Hey! To end 2024, Shelly is going to take you on a tour of the CEFR. She will explain what the Common European Framework of Reference is and how it underpins every high-quality language test, including IELTS. More importantly, she will explain what happens when "teachers" forget that IELTS is based on the CEFR (Spoiler: It is not good).

There is a YouTube video to accompany this post, which will be posted later this week. So, if you would like to see the slides and examples of the CEFR tables, you can find it on the My IELTS Classroom channel from January 6th.

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Hey! Nick and I are back with our final (and second!) episode of 2024 - our breakdown of the essay questions in the Cambridge IELTS General Training 18 book.

As usual, we analyse the four questions in turn, offering our ideas and discussing what could make each question easy or difficult for test-takers. And, boy-oh-boy, do the questions in this book range in difficulty! We think they go all the way from a 0 to a 10, which just shows how much the difficulty of a test can vary based on the topic of the question.

As always, to get the most of this episode, it is best if you spend some time generating of ideas for each of the four questions before you listen.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - see you in 2025!

NIck and Shelly

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Hello? Is anybody still out there? It has been 410 days since we last released a podcast, but Nick and I are back to spread some Christmas IELTS joy! 

Is this the start of a new run of My IELTS Classroom episodes, or just some festive fun? Well, you will have to listen to find out!

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Yes, after 76 days of silence, Nick and I are back to start a new season of My IELTS classroom!

Today, we consider how much IELTS actually prepares you for university life in the UK. We will consider what skills you need to succeed in a degree course and how many are covered in the exam. More importantly, we’ll think about what “gaps” a student might have in their academic skills even if they gave achieved a high-level score.

Useful Links

• Download my free ebook "An ex-examiner's guide to the Band IELTS Descriptors": https://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ielts-examiner-ebook-mark/
• Watch the free video lessons on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiLz9Dbe4NEIu5OCy0WA1sg

Rate and review My IELTS Classroom
If you are on Apple Podcasts, help us to help more people just like you by rating and reviewing our show. Reviews let other students - just like you - find our information-packed episodes and start their IELTS journey in the best possible way.

Remember, My IELTS Classroom offers a range of IELTS services:

• IELTS Video courses: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/writing
• IELTS Essay Corrections: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/marking
• IELTS Speaking lessons: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/speaking
• Free blog lessons: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com
• Free Podcast episodes: https://myieltsclassroom.buzzsprout.com

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Hey! Today Nick and I tackle a reading from the new Cambridge IELTS 18 book. We choose to passage 3 from Test 2, which is titled "An Ideal City". Why? Well, it's because it  contains a rather unusual summary completion question.

Usually summaries are given in a single paragraph, or divided into two shorter paragraphs. This summary, however, is divided into THREE parts and is much longer than the usual summaries that appear. What difference does this make to the way that you should approach this question? Listen to find out!

Plus, we discuss exam management techniques such as how to preview passages, and allays the questions.

Useful Links

• Download my free ebook "An ex-examiner's guide to the Band IELTS Descriptors": https://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ielts-examiner-ebook-mark/
• Watch the free video lessons on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiLz9Dbe4NEIu5OCy0WA1sg

Rate and review My IELTS Classroom
If you are on Apple Podcasts, help us to help more people just like you by rating and reviewing our show. Reviews let other students - just like you - find our information-packed episodes and start their IELTS journey in the best possible way.

Remember, My IELTS Classroom offers a range of IELTS services:

• IELTS Video courses: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/writing
• IELTS Essay Corrections:https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/marking
• IELTS Speaking lessons: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/speaking
• Free blog lessons: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com
• Free Podcast episodes: https://myieltsclassroom.buzzsprout.com
• Support the show by becoming a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/myieltsclassroom

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Hey! Today, Nick and I tackling the listening test from IELTS Cambridge 18 Test 4. This is the latest book of past test papers, so is a great chance for you to practice the most recent IELTS test format.

Plus, Nick and I will analyse all of the questions and discuss which we think are "easy" and which are difficult.

This is an interactive lesson, so you can download the listening test that we use in this lesson here:.

Useful Links

• Download my free ebook "An ex-examiner's guide to the Band IELTS Descriptors": https://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ielts-examiner-ebook-mark/
• Watch the free video lessons on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiLz9Dbe4NEIu5OCy0WA1sg

Rate and review My IELTS Classroom
If you are on Apple Podcasts, help us to help more people just like you by rating and reviewing our show. Reviews let other students - just like you - find our information-packed episodes and start their IELTS journey in the best possible way.

Remember, My IELTS Classroom offers a range of IELTS services:

• IELTS Video courses: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/writing
• IELTS Essay Corrections:https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/marking
• IELTS Speaking lessons: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/speaking
• Free blog lessons: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com
• Free Podcast episodes: https://myieltsclassroom.buzzsprout.com

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Hey. Last week Nick and I answered 6 of your questions about the IELTS exam. Today, we go though more of my mailbox to give you answers to enquiries such as 

• how can you tell if a letter is semi-formal or informal
• when you should complain about speaking scores
• whether singular and plural nouns are important in the listening exam or not

You can ask me a question any time by emailing hello@myieltsclassroom,com.

