SYLLABUS FOR TACS 4

I. Course books:
1. Collins English for Exams: Listening for IELTS (Fiona Aish & Jo Tomlinson)
2. Collins English for Exams: Speaking for IELTS (Karen Kovacs)
3. Collins English for Exams: Reading for IELTS (Els Van Geyte)
4. The best preparation for IELTS (Young Kim)
II. Self-study materials:
1. IELTS Practice Folder (ISP Material for Internal Use)
III. Supplementary materials:
1. Cambridge Vocabulary for IELTS (Pauline Cullen)
2. Cambridge Grammar for IELTS (Pauline Cullen)
3. English Pronunciation in Use (Mark Hancock)
N. B.: Any other relevant materials selected by the teachers are welcome. Selected practice test is recommended if appropriate and for limited time.
IV. Teaching approach:
IELTS orientation and test familiarization.
The Learner-Centered Approach is used.
Lesson should be planned based on students needs and their characteristics.
Feedback for students performance should also be given timely and regularly to build up their confidence and improve their performance.
For reading and listening lessons, students will be taught and trained with basic skills needed to deal with reading and listening activities.
For speaking, students pronunciation will be checked and corrected.
Pair and group-work activities should be applied and encouraged together with the individual ones.
Vocabulary will also be built up on the theme basis in order to improve the quality of students talk.
For writing, lessons about basic types of academic essays should be planned.
Academic vocabulary will be taught and provided to students to better their writing.
At the end of the semester, mock tests will be provided so as to help students get familiar with the real test.
1

V. Time distribution
75 periods in 7 weeks
4 periods/day
3 days/week
VI. Assessment
Final Test in IELTS format: 100 %
VII. Teaching schedule

In-class work (Face-to-face activities)

Week

Day

Session
Skill

Lesson

Unit 1: People and

Speaking relationships

Mon
- Overview
- Part 1-Chapter 1:
Line graph

Writing
(Task 1)

Unit 1: Holidays and

Listening travels
Unit 2: Youth

Tue
2
Wed

Self-study

Unit 1: Family
Reading matters
Unit 2: Healthcare
Speaking Unit 2: A healthy

Aims
- Describing personality Talking about
relationships
- Pronunciation: Strong and weak forms of
prepositions
- Knowing a word
- Overview of IELTS Writing Task 1
- Understanding visual prompts
- Analyzing the questions
- Language for describing line graphs
- Completing forms, tables and flow charts
- Labeling maps or plans
- Matching
- Answering multiple-choice questions
- Matching headings
- Completing tables and diagrams
- Talking about fitness, sports, health and diet
2

Homework

Hand-in
deadline

IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 1 Speaking (1)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 1 Writing (1)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 1 Listening
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 1 Reading
IELTS Practice

Before
next
lesson of
the same
day

body

- Overview
- Part 2-Chapter 1:
Agree or Disagree

Writing
(Task 2)

Unit 3: Studies and

Speaking
work

Writing
(Task 1)

Unit 3: Climate
Listening Unit 4: Family
matters

Mon

Tue
2

Reading

Part 1-Chapter 2: Bar

charts

Unit 3: Getting an
education
Unit 4: Water

Unit 4: The word

Speaking
around us

Wed
2
3

Mon

Part 2-Chapter 2:
Advantages and
Disadvantages
Unit 5:
Speaking
Communication
Writing
(Task 2)

- Pronunciation: Expressing
enthusiasm Expressing opinions
- Planning your answer
- Overview of IELTS Writing Task 2
- Presenting arguments
- Writing an Agree/Disagree essay
- Talking about studies and work
- Speculating
- Pronunciation: Word stress
- Giving answers that are the right length
- Language for describing bar charts
- Selecting and organizing ideas
- Comparing and contrasting quantities and
numbers
- Labeling a diagram
- Completing sentences, notes and summaries
- Classifying
- Answering short questions
- Selecting from a list
- Answering short-answer questions
- Matching sentence endings
- Talking about the environment and climate
- Using complex sentences
- Pronunciation: Long and short vowel sounds
- Using news articles to improve your answers
- Generating ideas for an essay
- Selecting and organizing ideas
- Writing an Advantages and Disadvantages essay
- Talking about languages, keeping in touch,
globalization
3

Folder: Week 1 Speaking (2)

IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 1 Writing (2)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 2 Speaking (1)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 2 Writing (1)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 2 Listening
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 2 Reading

Before
next
lesson of
the same
day

IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 2 Speaking (2)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 2 Writing (2)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 3 -

