how to get a higher ielts score by building a positive image in the examiner''''''''s mind

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DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom
IELTSBlog.compresents:
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HowtogetahigherIELTSscore
bybuildingapositiveimageintheexaminer’smind
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Thisseriesoflessonswaspreparedby
DonnaMillenespeciallyforthe
eadersofr
)ELTSBlogcom
Thelessonsarebrilliantandwilldoamazing
hingsforyour)ELTSscoreifyoustudyandimplementthemt
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Youwilllearn:
Lesson#1
 ositivepsychologicalimpressiononyour(owtocreateap
)ELTSassessors

Lesson#2
(owtowriteaTaskreportthatwillimpressyourassessors
AcademicModule


Lesson#3:
 rthatwillimpressyourassessors(owtowriteaTasklette
GeneralTrainingModule
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Lesson#4
 linfluenceyourassessors(owtowriteaTaskessaythatwil
positivelyAcademicandGeneral
esson#5
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L
 testscoreby(owtoimproveyourSpeaking
connectingwithyourassessor

Lesson#6
(owtooptimizeyourperformanceintheListeningandReading
tests

DonnaMillencoauthoroftheCentreforEnglishLanguageintheUniversity
ofSouthAustralias)ELTSonTrackseriesofbooks
ieltsontrackcom
talks
aboutwhatmaycreateapositivepsychologicalimpressiononassessors
whomaybescoringtheWritingandSpeakinginterviewcomponentsof
your)ELTStest
More recommended resources

The following books are a great source of practice material across the four
test skills plus a variety of hints and strategies, and grammar and
vocabulary exercises to help with IELTS Writing.

IELTS On Track Test Practice Academic
(with audio CD)
Visit IELTS on Track website to view details
and order:












IELTS On Track Test Practice General Training
(with audio CD)
Visit IELTS on Track website to view details
and order:

To learn more about Donna Millen and her co-author, a former university professor and
IELTS researcher Stephen Slater, visit ieltsontrack.com.
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DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom
Lesson#1:Howtocreateapositive,psychological
impressiononyourIELTSassessors
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ImaginetheseIELTStestsituations:
Situation1
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Youaresittingoutsidethe)ELTSinterviewroom)tishottheairconditioningisnot
orkingproperlythe)ELTSassessorhasalreadyinterviewedcandidatesand
ouarenumberYouaretiredofwaitingtheintervieweristiredtoo
w
y
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Situation2
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Your)ELTSWritingTestpaperwithyourresponsesonitisatthebottomofapileof
thersThereareinthepileTheassessorhasjusthadtospendminutes
ookingforaparkingspace
o
l

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Situation3
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An)ELTSassessorisgivingtestscorestoacandidatetheyhavejustinterviewed
Theassessorisreadingtheassessmentcriteriabutisstillveryundecidedandis
avinggreatdifficultydecidingwhichwaytojumpontwoofthecriteriagoupto
rleavethescoresat
h
o
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Althoughtheactual
)ELTSassessmentcriteriaareconfidentialtheofficial)ELTS
websitedoesgivesomeindicationofwhattheycontainWhattheofficial)ELTS
ebsitedoesntcontainhoweverisanysenseofthoseaspectsofacandidatestestw
performancethathavesomeimpactontheassessorpsychologically

)notherwordswhatcancandidatesdotomakeanassessorfeelmorepositive
towardsthemThismaybeimportantbecauseiftheassessorisinanyserious
oubtaboutyourscorethemorepositivetheyfeeltowardsyoupsychologicallythed
moretheymaychoosethehigherscore
etstrytoidentifyoneortwopossiblegeneralfactors
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DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom

Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom
IELTSWRITINGTEST–TWOgeneralfactors
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Handwritingandlayout
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Thefirstthingtheassessorseesisyourhandwriting)fyourwritingisdifficultto
readhasmanythingscrossedoutnoparagraphsorpunctuationtocreateasenseof
organisationandstructurethenimmediatelytheassessorknowsthatyourwriting
isgoingtobemorechallengingtoreadandthatyouhavenotshownthatyouvalue
theassessoryourreaderandhavenotvaluedthereaderwriterrelationship
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Maturityofexpressionand‘voice’
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ThereisadifferencebetweenwritingsimpleclearEnglishandwritingEnglishthat
stoosimpleThe)ELTStestrequireswritingthatreflectsamaturewayofthinkingi
soifyourwritingseemsbabyishthentheassessorcantviewitsopositively

WhatmakeswritingbabyishOfcourseifyoudontknowmanyexpressionsand
cantcontrolthegrammarverywellthenthismaybepartoftheproblemAnother
eatureofthisbabyishwritinghoweveriswritingwhichisnotverypreciseorwith
deasthatarenotdevelopedenough
f
i
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C
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omparethesesentences:

1) People should do less work and spend more time with their family. It is
better.


