Inversion in IELTS Writing If there is one sentence structure that IELTS students are obsessed with, it is inversion. But, as Nick said today “Not only do I hate inversion, but I wish the students would forget it!” Why? Because too many students attempt these sentences without really understanding how they work and, as a result, they make mistakes. Today, Nick and I take a deep dive into inversion in IELTS writing to show you not just how to form these sentences correctly, but also how to use them in the right context. Wish us luck! Below, you can find a summary of the episode, which includes ..read more

IELTS Error Correction You put down your pen. The essay and report / letter are written. Yes! But there are still 3 or 4 minutes left on the exam clock What do you do in this time? The temptation may be to read through your essay from start to finish to check for errors, but is this really the most efficient way to find your errors? And which mistakes should you actively be looking for? Find out today as Nick and I talk IELTS error correction!  Below, you can find a summary of the episode, which includes all of the links to useful materials and the times of each part of the discussion (so ..read more

Language for IELTS compare essays You can guarantee that some point during your IELTS exam, you will need to demonstrate that you can make good comparisons. Interestingly, although the language of comparison is introduced at an Elementary level in most English course books, this is something that many high-level students still struggle with. Today, Nick and describe 4 ways that you can make comparisons in IELTS compare essays, and then show how the same techniques can be used to good effect in the speaking test (which Nick giving a masterful demonstration of how to answer some Part 3 questions ..read more

3 common IELTS Grammar Mistakes I know, I know, I know – not everybody likes grammar! In fact, even Nick hated it when he first started teaching. The problem, though, is that 25% of your score for writing and listening will be awarded based on your sentence structures. There are many places where students can make errors in the writing test, but day upon day, Nick and I see the same 3 common IELTS grammar mistakes again and again. What are they? Well, you will need to listen to find out! Below, you can find a summary of the episode, which includes all of the links to useful materials and the t ..read more

Can you pass my IELTS Grammar Quiz? We know that to get a high score in IELTS writing  you need to be able to produce sentences that are error-free. Every year I mark literally thousands of IELTS writing scripts, and it is amazing how often I see the same mistakes again and again, no matter what the nationality of the writer. So, in today’s post, I want to challenge you to complete my IELTS grammar quiz to see if your current knowledge is up to the mark or not! My IELTS Grammar Quiz OK. Each of the following sentences / clauses contains AT LEAST one classic B2/C1 grammar mistake. I want y ..read more

5 Simple Grammar Tricks to go from 6 to 7 in IELTS writing Hey! My philosophy as a teacher is that the only way to increase your IELTS score is to work hard on improving your language skills and academic techniques. But, I would be lying if I said that I haven’t learned a few shortcuts over the last 17 years that can help students to quickly move from 6 to 7 in IELTS writing! So, in today’s blog post, I want to share my top 5 IELTS Grammar Tricks. 1. Don’t use “because”, use “as” or “since” What, that’s it? Yes! Too many students rely on “because” to create a reason clause, but more than ..read more

IELTS Grammar: Dependent Prepositions Learning to use prepositions correctly is one of the most difficult tasks facing English language learners. In fact, along with articles it is usually the final thing that a student masters before becoming 100% proficient. The problem is that we use prepositions in so many different ways. We use them to show place (The cat is under the table), time (I will meet you on Sunday), and to help create phrasal verbs (I ran out of time in the exam). In fact, there are so many different preposition rules that it would be impossible for me to teach th ..read more

IELTS Grammar: Parallelism Hey! In today’s blog I want to look at a grammar point that is not discussed very often but can make a big difference to your Grammatical Range and Accuracy score: parallelism. This is particularly true for high-level students who often make mistakes in this area. So, let’s start with the obvious question: What is parallelism?  Parallelism is making sure that the words you write in a list, or in a sentence that compares or contrasts, follow the same grammatical pattern. The easiest type of parallelism to understand happens in lists. Look at this senten ..read more

IELTS Punctuation: Commas Hey! I’m going to be honest with you – ask a native speaker where you have to use commas in a sentence, and most will look back at you with a blank face! Why? Well, most native speakers don’t care that much about them! Some sprinkle commas all over their writing, others use none at all – and most of the time, it doesn’t make a huge difference because English speakers are rarely judged by their comma use! But, in the IELTS exam, a misplaced comma can make a BIG difference to your score for Grammatical Range and Accuracy – particularly if you are aiming for a 7.0 ..read more

IELTS Grammar: Subject / Verb Agreement So, you’ve finished writing your essay but there’s 2 minutes left in the exam – what do you check for first?  Well, there are lots of mistakes that students make in their essays – articles, unnecessary passives, fragments, bad use of contrast clauses, etc –  but perhaps none are as costly as  NOT having subject / verb agreement  So, in today’s post I want start by looking at what subject / verb agreement is, and how you can avoid the most common errors made by many IELTS test-takers. What are the subject / verb agreement rul ..read more