A practice version of the official IELTS writing answer sheet
This practice version is modified for teacher/student use and available only on IELTS Academic as a free PDF download. Unlike the official IELTS writing answer sheet, the practice version includes 12-point double-spaced lines for easier correction and annotation. There are also other features that make the practice version better suited to classroom use:
Keep track of student assignments with fields for name, class, teacher, and dateFully articulated scoring rubric and space for teacher feedback
Use the following guide to plan, organise and paragraph an essay in IELTS Writing Task 2. This applies to both General Training and Academic IELTS Writing modules, but there are different ways of organising an answer depending on the question type.
First paragraph: Introduction
Key technique: Don’t begin with your thesis statement.
Never begin an essay with I believe, I agree, or In my opinion in IELTS Writing Task 2. These indicate your thesis statement and should go at the END of your introduction, after you have introduced the topic and problem to be discussed. As a rule, start generally and take several sentences to build to your main idea. Note that the style of thesis statement will vary depending on the question type. Study the question carefully first to determine if you should give your opinion in the introduction or in the conclusion.
Introductory sentence: What topic is to be discussed? Recently, there have been…
Narrow the focus: What issue concerning the topic is to be resolved? However, some people argue that…
Thesis statement (opinion essay): What is your opinion on this issue? This essay will argue that…
Thesis statement (argument essay): What will happen in this essay? This essay will look at both sides of the argument before stating my own opinion.
Thesis statement (problem/solution essay): What are you going to write about? The main problems are X and Y and I will propose solutions to both in this essay.
Hint: You can choose either to write in the first person (I believe...) or third person (This essay will…). The third person sounds more objective and academic.
Hint: Don’t include your main reasons or arguments in the introduction, these should go in each of the body paragraphs.
Body paragraphs
Key technique: Make a paragraph plan
In IELTS Writing Task 2, you will need to write between two and four body paragraphs. Each paragraph should express one main idea in relation to the thesis statement (see above) and how you order these paragraphs is also important for the overall coherence of the essay.
In an opinion essay, if you express a strong opinion (I firmly believe…), then all body paragraphs should support it. However, if your opinion is weak (I agree to some extent…), consider writing one paragraph against followed by two paragraphs in favour (see hint below).
In an argument essay, it is best to give equal space to both sides of the argument, which means writing either two or four body paragraphs. If you write three body paragraphs, i.e. there is clearly a bias towards one side of the argument, make sure your final opinion is in favour of that side!
In a problem/solution essay, make sure you give equal treatment to all parts of the question. Two problems and two solutions are enough. It is best not to write about problems you can’t offer solutions to. There are many ways to organise such an essay. You can write about a problem and its solution in one paragraph or you can deal with all the problems first and the solutions later.
Once you have decided on a paragraph plan, make sure each paragraph is organised as follows:
Link to the previous paragraph:First, Furthermore, On the other hand, etc.
Topic sentence: Describe the main idea of the paragraph in general terms.
Supporting sentences: Use examples or further explanation to support the claim made in the topic sentence.
Qualifying sentence: Sometimes it is clear that an idea isn’t perfect or there may be exceptions. You can point this out as long as you don’t destroy your main idea completely.
Summarising sentence: If you have included a qualifying sentence, or if you have written several supporting sentences, consider returning to your main point by paraphrasing your topic sentence at the end.
Hint: If one of your body paragraphs goes against your main idea, put this paragraph first so that the remaining body paragraphs flow logically to your conclusion. The same is true in an argument essay. Discuss the side you don’t agree with first, so that the opinion expressed in your conclusion follows naturally from what has come before.
Final paragraph: Conclusion
Key technique: Give your reader something to consider.
One habit of IELTS test-takers is to end with a simple summary of their opinion and main ideas. This is absolutely fine and can add essential extra coherence, but try also adding some kind of concluding comment. This will leave the examiner with a powerful final impression of your essay when he or she comes to score it. A full conclusion should contain:
Concluding signal:In conclusion, In summary, Overall, etc.
