Improving Sentences for IELTS Writing Task 2

April 27, 2015 by 25 Comments

Below are some sentences written by a student. There might be one or more mistakes in the sentence or the sentences might be fine but you need to improve them.

  1. In my opinion, I believe that studying history is extremely important in term of learning about culture, and science, medicine development.
  2. On the one hand, history is a subject that is rarely used in people’s lives. Thus, it would be better to focus on science and technology, which is more relevant to the future.
  3. In other word, they should use the school time effectively, because students are loosing the motivation to study subjects like history that has no important role in day to day life.
  4. For instance, most people memorize dates,names and facts when they study history. This information is not useful for the future.
  5. Furthermore, Valuable information can often be found in history, how science and medicine had developed over the years.
  6. In conclusion, although history has many information that not used today, studying history is important for our present as will as for our future.
Answers
  1. In my opinion, I believe that studying history is extremely important in terms of learning about culture and the development of science and medicine. (The linking word “and” can be used to link items in a list as well as clauses.)
  2. On the one hand, as history is a subject that is rarely used in people’s lives, it would be better to focus on science and technology, which is more relevant to the future. (Combine the sentences to make one complex structure. 33 words is a good length but don’t try for much more than that.)
  3. In other words, school time should be used effectively because students are loosing the motivation to study subjects such as history that has no important role in day to day life. (Linking words.)
  4. For instance, most people memorize dates, names and facts when they study history which is not considered useful information for the future. (Combine the sentences.)
  5. Furthermore, valuable information can often be found in history which relates to how science and medicine has developed over the years. (Grammar: capital letters and tenses.)
  6. In conclusion, although history has a lot of information that is not used in today’s life, studying history is still important for our present as well as for our future. (The main issues are grammar and writing the sentence so that it contains a more precise meaning.)

Linking Words: You can also see that a number of linking words have also been corrected. Linking words are easy to learn but students still make mistakes with forgetting the “s” or using non-academic linking words such as “like”. Make sure you all work on perfecting your linking.

 

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IELTS Essay Ideas: Is History a Waste of Time

April 25, 2015 by 47 Comments

Below are ideas for the topic of history in IELTS writing task 2. This essay is about how important history is to learn. This can relate to the subject of history as a whole or children spending time learning history. You should use the ideas given below and adapt them to the specific essay question given by IELTS.

Sample IELTS Essay Question

Some people think that studying history is a waste of time while others think that it is essential to learn. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

IELTS Essay Ideas

Below are ideas for both side of the argument. A useful definition of history is “it is the study of past events, particularly human affairs.”. It might be the study of a country or of a person in the past. It might involve a particular event or a general situation at a given time in the past.

History is a Waste of Time

  • Most people memorise dates, names and facts when they study history. This information is not useful in everyday life or for the future.
  • If we could actually learn from history, history wouldn’t be full of the same repeated mistakes. However, the same mistakes are made again and again which makes history irrelevant to learn for the future.
  • History is a subject that is rarely used in people’s lives so it would be better to focus on science or technology which is more relevant to the future and today’s society.
  • Each historical event has different perspectives. For this reason, it makes learning history a waste of time because events can also be interpreted in a different way which makes what we learn in history less valuable.
  • Many school curriculum have been set and are rarely changed. That curriculum includes little current history which is the only type of history that helps people understand the world they currently live in.

History is Important

  • History helps young people understand their own culture and how their culture and country have evolved.
  • History gives identity and helps unify people. It gives people a sense of roots and belonging.
  • History teaches people what their forefathers experienced and suffered in the past in order to make their country what it is today.
  • History teaches us about travesties which have occurred in the past, such as the Holocaust. It is essential for both people in the past, present and future to never  forget such events in order to honour the memory of those lost and to ensure it never happens again.
  • History helps us understand change. It records and helps people understand successes and failures. Through these studies people can learn about change and how others are affected by it.
  • It shows patterns of behaviour or events in the past and their outcome which can help us avoid similar outcomes in the future.
  • Learn about the past often gives a glimpse of the future. It shows a path of development that will continue past the present and into the future.
  • Valuable information can often be found in history, such as traditional medicines. Learning about past lifestyles and techniques used by people in the past can hold the secrets to remedies or cures no longer used.