Useful Links

• Download my free ebook "An ex-examiner's guide to the Band IELTS Descriptors": https://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ielts-examiner-ebook-mark/
• Watch the free video lessons on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiLz9Dbe4NEIu5OCy0WA1sg

Rate and review My IELTS Classroom
If you are on Apple Podcasts, help us to help more people just like you by rating and reviewing our show. Reviews let other students - just like you - find our information-packed episodes and start their IELTS journey in the best possible way.

Remember, My IELTS Classroom offers a range of IELTS services:

• IELTS Video courses: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/writing
• IELTS Essay Corrections:https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/marking
• IELTS Speaking lessons: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/speaking
• Free blog lessons: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com
• Free Podcast episodes: https://myieltsclassroom.buzzsprout.com
• Support the show by becoming a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/myieltsclassroom

Support the show

Every week I get dozens of emails from our My IELTS Classroom students, podcast listeners, YouTube followers and Newsletter subscribers asking questions about the IELST exam. They range from questions are about exam procedures to questions about how the exam is marked or how the student can maximise their preparation.

Today, I thought that I would share a range of the emails that I have received in the last couple of weeks. Not only will that give you an insight into the life of an IELTS teacher, but it may also answer some of your own doubts about the exam.

You can ask me a question any time by emailing hello@myieltsclassroom,com.

Useful Links

• Download my free ebook "An ex-examiner's guide to the Band IELTS Descriptors": https://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ielts-examiner-ebook-mark/
• Watch the free video lessons on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiLz9Dbe4NEIu5OCy0WA1sg

Rate and review My IELTS Classroom
If you are on Apple Podcasts, help us to help more people just like you by rating and reviewing our show. Reviews let other students - just like you - find our information-packed episodes and start their IELTS journey in the best possible way.

Remember, My IELTS Classroom offers a range of IELTS services:

• IELTS Video courses: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/writing
• IELTS Essay Corrections:https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/marking
• IELTS Speaking lessons: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/speaking
• Free blog lessons: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com
• Free Podcast episodes: https://myieltsclassroom.buzzsprout.com
• Support the show by becoming a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/myieltsclassroom

Support the show

Yes! Finally, on our third attempt, Nick and I have managed to successfully record an episode analysing the essays in the new Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic book. We offer our ideas and insights into the new questions, including how we will organise each essay and what our position would be. Plus, we rate the difficulty level of each question.

This is an interactive lesson, so make sure you spend at least 5 minutes generating ideas for each essay before you listen.

Useful Links

• Download my free ebook "An ex-examiner's guide to the Band IELTS Descriptors": https://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ielts-examiner-ebook-mark/
• Watch the free video lessons on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiLz9Dbe4NEIu5OCy0WA1sg

Rate and review My IELTS Classroom
If you are on Apple Podcasts, help us to help more people just like you by rating and reviewing our show. Reviews let other students - just like you - find our information-packed episodes and start their IELTS journey in the best possible way.

Remember, My IELTS Classroom offers a range of IELTS services:

• IELTS Video courses: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/writing
• IELTS Essay Corrections:https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/marking
• IELTS Speaking lessons: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/speaking
• Free blog lessons: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com
• Free Podcast episodes: https://myieltsclassroom.buzzsprout.com
• Support the show by becoming a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/myieltsclassroom

Support the show

Today, Nick and I discuss one of the most important IELTS questions - why are so many students stuck at a 6.5 for IELTS writing? Is it because there is a conspiracy to trick test-takers, or are there other less sinister reasons? You can find the full episode notes and a transcript of the conversation at http://podcast.myieltsclassroom.com/

This is a re-run of an episode from 2020, so don't be surprised if Nick and I sound so youthful!

Episode Notes

Following on from our lesson last week, today we look at the most common IELTS myth -  examiners are changing test-takers writing scores on purpose to prevent them getting a 7.0. Is there really any evidence for this? Well PC Lone and Sargent Cornick will investigate to find out! Then, we will spend the rest of the episode discussing the most common errors in that we saw when we were examiners when marking students' essays. Are you making these mistakes? Well, join the episode to find out!

In this episode, we will discuss:

1. if it is possible that Cambridge, the British Council, IDP, examiners, or individual test centres are changing scores of purposively making it hard for students to get a 7.0 in IELTS writing?
2. why students tend to get a lower score in writing than in the other parts of test
3. the most common errors that we see with Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy that stop students getting a 7.0 for their IELTS essay

Useful Links 

• Find out the three most difficult essay questions in the Cambridge IELTS books: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/cambridge-ielts-books/
• Complete my free lesson for subject / verb agreement: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ielts-grammar-subject-verb-agreement/
• Watch my free video lesson for articles: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/programs/articles
• Watch my free video lesson for contrast clauses: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/programs/three-types-of-contrast

Rate and review My IELTS Classroom
If you are on Apple Podcasts, help us to help more people just like you by rating and reviewing our show. Reviews let other students - just like you - find our information-packed episodes and start their IELTS journey in the best possible way.

Remember, My IELTS Classroom offers a range of IELTS services:

• IELTS Video courses: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/writing
• IELTS Essay Corrections:https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/marking
• IELTS Speaking lessons: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/speaking
• Free blog lessons: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com
• Free Podcast episodes: https://myieltsclassroom.buzzsprout.com

Support the show