(Re)state opinion: In an opinion essay, you can simply paraphrase your original thesis statement. In an argument essay, this is where you state your opinion, often using a phrase such as Having considered both sides of the argument, I believe…
Summary: Paraphrase the main idea of each body paragraph in very brief terms. Never include examples or explanations. These go in the body of the essay.
Concluding comment: Give the reader something to think about. Highlight the importance of the issue you have just discussed. Ask the reader to consider the future consequences if the issue is not resolved. Recommend a course of action that the reader or society should follow.
Hint: Don’t include anything in the introduction that is completely new or requires detailed explanation. This is also true for the concluding comment. Keep it obvious. Don’t write an idea that you then need to explain.
This is a quick guide on how to organise an IELTS Writing Task 1 answer into paragraphs. This applies only to the Academic module in which Task 1 involves describing a diagram or set of data. Note that the organisation of the answer may change depending on the question type.
First paragraph: Introduction
Key technique: Be direct.
When writing an introduction to IELTS Writing Task 1, get straight to the point as you only have 20 minutes to write your answer. One or two sentences are often sufficient. Two things you should try to include in the introduction are:
Paraphrase of the question: What does the diagram show? (Don’t describe the results yet!)
General description: Are the differences great or small, many or few? Is there one very obvious trend or feature that stands out?
Hint: Many people make the mistake of continuing with all the details. Stop here and begin your first body paragraph.
Body paragraphs
Key technique: Divide the body into two or three paragraphs.
Use a logical way to divide the body of your report into two or three paragraphs. Are there two or more sets of data? Great, then write a paragraph about each one. Is there only one set of data? Count the variables and divide them into two or three groups. You can divide by natural similarity (e.g. some academic subjects are sciences; others are arts.) Or you can divide by similarity of results (e.g. some exam scores went up; others went down.) Or you can divide a process, a time period or age range into two or three stages (e.g. the 20th Century can be divided into the early, mid, and late 20th Century.)
Now that you have a paragraphing system, make sure each paragraph is organised as follows:
Link to the previous paragraph: By contrast, turning to, finally, etc.
Topic sentence: Describe the main point, change or comparison in general terms without giving specific information.
Supporting sentence(s): Quote a figure or other evidence that supports the claim made in the topic sentence.
Hint: If you find yourself writing more than two consecutive supporting sentences, include a general sentence (e.g. There were also significant differences in…) to guide the reader, or consider starting a new paragraph.
Final paragraph: Conclusion
Key technique: Add overall coherence.
Due to lack of time, many people will omit the conclusion from IELTS Writing Task 1. However, there are several reasons you should write a conclusion. One is that writing a summarising sentence takes very little time and may push you past the 150-word limit. Another is that a good summary can add coherence to your answer, which could rescue your score if you have drifted a lot. Finally, since the purpose of Task 1 is usually to compare, the conclusion allows you to make direct comparisons of the different sets of data, which is especially important if you have described them in separate body paragraphs. Here are some things that can go in the conclusion to Task 1:
Concluding signal: In conclusion, in summary, overall, etc.
Summary: Paraphrase the overall trend or the two or three main points made in the body. Never include statistics or other evidence in the conclusion.
Direct comparison: If there are several sets of data, here is your chance to make a connection between them. Don’t go into too much detail.
Prediction: If the data includes a timeframe, you could make a prediction about what is likely to happen next.
Concluding comment: If you really need some extra words, you could add a comment on the data. Is it surprisingly, alarming, expected? Comments such as these are not required by the question but are better than incurring a penalty for not meeting the word requirement.
Hint: You don’t need to include all of the above in your conclusion. Two sentences are generally enough.
TED x IELTS Listening Practice 3: Why Is ‘X’ the Unknown?
Try these IELTS listening practice questions based on a TED talk about the letter X in mathematics. Take one minute first to read through the questions before you listen. You can also download these questions as a PDF.
Questions 1-5 (Summary completion) Write no more than one word for each answer.
