TIPS FOR IELTS TEST PREPARATION
IELTS is an international English language proficiency test and it has been designed in such a way that all the skills necessary to have a good standard in the language are tested. There are certain important matters that an IELTS aspirant should essentially know to be able to face the test confidently. Know first of all that passing IELTS is no child’s play, but neither is it a very difficult task. If you know what to do and prepare yourself accordingly, you can easily become an IELTS holder. Here, B-GHUD Academy, the best IELTS coaching Centre in Kerala, shares their 26 years of experience in the field to help students. The IELTS test format It is extremely important that you know the IELTS test format. The key to your success in IELTS is a sound familiarity with the test pattern and format. B-GHUD has published one of the bestselling books in India on IELTS, “IELTS & TOEFL Made Easy,” which contains exhaustive information on each and every aspect of the test. It will give you all the information, tips and lessons that you will need to face IELTS with a smile. IELTS Listening Module IELTS listening module is demanding. You have to provide answers to 40 questions during 4 recordings. The recordings will be played only once. Typical questions include sentence completion, summary completion, form completion and multiple choices. It is possible for you to get lost during a conversation, but you need to recover fast or you will miss all the questions of that task afterwards. This would be a disaster. As such, it is essential to understand how to follow a conversation, even if you miss something and how you can recover to continue answering the next questions. You are also expected to understand what type of information to supply depending on the question type – a number, a name, an address etc. The Speaking Module This test is less than 15 minutes long and is split into three parts. The first 5 minutes are reserved for introduction and general topics between the test taker and the examiner. The second part assesses the test taker’s ability to speak about a random topic given on a cue card. The last part merely adds complexity to the second. At this stage, the examiner will also pay attention to pronunciation, lexical resources and fluency. Practising each part under exam conditions is essential to your test preparation and you will also get used to the pressure you will have during the test. You need to be able to write down notes that will help you to talk for two minutes during the second part of the test. You should also practice answering questions when you don’t really know the answer. Remember that your knowledge is not assessed but your English language proficiency is. IELTS Reading Module The IELTS reading module tests a wide range of reading skills such as reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and recognising writers’ opinions, attitudes and purpose. Test takers have to provide short answers, match information, complete sentences, match headings or complete diagram labels. It is essential, therefore, to practise includes a wide variety of questions so that you become accustomed to each type. As such, developing a wide range of reading skills is essential. Timing is of vital importance in the reading module. You will not have the time to go through the texts several times. There are strategies to help you to avoid this situation, for example, how to skim the text and what kind of information you need to focus on. The Writing Module It is found that the writing module is the most difficult of all. Both tasks in the academic training must be written in a formal style. Task 1 requires that you interpret a graph/chart/table etc., which requires significant practice in English. Task 2 is writing an essay on a given topic and presents a number of challenges. Often, the topic given can be hard to develop if you are not familiar with it. In addition, the essay must have a proper structure. For Task 2 requires that you write different types of essays such as Agree or Disagree, Discuss two Opposing Opinions, Advantages and Disadvantages, Problems and Solutions, Causes and Solutions, Causes and Effects. You have to familiarise yourself with the structure of an essay, how to develop it, how to write the introduction and the conclusion. You must be able to connect your ideas using cohesion and coherence. Tips in general Take a practice test. Understand the test format. Be aware of the exam time constraints. One of the biggest mistakes students make is to forget to improve their English. Start preparing for your test well in time. We recommend finding an institution which will help you with English development and IELTS strategies. Listen to native speakers talking to one another and if possible join in. Bear in mind that self-learning is possible as long as you are committed. Above all, to make things really easy for you, why not join B-GHUD Academy, the leaders in the field and the top training Centre for IELTS in Kerala, India?
