Irina Lutsenko: IELTS, writing, cohesion

Dictionaries for IELTS writing at levels 7.5 and higher 📚

I will tell you right off the bat: The Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries are not it. I tell my students not to rely on them. Not that they are bad. They are just simplified—they only give you the basic understanding of the word, without nuance. They are meant for lower level learners. For top scores, we need nuance and precision.

To really really understand a word, we actually need to check several sources. I tell my students to look the word up in at least three dictionaries. So you can still use Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries, but make sure to use more.

My go-to dictionaries:

1️⃣ Merriam-Webster. I love it for the examples. The phonetic writing is a nightmare. Some definitions can be convoluted.

2️⃣ Collins. It has a different way to give definitions—as a full sentence. The examples are shorter than in Merriam-Webster.

3️⃣ Dictionary. The simplest of the three, I guess. The sources of the examples are different from the two dictionaries above.

Important! ‼️

When you look the word up, read the example sentences from the web or from corpora that go with the definitions. The examples might be even more important than the definitions.

Here is what to pay attention to when exploring the example sentences:

- Is the noun mainly used in singular or plural?
- is the verb typically used in active or passive?
- Is the verb transitive or intransitive?
- Is the word mostly used in positive or negative contexts?
- Is it used in specific context only (e.g. economic or biological)?
- What words are used around the word? What are the collocating nouns, adjectives, and verbs? What prepositions is it used with? If the word has several prepositions, for example, which ones are more common? Is there a difference in meaning?

One thing about writing is that students suddenly realize they don't know certain words as well as they think they do. I keep correcting words like "comprise, on the contrary, tendency."

So I tell my students, "Dictionaries are your best friend. Use them religiously and check each word in at least three."

And sometimes dictionaries don't help. In another post, I'll tell you how to use Google search to check phrases, chunks, and half-sentences if dictionaries don't help. (In the meantime, you can give me an example of a chunk you needed or used in your writing, but couldn't check in a dictionary.) 📝

A great IELTS essay by a student 🍁

Topic (an awful one, if you ask me):

"Some people think governments should focus on reducing pollution and housing problems to help people prevent illness and diseases. To what extent do you agree or disagree?"

"Whether the government should prioritize combating pollution and solving housing issues to help people become healthier remains a contentious question. In my view, in order to prevent illnesses, other, more efficient, measures need to be taken on the part of the government.

The proponents of tackling pollution and housing issues, however, might argue that both pollution and poor housing require government attention. First, these issues may indeed cause health issues. Contaminated water and mold on the walls of derelict houses, for example, are likely to be responsible for a high rate of illnesses ranging from hepatitis to allergies and asthma, aggravating the risk of chronic cases. Second, the government, rather than ordinary people, can tackle these issues because it is the former that has the power to create and implement regulations aimed at water purification programs and housing renovation.

All the threat posed to health by pollution and impoverished housing notwithstanding, I consider other measures to be more reasonable. The chief measure to consider is prevention medicine. The access to preventative medicine specialists and regular health screenings considerably reduce risk of developing the conditions which are the leading causes of premature deaths, such as heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. Prevention medicine would thus prolong life expectancy and preserve multitude lives. On top of this measure there is a bigger one — promotion of a healthy lifestyle. The government should, in particular, fund sports facilities and foster proper dietetics programs, thereby nurturing regular exercise and healthy eating habits in the population. These are pivotal to the immune, cardio-vascular and respiratory systems, known as vital, as their smooth operation staves off illnesses and guarantees good health in the long run. These measures are bound to bring better results than housing and pollution regulations because the former fight illnesses directly and the latter much less so.

To conclude, although pollution and housing renovation should be on the governmental agenda, neither of them is a priority when it comes to lessening health problems. What has to top the list is investment in prevention medicine and promotion of a healthy lifestyle."

By Anastasiia Semkova

This is a really good essay on a really bad topic. What are "housing problems"? They are plenty and diverse. As are pollution problems. Why are they all lumped together? Anyway, the student did a great job addressing this vast and unclear topic.

#Irina_ielts_students #ieltswritingtask2

Writing a letter of recommendation 💜

This week I wrote something I had never written before – a letter of recommendation. I wrote it for one of my creative writers to support her application for an exchange program.

How do you approach writing something new, something you had never written before? Here is my algorithm.

1️⃣ Don’t google. Googling will likely result in a cliched piece of writing. Write from the heart and be authentic.

2️⃣ Identify the situation / the purpose. Identify the target reader and the information they are looking for.

3️⃣ Write a draft.

4️⃣ Leave the resultant text for a day or two. Your brain will keep thinking about your text and is likely to come up with even more ideas.

5️⃣ Make changes with a fresh perspective.

I enjoyed writing my letter of recommendation immensely – not least because the candidate had done a lot for my community, so the content part was easy and the recommendation was genuine. 💜

If you were to see my letter, you would see all the beautiful cohesive devices I teach in my courses:
- … several important traits. One that stands out is …
- … she does so actively and with true curiosity …
- Equally important is her ability to …
- This, in my opinion, constitutes true …

(Because coherence and cohesion are important in all kinds of writing to make the text flow smoothly. 💜)

Have you ever written a letter of recommendation? Do you think it would be easy if someone asked you? And did you notice "resultant"?

