Academic writing task 2

In the past,many people had skills such as making their own clothes and doing repairs to things in the house.In many countries nowadays the skills like these are disappearing.
Why do you think this change is happening?
How far is this situation true to your country?


How to  organize your essay ?

Introduction
state your position regarding the argument in the question.Do you also agree that in the past there had been a situation as  it is mentioned . Whatever  your position may be you should state that in the first paragraph.

Second  and third paragraphs you can reason out why this change is happening.

One reason may be viewed as people have busy schedules so they do not have enough time.
When you take such an idea as the main idea of your second paragraph.you must supply ample evidences to prove your case.

You can develop another paragraph with the main idea that the change occurs with the advancement of science and technology for that too you should provide ample examples.

In the fourth paragraph you can describe the situation in your country .It may differ or it may be the same.
Finally write your conclusion .This is writing your position once again in different wordings.

Write an essay according to above guidelines and send it for free checking.

Speaking test part 1: questions

Let’s talk about your home town or village:

·         what kind of place is it?

·         what’s the most interesting part of your town/village?

·         what kind of jobs do the people in your town/village do?

·         would you say it’s a good place to live? (why?)

Let’s move on to talk about accommodation:

·         tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in?

·         how long have you lived there?

·         what do you like about living there?

·         what sort of accommodation would you most like to live in?

·         Examiner: Now, in this first part, I’d like to ask you some more questions about yourself, OK?

·         Let’s talk about your home town or village. What kind of place is it?

·         Candidate: It’s quite a small village, about 20km from Zurich. And it’s very quiet. And we have only little ... two little shops because most of the people work in Zurich or are orientated to the city.

·         Examiner: What’s the most interesting part of this place ... village?

·         Candidate: On the top of a hill we have a little castle which is very old and quite well known in Switzerland.

·         Examiner: What kind of jobs do people in the village do?

·         Candidate: We have some farmers in the village as well as people who work in Zurich as bankers or journalists or there are also teachers and some doctors, some medicines.

·         Examiner: Would you say it’s a good place to live?

·         Candidate: Yes. Although it is very quiet, it is … people are friendly and I would say it is a good place to live there, yes.

·         Examiner: Let’s move on to talk about accommodation. Tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in ...

Speaking test part 2: candidate task card

Describe something you own which is very important to you. 

You should say:

·         where you got it from

·         how long you have had it

·         what you use it for; and 

·         explain why it is important to you.

You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 minutes.

You have one minute to think about what you're going to say.

You can make some notes to help you if you wish.

Rounding off questions

Tell me

·         is it valuable in terms of money?

·         would it be easy to replace?

·         Examiner: Alright? Remember you have one to two minutes for this, so don’t worry if I stop you. I’ll tell you when the time is up. 

·         Candidate: OK

·         Examiner: Can you start speaking now, please?

·         Candidate: Yes. One of the most important things I have is my piano because I like playing the piano. I got it from my parents to my twelve birthday, so I have it for about nine years, and the reason why it is so important for me is that I can go into another world when I’m playing piano. I can forget what’s around me and what ... I can forget my problems and this is sometimes quite good for a few minutes. Or I can play to relax or just, yes to … to relax and to think of something completely different. 

·         Examiner: Thank you. Would it be easy to replace this, this piano?

·         Candidate: Yes, I think it wouldn’t be that big problem but I like my piano as it is because I have it from my parents, it’s some kind unique for me. 

Let’s consider first of all how people’s values have changed. 

·         What kind of things give status to people in your country? 

·         Have things changed since your parents’ time? 

Finally, let’s talk about the role of advertising. 

·         Do you think advertising influences what people buy?

·         Examiner: We’ve been talking about things we own. I’d like to discuss with you one or two more general questions relating to this topic. First, let’s consider values and the way they can change. In Switzerland, what kind of possessions do you think give status to people?

·         Candidate: The first thing which comes in my mind is the car. Yes, because lots of people like to have posh cars or expensive cars to show their status, their place in the society.

·         Examiner: Is that a new development?

·         Candidate: No, I think it isn’t.

