IELTS Grammar: As though or Although?

#vocabulary #IELTSprep #IELTS #ieltexam #ieltspreparation

This is a question students often raise in IELTS preparation and other exam classes, and a common mistake that can be found in essay writing more generally.  In fact because the words sound very similar in speech, it is a mistake that sometimes even native speakers of English can make. 

However, these words have quite different meanings and it is important to learn to use them correctly in your professional or academic writing practice, as not doing so could lose you valuable marks in your English exams or even lead to a personal reputation for inaccuracy or incompetence. 

So what exactly is the difference between as though and although?

As though is a conjunction used to draw a likeness or similarity to something. It can be used to describe a possible explanation for something or to describe when something appears to be the case but it is not. It can be used interchangeably with the phrase as if and most often appears in the middle of a sentence.

For example:

He looked as though he'd seen a ghost. (likeness, similarity)

It feels as though there is unfinished business. (possible explanation)

People exposed to the virus must be treated as though they are carriers. (something that appears to be the case but might not be)



Although is a conjunction meaning in spite of the fact that or even though. It can be used to make a contrast in the same way as but and however. It often appears at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle of a sentence.

For example:

He travelled alone, although he knew it was dangerous. 

Although I've been there before, I can't remember how to get there.

It was rather cold, although the sun was shining brightly. 

Now it's your turn

Choose as though or although in the following sentences and post your answers in the comments below.

1. The battle was won, ________ there were many casualties. 
2. ________ they are expensive, they last a very long time. 
3. She danced _________ no one was watching.
4. I smiled and nodded ________ I understood him. 
5. I kept nodding _______ I didn't understand him.




Sources
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/as-though
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/although

IELTS Writing Task 2: The Secret to Writing IELTS Essay Introductions and Increasing Your Writing Score

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The IELTS writing exam is separated into two tasks. Task 2 of the IELTS writing exam, whether you are completing the general training or academic exam, is a formal opinion essay. 

A high quality and effective essay introduction usually includes 3 important elements: 

 

1. Hook  - A hook is an interesting fact, quotation or general statement about a topic that catches the reader's attention and makes them want to read more.

2. Background statement - This paraphrases the essay question and gives explains to the reader what the essay is about.

3. Thesis statement - This is a brief outline of your opinion; your answer to the essay question. 

 

Now, there is one important difference between an IELTS writing task 2 essay and other academic or formal essays: time. The IELTS writing test is 1 hour and you must complete two writing tasks within that time. You will have 20 minutes to complete writing task 1, which leaves 40 minutes for you to complete writing task 2. Once you have spent 5 very important minutes planning your essay, you are left with just 35 minutes to show the IELTS examiner how advanced your formal writing skills are. 

 

The secret to writing an effective IELTS essay introduction is to forget the hook. 

Wait, what? Yes! It's true. 

The highest scoring IELTS essays are written by students that have not wasted time thinking about an interesting hook, they go straight to paraphrasing the question. Paraphrasing is rewriting a sentence with different vocabulary or changing the grammar in such as way that the meaning remains exactly the same, and it is an essential skill to score highly in the IELTS exam.  

Repeating the question is a bad idea and a complete waste of your valuable writing time because it doesn't tell the examiner anything about the quality of your writing skills, and the examiner will likely skip past it or form a negative opinion about your writing ability before you have even answered the question.

The first thing you should do after you have noted your ideas in your essay plan is to analyse the question and look for opportunities to paraphrase. For example, let's look at the following essay question:  

 

To what extent has the internet made life more convenient?

 

To what extent indicates that you must write a for and against essay, with advantages and disadvantages of the internet, before concluding with your own opinion, but the most important words in the question are internet and convenient. 

 

 

Writing some important vocabulary about the internet around the question can help you find synonyms to paraphrase for your background statement and avoid repetition in the main body of your essay. 

online 

digital communication 

web 

cyberspace 

information superhighway 

computer network 

Information age

The word convenient makes reference to modern lifestyle, so let's now think of some vocabulary that might be useful to use in your essay.

daily needs 

habits 

routine 

comfort 

 

Synonyms for convenient

comfortable 

suitable 

beneficial 

helpful 

advantageous 

accessible 

This essay questions requires you to write about how important the internet has become in modern life. Knowing some synonyms for important can help you to increase your IELTS writing score for a wide variety of IELTS topics and essay questions.

