IELTS Examiner Secrets and Tips

The best way to learn how your Speaking test is marked, and what your Examiner needs to hear to give you a high score, is by asking them. But how can you do that? You can’t get direct access to IELTS examiners, because they don’t do private tutoring – their work contract prohibits that.

So, here is the answer you were searching for!

The videos you are about to watch are just as good as a private consultation with an examiner. Except they are better, because you get to see not one, but TWO experienced IELTS examiners sharing some information you won’t get ANYWHERE except from a REAL IELTS examiner.

Who are the Examiners?

You already know Adam, who was examining IELTS test takers for 10 years until very recently. Today we have Patrick joining Adam and doing an interview to share with you things you NEED to know, that NO ONE will tell you. Patrick is an active IELTS examiner, which is why you can’t see his face. We don’t want him to get in trouble for helping you! He is examining in 3 countries and teaching IELTS in 7 countries.

So forget about other YouTube videos for 20 minutes. If anything is worth your time, it’s the ‘IELTS Examiner Secrets’ series! There are four videos in total in the series, and you will get access to the other two later – they will be added on this page soon (keep checking back!).

Watch IELTS Examiner Secrets and Tips – Part 1

Watch IELTS Examiner Secrets and Tips – Part 2

So, what’s in the videos?

• Some myth-busting: is IELTS really easier in some countries compared to others?
• Examiners are human and first impression counts – Patrick suggests a great way to connect with your examiner.
• How can examiners catch you using memorised language?
• How IELTS Examiners mark Speaking Part 2 (and things to avoid in your speech, to score higher)
• Why Speaking Part 3 is SO important to your score, and how ace it.

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IELTS essay, topic: Some think that young people should be free to choose any career they like, while others say that they should think more realistically about their future (opinion)

Some think that young people should be free to choose any career they like, while others say that they should think more realistically about their future. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Sample Band 8 Essay

Choosing a future career requires careful consideration. While some people claim that adolescents should be able to pursue a career they would enjoy, others oppose to that, arguing that teenagers should aim for a high-paying job in order to secure a livelihood when they grow up. Given that our life consists of more than just physiological needs, I strongly believe that it is vital to fulfill one’s potential in the career fields that are most compatible with their interests.

The youth who choose highly skilled jobs may find it easier to have a fruitful future in a materialistic sense. It is true that some professions, such as engineers or doctors, are well paid and offer more stability compared to work in other, non-professional fields. For example, psychologists usually have higher starting salaries compared to artists; they also rarely lose their jobs in recessions. People who prioritise earning a living might agree that a reliable job is a must for their future and by no means will they take risks to gain employment in a field they are passionate about, that doesn’t pay well.

However, it is worth remembering that we are living in a rapidly changing world and the concept of a ‘guaranteed future’ is unrealistic. Even the smartest of us aren’t prophets and it is impossible to foresee many changes in job markets in the future; some high-salaried jobs of today may no longer exist by the time our young people become adults. Therefore, people may choose to pursue their dreams and follow career paths according to their passions and interests now, to avoid having regrets later in life.

Having considered the reasons to prefer monetary remuneration over one’s interests, I am convinced that it would be a pity for youths to limit their career choices to highly paid jobs of today. Unforeseen changes in the jobs markets may affect salaries but won’t change the pleasure one derives from doing something they love.

Teacher’s comment: The writer discussed both sides of the argument, expressed his/her opinion and presented relevant arguments to support it. This essay has good structure, main ideas are organized well and conveyed coherently. The writer has a good range of vocabulary, and most sentences are free from grammatical errors. Overall, this is a very good essay and seems worthy of Band 8

Click here to see more IELTS essays of Band 8

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IELTS grammar: how to use quantifiers in IELTS for optimal results

You probably know some quantifiers, even if the word ‘quantifiers’ doesn’t mean much to you.

Quantifiers are words that go before nouns and show the quantity. But quantifiers are NOT numbers – they are used INSTEAD of numbers.

Here are a few examples of quantifiers:

All – all students, all water
A lot of – a lot of men, a lot of research
Plenty of – plenty of resources, plenty of information
Some – some apples, some coffee

Quantifiers can be countable, uncountable or both – it means some of them can only be used with either countable or uncountable nouns, and others can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. They can also be formal or informal. You should know that, to choose the right one!

