IELTS With James

An old question reappeared on the IELTS Academic Test, Writing Task 2,  on Nov 2, 2017 Some people think that politicians have the greatest influence on the world. Other people, however, believe that scientists have the greatest influence. Discuss both views and give your opinion.    You will have more inputs to write about the roles of politicians. It is better to say politicians are more influential than scientists. However, there should be separate paragraphs on the roles of both politicians and scientists.

IELTS Speaking  Part1 Do you prefer reading comics online or the hard copy of comics Part 3 What kinds of good news do we get daily? How do you celebrate? Is there any difference between the way you celebrate it with your family and with your friends? Does the social media play any role in sharing news about our success and other good news? Do you think boys or girls are more interested in science in your country and why? Do you think the general public is aware of scientific achievements? Is it necessary the common people should have knowledge about science? What changes can be made in the teaching of science subjects in schools? Do you think newspapers should highlight science more? ieltsjamespete@gmail.com India Phone : 98477 10003

Understand the Tense of the Question before you Speak The IELTS examiner's job is to test your language skills,   fluency and your ability to communicate .  Your knowledge is not assessed by the examiner but it does not mean you can talk nonsense. There is something more important than this. It is the tense used in  the question.   Now, look at these two questions:  Describe a garden you visited regularly in your childhood - where it is located - how did it look like - what kind of visitors came there - explain why you liked it Describe a beautiful garden that you like  - where it is - what you can see there - what people do there - explain why you like it The first question is in the past tense and the other one  should be presented in the present tense. Candidates in India were given the first topic on September 9 and 15. ieltsjamespete@gmail.com

 Favourite  Movie: Chemmeen   My favourite movie is a classic Malayalam film which is titled Chemmeen. Chemmeen in the vernacular language means the prawn in English. This movie is a romantic drama thriller based on the novel of the same name by renowned writer Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. It was directed by Ramu Kariat. The movie won the First President's Award for the best Indian movie. I think I watched this movie for the first time, about ten years ago... and it was on television. The movie was originally released some four decades ago,  and I was not even born yet....  but it is regarded as an evergreen classic movie by all age groups in my homeland. The movie tells the story of the intense passions of two lovers who belonged to two social classes... The drama of the movie is built upon (based on) triangular love. Karuthamma, the daughter of an ambitious fisherman falls in love with Pareekutty, the son of a rich fish trader. Karuth...

IELTS Questions: Qualities of a Language Teacher  A recent question in the Part 3 Section of the Speaking test was:   What are the qualities of a language teacher?  Sample Answer: A good language teacher should be proficient in the language and at the same time, he or she must possess good teaching skills.….Learning a language, especially a foreign language,  can be a difficult task for many learners. A good teacher will have to use several different learning methods to help the students…because… some learn by hearing, some by seeing and some by speaking. ieltsjamespete@gmail.com

Books and IELTS Candidates are Often Strangers to Each Other Questions on books and reading appear in the Part 1 and 2 of IELTS Speaking test frequently. Many candidates hate reading and in most cases their reading is limited to school or college text books. There are also other candidates, who have read books but cannot remember them or describe a book in four or five sentences. Do not worry. It’s not a big task. There are brief descriptions of books on the internet to suit your requirement. Here is a cue card speech topic reported on July 15 ·         Describe a book that you would like to read again ·         -Which book it was? ·         -What the book was about? ·         -What you learned from this book? ·         And explain why you would like to read it again Vocabulary ...

IELTS: Younger or  Older Neighbours? Speaking Part 1 Questions are no longer typical resume questions about your life and career. They have new dimensions. Ask your trainers to help you with the answers to the following questions. Do you prefer younger or  older neighbours? In what ways can neighbours help you?  ( How can neighbours help you?) How is politeness expressed in your culture? What is the second use of having a mirror around you? Please remember these are part 1 questions. Don't speak like a  professor, a philosopher or a fool.  Speak like a teenager. 

IELTS: Part 3 Discusses Goals of Different Age Groups Many IELTS Trainers find it difficult to respond to the questions in the Part 3 of  the Speaking test.   Your trainer's  speaking and writing skills may amaze you but  remember he  is not the one who is going to take the real test. It's you. By the end of the Part 2 Cue card speech, you may be exhausted, frustrated and ready to give up. OR You may be chattering on like a fool OR You may be making the last-ditch effort to raise your Band level from 6.5 to 7. Whatever be your mood, try answering these Part 3 questions: How important is it to have goals in life? Why? Do you think  that young people today  set many personal goals? Are the goals people have nowadays different from  those people had in the past? In what ways are they different?   What would be some good measures to encourage the younger generation to set and pursue their goals?   Which ski...

