IELTS Speaking Part 2 tips

Today I had a class with Olga who is hoping to get Band 7 -8 in her IELTS Speaking test . We went over the difficulty of going from 6.5 to 7. Olga is very fluent in English, she works in Canada in an English environment but she doesn’t  have a large vocabulary which will hold her back in the test.  She needs to get an advanced wordlist  for  each topic.

In class, we used the test from Cambridge 9

Describe a journey {e.g by car, plane, boat}that you remember You should say: Where you went How you travelled Why you went on the journey And explain why you remember this journey well

Part 2 IELTS is like a mini essay you need beginning,  middle and end

I would start by saying I remember going to ….. on a warm sunny day the summer of 2014…

Now lets look at some vocabulary you can use this topics

retreat(s)

capacity

hectic

amenity(ies)

promenade(s)

regatta(s)

jaunt

hiatus

diversion(s)

sabbatical

recuperation

downtime

junket

keepsake(s)

itinerary

phrases  or collocations

carry-on luggage

cab fare

foreign-exchange counter

ski lodge

cabin crew

departure gate

double occupancy

air miles

travel bag

gap year

Part 3 deals with

Daily travel….. daily  commute, get a lift, biking to work, car pool,

Problem you might have: delays, traffic congestion, car accident, unreliable public transport, bad weather, 

How will daily travel  be different in the future: might, could, would….. work from home, work virtually,  work remotely, flexible work hours

Benefits of international travel……

What can people learn from travelling? ….. Broaden their horizons, become open minded, be more accepting cultural differences, less xenophobic….

Can travelling make a positive difference to the economy of the country….get new ideas,  pick up exports, encourage tourism, …..

What ways can a society benefit if its members have experience travelling to other countries? Gain education, new ideas, new inventions, language exchange, immigration…..

By the end of the class after Olga used many of the topic vocabulary and phrases she was in the range  Band 7-8

IELTS for Immigrating to Canada

I have a new company I Aced IELTS and through it I am presently tutoring a student from  Russia who wants to immigrate to Canada in the near future. here is the advice I gave herI want to share some of the experience I had with new immigrants to Canada. For many years I taught English and Canadian culture to newcomers (recent immigrants) I loved the job because I was one of the first contacts people had when they arrived in Canada and I had a great opportunity to help them get started.  It was a very satisfying job and I’ m still in contact with many of them! 

  The biggest challenge for new immigrants is their lack of preparation and proper knowledge before they come here.  I’m always shocked when they tell me that they had not research things properly, even today when there is so much information available.   This lack of knowledge makes them bitterly disappointed when they meet challenges which  are very obvious to the well informed. As well as with a good  IELTS score you may need practical English classes.However, the well  prepared ones can weather the culture shock and have patience during the period of adjustment.

             You must ask yourself why you want to come to Canada? If it’s for a better life for your children this is the best country for families in the world. Its safe (as long as you are sensible)  has excellent free healthcare, great  free education including affordable university with  governments loans available.  Age doesn’t  matter about changing career or  going to university.  Many of my friends are graduating in their  middle age! Terrible weather but you probably won’t care about that. 

If it’s to get away for oppression and corruption this is  the right place for you. People of every race, colour and religion live side by side and many intermarry. We have gay marriage and there many gay men and women living and working in Canada. It’s is a big shock for some new immigrants. If anybody  insults a person  because of their race or sexuality they will be in big trouble with the law. 

However, one of biggest disappointments is employment opportunity for new immigrants. Whatever the profession it is almost certain that will have to recertify in Canada and that can take a few years in some cases. As a result many people find it hard to get a job they like and feel they are not appreciated because they are underemployed  (a job below their qualifications)

If you think you will get rich quick you will have a big disappointment it takes a long time to get organized and make money.  Things are very expensive in Canada especially housing and taxes are high. 

      I strongly advice you to consider living in Alberta or Saskatchewan for a few years until you make some money. There are many opportunities there. When my husband and I came to Canada many years ago we lived in Saskatchewan, it’s was hard but we survived and then after 5 years came to Toronto.

This is not to frighten you but to make you aware of the pitfalls. Speaking fluent English can make a big difference.  After 5 years very few people regret having come here but the beginning is very difficult for those who think they are coming to paradise when they come Canada, they are always disappointed. There is no paradise on earth. 

     You might think of  getting  a good agent who will help you when you arrive here and show you the ropes ( important idiom) this way you won’t make mistakes and lose time and money. 

I hope this is a help, I think you are making the right decision to live here it is probably the best county in the world to immigrate but it certainly isn’t perfect.