Before
next

Writing
(Task 1)

Part 1-Chapter 3: Pie

Chart

Unit 5: Starting
Listening university
Unit 6: Fame

Tue
2

Reading

Unit 5: Non-verbal
clues
Unit 6: Scientists at
work

Speaking Unit 6: Technology

Writing
(Task 2)

Wed
Part 2-Chapter 3: To
what extent

Speaking Unit 7: Hobbies

Writing
(Task 1)

Part1-Chapter 10:
Table

Listening

Unit 7: Alternative
energy

Mon
4

Tue

- Making comparisons, expressing attitude

- Pronunciation: Consonants
- Giving yourself time to think
- Language for describing pie charts
- Comparing and contrasting quantities and
numbers
- Labeling maps or plans
- Completing forms and notes
- Matching sentence fragments
- Answering multiple-choice questions
- Choosing answers from a list
- Answering multiple-choice questions
- Completing sentences and diagram labels
- Talking about new technology, the Internet
- Phrasal verbs
- Pronunciation: Sentence stress, the schwa
- Exam technique: Coherence
- Paraphrasing
- Developing supporting examples
- Writing essay on To what extent type
- Expressing likes and dislikes Talking about
hobbies Expressing frequency
- Pronunciation: The schwa
- Sounding polite
- Language for describing tables
- Interpreting a table
- Signposting main points
- Completing flow charts and tables, sentences
and summaries
4

Speaking (1)

lesson of
the same
day

IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 3 Writing (1)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 3 Listening
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 3 Reading
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 3 Speaking (2)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 3 Writing (2)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 4 Speaking (1)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 4 Writing (1)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 4 -

Before
next
lesson of
the same
day

Unit 8: Migration

Reading

Unit 7: The job

market
Unit 8: Twentysomethings

Speaking Unit 8: Youth

- Talking about remembering, childhood

- Using past tenses, used to, would
- Pronunciation: Past-tense -ed endings,
diphthongs
- Fluency

Writing
(Task 2)

- Using synonyms and cohesive devices

- Writing an essay on Your opinion type

Wed
Part 2-Chapter 4:
Your opinion

Speaking Unit 9: Home

- Describing places Comparing now and then

- Pronunciation: Silent letters
- Clarifying, paraphrasing and giving examples

Writing
(Task 1)

- Language for describing a process

- Signposting a sequence of events

Mon

1
Tue
2
Wed

- Answering short questions

- Classifying
- Labeling a diagram
- Completing notes, summaries, and flow charts
- Identifying information
- Answering True/False/Not Given questions

Part1-Chapter 11:
Process

- Completing forms, tables, sentences and

summaries
Unit 9: At the gym
Listening
- Answering short questions
Unit 10: At the office
- Labeling a diagram
- Classifying
Unit 9: Community
- Matching information
Reading spirit
- Identifying writers views or claims
Unit 10: On the move - Answering Yes/No/Not Given questions
- Talking about festivals and historical sites
Speaking Unit 10: Culture
- Using future form
5

Listening

IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 4 Reading
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 4 Speaking (2)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 4 Writing (2)
Exam Practice
Folder: Week 5 Speaking (1)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 5 Speaking (2)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 5 Listening
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 5 Reading
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 5 -

Before
next
lesson of
the same
day

1
Mon
2
6
1
Tue
2

Wed

1
2

Mon

1+2

- Pronunciation: Linking
- Predicting questions
- Practicing academic language and language for
Writing In-class Language
the IELTS Writing Task 2
(Task 2) and Writing Practice - Writing an in-class version of one of the four
task types
- Talking about holidays and tourism Expressing
yourself indirectly
Speaking Unit 11: On the move
- Pronunciation: Extra stress
- Knowing what kind of speaker you are
Comprehensive
Writing Practice: Mixed types - Revising language for graph description
(Task 1) (Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7,
- Comparing and contrasting information
8, 9)
- Answering multiple-choice questions
Unit 11: Local
Listening
- Labeling maps or plans
languages
- Selecting from a list
Reading

Unit 11: Cultural

differences

- Matching features

Speaking
Revision + In-class Exam Practice
Listening + Reading + Writing
Revision + In-class Exam Practice

Notes: Teachers of each day should follow the timetable and keep up with the syllabus.

Speaking (2)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 5 Writing (2)
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 6 Speaking
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 6 Writing
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 6 Listening
IELTS Practice
Folder: Week 6 Reading

Before
next
lesson of
the same
day