Synonyms for important

essential 

indispensible 

profound 

crucial 

significant 

far-reaching

 

Now I have a list of alternative vocabulary, I am ready to paraphrase the question:

The internet has had profound and far-reaching implications for modern living and having access to an abundance of information in cyberspace has not only made life more comofortable, but completely revolutionised the way that people go about their daily habits and routines. 

This sentence uses advanced vocabulary to acknowledge that the internet is very important and convenient and summarises for the reader what the essay is about. The following sentence shows that I agree that the internet is extremely convenient but that I am also aware of some disadvantages associated with using the internet. To some extent, giving up our privacy and personal data is the price we pay for the convenience of the internet.

This essay will discuss how the internet has come to play an indispensible role in business and education, and outline privacy concerns and mass data gathering as one of the main disadvantages. 

 

 

The example sentences I have written here are just one possible way to introduce the topic and would attract a band score of 8 or 9, but there are many other ways you could write an effective, high-quality introduction. 

 

Have a go at writing your own introduction for this essay question using some of the advanced vocabulary and synonyms included in this lesson and write your answer in the comments. I try to read all of the comments I receive and leave feedback for people that have taken time to write answers to my questions in preparation for the IELTS exam. I look forward to reading yours!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IELTS Writing Task 1: How to Use the Passive Form to Describe Process Diagrams

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The passive form of present simple is often used to describe processes, where the person completing an action is either not important or unknown. You can often see the passive form of present simple used in formal texts that describe processes and in documentary programmes. 

The passive form of present simple is also used in part 1 of the academic IELTS writing test to describe process diagrams. 

The passive form of present simple is made with the present form of the verb to be. 

is / are + past participle (third form)

For example:

          Cars are made in the factory. 

          The cows are milked every morning

          The coffee beans are harvested in South America.

          The plastic is dyed one of three colours. 

          The pond is cleaned thoroughly, and weeds are removed every year. 

In these sentences the object receiving the action (verb) is most important and comes at the beginning and the person or subject completing the action is omitted. In some cases the subject may be added to the end of a sentence in the passive form using the preposition by.

Now try changing the active sentences in the following exercise into the passive form.

Exercise

1. The boss sends a weekly email to the employees. 

2. People destroy the rainforest.

3. The secretary deletes unnecessary files. 

4. Housekeepers clean the hotel rooms every day.  

5. Birds eat a variety of insects.

Post your answers in the comments below.

IELTS Grammar: 8 Collocations You Need to Know to Increase your Speaking Score

 #IELTS #IELTSspeaking #ieltsgoals #ieltsprep #ieltspreparation

In English some adjectives are followed by a particular preposition in sentences with the verb to be. Sometimes the preposition is different depending on whether you are referring to people or things. 

Unfortunately there aren't really any rules about using prepositions with adjectives (or any other type of words), you just have to learn them for your IELTS test. You can of course use an English dictionary to check the correct collocation, but today we will focus on some of the most common collocations, which are used to describe how we feel about something or someone. 

happy/sad/angry/annoyed/upset/passionate/mad about 

good/bad at

late/ready/famous for

different from 

interested in 

afraid/fond/frightened of

keen on

bored/capable of

As you will see, using adjective + preposition collocations can instantly make a very simple sentence into one that shows greater grammatical knowledge of the language, which will help increase your score in IELTS speaking and other exams, if they are used accurately. 

For example, the simple sentence I love dogs can be changed to I'm absolutely mad about dogs. Using an adverb is a good way to emphasise your opinion when you are speaking about your hobbies or interests. 

The following adjective + preposition collocations are most useful in part 1 of the IELTS speaking test, where the examiner will ask you to talk about yourself.

Activity 

Rewrite these sentences using the verb to be and the adjective in brackets with an appropriate preposition. 

1. I love swimming (mad)

2. I hate going to the gym (keen) 

3. I can write well in English (capable) 

4. I enjoy watching films and going to the cinema (fond) 

5. I love learning English (passionate)

6. I love football (fanatical) 

7. I don't mind cooking but I certainly like eating! (indifferent) 

8. I can't stand waiting in long queues at theme parks (bored)

9. I can't wait to move to England for my internship (ready)

10. I hate spiders! (afraid)

Write your answers in the comments!

