Some really good tips everyone! Keep them coming! It's really motivating to see such good scores!

I like the book Cambridge Grammar for IELTS because it's a writing book really, not a grammar book!

Remember some books are aimed at Band 5-6, while others are targeted at Band 6-8. The advice in each is similar but obviously not the same. And don't forget some are for General Track not Academic, so check before you buy!

I've seen lots of books and while all have some good features, I would just not use all of any one book. The exception would be the Cambridge practice exam series, number 4-7 or whatever you can find. Get it and do some practice exams.  

Everyone needs to do at least one full practice exam over an uninterrupted period of 3 hours, alone, somewhere quiet, writing by hand, Mark it the next day. It's tough! Keep a clock with you and DO NOT go over the time. Photocopy the answer sheets at the back of the book

• Listening: approx 35-40 minutes, plus 10 minutes to transfer
• Reading: 1 hour, no extra time to transfer
• Writing: 1 hour (20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 mins for Task 2 recommended) -  no extra time for thinking!

It's horrible when people aren't prepared for the exam - how to fill in the answer sheet, leaving it too late to transfer answers, writing on the wrong page of the paper, not knowing what they are supposed to do in some of the reading questions (e.g. matching, ordering, etc), not writing enough words, etc. Why waste 200 dollars? Get it right the first time!

Hi Soukey

Hope you find some useful ideas and suggestions here, and some great essays by other writers!

Please post some of your essays in the other forum and feel free to help other writers by commenting on their essays!

Hi Ali

Thanks for your kind words. 

Hey Ali, if you are an old man at 33, what does that make me! 🙂

As regards having a tranquil environment to improve your level in English (or any language), I don't think that will ever happen! The reality is we are all busy and have many things to think about.

But you know what they say - if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it!

Hi Shabab!

So close!  That's a really great score in the reading.

I notice you are doing the General Training module. Make sure that for Part 1 you have practiced lots of simple letters. Here are some tips for candidates writing Task 1 in the GT module.

Task 1 Writing: General Training

Task 1 in the General Track is not the same as in the Academic Track - instead of a graph or visual data, you usually have to write a letter in response to a situation.

There aren't examples for Task 1 General Training on this site. There are some here and here, but I haven't had enough time to look at the quality of the examples.

The letter is often to a company, or a store, or a hotel, or a landlord, or a university, or an airline, but it can also be social. You have to describe a situation and explain what happened and what you want to happen -  the action you want the recipient to take.

Make sure you answer all the parts. Tick or mark the bullet points on the question as you write them.  

Don't write too much! 

Some candidates pick very complicated situations. Don't. It's not a creative essay. It's seeing if you can deal with an everyday situation by describing a problem and requesting action or an alternative. 

Tone

Be careful with tone. This is a common problem, being too informal or being too formal (it's a letter so it should NOT be TOO formal)  or even worse, changing tone. For example, don't write "I would respectfully request" in one part of the letter and then "If you don't solve this problem I'm going to move to another company" in another part. In general, avoid threats or demands!

Abbreviations

Don't use any. None. At all. Just because you work in ICU and a patient has a TIA does not mean we all understand. Spell it out for us. Don't get excited if the situation in the question is very similar to your work situation. Don't be too technical.

Don't read books about how to write letters

Avoid tired old phrases, passives, and cliches from letter-writing books like 

• Per your letter of the 15th
• Reference our meeting on the 15th inst
• Your letter of the 12th is at hand
• Refer your letter of Tuesday 22nd, 
• Awaiting the favour of a reply
• Yours in anticipation
• Yours (in anything)
• It has been observed that...
• Kindly be informed that...
• Recently it has been brought to my attention that...

Avoid all idioms and cliches.  Do not use the word 'kudos' (if you don't know the word, consider yourself lucky). Your letter should be matter-of-fact and businesslike, unless the situation is really social. If you work in an office and write letters, forget them all and write your own sentences. 

You can say "I look forward to hearing from you" or "I hope we can solve this problem in the next few days."

Use paragraphs

Use bullet points if necessary -  but make sure you write full sentences for each of the bullet points. In fact, I think I'm going to regret saying use bullet points, but they are useful in the real world.

Don't give an address. It won't count in your total number of words. Neither will your name. 

First Sentence

The first sentence is absolutely crucial. Say what you would like

"I would like to

• request a/that
• complain about
• inquire about
• inform you about/that
• meet with you
• request a meeting
• return some damaged items
• thank you for
• reschedule our meeting which 
• transfer ...... to, etc" 

Don't be overpolite. There is no need to use words like 'reputed company' or to try to butter up the company or recipient. Don't praise just to balance a complaint. Be businesslike and to the point. Don't grovel.  But don't demand too strongly either.

Specify

Don't say "You/your company/airline/office/manager/ must take some action immediately."

Don't say "appropriate authorities" 

Don't say or imply "bad things will happen"

Time

Overall, short is good. You only have 20 minutes. Spend 5 minutes planning, and write for 13-14 minutes or so, then take a one-minute break before Task 2. Be consistent in tone -  don't threaten, but don't whine or beg. Say what you want, be polite and keep it short. 

You don't need extra paper for Task 1. Trust me on this. Just write 150 words and leave it at that. If you can't do it in 150 words, the situation you have planned is too complicated. Keep it short and simple.

Congratulations, Tommy - that's great news on your scores in Writing and Listening and Speaking. That's a great result. I'm sorry you didn't get the speaking score you wanted.

As regards speaking, have a look at the tips on this website http://australianetwork.com/passport/lester.htm, and in Youtube, search for "IELTS speaking Part 1"  "IELTS speaking Part 2" and  "IELTS speaking Part 3."  There are a lot of videos.

The important thing is to keep speaking-  don't worry too much about your grammar or vocabulary. Just try to keep going.

In Part 1, don't try to memorize -  just answer the questions. So if the examiner asks you about your hometown, just answer exactly what he or she asks -  they don't want everything about your town. If they ask about your house, just answer exactly what they ask - it might just be a short question about what you would like to change or if it is a good place to grow up in.

In Part 2, use the full 1 minute preparation. Don't start early! Write and write and write and make sure you deal with all the bullet points. Keep going  -  you should reach 2 minutes. It's a good idea to divide up your topic and develop each subpoint, just as you would in your writing.

In Part 3, try to use lots of modals and conditionals and possibiliity (could, can, may might, possibly, should, perhaps, I think, maybe).

Above all, practice and practice this week. See if you can find anyone who will talk with you - just try to speak as much as you can. Don't be shy or embarrassed -  go for it!