Quantifiers need to be memorised. Yep, there’s no way around it. But hey, your time investment in remembering them will produce a better IELTS score!

In today’s lesson video Adam, the ex-IELTS examiner with 10 years of experience that we partnered with, tells you everything you should know about quantifiers and gives you plenty of examples.

Click here to start the lesson and do a quick quiz

In the lesson click “Watch” to watch the lesson and then click “Think” to answer 5 questions on it.

If you make a mistake, the lesson will take you to the correct answer in the video. Video hints work on desktop computers, on mobile devices you will just see the correct/incorrect answers.

Quantifiers are important for reading and listening – quantifiers and their synonyms can be found in the Reading texts and also in the Listening recordings or questions.

In the IELTS Speaking and Writing using them earns you extra points for Lexical Resource. Go here to check YOUR own Speaking score.

The IELTS Writing Task 1 Academic is where they really help you get a higher score. They are also useful for Writing Task 2 because inevitably you will need to talk about the majority of people, or how much something affects a particular group, etc. A range of synonyms-quantifiers will drive your score up.

We often include the entire list of words from the video here, on the blog, but for this lesson we won’t. Why? Because your vocabulary will benefit from watching the entire video, pausing it and writing the quantifiers down. When you write words down, it helps you remember them, and you need to memorise the quantifiers – so this exercise will help you.

Enjoy the lesson, and by the time you’ve finished watching it, you should have a list of quantifiers. To make this list even more useful, add a note next to each quantifier whether it is countable or uncountable, formal or informal.

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IELTS Results competition winners in September 2020

This year may have started off on the wrong foot, but all is not lost! With IELTS exams back and running, we are seeing more and more people achieve great results, such as the wonderful group of 10 we are about to announce.

They come from all over the world – Nigeria, Norway, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines – and the one thing they have in common is their invitation to a new life, in the form of IELTS certificate with an Overall Band 7.5, 8 or 8.5!

With great pleasure we present the winners of IELTS results competition in September 2020:

Academic Module – 1st place

• Victory Yinka-Banjo from Nigeria, Band 8.5
• Magnus Salomonsen from Norway, Band 8.5

Academic Module – 2nd place

• Nkechi Okwuosa from Nigeria, Band 8
• Tara Chamki Sridhar from India, Band 8
• Prisca Ngozi Umeobi from Nigeria, Band 8

Academic Module – 3rd place

• Dinuka Kankanige from Sri Lanka, Band 7.5
• Kamaldeep Sharma from India, Band 7.5

General Training Module – 1st place

• Khushbu Shah from India, Band 8
• Samia Nikhat from India, Band 8

General Training Module – 2nd place

• Nielson Ng from the Philippines, Band 7.5

Congratulations on your success! To celebrate your achievements we are sending your special certificates to your emails. Winning IELTS results will be displayed in the IELTS-Blog hall of fame – so if you won, please feel free to show them off to your friends!

How did they score so well?

We smile as we see familiar names and faces among the winners – some of them are our students!

Prisca Ngozi Umeobi (Band 8) said:

“Hi Simone,

This is a special note to express my gratitude to you and your team for the preparation materials Target Band 7 book and the 30 IELTS practise tests.

I found out today I scored an Overall Band Score of 8.0 with a perfect 9 in Speaking.

Thank you. You really are a star! So, shine on…”

Nielson Ng (Band 7.5) said:

“I would like to thank IELTS-Blog.com for their fast response with essay checking and speaking feedback. It made me jump from 6.0 to 7.0 within 2 months span. I made sure to write one essay task 2 every day and have them corrected. I tried to cover all the topics, from academic to lifestyle. I highly recommend getting the essay correction services because they will give you the equivalent scores of your essay plus the recommend words that can boost your vocabulary list.

Speaking feedback was great for correcting pronunciations and giving a better idea of word choices. The first test was accurate and gave me ideas on how the speaking module works during the IELTS exam.”

We also know that other winners used our books and services: Magnus Salomonsen (Band 8.5) had his writing corrected by our team, and Nkechi Okwuosa (Band 8) prepared by the book ‘Target Band 7’ + used the writing correction service.

But what about the other winners?