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Categorisation Practice & Tips for IELTS Reading

April 16, 2015 by 62 Comments

You can get categorisation questions in IELTS reading and below is a useful categorisation practice exercise to help you develop your skills.

IELTS Categorisation Questions

  1. Skim read the passage first before you tackle the questions.
  2. Check the categories available & prepare any possible paraphrases (paraphrases are not always possible)
  3. Read through the statements in each question
  4. Spend time paraphrasing vocabulary in the statements before you try and categorise the information
  5. After preparing the statements, try to locate the information in the passage by scanning the text
  6. Sometimes you must use a process of elimination to find your answer

The key to this type of question is being good at paraphrasing and scanning for specific information.

Beds in the Ancient World

categorisation reading

Bed styles in ancient Egypt remained very much the same for over 2000 years. They are among the most intriguing of furniture items because of their structure. Many were slanted down at an incline from the headboard. A foot board ensured that the sleeper would not slip off in the middle of the night. Furniture makers also constructed side rails on many beds. Writes Sibal, “almost all beds featured legs in the form of animal legs, ranging from heavy bulls legs to gazelle-like forms with hooves, and the feline type with paw and claw, frequently identified as lions legs.” The mattress was usually made of wooden slats, plaited string, or reeds, which then held woollen cushions or some other soft material. Sheets were made of linen.

Roman bed-frames were pretty much the same. It would have had a mattress on top of it, stuffed with feathers or straw, and wool blankets. But most Etruscan and Roman beds would have been made of wood and strung with wool or linen string. In the bedrooms, the ceilings were vaulted and lower above the bed, often making the room appear a cramped and stuffy place. Simple beds. to which shortly after the Homeric age a pillow for the head was added, continued to be used by the poorer classes among the Greeks at all times. Thus the bed of the orator Lycurgus is said to have consisted of one sheep-skin and a pillow.

In Ancient Greece, the beds of persons of high rank was covered with skins upon which the pillows were placed, and over these linen sheets or carpets were spread. Lastly, there was thick woollen cover or blanket for the sleeper. Poor persons slept on skins or beds of dry herbs spread upon the ground. These simple beds,  had a cover or ticking of a mattress which was made of linen or woollen cloth and the usual material with which it was filled with was either wool or dried weeds. At the head part of the bed lay a round pillow to support the head; and in some ancient pictures two other square pillows are seen, which were intended to support the back. The covers of such pillows are striped in several pictures on ancient vases and were therefore probably of various colours. They were undoubtedly filled with the same materials as the beds and mattresses.

Questions 1-4

Categorise the information below into the following categories. Please note that for this particular practice, answers will not come in order in the passage. Choose  the correct letter (A-C) for your answer. Letters may be used more than once.

  • A = Ancient Egyptian
  • B = Ancient Roman
  • C = Ancient Greek
  1. Bedrooms did not seem spacious.
  2. The beds were not flat and horizontal but rather angled downwards.
  3. Pillows could be decorative.
  4. Mattresses were stuffed with wool.

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers.

Answers
  1. B (making the room appear a cramped)
  2. A (Many were slanted down at an incline from the headboard)
  3. C (pillows are striped in several pictures on ancient vases)
  4. C (it was filled with was either wool …)

The passage is compiled of information from various sources, including touregypt and mlahanas

All reading exercises on ieltsliz.com have been written by myself to help you prepare for your IELTS test.   

Liz

 

Vocabulary

Below is a list of useful vocabulary and paraphrases for words in the passage above. You should always use reading passages and listening transcripts to help you build your knowledge of vocabulary.

