Improve your IELTS writing skills - Full book

Tài liệu "Improve your IELTS writing skills - Full book".

IMPROVE YOUR IELTS Sam McCarter Norman Whitby ~ MACMILLAN Contents • ••• • ••••• • •• Introductio n page TOp ic Task Ta ,k Z Unit page Change and consequences Describing trends Related verbs and nou ns Un derst and ing data Understanding questions Expressing solu tions Lin king ph rases Us ing trigger words Unit2 page 14 The importance of the past Comparing information Adverbs in comparisons Com paring and contras ti ng Using itltheylthislthese Planning essays Devel ping ideas Unit3 page 22 Machines, cycles, and processes The passive Sequencing Using which to organize information Expre ssing result and purpose Unit4 page 30 Education Ge n era l and sp edfic statements Comparing information Describing proportions Avo iding o v rgenera jiza ti on Developing reasons Unit5 page 38 Youth De scribing changes Describing locations Developing an d j u stifying opinions Writing introduct ions Unit page 46 Culture Concluding statement Con cession ( ) Expressing advantag sand disadvantage Advantage an d disadvantage va abulary Concession (2) Unit7 pag e 54 Arts and sciences Adverbs DiSCUSSing other people's opinion Hypo lh e izin g UnitS page 62 Nature taking predictions Factual accura cy Article Wri tin g clusions Unit9 page 70 Health Vary ing vocabulary Checking pelling Organizing words Verb-subject agreement Unit 10 p age 78 Individual and society Word orde r Paragraph str uClure Relevant and irrelevanr information Task revision Using actv eJ:bs to eva lu ate data Avoiding irrelevance Lin king using wi th Task revision Sample answers page Key page 96 • • •• ••••• •• • • ••• •••• •••• In trod-uction •• What is Improve your IEL TS Writing Skills? Improve YOllr fELTS Writing Skills is a complete preparation course for the Academic Wr iting pape r o( the In ternationa l English Lang u age Te" ting System Through targeted practice, it develops skills and language to h elp you achieve a highe r JELTS score in the Academic Writing pape r How can I use this book? You can use Improve YOllr lELTS Writil1g Skills as a book fo r tudying on your own or in a class If you arc studying on your own , f mprove YOllr f ELTS Writillg Skills is de signed to gu ide au step"by"step through the activities This book is also completely elf-contained: a clear and accessible key is provided so that you can easily check you r answ r as you w ork through the book in addition, there is a sample ans w er to acc mpanyeach Task and Task question If you are studying as part of a class, your teacher will direct yo u on how to use each activity Some activities can be treated a discussions, in which case they can be a u seful opportunity to _hare ideas and techniq u es w ith othe r lea rners How is Improve your IEL TS Writing Skills orga n ized? J[ consists of ten units based aroun d topics wbich occur common ly in the real te st Each unit consists of three sections : Task I: exercises and e xamples to de velop skills and la nguage for Ta k questions Ta sk : exerdses and examples to develop skills and language for Task questions Practice test: a complete Academ ic Writing pape r base d on th e u n it topiC to prac tise the skills learned Each Task and Task section is su b divided furthe r into sk ills se ti on s These fo cus n spedfic areas of relevance to each task In addition, there are echniqlles boxes throughout the book Th ese reimor e k.ey points on how to approach Academi c Writing tasks How will Improve your JELTS Writing SkiJJs improve my score? By developing skills The skills secti ons form a detailed syllabus of essential IELTS wriling skills For example, key elements of Task prep ara tion, su ch as Describing trends an d COlI/paril1g information, are fully covered Similarly, Task skills, such as Expressing sO/II/iom and Dnelopil19 ideas are dealt with in detail By developing language Each unit also contains a resour e of useful phrases and vocabular y to II e in each wri ting task Over th e ourse of Irnprol'eyollr fELTS Writing Skills, you will encounter a wide rang of ideas (0 ensure thaI you are not lost for words when you get to the real test These