Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Full Ebook of Developing Writing Skills For Ielts A Research Based Approach 1St Edition Sin Wang Chong Online PDF All Chapter
Full Ebook of Developing Writing Skills For Ielts A Research Based Approach 1St Edition Sin Wang Chong Online PDF All Chapter
https://ebookmeta.com/product/innovation-in-learning-oriented-
language-assessment-first-puplished-edition-sin-wang-chong/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/ethics-for-everyone-a-skills-based-
approach-1st-edition-larry-r-churchill/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/new-art-and-science-of-teaching-
writing-research-based-instructional-strategies-for-teaching-and-
assessing-writing-skills-1st-edition-kathy-tuchman-glass/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/grammar-for-ielts-writing-a-
handbook-1st-edition-david-s-wills/
Stress Management for Life: A Research-Based
Experiential Approach, 5th Edition Michael Olpin
https://ebookmeta.com/product/stress-management-for-life-a-
research-based-experiential-approach-5th-edition-michael-olpin/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/psychology-research-methods-a-
writing-intensive-approach-1st-edition-elizabeth-brondolo/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/barron-s-writing-for-the-ielts-1st-
edition-lin-lougheed/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/operations-research-a-model-based-
approach-3rd-edition-h-a-eiselt/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/competency-based-teacher-education-
for-english-as-a-foreign-language-theory-research-and-
practice-1st-edition-amber-yayin-wang-editor/
DEVELOPING WRITING
SKILLS FOR IELTS
A Research-Based Approach
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Support Material
Acknowledgements
Part I
Part II
Index
SUPPORT MATERIAL
Xuejun Ye
Faculty of Humanities
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Part I
1 Introduction to IELTS and
IELTS Writing
What is IELTS?
IELTS, the International English Language Testing
System, managed by the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), the British
Council, and the Australian International
Development Programme (IDP), is designed to
measure the language proficiency of candidates who
need entry to study or work in the United Kingdom
and other English-speaking countries.
What are the Two IELTS Test Types?
The IELTS test consists of two forms: the Academic
test (or module) and the General Training test (or
module). Test-takers choose the module according to
the purpose of taking the test. Generally speaking,
people take the Academic module in order to satisfy
the language entrance requirement of academic
programmes offered by post-secondary institutions
and universities which use English as the medium of
instruction or fulfil the professional requirements in
their workplace. For people who expect to join
professional associations in nursing, medicine, law,
or engineering, they may also be required to take
this academic version of IELTS to become a member
of a professional body in an English-speaking
country. However, for people who aspire to enrol in
vocational courses, secondary schools or, for
immigration purposes, these individuals are required
to take the General Training module. The
government authorities of English-speaking
countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand,
the United States, and the United Kingdom, often
demand and accept an IELTS score of the General
Training certificate to prove the language
competence of the applicants.
Diverse levels of English are required by different
bodies such as governments, tertiary education
institutions, and companies around the globe,
depending on their specific objectives. Candidates
can get a score between 1 and 9. Half scores such as
5.5 can be given. University applicants often need an
IELTS score of 6 or above to guarantee a successful
admission to a tertiary programme. Some university
programmes may also require a minimum score in
each of the four parts, especially in speaking and
writing. It is therefore very significant to make full
preparations before taking the Academic IELTS
exam. The IELTS test scores of both Academic and
General Training modules are valid for two years
from the day the results are released to the
candidates.
What are the Four Parts of an IELTS Test?
The IELTS test (both Academic and General Training
modules) is divided into four parts: reading, writing,
listening, and speaking. The Academic and General
Training modules have both similarities and
differences: the format and content of listening and
speaking tests are precisely the same but the reading
and writing tests are different. The total test time is
approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. Test-takers
need to complete Listening, Reading, and Writing on
one day, while they can choose to take the Speaking
test on the same day or a few days before or after
the other tests. For detailed information regarding
IELTS test format, you can refer to the official IELTS
website: https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/test-
format.
What is the Academic Writing Test?
The Academic Writing test, which comprises two
separate tasks, is 60 minutes long in total.
Candidates are expected to write at least 150 words
for Task 1 within around 20 minutes and at least 250
words for Task 2 within about 40 minutes. In IELTS
Academic Task 1, candidates are normally asked to
employ their own words to describe stages of a
process, describe and explain data, describe a
mechanism (e.g., a manufacturing process), or write
about an object or event, according to the materials
presented. In IELTS Academic Task 2, test-takers are
usually required to discuss a point of view, an
argument or a problem. Candidates may sometimes
be asked to give solutions to a problem, present and
justify an opinion, compare and contrast opinions,
and evaluate arguments depending on the question
type.
