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The BBC has some great online resources. This Words in the News series is terrific at exposing viewers to new vocabulary as it appears in international reporting. Here is one of the videos from the series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvO3qe_WkG0&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLcetZ6gSk96_UR...

Please feel free to suggest words or phrases for this list.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxnlyaD1MN4 Adjectives abrupt, sudden sharp, steep, rapid, major, dramatic, marked significant, considerable steady, gradual modest, gentle, slight, minor, mild Nouns a peak a surge an increase, a growth, a rise a variation, a volatile period, a fluctuation a plateau,...

Hi Soumya, I think your main issue here is grammar. Watch your tenses. Sentences that start with 'since' (like your background sentence) should make use of the present perfect. Please also review article and comma usage, as these are clearly weak areas for you. The lexical resources you demonstrate ...

Hi 8322265021ms,

Could you elaborate a bit on what information you are looking for? Are you asking about structure? I am not a GRE specialist, so I am not comfortable recommending structures and response suggestions to you. Please let me know specifically what you are looking for.

Hi blurr, You present several strengths in your writing. For one, your grammar is quite strong (aside from a few small awkwardly worded areas, such as your statement of position in the conclusion). Your logical approach to the argument is solid and acts as a clear indicator of your strength as a wri...

I pulled together this listening test a few weeks ago and have been using it in my in-class lessons. I would love for you to try this test, too. Download the following file and unzip it. Then get yourself a piece a paper, open the PDF and MP3 files and engage this mock test under exam like condition...

Hi Ryan, This forum is a great idea! I'm sure more IELTS test takers will come and gather here to help each other with the preparation. Thank you for the work. My name is Joe. I'm in Hefei, a city of East China. I'm a software developer. Right now I'm preparing for another IELTS test. I'm planning ...

Hi Huda, I think your essay is starting to show signs of good structure. However, please watch your grammar. "While It has some negative effects on the local environment and culture." is not a full sentence. Because this incomplete fragment acts as your thesis, your entire essay suffers. T...

Last week, five individuals posted their speaking as part of an IELTS Speaking contest.  They spoke in response to this cue card seen in Jordan: Describe a person you know who made a good decision. Who is this person? What was their decision and why do you feel it was positive? What resulted from th...

Hi, I think the essay should be about solutions how to benefit from tourism in a sustainable way and not about the negative impact of tourism. Let me just amplify what Petya said. Pratibha, the essay should spend most of its time arguing potential solutions. Please watch your punctuation. I see awk...

When a country develops its technology, the traditional skills and ways of life die out. It is pointless to try and keep them alive.To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? In this modern era machines have replaced humnas and there is a competition to complete a task quickly, effi...

Thank you for the feedback, guys. Yes, I'd also like to organize another contest before too long.

Thank you to all of you who took the time to get involved. Here are the results of our essay writing contest. The essays have been reposted in order of band at http://www.ieltsielts.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPXHW3RvdUI

(I will get the results of the speaking contest up tomorrow.)

Hi Cognos, I was just commenting on another student's awkward use of capitals, and I believe the same is true here. Why are the words "or", "teacher" and "mathematics" capitalized? Are these proper nouns? Aside from this, I feel you have a very good command of English g...

Hi DelvyDavis, Please remember that little things are important and often contribute greatly to your examiner's overall impression of you as a writer. In your writing, I see things like: -awkward capitalization ("Madam" is not capitalized; "information technology" should not be c...

Hi Yernar, There are several grammatical issues in your writing. Improper plural usage and article usage is apparent. I also see several inaccurate prepositions. Your use of "it" to link your outline sentence to your thesis is a very common mistake among IELTS students. "It" is t...

Hi Aqua,

I suppose it depends how pervasive this mistake was in your essay. Let's stay positive and hope for the best.

Hi Ryan, I am Natasha, I originate from the UK but I am currently living in Australia and will be taking my IELTS exam in the next few weeks in Perth in order to apply for permanent residency (I need level 8's in all sections!!). I have found your blog and youtube video's extremely helpful, thank y...

Hi sir Ryan, I was sorting for videos on YouTube that will might help me to prepare myself for the IELTS review and soon after for the IELTS academic exam. I was planning to take the exam for some time now, however I have no confidence and relatively afraid to fail on the exam. I'm hoping to at lea...

I am not totally sure if I can help other students, since I am, myself, a student. But I will be posting some assessments from time to time, and hope you'll correct them, if they are wrong. I am glad you have positive impressions about Kazakhstan =) Yes, many people get the same reaction when they ...

HI Ryan, I am Bunni and I am from India. To summarize about myself, I am an IT professional working for a reputed MNC in India. I have done my master's in Computer Applications :D . Basically, I am a kind of a person, who always requires some kind of driving force to initiate and complete any activ...

Hi, It is very nice to meet you. I am originally from Israel and have been living abroad for the past 5 years. 2 in Australia and 3 in England. I am taking the IELTS because I would like to go to University in North of England to study Occupational Therapy and part of the requirements are IELTS exa...

Great work, guys. Thank you for getting involved. I will be recording commentary tomorrow.

Submission time for the contest has ended. Thank you all for getting involved. I will be printing out the essays, grading them and recording commentary tomorrow.