The

IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

Professor Niels Kokholm Nielsen

The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

www.ielts-pass.com

The IELTS Guide

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Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

Professor Niels Kokholm Nielsen

Thanks for downloading The IELTS Guide

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"A guide I hope will be as helpful to you as it has been

to thousands of other students around the world."

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This guide takes your IELTS score you would achieve today and adds +1 in 20 minutes of reading!
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Quite the claim you may say, but the truth is that many candidates prepare poorly and ignore basic things
that should be part of their IELTS preparation eorts. from day one!

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But not your problem any longer, because you are reading this guide here.
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So, do you have 20 minutes?
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Thats what you need! You can time my claim if you like, Ive done it myself and it works!
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Lets get down to business.
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Im Niels Kokholm Nielsen and Im a certied Cambridge examiner, who has worked with the IELTS in one
form or another for the past 15 years. My contact with students from around the world has formed the
basis of this quick start guide.

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After reading this guide you will avoid
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Spending too much time studying the wrong things

Bad assessment of your current level of English
Underestimating certain basic formal issues when taking the test

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and you will certainly be better at understanding the
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Requirements of what your future employer, school or university sets for you
Optimal way of studying for each of the IELTS disciplines
Core concepts that constitute excellent reading, writing, listening and speaking performance

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The IELTS Guide

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Are you ready to get started? Lets go 20 minutes and ticking
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The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

Professor Niels Kokholm Nielsen

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First things rst
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Before you do anything at all, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
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a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Why I am preparing for the IELTS exam? Is it for migration, work or other reason?
Which IELTS test is right for me? The Academic Module or the General Training Module?
Which score do I need on the IELTS? Do I need a global average score or a minimum for each module?
What is my current level of English? Which score would I get on the IELTS today?
Is this the right moment to take or prepare for the IELTS? The test result is valid for 2 years only,
unless you can provide specic proof of continued study in the period.

Each purpose comes with dierent requirements e.g. to migrate to Canada (2013 numbers) you need an
average score of band 7 to be qualied to apply. In other words, if you score less than band 7, you simply
won't be allowed to apply. As simple as that!

So, before anything else, be sure you know which score you need. If you dont know the required score
you dont have a target grade and thats a problem. To nd the score simply google the term minimum
IELTS score migration Canada or minimum IELTS grade to nameofuniversity.

Alternatively, go to the website of the university, school or employer abroad that is of interest to you.
Under normal circumstances the requirements should be easily accessible from the ocial site.
It is also here you will see if you need the IELTS Academic or the IELTS General Training. The vast majority
of candidates need the Academic. (please refer to the requirement of your school or university to nd the
answer).

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As the old saying goes If you dont know where you are, you will never know in which direction to go.
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Therefore, the next thing you need to do is to nd a way to evaluate your current level of English. Here is
why this is important. There is a limitation to how fast you can improve your level of English and your
IELTS exam skills. The IELTS scale goes from 0 - 9 (no assessable data (0) to expert user (9)

It takes longer to go from 3 to 5 than from 5 to 7. Also, students are dierent, learn in dierent ways so its
hard to generalise. To get a feel for your current level of English, go to page 7 for a sneak peak.

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This said, your preparation should centre on two main components. Lets together nd out what they are.
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How to prepare for the IELTS exam
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Your IELTS exam result ultimately depends on only two things:
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a) The level of your English language skills (vocabulary, grammar, collocation, pronunciation etc.)
b) Your understanding of the IELTS test and the skills needed to optimise your results on the exam

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This means that every single aspect of your IELTS preparation should focus on these two components.
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WARNING: No candidate should expect to do well on the IELTS exam test if they have ignored one or the
other of these two core elements.

As a result, successful preparation for the IELTS test depends on your willingness to improve both your
English as a whole, and your understanding of the IELTS tests format, structure and requirements.

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The IELTS Guide

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The IELTS Guide

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Improving your English
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Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

Professor Niels Kokholm Nielsen

There is no shortage of things you can do to improve your current level of English, but here are the most
important, fast and eective measures that will boost your performance in no time.

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Increase your exposure to the English language
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Its a no-brainer! The more English you are exposed to, the more language you will qualitatively and
quantitively be able to reproduce. The brain works in mysterious ways, but one thing we know for certain.
The more L2 language (in our case English) you are exposed to, the more mental capacity is dedicated to
this particular activity. If the brain could think for itself (which it in fact does), it would reason like this:
Hmmmmm suddenly I am hearing a lot of new language. It must be important for me, so I will dedicate
more braincells to this activity now.