5 Secrets to Keeping Resolutions & Achieving Your IELTS Goals

#ielts #ieltsprep #ieltspreparation #ieltsgoals #2021 #resolutions

 

Advanced vocabulary is highlighted in bold. 

 

We all have a mental list of things that we'd like to achieve in life or things that we wish we could do better at. It is something of a tradition in western culture to make resolutions in January in an often vague attempt to better ourselves, but very few of us ever stick to them. 

There is, however, a secret to unlocking your potential and achieving your targets, which I am sharing with you so that you can achieve your IELTS goals. These are 5 ways that you can turn your New Year's resolutions into achievable targets with an actionable plan to make positive changes part your daily habit. 

 

 

 

 

1. Make your targets specific 

One of the most common mistakes people make when setting goals is being too vague. Whilst 'I want to improve my English' is a good idea, it says nothing about how you will achieve it. Furthermore, when you have actually spent some of your valuable time trying to improve your English, how will you know if it has worked? 

A much better way is to set a specific goal like 'I would like to achieve a score of 6.5 in my IELTS exam by the end of next year' or 'I am going to reach advanced level in English by the end of this year.' These goals can be easily turned into a plan because you have clearly defined what it is that you want to achieve and success is measurable. You could, for example, take an online course, find a tutor and take some classes or buy a course book and work through it methodically to progress at your desired level of proficiency. 

2. Measure your progress 

One of the biggest reasons people fail to keep their resolutions is lack of motivation. Research suggests that the majority of resolutions, whatever they may be, are likely to have been broken by the end of January! 

The secret to motivation is monitoring your progress. It makes perfect sense that once you start noticing the results of your hard work, you are much more likely to continue to do more of it. 

 

 

Bullet journals can be used in much the same way as traditional year planners, except they are printed with dots instead of lines and start completely blank. Because they offer so much flexibility in organising the layout, they are a great way to measure results and track all sorts of positive daily habits. If you've never heard of bullet journaling before, you can find more information about it here. 

If you're more tech savvy, on the other hand, there are plenty of mobile apps that can help you monitor your progress and achieve your personal goals. Call me old fashioned, but I think there is just something about writing in a physical journal that helps me to keep myself accountable. Perhaps it's the weight of the journal itself that helps me to take my goals more seriously? Anyway, I much prefer bullet journaling on paper and recommend it to anyone that wants to increase their productivity. 

3. Be realistic 

This one is obvious but you'd be surprised how many students set objectives that are completely unattainable for them because they have a busy lifestyle or they just haven't thought about how much work is actually required to reach their target. 

When you are setting goals think carefully about other commitments you have in your life and how much time you are realistically able to dedicate every week to achieving your objective. If you are overly ambitious or underestimate how busy you are, you will quickly become unmotivated and might even be tempted to abandon your mission completely. 

The same is true if you got a 5 in your latest IELTS practice test and your goal is to achieve 7.5. Although a band score of 7.5 might be the ultimate long-term goal, it could become a source of stress whilst you are studying at band 5. It's simply too much of a giant leap. Be kind to yourself and aim to reach a 5.5 or a 6 next. Only when you have achieved this result is it time to focus on 7.5. 

4. Set yourself a deadline 

Having a deadline is important. Psychologically, it will be much easier to motivate yourself and get into a routine if you set out to reach your goal by a specific date. 

 

 

 

 

Booking an IELTS test or a Cambridge English exam so that you feel a little pressure to achieve your deadline can be helpful to keep yourself on track. There is no limit to the number of IELTS exams you take so you can always retake the exam later if you don't perform as well as you expected, and next time you take the test you will feel more confident and comfortable with the format. 

5. Get into a daily habit 

You can make good progress if you set aside some study sessions a few times a week, but for the best results I recommend you make studying a daily habit. 

Look at your schedule and identify any period of 'dead' time, like time spent on public transport or waiting for your dinner to cook. Spending 10-30 minutes studying every day is better than spending 3 hours studying once a week. In just 20 minutes you could complete an IELTS writing task 1 question, review some vocabulary, learn a new grammar structure, do an online lesson or read a blog post. 