  IELTS Speaking : Clothes are Trendy Now A cue card speech question that has been making the rounds in many countries is related to clothes. Describe a favourite piece of clothing  Describe a piece of clothing that you like wearing Describe your favourite item of clothing - what the item of clothing is - where and when you bought it - when do you wear it - and explain why you like wearing it Vocabulary apparels activewear denim dresses Intimates Jackets & Coats Jumpsuits Pants Rompers Shorts Skirts Sweaters & Knits Swimwear Tops trendy  casual clothes classic style designer label dressed to kill dress for the occasion  dressed up out of fashion a sense of style keep up with the latest fashion look good in well-dressed Collocations It is ....... in colour, and it’s made of ......material for going to work Whenever I go out  The reason why I like this ....

Should Large Companies Provide Sports and Social Facilities? IELTS Writing Questions reported on June 17 from Canada Task 1:  Two bar charts on Australian hotels for one month in 2009. One shows the cost per night for  room and the other  shows the percentage rooms that were occupied during the month.    Task 2: All large companies (businesses) should provide sports and social facilities  to the local community.  To what extent do you agree or disagree? ieltsjamespete@gmail.com

Old Task 2 Question Back, Many IELTS Candidates Were Hard Up for Ideas The following Task 2 Essay question was reported from many regions on June 17, 2017  for the IELTS Academic test. Some people say that teaching method with a teacher and students in a classroom will not exist by the year 2050. To what extent do you agree or disagree?   The feedback is that many IELTS candidates were not prepared for this question. Apart from a few technology-related sentences, many could not write much. So, get ready for the task. ieltsjamespete@gmail.com

Complex Sentences in IELTS  Task 2 Intros:  No Guarantee for your Success Most of the test candidates and some of the trainers think that the best way to impress the examiner is to write like a professor. Such people use 'template phrases'.   Template phrases for the Introduction are  ready made.  Often, they are complex too.  Trainers, self-help books and online sites have a ready stock  of these phrases and you will be tempted to use them in your Task 2 intro. Many believe that it is the best way to impress the examiner. The truth is that examiners hate them.  Moreover, they have been asked to look for memorised sentences in essays. The axe does not fall on all the candidates. Candidates who are struggling to make a 7 or 7+ band in writing are the main victims. My Suggestion: Ask yourself the question: What is the aim of my introduction? Now, read a sample question from IELTS Task 2 question bank, below.  What do yo...

Be Careful, IELTS Questions are Tricky Now ! Many IELTS  candidates who have taken the test in 2017 complain that their score in the writing section, especially in Task 2,  is low even though the question was familiar and easy. There can be two reasons other than your poor language and memorised answers. 1. You thought the question was the same, old question in other words.      May be, the problem is with the way you read the question.      Did you read the question slowly and properly?      Some old topics reappear in new words.      Sometimes, the topic is the same but the question takes a new angle. 2.  Your friends at the IELTS training institute may tell you that your performance is superb,       but in reality, your level may be Band 6.       Don't show off to impress others.        ieltsjamespete@gmail.co...

IELTS Test Questions for Task 1 and Task 2 - June 8 & 9, 2017 Academic Task 1: Bar graph giving information about the percentage of teenage smokers, belonging to different age and gender groups from 1995 and 2005. Task 2:   In some countries, there has been an increase in the number of parents who educate their children themselves at home instead of sending them to school. Do you think the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages? These questions were reported from many regions in India, including Kerala, Delhi, Punjab and Maharashtra. ieltsjamespete@gmail.com

Be Careful, IELTS Questions are Tricky Now ! Many IELTS  candidates who have taken the test in 2017 complain that their score in the writing section, especially in Task 2,  is low even though the question was familiar and easy. There can be two reasons other than your poor language and memorised answers. 1. You thought the question was the same, old question in other words.      May be, the problem is with the way you read the question.      Did you read the question slowly and properly?       Some old topics reappear in new words.      Sometimes, the topic is the same but the question takes a new angle. 2.  Your friends at the IELTS training institute may tell you that your performance is superb,       but in reality, your level may be Band 6.       Don't show off to impress others