IELTS 6.5 Writing Skill Lesson 1

IELTS 6.5 Writing Skill Lesson 1

Welcome to me class!!

Open Ended

Icebreaker:

Think of one advanced word to describe your mood today

Open Ended

Share with us your highlight of the month

Open Ended

Think of two truths and one lie about you

Multiple Select

Tick all things true about a Task 1 Introduction

• You need to use your own word

• You need to copy from the prompt

• You need to say what the visual information is about

• You don't always need an introduction

Let's take a look

and activate your paraphrasing skills!

Open Ended

Please use the hints to complete this introduction:

The graph gives information about how many …

(Hint: between / Canadian / graduated / male and female / students)

Multiple Select

How do we select main features of a graph with time indicators?

• Only describe the beginning and the end of the surveyed period

• Describe every numbers that we see

• Describe the general trends of different time frames

• Compare factors in a moment in time

Let's look further

and discuss the main features that we could write about

Multiple Select

Check TWO main features:

(The other two are wrong / minor!)

• The number of graduates fell between 1996 and 1998.

• The overall rise in numbers was not always steady.

• Just under 75,000 male students graduated in 1992.

• More women than men graduated between 1992 and 2007

Multiple Select

Check TWO main features:

(The other is minor, not main!)

• In 2007, there were nearly 150,000 female graduates.

• The overall rise in numbers was not always steady.

• The gap between the number of male and female graduates widened over the period.

Description - Data

• For time graphs, ask yourself: What happened - How much - When

• Example 1: I got 3cm taller compared to last year

• Example 2: Initially, the number of both male and female students increased slightly by about 5,000 each between 1992 and 1995.

Multiple Select

In this paragraph, what sentences follow the structure 'What happened - How much - When?'

Graduate numbers rose during the 15 years and reached their highest levels in 2007, but there were always more female than male graduates (1). In 1992, the difference was less marked, with just over 70,000 males and about 100,000 females (2). However, by 2007 there had been more significant growth in female numbers (3). That year, they rose to 147,000, compared to just 95,000 males (4). Thus the gap between the number of male and female graduates had widened (5).

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

Multiple Choice

What are the functions of sentences (1) and (5) in this paragraph?

Graduate numbers rose during the 15 years and reached their highest levels in 2007, but there were always more female than male graduates (1). In 1992, the difference was less marked, with just over 70,000 males and about 100,000 females (2). However, by 2007 there had been more significant growth in female numbers (3). That year, they rose to 147,000, compared to just 95,000 males (4). Thus the gap between the number of male and female graduates had widened (5).

• For fun

• Wrong sentences. Cross them out.

• Topic sentence / Summary

Moral of the story

Always start your paragraphs with a topic sentence.

Topic sentences gives an overview of what you are describing in the paragraph without any data.

Multiple Select

What does this paragraph have?

A more detailed look at the graph reveals that the overall growth in numbers was not always steady. Between 1992 and 1995, there was a slight increase. That was followed by a period of about five years, when numbers fell, then flattened out at just over 70,000 for men and 100,000 for women. After 2000, however, graduate numbers saw their strongest growth rate, and this was well above the increases that had been seen in the early 1990s.

• A topic sentence

• Sentences that describe what happened - how much - when

• A summary

Multiple Select

What does this paragraph have?

Clearly, there were similar trends for male and female graduates over this period, but the number of women graduating increased at a higher rate than the number of men

• A topic sentence

• Sentences that describe what happened - how much - when

• A summary

Multiple Select

What do we call this paragraph?

Clearly, there were similar trends for male and female graduates over this period, but the number of women graduating increased at a higher rate than the number of men

• An introduction

• A body

• An overview

The superlatives

What are some superlative adjectives/adverbs in this example?

Multiple Choice

Select the correct superlative form:

The steadiest / most steady development can be seen in the USA.

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Select the correct superlative form:

The second popular / most popular university

course is business studies.

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Select the correct superlative form:

In 2000, the lowest / least number of unemployed graduates was recorded.

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Select the correct superlative form:

The most / Most important change of school subjects occurred in the 1990s.

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Select the correct superlative form:

Regional colleges are where the most / greatest number of students choose to go

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Select the correct superlative form:

Education is considered the most important / most important area in life.

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Select the correct superlative form:

Tuition fees are the one /one of the most important considerations for students.

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Select the correct superlative form:

Watching television is the favourite / most favourite activity for many 17-year-olds.

• left

• right

Tenses: past / past participle

What are the forms of these verbs?

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct verb tense:

There was a ten-year period, during which figures have gradually fallen / gradually fell.

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct verb tense:

By 2008, the percentage of students choosing science subjects decreased / had decreased markedly

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct verb tense:

Between 2000 and the present day, the numbers remained / have remained steady.

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct verb tense:

Over the past few decades, there has been / was a rapid development in educational technology.

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct verb tense:

After 2005, a more significant increase took place / had taken place.

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct verb tense:

Since the 1990s, graduates have experienced / experienced higher unemployment rates.

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct verb tense:

The situation remained / had remained unchanged for the next two years until more universities were opened

• left

• right

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct verb tense:

In 2002, the university intake was stable, but prior to that, it fluctuated / had fluctuated.

• left

• right

Key takeaways

• About the introduction:

• About the overview:

• About the structure of the body paragraphs:

• About the paragraphing skill:

• About the necessary information in a supporting sentence:

Your homework for this week

Think about the paragraphs.