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Welcome to Gold Coast IELTS in Southport and online! 

OK guys so adverbs are those words that (often but not always) end in –ly. They give us extra information about verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. Adverbs are the word that tell us how (manner), where (place), when (time), how often (frequency), or how much (intensity) something happens or is done. An adverb can be a single word ("sometimes") or a phrase ("from time to time").

So how do we use adverbs? Well, they can tell us about

1. Manner – are often formed by adding –ly to the adejctive form:

careful – carefully happy – happily

These adverbs usually come after the verb (and object if there is one).

I plan my trips very carefully. (not I plan very carefully my trips)

2. Place – usually come after the verb:

It was the first time I had been there.

Try to stay near the old part of the city.

3. Time – such as today, tomorrow, now, since 1996, or for three minutes can go at the beginning or end of a clause:

I had a very memorable trip last year. (or Last year I had a very memorable trip)

4. Frequency – usually come before the verb but after be or an auxiliary verb:

I often travel for my job.

I have always enjoyed my visits there.

He’s never late.

5. intensity – affect the strength of adjectives or adverbs

PIC

The adverbs at the stronger end of the scale (absolutely, completely, totally) can only be used with some adjectives. These tend to be ‘extreme’ adjectives that suggest a limit in their meaning (e.g. terrifying, excellent, exhausted). Other ‘non-extreme’ adjectives (e.g. frightened, good, tired) never collocate with these stronger adverbs. Compare:

There are some absolutely stunning examples of Indian silk embroidery. (not fairly stunning)

The people are very friendly. (not absolutely friendly)

Let’s take a look at this sort of grammar in an IELTS task 2 style essay.

Do you best to choose the correct option before you listen to the podcast.

Environmentalists and conservationists tell us that there are ways that each of us can help to (1) very reduce / greatly reduce our impact on the planet. We can (2) work hard / hardly work to conserve energy and we can invest in equipment to help us create our own power. People (3) say often / often say that they want to save the planet, but the only way to do this is to (4) take immediately action / take action immediately.

It is (5) really important / important really for individuals to (6) responsibly act / act responsibly and try to reduce their contribution to greenhouse gases. There are several ways we can do this. For example there are mini wind turbines that you (7) can install easily / easily can install on your roof as well as very efficient solar panels that (8) work good / work well all year round to provide electricity.

But if all this is too expensive, there are other ways to conserve energy that actually save you money. In cooler weather, simply keep the heat (9) inside safely / safely inside by closing doors after you so that the warmth doesn’t escape. It is (10) absolutely essential / very essential that we all take this seriously and do our best to lead a more sustainable life.

Answers: 1. greatly reduce 2. work hard 3. often say 4. take action immediately 5. really important 6. act responsibly 7. can install easily 8. work well 9. safely inside 10. absolutely essential

So that’s it for the Gold Coast IELTS blog for today guys. 

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Today let’s take a look at the future perfect continuous tense and how it can be effectively used in the IELTS exam to explain what will be happening at a particular point in time in the future.

Firstly, how do we make the future perfect continuous tense? Basically, it is made in the following way:

will + (not) have + been + verb-ing

So how do we use the future perfect continuous tense? Basically it is used to show how long an activity or situation has been in progress before a specified time in the future. We usually mention the length of time. For example:

By the end of the month, I’ll have been studying at this school for four years.

Now let’s check out how the future perfect continuous tense can be used in a real IELTS style task 1 writing task. Check out the bar chart, then try and complete the sentences using the future continuous tense.

1. Twelve students ---- on Saturday afternoon.

2. The students ---- books on Saturday.

3. The largest group of students ---- this Saturday afternoon.

4. A similar number of students ---- and ---- this weekend.

5. A very small number of students ---- this weekend.

6. Approximately 15 students ---- this weekend.

Answers: 1. will be watching TV 2. won’t (will not) be reading 3. will be playing computer games 4. will be doing sport; studying 5. will be resting 6. will be seeing friends.

