IELTS
IELTS Myths
IELTS is easily the most popular English proficiency test. It’s robust structure, and integrity is making it a valuable language assessment tool. Familiarity breeds contempt, and prevalence breeds misconception. Here are a few common misconceptions about IELTS.IELTS is difficultIELTS is neither tricky nor difficult. It starts off easy, and as you progress, so does the level of complexity. This is designed to gently take the test taker into higher levels of language without the test taker feeli
Understanding Reading Comprehension
One of the most troublesome sections in English exams is reading comprehension. The challenge is that most of us are not used to reading, let alone reading with full concentration. If you are looking for a 'tip' to improve your RC performance, here it is - read more often. It does not sound much like a tip, but you will be surprised at how beneficial following the tip can be. Putting in an effort to read, for even 30 minutes each day, can dramatically improve your levels of concentration and und
IELTS Pattern Changes – January 2020
Jan 29 2020
| Category:
IELTS
There seems to be only one news that seems to be more popular now than the changes in the IELTS test – and that is news about Coronavirus. Since we are more in tune with the first and not with the latter, we will now talk about the changes in IELTS.TL;DR (Too Long, Didn’t Read) Version: The Changes Do Not Matter!If you still want to know what those changes are, continue reading.
🦻Only in Listening!
There are changes only in the listening section of the test. All other sections r
There or Their?
We at First Academy have the fortune of learning on the job. As teachers of English, we are naturally among the first to encounter the most common mistakes people make and encounter them on a regular basis. The one mistake that usually takes the cake is the difficulty most people face in understanding the difference between there, they’re (they are) and their.Here is a short primer on what these words mean and how to use them correctly. Be it IELTS or PTE or CELPIP or any other English test wh
IELTS Band 9 sample 1 - Task 2
Question 1
Many newspapers and magazines feature stories about the private lives of famous people. We know what they eat, where they buy their clothes and who they love. We also often see pictures of them in private situations. Is it appropriate for a magazine or newspaper to give this kind of private information about people?Give reasons for your answer.
Write at least 250 words.
The purpose of newspapers, as their name suggests, is to present news. The issue however, is how th
IELTS Band 9 sample 2 - Task 2
Question 2
More and more qualified people are moving from poor to rich countries to fill vacancies in specialist areas like engineering, computing and medicine. Some people believe that by encouraging the movement of such people, rich countries are stealing from poor countries. Others feel that this is only part of the natural movement of workers around the world.
Which viewpoint do you agree with? Why?
Write at least 250 words
Here is an analysis of the question
The
IELTS Band 9 sample 3 - Task 2
Question #3
Climate change is a phenomenon that affects countries all over the world. Many people strongly believe that it is the responsibility of individuals, rather than corporations and governments, to deal with this problem. To what extent do you agree?
Write at least 250 words
Here is an analysis of the question
The questions asks about the extent of your agreement. It could be partly, fully, not at all, or anything else that falls between those. Remember The ques
Matching – Listening Exercise
To listen to the audio click onto this link : https://firstacademy.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Matching-Lists.mp3?_=1
Modifiers Quiz 1
A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause which functions as an adjective or an adverb to describe a word or make its meaning more specific. It is one of the most common errors students commit in tests that include a writing module. Take this short quiz to know where you stand.
Good Luck!
IELTS Reading Activity
Nov 27 2017
| Category:
IELTS
Reading is considered to be the most challenging module in the IELTS test.
Practice most certainly aids in helping you gain confidence and master strategies. Here are a few short passages to help you
Grammar and Sentence Structure Test
Wondering about what the right phrase would be in the context? This quiz is for you. Be it for speaking in the IELTS test, or understanding the meaning of a piece of written text, knowing how subtle differences in usage can alter meaning can be vital.
Listening Test 1 – Difficulty: High
The listening test contains multiple choice questions. As with most multiple choice questions in most listening tests, the answer options will have words and phrases that are a part of the conversation. This is a [tooltip tip=”Done on purpose; intentional; planned”]deliberate[/tooltip] measure to force candidates to focus on the understanding of the passage rather than marking an answer based on words or sounds of words that have been heard. As always, read the instructions thoroughly before
Writing Better
Writing. What can be said about it? We can all write, but how well we write is usually determined, at least for those that are planning to immigrate into Canada or Australia, by what you score in your IELTS. For many, the excruciating experience of being stuck at a 6.5 in writing while waltzing through every other section of IELTS is something that will remain a painful memory.For those of us who wish to erase this memory or build up on our failures, the first step is to be able to write clearly
Speaking Part 2 – IELTS
🗣️Speaking Part 2 – Talking about an event from your life This post gives you an idea of what you could do in the IELTS speaking section, with specific focus on how to handle a cure card that requires you to talk about an event from your life. Note: While this is more in tune with the IELTS test, you can use many of the pointers to help you with speaking in other tests like the PTE and TOEFL! Here are the pointers 💡Get some ideas by asking yourself Who? What? Where? When? a
Active and Passive Voice – For Writing and Speaking
Active to passive conversions (or vice versa) are more than a grammar exercise that we do in school. While we are never taught the purpose of these conversions, knowing how to convert a sentence from active to passive and back is essential for being able to score well on the ‘Grammatical Range’ parameter of tests like PTE, IELTS, OET, and TOEFL. Grammatical range looks at the variety of sentences you can construct to convey precise meanings and opinions. This is helpful not just in t
Parallel Structures
If there is proof that certain aspects of English appeal to the aesthete, it is parallel structures. Parallel structures can make what you write and what you say memorable. If you closely observe most the quotable quotes, you will start noticing that most of them have parallel structure hidden in them. Take a look at this for instance:So, how are these relevant to IELTS, GRE, or PTE coaching? For language tests, they will help you get a better score in speaking and writing. And in tests like GRE
Collocations – Explanation and Quiz
Collocation
A collocation is two or more words that often go together. Strong collocations are word pairings that are expected to come together
Collocation Examples Here are some examples of common collocations:
feel free come prepared
make progress
curly hair
It is important to be able to fluently use collocations in tests like IELTS and PTE. In more advanced tests like the GRE, the ability to understand and identify collocations is necessary to pick the right answer. Here i
Subject Verb Agreement Test 1
Now, for the quiz.
