ielts2u

Cancelled.

It is a bit hard without seeing the passage, but my guess is: The article is about InterExchange, which offers work experience programmes or internships. If that is true, 'similar programmes' means work experience or internships, but in this case in other countries. If all of that is true, then 'true' is the answer. Mike (online IELTS writing tutor)

Hi Nad, There are two obvious problems. One is easy to fix and the other more difficult. First, the essay has no conclusion. You need a final paragraph to summarise your ideas and make a final comment. The final comment could be a prediction in this case. The second problem is the grammar and vocabulary. There are too many grammar mistakes and the idioms or phrases you are using are too often incorrect. Go to an IELTS teacher in your city for a few weeks and they will quickly correct many of these mistakes. Regards, Mike

Hi Nad, I don't know much about visas, I'm afraid. However, I might be able to help with writing. Post an essay and I will tell you if there is any obvious reason why you did not get a 7.0. Mike

It looks like the main barrier is vocabulary/grammar. For example, 'and etc.' should just be 'etc.', 'thus' in the third line should be deleted, and 'As a source books' should be 'As source books' All these mistakes will be fixed quickly by a teacher. Have lessons for a few weeks in your city. the second problem is structure. The paragraphs may be too 'clever'. For university, in English-speaking countries, the rule is: 'One idea, one paragraph.' Your last idea of 'film', was not developed well. You will lose points for this. i hope this helps. Mike

What skill are you having trouble with?

Hi Lavinia, You should get a 9.0 for this. It is wonderful writing. There is a slight problem, however: You have not really answered the question. This is more a question of culture than correctness, as in universities in English-speaking countries, students are encouraged to 'take a stand'. In Europe (particularly in Germany), students are encouraged to explore the subject. So, for a lecturer in an English-speaking country, he/she would want to know if you agree or disagree. This is more to demonstrate your ability to construct a strong argument than anything else. I hope this helps in your future studies. Mike ielts2u@yahoo.com

You should get a 4.5 for this. There are 3 things you can do to improve your score to a 5.0. First, your sentences should have: Subject + verb + object. Make sure all your sentences are complete. Second, you can divide the body into 3 paragraphs: two paragraphs for your idea and one against. Finally, do not just have a list of advantages and disadvantages. State your advantage, then the next sentence explains 'why' or 'how'. This is called supporting information and shows the development of an idea, rather than just a list of ideas. I hope this helps. Mike Ielts2u - an IELTS writing help site

Hi Saiko, Your task 1 should get you a strong 6.0. Your writing lacks discipline, but parts of it are great. It looks like someone who has lived overseas, but has not had many classes? For example, your first two sentences should be one paragraph and 'per each one' in the fourth paragraph, should be 'for each one'. These are relatively small mistakes, and relatively easy to remedy. Your task 2 should get you a high 6.0 again. The problem is the same. You have the vocabulary and grammar to get an easy 7.0; however, there are some simple mistakes that look like you have pursued fluency over accuracy. You need writing correction. Write, get your mistakes corrected, study them and do another essay. Any of the sites advertised here will do a good job. Alternatively, find a teacher in your town and do the same thing. I hope this helps. Regards, Mike ielts2u -an IELTS writing help site

This is an interesting point. The spelling is not an issue. American and British spelling are officially permitted in IELTS. However, in terems of garmmar and style the are slight differences in academic English. For lower levels (up to a 7.0) this will not be a problem as these slight differences would be negligible compared to the massive errors that are visible in other areas of essays for these levels. For students aiming for an 8.0 or more, the different usage of Present Perfect and Simple Past will be seen as incorrect by some British examiners as will differences in prepositions. In terms of style, there is almost no use of personal examples in UK essays, while this is more accepted in some US undergraduate courses (in my experience). The real problem would be in General Training. You should not use idiom in Academic IELTS, but this is fine, especially in personal letters, in GT. These idioms are usually the same between British and American English, but a few are quite different. The conclusion? The difference between British and American English is highly unlikely to cause you problems, unless you are looking at an 8.0 or 8.5. If you are looking at these scores, get a trainer who is familiar with the style your examiners are familiar with and get a few essays checked. I hope this helps. ielts2u - an IELTS writing help site Mike

Ah. The colon now looks like a smiley face:) it should look like this :

I think you will go close to a 7.0. You are doing all the task asks of you and the language is suitable. The problems with this letter are in brackets below. You have recently moved to a different house. Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your letter Explain why you have moved Describe the new house Invite your friend to come and visit ​ Dear XXXX, Hi there. How are you? Are your studies going well? Are you enjoying the London lifestyle? I’m writing to you to tell you some news about my girlfriend and me. (me should be I) As you know, our last apartment was too small for us, so we decided to move to another one near the center, more beautiful and with plenty of space. (after centre there should be a colon (:)). This new flat is in Areeiro with a lot of facilities nearby. It has two bedrooms, both with plenty of space and each of them with a large wardrobe, which is really important to get our clothes in (This clause is meaningless. Why not say: "which is useful for all the clothes shopping we plan to do!"). It also has a wonderful living room where we, finally, can through (throw) some parties and invite our friends to have dinner with us. This new living room has one wall only made of windows that fills it with full of sunny(sun) light every day. Isn’t our new flat great? We are wondering when you are going to come and visit in order to see our new flat. We miss you a lot. Why don’t you pay us a visit next August, during your school holidays? Let us know if you decide to come around. We will be glad with your visit.(We'd love to see you.) Kisses, «me» 2.

You should get around 5.5 for this. Your grammar is not terrible, but will improve with reading. The vocabulary is OK. The problems are: 1. You over-personalize the text. You do not need to talk about reading newspapers or schools you and your friends went to. 2. Your paragraphs are strange. Have one paragraph for: introduction, cause 1, cause 2, recommendations, conclusion. 3. The sentence about you and your friends is impossible to understand, although the idea for the paragraph was great. I hops this helps. Mike ielts2u - an IELTS writing website

You have great writing and this essay should get you around an 8.0. I say "around" because: 1. I can not see any paragraphs. You should divide this essay into 4 or 5 paragraphs. 2. You refer to "our" country when the topic does not specify this. Some examiners have a problem with this personalization of essays. 3. You finish your essay with new information about going to other countries. Stay on-topic. I hope this helps. Mike ielts2u - An IELTS writing website

You might get a 6.5 for this one. The main problem is that you did not use all the information that was provided to you. If they give the information, they expect you to use it. The other problems are verb tenses, commas/full stops and a few other minor grammar problems. You have also made a few vocabulary errors. If you use the information provided, you will easily get 7.0 or more. Control the language better and you will get an 8.0. Good luck. Regards, Mike Ielts2u - an IELTS writing website