2) It would perhaps improve the quality of family life if people with busy,
emanding jobs could find ways to spend more of their non-work time with
embers of their family, especially with children or elderly parents.
d
m
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DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom
PerhapsitisdifficultforyoutoachievethelevelofEnglishgrammaticalcomplexity
nsentenceunderthepressureoftimeinatestbutin)ELTSyoumighttryto
nginthatdirectioninordertomakeitseemmoremature
i
moveyourwriti

)notherwordstrytomakeyourwritingcontainmoredetailedandmore
preciseexpressionofthoughtsandideasThisprecisionandevidenceofthought
arecommunicatedinapsychologicallypositivewaytotheassessornotjustbecause
ofcorrectgrammarbutalsobecausetheyreflectanadultwayofthinkingaway
hatknowsthatunderstandinganddiscussinglifeissuesinthesocialworldis
ansimple
t
complexratherth

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Atthesametimeifyoucanbemoredetailedandprecise,thenyoucreateyour
ownwritten‘voice’whichmeansyourownuniquestyleofwritingThismeans
thattheassessorcanfeelyouasarealindividualnotjustasanother)ELTSanswer
Thishelpstoconnecttheassessortoyouandcreatesasignificantrelationship
betweenreaderandwriterwhichisusuallyapositivething
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DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom
IELTSInterview–TWOgeneralpoints
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Everymeetingbetweentwopeoplecreatesarelationship

)magineyouareinacoffeeshopandapleasantpersonatthenexttablestartstotalk
toyouYouwillprobablyseeyourselfasequaltothatotherpersonbecauseyou
arebothinacoffeeshopandbothdrinkingsomethingThishelpsyourconfidence
ndhelpsyoutofeelincontrolbothofyouremotionsandofwhatyouchooseto
ay
a
s
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Whenyouenterthe
IELTSinterviewroomitsagoodideaifyoucancreatethat
samefeelingitisameetingandyouhaveanopportunitytoconnectwiththe
assessorasaperson,atthesametimeasdoingtheinterview)fyouconnect

withtheassessorandpresentasapleasantconfidentadultratherthanasaschool
tudentsittingwithateacherthishelpstheassessorbothtoseeyoupositivelyas
nequalandtorelatetoyoumorepositively
s
a
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
YouareanequalnotanIELTSvictim.Yourbodylanguageneedstobenatural
andrelaxednotstiffyoushouldmakeeyecontactpleasantlyandconfidentlyYou
canchoosetotalkatarelaxedspeedratherthantoofastYoucantrytouse
ntonationtoshowhowyoufeelaboutwhatyouaresayingthiscommunicates
ourpersonalityyouruniqueness
i
y
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
Youmighttrytofindtherhythmandtimingofeachsectionofthetestandreflectit
backtotheassessorthisshowstheassessoryouarecooperatinginmakingtheir
jobofgettingthroughthetestsectionsinminuteseasieralmostlikeyouare
theassessorscoworkerAllthesethingscommunicateyourpersonalityand
createapositivesocialatmosphereThismakestheassessorfeelmore
comfortablepsychologicallytoo.
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
DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom

HelptheassessortogetastrongersenseofYOUandyour
personality.


)nthe
)ELTSinterviewtherearemanyopportunitiestotalkaboutyourownlifeand
cultureEveniftheassessorsquestionsseemabitmechanicalyoucanstilltryto
nswerthemasiftheyarepartofafriendlyconversationinwhichyouarehelping
heassessortoknowyouandyourcountryalittlebetter.
a
t
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
Youcanbeasortofteacher,awindowonyourlifeandcultureThisshows
confidenceandhelpsyoutoemergeasarealpersonauniquepersonnota
tereotypicalvoiceofyourownlanguageandculturerepeatingjustasetof
rdinaryanswers
s
o


Justlikeyou,theassessorishopingtomeetauniqueandmemorable
individualandhopingtogetasenseofyouruniquenesseventhoughtheyarealso
formallyassessingyourspokenlanguageYOUcanhelptheassessortoseeyou
positivelyasapersonandcanhelptheassessortofeelcomfortablewithyou
Youhavesomecontrolovertherelationshipthatiscreatedinthatsituationandcan
husinfluencethepsychologicalwellbeingoftheassessorButitmustfeelandbe
aturalnotforced
t
n