The Arabic language is extremely 1. _________________________. Because each part of a sentence is very precise and informative, constructing a sentence in Arabic is bit like writing an 2. _________________________. This partly explains many so-called Western sciences such as mathematics and 3. _________________________ actually have their origins in the Middle East. For example, the English word ‘algebra’ has Arabic roots. Many kinds of Middle-Eastern wisdom arrived in Europe via 4. _________________________, where they were first translated. However, certain Arabic sounds can’t be pronounced by Europeans without a great deal of practice. They also can’t easily be written using existing European 5. _________________________.
Questions 6-10 (Matching). Match the following statements with the letter or symbol they refer to.
6. It was familiar to Spanish mathematicians. _____
7. It was eventually replaced by another letter. _____
8. It was known throughout Europe. _____
9. It has been in use for nearly six centuries. _____
10. It is unpronounceable in Spanish. _____
A. The mathematical symbol X
B. The Arabic letter SHeen
C. The Greek letter Kai
D. The Latin letter X
Make sure you check spelling carefully before you check the answers.
Teacher’s Note
This is the kind of talk you might hear in Section 4 of the IELTS Listening test, a lecture on an abstract or academic topic. In this case, not only is the subject unfamiliar, but you need to do a lot of reading while you listen. This will be a real test of your multitasking skills! If you’re not good at reading and listening at the same time, you could try taking notes instead and then looking at the questions later. I wouldn’t usually recommend this strategy, but it could be effective during a summary completion task like Questions 1-5 above.
This article is part of the Teach IELTS series at IELTS Academic, an online provider of skills training for IELTS and English as a foreign language.
The IELTS Academic Reading module consists of the three passages and 40 questions. The module lasts one hour and student must manage their own time.
Teaching IELTS Reading isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time. However, just like speaking practice, reading lessons can be communicative and rewarding. Below are my top ten ways to teach IELTS Reading while also giving students the opportunity to work in groups.
These tips assume that you’re teaching the IELTS Reading Academic module to small groups. However, many can be adapted to IELTS General Training lessons and to one-on-one teaching situations.
1. Teach anything important before students see the text
Once you allow students to look at a reading text and/or questions you may find it a struggle to maintain their undivided attention. Their natural inclination is always to dive into the text on the assumption that this will make it easier for them to answer the questions later. (Hint: it doesn’t.) If there’s anything important you need to do in the early stages of a lesson – activate knowledge of the topic, brainstorm relevant vocabulary, teach or review reading strategies – make sure this is done before the text appears.
2. Use analogies to teach skimming and scanning
Students may have trouble understanding the difference between these two reading techniques. One solution is to avoid teaching them together. Another is to use analogies from real life. My favourite are skimming a stone and catching a flight. In the former, get students to close their eyes and imagine they are at the beach. Use the analogy of a stone skimming the water to illustrate that they must keep their eyes moving across the text when skim-reading. To demonstrate scanning, talk students through a scenario in which they arrive at an airport fifteen minutes before their flight is due to depart. Here, they have to block out all other sensory data and search quickly for information about their own flight, just like scanning a text for the answer to a question in IELTS. These visualising techniques also create powerful emotional connections to the techniques being taught. Try them!
3. Use flash-reading and predicting before skimming
Flash-reading can be used as a precursor to skimming and involves trying to get as much information as possible from a text in a very short time, e.g. 30 seconds. The main purpose of flash-reading is to identify the topic by looking at titles, subtitles and headings, and trying to locate the thesis statement. Once the text is covered again and the topic elicited from the class, this can also be a useful jumping-off point to get students to predict in small groups what the writer will say, keeping the reading task communicative. Then the students can be given 3-5 minutes to skim the text and confirm their predictions.
4. Ask checking questions after skimming
Good checking questions are those that can be answered simply and that activate the areas of knowledge of the text required to complete the exam task. Examples: How many causes are mentioned? In which paragraph does the writer mention solutions? Bad checking questions are those that ask too much, such as What do you think of the writer’s views? The only effect of these questions will be to force students to re-read the whole text.