OK guys, so any time you get a chart that depicts something HAPPENING in the future, you can use the future perfect continuous tense to describe it. It’s definitely a great way to show off your knowledge of future time, and it you use it in the appropriate situation, you can get a high mark for your grammar criteria.

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There is no doubt that in IELTS we need to be able to describe what has happened and what is happening, but we also need to be able to make predictions for the future, and we can use ‘will’, ‘going to’, and a combination of other words to do this.

1. ‘will’ can be used to

- make predictions that are based on our opinions of our past experience:

I think it’ll be extremely hot there.

- talk about future events or facts that are not personal:

The best player on the tour will get a special trophy.

2. ‘going to’ can be used to

- talk about events in the future we have already thought about and intend to do:

We’re going to hire a mini bus.

- make predictions when there is present evidence:

Well, we’re certainly going to have a varied trip. (I am judging this from what I already know about the plans)

3. ‘will’ and ‘going to‘ can follow words like think, doubt, expect, believe, probably, certainly, definitely, and be sure to to show that it is an opinion about the future.

I think it’s going to be a great trip.

It’ll probably rain every day.

So when do we use ‘Going to’ and when do we use ‘will’?

We’re going to have a very varied trip! (prediction based on what I know about the weather)

I’m sure we’ll enjoy it. (prediction based on my guess)

Now let’s see how these new ideas can be put to use in an IELTS task 2. Read the question, and then think where each phrase can be put.

"Thanks to modern technology, there have been enormous changes in the workplace over the past 100 years.

What are the most significant changes that have occurred and what changes do you foresee in the next 100 years?"

are going to feel       are going to happen      are likely to lead to

are likely to occur    are predicted to work    is likely to become

will be                      will continue  will develop

will find  will have    will result

... So, now let us consider the changes that (1) ---- in the next 100 years. Unfortunately, I believe that not all changes (2) ---- for the better. For example, in the future more and more people (3) ---- work from home and so they (4) ---- more isolated from their colleagues. On the other hand, they (5) ---- (certainly) greater freedom to choose their working hours.

A further possible change is that handwriting (6) ---- obsolete. We are already so used to using a keyboard that today’s children are losing the ability to spell without the aid of a word processor.

Without a doubt, even greater changes (7) ---- in technology used in the workplace. Computers (8) ---- (undoubtedly) to grow even more powerful and this (9) ---- (probably) in an even faster pace of life than we have now. Let us hope that our employers (10) ---- a way to reduce the stress on workers this fast pace can bring.

I also think these improvements in technology (11) ---- even more globalisation than now and companies (12) ---- very strong international links.

Predictions can be used in all IELTS writing tasks, especially task 2 and academic task 1.

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The past simple, past perfect, and past perfect continuous tenses are great to use in IELTS. We can use them to compare actions that happened in the past and show the examiner how deep our knowledge of time is.

Firstly let’s look at the past perfect simple. This tense is made with had + past participle. It is used in the following ways.

1. When we are talking about the past and want to mention something that happened earlier. Notice that the adverb (already) goes between had and the past participle.

Mozart’s father was a composer and his grandfather had also been a musician.

2. We can use words like when, as soon as, by the time, after to show the order of events.

When Mozart was born, five of his siblings had already died.

3. To talk about an indefinite time before a particular time, use words like always, sometimes, never, before, by + fixed time.

His family were richer than they had ever been before.

Next, the past perfect continuous is made with had been + -ing. It is used in the following ways.

1. To focus on how long an activity continued or to focus on the activity itself.

Times were hard and the family had been struggling for some time. (to show how long)

Mozart’s sister was extremely gifted at the keyboard and she had been making excellent progress.

Note that we cannot use the past perfect continuous to say how many times something happened.

GOOD – I knew the way as I had visited her several times before.

NOT GOOD – I knew the way as I had been visiting her several times.

Let’s look at how all of this will work in an IELTS task 1. Look at the chart below, then try and decide which verb will be used – the past simple, or the past perfect simple.

The chart shows the percentage of people aged 65 and over in the United States between 1900 and 2000. In the year 1900 jus over 4% of the population (1) was / had been aged over 65. However, by 1960 this figure (2) doubled / had doubled.