This was put rather unscientically, but it is quite true. In other words, the more exposure, the more you
learn. And, the more exposure, the more eciently you will learn because your brain dedicates more
resources to learning. This wonderful process quickly becomes a positive learning loop with incredible
results. All input is valid and the most popular sources are video, the internet, cinema, reading books,
magazines, news reports and the list is endless. Here are some highlights and ideas for increasing your
exposure to the English language.

Read more English from quality sources

Youve heard it many times before. The bearded teacher with the small glasses tells you to read more. Its
true; always has been and always will be. When reading the internalisation process is quite impressive,
simply because you see contextually relevant language in grammatically accurate surroundings.

So you learn both new vocabulary, collocation (word combinations that are in accord with native speaker
preference) and you still get the grammar.

Reading sources: News websites such as www.bbc.co.uk, http://www.theguardian.com/uk and books,

hereunder novels and short stories. When reading on news websites, be sure to read dierent interest
areas such as business, world, sports etc. General interest magazines can also be quite helpful.

Build a notebook of quality language hereunder collocation, grammar, expressions etc.

You need a place you can go back to when studying new language. Studies show that people need to see
new language on average at least 7 times to memorise the language seen. Where are you going to write it?
In your notebook of course. Evernote, Things and other note taking applications work great, but I actually
recommend a traditional paper-based notebook. Why? Because you can take it with you and more
importantly, while writing in it in English, you are also slowly developing your English writing skills.

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Have conversations with yourself or others in English
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This one is a bit strange. Talking to yourself is not only for the elderly or people suering from mental
disorders. Its a fundamental criteria for language learning success. Initiate short, then longer
conversations with yourself. To improve your speaking skills you need to practice. You can watch Nadal or
Federer playing tennis as much as you want, but before you take the racket in your own hand and go
practice, you just wont learn it properly.

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The IELTS Guide

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The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

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Do plenty of language exercises that focus on grammar and vocabulary
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Professor Niels Kokholm Nielsen

The internet is full of sites with grammar and vocabulary exercises.

Simply google the term "grammar exercises" or English vocabulary exercises.
Only problem is you will end up with a lot of irrelevant and poorly structured
material, some of which is of dubious nature. Alternatively, take an online IELTS
preparation course in which such a grammar component is included as is the case
with The IELTS Pass Course shown to the right.

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Listen to standard English radio or radio streamed from the internet
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Virtual video-based grammar compendium

from www.ielts-pass.com

Developing your listening skills for the IELTS is crucial. Why not start with
improving your passive listening skills that once again increases your exposure to the language? A great
place to start is with Podcasts such as those that can be found in iTunes, or streaming radio from any
quality website. Most respectable news broadcasting services today feature a live radio streaming service.

The great advantage of this activity is that although passive listening does not provide you with a specic
task, the output, the voices, interviews, dialects etc. are quite accurate compared to what you will listen to
in the IELTS listening component.

Listening sources: News websites such as www.bbc.co.uk, http://guardiantalkradio.com, www.cnn.com

and Podcasts from iTunes, Spotify or any other similar service.

Take an IELTS exam preparation course with language enhancer modules

I do recommend you take an IELTS preparation course. The money spent on

this will be saved as you have a much higher chance of success on the day you
take the exam.

There are endless IELTS preparation solutions on the Internet, but most fail in
one aspect of the other. Some oer only exercises but no language enhancing
modules, others oer language exercises but no good overview of the exam
itself. Much of what is on the internet is not properly structured and very few
courses have a certied Cambridge examiner seal on them.

The minimum requirements of a good IELTS preparation course is

one that features a solid overview of the IELTS exam itself, the
reading, writing, listening and speaking module.

It should also include language enhancement modules, so you can

understand what advanced language is. It absolutely must include 1
correction of an IELTS report and essay and preferably feature one or
more IELTS webinars along with an IELTS exam practice set.

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A free, but somewhat unstructured resource is www.ielts-exam.net. It is ad-based and somewhat of a

nuisance because of this, but if you are patient, there is good material to be found here. If you are looking
for a genuine IELTS exam preparation course made by professionals in the area, you cant go wrong
with either www.ielts-pass.com or Scotts IELTS. Because of a more ecient delivery technique, The IELTS
Pass Course (www.ielts-pass.com) is more aordable, and it even has the clear advantage of having been
made by a certied Cambridge examiner.

The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

www.ielts-pass.com

The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

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Preparing for the IELTS test
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Professor Niels Kokholm Nielsen

So now you know a bit more about the importance of your level of English, and you have spent 10 minutes
reading so far, right? That means we have another 10 minutes to go. Lets continue!

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The IELTS Reading
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This module comprises of 3 dierent texts with accompanying questions. You have 1 hour to do this. Ouch!
You are in a hurry. Lets quickly break down what we want to do, and what we dont want to do!

