Irina Lutsenko: IELTS, writing, cohesion

#IELTS tasks from the internet. Part 2.

There are a lot of IELTS tasks from real exams on the internet -- and I use them extensively in my classes.

One important thing to understand about these tasks though, is that they contain mistakes. They are reported and reconstructed by test takers from memory after all.

Mistakes in tasks with figures are very likely -- IELTS candidates who report the questions might indeed not remember the precise data they saw. Such mistakes might affect Task Achievement, especially the overview, because there might be wrong or unidentifiable trends and patterns. Yes, and we mustn't forget that, but ...

Let's consider the attached task. It does look suspicious: the scales (the horizontal axes) on the four charts are not the same, and the countries seem somewhat random.

Let's not clutch our pearls еhough. Let's brainstorm for useful language and paraphrasing techniques.

🍋 Here is some useful language:

- the most exported fruit
- the main / leading exporter
- slightly less was sold by
- exported half the volume ... did
- showing ... metric tons in sales
- the largest suppliers in terms of total volumes
- the most prevalent type of fruit sold overseas
- lemons, traded internationally by Turkey and Mexico in almost the same volume

So if you get this task in your exam with different input data, you are ready language-wise, not to mention that many of these chunks will be useful for other tasks.

So my opinion is: It's OK to use IELTS tasks from the internet, but be alert -- use your good judgment and don't trust them blindly. I think it's better to learn to separate the wheat from the chaff than to rely on the meager four tests a year we see in the official IELTS books.

🍋 See two great answers for the attached task:

1. By a C2 level student: https://t.me/irinalutsenko/501

2. By me (along with many other answers): https://t.me/irinalutsenko/551

#IELTS tasks from the internet. Part 1.

There are a lot of IELTS tasks from real exams on the internet -- and I use them extensively in my classes.

One important thing to understand about these tasks though, is that they contain mistakes. They are reported and reconstructed by test takers from memory after all.

When I see the mistakes, I don't clutch my pearls. I use my good judgment.

For example, in the attached picture, the task phrasing is clearly wrong -- the picture clearly does not show the process of making clothes. No biggie. Let's just trust our eyes more than random internet sources and write this in the intro: "The diagram shows the process of recycling plastic bottles in order to make new products."

In my opinion, the mistakes don't render the tasks useless. That said, we need to be alert and to learn to spot the mistakes.

Because if we only use the official IELTS books, we'll only have four tasks a year. And that's just a drop in the ocean.

See two process descriptions by me, as well as many other answers, in a pdf collection here:

https://t.me/irinalutsenko/551

#IELTS Writing Task 1: simple yet less common grammar

As you know, the marathon record was officially broken yesterday, when Sabastian Sawe shattered the two-hour barrier in London.

As I was reading the articles, I was noticing one grammar pattern that I teach and that students are sometimes surprised by. Look:

1️⃣ Not long behind him was Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who was 11 seconds back in his debut marathon.

2️⃣ On Sawe’s heels for much of the race was Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia, who faded during the marathon’s final stretch to take second place.

3️⃣ In second place, 12 seconds back, was Kenya’s Hellen Obiri, while her compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei finished third.

What might be surprising is the inverted word order. Typically, in English, you would say, "Hellen Obiri was in second place," not "In second place was Hellen Obiri.

This inverted word order is common with prepositional phrases in the frontal position. You can use it for IELTS tasks with figures (ranking) and maps (location):

- In second place was ...

- Not far behind ... was ...

- Next to the office is a ...

- In front of the building is a ...

To practice, write an IELTS-like sentence about a real or imaginary task in the comments.

Sources: 1) The Irish Times; 2) CNN.

Two groups started recently:

1️⃣ IELTS

Level: B2/C1
Test date: December
Schedule: Sunday 10:30-12:00 Moscow time
Course instructor: Anastasia A.

More: https://m.vk.com/product-47977221_3696544

2️⃣ Writing with New Scientist (IELTS track)

Level: C1/C1+
Goal: Warm up before starting a full IELTS writing course in September
Schedule: Wednesday 12-13:30 Moscow time
Course instructor: Anastasia B.

More: https://m.vk.com/product-47977221_5061302

Not too late to join!

💌💌💌 @iraluts

ОБЭРИУты онлайн!