5. Get students summarising in pairs
This is a good way to check if students have picked up on the main ideas in the text. Ask your students to close the book or cover the exam paper and spend 2-3 minutes verbally summarising the text with a partner. It’s important that this doesn’t go on too long as there will be little time to reflect on the article during the actual IELTS test.
6. Demonstrate paraphrasing from the question
When it’s time to move on to the questions, demonstrate several paraphrasing techniques using the first question in a set as an example, and then get students to practice paraphrasing the remaining questions with a partner. Do this before they begin looking for the answers. Again, separation of skills practice from test practice is what I’m advocating here. The goal of skills practice is often to get students to try something new, whereas in test situations they will tend to rely on existing habits and familiar strategies. New techniques can only be introduced and mastered through skills practice, which often means withholding the test practice part of the lesson from students until you think they are ready.
7. Demonstrate guessing unknown words
When an unfamiliar word is queried, avoid giving a definition right away. Act as if you don’t know the word either and demonstrate how to look for contextual clues. Often the word will be a technical term and there will be a clear definition in the text. Otherwise, demonstrate to students how logical connectives, parallel expressions and collocating words usually provide enough information to guess the meaning of an unknown word in IELTS Reading.
8. Set your students realistic goals
None of your students should be aiming to get 40 correct answers, so any frustration at failure to achieve this is potentially damaging to the student’s progress. Stress that 30 out of 40, equivalent to IELTS 7.0 in the Academic module, is a very good score, meaning that attention should be focussed on answering the 30 easiest questions, not the 10 most difficult. Once they accept this, your students should improve in time management as well.
9. Separate academic vocabulary from technical vocabulary
Naturally students will encounter many unfamiliar words in the Academic Reading module of IELTS. Help them cope with this influx of new vocabulary by directing them towards the right words to learn. Show them that vocabulary can be divided into three broad groups.
General vocabulary consists of the words we use in everyday communication. Estimates for general vocabulary range from 2000-3000 words, most of which will already be known to your students.
Academic vocabulary is estimated to consist of around 1000 word families. These include many adjectives used to describe and evaluate things, and many verbs used to describe relationships. Academic vocabulary may sound foreboding, but many of these words will again be known to students, just not used very often, if at all, in everyday speech.
Technical vocabulary, by far the largest group of words, consists overwhelmingly of names for things. Where they appear in IELTS Reading, technical words will usually be defined.
Help your IELTS students to recognise the difference between academic and technical vocabulary and prioritise the former in their vocabulary acquisition. There are resources to help with this, such as the Academic Word List and University Word List.
10. Encourage task-based reading outside class
A common question students ask concerns what they should be reading outside class. However, it’s not what they read but HOW they read that matters most. Since reading is a largely passive activity, reading for test preparation should incorporate tasks that provide more targetted practice of reading skills. As long as students are practicing these skills, any newspaper, magazine or online article will do. Examples of task-based reading include:
Underline topic sentences.
Find five academic words and five technical words in the article.
Join any pronouns to the nouns they refer to.
Identify the writer’s argument and write a one-paragraph response.
Find names of people and paraphrase their ideas and opinions.
Practice giving a two-minute spoken summary of the article, as though you are recounting it for a friend.
This article is part of the Teach IELTS series at IELTS Academic, an online provider of skills training for IELTS and English as a foreign language.
TED x IELTS Listening Practice 2: The World’s English Mania
Try these IELTS listening practice questions based on a popular TED talk about English as a global language. Take one minute first to read through the questions. You can also download these questions as a PDF.
Questions 1-4 (Short-answer questions) Write no more than three words and/or a number for each answer.
1. What can be positive, worrying or life-threatening? ___________________________
2. How do Chinese students practice English? ___________________________
3. How many English learners are there in the world? ___________________________
4. Which country will have most speakers of English? ___________________________
Questions 5-7 (Multiple choice, multiple answer)
What THREE reasons for learning English in China are given by the lecturer?