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


DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom
Tosummarise

Lifeisessentiallyasocialexperience.Taking)ELTSispartofthatsociallifeEven
thoughitmaynotseemthatwayyouareinbriefsocialrelationshipswith
assessorswhenyoudotheIELTSWritingandwhenyouareinterviewedfor
theIELTSSpeakingtest.)tisimportantforyoutomanagethoserelationshipsas
ellasyoucaninordertoinfluencetheassessorspsychologypositivelyevenif
hisisnotofficiallyacomponentofthestatedassessmentcriteria
w
t
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Influencinganassessorpositivelybutgenuinelyandnaturallymayleadto
betterscoreswhenanassessorisindoubtandisweighingupwhethertogive
youahigheroralowerscore)fyouareviewedbyyourassessorasamature
professionaladultwithapleasantnaturalanduniquepersonalityandassomeone
whocaninformtheassessoraboutinterestingthingsinacarefulprecisewaythen
thismayleaveapositiveimpressionofyouincontrasttosomeoftheothertwenty
orsocandidateswithwhomtheassessormayhaveinteractedthatdayandwho
mayhaveeitherfadedquicklyandanonymouslyawayorworselefttheassessor
withafeelingoffrustrationorirritation

NEXTTIME,I’lltalkaboutsomeofthespecificthingsthatmayinfluenceIELTS

assessorswhentheyreadandscoreyouranswertotheTask1reportinthe
IELTSAcademicWritingtest.

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

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©
2009DonnaMillenandieltsontrack.com

Thisarticleiscopyrighttoieltsontrack.com,andmaynotbereproducedor
copiedwithoutthepermissionofieltsontrack.com

ThedesignandlayoutofthisseriesoflessonsarecopyrighttoIELTSBlog.com
andmaynotbereproducedorcopiedwithoutthepermissionofIELTSBlog.com



DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom

Lesson#2:HowtowriteaTask1reportthatwill
impressyourassessors(AcademicModule).

BeforebeginningLessonhereisashortsummaryofwhatwelearnedlastweek

SummaryofLesson#1.

owerto:)nthe)ELTSWritingandSpeakingtestsyouhavesomep


i essionthatyoumakeontheassessor
b ychologicalimpressionintheassessorsmindofthesortof
nfluencetheimpr
uildapositiveps
personYOUare


IntheIELTSWritingtestyoucanimpresstheassessorby:

wellorganisedway
turelyandwithprecision
presentingyourwritingneatlyandina
writingsentencesthatexpressideasma
avoidingbabyishsimpleexpressions



IntheIELTSSpeakingtestyoucanimpresstheassessorby:

behavingasanequal
e afriendlyandopenway
t thingsaboutyourlifeandculture
xpressingyourpersonalityin
ellingtheassessorinteresting
whenitisrelevanttodoso

N
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owletsmoveontoLesson

Importantbackgroundissues

eforelookingspecificallyatthisweekslessonon)ELTSAcademicWritingTask
etsexploreoneortwoimportantbackgroundissuesintheWritingtest
B
l

Don’tbecomea‘clockvictim’

The
)ELTSAcademicWritingtestputseverycandidateunderagreatdeal
oftimepressureCandidatesknowthattheyhavetorespondtotwo
tasksbywritingawordandthenawordanswerinonlyone
hourUndersuchconditionsitiseasyforcandidatestoseethemselves
aspowerlessclockvictims

WhatisanIELTS‘clockvictim’?

andidateswhospendtoomuchtimeeithercountingwordsclockwatchingorbeingover
nxiousabouttimecanbedescribedasclockvictims
C
a

Cutdownonwordcounting

Avoidlosingtimebycountingwordstoofrequently)nsteadworkouttheapproximate
averagenumberofwordsyounormallywriteonalinecountthenumberoflinesyouhave
rittenandmultiplythemtogetherAfull)ELTSAnswerpagehasaboutlines)fyou
ormallywriteaboutwordsoneachlineyouwillwriteaboutwordsonafullpage
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WhattodotopreventfeelingsoanxiousintheIELTSwritingtest

To youneedto
canincreaseyourabilitytocontrolthis
helptomanagefeelingsofanxiety
seeyourselfinamorepositivewaysothatyou
challengingwritingtestsituation
beco ebetteratorganisingyourwrittentext m
OW?

H



DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom


Createasuitable‘testpersona’fortheIELTSwritingtest
)tisimportantfortesttakerstocreateasuitabletestpersonaasortoftestidentitywith
whichbothtomanagetheirtestperformanceandtobuildtheconfidencetoconnect
positivelywithandmakeapositiveimpressionontheassessorBeingapanickytesttaker
isnotasuitabletestpersona



DonnaMillencontent Web

httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom


Whatmightbeasuit
maginethiscontext
able’testpersona’fortheIELTSAcademicWritingtest?

)

Youareworkingwithasenior,universitylectureronsomesocialresearch.This
lecturerhasaskedyoutopresentthemwithabriefreportonsomedataandto
givesomeoutlineviewsonasocialissueasbackgroundmaterialtobetakento
atwoday,academicseminaroverseas.Thelecturerisflyingoverseasforthat
seminaratlunchtime.