  • intriguing = fascinating, interesting
  • slanted = inclined, leaning, sloped
  • featured = included, presented
  • gazelle = a type of deer
  • hooves = the feet of a deer or horse
  • paw = foot of a lion, cat or dog
  • claw = the nail on the foot of a lion, cat, dog or bird
  • vaulted = curved, domed
  • cramped = over crowded, small, confined
  • stuffy = airless, unventilated
  • orator = speaker

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IELTS Yes No Not Given Reading Practice Execise

February 17, 2015 by 43 Comments

An IELTS reading practice exercise for Yes/ No / Not Given questions.  This is quite an easy practice lesson to help you develop your techniques.  Both GT and academic students ca benefit from this lesson.

Here is a quick review of what the answers mean:

Yes = the statement agrees with the writer

No = the statement contradicts the writer

Not Given = the information is not found in the passage

Richard, the Lionheart

Richard, the Lionheart, King of England had spent much of his reign outside England fighting wars in the Middle East and France. To pay for these he had taxed the English heavily. Richard was considered a good King by the people. In 1199, Richard died and his brother, John became king.

John continued to fight in France but he kept losing the battles. He needed more money so his government in England ruthlessly demanded more taxes from the nobility who were expected to pay tax if the King asked.

The Barons became very unhappy about John exploiting their loyalty and belief in his complete power. They rebelled and took over London and forced John to negotiate.

Question 1-4

Do the following statements match the information in the passage? Decide Y/N/NG for the following statements.

  1. Richard did not live in England while he was king.
  2. The people had to pay King Richard a lot of tax.
  3. John was a better king than Richard.
  4. John was not successful at war.

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers.

Answers

1. N

2. Y

3. NG

4. Y

All reading exercises on ieltsliz.com have been written by myself to help you prepare for your IELTS test.   

Liz

Vocab Builder
  • reign = time in power / sovereignty
  • battle = war / conflict
  • exploit = take advantage of
  • ruthless = cruel / cold-blooded / pitiless

 

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Matching Paragraph Information: IELTS Reading Exercise

January 3, 2015 by 67 Comments

Matching paragraph information question in IELTS reading requires you to match the sentences given with information that is contained in different paragraphs. You must have strong skills of paraphrasing for this type of question. See if you can complete this practise lesson which I have written for you.

You will need to prepare lots of paraphrases for the statements in order to locate the right paragraph which contains that information. Answers do not come in order in the passage.

Tips for IELTS Paragraph Matching

  • read though the questions
  • think of ways to paraphrase key words
  • try to locate the key words or the paraphrases in the paragraphs
  • the answers do not come in order
  • your answer should be a letter not words
  • start with the easiest questions first

IELTS Matching Paragraph Information Practice

Amundsen’s Expedition to the South Pole

A ) The first expedition to reach the geographic South Pole was led by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. He and four others arrived at the pole on 14 December 1911, five weeks ahead of a British party led by Robert Falcon Scott as part of the Terra Nova Expedition. Amundsen and his team returned safely to their base, and later learned that Scott and his four companions had died on their return journey.

B ) Amundsen’s plans had focused on the Arctic and the conquest of the North Pole by means of an extended drift in an icebound ship. He obtained the use of Fridtjof Nansen’s polar exploration ship Fram, and undertook extensive fundraising. Preparations for this expedition were disrupted when, in 1909, the rival American explorers Frederick Cook and Robert E. Peary each claimed to have reached the North Pole. Amundsen then changed his plan and began to prepare for a conquest of the South Pole; uncertain of the extent to which the public and his backers would support him, he kept this revised objective secret. When he set out in June 1910, even most of his crew believed they were embarking on an Arctic drift.

C ) The expedition’s success was widely applauded. The story of Scott’s heroic failure overshadowed its achievement in the United Kingdom, unable to accept that a Norwegian had been the first person to set foot in the South Pole, but not in the rest of the world. Amundsen’s decision to keep his true plans secret until the last moment was criticised by some. Recent polar historians have more fully recognised the skill and courage of Amundsen’s party; the permanent scientific base at the pole bears his name, together with that of Scott. (passage from wiki)

Questions 1-5

In which paragraph (A-C) is the following information found.