A. To belong in a single world
B. To have a better career
C. To pay for education
D. To support children in the future
E. To order food in restaurants
F. To perform well in a test
G. To live in another country
Questions 8-10 (Multiple choice, single answer)
8. What does the lecturer consider to be the main effect of the world learning English?
A. Other languages will become extinct.
B. Discussions are possible at the global level.
C. Global problems can easily be solved.
9. What does the lecturer say English will become?
A. One of the world’s common languages
B. The world’s universal language
C. As important as mathematics or music
10. Why is the spread of English a positive development?
A. It will help spread technological advances.
B. It will help unite countries and cultures.
C. It will help people resolve their disputes.
Make sure you check spelling carefully before you check the answers.
Teacher’s Note
This is the kind of talk you might hear in Section 4 of the IELTS Listening test, a lecture on an abstract or academic topic. Note that most of the questions this time are multiple choice. Use common sense to eliminate unlikely answers before and while listening. For example, we know that global problems cannot easily be solved, so that rules out Answer C in Question 8. However, just be sure you don’t take this process too far and start basing answers on your own opinions rather than the speaker’s words!
The diagram shows how carbon moves through various stages to form a complete cycle. This report will give a brief description of the main stages in this cycle.
First, we can see that energy from the sun is transformed into organic carbon through a process in plants known as photosynthesis. This organic carbon is then transferred underground when plants, and the animals that feed on them, die and decay. Some of this carbon is trapped underground in the form of fossils and fossil fuels.
Carbon is also released back into the atmosphere, however, through various means. One is when animals and plants respire, and another is when humans burn fossil fuels in cars and factories. All this carbon enters the atmosphere as CO2. It is then reabsorbed by plants, and the cycle begins again.
Overall, we can see that carbon moves in a natural cycle, although human factors may now be affecting the balance.
(154 words, IELTS 8.0)
Why does this Task 1 answer get an IELTS Band 8 score?
Task achievement: The model answer selects and describes most components of the cycle diagram except for waste products and ocean uptake. There is an overall description of the cycle followed by a clearly sequenced and divided description of the stages. The summary identifies something noteworthy about the diagram. The length is sufficient.
Coherence and cohesion: The model answer is divided into clear paragraphs with a logical separation between the body paragraphs and connective markers first, then, however, and overall. There is a general overview in paragraph 1 and a summary in paragraph 4. Referencing techniques such as ellipsis (one is…) are used to avoid over-repetition of key words.
Lexical resource: The writer makes good use of the language in the cycle diagram and is also able to change forms in the case of respiration > respire. The writer also introduces a range of verbs for describing a process or cycle such as transform, transfer and release.
Grammatical range and accuracy: The model answer uses a wide range of forms accurately including countable/uncountable nouns, active/passive structures, and transitive/intransitive verbs.
Teacher’s Notes
Cycle diagrams are almost always natural processes: nature is one big wheel after all. Usually you will find that the labels on the diagram contains lots of unfamiliar scientific nouns. If you think you know the verb forms, then use them as this will definitely contribute to a higher score. Otherwise you’ll have to rely on phrases such as “in a process known as Animal Respiration”.
TED x IELTS Listening Practice 1: Why Videos Go Viral
Try these IELTS listening practice questions based on a popular TED talk about viral content on YouTube. Take one minute first to read through the questions. You can also download these questions as a PDF.
QUESTIONS 1-2 (Sentence completion) Write no more than three words for each answer.
Web video now means that anyone can become famous very quickly.
Over 48 hours of video appear on YouTube 1. ________________________.
Only a tiny percentage of videos goes viral and becomes a cultural moment.
The key factors in creating a viral are tastemakers, 2. ________________________ and unexpectedness.
QUESTIONS 3-10 (Note completion) Write no more than three words for each answer.
BEAR VASQUEZ
“Double rainbow” video viewed 3. ________________________ during 2010.
Video first became popular during the summer.
Creator didn’t intend to make a viral; he just wanted to 4. ________________________ a rainbow.
Video had actually been uploaded in 5. ________________________ but only became popular after tastemaker Jimmy Kimmel posted a link on Twitter.
