IELTS SOLUTIONS

Upon completion of your writing task - whether it is IELTS Task 1 or IELTS Task 2 - always proofread what you have written carefully to edit the task for grammatical accuracy and check the organisation of the essay, as well as the punctuation and spelling. There are a number of common language difficulties students have with their writing. These notes provide a list of language items to be aware of, and also serve as a checklist when examining your writing.

With any writing, whether it is IELTS Writing Task 1 and Writing Task 2, it is important that a verb agrees with its subject. This is called agreement. When this agreement is made care must be taken to accurately identify the subject. Subjects may not always be obvious. These study notes focus on the various kinds of subjects and their agreement with the verb. There are two main parts of a sentence, a subject ( who or what ) and a verb ( action or  condition ). In order for a sentence to be grammatically correct, the verb must agree  with the subject in number (singular or plural) and person (1 st – I, 2 nd –you, 3 rd –  s/he, it, they). A singular subject (one person/thing) must take a singular verb, and a  plural subject (two or more people/things), a plural verb   For example: Generally, the verb form is the same for all persons with the exception of the 3 rd  person singular, which takes an s/es . The verbs to be and to ...

Phrasal verbs are commonly used in spoken English. Though they do not look difficult, they can be problematic for learners of English because of their construction and idiomatic meanings.  Phrasal verbs consist of a verb followed by a preposition. This forms a new verb, one sometimes related to the original verb, but sometimes not. There’s no pattern to the meanings they take, and they often have a number of different meanings. Phrasal verbs are expressions or phrases  which consist of a:   The adverb or preposition that is used to form the phrasal verb is sometimes called the particle . Phrasal Verbs and Meanings When a verb combines with either an adverb or preposition to form the phrasal verb, a new or extended meaning is created. This meaning is sometimes predictable from the meanings of the words that form them, but usually the meanings are unpredictable because they are idiomatic – the meanings cannot be understood from  the i...

An important aspect of formal writing is the appropriate use of sentence structures to convey your ideas clearly and effectively. It is necessary to have a variety of sentence structures, drawing on the use of coordinate  and subordinate conjunctions to form both compound and complex sentences.  Sentences can express both simple and  complex ideas. Connecting ideas in sentences correctly is important because this  makes the relationship between ideas clear and meaningful. A sentence must have  a subject and a verb, and is also referred to as an independent clause . A  dependent clause also contains a subject and verb, but is not regarded as a  sentence because its meaning is incomplete. COORDINATION AND SUBORDINATION Ideas can be connected in a number of different ways.  Coordination is used to connect ideas that are of equal importance, joining  independent clauses, which express ideas of equal content. An independent c...

When describing data, or anything for that matter, it is important to include details and comments on what is significant, to show that you are aware of which features are critically important and require comment. Descriptions are not very useful unless they are detailed. Details need also to be put into perspective – compared and contrasted with something (a shared standard or reference point); or located during or over a particular period of time. Making comments demonstrates that the significance of trends, or of what is being described, is appreciated. It also helps the reader to appreciate the importance of these trends. In describing data there are several aspects to consider: 1. Organisation of good description of data - how to construct a complete description 2. Language choices in descriptions of data - language choice enables variety 3. Register - formal and informal language choices 4. Prepositions of Time – there are several prepositions (at, in, ...

LESSON 6 to blow out: to explode, to go flat (for tires); to extinguish by blowing (S) On our trip to Colorado, one of the car tires blew out when it hit a large hole in the road. Little Joey wasn’t able to blow all the candles out , so his big sister helped him. to become of : to happen to (a missing object or person) This idiom is always used in a clause beginning with what. What has become of my pencil? I had it ten minutes ago, but now I can’t find it. I wondered what became of you. I looked around the shopping center for two hours, but I couldn’t find you at all. to shut up : to close for a period of time (S); to be quiet, to stop talking The second definition of this idiom is impolite in formal situations. During the hurricane, all the store owners shut their shops up . Bob’s sister told him to shut up and not say anything more about it. The student got into big trouble for telling his teacher to shut up . have got : to have, to possess ...

Lesson 5 to eat in/to eat out: to eat at home/to eat in a restaurant I feel too tired to go out for dinner. Let’s eat in again tonight. When you eat out , what restaurant do you generally go to? cut and dried: predictable, known beforehand; boring The results of the national election were rather cut and dried ; the Republicans won easily. A job on a factory assembly line is certainly cut and dried . to look after : to watch, to supervise, to protect (also: to take care of, to keep an eye on ) Grandma will look after the baby while we go to the lecture. Who is going to take care of your house plants while you are away? I’d appreciate it if you’d keep an eye on my car while I’m in the store. to feel like : to have the desire to, to want to consider This idiom is usually followed by a gerund (the -ing form of a verb used as a noun). I don’t feel like studying tonight. Let’s go to a basketball game. I feel like taking a long walk. Would you like ...

Describe a country you have visited You should say: Where is this country When did you visit it? What were the interesting things about this country BAND 8.0 SAMPLE ANSWER I suppose I should begin by highlighting the point of where this country is. In actual fact, the countries that I have visited so far can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Among those, India is the one that truly amazed me by many factors. India has a very long history, the country is very big and has the second largest population in the world. I guess this is why there are so much to see. For me, one of the most interesting places in India is The Ganges River, which is well – known as the longest and holiest river in India. While most rivers around the world are for recreation or sports, the Ganges has many other functions. As the Indians believe, that the river is holy , people come here to pray and wash themselves in its water. In addition, the river also has thousands of people ...

Describe a time when you are very busy You should say: When it was What you had to do during that time How you managed it And explain how you felt about being busy BAND 8.0 SAMPLE ANSWER: One such busy time I really remember was the time when I had the deadline to submit my thesis paper which is the ultimate assignment to gain a Master Degree in International Relations.  This thesis paper is of great importance to me because it will decide whether I can get through the master course with flying color or not. I had just 1 month to complete my thesis paper but I had a full-time job which accounted for 8 hours per day so I had hardly few hours left for this graduation paper. I was also a procrastinator who always waits until the last minute to do anything which made me fall behind my schedule for my thesis paper submission. Moreover, the thesis was really complex and challenging, therefore, I had tons of tasks waiting for me to be carried out such as col...

Lesson 4 to make sure: to be sure, to ascertain (also: to make certain (of)) - Please make sure that you turn off the radio before you go out. - Could you make certain of the time? I don't want to miss that TV show. now and then: occasionally, sometimes (also: now and again, at times, from time to time, off and on, once in a while) Both now and then and once in a while can be preceded by the adjective every. Another idiom with the same meaning and form is every so often. - I don't see him very often, but (every) now and then we arrange to have lunch together. - Gary gets a cold (every) once in a while even though he takes good care of himself. - Every so often my brother and I get together for a camping trip. - I like to sleep late in the morning from time to time. to get rid of: to eliminate, to remove; to discard, to throw away - Jerry tried hard to get rid of the stain on his shirt, but he never succeeded. - The stain was so bad that Jerry...