Welcome back to My IELTS Classroom, the podcast where two English experts talk all things IELTS.
I'm still Shelley Cornick.
And I'm still Nick Long.
And today we are back first and foremost and we are going to be discussing if IELTS really prepares you to study at university.
What skills does IELTS test?
How might you be able to use them at university, but what other skills may you need to develop to achieve top grades?
Nick, it's been 84 years.
I'm now a pensioner, Nick.
I'm good.
I'm very good.
How are you?
I'm good.
It's very nice to hear your voice again.
Listeners, I'm sorry that Nick and I have been away for so long.
I feel quite bad actually, because in the last few weeks in particular, I've received, I think, about five or six emails from listeners who very kindly have just said are you okay?
Yeah.
And I've had to reply, I'm fine.
It's just Nick and I have both been extremely busy over the last few weeks.
So Nick, let's have a little catch up because I feel like our listeners are our friends.
What have you been up to?
When was the last episode we recorded?
I don't know.
I think it was in August.
Yeah.
So we've had a two-month break.
Where has life taken you in those two months?
Well, we partially took a break because I went on holiday for two weeks.
Right, which you never do, do you?
Three weeks, yeah.
It was almost three weeks.
So that was great.
We had a lovely time in Armenia.
Oh, lovely.
For our honeymoon.
What was your highlight of Armenia?
The food.
The food.
Really?
Yeah, unbelievable.
If you thought Georgian food was good, wait till you try Armenian food.
Really?
So what is Armenian food?
Basically the same, but a lot more bread and cheese.
Oh, well, you can't go wrong with bread and cheese.
So yeah, that was good.
And then, yes, since we came back beginning of October, it's just been nonstop.
I've had so many groups every week.
Yeah, just finding time has been quite difficult, hasn't it?
Well, I think so.
I mean, I know for you like September is traditionally the time when you know people have a summer break, don't they?
And then it's the start of the academic year and people come back.
So, yes.
I mean, that is the same for me, kind of similar.
So essentially, I started a new job at the beginning of September.
I am now teaching, not full time.
Obviously, my arts classroom is still our main focus, but I've got a job a couple of days a week at a university.
So I mean it has been five years maybe since I was actually working in a school and 15 years since I was working at a university.
So it's been a big...
I don't want to say shock, because it's been positive, but it's been a big change getting back in a physical classroom.
I mean, you'd appreciate that, Nick, right?
Like we've been teaching online for a long time.
So to actually be a real person in front of a class with real students is a big change.
Also teaching, you know, just...
It's now 2023.
The needs of students are different.
We have digital, the digital world.
We've got AI.
I'm teaching at a university which is more a vocational university.
So the needs of the students are academically a little bit different.
So I've had a lot of things to get my head around, I guess.
But I've been seven weeks now.
I feel like I've settled in.
I've got my routine.
So I feel like we're ready to come back.
Do you think we're going to manage to do it weekly next?
Well, we'll see, won't we?
Hopefully.
We'll try.
So I'm hoping that this is our return to weekly podcasts.
If at the very least we, you know, every other week, but I think we should try and do weekly.
Nick is much better than me at this, to be honest.
But because I've spent the last seven weeks kind of immersed back in university life.
It's actually been really interesting because we spend so much time working with students who are taking the academic module to go to university.
So it's been kind of interesting to be on the other side of the door in a way to see sort of what actually happens once they arrive.
And you know, what does it really mean?
Um, to have a band six, for example, or a 65 and starting university.
I mean Nick, from your sort of memories of university days and you know your knowledge of what a student at band six or 65 you know intermediate, upper intermediate.
Would you say that that's a level of English which is probably going to be enough for the students to survive and thrive when they get to university, or do you think there might still be work to do?
I think probably.
It's just about enough for the first year.
I think that's a great assessment.
And then I think, as the whether it's a three or a four or five year course as it progresses, they'll obviously their English will improve, their academic skills will improve.
But I think IELTS provides a good base for how to write an essay or a report.
And I also think that it's just about enough in terms of language, 6.5.
And then obviously, as you have lectures and meet people and get used to talking about your subject in English, the rest of the vocabulary will come.
I think Nick has really nailed it there.
I think that's absolutely right.
I think it would be a mistake to think you've achieved the final level required to do your degree.
I think you're absolutely right.
It's just about enough to get you in the door.
And get going on that first year.
And obviously you know what I've learned.
You know because I'm doing a lot of work at the minute with students.
It's all different vocabulary now, Nick.
We talk about levels four, five and six, which for me is first year, second year, third year.
Right.
So you know, the things which were expected of first year students are very different to the things which are expected of third year students.
I would say
Absolutely.
But yeah, I mean, I do think it is enough.
I'm sure if you are now seven weeks into your first year at university and listening to this, you will know if your English is a good enough standard or not.
If you're struggling, hopefully...
There will be support at your university, certainly where I'm teaching.
There are English language workshops.
