IELTS WRITING WORKSHOPGeneral Training Task 1 & 2

By Emel Ortac

TASK 1

For both GT and AC: 1/3 of total writing mark

Min 150 words (no maximum) 101-141 words = -1 TA 51-100 words = -2 TA 0-50 words = -3 TA

Ideal time to spend: 20 minutes

GENERAL TRAİNİNG

Writing a letter of complaint or request (of information), a formal business letter, a job application letter, or a personal letter.

Things to consider: audience, tone, formal/semi-formal/informal language, structure.

WHİLE TEACHİNG

General Training candidates tend to have lower overall scores on the placement test.

They usually need between 4.5-6.5 for business and immigration purposes.

They usually work all week, so do not (or cannot) do homework or study like they should.

Homework should be given in small amounts so that it is achievable.

Try not to give them too many phrases or words.

MARKING CRITERIA

Task Achievement (TA) (Different for GT and AC)

Easier to raise in a short amount of time

Coherence & Cohesion (CC) Easier to raise in a short amount of time

Lexical Resource (LR) Takes more time to develop

Grammatical Range & Accuracy (GRA) Takes more time to develop

BAND 5 VS 6: TASK ACHİEVEMENT

5 6

BAND 5 VS 6: COHERENCE & COHESİON

5 6

BAND 5 VS 6: LEXİCAL RESOURCE

5 6

BAND 5 VS 6: GRAMMATİCAL RANGE & ACCURACY

Uses mostly simple sentences, the density of mistakes is high in complex sentences/structures.

5 6

THİNGS TO FOCUS ON

Paying attention to the gives task(s)

You eat at your college cafeteria every lunchtime. However, you think it needs some improvements.

Write a letter to the college magazine. In your letter: - explain what you like about the cafeteria - say what is wrong with it - suggest how it could be improved They have to

include three points.

Paraphrase the problem/give background info.

Planning/Brainstorming:

make up a scenario for the letter

think of details to include for the given tasks

think of phrases and appropriate language

if there is a problem, think of two solutions/ suggestions

THİNGS TO FOCUS ON

WHİLE TEACHİNG

It is useful to make a double list of words for formal-informal alternatives:

Example:

USEFUL PHRASES: STATİNG YOUR PURPOSE

I am writing in regard/in reference to/in connection with…

I am writing to express my concern/ dissatisfaction about…

I would like to draw your attention to…

I am writing about…

CLASS ACTİVİTİES

A letter to the gas company

about a second bill (or

reminder) you received

when you had already paid

the first.

A letter to a close relative with an

invitation to a surprise party.

A letter to an old teacher asking for a reference for a

job.

A letter to a garage about some poor mechanical work they did on your car.

What’s the purpose of

each of these letters?

How will the tone differ from letter

to letter?

CLASS ACTİVİTİESWho am I writing to? (e.g. friend, professor, company)

Overall purposeImportant points to includeTone informal / neutral / formal?

Useful phrases

Topic specific vocabulary

CheckingHave I checked my writing for: logical structure? suitable paragraphing? accuracy of language? range of language? spelling? punctuation?

WHİLE TEACHİNG

Encourage students to write weekly (this means the teacher(s) have a constant flow of homework to check, so make sure STs limit it to 1 or 2 things per week!)

Tell STs to look at samples (model answers) to see what they can use in their own writing.

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CLASS ACTİVİTİES

“Softening the Message” pairwork activity:

Make the sentences below softer and more polite. Try these techniques:•a question instead of a statement (Might it be a good idea to...?)•indirect questions (I wonder if you could...?)•giving an explanation (When you play music at night, we can’t sleep.)

1. Send me a brochure. 2. I want a ticket for tonight’s show. 3. I think you should employ more staff.4. You should give up smoking.5. In my opinion you should improve your

service. 6. I want to get a place at your school.

RELAX

BREATHE

STRETCH

TASK 2

2/3 of total writing mark

Min 250 words (no maximum) 151-241 words = -1 TA 150-101 words = -2 TA 100-0 words = -3 TA

Ideal amount of time: 40 minutes

TARGET WRİTİNG SKİLLS

Expressing and justifying a point of view on a topic.

Comparing and contrasting opinions drawing on personal experience.

Evaluating a situation or development.

Considering the causes of a problem and suggest possible solutions. Ta

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POSSİBLE TOPİCS

the environmenteducation

crimepoverty

healthcarethe internetthe mediaadvertising

society

THE 7 TYPES OF ESSAYS

Problem-Solution “Why is this so? What can can be done to…?”

Agree-Disagree “To what extent do you…?”

Discuss two views + your opinion Discuss two views (pro + con) Two-part questions Opinion Advantages outweigh disadvantages

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CLASS ACTİVİTİES

Approaching the question:

General topic:

More specific topic:

Essay instruction:

In some cultures the parents arrange marriages for their children but in others people choose their own marriage partner.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each system?

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THİNGS TO CONSİDER

The more ideas you generate, the less you repeat yourself! Brainstorming: 5-10 minutes

Brainstorm for both sides.

Your essay must include: opinions with reasons real examples to prove your point linking expressions to help the reader understand

where essay is going in paragraphs

FOR LOWER LEVELS Have them memorize 4-5 useful discourse markers.

Think simple, but take calculated risks.

Find a style you are comfortable with.

Try to vary your phrases and grammar.

Concentrate on improving your coherence & cohesion and task response grades (it is easier than trying to improve your grammar and vocabulary when you have only a short amount of time).

WHİLE TEACHİNG

Explain what a paragraph is and why we need them. Paragraphs help organise our ideas.

Each paragraph has a main or central idea/topic.

Each idea/topic is supported, this is why we have examples.

A well written body paragraph should have: A main idea that connects everything to it Supporting ideas/examples A link to or clue about the next paragraph

DİSCOURSE MARKERS (A.K.A. SİGNPOST WORDS)

Less is more.

Be careful of appropriacy and nuance in meanings Ex: “In conclusion,…” vs. “Consequently,…”

Avoid LONG phrases. Ex: “In the light of the reasons mentioned

above…” In the Band Score Descriptors: “memorized

phrases” are penalized under Lexical Resource.

CLASS ACTİVİTİES

Mini-Essays

Some people think making a mistake in English isn’t important while you’re communicating. It’s true to say that ______________________________________________. However, _______________________________________________________. On balance I would say __________________________________________.

IDEAS FOR WRİTİNG INTRODUCTİONS

Narrative Approach

Shocking Statement Approach

General Statement Approach

Dramatic Figures Approach

Quote, proverb or saying

Asking a question that leads to the thesis statement

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CONCLUSİON

Paraphrased ideas from introduction or body paragraphs.

Should not introduce a new idea.

Should not include (open-ended) questions.

CHECKLIST(2-3 MİNUTES)

TR (Did I answer the question/s?)

CC (Am I on topic? Is there repetition?)

GRA/LR (sub-verb agreement, parallelism, articles, prepositions, tenses, spelling)

Punctuation (contractions, commas…)

Word count!!

LİNKS

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