Better reading for better writing 📚📝

You need to read in order to write. Well, duh! But just reading is not enough. You need to notice things that are useful.

Take a look at this paragraph from a "New Scientist" article about ADHD. What do you notice here?

"I bet I can make you roll your eyes: I think I have ADHD. I imagine you are thinking: "Of course you have. How kooky. How creative. Now, go away and post about it on social media." If so, I totally understand. Since I first saw a list of ADHD symptoms in the mid-2000s and had an “aha” moment, I have lost count of the number of times I have talked myself in and out of seeking a diagnosis."

It's likely that you will get attracted to "kooky" or "aha moment." 

The most useful thing I see here, however, is the tiny little and oh-so familiar "if so." You might not know it, but it's a cohesive device called substitution. "So" substitutes "you are thinking." 

"If so" is exactly the kind of cohesion you need for a high IELTS score - subtle, unnoticeable, concise.

And it's exactly the kind of cohesion we learn and practice in my unique "Writing with New Scientist" course - a course designed to build your writing skills without the pressure of focusing on the IELTS format too much. 

📆 One new group is starting on 16 November: 
- Saturday 11-12:30 Moscow time
Course instructor: Anastasia Beisova

📆 Two working groups, join any time: 
- Tuesday 14-15:30 Moscow time
- Saturday 11-12:30 Moscow time
Course instructor: Irina Lutsenko

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DM me at @iraluts 💌

🍁 A great IELTS paragraph by a student 🍁

"This is a great paragraph!" says Irina never rarely.

But I do give credit when credit is due. So, today I want to share a great paragraph written by a student.

Topic: "Nowadays, some consumers are less influenced by advertising than in the past. What are the reasons? Do you think it is a positive or negative development?"

🍁 Student's first body paragraph, as is:

"The impact of advertising on consumers is less significant than it was in the past for several reasons. First of all, due to excessive exposure to adverts of all shapes and forms both offline and online, people have grown increasingly desensitized to this kind of content. This means that whenever a person encounters an advert they either simply ignore it or skip it in case of online marketing. Besides being fatigued by constant ad exposure, consumers have also become adept at recognizing advertising patterns early on. So, in that sense, people nowadays can easily differentiate between genuine recommendations and marketing ploys, which makes them less likely to fall for adverts."

By Anastasia Aleksandrova

The cherry on top is the paragraph was written in a matter of minutes, in class. It is great, isn't it? The only recommendation I would give is to change "So, in that sense," for "As a result," or something synonymous.

You can try your hand at "Do you think it is a positive or negative development?" in the comments. 📝

#Irina_ielts_students

Overdramatization and overbenefitization in IELTS essays (my terms) 📝

To nail Task Response, it's important to write about realistic things and not to go to extremes. People often go to two extremes - overdramatization and overbenefitization. Let me exemplify.

Topic: "Because some children do not seem to have a natural ability to learn another language, schools should not force those children to study a foreign language. Do you agree or disagree?"

📝 Overdramatization

If a child is made exempt from taking a foreign language class due to lack of aptitude, they will end up jobless and living under a bridge due to lack of career opportunities realize they have a learning disability and develop depression or even suicidal ideation as a result.

📝 Overbenefitization

If a child takes a foreign language class, they will be a happy, thriving individual with advanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills and a career at an international company much less susceptible to such mental health outcomes as depression and dementia.

Sure, it's not like the scenarios above are entirely impossible, but they are not very likely. There is a huge gap, with many variables, between a language class at school and depression or being a thriving adult.

It's best to stick to more realistic outcomes, both positive and negative. What would be more realistic for a school child?

Maybe, if a "talentless" child is exempt from a foreign language class, they will have more time to take advanced classes of the subject they do have a talent in or to prepare for exams or to volunteer. Btw, why would these be better than taking a language class? Share in the comments. 📝

#ieltswritingtask2

IELTS Task Response: Where do ideas come from?

When it comes to IELTS Writing Task 2, many people say that they don't have ideas. Or maybe they do, but the ideas turn out to be irrelevant. To get ideas — especially relevant ones — you need to give the topic a nice proper brainstorming.

You can do this with the help of a myriad questions.

📝 Here is a topic from IELTS 19.

"The working week should be shorter and workers should have a longer weekend. Do you agree or disagree?"

And here are the questions that will help you explore the topic. If you are a test taker, think about them on your own to find relevant arguments. If you are an IELTS instructor, you can use them in a class discussion.

1. What might be meant by “shorter” and “longer”?
2. Why did someone come up with this idea at all? How did someone come up with the idea of the classical 5/2 work week we have now? Why is this idea now outdated or has fallen out of favor?
3. Who would be affected by this new policy?
4. What might the people do in the extra time they gain?
5. Would this work for all industries? Are there industries for which it is not feasible?
6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a shorter weekend for: the employee and the company (employer)?
7. Are other parties involved? What are the advantages and disadvantages for other parties?
8. In general, who will benefit and who will suffer from this new schedule?
9. Are there countries or companies who have tried implementing this? Did it work? Why / why not? What were the outcomes?

These questions will help you understand the topic in depth.

So, after giving the topic a nice proper brainstorming, would you agree or disagree that the working week should be shorter? 📝

#ieltswriting #ieltswritingtask2