🖇Хочется поделиться с вами кусочком петербургской культуры! Как вы знаете, Петербург сходит с ума по обэриутам. Открылся отличный музей ОБЭРИУ в квартире Александра Введенского, а в театрах каждую неделю идёт какой-нибудь спектакль по прозе Даниила Хармса. 

🖇Март в книжном клубе прошел тоже под знаком обэриутов. Чат клуба взрывался от обсуждений, каждый день появлялся новый квиз, а модератор встречи Ирина Луценко купила примерно 10 обэриутских книг. Само живое обсуждение длилось больше двух часов!
Мы решили провести онлайн-встречу книжного клуба, чтобы и вам досталось немного нашей весны!

🖇Что вас ожидает: 
встреча в zoom + чат (детальная информация, общение и обсуждение)
Встреча состоится 16 мая (суббота) в 12.00. На ней мы обсуждаем прозу и стихи.

Литература для чтения (короткие произведения):
1. Владимир Глоцер "Марина Дурново: Мой муж Даниил Хармс" 
 2. Александр Введенский "Ёлка у Ивановых" (пьеса) 
3. Николай Заболоцкий "История моего заключения."
Список стихов вы найдете чате.

🖇Модератор встречи — Ирина Луценко, преподаватель английского, спикер конференций, евангелист Creative Writing и просто хороший человек. Обсуждение обэриутов стало одним из лучших за всю историю существования моего клуба. И это редкая возможность услышать, как Ирина говорит на русском. 

Итак, встречаемся онлайн:
📍16.05
📍12.00
📍Zoom (ссылка появится накануне)
📍Принять участие, попасть в чат: ЛС @vifslatofsla

Читаем, обсуждаем! Ура!
---------
📚 Изнанка 📚

жили были в Ангаре
     три девицы на горе
     звали первую светло
     а вторую помело
     третьей прозвище Татьяна
     так как дочка капитана
...

Это Александр Введенский, авторитет бессмыслицы. А ещё Хармс, Заболоцкий, Олейников - наши любимые ОБЭРИУты. 💜

Приходите читать и обсуждать эту ... бессмыслицу? Вместе и решим.

#IELTS Writing Task Response mistake ❗️

As usual, before I explain the mistake, I will illustrate it – see if you can notice it.

Topic: “Some people believe that children that commit crimes should be punished. Others think the parents should be punished instead. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.”

I will give short, simplified examples for illustration purposes.

Paragraph 1️⃣: The reasoning behind the view that the punishment must be imposed on parents relies on two arguments. First, the offense might be seen as a direct result of upbringing …

Paragraph 2️⃣: I, however, do not consider these arguments convincing and believe that parents must not face any punishment. The main reason for this is that it is unfair to punish those who did not commit any crimes. More importantly, parents cannot be held accountable for their child’s upbringing because their child might have become susceptible to a negative influence elsewhere – for example, at school. …

Do you see what I did wrong in the second paragraph?

Instead of arguing in favor of the second point of view, I argued against the first point of view; i.e. instead of arguing that children must be punished, I argued that parents must not be punished.

Make sure you argue the actual view in the topic – not the just opposite of another view. ❗️

Lifehack: Look at the actual topic several times as you write.

See my full essay on this topic in a pdf collection of around 100 sample answers:

https://t.me/irinalutsenko/551

Writing Incubator - where writing skills hatch 🦋

"Writing Incubator" is a series of workshops by stellar professionals who love writing. Please welcome our third workshop of the season!

🦋 "Hedging in C2 Proficiency essays: good or evil?" By Alena Nikitina

Hedging is allegedly familiar to many. (Or is it?) But have you ever found yourself wondering how exactly you should use it? Let's be brutally honest: how many times have you completely forgotten to use hedging in an exam essay?

For CPE candidates, hedging might be a trap. We know we should use "might" or "tend to" , but do we hedge the summary of the input texts? The evaluation? Both? Neither? Get it wrong, and you sound either arrogant or uncertain. Get it right, and you demonstrate C2 precision.

In this 90-minute workshop, we are going to solve the dilemma and practice using this helpful tool in your writing. Stop guessing how to use hedging. Start writing with confidence.

📅 22 March, Sunday, 11:00 am MSK, Zoom

💌 The workshop is free. To join, message me @iraluts with a meaningful ending to this comment, "Wow, I can't miss this one! I'd love to join because ... ."

❗️ Please note that this is a workshop, not a webinar or a lecture. If you join, you have to write. "Ghosts" will be kicked out. We don't record our workshops, so this is a safe space to participate.