BEST IELTS WRITING STRATEGIES IN 2023
To live up to its reputation of being the best IELTS training Centre in Kerala, B-GHUD Academy keeps striving to provide its IELTS students with whatever guidelines are necessary. Here are the IELTS writing strategies IELTS students should be equipped with to enable them to do commendably well in the IELTS tests. 1. IELTS writing is for 60 minutes. Task 2 (Essay) is longer than Task 1 (Graph/Letter) and it also fetches double the marks. It is, therefore, important that students wisely divide the time for each task. Spend 20 minutes on Task 1 so that they can take 40 minutes to attempt the essay comfortably. 2. IELTS students should essentially read and understand the topic thoroughly well. It is because an IELTS essay should address the different parts of the topic relevantly. Otherwise, the task would not be achieved and the IELTS student will lose marks. 3. While writing the introduction, every IELTS student should make sure that they use their own words. Copying the topic as it is to write the introduction will be penalised – copied material will not be counted and your total word count would come down. Make sure that you rephrase the topic for your introduction. 4. After having thoroughly understood the different aspects of the topic – that is, after ensuring exactly what points in the essay are to be dealt with – make a plan mentally on how to approach the essay, what to write and how. You may use rough paper to jot down the points. 5. Divide the main body of your essay into paragraphs. You may write two or three body paragraphs depending on the topic. It is in these paragraphs that you present your main ideas. You should write these ideas clearly and support them with examples. If your ideas are clear and well-supported, you will get more marks. 6. While writing the main paragraphs, ensure that they are linked together using “coherence.” Your writing becomes exceptionally impressive if you use apt words or phrases for coherence. An example of good coherence is given below. a. Body paragraph 1 begins: “On the one hand….” b. Body paragraph 2 begins: “On the other hand….” The coherence used above clearly shows that your ideas are contrasting. All essays in B-GHUD books, “IELTS & TOEFL Made Easy” and “IELTS Writing Made Easy” (there are nearly 500 of them!) use an extensive range of coherence for the IELTS students to master prompt use of them. 7. You should write your essay in a discursive style. It means that the sentences you write in a paragraph should be linked together using connective words. It is known as “cohesion.” Cohesion ensures attractive writing. An example of cohesion is given below. “Space research is of great benefit to a nation. However, it is extremely expensive.” This sentence means that “although space research is beneficial, it is very expensive.” See how well the word, ‘however,’ connects the two sentences! Similar to coherence, our books, “IELTS & TOEFL Made Easy” and “IELTS Writing Made Easy” use countless examples of cohesion in their essays for the IELTS students to have a good grasp of them. 8. Lexical resources are another important factor in writing good IELTS essays. The test taker should try to use his own words. Remember, also, to use topic-related words. Topic-related words are those words that are closely related to the topic in question and are usually used frequently while writing or speaking about the subject. For example, if the topic is “pollution,” the related words are waste disposal, waste management, pollution control, effluent treatment, carbon emission, carbon footprint, global warming, environmental problems, greenhouse effect, climate change, deforestation, afforestation and so on. All IELTS essays in our books, “IELTS & TOEFL Made Easy” and “IELTS Writing made Easy” invariably use topic-related words, phrases and terms to benefit IELTS trainees. B-GHUD maintains its position as the top IELTS Coaching Centre in Kerala by ensuring that its students are provided with the best guidance. 9. GRA (Grammatical Range and Accuracy) is one of the main criteria for the evaluation of IELTS essays. Grammatical range means that the IELTS test takers should write a variety of sentence structures in their IELTS essays. B-GHUD book, “IELTS & TOEFL Made Easy,” caters to an extensive range of attractive structures (see pages 108, 109, 187, 239, 240, 300) for IELTS students to imbibe, so that they can write the impressive language. Grammatical accuracy generally means that the IELTS test takers should use the correct tenses in their IELTS essays. There are any number of interesting and intelligent exercises in our book, “IELTS & TOEFL Made Easy,” for the IELTS students to get adept at the use of the right tenses (“Syntax”) in their IELTS writing. 10. Writing the concluding paragraph is yet another important area where that IELTS students should be careful about. Since the conclusion is the last part of your essay, it creates a lasting impression on the evaluator. IELTS students should, therefore, try to make it striking. Your conclusion should not only be logical, but it also should not vary from the thesis sentence you have already written in the introduction. Consistency of your view is what the examiner looks for. 11. Last but not least, your word count should be sufficient (not less than 250 words.) Keep check of your word count from time to time while writing, so that your essay is neither short of the requisite word count nor too long. Whereas short answers will be penalised, you get no extra marks for long essays. Check your essay for grammar, spelling and punctuation errors before turning in your answer paper. We at B-GHUD Academy make it customary to train our IELTS students in line with these strategies. It is thus that we consistently achieve a high success rate and keep being the No.1 IELTS coaching centre in Kerala.