The number of people aged between 75 and 84 (3) remained / had remained fairly steady between 1900 and 1930, making up only 1-1.3% of the population. The figure (4) began / had begun to rise more significantly in 1940 and by 1970 it (5) tripled / had tripled to reach 3% of the population.

Although there (6) was / had been no change in the number of people aged 65-74 between 1960 and 1970, the number of people aged 75 and over (7) increased / had increased during this time. By the year 2000, 12.4% of the US population (8) reached / had reached the age of 65 or more, although this was slightly lower than in 1990 when it (9) peaked / had peaked at 12.6%.

The chart shows that today people in the United States can expect to live longer than in 1900. By the year 2000 more then 12% of the population (10) managed / had managed to live to the age of 65 and over compared to only 4.1% in 1900.

That’s it for today’s podcast. Try your best to use these past time tenses correctly when you are describing IELTS task 1 charts.

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Present tenses are used a lot in the IELTS exam, especially in the task 1 task. The two kinds of present tense verb in English are present simple and present continuous, and both of them have different functions (ways and times to be used). Lets look at each one separately, and then see how they can be used in the IELTS exam.

The present simple tense is made with the bare infinitive verb, and has a number of functions.

1. Regular habits or repeated actions

I get up really early and practice yoga for an hour each day.

I use the internet just about everyday.

2. Permanent situations

My parents own a restaurant.

3. Facts or generally accepted truths

Students don’t generally have much money.

4. To give instructions or directions

To start the program, first click on the icon on the desktop.

The present continuous is made with a ‘be’ verb + the –ing form of the verb. It also has a number of functions.

1. To talk about present situations

My cousin is living in Thailand at the moment.

2. To talk about actions that are happening at the moment of speaking

I’m waiting for my friends.

3. To talk about trends or changing situations

The price of petrol is rising dramatically.

4. To show things happen more often than expected, or to show envy or to criticise

My mum’s always saying I don’t help around the house enough! (complaint)

He’s always visiting exciting places. (envy)

Now lets see how we can use these two present tenses in an IELTS writing task 1 task. Two options will be written for each option. Before you listen, read slowly and try to choose the correct answer.

We (1) use / are using energy for three main things: electricity production, heating and transport. For the first two, we (2) have / are having options such as solar and wind power, or natural gas. But oil is still the world’s number one source of energy, and for transport at least, there is currently no alternative. In China, domestic energy production (3) goes up / is going up year by year and demand in similar regions (4) catches up / is catching up fast. We (5) know / are knowing how to use energy more efficiently now than in the past but the worldwide rise in demand (6) causes / is causing concern among experts. Some experts (7) think / are thinking that oil supplies will start to fall within the next twenty years. Most experts (8) agree / are agreeing that we need to find a new source of energy.

So guys as you can see using both forms of the present tense correctly and in the right position is a great way to write an accurate task 1 in IELTS.

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Countable and uncountable nouns is a subject that many learners, even very advanced learners, have a lot of trouble with. In this podcast, we will look at quantity expressions that we can use with these types of nouns. I think everyone listening to this podcast probably already knows the difference between countable and uncountable nouns, so lets jump right in and look at the quantity expressions.

1. Some and any

Some is generally used in:

positive statements = There are some shelves above the desk.

polite requests = Would you like some biscuits?

to mean ‘an unspecified large amount’ = It would be great to get some money for the rent.

Any is generally used in:

negatives and questions = My desk hasn’t got any drawers. Have you got any chocolate?

positive statements to mean ‘it doesn’t matter which/who/where/when = Call me any time

2. Quantities

We can use the following words to talk about quantities.

everything = all of for countable and uncountable nouns

large quantities = lots of, plenty of, a lot of, many of, most of to talk about countable nouns and uncountable nouns

medium quantities = some (of), a certain number of for countable nouns / some (of), a certain amount of for uncountable nouns

small quantities = a few of, a small/limited/tiny number of for countable nouns / a little of, a small, limited, tiny amount of for uncountable nouns

nothing = no, not any, none of for countable nouns and uncountable nouns

One special point we need to be aware of is the difference between ‘a few’ and ‘a little’ and ‘few’ and ‘little’. Compare:

1. Few rooms have such good natural light. (= not many so you are lucky)

We have a few rooms available with a sea view. (= a small number)

2. Little research has been done in this area. (= not enough)

A little research has been done in this area. (= a small amount)

Now let’s look at an IELTS task 1 style essay that uses a lot of these kinds of words. Two options are available each time. You can pause the recording and think by yourself before I say the answer if you like.