  1. The success of Roald Amundsen was celebrated worldwide, except in one country.
  2. Amundsen only heard about the death of Scott after he had reached the South Pole.
  3. The base at the South Pole bears both Amundsen’s name and Scott’s.
  4. Amundsen had originally planned an expedition to the North Pole.
  5. When Amundsen decided to aim for the South Pole he did not reveal his intentions.
  6. The British did not celebrate Amundsen’s success as did other countries due to the death of Scott.

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers.

Answers
  1. C
  2. A
  3. C
  4. B
  5. B
  6. C

All reading exercises on ieltsliz.com have been written by myself to help you prepare for your IELTS test.   

Liz

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Origins of Bread: IELTS T F NG Reading Practice

November 18, 2014 by 76 Comments

A reading practice for the IELTS T F NG questions  (true / false / not given). I’ve put some difficult questions in and also one easy question. I’m sure you can all spot the easy question 🙂 Good luck with the difficult questions 🙂

Here is a quick review of what each one means:

True = the statement matches the information in the passage

False = the statement contradicts the information in the passage

Not Given = the information is not found in the passage

Origins of Bread

Bread is the most widely consumed food in the world. Not only is it an important source of carbohydrates, it’s also small and easy to carry, which helps to explain why it has been part of our diet for thousands of years. In fact, recent scholarship suggests humans started baking bread around 30,000 years ago.

Prehistoric man had already been making gruel from water and grains, so it was a small jump to starting cooking this mixture into a solid bread form by frying it on stones. A 2010 study by the National Academy of Sciences discovered traces of starch (likely from the roots of cattails and ferns) in prehistoric mortar and pestle-like rocks. The roots would have been peeled and dried before they were ground into flour and mixed with water. Finally, the paste would be cooked on heated rocks.

Question 1-4

Which of the following statements are true, false or not given?

  1. Bread is eaten in all countries in the world.
  2. Bread contains carbohydrates.
  3. The first bread was made about 30,000 years ago.
  4. Bread was first made from gruel cooked in clay pots.

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers.

Answers
  1. Not Given (It states in the text that bread is widely eaten in the world but we are not given information that shows it is eaten in all countries. If bread is widely eaten, we still don’t know which countries eat it – possibly only 90% of countries eat it. All countries is not confirmed in the passage)
  2. True (did you spot the easy question?)
  3. True (This is a direct paraphrase of the statement in the passage)
  4. False (The passage says that bread was made from gruel and fried on stones)
Vocab Builder
  • consume food = eat food
  • carbohydrates = foods with sugars and starch (potatoes, bread, pasta etc)
  • gruel = porridge
  • traces = small amounts
  • peeled = had their skins removed
  • ground = crushed / pounded

All reading exercises on ieltsliz.com have been written by myself to help you prepare for your IELTS test.   

Liz

 

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Model

October 6, 2014 by 65 Comments

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?

Exploring one’s family background and history is becoming increasingly popular in numerous countries around the world. In my opinion, through research and knowing more about one’s family, people can see common trends passed through generations and useful information which can only be seen as beneficial for people’s future.

Firstly, some people look into their family history in order to discover any common trends with family members of a previous generation. This can be especially so with people who have particular skills, gifts or interests in uncommon fields. In other words, as some gifts and skills are hereditary, it can be interesting for people to learn how many others in their family shared these talents from previous generations.

Another reason for the popularity of finding out about one’s family history is often due to general curiosity of one’s geographical origins. That is to say, some families moved abroad, away from their own country, generations ago which resulted in them losing their original culture and adopting the culture of the country they moved to. Therefore, through research, people can learn more about their country of origin and understand more about the culture that their family originally came from.

Finally, the trend of researching family history is certainly beneficial and can help people find their place in the world. Some people feel a lack of direction in life or are dislocated from others but by learning more about their past family history, it can help them relate to the world and feel more comfortable about who they are. Take, for example, a person who feels nervous about making a certain choice in life, they may feel comforted by knowing that others in their family made the same choice many generations ago.

In conclusion, it can be advantageous for people to learn more about the family’s background and origins. It would be useful for children to learn about their own family history, if this was incorporated into the school curriculum.

Comments

There are two questions to this essay. Make sure you answer each question clearly and explain your ideas sufficiently if you want to get band score 6 or above.

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