Saturday, July 25, 2015

IELTS Writing - Key Words & Expressions

IELTS Writing - 
Key Words & Expressions

By learning to use common phrases and set expressions, you can add variety and interest to your writing. You will also be able to write more quickly and effectively during exams, when time is limited.
Of course, you won't need to use all of the expressions on the IELTS. Ideally, you should be comfortable using at least three or four expressions from each group below, so they come to mind easily during the IELTS. It is also helpful to have someone call them out so you can test your spelling. Unfortunately, students sometimes make spelling errors even in these commonly occurring expressions. Practice sufficiently so you don't lose points unnecessarily on something that's within your control.
KEY WORDS for IELTS WRITING

Stating Your Opinion
In my opinion,
According to me,
In my view,
To me,
From my point of view,
I think
It seems to me that
I believe
From my perspective
To my way of thinking
It appears that
I suppose
I realize
I understand
I imagine
I feel

Giving Examples
For example,
For instance,
such as
In other words,
as
like
that is
namely
To illustrate
To paraphrase

Comparing
Similar to
As...as
in common
also
Either...or
In the same way,
Neither...nor
At the same time
Just as
resemble

Contrasting
However,
But
On the contrary,
On the other hand,
Differ from
Nevertheless
Although
Though
Otherwise
Instead
Alternatively,
Even though

Generalizing
Generally,
Generally speaking,
Overall,
On the whole,
In general,
By and large,
It seems to me that
I believe
All in all,
Basically,
Essentially,
As a rule,
All things considered
For the most part

Expressing Certainty
Certainly,
Undoubtedly,
Doubtless,
No doubt,
Definitely,
Of course,

Expressing Partial Agreement
More or less,
To some extent,
Up to a point,
Almost,
In a way,
So to speak,

IELTS Writing - Academic Task 1 - Vocabulary

The following words and phrases will help you describe trends:
Nounsa rise
an increase
a surge
a growth
a peak

a fluctuation
a variation

a period of stability
a plateau

a fall
a decrease
a decline
a dip
Verbsto rise
to increase
to surge
to grow
to peak
to skyrocket

to fluctuate
to vary

to fall
to decrease
to decline
to dip
to dive
to plunge
Phrasesto show an upward trend
to show a downward trend
to hit the highest point
to hit the lowest point
to reach a peak
to show some fluctuation
to fluctuate wildly
to remain stable
to remain static
to remain unchanged
to stay constant
to reach a plateau
to level off
to flatten out
the highest
the lowest
the second highest
the third highest

compared to
compared with
relative to
Adverbssharply
suddenly
rapidly
abruptly
dramatically
significantly
steadily
considerably
markedly
slightly
gently
gradually
wildly
Adjectivessharp
sudden
rapid
abrupt
dramatic
steep
significant
steady
considerable
marked
slight
gentle
gradual

Recent IElTS Speaking Topic 2015

Describe a subject that helped you in life, even though you didn’t like it in school. Please say
- What was the subject?
- Do you like it now? Why?
- How did it help you?
Discuss an instance when you shared information with someone. Please say
- With whom did you share it?
- What information did you share?
- How did you feel after that?
Talk about a movie that you watched and didn’t like. Please say
- what movie it was
- what was the movie about
- why you didn’t like the movie.
Talk about an unusual building that you came across. Please say
- What building is it?
- Where and when did you see it?
- Why do you think it is unusual?
Talk about a gift you bought that took a long time to find. Please say
- What was it?
- For whom did you buy it?
- How did she/he feel after receiving the gift?
Describe something that you have learned recently from the Internet. Please say
- What was it?
- How did you find out about this website?
- Would you recommend this website to your friends?
Talk about a situation when you were surprised to see a person you know. Please say
- Who is this person?
- When and where did you meet?
- What did you do together?
Talk about a friend who you think is a good leader. Please say
- Describe your friend.
- How did you first meet?
- Explain why you think he/she is a good leader.
Describe something that you want to buy in the near future. Please say
- What is it?
- Why do you need it?
- How often will you use it?
Describe a trip that you would like to take. Please say
- Where would you go?
- With whom would you go there?
- What arrangements would be necessary for the trip?



Talk about a stage of your life that you enjoyed the most. Please say
- When was it?
- Where were you at the time?
- Why did you enjoy it so much?
Describe a situation when you had to be friendly to a person you don’t like. Please say
- Who was that person?
- What was the situation?
- How did you feel after that?
Describe an occasion when you were late and missed something important. Please say
- What was the situation?
- When and where did it happen?
- Why were you late?
Talk about a person with whom you worked before. Please say
- Who is he/she?
- What makes him/her special?
- Would you like to work with him/her in the future?
Talk about an ambition that you have. Please say
- What is it?
- Why do you want to achieve it?
- What have you done to achieve it?
Describe a place you have been to which is full of colour. Please say
- Where and what is this place?
- What did you see and do there?
- Who was there with you?
Talk about a person you know who speaks fluently a foreign language. Please say
- Who is this person?
- When and where did you meet him/her?
- How did that person learn the language?
Describe an exciting sport that you enjoy the most. Please say
- What is it?
- When do you usually do it?
- Why do you like it?
Talk about an instance you remember that urged you to wake up very early in the morning. Please say
- What was the cause of the early wake-up?
- Why can/can’t you wake up early?
- What did you do that morning?
Describe an educational trip you went on at school. Please say
- Where and when did you go?
- What did you do there?
- Explain what you have learned from that trip.
Talk about a person you know who is a good cook. Please say

- Who is this person?
- Why do you think he/she is a good cook?
- How did he/she learn to cook so well?

Monday, December 15, 2014

WRITING TASK 2 ------ Writing Plan

In some parts of the world it is becoming popular to research the history of one's own family. Why might people want to do this? Is it a positive or negative development?
Here's the plan I wrote for the first main body paragraph:
  • Paragraph 2: Why might people want to research family history?
  • various different reasons
  • to know more about themselves and their roots, where they come from, whether their ancestors had similar personality traits
  • because the Internet makes it easier to do this research, we hear about others who have done it, there are advertisements to encourage us
  • out of curiosity e.g. we might secretly hope that we have a famous or wealthy ancestor
Here's a full paragraph using the ideas above:
There are various reasons why people might decide to trace their family histories. One explanation may be that they would like to know more about themselves, in terms of their roots, where they come from, or whether their ancestors had similar personality traits. Another factor could be that it has become so much easier to carry out genealogical research using the Internet. We hear about people who have studied their family trees, and there are even advertisements to encourage us to use genealogy websites. Finally, it may be that people are simply curious to find out whether they have any famous or wealthy ancestors.

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