This PPT contains various pieces of advice for improving your IELTS score. It looks at specific problems and areas for improvement among all IELTS students. Check out http://www.ted-ielts.com and http://www.davidteaching.blogspot.com for more IELTS and ESL help.

1. Improving your
Language for
IELTS
Avoiding common mistakes
and boosting your language
skills

2. Avoid Using the Word “Very”
 Why?
 Because it is too simple and shows a lack of
lexical resource (vocabulary)
 It can sound repetitive
 It shows a lack of imagination
 Instead, use some better words with the same
meaning as “very _________.”

4. Avoid Other Types of Repetition
 Read through your essay carefully and ask,
“Do I use the same words too often?”
 Look for visual patterns.
 Look at your use of common words like
articles and pronouns.
 Are the meanings correct and clear?
 It is better to be clear than incorrect.
 Always view repetition as a chance to improve
your vocabulary through synonyms.

5. Practice
Improve this boring paragraph:
 My boss is very annoying because my boss
always wants the office to be very clean. My
boss is very serious about having us make
the office very neat. When my boss gets very
worried it’s not long before he becomes very
angry. When that happens, I get very afraid of
my boss.

6. Practice
Here are the problems:
 My boss is very annoying because my boss
always wants the office to be very clean. My
boss is very serious about having us make
the office very neat. When my boss gets very
worried it’s not long before he becomes very
angry. When that happens, I get very afraid of
my boss.

7. Practice
This is how it can be improved:
 My boss is insufferable because he always
wants the office to be spotless. He is
determined to keep the office immaculate.
When he gets anxious it’s not long before he
becomes furious. When that happens, I
become terrified of him.

8. Paraphrasing
paraphrase
/ˈparəfreɪz/
To express the meaning of something using different
words, especially to achieve greater clarity

9. Develop Your Paraphrasing
Why?
 Paraphrasing is important for the introduction.
You should not repeat any part of the question
except maybe a few words of key vocabulary.
 Remember, you are being assessed on your
own use of English.

10. How to Paraphrase
1. Underline key words in the text and think of
synonyms.
2. It may be difficult to change a word, but you
can still change related parts of speech.
1. For example, “a decrease”  “to decrease”
3. Rewrite using your notes to avoid repeating
the same grammar and vocabulary as the
test paper.

11. How to Paraphrase
4. Make sure that you truly understand the
meaning of a question.
5. Think of the text’s main idea and try to
summarize it.
6. Read for general understanding and not
specific phrases.

12. Practice
 Look at the IELTS Writing Task 1 question on
the following slide.
 How would you paraphrase the question?
 Don’t worry about the actual data in the line
graph. Just focus on the question.

13. The graph below shows population figures
for India and China since the year 2000 and
predicted population growth up until 2050.
Summarise the information by selecting and
reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.

14. Practice
 The graph below shows population figures for
India and China since the year 2000 and
predicted population growth up until 2050.
 The graph shows how the populations of India
and China have changed since 2000 and how
they will change in the future

15. Practice
Let’s look at a sample Task 2 question now:
 Some people think that money is one of the most
essential factors in promoting happiness.
 Do you think people can be happy without
money?
 What other factors contribute to happiness?

16. Practice
Some people think that money is one of the
most essential factors in promoting happiness.
Money is considered by many people to be one
of the most important factors in a happy life.

17. More Ways to Improve
Some common mistakes or areas for improvement of
your IELTS score

18. Avoid Emotive Language
 Emotive language is language that sounds
like it is stating a fact, but is actually
presenting an opinion.
 ie An innocent bystander was viciously attacked
by a drunken idiot.
 It is very common in newspapers and some
political propaganda.

20. Example
 Non-emotive version: Another person in the
bar was injured by the man's glass.
 Emotive version: An innocent bystander
suffered facial injuries when the thug
launched his glass across the bar.

21. Avoid Overgeneralizations
 Remember that not everyone can agree, so
reflect this in your writing.
 Try to limit use of everyone, all, always, never
 There is no need to say, “As we all know…”

22. Know Your Cohesive Devices
 Use words that show your reader where your
essay is going.
 Make sure that your essay has a logical flow.
 Use a range of devices, not just the basics,
and use them accurately.
 Be consistent with these devices.

24. Be Accurate
 In English there is a big difference between the
“almost right” word and the right word.
 Make sure you know the exact meaning of
every word of vocabulary that you use.
 Guess in your practice; be sure in your exam
 Be informed and be confident.
 Note: A good vocabulary means using the right
word, not the longest word.

25. Avoid Direct Language
Translation
 Try not to think in your native language and
translate to English.
 In English, for example, we can’t start a sentence
with “and” or “but” or “because.” In Chinese, you
can.
 Learn to think in English. Learn from reading and
listening.

26. Avoid Direct Language
Translation
Be careful of translating certain common terms too
directly:
 高科技 isn’t “high technology,” but “advanced
technology”
政府应该关注这个问题。
 We also don’t really say “pay attention to” in the same
sense.
Instead:
 “Governments should prioritise this issue”
“Governments should make this issue a priority” would
work too.

27. Avoid “IELTS Phrases”
 IELTS phrases are clichés or overused
phrases commonly found in IELTS essays.
Often, training schools and textbooks teach
these but they are not helpful to you.
 Avoid them. Use your own words.

28. Avoid IELTS Phrases
 “With the development of modern
technology…”
 “With the development of society…”
 “With the development of science and
technology…”
 Don’t use these. They are very annoying for
examiners.

29. Avoid IELTS Phrases
 “Every coin has two sides…”
 “It’s a double-edged sword…”
 These are clichés. They sound like
memorized phrases.

30. Avoid IELTS Phrases
 “Last but not least…”
 “In a nutshell…”
 These are too informal. The first one refers to
introducing people. It’s not a way of
concluding an essay.

31. Avoid IELTS Phrases
 “It cannot be denied…”
 Oh really?!?!?! I disagree.

32. Avoid IELTS Phrases
 “….broaden my horizons…”
 This is grossly overused.

33. Avoid IELTS Phrases
 “colorful life”
 This is not good English. A native speaker
would not say this.