IELTS Vocabulary: good essay phrases

Let's review the good vocabulary from the essay that I shared on Wednesday. It was full of
'less common' collocations and phrases.
 with broad implications for
 may have its dangers
 the negative implications
 the cloning of humans
 genetically modified crops
 damage whole ecosystems
 foods become resistant to
 natural predators
 humans could be modified or cloned
 provide body part replacements
 would be unprecedented
 a more optimistic prediction
 mitigate the risks
 genetic technologies
 famine in developing countries
 can be grown in harsh conditions
 from a medical perspective
 produce vaccines
 cure diseases
 to correct a genetic defect
 if properly regulated
 the cloning of individual organs
 for transplant purposes
 have a positive impact on our lives
 people's fears will be unwarranted
IELTS Vocabulary: from yesterday's answers
You don't really need to impress the examiner with 'less common' vocabulary in part 1 of the
speaking test. However, without trying to show off, I used some nice words and phrases in the
answers that I shared yesterday:
 I'd like to think that = I hope
 in ten years' time = ten years from now
 I can't imagine changing profession (imagine + ing)
 essential
 field of work
 research is being done
 is published in English
 see more of the world (see the world = travel to many countries)
 it would be nice to
 travel extensively
 at some point
 when I'm retired
 make progress
 in terms of my home life
 what technologies come along (come along = appear / emerge)
 in the next decade or two
Notice that I tend to highlight collocations (groups of words) rather than individual words e.g.
"make progress" (verb + noun collocation) instead of just "progress".
IELTS Grammar: using the word 'mere'
Look at the sentence below. Is the word 'mere' used correctly?
6.1% of women in Scotland were unemployed in 2013, and this figure rose by a mere of 0.6%
one year later.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

IELTS Grammar: to + ing

You've probably been taught not to write things like "to having" or "to doing". But this grammar
'rule' doesn't always work.
For example, here's a correct sentence that I wrote in a recent lesson:
 I was always a bit shy when it came to having my photo taken.
"when it comes to + ing" is a normal construction in English, and there are several other
constructions that break the rule. Click here to see some of them.

IELTS Writing Task 1: checklist

Here's my preparation checklist for writing task 1. Can you put a tick next to each point on the
list?
1. Know what the six types of question are (e.g. line graph...).
2. Try several real test examples of each type.
3. Know the 4-paragraph method suggested in lessons on this site.
4. Practise paraphrasing the question to write introductions.
5. Understand why we don't write a conclusion for task 1.
6. Know how to write an 'overview', and what to include in this paragraph.
7. Practise selecting key information, rather than describing everything.
8. Be able to write good 'comparing' sentences.
9. Be able to describe changes and trends (e.g. increase, decrease).
10. Be able to use the passive to describe steps in a process.
Note: I shared this checklist a couple of years ago, but I think it's worth looking at again (if
you've seen it before).
Thursday, June 01, 2017

IELTS Writing Task 1: verb tenses

Let's have a look at the different verb tenses that I used in last week's answer.
Present simple - to describe what the graph shows us now
 the line graph compares
 a strong correlation is suggested (passive)

Past simple - to describe past years e.g. 2000 to 2011

 prices of both oil and food rose
 the trends for both commodities were very similar
 the average global oil price was close to $25
 the food price index stood at just under 90 points
 both prices remained relatively stable
 the average oil price rose once again
 the food price index reached its peak
 a dramatic increase in both commodity prices was seen (passive)

Past perfect - to describe what happened before and up to a past time

 By 2007, the average oil price had more than doubled
 and (by 2007) food prices had risen by around 50 points

Past perfect and past simple in the same sentence

 By the beginning of 2009 the price of oil had dropped by roughly $90, and the food price
index was down by about 80 points.