The Writing Lab

IELTS

Useful phrases for letter writing

This article succinctly explores some of the basics of letter writing, with how to plan, important questions to ask yourself during and after writing, useful phrases and openings and closures. Always ask yourself at the start: What is this letter about? What is the purpose of this letter? Who is

IELTS

How to tackle a tricky graph

Your Task 1 for your Academic IELTS exam may be tricky. It’s best to prepare for all types of graphs and to sometimes, expect the unexpected. This article goes through how to deal with a tricky graph. What do I mean by tricky? A difficult graph may present itself

IELTS

Five quick-fire steps to great essay writing

Before we get started with this post, I wanted to thank you for being here. It means a lot to me that you’re reading this. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever have a request for a topic that you want me to potentially cover. Your

IELTS

The easy way to great vocabulary

In any of your IELTS essay topics, you'll need to have a good range of vocabulary up your sleeve. Having a range of vocabulary will show your confidence and fluency with English! Adding to this, knowing some idioms and collocations is also advantageous. It will further show your experience in

IELTS

IELTS Reading practice test

I am using a text posted on the British Council site for today's practice. In this post, I will be going through how to answer questions for a reading test (academic). To remind ourselves, let's list below the task types you can expect on the reading paper: 1. multiple choice

IELTS

IELTS Double Question Essay

Looking for other IELTS essay guides? Just click on the essay type you want below: The problem solution essay The advantages and disadvantages essay The discussion essay The opinion essay Introduction This post goes through how to plan and write your IELTS double question essay. Like all of the other

IELTS

IELTS Revision Plan

Having a revision schedule in place is great because; * it holds you accountable * you can track the amount of revision you are doing * you can track what you are specifically revising * it informs you of where your weaknesses are * you feel calmer because you have a plan * it prevents you

IELTS

WritingLab video shorts

Welcome to WritingLab shorts- a new service in which I provide short videos to help you with your IELTS preparation. This page contains short videos where I talk through an exam strategy for the IELTS exam. Each video will be different as they tackle a particular part of each of

IELTS

Upgrade your vocabulary (lexical resource)

What is lexical resource? Lexis means the stock of words used in language. It is the totality of your vocabulary items. In others words, the vocabulary you choose to use to express your ideas. In the IELTS exam, lexical resource is one of the four marking criteria that specifically focuses

IELTS

IELTS essay feedback

I recently asked students to send me their essays. I wanted to read through their essays and provide individual and detailed feedback. The intention behind this was to provide more learning materials for your IELTS preparation. Reading through other student essay's is an incredibly useful revision strategy and one I

IELTS

IELTS Writing Task 1- Job application letter

The good thing about this task is that you might be more familiar with it than some of its counterparts (like a complaint letter, or letter of advice), but we still need to go through how we write it for the IELTS exam. What you will gain by reading this

IELTS

IELTS Writing Task 1- Letter of advice

Part of your General IELTS writing exam involves writing a formal or informal letter. This article instructions and informs you on how to produce a letter of advice. A letter of advice is likely to have you helping someone with a particular problem. The problem could be various things, such

IELTS

IETLS Writing Task 1- Letter of complaint

Part of your IELTS writing exam, if you are sitting for general, involves writing a formal or informal letter. This article covers: * essential information about the exam * what a formal letter is * explaining the IELTS complaint letter task * exam tips * common phrases for this task * IELTS sample question * Model response

IELTS

How to paraphrase in Task 1 Writing

Paraphrasing is something that can be overlooked by students. It is however, an essential skill for the academic task 1 and 2. Being able to paraphrase well is also incredibly useful for IELTS reading and IELTS listening. By choosing to read this, you will learn: 1. The essentials of paraphrasing

IELTS

IELTS Essay Structure

This post covers the structure for IELTS essay writing Task 2 (Academic) I wanted to revisit the structure and make this as clear as possible. By knowing the structure and how to apply it, it sets you up for success. Having the structure etched into your brain also means other

IELTS

Speaking practice- 'House' topic

The speaking test is an opportunity for you to really show off your English. Keep the conversation flowing and hold up your own speaking part, and remain on topic. Avoid too many pauses and elongated pauses. You might naturally pause because you're speaking, but you don't want longer pauses. Avoid

IELTS

Knowing the essay question

It's important to be able to identify what the essay question is and what they are asking you to discuss- because you want to answer it correctly! The problem is, is that some of the way the questions are articulated makes them sound similar, i.e. a discussion essay might

IELTS

How to sound natural in your writing

Sounding natural when you may not already possess a level of fluency takes some practice. When it comes to the IELTS Writing exam, the examiners look for natural sounding writing. Why? Because if you sound natural it shows a level of confidence and ability. Sounding natural implies you know the

IELTS

Vocabulary for IELTS Writing

Vocabulary is a crucial factor in your IELTS exam to secure a high band score. Without varied and interesting vocabulary, you run the risk of sitting in lower band score. General vocabulary If you want to extend your vocabulary on the whole, these websites are useful. 1. Visuwords- really great

IELTS

IELTS Task 2- Problem Solution Essay

This article explains and shows you how to reach a band 9 on your writing task 2 with a problem and solution essay. In my library of IELTS content, you will find articles on all of the task 2 essay types. What is the problem solution essay? The problem solution

IELTS

The difference between General and Academic Writing Task 1

The IELTS exam in its entirety has quite a few layers and it has the propensity to feel muddled when learning how the test works and what is required of you. This article clarifies any clouded understanding concerning the writing test between General and Academic for task 1. This article

IELTS

An overall summary of IELTS

It's easy to forget the nuts and bolts of all four sections of the IELTS exam, when you're trudging through IELTS revision. You might be struck with thoughts like, 'hold on, is that the same for the general and academic exam? How long is the exam again? How many parts

IELTS

How do I use idioms?

Idiomatic language are sometimes misunderstood. People can perceive them as being lazy or too informal, or suggest a lack of otherwise vocabulary. But this isn't true. Idioms are a great way to connect to someone who may not share the same language. Idioms show that you actually have a broad

IELTS

Essential tips for your IELTS speaking test

This post will explore the essentials of how to pass your IELTS speaking test. There are a number of things you can easily do to ensure you have an interesting, and in-depth conversation to get you to the upper tier bands. Lets go over some of the essentials first: * The

IELTS

General Reading Practice- Choosing a title

For this IELTS task, you choose the most appropriate title from a list, to match with specific parts of the text. Main skills: Identifying what the passage is about- breaking it down and knowing the main ideas throughout Differentiating between details and main ideas Tips: Look at the different titles