Introduction to IELTS Rubrics
The IELTS writing rubrics for Academic module Tasks
1 and 2 are made freely available on the internet.1
According to the rubrics, there are four domains:
task achievement, coherence and cohesion, lexical
resource, and grammatical range and accuracy.
Comparing the descriptors of the four domains of the
two tasks, descriptors of two of the domains are
identical, namely ‘lexical resource’ and ‘grammatical
range and accuracy’, while slight differences are
noted in the domains ‘task achievement’ and
‘coherence and cohesion’.
In this section, a brief introduction to each of the
four domains will be given in accordance with the
key words generated from a word cloud website. A
more detailed explanation of the descriptors of each
domain will be provided from Chapter 3 to Chapter
10.
chart/graph
table
charts/graphs
map/diagram/infographics
T1-01
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graph below gives information about the
number of academic jobs in some humanities
and social sciences disciplines between 2012
and 2014.
Summarise the information by selecting and
reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
An example of a table question
T1-35
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The table below gives information about
languages which can be learned through
participating in online courses.
Summarise the information by selecting and
reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
T1-26
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The charts below show information about
different types of social welfare benefits
between 1995 and 2015.
Summarise the information by selecting and
reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
T1-09
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The diagram below gives information about
the process of making soap and detergent.
Summarise the information by selecting and
reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soap_a
nd_Detergent_manufacturing_process_03.png
Table 1.1 presents the 29 themes identified from the
question analysis according to their number of
instances.
Number of
Question Theme Example Topic Instances
1 Economy global sale of hybrid vehicles 36
2 Age and gender male and female workers in 25
several employment
sectors
3 Manufacturing manufacture frozen fish pies 22
4 Education overseas and local students 18
in Australian universities
5 Science and the number of people using 13
technology the internet
6 City development development plan of a town 11
centre
7 Environment the consequences of 11
deforestation
8 Tourism Japanese tourists travelling 11
abroad
9 Work unemployment rates in the 11
US and Japan
10 Socio-cultural marriage and divorce rates 10
issues
11 Resources the sources of generated 9
electricity
12 Population changes in world population 8
13 Traffic underground railway systems 8
14 Health overweight rates 7
15 Language foreign languages learning 7
16 Climate average monthly rainfall and 5
temperature
17 Public’s opinions survey results about visitors’ 5
satisfactory rates
18 Sales sales at a small restaurant 4
19 Crime injuries resulted from gun 3
and knife crimes
20 Leisure concert, cinema, and theatre 3
tickets
21 Media social media businesses 3
22 Agriculture grain harvested 2
23 Communication total number of minutes of 2
telephone calls
24 Food fast food consumption of 2
men and women
25 Social giving money to charity 2
responsibility
26 Airline Business airlines and aspects of air 1
travel
27 Animals life cycle of salmon 1
28 Art art museum before and after 1
renovation
29 Location location of a village 1
Number of
Question Theme Example Topic Instances
1 Education universities should accept 36
equal numbers of male and
female students
2 Work an appropriate retirement 25
age
3 Food and health junk food advertising 23
contributes to the problem
of obesity
4 Socio-cultural and raising animals for human 23
global issues consumption is cruel
5 Age, generation, insufficient respect shown to 21
and gender older people
6 Science, modern technology has made 18
technology, and it easier to download
innovation copyrighted music and
books without charge
7 Media and mass media have great 15
communication influence on shaping
people’s ideas
8 Government, many governments think that 14
politics, and economic progress is their
diplomacy most important goal
9 Environment recycle household waste 12
10 Lifestyle modern lifestyle makes 11
parents spend little time
with their children
11 Traffic the use of private motor 11
vehicles
12 Economy, money, money spent on space 10
and trade research
13 Crime, capital punishment is 9
punishment, and necessary
law
14 Leisure, sports, popular events like the Word 9
and hobbies Cup are essential
15 Language learn foreign languages in 8
order to travel or work
16 Travelling and eco-tourism is expanding 7
tourism
17 Population population living in cities has 4
increased substantially
18 Art and museums creative artists should be 2
given the freedom to
express their ideas
19 City development migration from rural areas to 2
cities
20 Climate the government’s 2
responsibility to deal with
climate change
21 Ethics testing drugs and new 2
products on animals
22 Animals many people keep dogs and 1
cats as companions
Why This Book?
Unlike a wide range of published IELTS writing
textbooks on the market, which largely focus on the
development of students’ writing skills (especially
grammatical accuracy), this book is intended to
foster students’ understanding and evaluative
judgment of IELTS writing assessment standards,
which serves as a complement to the existing IELTS
writing resources. It is the authors’ belief that test-
takers can achieve a more satisfactory score in IELTS
writing if they have internalised IELTS writing
assessment standards (in addition to a firm language
foundation). Therefore, it is suggested that both
teachers and students combine the two types of
writing resources when preparing for IELTS.