The (1) amount/number of sleep each person needs depends on (2) numbers of/a number of factors, including age. Infants generally require about 16 hours a day. For most adults, seven to eight hours a night appears to be the ideal (3) number / amount of sleep, although a (4) little / few people may need as (5) few /little as five hours’ sleep or as (6) much / many as ten hours’ sleep each day. Getting too (7) few / little sleep creates a sleep debt, and eventually, your body will demand that the debt be repaid.

A large (8) quantity of / number of people over 65 have frequent sleeping problems, such as insomnia, and deep-sleep stages in (9) a considerable amount of / a considerable number of elderly people often become very short or stop completely. Microsleeps, or very brief episodes of sleep in an otherwise awake person, are another mark of sleep deprivation. In a (10) small number of / small amount of cases, people are not aware that they are experiencing microsleeps. The widespread practice of burning the candle at both ends in western industrialised society has created so (11) many / much sleep deprivation that what is really abnormal sleepiness is now almost the norm.

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Noun phrases are the building blocks of any language. They can refer to ideas, things, situations or just about anything else that you can imagine. There will be at least one noun in every sentence that you make, so we need to be able to make really great noun phrases that stand out and will make the IELTS examiner take notice of us. So lets get stuck into (start studying) this awesome topic

Nouns can be single words, or multiple word formations. In every noun, there will be a head noun, which is the main noun. Before this noun can come pre-nominals (words before the noun like adjectives) and post-nominals (words after noun like relative clauses). In this workshop we will look specifically at post-nominals, of which there are four types.

1. Noun + prepositional phrase

Common prepositions to use in these constructions include of, in, for, on, to, and with.

of is used after nouns of quantity or to show possession.

the number of fish (quantity)

the people of the past (people belonging to the past)

at, in, and on are used for physical location

the rubbish lying at the bottom of the harbour

with can be used instead of ‘have’

dogs with big sharp teeth (= dogs that have big sharp teeth)

2. Noun + past participle (-ed)

Past participles after a noun will give the same information as a relative clause with a passive verb.

the data collected from the sites (= the data which is collected from the sites)

3. Noun + present participle (-ing)

Present participles after nouns give the same information as a relative clause with an active verb.

the other rubbish (lying) on the ocean floor (= the other rubbish which is lying on the ocean floor)

4. Noun + to-infinitive

To-infinitives after nouns are used to show purpose or intention. They include:

time to go

the place to visit

a way to look at it

a lot to look at

Let’s see how this cool technique can work in two different IELTS task 1 tasks.

The (1) INFORMATION GIVEN in the graph shows that (2) MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WORKING in towns and cities prefer to live in the countryside and commute to work. (3) THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE MOVING out of towns and cities increased significantly between 1985 and 2005.

The graph gives (4) INFORMATION CONCERNING sales and profits of two manufacturing companies. Company A sells (5) PENCILS MANUFACTURED overseas. Company B has (6) LOWER COSTS RESULTING in a higher annual profit.

Time for some analysis.

1. The information = subject / Given = past participle reduced relative clause (that)

2. More and more people = subject / Working = present participle reduced relative clause (who)

3. The number of people = subject / Working = present participle reduced relative clause (who)

4. Information = object / Concerning = present participle reduced relative clause (that)

5. Pencils = object / manufactured = past participle reduced relative clause (that)

6. Lower costs = object / Resulting = present participle reduced relative clause (that)

Try to make use of longer noun phrases in your IELTS task 1 and task 2 writing. It is sure to bump up (increase) your overall grammar score. You can also use these in your speaking.

