Review of the week

In this video, Neil, Lead Educator on this course, looks back over some of the highlights and discussions of the week, and shares some additional advice.

Neil mentioned the excellent facebook Live session that happened this week and you can watch it here on Step 1.6 or here on Facebook, complete with English subtitles and extra advice for the Listening test.

Neil mentions some of the discussions on Step 1.5 about writing every day, and a question lots of people asked was how they can check their own writing for mistakes. One tool that Neil recommends on that step is the Cambridge website, Write & Improve and another tool mentioned by some learners is Grammarly, which you can find here.

Check out Neil’s feedback and advice on writing introductory sentences here including many of the points he mentions in this video. Also make sure you check back on Step 1.9 on writing the overview, and that you try the full Task 1 exercise on Step 1.20, share your own text and comment on others.

One final point – in Week 1 we have been focusing on Task 1 for the Academic test, and people who are interested in taking the General test have been asking about resources. While Task 2 is similar in both General and Academic, and all the activities in Week 2 and 3 are suitable for both, Task 1 is very different. If you are preparing for the General test, here are some useful resources to help you prepare:

• Practice General questions, model answers and examiner comments
• LearnEnglish Writing Skills, including formal and informal letters
• Guide to formal and informal letters
• A letter of apology
• A letter of complaint

Coming up in Week 2

Next week, we’ll look at Part 2 of the Writing test – writing an essay. We’ll discuss how to brainstorm, plan and write a strong, well-organised and effective essay. We’ll also look at the examiner’s assessment criteria for task response as well as for coherence and cohesion. You’ll then have a chance to try writing your first complete essay.

If you want to get started straight away, go to the To do list for Week 2.

Remember, you can always use the To do icon at the top of the page to see what’s coming up or go back to previous weeks and catch up.

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• Unlimited access to the course: Go at your own pace with unlimited access to the course for as long as it exists on FutureLearn.
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Find out more.

IELTS support during the COVID-19 situation

Due to the Covid-19 situation, in-person IELTS testing is suspended at the moment in some countries. You can find which countries the test is currently available here. If tests are not running in your country at the moment, you may be able to take IELTS Indicator, an online test which can be completed at home while IELTS testing is unavailable. You can find out more here.

Study online with the British Council

Continue improving your English language skills and building your confidence with the British Council’s online courses, including options for online group classes, one-to-one online tutoring and subscription to self-access courses from Beginner to Advanced levels.

Understanding IELTS program

If you need help with the Listening, Speaking or Reading sections of the IELTS test you can sign up for our Understanding IELTS program. This program of four courses explains each section of the test, what is being tested and what you have to do to demonstrate your language proficiency to the examiner.