A workshop for #IELTS instructors on how to make the most of IELTS model answers (both W1 and W2) 📊

Giving students IELTS model answers is certainly a great idea, but you can't just hand them the answers and say, "Look. These are good. Do the same thing." You need to make sure the model answers help your student develop their skills.

In this workshop, I'll share a whole host of meaningful activities you can do with model answers. Each activity is aimed at a certain goal and and tailored for a specific task and/or assessment criterion.

All the activities are based on my extensive IELTS taking, teaching, and writing experience:
- IELTS 9 x2, Writing 8.5 x3
- IELTS prep experience: over 10 years
- Answers written: over 200.

📌 Price: 2300 RUB

📅 Schedule: Wednesday, 27 August, 11:00-12:30 Moscow time

📍 Place: in real time on Zoom, camera must be on, some participation is expected

❗ You will get the pdf of the presentation, but there will be no recordings!

Why don't I record my sessions?

If I decided to make a recording, I would have to ask you to mute yourself and switch off your video, or you would want to do that yourself. But I expect participation and questions. I don't want to be a talking head, nor do I want to speak into silent black boxes on the screen. I want to be a real live person and expect the same in return. (And don't get me started on potential privacy concerns of the participants.)

💌💌💌 @iraluts

#IELTS format: the key to improving your writing? 🐼

Many people tell me, when they message me to sign up for my courses, "I want to improve my writing and get a higher score, so I need to learn to write to the exam format."

But what is format? All writing has the same format:
- Introduction
- Body paragraph
- Body paragraph
- Conclusion

In terms of improving your writing, it's not the format that matters. You can write the same essay in several different levels - in the same format.

Let's compare two examples.

Topic: In some parts of the world, many famous people are regarded as ‘role models’ and they are having an increasing influence on the young. Is that a positive or negative development?

1️⃣

Younger people are influenced by many things. One controversial effect is celebrities. In my opinion, while famous people can surely inspire good behaviors and values, the impact they have on the younger generation is mostly bad.

Celebrities can have a good influence, though. Many famous people promote important values, such as hard work or empathy. Indeed, many stars emphasize effort, labor, and similar qualities when they speak about their path to success. Some famous individuals also take part in activism and donate money to charities. This is noble and should be promoted. However, I believe this positive influence only works in a small number of cases, and the negative aspects are bigger.

2️⃣

Younger people are susceptible to a whole host of influences. One recent and particularly controversial influence is celebrities. In my opinion, while famous people can admittedly inspire positive behaviors and values, the impact they have on the younger generation is mostly detrimental.

When it comes to the positive influence, one could make a case that many celebrities promote important values, such as hard work or empathy. Indeed, many emphasize effort, resilience, integrity, and similar qualities when they speak about their path to success. Some also engage in activism and donate money to charities - undeniably noble activities that should be promoted. However, I believe this positive influence only works in a small number of cases and is significantly outweighed by the negative aspects.

See? Same format, different levels. If you want to improve your writing and get a higher score, you need to build your skill and your language.

🐼 My full essay in the pdf in this post: https://news.1rj.ru/str/irinalutsenko/551

Enrollment in my thorough, skill-building writing courses is now open. (Links in the comments.)

💌💌💌 @iraluts

Can you use my IELTS materials?

Some of my materials are available online for free. So, sometimes other instructors ask me, "Irina, can I use your IELTS answers (or worksheets or posts) in my classes?"

I answer, "Yes, but please credit them to me: add my name and the link to my social media." And I always add, "Do this for everyone, not just me." 🌸

This is just good practice. Find something you like? Share the creator's name and socials.

It's good for the creator. It's good for the community. And it's good for you. ❤️

💡 Some of my #IELTS answers in the public domain: https://news.1rj.ru/str/irinalutsenko/551

#IELTS Writing Task 1: a common mistake 📊

And a quiz right off the bat.

Do you see the difference between the two sentences in each set in terms of grammar?

1️⃣

1. Turning to the table, she muttered, "I think we should get divorced."

2. Turning to the table, the figures for chicken consumption increased.

2️⃣

1. Focusing on the line graph, the professor provided the historical background of the trend.

2. Focusing on the line graph, the number of students with an arts major increased.

In each set, the second sentence contains a mistake called "dangling modifier."

A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that doesn't logically modify the subject of the main clause.

In other words:

- Turning to the table, the figures for chicken consumption... reads as if the figures turned to the table.

- Focusing on the line graph, the number of students ... reads as if the number of students focused on the line graph.

To avoid the mistake, you must make sure that the subject of the main clause does the thing in the modifier, like in each first sentence in the sets above.

- Turning to the table, she muttered...: She turned and she muttered.

- Focusing on the line graph, the professor provided...: The professor focused and the professor provided.

❗️In short, all these transition phrases in IELTS writing task 1 are wrong if used like this:

- Turning to the table, the figures ...

