Introduction of IELTS

What is IELTS

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is designed to help you work, study or migrate to a country where English is the native language.

Grade comparison between DSE and IELTS

As shown below,

DSE	IELTS
5*	7
5	6.5
4	6
3	5.5

IELTS Test Format

4 sections, including

Listening
Writing
Speaking
Reading

Listening

30 minutes
4 recordings
40 questions
10 minutes to transfer answers to answer sheet
Type: MC, Matching, labelling, summary completion, Sentence completion, Short-answer questions

Grade is based on the number of correct answers.

Grade	Score
9	39-40
8.5	37-38
8	35-36
7.5	33-34
7	30-32

Writing

60 minutes
2 tasks
task 1: describe facts or figures presented in one or more graphs
task 2: Argumentative essay

Reviewer rate at Grade 7. adjust to Grade 6 if the writing has noticeable errors. adjust to Grade 8 if the writing is something they want(didnt explain).

Speaking

11-14 minutes
3 parts
start at Grade 6
adjust to higher if talkative and fluent
adjust to lower if not fluent, not talkative, not conversational

Reading

60 minutes
3 sections (each section contains 13-14 MC questions)
40 questions
Type: MC (T, F, NG)
- 比較類需要注意
- e.g. 原文：多 -> MC: 愈來愈多 -> NG
- 以一般人認為既推論為答案
  - e.g. 著裙 -> 去女廁 -> T
  - e.g. 紋身 -> 黑社會 -> NG
Type: filling the blanks
- 1-2 words
- fill Noun, Verb, or Adj.
- think about singular or plural form for Noun
All questions sub-sections in a section share the linear order, i.e. the answer of question 2 is after the answer of question 1 in the passages.
- We should:
  - Read the question first to find keywords (buffers) in all sub-sections.
  - Read the passage in paragraph order to find the answers
  - If answer is not certain, read the next questions for buffers and start to read the next paragraph.
  - (For MC) If the answer of Q2 is located, it suggests Q1 may be NG.
  - (For MC) If the answer between NG and T/F is uncertain, try to rephrase the keywords to content of passage, see if logical or not. (Details in reading practice 1)
  - (For filling the blank) If the answer is uncertain, try to rephrase the keywords to content of passage, see if logical or not. (Details in reading practice 1)

The idea of completed sentence

All sentences must be complete. i.e. [Subject + Verb + Object]
4 type of info in a sentence
- Verb
- Subject
- 先選 verb, 後睇 subject 去決定 verb choice
  - e.g There is a lot of information on the internet.
- usage + collacation
- Extra information
  - prep phrase / participle phrase
    - e.g. The girl with long hair killed the man with a knife.
    - e.g. The wallet made of leather was stolen.
  - adj. Clauses / adv. Clauses
    - e.g. The students who did not work hard failed the test held yesterday.
$\therefore$ Subject + Verb + Object is the basic structure of a sentence.
e.g. Because SVO, SVO. [Where Because SVO is an adv. Clause]

Usage and Mistake

All the usage and mistake are based on the notes of the lesson 1.

Usage of “suggest”

suggest + ing
- e.g. I suggest going to the cinema.
suggest + that + S + (should) V O
- e.g. I suggest that you go to the cinema.
- e.g. I suggest (that) she (should) do her homework.

Usage of “the + adj.”

果班 XX 人
the poor
the old
the underprivileged
the rich
the elderly
- not the elderlies

Usage of “spend”

spend sth. on sth.
- e.g. I spend 2 hours on my homework.
spend sth. doing. sth.
- e.g. I spend 2 hours doing my homework.

Usage of “inform”

inform sb. of sth.
- e.g. I inform you of the meeting.
- e.g. You will be informed of the meeting.

Usage of “provide”

provide sb. with sth.
- e.g. The government provides the poor with food.
provide sth. to sb.
- e.g. The government provides food to the poor.

Usage of “let”

let sb. to do sth. is wrong
let sb. do sth. is correct
consider “The department do not let the staffs to use their company email accounts for personal affairs.”
Suggested writing:
- The department do not let the staff use their company email accounts for personal affairs.

Usage of “see/hear/feel”

see/hear/feel + O + Ving
- e.g. I saw him running. (I saw him when he was running.)
- e.g. I heard him singing.
- e.g. I felt the wind blowing.
see/hear/feel + O + BF
- e.g. I saw him walk hand in hand when they were hit by the car from the back. (I saw the whole process from walking hand in hand to hitting by the car.)
see/hear/feel + pp
- e.g. I saw the door closed. (I saw the door when it was closed.)

Mistake of “staffs”

staff is a collective noun, so we cannot write staffs
staff is/are both correct

Mistake of “learn knowledge”

learn knowledge is wrong (heavily inflcenced by Chinese)
attain/acquire/ gain knowledge is correct

Mistake of matching Subject and Verb

consider “Joining internship programs can widen students exposure.”
- not “Joining X” widen exposure,
- Students widen exposure by joining X.
suggested writing:
- sth. enable sb. to
  - Joining internship programs enable students to widen their exposure.
- Students can widen their exposure by joining internship programs.

Incorrect Answer Note for Reading Practice 1

MC

Human being are responsible for some of the destruction to food-producing land.
- From paragraph 3: If successfully implemented, proponents claim, vertical famrs offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (through year-round production of all crops), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.
- From paragraph 4: Along the way, we despoiled most of the land we worked, often turning verdant, productive landscapes into semi-arid deserts.
- $\therefore$ T is the answer.
Some damage to food crops is caused by climate change.
- From paragraph 4: However, more often than not now, due to a rapidly changing climate, that is not what happens. Massive floods, long droughts, hurricanes and servere monsoon take their toll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops.
  - That refers to “hope for a good weather year (for crops planting)”.
- $\therefore$ T is the answer.

IELTS - After Class Note, Week 1