IELTS opinion essay

June 3, 2025May 28, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

IELTS opinion essay: structure, model answer, and analysis.

Updated: June 2025

There are 5 types of essays in IELTS writing task 2 and a common one is an opinion essay.

So how do you know if it is an opinion essay?. You will first need to study the instruction words. These words tell you what you should write about and this should be the first step to take before you even begin to plan. Analyse the task and especially the instruction words so you do not go off-topic or write a different essay altogether.

Here are 2 essay tasks below, which one do you think is the opinion essay?

What’s the difference between ‘affect’ and ‘effect’?

October 9, 2023May 19, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

Using vocabulary precisely in IELTS is very important for getting a high score in lexical resource. Affect and effect are often used incorrectly even by native speakers!

Let’s look at the difference between these and how can they be used in a sentence accurately.

They are not exactly synonyms, they are homophones, which means they sound the same but are spelt differently. There are some exceptions when affect can be used as a verb or effect used as a noun, but generally speaking, these are the rules below:

Affect is a verb – Effect is a noun

IELTS writing task 1: using prepositions accurately

January 19, 2024April 12, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

How to use prepositions accurately in IELTS writing task 1 academic.

Updated: January 2024

It’s very important to get prepositions right when describing charts and statistics. I often see mistakes with prepositions when I mark task 1 reports and this is a particular issue when describing dynamic data.