Tutor: Nguyen Huu Le Loc

May 29, 2023

REVISION
1. WRITING TASK I
American-born women had more babies during the pandemic
College-educated women saw the biggest increase, reversing years of decline.

Birth rates often fall during hard times, but the covid-19 pandemic was no ordinary
economic downturn. On the one hand, people might hesitate to procreate amid such upheaval;
on the other, the opportunity to work from home could make parenting more enticing. During
the dark days of lockdowns, no one knew which of these effects would be greater.
At first glance, the data from America suggest that covid did prompt a small baby
bust. Birth counts fell from 3.75m in 2019 to 3.62m in 2020, and rebounded only partway to
3.67m in 2021. However, a new study by Martha Bailey, Janet Currie and Hannes Schwandt
reaches the surprising conclusion that despite this apparent decline, fertility rates among
women born in America actually rose during the pandemic—the first big annual increase
since 2007.
The first clue that data on total births might be misleading was the timing of the drop.
Birth counts fell in early 2020, but most babies conceived after covid struck America in
March 2020 would have been due in 2021. The study suggests instead that what changed in
2020 was not whether women gave birth, but where.

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May 29, 2023

In 2019, 23% of newborns in America had foreign-born mothers. Breaking down the
data on pandemic-era births by mothers’ origin, the researchers found a striking discrepancy:
foreign-born women gave birth to 91,000 fewer babies than pre-pandemic trends would
suggest, whereas native-born ones had 46,000 more.
The study did not assess how much of the dip stemmed from fewer foreign-born
women entering the country and then giving birth, and how much from immigrants already in
America deciding to leave. But given that America closed its borders for non-essential travel
in 2020, a reduction in new arrivals—including those who visit briefly to have an American-
citizen child, and then leave—seems more likely.

The researchers speculated that the shift to remote work explained much of native-
born women’s rise in fertility. The increase was most marked among the college-educated,
who are more likely to be able to work from home, in a country without any paid maternity-

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May 29, 2023
leave requirement or child-care subsidy.
The baby bump may be temporary. But continued flexibility for couples to spend time
with their babies might mean they make more of them in future too.
(Chart sources: “The covid-19 baby bump: the unexpected increase in US fertility rates in
response to the pandemic”, by M.J. Bailey, J. Currie and H. Schwandt, National Bureau of
Economic Research, 2022, working paper; National Centre for Health Statistics;
kidscount.org)
Which words / phrases in the passage mean the following?
1. increase
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2. decrease
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3. cause
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4. result from
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VOCABULARY

New words Meaning Examples

1. reverse (v) to change the direction, order, College-educated women saw the
/rɪˈvɜːrs/ position, result, etc. of something to biggest increase, reversing years of
its opposite decline.
2. downturn (n) a reduction in the amount or success
There is evidence of a downturn in
/ˈdaʊntɜːrn/ of something, such as a country's
the housing market.
[SYN] economic activity
a downturn in sales/trade/business
downswing
3. procreate (v) to produce young While priests were denied the right to
/ˈprəʊkrieɪt/ marry and procreate, he said, their
situation would remain impossible.

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May 29, 2023
4. amid (prep) ≈ among ... people might hesitate to procreate
amid such upheaval.
5. upheaval (n) a great change, especially causing or I'm not sure it's worth the upheaval
/ʌpˈhiː.vəl/ involving much difficulty, activity, or of moving to gain just a little more
trouble space.
6. enticing (a) Something that is enticing attracts
an enticing smile
/ɪnˈtaɪ.sɪŋ/ you to it by offering you advantages
an enticing job offer
≈ alluring or pleasure

7. prompt (v) to make something happen ... covid did prompt a small baby
≈ cause (v) bust.