- Focusing on the data in the bar chart, the consumption...

- Examining the data provided in the pie chart, the percentage of women ...

💡 Alternatives:

- As for ...
- As regards ...
- When it comes to ...

What else?

https://news.1rj.ru/str/irinalutsenko

#ieltswritingtask1 #ielts@irinalutsenko

My strength as an IELTS instructor 🐸

I first took IELTS in 2011. At that time, the exam was a mystery. Very few people knew about it, let alone got high scores. And writing was the biggest mystery of all (teachers included - I got 7 for writing that time).

Time passed. At present, there is no shortage of IELTS writing experts, videos, and model answers.

But for how many people does watching expert videos or reading model answers translate into a solid writing skill? Especially given how little practice the skills gets in the classroom...

In this ocean of IELTS experts (for lack of a better term), I see my strength in helping others build their skill. I am not just an achiever with IELTS 9s and 8.5s under my belt. I am an instructor with a whole host of activities designed to help you build your skill.

In the end, it's just you and the task in the exam room.

My writing courses this semester:

1️⃣ IELTS Writing - a long, meticulous, skill-building course

https://vk.com/market/product/ielts-writing-academic-47977221-3696544

2️⃣ Super-advanced IELTS Writing Task 1 - a course on challenging tasks, for experienced IELTS writers

https://vk.com/market/product/super-advanced-ielts-writing-task-1-47977221-10797050

3️⃣ Writing with New Scientist - a perfect pre- or post-IELTS course

https://vk.com/market/product/writing-with-new-scientist-47977221-5061302

🐸 @iraluts

#IELTS Writing Task 1: All mistakes are not made equal

What do different mistakes look like? ❓

I have written the intro and the overview for the task above in four different ways, with each one illustrating what mistakes in each assessment criterion – only one – look like.

1️⃣ TR

The table shows the number of registered marriages of two types and the age of those getting married in Australia between 1960 and 2000. Overall, the number of religious marriages decreased, albeit insignificantly, peaking at 50,000 in 1980. As regards the age, both brides and grooms got married at an older age in 2000 as compared to 1960.

2️⃣ CC

The table shows the number of registered marriages in Australia between 1960 and 2000. Overall, people of both genders got married at an older age in 2000, with the former being older than the latter in all the given years. As for civil marriages, they increased significantly. Nevertheless, religious marriages declined in number, being outnumbered by the first category by the end of the period.

3️⃣ LR

The table shows the number of registered marriages of two types and the age of those getting married in Australia between 1960 and 2000. Overall, the quantity of holy wedlocks decreased, while that of municipal matrimonies increased, outpacing sacred conjugality by the end of the period. As regards age, it increased by 2000 for both genders, with the better half being younger in all the given years.

4️⃣ GR

The table shows the number of marriages which were registered and the age of people which got married in Australia between 1960 and 2000. Overall, the number of religious marriages decreased. But the number of civil marriages increased as well as outstripped that of religious ones. Turning to the age, bridegrooms were older. Focusing on the change, the age increased by 2000 for both genders.

The mistakes are slightly exaggerated for illustration purposes. And, of course, a student typically makes different types of mistakes at the same time.

And now I challenge you to write a perfect, balanced, mistake-free overview for this task in the comments.

#ieltswritingtask1

🐸 https://news.1rj.ru/str/irinalutsenko

Super-advanced #IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic) 📊

As a seasoned IELTS instructor, I keep track of recent exams and have seen oodles of tasks. Most look fairly standard, but some look unusual and, therefore, super-interesting. I have created a collection of such tasks and decided to launch a mini-course dedicated exclusively to them.

📝 This course features low-frequency, unusual, and overly complicated tasks:

- Usual-looking tasks with hidden traps and challenges
- Tasks that don’t fall within the standard categories
- Tasks that ask you to compare something other than years or figures
- Tasks that are very rich in data and/or that don’t have discernible patterns
- Tasks that describe how something works (a mechanism denoscription)
- Tasks that require very low-frequency or specific lexis

For example:

- Results of a survey on how to reduce global warming: a task that has no figures or places – only opinions
- A comparison of two types of mountains: tropical and temperate
- How a hot air balloon works
- Building a storage unit using concrete canvas
- A Japanese house

These can befuddle even experienced IELTS writers. But I got your back.

📝 Here is how one class is organized:

- We meet online to discuss the task and possible ways to organize the answer
- We work on some lexis or grammar relevant to the task
- You write in class (!)
- I give detailed, personalized feedback (after class, on Google Docs)
- I share my answer for the task.

