INTERMEDIATE COURSE

LESSON 02
Writing and Speaking

1
 Lesson 02

Introduction
I A quick guide to IELTS Writing and Speaking
test

IELTS Writing
II IELTS Writing Task 1 - Charts

III IELTS Speaking

Topic: Education

2
 IELTS WRITING TASK 1
● 60 minutes
● complete 2 tasks
○ task 1 ~ 20 minutes
■ 150 - 200 words
■ accounts for ⅓ of your total writing score
○ task 2 ~ 40 minutes
■ 250 - 300 words
■ accounts for ⅔ of your total writing score
● use academic language

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 what are they asking you to do in a report?
=

●
●
describe the -
main points.
}
what the diagram looks like?
● no explanation needed. ← Personal opinions ✗
● --
what’s a diagram? → pictures that convey information, usually numbers.
-

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 kinds of chart questions
There are five different types of charts you may have to describe.
line graph
-

bar chart multiple

.
pie chart
.
charts

table
.
 You need to ask yourself if it is a static or dynamic chart

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←

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upward trend
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static graph dynamic graph
shows data from one time period shows change over time
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how are they marking you?
 =
process to maximize
your score

➢ read summary
➢ analyze trends ( if any )

➢ what are the main points?

➢ organize your paragraphs
 structure "

suggested: four paragraphs

moan.im
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(1) paraphrase
=→
(2) summary
overview -9T¥
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(3) + (4) main points & describe (x2)
,
- -
-
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body paragraphs
①
 paragraph 1: introduction

01 Sentence - Paraphrase Question

*
synonymy
1-
sentence
structures

↳ Paraphrasing is when we rewrite a phrase or sentence so that it has different

words or structures but keeps the same meaning. Example:
Question: ‘The chart below shows the changes in three different areas of crime in
Manchester city centre from 2003-2012.’

→ Paraphrased: ‘The line graph displays alterations for burglary, car theft and robbery in
the centre of Manchester between 2003 and 2012.’
Starting The
The given/supplied/presented/shown/provided

Chart Diagram/table/figure/illustration/graph/chart/data/information/pictorial/
process/map

Show Shows/represents/depicts/enumerates/illustrates/presents/gives/provides
/describes/expresses/compares/indicates/gives information on

Description The comparison of…/The differences…/The number of…/The proportion of…/The

amount of…/The percentages of.../How the...

From 2003 to between… and…

2012 from… to… (inclusive)
in the year (1994)
during/over the period of (...)/from….to/between...and
over the latter half of the year/century/decade/period…..
over the next/past/previous….
 paragraph 2: overview

● Sentence 1- Overview of first main feature

● Sentence 2- Overview of second main feature
● Sentence 3- Make general comparison, if appropriate
↳ An overview is a general statement, highlighting the most important information
in the table. It should not include any numbers.
↳ Important information could include general trends, increase/decreases,
differences, comparisons, etc.
 When we are looking at dynamic
graphs we should be looking out
for:
0
- What does the data do from
①
the start to the finish?
- Do they generally go up or
- down or do theyO fluctuate?
- Any significant difference
O
from the general trend?
- Overall increase/decrease?
- Peaks/lows?
d d
highest lowest
point point
 When we look at static graphs we
should be looking for:

- What are the highest/lowest

values?
exception - What are the most noticeable
* differences?
- Any similarities?
- Any significant exceptions?

g-
-- r¥¥
cc
 paragraph 3&4: Details of
significant feature 1&2
● Sentence 1- Supporting details
:
● Sentence 2- Supporting details
● Sentence 3- Supporting details/comparison details/exceptions, if appropriate
In this paragraph, you take the first general statement from paragraph 2 and support it
with details from the graph. You should be able to describe data, trends, comparisons
etc..
You then repeat this process for paragraph 4, only this time you describe the second
sentence in paragraph 2.
→ There may also be three significant features, in which case you can adjust the
structure slightly.
 You do not write a conclusion.
Conclusions are for opinion or
discursive essays and we are not
expected to do this in task 1.
task 1 vocabulary
 ¥¥⇒
vocabularies for writing task 1

I
describing increases
describing trends and decreases making comparisons

①
approximations,
summarising tenses percentages and
fractions
 describing trends
This may come up in a line graph, bar chart or when comparing more than one chart (typically dynamic
graphs).