Timeisimportantalsointhisimaginarycontextbutitisimportantinthiscasebecauseof
yourcolleaguesschedulesoyouarehelpingsomeoneAlsoanacademiccontextisa
professionalcontextinwhichyouwouldbeexpectedtowriteinamatureconsidered
clearpreciseandprofessionalmanner

This‘professionalandacademictestpersona’isamoresuitableoneforyouto
imagineyourselfinthanjustbeinga‘testcandidate’;itestablishesamuchstronger
enseofrelationshipbetweenwriterandreader,andthisgivesyourwritingastronger
ocialpurpose
s
s

ButI’mtakinganIELTSlanguagetest,notworkingforauniversity….


erhapsthisiswhatyouarethinkingrightnowPerhapsyouthinkthisideaofaP
professionalacademictestpersonaisalittlebitcrazy

OKthenthinkaboutitthiswayEvenifyouarenottryingtodosoornotawareofdoing
soalmosteverythingyouwritetoanotherpersoncarriesanimpressionofYOUwithinit
)fforexampleyourwritingisdisorganisedlooksmessyisoffthepointoffersinaccurate
informationthenallofthesefeaturestellthereadersomethingnegativeaboutYOUthe
writerasaperson

ThereaderstartstoimaginewhatYOUarelikefromhowyouwrite,notjustfrom
whatyourlanguageislikegrammatically.Thismeansyourwritinghasthepowerto
influencetheimpressionyoumakeinmanydifferentways.Soyouneedtotryto
ommunicatepositiveimpressionsofyourselfinyourwriting.c


Howelsecananxietyorpanicbemanaged?

Planningbeforewriting
Oftencandidatesreceivetheir)ELTSwritingtestpaperandthenbegin
writingtheiranswersalmostimmediately.Why

Becausetheyaresoscaredoftime

Aprofessionalpersonincontrastlearnshowtoplanandmanagetimeinthemost
effectivewayinordertoachievethegoalstheyhaveestablishedforwriting

Planningisessentialtoaprofessionalapproachinworkinglife)fyougotomeetabusiness
lientyoupreparethenightbeforesothatyouareclearaboutwhatyouwanttoachievec
andthebestwaytoachieveitThesameistruein)ELTSWriting


Oneofyourprimegoalsisto
getabetter)ELTSscorebybuildingapositiveimpressionin
theassessorsmind)n)ELTSplanningtimeevenminutesiseffectivebecauseit
elpsyoutodevelopasystematicandwellorganisedanswer,andthiscreatesa
rofessionalimpressionofYOUinthemindoftheassessor.
h
p

Imaginethis:

Let sa twopeopleofthesame
Eng sh
s yyoudidsomeresearchandmadeavideorecordingof
ritingtaskBUT
planningtheanswer
li levelansweringthesame)ELTSW
 onepersonspentaboutminutes
 theotherspentnotimeplanning

Myguessisthatwhenyouplaybackthevideooftheonewhodidntplanitwillshowthat
hiscandidatestopstothinkorstopstocrosssomethingoutmoreoftenduringthe
thanthecandidatewithaplanperhapsevenminutesmore
t
twentyminutes

)notherwordsitmaybejusttestanxietywhichcausesyoutothinkthatevery
ossiblesecondhastobeusedaswritingtime)tmayalsobeamistaketobelievethat
hebestTaskanswersarefromcandidateswhohavewrittennonstopforminutes
p
t


areabo
riting
Someonewhoplansandorganiseswellisshowingthattheyc
beingsystematicaboutorganisingthecontentofwhattheyarew
ut:



DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom

helpingthereaderoftheirworktoreaditaseasilyaspossible

hisactofplanningdemonstratesanimportantbasicvalidationofthereaderwriter
elationshipwhichisimportanteveninalanguagetestsituation
T
r
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
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CreatingagoodimpressioninyourWRITING–
ACADEMICWritingtask1
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AcademicWritingtaskinvolvesrespondingtoagraphcharttableorotherdiagramThe
assumptionisthatyouarewritingasortofsummarisingreportwhichdrawsoutand
compareskeyfeaturesandpresentstheminaclearandprofessionalmanner
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Tobuildapositiveimpressioninthemindoftheassessortherearemanythingsyoucando
whenchoosingthelanguagetousewhilebuildingyourTaskresponse
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7TipstoWritingaSuccessfulReport
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1.Takecarewiththeaccuracyofinformation
Whatever lly
ndlookat ely
thematerialanddatapresentedtoyouinTaskyouneedtostudyitcarefu
eachcategoryornumbercarefullysothatyoureportonthemaccurat
hydoitAccuracycreatesagoodimpressionofyouasa iterprofessionalreportwr
a
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2.Writeaboutthemostimportantpatternsandtrendsnotabouteverything
hydoitAnappropriateselectionofkeyinformationshowsevaluationskillsandthisis
professionalstyle
W
a
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3.Avoid‘shoppinglist’writing,whichmeansjustlistingobviousfiguresoneafter
another)n tsteadtrytoidentifykeytrendsandcompareandcontrastpatterns,don’
justrepeatlistsoffacts
hydoit?Comparingcontrastingshowsmorematureevaluationofmaterialwhichis
W
moreprofessional
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Remembertoothatlanguageusedtoconnectideasatthebeginningofasentencecan
signalthiscomparativewritingnicely
ForexampleSimilarlyConverselyAnexceptiontothistrendisComparedto