REBECCA BLACK
Song “Friday” has been viewed almost 200 million times.
Viewing peaks all occurred on 6. ________________________.
Its popularity may have begun with a joke about the video on Twitter.
7. ________________________ of “Friday” have been uploaded to YouTube.
Viral videos are born when online communities spread or do something new with content.
“NYAN CAT”
Looped animation has been viewed nearly 50 million times.
YouTube users began creating different versions of the video.
Whole 8. ________________________ emerged that transformed “Nyan Cat” from a simple joke to a participatory movement.
CASEY NIESTAT
Made a unique video to protest bicycle fines in New York.
Made his point using 9. ________________________ and ________________________.
Video has now been seen 10. ________________________.
Make sure you check spelling carefully before you check the answers.
Teacher’s Note
This is the kind of lecture you might hear in Section 4 of the IELTS Listening test – though this one includes visual content that you will not find in the real exam. Notice that in this example, there are no multiple choice questions. For all ten questions, you must complete the gaps in the sentences and notes with missing words. It’s very important to check not only spelling but also that the words fit the sentence grammatically. Sometimes in IELTS Listening you may need to adjust the speaker’s words to make them fit the question, for example by changing a verb to a noun.
Try this problem solution essay about the internet. I’m sure you can think of many problems but I suggest you write about only two. You have only 40 minutes in which to write your answer.
The internet has transformed the way information is shared and consumed, but it has also created problems that did not exist before.
What are the most serious problems associated with the internet and what solutions can you suggest?
IELTS Writing Task 2: Model Answer
There is no doubt that the internet has revolutionised communication and information-sharing in the same way that the telegraph and the television did before it. However, societies have had to cope with unanticipated new problems, including crimes which traditional laws are powerless to prevent. This essay will address some of the illegal acts enabled by the internet and propose solutions.
To begin with, the global scale of the internet means that national laws are no longer adequate to control what happens online. Take restrictions on legal reporting, for example. In some countries, the media is prohibited from revealing details of a defendant’s past in case this prejudices a fair trial. However, such restrictions are no longer enforceable now that information may be freely published in other countries and accessed by all. The only solution here, it seems, is to adopt global standards. Since the internet traverses national borders, the flow of information can only be controlled if all nations agree on what can and cannot be shared.
Another problem concerns anonymity, as internet users can easily conceal their identity and even impersonate others. Many crimes such as identity theft and child abuse result from the ease with which criminals can operate anonymously online. Some have proposed a system of online identification, similar to a passport, which would allow all internet users to be verified and traced. I believe this idea should be explored further, though there are clearly concerns about the security of those who use the internet to protest against oppressive regimes.
In conclusion, the only long-term solution to the problem of internet crime is greater international cooperation. Since the problem is global is scale, the solution must also be global. A new agency of the United Nations should be created to tackle the problems described here.
(298 words, IELTS 8.5)
Why does this Task 2 answer get an IELTS Band 8 score?
Task response: The model answer fully answers the question by stating two distinct problems caused by the internet together with relevant solutions to each problem. Each problem is illustrated with examples. The style is appropriate to academic writing and the answer is at least 250 words in length.
Coherence and cohesion: The introduction to this problem solution essay ends with a clear thesis statement. Each body paragraph deals with a different problem and its solution. Examples are signalled with logical connectives like for example and such as. The conclusion contains a clear recommendation which follows from the body.
Lexical resource: There are many instances of higher-level vocabulary such as prohibited, verified and oppressive. Examples of good collocation include prejudices a fair trial and tackle the problems. There are no spelling errors and correct word forms are used throughout.
Grammatical range and accuracy: The candidate uses a wide range of conjunctions to link ideas into more complex sentences. Where necessary, the candidate uses a shorter sentence to emphasise a point more strongly. Verb tenses, including modals, are always accurate. Punctuation is handled skillfully throughout.