HOW DOES B-GHUD ACADEMY STILL EXIST?
B-GHUD has survived many challenges during the last 26 years and emerged victorious in the rat race of mushrooming institutes only because it has been producing excellent results since its inception in 1996. Of all the institutes of IELTS and TOEFL which started during that period, many of them could not survive because of fierce competition in the field, inability to be adaptable to the paradigm shifts in the fields, unprofessional management, the absence of futuristic vision and the inability to move with the times. Positive word of mouth, it is generally said, is the most reliable marketing strategy. B-GHUD ACADEMY has been abundantly blessed with it for valid reasons. Beyond all these B-GHUD could help a huge number of successful candidates score a high band in the global English exams required for studying abroad and migrating to progressive nations. In addition, the consistency in generating commendable results has enabled this institute to fetch students and job aspirants from the length and width of India. It is worth mentioning that B-GHUD ACADEMY is the only institute in South India which published 8 comprehensive best-selling books on IELTS, OET and global exams on nursing. These books certainly have facilitated a good number of students in India and the Gulf to reach their dream universities and helped numerous job aspirants settle in knowledge-based economies such as the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada Malta, Germany and the four Scandinavian countries. As there is hardly any gap between what B-GHUD promises and what they deliver, students from different parts of India still come to this remote town called Mavelikara for intensive training. Since the student-teacher ratio is one of the best in the industry, B-GHUD ACADEMY could deliver quality in all these years. It is worth mentioning that most of the senior trainers of B-GHUD ACADEMY were trained by the British Council and IDP. The legacy of these 26 years is being endorsed by the number of students who studied here and their results. Today most of our students are either the relatives of our successful candidates or their friends. Happy customers fetch new customers. The OET section of B-GHUD ACADEMY has been producing excellent results since OET was introduced in India 4 years ago. B-GHUD has written three books on OET alone. (OET AT 1ST ATTEMPT, OET SPEAKING MADE EASY & OET WRITING MADE EASY). Regular mock tests, in-depth analysis of grammar, ample opportunities to practise role-plays with our experts and intensive training on the Reading and Writing modules have helped our students score the required band score to settle in their dream destinations. As per the demand for intensive training in Kochi, B-GHUD ACADEMY has opened its branch in Kochi 3 years ago. There also we impart qualified training on IELTS, OET, PTE & German. We start our OFFLINE TRAINING at 9 am and end at 7.30 pm. Our ONLINE TRAINING commences at 7 am and ends at 10 pm. Students can choose either online or offline. Last but not least, when other institutes have been charging exorbitant fees for these courses, B-GHUD has been charging the lowest fee in the field. As we never compromise on quality, you can join our courses with confidence. It is better to learn from the authors of 8 books which are being taught and sought after by most institutes in India. We look forward to teaching you one of these global exams.
Nowadays it is not only large companies that can make films. Digital technology enables anyone to produce films. Do you think it is a positive or negative development?