Thispatternchangedfromto
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
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4.Don’tmakepersonalcommentsaboutthestatisticalmaterial
Whydoit?Beingprofessionalwhenyoureportondatarequiresyoutobefactualand
objective
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

DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom
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5.Useasystematiclayout
(aveanintroductiontoyourreportonthedataandincludeinitperhapsaverygeneral
statementaboutthemostdominanttrendinthedataCreateandarrangeother
paragraphslogically.
Whydoit?Rememberintermsofyourtestpersonaanacademiccolleaguemightnot
aveverymuchtimetoreadyourreportandneedstofindandclassifyreportinformation
asily
h
e
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6.Useaprofessionalwritingstyleandformaltone
ThisisnoteasytoachieveifyourlevelofEnglishisnotveryhighNeverthelessitisstill
possibletoshapeyourtonewhichmeansyourattitudetothecontentthatthereadergets
romyourTaskwritingandhowappropriatethattoneisbothtothegenretypeof

ritingandtotheexpectationsthatthereaderhasofareportofthistype
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w
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Youcantrytoachieveanappropriateformal,professionalreportstyleby:
• avoidinglazylanguageexpressionsegetcorandsoontheyarenot
professionalareusedmoreinspokenlanguageandsuggestthewriterdoesnt
careenoughtofinishasentence
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properly
• avoidinginformalexpressionsegalotwasOKtheyarenotprofessional
enoughforareports
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tyle
• avoidingrepetitiontooboringandmakesthewritersoundverylimitedUse
appropria esynonymsorreferencinglanguageegthisitw ossible
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t hereverp
• avoidingwherepossible)overuseofgeneralexpressionsthatlack
precisionegthingdoisbignice
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7.Reducesimplegrammarmistakes
Ofcourseanyonetakingthe)ELTStestislikelytomakenumerousgrammarmistakes
However,somemistakescreateamorenegativeimpressionthanotherswhenread
byanativespeaker.)fyoucanreducethenumberoftheseyoucanhelpapositive
impressiontospreadtootherpartsofyourwriting
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


DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom
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4TypesofGrammarMistakesThatAnnoyanAssessortheMost
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MistakeType#1VERBTENSE
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a)Talkingaboutthedata
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Usually)ELTSTasksusedatafromparticularyeardatesYoumustusethePASTtense
whendescribinginformationfromthepastSimilarlyiftheinformationisaboutthefuture
useappropriateFUTUREtenseforms
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b)Talkingabouttheactualgraphordiagramyoucanseeinfrontofyouonthetest
paper
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YouusethePRESENTtenseformstosayThegraphcharttableshows…/indicates…/
reportson….becausethegraphitselfisalwaysthesameandalwaysinthepresent
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MistakeType#2SUBECT/VERBagreement
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InEnglish,wesay:‘Thegraphshows
…;‘Thestatisticsshow…’;Thepopulationofthe
hreeAsiancountriest ischangingThenumberofpeoplewhosit)ELTSisincreasing
theheadnounspopulationandnumbercontroltheverbagreement
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MistakeType#3WORDFORMSAdjective/Noun/Adverb
andidatesneedtocontrolandmanageeffectivelytheEnglishwordformstheyuse
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C
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Lookatthese4 s:example
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
DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom


eissomeTher oubtfuld
aboutthed ounform d
The thefiguresis
at   n ee ed
accuracyof
a X– ‘doubt’n
doubt  X–a oubtful’ djective‘d needed
)tisdoubtfully
thatthefiguresareaccuracy(XX–adjectives‘doubtful’
‘accurate’needed)
increasedThepopulation rapid
during (X–adverb‘rapidly’needed

)nsimpletermserrorsthatrelatetobasicrulesofEnglishgrammarleaveamore
negativeimpressionthanotherkindsofmistakesbecausetheassessormayassume
youlearntaboutthesebasicruleswhenyouwereyoungandhavehadplentyoftime

arntousethemcorr
that
tole ectlysincethattime
Soifyoustillmakethesebasicerrorsyougivetheimpressionofbeinglikean
immatureschoolchild,evenifyourownnativelanguagecausesyoutomaketheerrors
becauseitsverbsystemismuchsimplerthantheEnglishverbsystemoritstranslated
wordformsarelessvariedthanthoseinEnglishTheassessorformsanimpressionofyou
fromyourwritingandisntinfluencedbysuchcomplexitiesasfirstlanguageinterference
he)ELTStestrememberisbasedultimatelyoncomparingperformancewithanative
nglishspeakerequivalent
T
E