Teacher’s Note
An IELTS problem solution essay will usually ask for problems and solutions (note plural), so try to include two of each. This leads logically to an essay with two body paragraphs, like the model answer above. Try to describe each solution together with the problem it solves in order to be as coherent as possible. And remember, your solutions don’t have to be original, or even realistic, in order to get a high score. The IELTS examiner is only interested in your use of language, not in the quality of your ideas.
Spelling is huge concern for my IELTS students. Writing scores are 25% determined by vocabulary, which includes spelling accuracy. Too many spelling mistakes can also seriously bring down your score in IELTS Listening.
This list of common IELTS spelling mistakes includes some of the words most likely to appear in the test. Try to master these basic rules in order to minimise poor spelling in IELTS.
Single and double consonants
Spelling mistakes are common when single or double consonants occur nearby in a word.
A single consonant is followed by a double consonant:
Across, Process, Harass, Disappoint, Recommend, Tomorrow, Professor, Necessary
A double consonant is followed by a single consonant:
Parallel, Apparent, Exaggerate, Occasion, Occur (but Occurred), Commit (but Committed)
Some common words with two pairs of consonants:
Success, Possess, Access, Assess, Address, Accommodation, Embarrass, Millennium
Weak vowel sounds
Some words are difficult to spell because they contain the schwa or [ə], a weak vowel sound. It is almost impossible to know how to spell such words from their sound alone.
Examples of words containing more than one schwa include:
Separate (adj.), Definite, Desperate, Temperature, Literature, General, Relevant, Category
Other problematic schwa words include:
Describe, Decline, Despite; but Dispute, Discrete, Display
Capable, Achievable, Understandable; but Possible, Visible, Accessible
Performance, Attendance, Ignorance; but Independence, Sentence, Existence
Sometimes the schwa sound conceals a barely-pronounced [r]:
Opportunity, Pursue, Persuade, Surprise
Changes of spelling when words change form
A consonant can change when a noun becomes an adjective:
Benefit > Beneficial; Influence > Influential; Circumstance > Circumstantial
A vowel can change or be lost when a verb becomes a noun:
Maintain > Maintenance; Pronounce > Pronunciation, Argue > Argument
A vowel may double when a noun becomes a verb:
Success > Succeed; Excess > Exceed; Process > Proceed
A final consonant is often doubled when a verb changes form:
Occur > Occurred; Refer > Referred; Begin > Beginning
Silent letters in consonant clusters
[nm] in Environment, Government
[nm] in Column, Autumn
[sc] in Science, Conscious, Discipline, Fascinate, Ascend, Descend
[xc] in Excite, Exceed, Exception, Excellent, Excited
[dg] in Knowledge, Acknowledge (but just [g] in Privilege, Oblige)
[th] clusters in ordinals: Eighth, Twelfth, Hundredth
Pairs of frequently confused spellings in IELTS
Till ≠ Until (not *untill) Lose ≠ Loose (one is a verb; the other is an adjective) Affect ≠ Effect (one is a common verb; the other is its noun form) Forth ≠ Fourth (one means ‘forward’; the other means ‘number four’) Fourth but Forty (not *fourty) High but Height (not *hight) Great but Grateful (not *greatful) Precede ≠ Proceed (one means ‘go before’; the other means ‘go ahead’) Principle ≠ Principal (one means ‘truth’; the other means ‘main’) Site ≠ Sight (one is a place; the other is something to see, as in sightseeing not *siteseeing) Copywriter ≠ Copyright (one writes advertising; the other means ‘intellectual property’)
Finally, some notoriously tricky spellings in English
Here are 10 English words of foreign origin that even native speakers have difficulty spelling!
IELTS Academic
This article is part of the Teach IELTS series at IELTS Academic, an online provider of skills training for IELTS and English as a foreign language.
Cycle diagrams are almost always natural processes: nature is one big wheel after all. Usually you will find that the labels on the diagram contains lots of unfamiliar scientific nouns. If you think you know the verb forms, then use them as this will definitely contribute to a higher score. Otherwise you’ll have to rely on phrases such as “in a process known as Animal Respiration”.
