Daily Meditation

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TOEFL iBT Test Dates for Dehradun

DATES	DAYS	TIME
23-Jan-2010	Saturday	10:00 a.m.
31-Jan-2010	Sunday	10:00 a.m.
07-Feb-2010	Sunday	10:00 a.m.
21-Feb-2010	Sunday	10:00 a.m.
27-Feb-2010	Saturday	10:00 a.m.
13-Mar-2010	Saturday	10:00 a.m.
27-Mar-2010	Saturday	10:00 a.m.
10-Apr-2010	Sunday	10:00 a.m.
08-May-2010	Saturday	10:00 a.m.
16-May-2010	Sunday	10:00 a.m.
12-Jun-2010	Saturday	10:00 a.m.
13-Jun-2010	Sunday	10:00 a.m.

IELTS Test Dates for Dehradun

DATES	DAYS
09th January 2010	Saturday
20th February 2010	Saturday
20th March 2010	Saturday

The DOs and DONTs of IELTS Writing Task 1

You should ALWAYS:

• Read the task and the instructions carefully.
• Do some brain storming and plan your response before you actually start writing.
• Stick to the information which is given on the graph/ pie chart /table. Using outside information is a serious offence!
• Present the information logically and coherently.
• Mind your grammar. Remember the rules of subject and verb agreement, rules related to count nouns and mass nouns, prepositions, comparatives….
• Use a variety of vocabulary. Never repeat key words and phrases. The idea is not to use heavy weight words but words which add variety to your writing.
• Write a minimum of 150 words. That sounds a very trite advice but then it is here that many students make mistakes.
• Complete the task in 20 minutes

You should NEVER:
 

• Use outside information. Its an excercise on report writing. Using outside information may be penalised.
• Give opinions. Save your opinions for Task 2.
• Write anything less then 150 words. You will be penalised for doing so.

If you found this information useful please let me know. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me.

In the next post I will be talking about the DOs and DONTs of writing Task 2.

IELTS Writing - An Introduction

Writing

There are two tasks. The instructions specify the minimum number of words for each task and also recommend the amount of time you should spend on each one. It's important to follow these guidelines, because Task 2 carries more weight in marking than Task 1, for example if you score a 6 on Task 1 and a five on Task 2 your overall band score for writing will come to 5.
Task 1: You are given a diagram or table of some kind and you have to present the information in your own words. For example, you may have to consider a set of statistics and then write a report outlining the key features; you may have to study a diagram of a machine and explain how it works; or you may have to look at a flow chart and describe the main stages in a process. The task explicitly asks you to summarize the important information and make comparisons where relevant.

You have to write at least 150 words for Task 1 and you are recommended to spend 20 minutes on it.

Task 2: You are given brief details of an opinion, an argument or a problem, and you have to write an essay in response. For example, you may have to consider an opinion in relation to evidence, or weigh up the pros and cons of an argument before presenting your own view on the matter. You may also have to discuss various aspects of a problem and then outline your ideas for solving it.

You have to write at least 250 words for Task 2 and you are recommended to spend 40 minutes on it.

NB You will lose marks if you write less than the required number of words.

MARKING

Task 1 scripts are assessed on the following criteria: 

• Task Fulfillment: Have you followed the instructions exactly? Have you given a clear, accurate and relevant description of the information? 
• Coherence and Cohesion: Is your writing well organised? Are sentences logically linked? • Vocabulary and Sentence Structure: Have you used a variety of appropriate vocabulary, and are your sentences well constructed?
• Task 2 scripts are assessed on performance in the following areas:
  Arguments, Ideas and Evidence: Have you evaluated arguments and ideas? Have you compared and contrasted evidence and opinions?
• Communicative Quality: Have you presented your ideas clearly and coherently and organised your writing logically?
• Sentence Structure: Have you used a variety of vocabulary and sentence structures? Is your writing reasonably accurate?

There are loads of available on the market. Make sure that before you appear for the test you have had enough practice. Still if you feel that you need guidance join a good language institute.

In the next post I will be discussing the DOs and DON'Ts of writings.