MistakeType#4–SentenceBOUNDARIESandOMISSIONSfromsentences
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Candidatesneedtobuildsentencescarefullyandrespectwhatasentenceisandwhatthe
partsofasentenceareotherwisethereaderhastokeepreadingandrereadingthe
themThisleavesanegativeimpressionontheexaminer
sentencestotrytounderstand
because
aitisfrustratingandboring
bitdamagestherelationshipbetweenwriterandreader
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Lookatthese2examples:

Thefiguresshowthefoodpreferencesofmenandwomentheyareintwotables


Thetableshowsthepopulation)ntheAsiancountriesrosealotinthetenyearperiod


fteryoureadeachexampleaboveitisdifficultnottorereadeachofthembecausethey
unicateeitherclearlyoreffectivelyNowlookattheseimprovedversions
A
dontcomm

Example


otablesThefiguresshowthefoodpreferencesofmenandwomenTheyareintw
OR,moresimply,
otablesThefiguresshowthefoodpreferencesofmenandwomenintw
R,evenmoresimply,
ablesshowthefoodpreferencesofmenandwomen
O
Thetwot

Example

ThetableshowsthatthepopulationintheAsiancountriesrosesignificantlyintheten
arperiod



DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom

ye
OR
AccordingtothetablethepopulationintheAsiancountrieswentupmarkedlyinthe

tenyearperiod




DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom

Remember,alltheseexamplesrepresentjustasmallsampleofpossiblegrammatical
orothererrorsinlanguageuse,buttheyareonesthatmaysignificantlyaffectthe
psychologicalimpressionthatyouranswerhasontheexaminer.


Tosummarise


WiththeIELTSAcademicWritingtestTask1itisimportantto:

trytobeaconfidentmanageroftimenotaclockvictim
p
c
lanbeforeyouwritetohelpyouranswertobewellorganised
reatean)ELTStestpersonafortheWritingtestthathelpsyoumoreeasilytosee
yourselfaswritingforaprofessionalpurposetoanacademiccolleaguenotasapanicky
testcandidate


YoucanhelptocreateapositiveimpressioninWritingTask1if
goriesofinformation

you:

ticsorcate
skilfully
areaccuratewhenreportingstatis
selectandcomparekeyinformation
resistmakingpersonalcomments
c alstyleandtone
r marmistakesthatassessorsmightthinkarefromyourearlydaysof
reateaprofession
educethosegram
learningEnglish


Inthenext,shorterlessonI’lllookatcreatingapositiveimpressionwhenwriting
yourresponsetoIELTSGeneralTrainingTask1.

H


opeyou’lljoinmeforLesson#3.
©
2009DonnaMillenandieltsontrack.com

Thisarticleiscopyrighttoieltsontrack.com,andmaynotbereproduced
orcopiedwithoutthepermissionofieltsontrack.com

ThedesignandlayoutofthisseriesoflessonsarecopyrighttoIELTS
Blog.comandmaynotbereproducedorcopiedwithoutthepermission
ofIELTSBlog.com




DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom

Lesson#3:HowtowriteaTask1letterthatwillimpress
yourassessors(GeneralTrainingModule)

BeforebeginningLessonhereisashortsummaryofwhatwelearnedlastweek

SummaryofLesson#2.
tsimportantnotbecomeaclockvictiminthe)ELTSWritingtest

)

A‘clockvictim’wastestimeby:

toomuchclockwatching
toomuchwordcounting
buildinguptoomuchanxietyabouttime
lywithoutthinkin 

writingimmediate gabouthowtoorganisetheresponse
estsituationby

ThisisnothelpfulManageyourtimeandyourselfinthet
ofessionaltestpersona


constructinganacademicandpr
takingtimetoplanyouranswer
hesegiveyoumorecontrolofandmorefeelingforthereaderwriterrelationship

T

Inyour
AcademicWritingTask1response,apositiveimpressioncanbemade
ontheassessorby:
ion

ormat
tion
takingcarewithaccuracyofinf
afocussingonimportantinform
comparingratherthanlisting
avoidingpersonalcomments
presentingasystematiclayout



It’salsoimportantto:

elementary
writeinastyleandtonethatisformalandprofessional
reducethosegrammarmistakesthatassessorsmayconsider
constructsentencesthathaveclearandcorrectboundaries

NowletsmoveontoLesson
Importantbackgroundissues


nthe)ELTSGeneralTraining) WritingTaskyouareaskedtowritealetterandare
skedtoincludeinyourletterdifferentlistedpiecesofinformationa