There are two main grammatical structures we can use to describe trends.
 There + be + adj. + noun + in + noun phrase Noun phrase + verb + adverb

There was a gradual rise in the price of oil by at least 10 % The price of oil is predicted to rise dramatically in the next
between Aprile 1981 and April 1984 2 years
 describing increases and decreases

Noun phrase + verb + There + be + noun + in +

adverb noun phrase Using fractions
The price of property fell There was a sharp fall in The price of oil halved in
sharply. literacy levels in Uraigna less than a year.
between 1980 and 2000

More/few/less + noun + than
Overall, more people
preferred public transport
than taxis.
of one syllable -est.
The higher percentage of
commuters preferred taxis as
their regular means of
transportation.
making comparisons
More/less + adj. of more
of one syllable -er + than than one syllable + than
A higher number of people Public transport was a more
preferred public transport popular means than taxis
than taxis.
The most/least + adj. of
more than one syllable.
The least popular mode of
transport was buses in India;
only around 2 to 3 thousand
people chose to board it
yearly.
 summarizing

Your overview paragraph should contain two or three sentences

summarising the main features of the graph. In order to help you
do this, here are some short phrases.

● To summarise, the most marked change is….

● Overall, it is clear….
● Overall, the majority/minority….
● In sum, the most noticeable trend is….
 tenses

Look at the title of the chart and the information contained on both
axes to establish what time frame is used.

Example:

● If the time is one point in the past, for example from January
1990 to 2010, then we use the past tense.
● If it has predictions for the future, for example 2045, we use
future tenses.
● If there is no time, we use a simple present.
 1. Present Perfect:

We use this tense generally to talk about an action that

happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time
period is not important.

In writing task 1, we use this tense to talk about changes in

data that have happened over a period of time.

Example

The price of oil has fallen by $5 a barrel every week since range of tenses that
July.
2. Present Perfect Continuous
could be used in task
We use this tense to show that something started in the past
1
and has continued up until now.

Example

Noticeably, oil prices have been decreasing since July.

 3. Future Perfect

We use this tense to state that something will be finished by a

particular time in the future.

We often use it with ‘by’ or ‘in’.

Example

The price of oil will have reached $300 a barrel by 2030.

range of tenses that

4. Past Simple
could be used in task
Use this tense to talk about an action that started and finished
1
at a specific time in the past.

Example

The price of oil fell from $150 in Jan 2014 to $50 in Jan 2015.
 Approximations, Percentages and Fractions

fractions proportions
73%- nearly three quarters 70%- a large proportion

51%- just over a half 71%- a significant majority

49%- just under a half
15% a small minority
32%- nearly a third
3%- an insignificant minority
3%- a tiny fraction

50%- exactly a half

26%- roughly one quarter

49%- around a half

24%- almost a quarter

77%- approximately three quarters

extended vocabularies

homework assignment!
 advice

● use various sentence structures

● read lots
● write lots
● practice: verbs, adverbs → nouns, adjs
“the production of films → film productions”
“coffee from Vietnam → Vietnamese coffee”
● 2 TRENDS, 3 MAIN POINTS
RULES

● 150-200 WORDS
● SKIP LINES BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS
● KEEP IT SIMPLE
● CORRECTIONS
 COMMON MISTAKES

● adv vs. adj

● copying the summary
● misusing words/phrases
● NO question mark
● wrong verb tenses
● NO FIGURES in introduction & overview
● redundantly repeat word phrases/information
● main point lacks either comparison or trend language
IELTS SPEAKING
TOPIC: EDUCATION
POSSIBLE QUESTIONS
Your Education
● Describe your education
● What is your area of specialization
● Why did you choose to study that major?
● Do you like your major? ( Why?/ Why not?)
● What kind of school did you go to as a
child?
● What was your favourite subject as a child?
● Tell us one skill you learn and find useful at
school?
● What do you think about being bilingual?
Your Opinion about education system
● Do you think your country has an effective
education system?
● Are you looking forward to working?
● How are education priorities today
different from those in the past?
● Is a good education more important to a
boy or a girl? Why?
● How well do you think schools should
prepare young people for working in life?
● What do you prefer, single-gender or co-ed
schools?
● Do you think private school is better than
public school? Why or why not?
PRACTICE TIME!

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 Thanks!
Does anyone have any questions?

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