Specifically, readers can benefit tremendously from
the book’s clear categorisation of question types and
its inclusion of authentic exemplars written by
university students. Through incorporating more and
less successful writing samples, readers can sharpen
their understanding of what good quality writing
looks like. Moreover, they are expected to make
targeted improvements by referring to the comments
provided by the authors (e.g., in Chapters 11–12).
Notes
1 Assessment standards of IELTS writing Tasks 1 and 2
(Academic module) can be retrieved at
https://www.britishcouncil.it/sites/default/files/ielts_guide_for
_teachers_italy.pdf.
2 The same question may be coded under more than one
theme.
3 The same question may be coded under more than one
theme.
2 Use of Exemplars
Q&A on Theory and Research
92 Ib. 252.
The precepts which he gives for the matter of the “descriptive
phrase,” or, as it is termed in the language of the Aristotelian
logicians, the “differentia,” are, for the most part, results of the
general rule, that the most fixed characters which can be found are
to be used; this rule being interpreted according to all the knowledge
of plants which had then been acquired. The language of the rules
was, of course, to be regulated by the terminology, of which we have
already spoken.
94 Ib. 261.
95 Ib. 260.
But beginning from this line, we may construct our systems with
two opposite purposes, according as we endeavor to carry our
assumed principle of division rigorously and consistently through the
system, or as we wish to associate natural families of a wider kind
than genera. The former propensity leads to an artificial, the latter to
a natural method. Each is a System of Plants; but in the first, the
emphasis is thrown on the former word of the title, in the other, on
the latter.
The Linnæan system of plants was more definite than that of 396
Tournefort, which was governed by the corolla; for number is more
definite than irregular form. It was more readily employed than any of
those which depend on the fruit, for the flower is a more obvious
object, and more easily examined. Still, it can hardly be doubted, that
the circumstance which gave the main currency to the system of
Linnæus was its physiological signification: it was the Sexual
System. The relation of the parts to which it directed the attention,
interested both the philosophical faculty and the imagination. And
when, soon after the system had become familiar in our own country,
the poet of The Botanic Garden peopled the bell of every flower with
“Nymphs” and “Swains,” his imagery was felt to be by no means
forced and far-fetched.
The admirers of Linnæus, the English especially, were for some time
in the habit of putting his Sexual System in opposition to the Natural
Method, which about the same time was attempted in France. And
397 as they often appear to have imagined that the ultimate object of
botanical methods was to know the name of plants, they naturally
preferred the Swedish method, which is excellent as a finder. No
person, however, who wishes to know botany as a science, that is,
as a body of general truths, can be content with making names his
ultimate object. Such a person will be constantly and irresistibly led
on to attempt to catch sight of the natural arrangement of plants,
even before he discovers, as he will discover by pursuing such a
course of study, that the knowledge of the natural arrangement is the
knowledge of the essential construction and vital mechanism of
plants. He will consider an artificial method as a means of arriving at
a natural method. Accordingly, however much some of his followers
may have overlooked this, it is what Linnæus himself always held
and taught. And though what he executed with regard to this object
was but little, 97 the distinct manner in which he presented the
relations of an artificial and natural method, may justly be looked
upon as one of the great improvements which he introduced into the
study of his science.
97 The natural orders which he proposed are a bare enumeration
of genera, and have not been generally followed.
Thus in the Classes Plantarum (1747), he speaks of the difficulty
of the task of discovering the natural orders, and of the attempts
made by others. “Yet,” he adds, “I too have labored at this, have
done something, have much still to do, and shall labor at the object
as long as I live.” He afterwards proposed sixty-seven orders, as the
fragments of a natural method, always professing their
imperfection. 98 And in others of his works 99 he lays down some
antitheses on the subject after his manner. “The natural orders teach
us the nature of plants; the artificial orders enable us to recognize
plants. The natural orders, without a key, do not constitute a Method;
the Method ought to be available without a master.”
98 Phil. Bot. p. 80.
99 Genera Plantarum, 1764. See Prælect. in Ord. Nat. p. xlviii.
Again, the rule that the same parts are of very different value in
different Orders, not only leaves us in want of rules or reasons which
may enable us to compare the marks of different Orders, but
destroys the systematic completeness of the natural arrangement. If
some of the Orders be regulated by the flower and others by the
fruit, we may have plants, of which the flower would place them in
one Order, and the fruit in another. The answer to this difficulty is the
maxim already stated;—that no Character makes the Order; and that
if a Character do not enable us to recognize the Order, it does not
answer its purpose, and ought to be changed for another.