Readthetaskparts

Theassessorwillbeimpressedifyourletteroffersbalancedconsiderationofallthree
artsofthelettermeaningthatyourparagraphscontainsimilaramountsofinformation
carefully
p
abouteachofthethreepartsoftheletter

heywillbemuchlessimpressedifyouleaveoutoneofthethreepartsbecauseyouspent
oomuchtimewritingabouttheothertwopartsandcametotheendofyourtime
T
t

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DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom

Thinkcarefullyaboutthekeypurposeoftheletter


whentheletteriswrittenAskyourselfWhyam)Makesurethatthispurposeisclear
writingthisletterDo)

omethingtobedone
wantsomeonetodosomething
daskfors
omething
wanttocomplainaboutsomethingan
wanttogivereasonswhy)cantdos
wanttoinvitesomeonetoanevent

hateverthecentralpurposeoftheletterithelpsifthatpurposeisclearintheletteryou
rite
W
w


A‘testpersona’forGeneralTrainingWritingTask1

Wehavesuggestedthatatestpersonaisanexpressionreferringtotheimportanceof
avingawritingidentitythatenablesyoutoimaginewritingauthenticallytoarealpersonh
ratherthanseeingyourselfasjustatesttakerwritingtogetascore

AtestpersonaforTaskismucheasiertocreateasthetypeofletterimmediatelycreates
aclearwriterreaderrelationshipThetasktellsyouwhoyouarewritingtoandwhyso
youcanreallybemoreorlessyourselfandwriterealisticallyasifreallyinthatsituation


CreatingagoodimpressioninyourWRITING–
GENERALTRAININGWritingtask1

)nsomewaysaletterisaneasycontextinwhichtowriteandinwhichtoimpressthe
assessorsincethesituationforthecontentandtherelationshipofletterwriterletter

receiverareclearAlsoyouhavemorefreedomtochoosewhattosaythaninthe
AcademicWritingtaskEvensotherearestillnumerouswaysinwhichyoucancreate
anevenbetterimpressionthroughyourwriting

8TipstoWritinganImpressiveLetter

1.Userealexperiences
oumaybeaskedtowritealettertoafriendtodiscussaholidayoravisityoumaybe
plainaboutsomeproblemsinyourapartment
Y
askedtowritetoalandlordtocom

Whateverthenatureofthelettertrytoconnectittosomeactualexperiencefromyour
ownlife,ifthatispossibleThishelpsthecontextofthesituationtoseemmorerealand
maymakeyourwrittencommunicationappearmoreconvincingandrealistictothe
ssessor)talsomeansthatthenyoudon’tneedtostruggletothinkofsomanynew
deas.
a
i


2.Write‘ingoodfaith’
EventhoughthisisatestofEnglishandyouarenotinfactwritinganactuallettertoareal
persontrynottoturntheletterintoasortof‘jokeletter’bywritingthingslikeDear
MickeyMouse,…orendingyourletterwithsomethinglikeYourssincerely,Mr.Bean’You
mayfeellikebeingplayfulintheletterbutit’smuchbetterto‘actingoodfaith’by
writingtheletterinastraightforwardandauthenticwayThisismorelikelytoimpress
heassessor
t



3.Choosetheappropriatetone
YouwillimpresstheassessorifyouareabletochooseastyleofEnglishexpressionthat
fitsthetypeofletterandfitstherelationshipbetweenyou,theletterwriterandthe
receiver



DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom

Soforexampleifyouarewritingtoanorganisationandtosomeoneyoudontknow
thereyourlanguagewillbeformalnotchattyConverselyifyouarewritingtoaclose
friendyouwillnaturallyuseinformalstylesofEnglishinordertoreflecttheclosenessof
therelationship)twouldseemstrangetowritetoafriendincoldformallanguageFor
xampleSimilarlyConverselyAnexceptiontothistrendisComparedtoThis
atternchangedfromto
e
p


4.UsesuitablelanguageYourassessorwillbeimpressedifyou

•Chooselan orforma
ExampleIamwritingtoyoutoreportthelossofmysuitcaseon… formal
xampleHowarethingswithyou?I’mwritingtoseeifyouwanttocomeovertomyplace
oradinnerpartyonSaturdayinformal
guagethatreflectstheappropriatetone–informal l
E

f

variationinverbtense
enrequireaskilfulmixofverbtenseandmodaluse
•Manage
Lettersoft
ExampleIwastravellingonyourbusbutIleftmysuitcaseonit.….Ishouldbevery
ratefulifyouwouldreturnittome….Icanarrangetocollectitfromyouroffice….Ishall
inthecityonMonday…Pleaseletmeknowifthisisasuitabletime….
g
be