If you are taking the quiz on a mobile, click below (it will open in a nice pop-up window that is unobtrusive)
Mobile Quiz
If you wish to take the quiz on the desktop, here you are:
Writing Evaluation
Mar 18 2019
| Category:
General Interest
,
IELTS
If you are on a slow connection,
please wait for the PDF to load.How is Writing Evaluated?
At First Academy, we take evaluations very seriously. We understand the difference between getting a 6.5 and a 7.0. Our trainers thoroughly understand the all the evaluation parameters of IELTS. Here is a sample of one of our evaluations. In this evaluation, you will find: the mistakes underlined. brief explanations of what these mistakes are.
trainer comments along with a tentative band score.
Words, Speaking, Reading and More!
1. What is the purpose of this audio file?
2. Why is there a text transcript?
Instructions
listen to the tape, then listen to the tape as you read the text
note down the words you do not know
figure out what they mean
observe voice modulation
record yourself reading the same thing
notice the difference
Yayy!
Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions
This quiz has 10 questions.
The suggested completion time is 20 minutes.
The quiz is NOT timed.THE NEXT STEP IN BRAIN EVOLUTION
Emily Feld is a native of a new planet. While the 20-year-old university student may appear to live in London, she actually spends much of her time in another galaxy – in the digital universe of websites, e-mails, smart phones and social networking sites. The behavior of Emily and her generation, say experts, is being shaped by digital technology as never before.
Sentence Variety – 1
In this series, we are going to explore one of themes that has been less explored than other aspects of language – sentence variety. No matter which exam you are taking, understanding sentence variety becomes very important. If you are taking IELTS or PTE for that matter, sentence variety becomes vital in writing. They are both tests of language and hence expect you to be able to use different sentence structure while writing. On the other hand, tests like the GRE look at your ability to under
Band Speaking Sample – Cue Card
Sep 12 2018
| Category:
IELTS
* DRUMROLL *
The IELTS Speaking Section 2 begings and everyone is hyper-worried. Do we speak non-stop? Do we use sequipedalian words? Or do we simple speak whatever comes to our mind? Here is a sample question and an answer that will score very highly. The Cue Card The Response A really important decision I’ve made recently is to study abroad, which is the reason I’m here talking to you now. No-one from my family has ever had the chance to study abroad before. My parents were act
Reading Write!
Do you want to Read for your IELTS and GRE right? Sometimes, small differences in a sentence can make huge differences. Understanding this is a vital aspect of any language. If you are here, and are reading this, you are in all probability looking to take an exam that tests your proficiency in English (IELTS, GRE, etc), or are looking for material to train students for such tests. The changes in sentence structure often change the part of speech a word belongs to. Let us look at a garden p
So, you think you can connect with me?
Coherence and Cohesion is one of the parameters of evaluation for writing. Since the name sounds good, most are swept up in the charm of the name and hence do not bother to figure out what it means and how it can affect their score. Coherence is about the logical flow of information. It is about unity. About how your essay sounds as a whole. Look at the following sequence of sentences: Bats are the only mammals capable of flight. Mammals are animals that have hair and external ears. Man is
Writing Better Part 3
This quiz is the third installment of our eight part series focusing on sentence variety. Hope you find it enlightening! For those of you who have missed the first two tests, the links are at the page below!InstructionsFor the questions in the set, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given.Here is an example: It's true that the company might go into liquidation if it's not careful. DANGER There is a danger of the company
Listening Test – Challenging
Short Listening 2Play the audio file and answer questions as you listen. In the actual test, you will not be allowed to pause or rewind the tape. Try following the same rules here too! Remember, the questions are not easy. Read the questions and the answer options at least once before you play the audio tape! Audio Player : https://firstacademy.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Art_Listening.mp3?_=1 For question or clarifications, you can always reach out to us at www.firstacademy.in
Money and Happiness – Band 9 Sample Essay
Mar 28 2019
| Category:
IELTS
The following essay is an extension from the article in the telegram channel @IELTSIndia. This post contains an article from which many expressions and phrases have been taken. It is only to give the reader an idea of how to use expressions and phrases the right way. Can money bring happiness? What are the factors for happiness? For many people, life is all about money. People spend a lot of time either thinking about it or figuring out ways to earn it. In this essay, I aim to look at wheth
Sentence Variety – 2
Be it for IELTS, GRE, OET, or any other test you wish to take, knowing words is only one very small part of the fight. If you want to be better than most, you need to be able to both understand and construct a variety of sentences. This quiz looks at your ability to use words in different contexts (GRE) and your ability to construct different sentences with the same meaning (IELTS). Take this quiz and see how you score!
If you are new here, and want to look at the earlier test, you can take
Read about
Other posts
October 2021
March 2021
June 2021
February 2021
August 2021
October 2020
May 2020
March 2020
July 2020
January 2020
February 2020
December 2020
August 2020
April 2020
September 2019
October 2019
May 2019
March 2019
June 2019
July 2019
August 2019
April 2019
September 2018
November 2018
May 2018
March 2018
June 2018
July 2018
January 2018
February 2018
April 2018
November 2017
December 2017
August 2017