include concepts such as organjzjng word, trigger words, and linking phrases, which all contribute to an appropriate academic writing style BV developing test technique The Tedlllique boxes contain shari tips w hich can easily be memorized and used as reminders in the real test These include quick and easy advice about planning, under tanding question s, and how t o use eUectively the language you have learned •• Introdllctioll • How is the IELTS Academic Writing paper organized? The academic wri ting omponent of the IELTS lasts one hour 111 the test, there are two task of different le n gth both o f w hich 'ou m u st all' wer What does each task consist of? In Task I you will hav to w rite a t leas t 150 words to describe some data or a diagram Data will normally be presented in the form of a graph, a bar or pie chan a tabl e or a ombin ation of these A diagram will norma ll y (elate [Q a process, the worki n gs [ an object or changes in map o ver time You are alwa ys exp e te d to summarize the information by describing the main features makin J comparison " here relevan t In Task you will h ave to w rite at least 250 words on a topic Y 1.1 wil l b e presented wilh an opinion, an argument r a p roblem, and you will be expected to respond in so n e w ay For exam ple in 'our re pons yo u may be asked LO: x p r s an opinion give views about two differe m opin ions and give your own opinion discuss a dvantages and di sad vantage give a so lution to a problem by sugges ti ng meas ures discuss ca uses of a problem and suggest sol u tions You are ahvays expe ted to give reasons and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience How will I be assessed? In bo th tasks ou will be Clssessed on your ability to expre s yourself clearly an d a ccurate ly in English In Task you r an wer is assessed according to yo ur ability to write abou t d ta in an organized wa y an d compare infoID1a tion where it is relevant to so You ho uld write about the main fea tures of th e da ta an a ld rel evant d rail w here n e essa ry in a logical m a nner as you give a solution 10 a problem, present andjuslify an opinion, compare a nd contrast evict nce a nd opinions, or evaluate and challenge ideas or arguments In Task 2, your answer i assessed a cording to your abili ty to wri How much time should I spend on each task? You are ad ise d to sp end 20 m inu tes on Task l Yo u are advised to spend 40 minut s on Task Even though Task ca rrie m o re m arks, you sh ould always Task firs t This is be cause it is shorter, an d psychologicCl lly it fee ls better if you ve comple ted on e task • UN IT •• Change and conseqLlences • Unit aims Task t Tas~ Descnl:lIng trends Related verbs and nouns Understanding data Understandmg questIOns ExpreSSing soluttons Linking phrases USing trigger wards Task Describing trends The gTaphs relate to sales of media technolog Which graph a- h d o au think shows sales for each item in the p hotos 1-4? Match each grapb (a-h) w ith the most appr p riate description below (1- 10) II II iii ] Sales of auelio cassettes fell steaelily ~ iPo sales rose gradually Plasma TV sales fluctuated wildly, but the trend V ~ II was upward Sales of video cassettes nuctuated wildly, and the tTend was downward _ _ iii Total digital camera sales dropped slightly - Sa es of audio cassettes fell and then levelled off m The sales of MP3-players rose gradually and then climbed sharply _ B Purchases of video casse tte recorders d lined dramatically ,' Sales of games consoles decreased and then levelled off 10 II CD sales dropped suddenJy I Sales of audio cassettes kU steadily The verbs in are modified by adverb such as steadily Find the adverbs and decid e wheth r they mean slow or fast changes Complete the lists below Slow Fas! •••• ~ m. - Underline the verbs in used to describe tren d Example D ~~~!