Usevarietyofsuitablelinkinglanguagebetweenthesentencesinyourletter
)nlettersitisappropriateoccasionallytouseexpressionsthatsuggesttheattitudeor
udgmentofthewriterespeciallyadverbslike‘Obviously’,‘Clearly’,‘Fortunately’,
ly’,
j
‘Unfortunate

Examples Unfortunately,Ican’tcometoyourparty……
Obviously,Iexpecttobereimbursedforthedamagecausedtomy….
Fortunately,Ihavebeenabletochangemytravelplans



5.Trynottobetoorepetitive
Aletterisanopportunitytoshowcommandofsynonymandrangeofformalor
informalexpressionRichnessofvocabularyusegivesyourwrittenstylemore
personalityandthisgivesastrongerimpressionofyouthewritertoyour
ssessorBeingoverrepetitivereducesthecolourandtextureofyourletter


a
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DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom

6.Trytouseinterestingexpressionsandvocabulary
Especia authenticEnglishidiomatic
andph
llyininformalletterstofriendsthereisscopeforsome
rasalverbformsButitsNOTagoodideato
translateidiomsfromyourownlanguageintoEnglish
useidiomsunlessyouarereallyconfidentthattheyarecurrentlyusedand
henandhowtheyareusedconfidentaboutpreciselyw
xamplefromaninformalletter

E

Ican’tcometotheofficedowithyouonSaturdayasI’verunoutofcashandmycar’s.
nyway,I’mtryingtostopbeingsuchapartyanimal…….A


7.Giveanyexplanationsinyourlettereconomicallyandclearly
ometimestheletterwillaskyoutoexplainsomethingorgivereasonsTrynottobe
oodetailedincasetheexplanationbecomestoolongtooconfusingandunclear

S
t


8.Useanappropriatewayofdrawingthelettertoaclose
EveryletterhastobedrawntoaclosesmoothlyTherearevariousexpressionsthat
anworkwellbutofcourseitdependsnotjustontoneformalorinformalbut
purposeoftheletter
c
alsoonthe

Examples

Formal
 I’lllookforwardtohearingfromyou

 I trust you will give this matter due consideration and respond at your
earliest convenience
I should be grateful if you would reply to my letter with some urgency.

Informal
 Hopetohearfromyousoon

eendoftheletteryoucanusevarioussuitableoptions
Looking forward to hearing from you
Rightatth
xamples

E





DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
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
Yourfaithfully,/Yourssincerely, formal
Allthebest,/Bestwishes  informal
5SimpleRulesforaGoodLookingLetter

Eventhoughthesedaysmostpeoplewritelettersontheircomputerstrytomake
ourletterlookattractiveandneatsothatitseemsalittlelikethelookofa
omputergeneratedletterThiscarewithpresentationwillimpresstheassessor
y
c

How?

1.AfterstartingyourletterwithDear….plusnameofpersontowhomyouare
writingMrMsfamilynameforformallettersfirstnameonlyforfriends
eaveanemptylinebeforestartingthecontentoftheletterRememberyoudont
riteanyaddressesintheletter
l
needtow
xample

E

“DearMrsSmith,


Iamwritingtoinformyou…”


.Useparagraphingclearlysothattheletterhassectionspreferablyoneforeach
askpartLeaveanemptylineaftereachparagraph
2
t


.Trytowritelinesofaboutthesameevenlengthlikeacomputerdoes

3



.Leaveonelinespaceaftertheendoftheletterbeforewriting‘Yourssincerely’
moreformalorAllthebest’moreinformal
4



5.LeaveanotherlinebeforesigningyournameRemembertojustuseyourgiven
ameifyouarewritingtoafriendbutuseyourfullnameifyouarewritingtoan
rganizationortosomeoneyoudontknow
n
o







DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom




DonnaMillencontent Web
httpwwwieltsontrackcom
Designlayoutby)ELTSBlogcom Webhttpwwwieltsblogcom

Tosummarise


WiththeIELTSGeneralTrainingWritingTask1itisimportantto:

readthetaskpartscarefully
thinkaboutthepurposeoftheletter
thinkbeforeyouwritetohelpyouranswertobewellorganised



YoucanhelptocreateapositiveimpressioninGeneralTraining
WritingTask1,ifyou:
thideasforyourletter

userealexperiencesfromyourlifetohelpyouwi

writeingoodfaith
choosetheappropriatetoneforthetypeofletter
ewhichsuccessfullycontrolsvariedverbformsneededuseschooseappropriatelanguag
varietyofvocabularyandoccasionaladverbiallinkingexpressions
dendingstoyourletter
trynottobetoorepetitive
chooseappropriateformalorinformalbeginningsan
setouttheletterneatlyandinawellorganisedway




InthenextlessonI’lllookatcreatingapositiveimpressionwhenwritingyour
responsetothelonger250wordIELTSAcademicandGeneral
WritingTask2.

Hopeyou’llcomebackandjoinmeforLesson#4.

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
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