📝 Class duration: 60 minutes (40 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to write)

📝 Course duration: 3 months, 12 classes

📝 Schedule: Thursday, 10 am Moscow time

📝 Place: Zoom, classes meet in real time

📝 Price: 6000 RUB a month (4 classes), feedback included

💃 A little bit about IELTS and me:
- IELTS 9 x2, Writing 8.5 x3
- IELTS teaching experience over 10 years
- A prolific IELTS writer myself, with 200+ answers under my belt.

This mini-course is for advanced IELTS writers – those who have already mastered all the standard tasks. It’s a great addition to any other IELTS writing course you might be taking and a great personal challenge. 🐸

💌💌💌 @iraluts

#IELTS Writing Task 1: Word Count ↗️

Fun fact: The last time I got 8.5 for writing, my Task 1 and Task 2 answers were almost the same length - about 320 words. On a more serious note, 320 is a very high word count for most Task 1 answers. I tell my students not to write over 280.

Of course, all word count recommendations are just that - recommendations. There is no direct connection between word count and meaning, but there is some connection.

As usual, let's compare.

Set 1.

1️⃣

Oranges were by far the most exported fruit, with South Africa being the main exporter, at one million metric tons. Slightly less was sold by Egypt and the USA: 900,000 and 700,000 tons respectively. (36 words)

2️⃣

Oranges were by far the most exported type of citrus fruit, with the country of South Africa being the main exporter, at the mark of one million metric tons. As regards Egypt and the USA, a slightly smaller amount of the product in question was sold by these countries: 900,000 and 700,000 tons respectively. (56 words)

These two paragraphs contain identical information, yet the second one is 20 words longer because it contains clutter (words that don't add meaning).

Set 2.

3️⃣

Lemons and grapefruits were exported in significantly smaller quantities. Lemon exports stood at approximately half the figure for oranges. Turkey and Mexico exported 500,000 and 450,000 metric tons respectively. Argentina exported half the volume Turkey did – 250,000 tons. As regards grapefruits, the USA and South Africa supplied around 225,000 metric tons each. Following some way behind came Turkey, with 175,000 tons. (66 words)

4️⃣

Lemons and grapefruits were exported in significantly smaller quantities. Lemon exports came second at approximately half the figures for oranges. The two countries with the largest volumes were Turkey and Mexico, at 500,000 and 450,000 metric tons respectively. The third country, Argentina, exported half the volume Turkey did – 250,000 tons. Grapefruits were sold in even smaller amounts, with the USA and South Africa being the main suppliers at 225,000 metric tons each. Following some way behind came Turkey, with 175,000 tons. (86 words)

Now the second paragraph is also 20 words longer, but it has more information - information that will contribute to Task Achievement.

So, if you have a high word count, make sure it's because of valuable information, not because of clutter.

↗️ See my full answer in the Writing Recap 2024 book in this post: https://news.1rj.ru/str/irinalutsenko/551

Being a native speaker ...

I often hear students and colleagues refer to native speakers of English as the ultimate authority, like, "I heard it from a native speaker" or "A native speaker told me this expression does not exist / is not correct."

But as demonstrated by comments on the post above, opinions of native speakers can vary - significantly so!

I am a native speaker of Russian. Until recently, the only version of the expression in the post above for me was: У него денег, как у дурака фантиков.

But recently I was listening to a podcast and heard: У него денег как у дурака махорки. Did it sound familiar? No. Did it sound native? Yes. Did I understand it? Yes.

And then subscribers offered even more variations of this phrase:
... как у Ротшильда
... как у Абрамовича
... как у короля
... как гуталина у Матроскина
... как у бояра
(And more).

I wouldn't ever use any of these. Yet, I would understand them.

The language native speakers use is defined by many factors: education, age, location, the formality of the situation. There is no universal native speaker.

And then there are exams. Let's say a native speaker IELTS examiner hears an unusual expression from you. What do they think?

Let's go back to Russian. "У него денег, как гуталина у Матроскина" still sounds native to me even though I have never heard it. But "У него денег как у короля" doesn't. Then again - that's just me, one person.

Anyways, being a native speaker is a very complex phenomenon. There are many factors and unknowns. Be careful with these snap judgements: "I heard it from a native speaker" or "A native speaker told me this expression does not exist / is not correct." This might not be the ultimate verdict.

🐸 And the final note: If you were reading carefully, you will have noticed that in some cases I used a comma before как and in some I didn't. Why? Simply because I don't know which is correct. I can google, of course, but I kept the inconsistency to prove a point. Native speakers can make mistakes too - stay tuned for the next post.

Ah, the good old comma splice 💔

Comma splice is one of the most common mistakes I have to correct. Here are some examples of comma splice. 

1️⃣ The figure increased at the beginning of the period, then it decreased gradually by the end.

2️⃣ This research needs to be done urgently, however, it requires a vast amount of money.

3️⃣ Universities give theoretical knowledge, therefore graduates suffer from a lack of real work experience.