~~ , iii ~ ••• UNIT Charlge alld COli eqllell"s • • Related verbs and nouns S en tc'n Cf:~ containin g verb phrQs es s uch as jeJl steadily call often b e re\-\'J.iLLen u sing the correct form of there islare and a related noun Read the examples Th en rewri te sentences a-j below Examples Th co nsumption of cho colate fell steadily (verb + adverb) There was a steady fall in the consumption of chocolate (there was a + adjective + n oun ) There has been a dramatic rise in the produ crioD o f films (there has been a + adjeCtive + n oun) Th production of film has risell dramaticalry (verb + adverb) a Spice expons fr om Afri ca fl uc tuated wildly over the p eriod There were b Th e development of n ew products fell gradually Ther was c There has been a noticeable decrease in res ~a r ch investmen l Research d The purchases of ti.cket dropped significantly last month Th ere ~,v as e On the Internet, th e illu rober of sites rose significantly There wa There was a su.dden decrease in th e sale o f mangos The sale g At the them e park there "vere very slight fluctuations in the number of visitors The number h There was a gradual declin e in sugar impons Sugar Technique • • • • • • Include a variety of structures In your writing Use both verb +adverb a 1d adjective + noun • structures In '{our Task answer • Express nouns as The of or as TWO • • nouns The quality of food in supermarkers has tncreased slowly •• Th ere h as Th e number of air travellers fluctuated remarka bly There Phrases such as the consumplion oj chocolate can often be rewritten as just two nouns Read the examples Th en find and revyTitt' olh J examp les in Examples The consumptioll oj chaco/ate can become Chocolate cOllsumption The production offt/lns can become Fillll production (not Films production) ••••• Understanding data Read the graph and th e Ta sk q uesli.o n Wh a The Tea Room in January? b Internet Express in Jul y? c Wi-fi Cafe in November? d are Co I in D eember? e The Tea Room in February ? Changing trends in cafe income should spend about 20 111 in lites 011 this task Sutnmal'iZl! the informalion by selectil)D To l1el~ you read the graph write the • Ilames nt tile t.afes at the end of each me in dollar for: $160,000 The graph sholt·,\, I lJe income of faLl r cafes i/l Ne w York over lasl year Technique was the in Task Y0 1/ l and reporliJ.ID the maill featt/res, and m a ke com pllri ons wh ere relevallt .200 - - - - - - - - - - - - -180 + - - - - - - - - - - - + _ 160 -I .or ~ -_I 140 -l 'rl' -1. -I. . - I - - ~120+ -~ -~-~~­ - c ~ , ,.,-A +_ ;3 100 -+-: : - g"' 80 + -~.""""~ ->.,_.-.,1'-~- 60+ ~~ -~~~~ 40+ -~ ~'-~ - Write at least 150 words Il n~ The TeB Room -+- Internel Express - WI ·II Ca fe - - Cafe Cool +-~~~-~ o + . ~r_r_~~~~~-r~ J F M A M J J A SON D Answer these questions about rhe graph a Wh at the lett ers , F, M, etc along th b llom of the graph mean? b Wh a t s OOOs mean e What P Ite m d What comparison s can you make? an yo u s 'C? Read the model text and decide wherher each missing phras n oun, or an adverb Example adverb Model text me graph providef, informa1ion about the inc.ome trend~ of fo ur c.afe~ over the la5t i ear There are two baf,ic general trendf,: downwar and upward As regards the fir5t, the earning5 for The Tea \Zoom, \~ere down over the ~ear, falling I from alm05l $ \ ~O,OOO earning5 a month tO jU5t under $50,000 in December, B-t contrast, the inc.ome for ihc other thre.e , ak5 went up b'j vat"(ing degrees,There "las :2 ., in Gafe c.ool' (') 5ale5 over the fir~t ten month5, followed b'j a sudden •••• increase to $120,000 , furthermore, the inc.ome for both Internet £,y.pre5s and the Wi-fi Gafe'J in Duember The former ey.perienc.e.d to June, but after Ihat, inc.ome rose S ending the ~ear at approy.imate\~ $1'30,000 UKe\o ise, the trend for Wi-fi waf, upward, Between Janua'1 to :ru\~, earnings I from $')0,000 to nead'j $100 ,000 and I to around $lqO,ooo It if, noticeable that the inc ome fo r The i ea \Zoom i5 lowel' in tne winter montho than for the olne.r tnree c.afes 10 March options a-g w ith gaps 1- in Ib e model text a b e d I adily then rocketed dou bled significant 11' e also ended the year lip a steady fall "" il ris ' • ur~ rT Cill7.llge mId cOllSeqllellCl!s Task Understanding questions Task questions cOlltdin a gen eral subject and ofte n in cl ude a spe jfic organizing word to help y ou org an ize yo ur t: ssay In each group a-d belo w, 'o.vhich organil'Z ing word has a different m e an i n g fx JJ1 th e lher two? a ad\ anlages b measu res c d ause dr aw