WRITING TASK-1 Expressing Movement

Useful Hints-WRITING TASK 1

Expressing the Movement of a Line

Verbs	Nouns
Rise (to)	a rise
Increase (to)	an increase
Go up to
Grow (to)	Growth
Climb (to)	a climb
Boom	a boom
Peak (at)	(reach) a peak
Fall (to)	a fall (of)
Decline (to)	a decline (of)
Decrease (to)	a decrease (of)
Dip (to)	a dip (of)
Drop (to)	a drop (of)
Go down (to)
Reduce (to)	a reduction (of)
	A slump
Level out	a leveling out
No change	no change
Remain stable (at)
Remain steady (at)
Stay (at)
Stay constant (at)
Maintain the same level
Adjectives	Adverbs
Dramatic	Dramatically
Sharp	Sharply
Huge	Hugely
Enormous	Enormously
Steep	Steeply
Substantial	Substantially
Considerable	Considerably
Significant	Significantly
Marked	Markedly
Moderate	Moderately
Slight	Slightly
Small
Minimal	Minimally
Describing the Speed of a Change
Adjectives	Adverbs
Rapid	Rapidly
Quick	Quickly
Swift	Swiftly
Sudden	Suddenly
Steady	Steadily
Gradual	Gradually
Slow	Slowly

USEFUL HINTS-IELTS READING MODULE

USEFUL HINTS

Reading Module

The Reading Test in IELTS is of 60 minutes duration. There are three reading passages. The passages may include pictures, diagrams graphs, or tables etc. The reading passages are of different length from app. 500 to 1500 words. The total of three passages is between 1500 to 2500 words. Each passage has different type of questions. The questions can occur before or after the passage. Often the text & the passage become more difficult as one moves from first passage to third.

Question Type:

Generally questions are of following types:

1.     Multiple Choice Questions

2.     Gap filling Exercises

3.     Matching paragraph headings with paragraphs in the Reading Passage

4.     Match two parts of a split sentence

5.     Short answers to open questions

6.     Yes/No/Not Given Statements

7.     Completion of

a)   Sentences

b)   Summaries

c)   Tables

d)   Flow Charts

e)   Tables

f)      Notes

PROBLEMS:

The problems faced by candidates in this test generally include:

MISREADING INSTRUCTIONS:                                                     Read the instruction carefully. This way one is clear about what answer is expected. The instructions are usually simple & easy to follow. In some cases even examples are given.

TIMIMNG:                                                                                           Candidates usually score low in this section as they spend too much time on some section & don’t complete the test. There is no time to read & enjoy the passage. Instead; one should learn to work the questions & find answers as quickly as possible. Candidates often find it difficult to leave a question, which they cannot answer. This can have serious consequences. You will be able to spend same time to solve two or three easy questions. One can always come back to the difficult questions after answering the easy ones.

TOPICS:                                                                               The Reading passages vary, but are all of academic nature. Candidates sometimes panic when they don’t know anything about the topic. It is important to remember that all the answers are in the passage itself. One doesn’t need any special knowledge about any subject to answer the questions. The test is of reading comprehension skills & not of the knowledge.                                 ANSWER SHEETS:                                                                    There is no extra time allotted to transfer answers to answer sheet. The total time for answering the questions & transferring the answers is 60 minutes.  

IELTS-Speaking Module

Speaking Module

The speaking module lasts 11 to 14 minutes.  During the examination, the candidate has a conversation with the examiner, which is recorded. The module consists of three parts:

PART 1: Introduction & Interview  

In this part of Oral Examination, the examiner introduces himself or herself. He/she also confirms the identity of the candidate.  The examiner than asks the candidate questions about himself/herself, their home/interest/studies etc.

1.      Could you tell me your name or how can I call you?

2.      What are you doing presently?

3.       What is your academic qualification?

4.      What is your future plan?

5.      How will your qualification help you in your future?

6.      Where have you studied? Alternatively, where are you studying at present?

7.      How good is the place where you studied?

8.      Where are you working presently?

9.      Why did you choose that job?

10.      How did you get that job?

11.      How helpful is your education in your present job?

PART2: Individual Long Term

In this part of test, the candidate is given a card as shown below.

Candidate is given one minute to prepare the talk & than deliver the same for about one or two minutes. Candidates are provided paper & pencil to make notes.

In this task, the examiner not only checks English; he/she also checks the fluency of speaking. Hence, memorizing these talks is not desirable. Memorizing will affect fluency.

Describe a place that is special to you You should say: §  Where the place is §  When you realized it was special §  Why you like it §  Why you like it §  Would you recommend it to others And explain why it is special to you.	Describe your most memorable holiday  You should say: §  When it was §  Where it was §  Who you were with §  What made it memorable §  Have you ever been there afterwards And explain why it is special to you.
Describe a person who had the most influence in your life You should say: §  Who the person is §  When & where you met him/her §  What made this person special And explain why this person had such an Effect on you.	Describe the most important day or event of your life You should say: §  Which day it was §  Why it was important §  What happened on that day And explain whether you will have equally important days in future.

PART 3: Two-Way Discussion:                                                                               In this section, the examiner starts a two way discussion on a subject treated in part 2.The questions in this part are more abstract in nature & need careful thinking.

MARKING of ORAL TEST:

It is important to remember that the examiner judges the candidates for following parameters:

§  Fluency & Coherence: This means how well the candidate speaks without stopping too much & how well his speech is organized.

§  Lexical Resource:  This covers the level & range of vocabulary.

§  Grammatical range & accuracy: This covers the pronunciation of individual words, phrases & sentences.

§  Speech functions which occur regularly in the test:

·        Providing personal & non personal information

·        Expressing opinion

·        Explaining

·        Suggesting

·        Justifying opinion

·        Speculating

·        Expressing a preference

·        Comparing

·        Summarizing

·        Conversation repair

·        Contrasting

·        Narrating & paraphrasing

·        Analyzing