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Time is a tricky thing to get right, and the way you describe it in a task 1 shows how accurate your language is. IELTS task 1 charts usually show information for the past that often continues to the present time. This is a perfect opportunity for us to use the simple past and the present perfect together in one piece of writing. If we contrast them properly, and show the examiner that we know the difference between the two of them, we will be able to get a higher mark for the grammar criteria.

Let’s start by looking at the differences between these two tenses.

1. The present perfect links the past with the present / The simple past only talks about the past

PP: I’ve made quite a lot of notes. (at some point in time before now and I may take more notes)

PS: I made notes on the most important things. (I’ve finished taking notes)

2. The present perfect does not talk about a specific time / The simple past states a specific time, or the time is understood from context

PP: Have you read the leaflet? (at some point before now)

PS: I read the leaflets when I was at the library. (I’m not in the library now and the reading is finished)

3. The present perfect uses time expressions that show the time period is unfinished / The simple past uses time expressions that show the time is finished

PP: I’ve read six articles this week. (the week isn’t finished)

PS: I read five books last week. (last week has finished)

Before we look at some examples, there are a couple of other things we need to take note of.

Firstly, we should note the position of the time expressions that often occur with the present perfect. Time words like recently, already, always, ever, just, and never often occur with the present perfect, and they come between the auxiliary and the main verb.

CORRECT: I’ve already finished my essay.

INCORRECT: I already have finished my essay.

Secondly, some time words come after the main verb. Such time words include all my life, every day, yet, before, for ages, for two weeks, since 2003, since I was a child etc.

CORRECT: I’ve felt tired for weeks.

INCORRECT: For weeks I’ve felt tired.

Let’s take a look at an example of how this works in a task 1. These sentences all describe the same chart.

1. The chart shows the percentage of British adults who HAVE USED the Internet since 1995.

2. The number of women who have used the Internet HAS INCREASED by more than 60% since 1995.

3. The percentage of men who have accessed the Internet ROSE to 60% in 2005.

4. The number of women to have accessed the Internet ROSE each year.

5. The percentage of men who used the Internet WAS greater than the percentage of women from 1995 to 2005.

6. However, British women HAVE OVERTAKEN British men in Internet usage since 2005.

7. The total number of people accessing the Internet HAS GROWN each year although the most significant rise OCCURRED between 1995 and 2000.

Now for some analysis.

In no. 1 there is a connection to the present time, which is 2005.

In no. 2 there is also a connection to the present time.

In no. 3 a specific time is being talked about.

In no. 4 a time in the past is being discussed with no connection to the present.

In no. 5 a period of time is being discussed, but this period of time is finished.

In no. 6 a period of time is being discussed that connects with the present, and the word ‘since’ is being used.

In no. 7, the first verb is connected to the present, and the second verb is discussing a period of time that is finished.

So guys using different tenses and time words to contrast time is a great technique that should be made use of especially when discussing IELTS task 1 charts that show information occurring over a period of time.

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Today let’s do a quick podcast and learn a great technique that not many people know about. It’s a simple language variation technique that is especially useful when describing IELTS task 1 charts.

One thing that IELTS examiners HATE is language repetition. And one thing they LOVE is language variation. One common way to vary language is to use synonyms. Here is an example.

Title: Sales of cars in EU countries 1999-2009

Synonymous language: The chart shows how many automobiles were sold in nations in Europe between 1999 and 2009.

The synonymous terms used were (cars = automobiles) and (countries = nations). This is a nice technique, but it is a little common and not special in any way. Today let’s learn a better technique to impress the IELTS examiner.

Instead of using synonymous words, lets try to impress the examiner by using different forms of the same word.  One easy way to do this is to exchange nouns for verbs, and adjectives for adverbs.

Here is an example:

Increase (noun) ... Increased (verb)

Slight (adjective) ... Slightly (adverb)

Let’s look at this technique in action.

1. Car sales showed a SLIGHT INCREASE (adjective + noun) between 2004 and 2006.

2. Sales of coffee INCREASED SLIGHTLY (verb + adverb) between 2004 and 2006.

Both of these sentences are saying exactly the same thing, but using different words to do it. If you can put BOTH these structures (adj. + N / V + adv.) in one task 1, you will really impress the examiner.