Please dont do this

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Read each or all of the texts rst slowly, then look at the questions. Why? Because you spend too
much time and you indadvertedly turn a language exercise into a confusing memory exercise.
Spend more time than 20 minutes on each reading passage. Why? Time is of the essence. You dont
get points for unanswered questions. Push Push Push!!!

Please do this

Focus on the rst reading and ignore the rest. Spend 2 minutes reading the questions to the rst
reading underlining keywords. Why? Because you will read more focused and nd the answers easily
When the rst reading passage has been dealt with, you continue with number two making use of the
exact same procedure as mentioned above. Dont forget have fun!

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The IELTS Writing
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So many IELTS candidates get this part all wrong. Here is why.
They include their personal opinions in the report, then spend
more than 20 minutes on this same report (which you must not
do), fail to use correct time and tense concepts in the three
paragraphs.

The writing nightmare continues in the essay where the writing

does not have grammatically correct language, use of good
range and generally fails to answer the question. (for more
detailed information on the IELTS writing component, please
refer to the Writing Module in the IELTS Pass Course.)

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The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

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The IELTS Guide

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The IELTS Listening
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Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

Professor Niels Kokholm Nielsen

Spoiler alert! The IELTS listening is played only once, and it takes approximately 30 minutes. There are four
parts, each with an increase in diculty, eectively making this a progressive listening component.
Your concentration and focus, language, spelling and listening skills as a whole are being tested here.

Please dont do this

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Fall asleep. The rst part of the listening is rather easy. Many candidates I have trained think the rest is
equally easy and then suddenly they get lost. If you do become lost, remain calm and focused.
Try to go back to correct answers in previous sections. Why? The IELTS listening is a bit like a
clockwork of sorts. If you lose your focus and timing, the rest is likely to go the same way.(badly)

Please do this

Remain focused and calm at all times. Invest in underlining keywords fast and as eciently as you can.
Why? Keywords will guide you through the listening. Take few but relevant notes. Check your spelling!
Accept that when one section is over it is over! You cant hear it a second time so please do not waste
time contemplating the past.

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The IELTS Interview
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There are three parts to the IELTS interview also referred to as the IELTS speaking component. Part one is
a quick ice-breaker where you will present yourself and answer simple questions about who you are,
where you live, hobbies, friends, family and plans for the future. Part two is a task or a negotiation, based
on a prompt card you receive. You will have a minute to prepare your answers to this. Part three is an
extension of part two with some additional questions. The interview takes approximately 15 minutes with
a certied Cambridge examiner such as myself, acting as both interlocutor and assessor.

Please dont do this

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Be too shy and speak with few words and a low voice. Why? We cant evaluate potentiality, but only
real performance. Shyness is part of who some of us are. Make an eort to be outgoing and speak up.
Make use of the same words all the time. Avoid I like I go I" .Why? If you produce language
equivalent to a basic student, your grade will be given accordingly.

Please do this

Answer the questions posed and make use of the +1 technique. Add additional information which is
relevant in the context Why? Because you generate genuine and interesting language that impresses.
Use as many relevant and dierent words as you can, while making use of accurate grammar. Remove
your chewing gum, dont work from scripts, be genuine and interesting. Be honest!

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The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

www.ielts-pass.com

The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

Professor Niels Kokholm Nielsen

Evaluating your own English

Before I give you my Top 10 Cambridge Examiner Power Tips, I want to

help you evaluate your current level of English. The IELTS scale ranges
from 0-9 and chances are you need to score band 7 or above.

Here are language samples that are approximations to each IELTS score.
In other words, compare the samples below to the average of your own
spoken and written English, and you will have an idea of your current
level of English. I have underlined the features that characterise each
sample, whether good or bad. Here we go!

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Band 9: Expert user
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With a background in medical science and mathematics, I decided quite early on in my life to not only study
medicine, but also at a later stage to immerse myself in the wonderful world of numbers."

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Band 8: Very good user
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I was born and raised in Brazil in the state of So Paulo. I currently have two siblings, my brother Henrique and my
sister Aline and Im quite fond of them of course. My plans for the future are to "

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Band 7: Good user
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I am from a small family because I am an only child. In my pastime I enjoy sports especially football and tennis. I
want to take the IELTS because I have a dream of studying in Canada "

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Band 6: Competent user
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I love English and I am taking the IELTS because I wish to one day work or study in the United States. I hope I can
works as an engineer there.