Sources:
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail
https://www.reuters.com/
2. PRACTICE
The graph below shows the proportion of four different materials that were recycled from
1982 to 2010 in a particular country.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Sample:
The line graph illustrates the percentage of four things – paper & cardboard, glass containers,
aluminum cans and plastics – that were recycled in an unspecified country between 1982 and
2010. Overall, when compared to 1982, the total percentage of recycling increased over the

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May 29, 2023
years.
While the amount / proportion of recycled aluminum cans and plastics had seen a steady
increase, paper & cardboard and glass containers had some fluctuations until 1994. The
percentage of recycled aluminum cans increased from just 5% in 1983 to 45% in 2010.
Plastics recycling also saw an improvement from less than 5% to 9% in 2010. In contrast,
glass container reuse had initially fallen by 10% in 8 years but then, from 1990 it had a steady
rise and reached 60% in 2010. Paper & cardboard recycling had also seen fluctuations in the
beginning but then reached its peak at 80% in 1994 and then steadily dropped to reach 70%
in 2010. Even though there were fluctuations in the recycling rate of paper and cardboard and
glass containers over the given period, the general trend was upward. While paper and
cardboard were the most recycled items throughout the given period, plastic was the least
recycled thing.
3. IELTS WRITING TASK 2
* Giving examples
- Question 1: Nowadays many people complain that they have difficulties getting
enough sleep.
What problems can lack of sleep cause? What can be done about lack of sleep?
- Ideas: Problems caused by lack of sleep:
a. poor concentration (major problem in jobs requiring concentration, e.g.
doctors, drivers)
b. poor health (body needs sleep to rejuvenate / lack of sleep can help cause
diabetes, cancer)
- Examples (supporting sentences):
a. _______________________________________________________________
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b. _______________________________________________________________
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* Practice
- Question 2: It is the responsibility of schools to teach children good behavior in
addition to providing formal education. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
- Ideas 1: “providing formal education”
a. _______________________________________________________________
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May 29, 2023
b. _______________________________________________________________
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- Examples 1:
a. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________
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- Ideas 2: “teach children good behavior”
a. _______________________________________________________________
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b. _______________________________________________________________
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- Examples 2:
a. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________
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* Improving the Topic Sentence
As indicated, a topic sentence introduces the topic and the controlling idea about that topic.
However, it is not enough merely to have a topic and a controlling idea. The controlling idea
should be clear and focused on a particular aspect; for example, consider the following topic
sentence:
Drinking coffee is bad.
This sentence has a topic – drinking coffee – and a controlling idea – bad – but it is rather
vague.
In what way is coffee bad?
For whom or what is it bad?
Is drinking only a little coffee bad, or is drinking a lot of coffee bad?
As you can see, this topic sentence leaves a lot of questions that probably cannot be answered
effectively in one paragraph. This topic sentence needs more focus, and that focus can come
from the controlling idea:
Drinking over four cups of coffee a day can be harmful to pregnant women.

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May 29, 2023
Read the following weak topic sentences. Rewrite each one to make it more specific. You
can narrow down the topic and/ or the controlling idea. The first one is done for you.
a. The Honda Civic is an excellent automobile.
→ The Honda Civic is economical to maintain.

b. My hometown is a wonderful place.

→ __________________________________________________________________

c. Exercise is good for you.

→ __________________________________________________________________

d. Driving a car can be hazardous.

→ __________________________________________________________________

e. There are many interesting things to do at the park.

→ __________________________________________________________________

* Academic language spotlight: Hedging

An important feature of academic writing is the concept of cautious language, often called
“hedging” or “vague language”. In other words, it is necessary to make decisions about the
strength of the claims you are making.

Add hedging expressions to make the following sentences less assertive.

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May 29, 2023
a. The long-term consumption of the typical high-sugar, high-calorie American diet will
lead to a variety of health problems.
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b. Eating organically grown food will improve people’s health.
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c. Extensive reading helps students to improve their vocabulary.
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d. Children’s excessive consumption of fast food is the reason why the rate of childhood
obesity is increasing dramatically.
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* Claims or facts?
a. Students will not be able to improve their communication skills through online
learning programs.
b. In spending their own money, young students might have to make sensible decisions
on their expenditure.
→ __________________________________________________________________

* Defend your argument with a counterclaim

- Step 1: Brainstorm & choose best argument
What is the strongest claim they can use against you?
- Step 2: Counterclaim (explain)
The opposing side may state …
While it may be true that …
- Step 3: Rebuttal