·         Examiner: People have thought like that for quite a long time?

·         Candidate: Yes. Another thing is probably the clothing. It starts already when you are young. When the children go to school they want to have posh labels on their jumpers or good shoes.

·         Examiner: What do you think of this way of thinking, that I need to have a car or certain clothes to show my status?

·         Candidate: Probably it’s sometimes a replacement for something you don’t have, so if your wife has left you or your girlfriend, you just buy some new, I don’t know, new watches or new clothes to make you satisfied again.

·         Examiner: You don’t think of it as a healthy way of thinking?

·         Candidate: It’s probably not honest to yourself. You can understand what I mean?

·         Examiner: Yes. And do you think this will change? In the future, will cars and designer clothes be status symbols in the same way?

·         Candidate: I’m sure that clothes will be ... that the thing with the clothes will be the same. I’m not so sure about the cars because cars cause lots of environmental problems and probably in some years, a few years, this will change because it’s not reasonable to drive a car anymore

Educator Simon Carrie gives his tips for Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking test.

Part 1 lasts between four and five minutes. The examiner will introduce him/herself and asks you to introduce yourself and confirm your identity. The examiner will ask you some simple ‘getting-to-know-you’ questions on familiar topics, e.g. home, family, work, studies and interests. These questions will help the examiner find out a little bit about you and help put you at ease.

Look at these tips:

• Explain your answers by giving reasons for what you say.

• Ask for clarification if necessary.

• Develop your answers. Give full, relevant answers to the examiner’s questions. This will help get the interview off to a good start.

A: I’m from Buenos Aires. (Don’t stop there!) It’s the capital city of Argentina and is also the largest city in the country. It has a lot of history and is famous for having a rich culture. I really like living there.

• Express your opinions; the examiner is assessing your ability to communicate.

A: I prefer watching TV. When I come home from work I’m usually quite tired so I feel like relaxing. I find sitting with my family in the living-room watching TV is relaxing because we watch TV and chat together. For me, this is a great way to unwind.

• Always expand your answers to simple, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ closed questions. (Questions beginning ‘Are you…’, ‘Do you …’, etc).

A: Yes. I listen to music everyday on my way to work. I like lots of types of music but my favourite is rock music. I’m a big fan of U2. I really like Bono’s singing voice.

• Talk as fluently as possible and be spontaneous.

• Speak more than the examiner.

• Relax, be confident and enjoy using your English!

Which tips did you like the most? Would you offer any other tips or advice for Part 1? Share your ideas with other learners.

I like my job because it’s varied and it gives me the opportunity to travel.

I’m sorry, could you repeat the question, please?

Q: Where are you from? 

Q: Do you prefer reading or watching TV? 

Q: Do you like listening to music? 

Some practice interviews – Part 1

TRANSCRIPT

CHRIS: Good morning.

NANCY: Good morning.

CHRIS: My name is Chris Cavey. Can you tell me your full name, please?

NANCY: My full name is [NAME].

CHRIS: Thank you. And what shall I call you?

NANCY: You can call me Nancy.

CHRIS: And can you tell me where you’re from?

NANCY: I’m from Shenzhen and I’m from a city called Shenzhen. It’s a city near Hong Kong. It’s a very developed city.

CHRIS: Okay. Can I see you identification, please?

NANCY: Yes.

CHRIS: Thank you, that’s fine. Now, in this first part, I’d like to ask you some questions about

yourself. Let’s talk about what you do. Do you work or are you a student?

NANCY: Yeah, actually I’m a student in Manchester now, yeah, and I’m taking foundation year,yes.

CHRIS: What do you study?

NANCY: I’m studying Business. It’s about politics, economics and math so …

CHRIS: And do you think your subject is popular?

NANCY: Yeah, it’s quite popular among Chinese and Chinese always, are always interested in

Business and this is very popular subject also in China.

CHRIS: Will you stay in touch with the people you are studying with in the future?

NANCY: Yeah, for sure, ‘cause people I met here, they are all from different countries and provinces in China and I think it’s quite good opportunity for me to get in touch with them. It’s also very good for my future development … yeah.

