Ielts-simon.com

In my opinion, vocabulary is the key to language learning, and it's the key to a good IELTS score. The more words and phrases you know, the better you [...]

One of the most common questions that people ask me is: "How can I improve my score from 6.5 to 7?" Here's some advice if your current score is 6.5: [...]

I'm a great believer in the power of habits: if you do something often enough, it becomes easier and more natural to you. An example could be the "wh [...]

An important message in yesterday’s lesson was this: when preparing for IELTS, you need to do more than just test yourself. Testing will show yo [...]

[...] good. It's not a big problem if you ask for one question to be explained in part 3. 2. In the speaking test, what should I do if I understand the question but I have no idea what to say in my answer? [...]

[...] Here are three tips, one for each part of the speaking test. Part 1: stop and smile For part 1 of the speaking test, you need to get used to giving short [...]

[...] language in the speaking and writing tests? You can use some less formal language in the speaking test. Here's an example. [...]

[...] are so worried about using 'difficult grammar' that they don't give relevant answers. In the speaking test, listen carefully to the question and answer it as if you were speaking to a friend. Try to [...]

[...] Today I'm going to reuse a video lesson that I made 3 years ago. Watch the video, then try the exercise below it. If you can't see the [...]

[...] Here's my latest video lesson about writing introductions for tasks 1 and 2. [...]

[...] Here's a video lesson that I made 3 years ago. Sorry if you've seen it before - I just want to put it in the series [...]

[...] Here's this week's video lesson: One thing to think about: It's best not to use "Firstly, Secondly, Finally" twice [...]

[...] before you hear the 'keywords'. Here's an example to show you what I mean: Question (from Cambridge IELTS 7): Undiscovered material may be damaged by ______. When listening to the recording, you are [...]

[...] some easy examples from a General Reading exam. The following examples come from Cambridge IELTS 7, pages 119-120. Question statements: 1. The entrance to the campsite is locked after [...]

[...] When practising with the Cambridge IELTS books, try this study technique: 1. Choose a reading passage. 2. Go to the back of the book [...]

[...] , or the speaker gives an answer and then changes it. Look at these questions (from Cambridge IELTS 5) then listen to the recording. Cost to join per year (without current student card): [...]

[...] If you get a question like this one from Cambridge IELTS book 8, you don't need to worry about comparing the two charts. Just describe them separately: [...]

[...] My students and I did a quick exercise from the general reading test on page 109 of Cambridge IELTS book 9. It's a good example of the importance of searching for 'keywords'. Here's our keyword [...]

[...] Here's a keyword table for test 3, passage 3 in Cambridge IELTS book 5. Notice the expressions "to coin a term" (to invent a new term) and "to [...]

[...] of the key vocabulary that helped my students to get the answers for test 1, section 4 in Cambridge IELTS book 5. [...]

Here's a recent question from task 1 of the general writing test: Note: Read this lesson and this similar example before you write anything. [...]

Here's my full answer to the question in this lesson: [...]

One of the first things that the examiner will notice in your letter is its 'tone'. In other words, is your letter written in an appropriately formal [...]

Let's compare some of the formal and informal features in the two letters that you can see if you click here. Formal letter Beginning: Dear Sir or M [...]

Here's a table of key vocabulary from Cambridge IELTS 8 (test 1, passage 1). Remember that there are always words in the passage that are similar to [...]

[...] Here's a keyword table for test 3, passage 3 in Cambridge IELTS book 5. Notice the expressions "to coin a term& [...]

[...] . 3. Study the passage with the aim of proving why those answers are correct. 4. Make a keyword table. When you know what the answers are, you can focus on exam technique: searching for [...]

[...] patients and doctors, and thus improve outcomes while ______ costs. The near ubiquity of mobile phones is the ______ reason to think this optimistic scenario may come true. Patients with smart- [...]

[...] ______ of the worker and the degree of coordination with their organization. The technology of mobile phones allows ______ communication through text messages, camera photos, and video clips from [...]

[...] expression, but for the _____ part, that expression is _____ to the screens of our laptops and mobile phones. [...]

[...] Probably the most important skill for writing task 1 is being able to describe numbers correctly. IELTS candidates make a lot of basic mistakes [...]

[...] . Look carefully at how I construct the comparison sentence. If you want a good score in writing task 1, these are the kinds of sentences that you need to be able to write! The number of [...]

[...] more direct with this advice. I should have said "you should not write a conclusion for writing task 1". English speakers are sometimes too tactful when giving advice. We find it hard to say [...]