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May 29, 2023
That is an understandable concern; however, …
Yet, in reality …
Example:
- Claim: Cell Phones should be allowed in the classroom.
- Counterclaim: Cell Phones should not be allowed in the classroom.
Explain:
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- Rebuttal:
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* Avoid logical fallacy
Example 1:
The opposing side may argue that dad is allergic so we can't get a dog. Although true, aren't
parents supposed to put their child first? How come dad's needs come before mine? When did
the earth start revolving around him?
Example 2:
Renewable energy is environmentally friendly. The use of fossil fuels not only emits
greenhouse gasses but other harmful pollutants as well. For example, using fossil fuels like
gas, coal to generate electricity does more than warm the climate, it also contaminates the air
and the water. Furthermore, as opposed to using fossil fuels, alternative energy releases very
little, or even no, emissions when used in production or running vehicles and it doesn’t cause
harm to the environment.
* Translation practice (Source: https://vietcetera.com/)
1. Quá nhiều đau thương sẽ dẫn đến chấn thương và bất lực. Nhưng quá ít nỗi đau cũng
dẫn tới tính vụ lợi và ích kỷ. Nhưng khi chịu đau ở mức độ vừa phải, bạn sẽ cảm nhận
được ý nghĩa cuộc sống. Từ đó, bạn xây dựng ý thức tự chủ và giá trị cá nhân - nền
móng của một tinh thần khỏe mạnh và hạnh phúc.
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May 29, 2023
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2. Các nghiên cứu nhìn chung đồng tình rằng, khi gặp thử thách mà bạn tin mình có thể
vượt qua, chúng sẽ tiếp thêm cho bạn động lực, dẫn đến cảm giác về ý nghĩa và thành
tựu. Nhưng với những khó khăn khiến bạn bất lực, bạn sẽ mất tinh thần.
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3. Một nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra rằng, những vận động viên tin tưởng vào chính mình có
thành tích thi đấu tốt hơn các đồng đội có niềm tin tiêu cực về khả năng của họ.
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4. Nếu muốn làm điều gì đó phi thường, bạn phải thoải mái chấp nhận sự khác biệt với
số đông.
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5. Nhiều nghiên cứu chỉ ra rằng những ngôi trường dành cho học sinh thuộc các hộ gia
đình có thu nhập thấp hoặc trung bình thường dạy cho trò luôn luôn phải lắng nghe,
nhắc lại ý của giáo viên.
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6. Trong khi đó, những ngôi trường dành cho các giai tầng cao hơn thường giáo dục cho
học sinh có tư duy độc lập, phản biện, lịch sự mà không nhất thiết phải làm theo lời
của giáo viên 100% hay phải chiều lòng họ.
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7. Ưu tiên và đối xử tốt với bản thân không đồng nghĩa với ích kỷ. Chính nhờ biết
thương mình, mình mới có thể thương người khác. Mình phải chăm sóc sức khỏe tinh
thần của mình thì mới có được những mối quan hệ chất lượng trong đời.
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May 29, 2023
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* Note
TA
● Number of words = …/ 250
● Relevance to Question = …%
● Ideas
vs Topic Relevance = …%
● Clarity of Ideas = …%
● Repetition of Ideas = …%
● Completion of Task =
● Address all the parts of the Question = …
● Introduction = …
● Conclusion = …
● Position of user = NEUTRAL
● Examples supporting Ideas = …%
LR
● Spelling errors = …
● Word Choice relevance to topic = …%
● Vocabulary diversity = …
● Word repetition
● Repeated words frequency = …
● Command on words used = …%
● Collocations used = …
● Formal Language = …/100.0%
CC
● Paragraphing = …
● Logical Progression = …%
● Readability (Understandability) = …
● Usage of Cohesive devices = …
● Adequate Referencing = Neutral
(Yes / No)
GR&A

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May 29, 2023
● Consistency in usage of Tenses = …%
● Grammatical Errors = …
● Punctuation = …%
● Apt Capitalization = …%
● Sentence Structure Mix (Use a good variety of appropriate sentence structure)
● Simple sentences = …
● Complex sentences = …
● Compound sentences = …
● Conditional sentences = …
● Compound-Complex = …
● Accurate usage of Vocabulary = …%

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