We would love to hear from them! Their scores are a great inspiration, and their advice can help everyone achieve similar results. Any tips they wish to share, as soon as we get them, will be posted on IELTS-Blog without delay, so everyone can use the same technique and get a better score in their own exam.

P.S. IELTS results competition runs every month, and everyone is welcome to participate. Learn how to enroll here.

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10 expressions to help you get Band 7+ in IELTS (Lesson 4)

You may have already learnt the idioms from Lesson 3, and well done if you have! But even if you only joined us now, it’s all good – you can start from any lesson, as they are all useful, and catch up later on the lessons you missed.

Why use idiomatic expressions in IELTS Speaking or Writing? Because they help you get a higher score. In these vocabulary lessons we introduce some idioms you could use, and teach you how to use them appropriately.

In today’s lesson video Adam, an ex-IELTS examiner with 10 years of experience, gives you 10 more excellent idioms to use, to get a Band 7 or higher score in your IELTS Speaking or Writing test. Adam explains what every expression means and how to use it in a sentence.

Click here to start the lesson and do a quick quiz

In the lesson click “Watch” to watch the lesson and then click “Think” to answer 10 questions on it.
If you make a mistake, the lesson will take you to the correct answer in the video. Video hints work on desktop computers, on mobile devices you will just see the correct/incorrect answers.

If you’d like to copy and save these useful expressions for later, here is a list, have a look at the idioms below and ask yourself two questions:

Question 1. Do you know what they mean?
Question 2. Can you use them in a sentence?

And then make a sentence about YOU and use one of those expressions. By doing that you are more likely to remember that idiom, because we tend to remember personal things better!

Go here to check YOUR own Speaking score.

10 expressions to help you get a Band 7 in IELTS

1. To be on the ball
2. To pull someone’s leg
3. To pull yourself together
4. So far so good
5. To be the last/final straw
6. The best of both worlds
7. Time flies when you’re having fun
8. To get bent out of shape
9. To make matters worse
10. To be under the weather

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IELTS essay, topic: In the modern world it is possible to shop, work and communicate online without face-to-face contact, is it a positive or a negative development?

In the modern world, it is possible to shop, work and communicate with people via the Internet and live without any face-to-face contact with others. Is it a positive or negative development?

Sample Band 8 Essay

The feasibility of shopping, working and communicating through the Internet is gradually eliminating the necessity of in-person encounters. I believe the merits of this opportunity outnumber its demerits and the lowered volume of traffic in addition to the possibility of long-range communication will be discussed as reasons for this claim in this essay.

One chief benefit of using the Internet as a means of making purchases, working and communicating would be the lowered demand for transport, through eradicating the need for face-to-face contact. Such decreased volume of transportation would result in fewer harmful gas emissions which could significantly contribute to creating a cleaner environment. Furthermore, reduced commuting burden yields more free time for individuals. It could be spent in various ways such as working, studying and socialising with family and friends to name a few, which would be more productive and enjoyable.

Another key merit of using the Internet would be the emergence of state-of-the-art telecommunication applications. These technologies have made it possible for those with access to the Internet to get in touch and send and receive audiovisual content by pushing just a few buttons. This presents a stark contrast to the situation only a few decades ago, when long-distance communication was possible solely through paper-based letters, which could possibly take months to reach the recipient.

There are, however, some drawbacks to online communication, in particular the possibility that the lack of contact brought by technological advancements could potentially weaken human bonds. Taking into consideration that humans are sociable species, this could pose a dire threat to our mental health. This predicament, however, would be mitigated by the extra free time technological developments create for us. This free time could be spent with friends and family and in the long run would strengthen our relationships and improve our emotional wellbeing.

To recapitulate, the Internet’s demolishing the need for person-to-person contact brings about numerous benefits. A more sustainable environment as well as more free time generated for individuals, a reduced need to commute in addition to the feasibility of conducting long-distance communication in the easiest way possible, are all instances of the above-mentioned merits.

Teacher’s comment: The candidate displays a clear understanding of the task. The ideas are organized logically by following a clear progression in most parts. The range of vocabulary is wide and precise, and most sentences are free from grammatical errors. Overall, this is a very good essay and seems worthy of Band 8 or 8.5.

Click here to see more IELTS essays of Band 8

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