Qn. Nowadays it is not only large companies that can make films. Digital technology enables anyone to produce films. Do you think it is a positive or negative development? Ans: It is an inevitable and irreversible trend, nowadays, the movie industry has brought large impact on societies across the globe. It is observed that, not only giant enterprises are making movies today, but also anyone who can access digital technology can make motion pictures. It could be regarded as a progressive approach; the reasons for which are the advent of technology and quality production at an affordable cost. The foremost aspect to be considered in this context is that wide range of talented artistes can make spectacular movies. To elaborate, with the advent of modern technologies people can utilize varieties of gadgets and software applications to make movies, even if they are not well- equipped with modern high cost gadgets. Talented film aspirants have been making short films by the use of simple low cost gadgets is an ideal example in this regard. The contributions, as a consequence, to the film industry around the world are likely to be increased by the use of digital technology by unreputed talented artistes and artists. Another notable factor is that the quality and standard of films that are made by the help of modern digital technology is unparallel compared to the films which are produced from traditional way and technology. To make it clear, people are adaptive with respect to the changing paradigm shift and they would always like to watch modern film making rather than the traditional way of making movies. To cite an example, films that are made with the help of digital technology have collected huge amount of money since such blockbusters are widely accepted by the audience around the world. Films that are made, as such, by the help of digital technology have excellent standard are widely accepted. Overall, having analysed the positive aspects of trend, it appears to me, in all likelihood, that not a huge number of talented artists can make films but also the standard of films production can be improved by using digital technology in movie production. Had digital technology become more popular, it would have produced an inexplicable revolution in entertainment industry.
It is more important to have a good family than to have friends. Family can always compensate for the absence of friendship. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
It is more important to have a good family than to have friends. Family can always compensate for the absence of friendship. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Despite technological advancements which has brought several negative implications on relationships, many are still family- oriented persons. Even though family has its own significance, in my opinion, it cannot always replace the need of friends. Being surrounded by peer groups, youngsters prefer to share their problems with friends which perhaps be the primary reason for this. It is the influence of them that has a major role in moulding the character of majority of people. As a result everyone seems to share the difficulties with friends either not to worry their parents or because of the unfriendly nature of family members. Some guardians, for instance, may be strict, so that their children are likely to feel uncomfortability to discuss their problems. Thus, it is clear that in these cases, friends are more approachable than family. Yet another reason is that companions may always be there, if someone needs to spend time with them. Some family appear to be orthodoxy that are interested in neither mingling with young generations nor going for an outing. This, for example, if they do not have friends. Such a situation revel as the importance of having friends. Hence, it is evident that friends are inevitable in certain circumstances. Nevertheless, some consider their familiar relationship as important and they can even see that instead of friendship. But, this may not be the case of everyone. As such, they need friends as they have a lot of positively influencing factors. Having analysed the need of friendship in the time of sharing problems as well as enjoyment, it can be concluded that having family for everything may not be possible as one has to encounter many stages in life in which friends may also be necessary.
Some people believe that public celebrations like national days and festive are a waste of time. They are of the opinion that people should spend money on more important things. Do you agree or disagree?
Some people believe that public celebrations like national days and festive are a waste of time. They are of the opinion that people should spend money on more important things. Do you agree or disagree? Many nations give importance to public celebrations as it upholds their integrity. Although it is opined that the money expended in this is to be deviated to other necessities, in my opinion, expense on national days and festival is worth. Celebrating historical days gives a sense of unity among citizens which enhances the overall development. To be clear, patriotism can be instilled in the minds of youth by providing the chance of watching these events. For example, victory day of china commemorates the past events which helps youngsters to know more about the freedom fighters as well as their struggle. Thus, this makes it clear that having these days celebrated not only creates unity but also nurtures love towards nation. Despite national barriers, many celebrate several festivals, the world over. It is during this time individuals find time to get-together unlike other days in which they may be busy with their work schedule. Besides, it enhances the relevance of tradition and culture among people. To be precise, had it not been for the efforts of authorities, upholding the traditional values would not have been possible. Having analysed the significance of both national days and festivals, it can be concluded that fund allocated for the same is eventual because of the benefits it renders. The more the importance given to public celebrations, the better the nation would be.
It is commonly believed that nowadays the main factors that affect a child’s development are media, pop culture and friends. A different point of view is that family plays the most significant role. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Some are of the opinion that the influencing factors of today have a major effect on the development of an individual at the young age. However, there is an opposite argument that it is the family which has more influence. Both these contradictory views are discussed below. Considering the different aspects of modern world, the effect of friends in moulding a child can be considered as the significant one. As children spend most of their time with their companions, they are likely to make notable changes in the behavior of an individual. Along with that, media, a norm of everyone’s life, faster young ones not only to bring innovative ideas but also to get general information. For example, many social media platforms provide news updates which are helpful for the young ones. Nevertheless, as family is considered as the pillar of each person since birth, some believe that parents are the ones who forge their children to the best rather than any other factors. It may be because of the reason that family members can support an individual in all deeds, especially in case of hardships in life. For instance, taking decisions regarding the selection of higher education stream, parents seem to be better guides. Thus, it is evident that there are many occasions where parents have a great relevance. Having analysed both sides, it can be concluded that family appear to be the most important element in the development of a child. Although many other external factors, nothing can replace the role of family.