So there you have it. With these 5 important considerations you can turn your New Year's resolutions into achievable targets and implement a plan to achieve the best possible results. 

And remember, above all else be kind to yourself. Setting goals is not just something for New Year. If you lose your way, you always have tomorrow to make a fresh start. 

 

 

What would you like to achieve this year? Maybe you have already made some resolutions? Have you discovered the joys of bullet journaling or have tips for other IELTS students? I would love to hear from you. Share your stories in the comments! 

5 Reasons Studying IELTS Should Be Your New Year's Resolution

#ny2021 #nye #goodbye2020 #hello2021 #resolutions #IELTSgoals

New vocabulary is highlighted in bold. Can you spot any phrasal verbs or nouns?

With the New Year almost upon us, it is a time when many people choose to reflect upon their life choices, celebrate successes and reevaluate what is important to them. New Year's resolutions offer a perfect opportunity to set fresh goals for any missed targets, take up new hobbies or focus on positive lifestyle changes that you'd like to make. 

 

 

 

However, choosing your resolutions and breaking them down into more manageable step-by-step targets can be quite a challenge in itself, so it's no wonder that the majority of people who set New Year's resolutions are likely to have abandoned them by the end of January! 

One of the most common mistakes that people make is setting themselves overambitious and rigid targets, which often results in people believing that they have failed the moment they deviate from their plan. Making a positive lifestyle change is about building better daily habits and it is important to accept that this can be a slow process. Be kind to yourself and accept that you will have good days and bad days. It's not the end of the world if your schedule suddenly changes or you have an off day, but it can be a very slippery slope. For most people it's better to start small so that you can feel a sense of achievement, and this in turn is more likely to motivate and inspire you to do more. 

For those of you looking for inspiration or who haven't decided what your resolutions will be yet, I have put together a list of reasons why studying IELTS or improving your IELTS band score should be at the top of your list!

1. English is a global language 

English is everywhere! It is estimated that one in five people on the planet can now speak or at least understand English and it is widely used as a lingua-franca. As well as being an official language in over 50 countries, it is also the language of education and academia. An IELTS band score of 6.5 or above is now a requirement for many employers and entry to universities all over the world because many scientific journals, business reports and technical manuals are published first or solely in English. 

 

2. It can help you get a better job

Yes, English is a skill that is increasingly essential to employers as a way of improving communications within international organisations that have offices, departments or trade agreements in several countries. Having IELTS on your CV makes you more desirable to employers and can help you get ahead of other applicants on the job market. 

 

3. English is the language of entertainment and media 

Despite recent increases in popularity of international films and TV shows thanks to online streaming and subscription services, Hollywood still dominates the entertainment industry with the vast majority of films, TV shows and music recorded in English. Improving your English means you won't have to rely on subtitles and bad voice dubbing to enjoy your favourite songs and movies.

4. English makes it easier to travel 

Whether you are working in Beijing or backpacking in Bali, English can help you meet and communicate with new people, access different cultures and find solutions to a whole host of problems commonly experienced by travellers.

5. English is not that difficult to learn 

No really, it's true! There are, of course, some annoying things about English just like there are annoying things about any other language. In English words are, for example, often spelt differently to how they sound and there are a lot of phrasal verbs, but the basic structure and grammar of English is relatively straightforward and easy to learn. This is because English, throughout the course of history, has lost its cases. There are only 3 cases in modern English: the subjective, possessive and objective. This means that there are fewer grammatical forms to learn than in some other languages, many of which have between 5 and 18 cases! 

The support of a qualified language teacher can help get you into the habit of learning and make your New Year's resolution to improve your IELTS band score more achievable. A good teacher will always assess your learning needs and suggest reasonable targets to improve your communication skills over a set period of time. Having a deadline and someone to hold you accountable can work wonders for taking your English to the next level. 

Whether you are new to IELTS or have been studying for a while but can't seem to score higher than 5.5, I can show you easy ways to improve your band score in under 10 weeks. Ready to begin? There's no time like the present! Request a free IELTS language assessment with me on Facebook or subscribe to my website for free lessons and resources to help you improve your IELTS band score.