Updated: October 2024
In IELTS writing task 2, various topics come up, such as the environment, family, society, work, technology, education, food and diet, health, sports and sometimes crime. The topic of crime is difficult for many students as there is so much vocabulary surrounding this.
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:
Tips and points to consider when learning new IELTS vocabulary.Updated: June 2024
I often get asked about the best way to learn new words that can be used in IELTS essays or the speaking section. I have not given any word lists on my website because I believe that vocabulary building is your responsibility. It is something that you will have to work on over a period of time.
Some people want lists of words that they can memorise and then randomly put those words into their essays. This is not a good strategy when learning new words.
Be concise and keep your writing simple and clear.Updated: Sept 2024
I quite often get essays that contain ‘flowery’ or convoluted sentences and vocabulary which makes it hard to understand what point is being made. My advice here is to keep your wording simple, direct to the point and concise.
It seems that many students try too hard to use ‘complex sentences’ or ‘high level’ vocabulary and completely miss the point of communication, so in the end the reader (the examiner in this case) has trouble understanding.
Can you use personal pronouns in IELTS Essays?This is a question I have been asked quite a few times and there is some confusion even among IELTS teachers about this. The quick answer is that it is fine to use some personal pronouns in IELTS essays but not all. There is nothing in the marking criteria that says you should not use them either. As long as they are kept to a minimum.
Accurate use of collocations will help you get a high score.Updated: December 2023
Some of the most important vocabulary needed for IELTS writing are collocations. These are needed for a higher score. Collocations are 2 or 3 words that commonly go together and sound just right to a native speaker. For some tips on building your vocabulary take a look at this blog post here. If you do not know how to use collocations, they will sound or look ‘wrong’ to a native speaker.
For example, ‘use money‘ sounds strange if you go shopping. The correct word is to ‘spend money‘, or if someone speaks in a loud way I can’t say he has a ‘big voice‘ I need to say he has a ‘loud voice’. Or maybe he has a ‘big mouth‘ to describe him as arrogant, not a ‘large mouth‘. When I want to relax in the evening I wouldn’t ‘look at a movie‘ I would ‘watch a movie‘…. and so on…
A guide to linking and cohesion in IELTS writing.Updated: December 2023
One of the most important skills for getting a good score in the IELTS writing exam, is the way cohesive devices or linking devices are used. In the marking criteria for task 2 essays and Writing task 1 reports, Coherence and Cohesion accounts for 25% of your marks. So it is important to have an essay that flows naturally and is easy for the reader to understand. A key component of this is cohesive devices, however, use them correctly and sparingly.
Complex sentences in IELTS writing.Updated: May 2024
It is important to use some ‘complex sentences’ in IELTS writing task 2 otherwise you are unlikely to get a band 6 or more in grammar. However, not all of your sentences have to be ‘complex‘ you need to use simple sentences too.
Grammar accounts for 25% of your marks in the writing tasks but there is some confusion in IELTS about what a ‘complex sentence’ actually is.
Learn about the most important skill in IELTS reading.Updated: September 2023.
In the IELTS reading exam, you can’t look up words in a dictionary, and you won’t be able to understand every single word. Furthermore, you shouldn’t read the whole text as you won’t have the time.
Understanding where to find the answers and spotting how words are paraphrased is a crucial skill. The reading section is really about vocabulary, so you must work on developing your vocabulary.
When writing essays in IELTS task 2 (it also comes in handy for the speaking test) you will need to use ‘instead’ or ‘rather than’ to show preference, changing trends, opinions or facts. Here are some sentences based on the topic of technology and internet use.