___

CHRIS: Good morning.

ANITA: Good morning.

CHRIS: My name’s Chris Cavey. Can you tell me your full name

My name is [NAME].

CHRIS: And can you tell me where you’re from?

ANITA: I’m from Indonesia.

CHRIS: Can I see your identification, please? … Thank you, that’s fine. Now, in this first part, I’d like

to ask you some questions about yourself. Let’s talk about what you do. Do you work or are you a student?

ANITA: I work. I’m working as a kindergarden teacher. I teach children aged four to five years old.

CHRIS: And do you like your work?

ANITA: I like it, well probably, I love it but, you know, there’s always a bit of upside and downside in every work, so … but yeah, enjoy it.

CHRIS: And do you plan to keep this job for a long time?

ANITA: Yes, I think if I can, yes. I think it’s quite a stable job. There is not much of, you know, office politics going on there and I think working with children is, is good for me. It make me feel a bit more patient and lots of people say that will keep you young, so yes, I will keep the job.

CHRIS: Okay. Let’s talk about activities. What was your favourite activity when you were a child?

NANCY: My favourite activity? I think it … I liked go swimming with my parents and to go to the seaside and I liked the beach and waves.

CHRIS: Why?

NANCY: Looks good and very peaceful and then like, ‘cause I live in the centre, central of city, you know, very crowded and noisy. But when you go drive in to somewhere else very far away

from the city you feel something different and then the seaside also very good.

CHRIS: And did you prefer doing indoor or outdoor activities when you were younger?

NANCY: I think I preferred outdoor activities. Yeah. It feels more free, like freedom.

CHRIS: Okay. Are children these days more active than previous generations?

NANCY: I don’t think so ‘cause many distractions like phone and computers are created like

more, more social media distracts children so they tend to stay at home rather than going out.

CHRIS: And what activities would you encourage a young person to do?

NANCY: Hiking and …

CHRIS: Why?

NANCY: …this is very challenging for children and I think when you achieve, when you hike to the

peak, you will feel like you’ve achieved your goals and I think it

Speaking Tips

1. Relax before facing the test ,be present do not wait for something this will give you a great stability.
2. Think before you speak,as thinking will support you to generate variety of ideas.
3. Make your responses as natural as possible .Use the natural features of spoken language
4. False starts such as ....well...... I think...... You know.... gives you time to org anise your ideas.
5. Sometimes these phrases are called hesitation fillers because they fill the gaps.
6. Certain phrases we use in spoken language are just routines Eg: It doesn't matter....I don't think so....I don't agree with you.....etc train yourself to insert such phrases withing your performance.
7. video your speeches and watch them over and over again improve your speech by adding lot of flesh to the bones that means add some extra details.
8. Always try to be polite use lot of polite expressions,
9. Go on speaking until the next question is asked if there is some time summarize what you have told earlier.
10. Read a lot as good readers become good speakers.

Complex Structures

To score higher marks in IELTS writing tests ,  the candidate should use complex sentence structures therefore they should learn such grammar areas carefully.

Relative Clauses

A relative clause is a subordinate clause which gives more information about someone or something mentioned in the main clause.The relative clause come immediately after the noun about which it gives additional information .That is it post modifies the noun phrase about which it gives additional information.

Eg: A bachelor is a rolling stone who gathers no boss at home.

       I received the letter which you posted yesterday.

       

Relative pronouns

Many relative clauses begin with a relative pronoun.

that,who,whom - used for people

that,which - used for things and non humans

Guitar is the instrument which/that I enjoy most.

She is the only person who/that really understand me.

Whom refers to  the object of the verb in the relative clause and is generally left out or replaced with who/that

Eg : The only person whom/who/that I am frightened of is my wife.

         The only person I am frightened of is my wife.

After nouns referring to time and place the relative adverbs when and where are used and after

the word reason the relative adverb why is used.

Eg: Can you suggest a time when  it will be convenient for me to meet.

       I visited the school where I had my primary education.

       Is there any reason why you should have holidays.

.

Whose is a possesive relative pronoun.

Eg: The boy whose father went abroad was looked after by his uncle.