The difference between countries is becoming less and less evident as people all over the world wear the same fashion, watch the same TV channels and have similar eating habits. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?
The difference between countries is becoming less and less evident as people all over the world wear the same fashion, watch the same TV channels and have similar eating habits. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages? With the advent of globalization, there have been remarkable changes witnessed of late, in the likes, dislikes and preferences of people, the world over, especially in their lifestyle. Noticeably, different cultural elements of communities get integrated into indigenous cultural practices, thus leading to a uniformity in practice among peoples of different backgrounds. This essay is an attempt to compare and contrast both the brighter aspects as well as the negative sides of this trend. On the brighter side, this prevalent trend of following similar patterns of lifestyle, relating to cosines, costumer and habits unifies individuals regardless of their racial and ethnic differences, in results, leading to an amalgamation of global culture. This would, in turn, result in easing the conflicting between countries and communities having differences in their beliefs and interests, which, as it turns out, would strengthen the relationship between nations and would facilitate global trade and commerce. Likewise, the cultural integration of foreign elements into certain indigenous communities is most likely to introduce positive changes, as it instills rationality among individuals by equipping them to reflect on the existing primitive and regressive elements in practice, with the wisdom acquired through global exposure. For instance, T.V channels of global media have been greatly influential in spreading progressive thoughts and eliminating social stigmas prevailing in many parts of the world. On top of it, international travelers, students and businessman are greatly benefited due to he standardization of work culture and lifestyle, especially with the exposure they have to global norms, food culture and etiquettes, that would reduce the culture shock when abroad. In contrast, it could also be noticed that due to this narrowing of differences, certain cultural practices that form the core elements of a community’s identity get diluted and are eventually replaced by a more standardized and globally accepted norm , it is worth mentioning even while admitting all these ideal effects that this trend is also causing to diminish the importance of those native food preparation methods, traditional pastime activities and traditional costumes, which, in comparison with the promising effects, is negligible. In brief, it becomes evident that the current trend of standardized lifestyle in terms of food, dress and preferences of individuals has brought about a number of desirable effects globally, while it is true that there are some unpleasant outcomes as well. Overall, it is fair to say that the merits of this significantly outweigh the demerits.
Full-time university students should do other activities instead of spending most of their time studying. Do you agree or disagree?
Full-time university students should do other activities instead of spending most of their time studying. Do you agree or disagree? The world, today, has undoubtedly turned into a highly competent one, where, in order to secure a bright career, one has to learn specific skills, and graduate from a university or a college. To materialize this, a number of subjects have to be learnt, following a hectic curriculum. Meanwhile, it is also important for full-time university students to engage in activities such as community works and part-time jobs, rather than being completely immersed in acquiring theoretical knowledge. For a start, university students, often having to focus on a wide range of subjects, hardly find time to equip themselves with a number of soft skills which are highly essential both in life and career. While participating in activities such as community works, they tend to have a platform for exposure with the outer world, examples for which are community welfare projects and household surveys by graduates in social work. In such instances, they would develop a set of skills including communication skills and the sense of team spirit; eventually, these youngsters are likely to become acquainted with the world where they have to apply the theories that they learned in textbooks. Likewise, students giving too much emphasis only on academic subjects are mostly observed to become introvert in nature, who give prominent importance to scoring more marks. This would probably put them under tremendous pressure. As such, participation in extra-curricular activities and other recreations seems to help them vent their stress as well as ease the learning process, thus rendering it more interesting. In brief, although most of the university courses extensively focus on academic aspects trivializing others, engaging in extra-curricular activities appears to be of utmost importance which should be followed rather than spending most time on studies.