This mistake is so common, I wrote a post with a meticulous explanation back in 2021 - and I still send the link to this post to my students to this day. Don't let the name fool you - the mistake is not a comma per se. So, head over to my post to read all about it: 

https://iraluts.blogspot.com/2021/09/comma-splice-must-read-for-thus-and.html

And sometimes students send me screenshots of websites or even English course books with this mistake. Yes, some native speakers make this mistake. And other native speakers write posts and textbook chapters explaining it. As demonstrated in my Telegram post above, sometimes native speakers don't know (or don't care). 

PS: I think "comma splice" is a misnomer. I would call the mistake "conjunction omission." What would you call it?

How do you write a social media post that sounds trendy? Use current language trends!

Here is my post from our "Writing Incubator" workshop yesterday by the wonderful Svetlana Kukharevich:

"OMG, fall is anooooying! I can no longer wear my fav tee... I have to unearth allllll my knits, hidden and properly forgotten at the back of the wardrobe. I have a fab scarf, tbh, though. It's just gorge! But the rain and the wind and the gloom. No, not my fav szn - and will never be. Noooo."

We have three language trends:

1️⃣ Elongation: anooooying, allllll, noooo

2️⃣ Clipping: fav tee, fab, gorge, szn

3️⃣ Nouning: knits

Three simple language trends - and you have a trendy post!

Use one of the techniques above to share your October mood in the comments. 🍁

And stay tuned for more workshops. Here is the schedule for the season:

https://m.vk.com/product-47977221_4475973

#IELTS Writing Task 2: recycling your arguments (wisely) 📝

If you've been following IELTS long enough (teaching, preparing, reading social media posts), you will have noticed that some IELTS essay topics look strikingly similar.

For example:

1️⃣ Some people believe that it is best to encourage children to have a healthy diet at school while others believe that parents should be the ones to teach children to have a healthy diet. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

2️⃣ Some believe that it is parents who should teach their children to recycle waste while others feel schools are more responsible. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

If you've written one essay, do you think you can use the same ideas in the other?

I think you can, but. (There is always a but.) You can use the same basic idea, but you need to "stuff" it with different lexis and examples.

As usual, let's compare.

1️⃣ Generalized ideas for any parents vs. schools topic

First, parents are a much bigger authority to children than teachers, so children are more likely to trust what their parents say or do. Besides, children spend significantly more time at home than at school, which means the daily habits of their family will overshadow those encouraged elsewhere. What is more, by the time children go to school, their habits are already largely formed, so it's unlikely that one class or one teacher will be able to instill new ones.

All of these are good ideas but they are too generalized. Let's make them more topic-specific.

2️⃣ Parents and a healthy diet

First, parents are a much bigger authority to children than teachers, so children are more likely to trust what their parents say or do. If, for example, parents consume coke or chips on a regular basis, repeatedly promulgating the idea that such simple pleasures in life won’t hurt, children will perceive such habits as normal. By the same token, if parents eschew unhealthy foods, promoting the idea that a person’s health is largely defined by the food they consume, children will too.

3️⃣ Parents and recycling

First, parents are a much bigger authority to children than teachers, so children are more likely to trust what their parents say or do. If, for example, parents do not separate garbage, repeatedly promulgating the idea that recycling is a scam because all garbage ends up in the same landfill, children will acquire the same attitude. If, on the other hand, parents make sure to look for a PET trash can in the city and never discard plastic bottles into general waste, children will do the same even without any lectures about the environment.

See? If you write enough IELTS essays, you will know that you can recycle many generalized arguments. Just make sure to make them specific to the IELTS topic in front of you.

#ieltswritingtask2

#IELTS Writing Task 1: laconic process denoscriptions 🧋

One thing that often happens with IELTS process denoscriptions is students write very short answers. In process denoscriptions - more than in other tasks probably - a low word count means low TA.

For example, for the process above, a student might write:

The carbonated water is sent into another tank to be mixed with coloring, syrup, and flavor. The resulting beverage is filtered and is afterwards poured into either bottles or cans. These are then packaged and dispatched to supermarkets.

And then the student ends up with an answer that is 130 words long...

It's important to think about what can be extended. In this case, we can extend the mixing stage. How? 🧋

I tell my students: Imagine you are talking to a very curious child. The child might ask: Where do the coloring and syrup come from? What mixes them? What’s a beater? How long?

Now look at my extended answer:

In the next phase, the carbonated water is turned into soda. For this, it is forced into a mixing tank, where coloring, syrup, and flavor are also added from special containers underneath. Inside the mixing tank is a beater – a device that whirls the contents around, turning them into a homogeneous blend. The resulting beverage is filtered and is afterwards poured into either bottles or cans. These are then packaged into boxes and dispatched to supermarkets.

See my full answer (along with one more process answer) here:

https://news.1rj.ru/str/irinalutsenko/551

#ieltswritingtask1