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Band 5: Modest user
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"My name is Elina. I am from Russia. I want to take the IELTS because I want to study in a foreign country"
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Band 4: Limited user
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In my free time I read. I like to read. I read books and magazines. I want one day to travel to other country"
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Band 3: Extremely limited user
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"I live Greece. Work as accountant. Like numbers want work in foreigner country
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Band 2: Intermittent user
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Name Maria. Live Spain. Have . 2 childs I married. Want IELTS to live New Zealand
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Band 1: Non user
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"I . Vishy . live . Pakistan . study . very . like English
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Band 0: Did not attempt the test
The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

www.ielts-pass.com

The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

Professor Niels Kokholm Nielsen

Nielsens Top 10 Cambridge examiner Power Tips

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IELTS General Skill: Time management
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Learn to optimise and accelerate the way you answer questions in the IELTS. Be 100% disciplined. Many candidates go back and
forth between options and answers and waste precious time. Train your time management. Learn to answer questions fast!!!

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IELTS Listening and Reading: Administrate and minimise large tasks
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Never try to read all the texts and questions in one go. You get confused.
Take any text, question or task and break it down into smaller components. Texts are normally
chronologically organised, so read a bit, answer a question, then continue. (for more on listening
and reading strategies, please refer to the respective modules in the www.ielts-pass.com course).

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IELTS Listening and Writing: Improve your English spelling
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Sounds like a detail but it is not. So many candidates lose important marks due to poor spelling. Even if you have the right word,
but get the spelling wrong, you will not get any points. Improving your spelling can most eciently be done either via reading
and taking notes of various words and expressions, or by downloading an English spelling software or module.

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IELTS Interview: Plus one technique" in the IELTS interview
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Dont give neither too short nor too long answers in the interview. Here are two extreme examples of what to avoid.

Dont - too short

Interlocutor: and were you born in India?

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IELTS candidate: Yes

Dont - long, irrelevant and boring

Interlocutor: Tell me a bit about yourself?!

IELTS candidate: My name is Maria and there are so many interesting things I could tell about myself. When I was 7 years old I
got my rst puppy. It was a German Shepard that actually had constant urinary infection, so it could not pee, so I put a piece of
stick to its penis so it could pee and then we

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Interlocutor: Thank you that is all!

Much better is
Interlocutor: Tell me a bit about yourself?!
IELTS candidate: My name is Maria and Im from a family of 4. I am taking the IELTS because I have a dream of working in
England or Australia. In my free time a play chess and listen to music.

The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

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The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

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IELTS Writing: Strict inclusion of IELTS core writing concepts
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Professor Niels Kokholm Nielsen

You need to follow certain norms in the IELTS writing tasks. The most important ones are that the report, which gives input in
the form of a line graph, bar chart, pie chart, table or map, should feature 3 separate paragraphs, the rst providing short
insights to what can be seen in the graph, the second giving details and the third featuring the conclusion. Do not include any
opinions here.

The IELTS essay is a discursive text and it should follow the specic guidelines for essay writing as can be found in the IELTS
Pass Course. Make use of linkers and contrastive devices. Write in semi-formal to formal style with good range, appropriate
vocabulary and with a high degree of accuracy.

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IELTS Writing: Impress with the 5 stars of prociency in the English language
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Some very specic language can take your IELTS writing from grade 4 or 5 to 7 or 8. By some
referred to as simply procient English, I personally like to call the the 5 stars of prociency.

They are the use of Participle clauses, Noun Phrases, Pronouns with Quantiers, Inversions
and Cleft Sentences. (for an in-depth discussion of this, please refer to the IELTS Pass Course).
The inclusion of this language simply makes your production much closer to native-speaker
language and this translates into a much higher mark on your IELTS writing and speaking.

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Realistic IELTS timing: Dont "start and stop your IELTS preparation eorts
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I know what you think. I need to start and stop because I have a hectic life, family and several hobbies. I simply dont have the
time to sit down and practice for an hour or two every day.

Advice: Find the time! Part of IELTS success is your time management skills as previously mentioned.

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Persistence prevails: Never give up, push yourself and be disciplined
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While studying for the IELTS you will have moments where your productivity falls. When this happens, stop and grab a piece of
pie, coee or whatever is your preference. But when the energy is there again, focus and push yourself. Take note of all the
amazing language your nd during your studies, then integrate it into your own language, experiment and see just how
incredible you can sound in English.

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Motivate yourself and look beyond: Your English studies is worth their weight in gold
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Your rate of learning is much higher when you are motivated, so nd motivation and rejoice in it. Think of all the incredible
things you will do abroad, the new experiences that are waiting for you! The IELTS is the key to these opportunities!

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Book your exam in time: Give your local IELTS centre a call in due time, and Good luck!
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The IELTS Guide

Add +1 to your score in 20 minutes

www.ielts-pass.com