IELTS - Introduction to Writing - Off2Class Lesson Plan

How to teach IELTS: Writing
This lesson covers elements of the writing test, which is different for academic and general test writers. This lesson focuses on both, so be sure to target the activities that suit your students’ needs. It discusses the following criteria: task achievement, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy and coherence and cohesion.

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Transcript

1. IELTS Writing INTRODUCTION Off2Class Lesson Plan LESSON PLAN 1/14 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
2. Thank you for downloading your FREE Off2Class lesson plan! This teacher-led lesson plan is designed using the communicative approach - perfect for teaching students online or in any screen-enabled classroom. To access the Teacher Notes and Answer Key, or to assign homework, click here to set up your FREE Off2class account. Don’t forget to join the discussion on Facebook to get access to other great tools for online ESL instruction. *IELTS is a registered trademark of University of Cambridge ESOL, the British Council, and IDP Education Australia. Global Online Language Services Inc 'Off2Class' is not affiliated, approved or endorsed by the University of Cambridge ESOL, the British Council, and IDP Education Australia. All other trademarks on this website are the property of their respective owners. © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
3. IELTS WRITING AT A GLANCE The IELTS Writing test consists of two parts. For each part, you will receive a: question paper and an answer sheet. You can make notes on the question paper, but only the text you write on the answer sheet will be marked by the examiner. ✗ ✓ You can write your text in pen or pencil, and correct it as needed. You cannot use a dictionary or any electronic device during the test. 3 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
4. IELTS WRITING AT A GLANCE Part II is twice as important to your score as Part I. IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training candidates do different tests for Part I, but do the same test for Part II. The test lasts 60 minutes. Candidates should spend 20 minutes on Part I, and 40 minutes on Part II. 4 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
5. WHAT HAVE YOU WRITTEN RECENTLY, IN YOUR OWN LANGUAGE? 5 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
6. WHAT’S PART I LIKE? Candidates have to write a short letter (150 words minimum). IELTS General Training IELTS Academic Candidates are given a chart, diagram or map, and asked to summarize and explain it (150 words minimum). 6 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
7. WHAT’S PART II LIKE? Candidates have to write an essay (250 words minimum) which explains their own opinions and ideas about a situation or problem described on the question paper. General Training and Academic candidates do exactly the same Part II task. 7 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
8. WHAT’S YOUR OPINION? A B C Some people think that all young people should do voluntary work in their community. Do you agree? We all want to live in a clean environment. Should the government take responsibility for protecting the earth – or should each individual be responsible? In many countries, people are having fewer children. What are the advantages and disadvantages of small families? 8 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
9. THE IELTS WRITING BANDS IELTS Writing measures how well you can: Like the other parts of IELTS, it is graded on a scale of 0 to 9. Candidates who interpret the tasks well, but who cannot use advanced vocabulary and grammar without mistakes, will get band 6. A native English speaker will get band 8.5 or 9. understand and respond to a question or task A B organize and link your ideas C use vocabulary and grammar in written form ✓ ✓ ✓ What band are you hoping to get? 9 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
10. WHAT IELTS WRITING MEASURES If you had to assess how well someone wrote your own language, what would you look for? 10 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
11. THE FOUR CRITERIA FOR IELTS WRITING Task achievement Lexical resource Grammatical range and accuracy Coherence and cohesion 11 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
12. TASK ACHIEVEMENT Question paper: More and more people are visiting foreign countries each year. What are the advantages and disadvantages of international travel in today’s world? Felicia: People say that travel broadens the mind, and I agree with that statement. When you go to a foreign country you have new experiences and meet people who are unlike yourself. So travel is a good thing for the world. How well did Felicia answer the question? 12 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
13. LEXICAL RESOURCE (VOCABULARY) To get a high score on IELTS Writing, you need a large vocabulary. happy bigger mediocre admire in addition like (verb) enlarged as well content shoddy Match these words and phrases with their synonyms. 13 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
14. GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY For a high band in IELTS Writing, you need to be able to form simple and complex sentences correctly. What are the mistakes in these sentences? 1. Please to send me your latest price list. 2. In my opinion, the large number of immigrants are not a significant problem for our country, despite of there is a shortage of housing at the moment. 3. The percentage of people which is travelling by train in Japan grew up 20% the following year. 4. Many people feel strongly that the government can urgently address this problem. 14 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
15. COHERENCE AND COHESION “The air in our city has become dirtier in recent years because there are more cars. Last Tuesday you couldn’t see the nearby mountain. Next year there will be a new tax on cars. In the countryside, many farmers are starting to reduce the amount of chemicals they use on the land. There is growing interest in organic food.” Do you feel that the ideas in this text are linked to each other? How would you improve it? 15 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
16. HOW GOOD DOES MY ENGLISH HAVE TO BE TO PASS IELTS WRITING? No one can fail the IELTS Writing test. It measures your level of English. Very advanced learners will normally get band 7 or 8, even if they make a few mistakes. Intermediate students will get 5 or 6. The examiner is looking for the ability to understand information and to create a well-formed written response to it. Mistakes are only considered serious if they are very frequent, or if they prevent the examiner from understanding what you are trying to say. 16 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
17. TO GET THE BEST RESULT IN MY EXAM, SHOULD I…? A. read short opinion pieces about current issues today, in newspapers and magazines B. review the vocabulary used for describing charts and graphs C. use synonyms for words in the examiner’s questions D. use long words, even if I’m not sure what they mean E. read the questions very carefully G. try to memorize questions and answers before the exam H. allow time to check my work before the 60 minutes are up 17 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.
18. ARE YOU A GOOD WRITER? Do you enjoy writing? Which part of the IELTS Writing test do you think will be hardest? Which skills do you think you need to improve the most? 18 © 2014-2021 Global Online Language Services Inc.