Let’s look at the grammar, especially SVO,  in more detail. In the first sentence S = car sales, V = showed, and O = a slight increase. In the second sentence, S = sales of coffee, V = increased, and O = NONE.

Let’s look at four more example of this technique below.

The domestic car market showed an IMPRESSIVE GROWTH of 50% for three consecutive years from 2001 to 2003.

The domestic car market GREW IMPRESSIVELY by 50% for three consecutive years from 2001 to 2003.

The world population GREW DRAMATICALLY between 1950 and 2005.

The world population experienced a DRAMATIC GROWTH between 1950 and 2005.

The number of British households using their own shopping bags when shopping FELL STEADILY between 1965 and 2005.

There was a STEADY FALL in the number of British households using their own shopping bags when shopping between 1965 and 2005.

House prices CLIMBED STEEPLY during the first half of the year before FALLING SHARPLY in August.

There was a SHARP CLIMB in house prices during the first half of the year before a STEEP FALL in August.

Guys this a great technique to pull out in your IELTS task 1 description, and it’s also not too hard if you practice the grammar a little bit. Make sure you use BOTH structures in the same essay for maximum score increase.

If you need to know more about writing awesome IELTS tasks, please visit my website at www.goldcoastielts.com. I have podcasts, a blog, and all the Cambridge exams for you to practice online along with MP3s. See you next time!

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In the IELTS task 1 many people describe the details of the charts quite well, but the forget to make adequate comparisons. There are many ways of comparing in English, the most common being to use adjectives, comparative adjective adjectives, and superlative adjectives. Today, we will focus on some ways of comparing that will guarantee that we get a high mark in this part of the task 1. Let’s look at three cool ways to compare:

1. Comparing with adverbs

2. Add emphasis

3. Other ways of comparing

So firstly, we can use adverbs to make comparisons. There are three ways we could do this. We could:

i) use more/most  + an adverb to make our comparison

China is developing more quickly than the US.

ii) Use some irregular adverbs like hard, fast, straight, late or quick

Men aged over 60 live 20 years longer than they did in the past.

iii) We could use irregular adverbs like badly/worse/worst or far/further/furthest

Italy did a lot worse than other countries when it came to the Corona Virus response.

Secondly, we could add emphasis in a couple of ways.

i) Use words like even, far, a great deal, or a little.

Children showed much greater increases in weight than expected.

ii) Use words like slightly, considerably, or significantly + comparative

The numbers for 2003 were significantly higher than those for 1999.

Thirdly, we could use some other ways to make comparisons.

i) We can say things are the same with as + adjective/adverb + as

Sweden is as likely as Germany to achieve their economic goals for 2020.

ii) We could add meaning by using just, nearly, half, three times etc.

Australia was almost as successful at the Olympics as Canada.

iii) We could say things are different with not as + adjective/adverb + as

The new vaccine may not be as effective as the older one.

iv) We can show the change is occurring over time be repeating the comparative.

Pollution levels seem to be getting lower and lower each year.

v) We can also use the + comparative + the to show things change over time.

The longer a person works, the better is their retirement.

Now lets take a look at a simple IELTS task 1 and add some comparisons to it. We will start directly with the details and comparison section.

"Looking in more detail we can see that while burglaries started much higher than car theft and robberies, between 2004 and 2007 they decreased more quickly than the other two types of crime. However, by 2008 car theft crimes began to show much greater numbers than either burglaries or robberies.  By 2012, there were more than twice as many car thefts as burglaries. Robberies were more than five times less likely to happen than car thefts. Overall, burglary fluctuated greatly compared to the other two types if crime."

This extract uses a number of cool comparative structures. Let’s take a look:

1. much higher = much + comparative adjective

2. more quickly = more + adverb

3. much greater numbers = much + comp. adjective + noun

4. twice as many ... as ... = twice + as + many + as

5. less likely = less + adverb

6. fluctuated greatly = verb + adverb