back s st eps eHecls disadvanta ges benefits reasons consequences drawbacks solutions Cmnpkt ~ e,lCh Task question below v-'" li ih organil.ing words 1t! n!)] th e b ox You may use each item more th an nce agree or disagree advantages disadvan tages solutions measures benefits causes a Wh at a re the ~~~~0 of learning skills jn th e mod rn vvo dd? b An y attempts to preserve the n a tural w orl d will a lvva is h inder economi c developmenL The benefit will howe v r far outwe igh th e Do you ") c What are the and of laking a eal" 0[[ b tween school a n d univcrsit y? d Stu dent s sh ould be trained on ho w to ope wit h nge in the modern world How far you ? e Volunteer work with disadvantaged groups like underpr ivileged children is [he best way for you ng p eople to learn about th e real world ' '''hat are the of such work ? Every day, anim a ls are becoming extinct throughout the world What you think th e of this are? What can you uggest g Ov rcrowding in large ci ties h as always been a problem, bu t with popula tions a ro und the w orld a out to double, th e social pro blems are certain to multip ly What can y o u suggest to control th e p roblem s H ow many p ans are [here in each quest ion in 2? For example, (a) bas one p art If there are two or th ree p arts, how are th ey related? • •• Expressing solutions Change is more rapid in the m odem world than it was in th e pasl umber each category b elov 1- accord 'ing to how rapi d ly each is changing in your opinion (1 = most rapid; = least rapid) Tltink of an example ofrapid h ange for each catego ry Work Technology Travel Communication Health Look at the Task ques tion below and answer the q uestion Task2 Jou should spend about 40 minutes 11 this task Write about the following topic /.ore lind /}l o re people claim ti m " Hl O"~'''''1 1\" rk pa tterns a re a SOlI/'ce of s l r ess What YOII think are the causes of this? Can you sllggest some possible SOIIi/iolls'? Give reasons for your anS'lver and inc/ude any relevant examplf!s from your own knowledge or experienCe a Which part of the question states a problem? b Which t wO words in the que lion are important for the organization of your answer? Read the conversati on bel ' een rw o students d iscuss ing the prob lem of s tress at work w hich p ar t of the question in are they ans w ering? Wh at so lut ion s and resu lt s d o they suggest? - - - - - Technique • Identlf the type 01 • que lion For cause/ - - • Tina: Shen : Ti na : S hen: Tina: Sh an : Ti na: This p aragraph suggests a solution to [be Task que llon in Com plete each gap with th e phrases in a-f for p r Selliing so l utions, examples, and res ults, a b 10 Shen : A further step is to for example I think the mos t obvious solution is How you t hink people can deal with t heir stressful lives, especially at w ork? Firstly, I think employers should encou rage workers to relax How? Well in so m e co m pa nies, gym facilitie s o r m assa ge thera pies are available Massage? Yes If you help yo u r employees to re lax, th is im prove s their effi ciency and prod uctio n A re t here oth er so lutions? Of co u rse Employees cou ld be trai ned in how to plan t heir ti me mo re effectively On e w ay is to stop peop le taking w o rk home And then the workp lace w ill beco me a lot happier for employers to encourage workers to relax in some companies, gym facilities or massage therapies are available ' , this improves their effiCiency and production train employees in how to plan their time more effectively, , by stopping people taking work home , the workplace will become a lot hapPier " , d e As a result By doing this For instance ... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , CD pl ay er 80 ~ ~~~~= =====~ MObile phone 60 -. .. .200 - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 80 + - - - - - - - - - - - + _ 160 -I .or ~ -_ I 140 -l ''rl'' -1 . -I. . - I - - ~120+ -~ -~ -~ ~­ - c ~ , ,.,-A +_ ;3 100 -+ -: : - g"'' 80 + -~ .""""~ -> .,_ .-. ,1 ''-~ -. .. -~ .""""~ -> .,_ .-. ,1 ''-~ - 60+ ~~ -~ ~~~ 40+ -~ ~ ''-~ - Write at least 150 words Il n~ The TeB Room -+ - Internel Express - WI ·II Ca fe - - Cafe Cool +-~ ~ ~-~ o + . ~r_r_~~~~~-r~ J F M A M J J