There are academic support tutors who will help you.
But if we think about it, I think what is kind of interesting is if we think about the things you need to do at university.
And that's what I want to do today is sort of think what are the things we need to do at university to succeed?
And how much are those things tested and taught in IELTS?
So before we begin and people listening at home can do this, you know, think about it, doesn't have to be an English university.
It could be any university.
If you think about the day to day things you were doing as a student, Nick.
Like, what were they?
I mean, I'll start with an obvious one.
So the first thing you're probably doing is going to lectures, right?
So what else would being a student involve in the UK?
Well, obviously, you're going to be listening to the lecture and you're going to be making notes.
Yes, definitely.
Depending on the course that you're doing and the subject, you might have seminars in addition to lectures, where you're going to be discussing in smaller groups.
Exactly.
The things you've heard in the lectures.
Obviously, you're going to be writing essays as well.
Yeah, potentially reports to maybe making presentations and giving presentations, which i guess is kind of similar to speaking part two in a way.
Yes exactly um, you're going to be doing a lot of reading right, a lot of reading, I agree.
Well, if you want to get a high mark, then you're going to need to do a lot of reading.
A lot of reading, yeah.
So you've gone, I think that is exactly everything I had on my list.
Like lectures, essays, maybe exams as well.
Exams also, yeah.
Although actually it seems to me that in the UK we're sort of moving away from having final exams.
I did my bachelor's from between 2007 and 2010.
And in the whole three years we had one exam.
Really?
The rest of it was essays, coursework and stuff like that.
Right.
So when, like back in 1995 Nick, when I started university, every module had one essay, but it was only worth like 20
And then a big 80% exam, like a three hour exam at the end of the module.
So that was like 10 years before you, I guess.
Right.
So that's a big difference.
I think now... you know, those exams have almost completely faded out.
Yeah.
So I think you already started doing it then Nick, but let's go through those things that students will need to do, like when they get to university, and let's think about you know if they are touched upon at all in IELTS um.
Or if it's like a new skill which students are going to have to develop.
So let's start with listening because I think this is the easiest.
So if we think about, there's obviously four parts to the listening exam.
Parts one and two are like real life things, aren't they?
Do you think they're any use at all for sort of the move to the UK?
Yeah.
Well, I guess with sort of the day-to-day, it might help a little bit, I guess.
Yeah.
But in terms of like university life, maybe making friends or something.
Well, you're going to have to open a bank account, I guess.
There's often things about that, aren't there?
Or join a gym.
But I guess in parts, I mean, if you think about part three.
Mm-hmm.
You've got the three students or two students and a tutor talking together.
What would that, do you think, replicate?
Well, that's kind of similar to a tutorial or a seminar discussion, isn't it, I guess?
It is.
It is.
And I think that is probably the only part of the exam which would actually help students in terms of seminars, which we'll come to in a moment, but i think it is useful.
Like you know, you do have to identify in part three, not just what people are talking about, but how they feel about the topic, which I think is what you really have to do to be able to take part in a seminar.
And so I think that is quite useful.
And I think part four also, you know, the basic lecture following an extended talk is important.
But I think Nick, a moment ago you nailed it when you said what is the major difference is that there's no note taking.
So that is something you know.
When I've been looking at what's been happening in the listening classes at the university where I'm teaching, it's almost all taking effective notes.
Being able to understand what is the key information in a lecture, what is just supporting detail.
And, you know, now the lectures are not four minutes long.
They're like two hours.
So I would say IELTS probably prepares you to some extent for the listening.
However now, this is where I don't know Nick because like, the other thing is almost all lectures, and this is very different from when I was a student.
When I was a student, there was no technology at all.
So once you left the lecture theatre, your notes were the only thing, like the only reference that you had.
Yeah.
Now, almost every lecture is recorded.
Oh, wow.
So like there's a video recording from the back of the lecture theatre and then that gets immediately put up into the sort of course.
What did like the online teaching sort of module.
If you were a second language student, would you try to rely on that recording?
I mean, is it necessary to make notes in 2023?
Is that an old skill which you think is fading out?
I think it's more to do with how people sort of store and organize information.
And I think if you're listening to someone speaking and making notes at the same time, You're much more likely to remember what was said.
So yeah, you can watch the lecture again two or three times and get the same information.
But if you want to do it in the most effective way, then I think making notes is probably the best way to do it.
I agree.
And I mean there's a lot of research that shows that the actual isn't.
And also not typing handwriting notes.
The physical act of handwriting is somehow directly connected to our memory.
So by doing that, you've got a higher chance of remembering things.
I mean, I think you're totally right.
I also think that you know how many times have I I mean, I've done this, Nick.
Oh yeah, I'll listen to that later.
You know, are you really going to go back and listen to a three hour lecture again?
Are you going to have time to do that?
I don't think you are really.
So I would say.
For listening.
I reckon IELTS, you know in terms of like an introduction, I think, does a pretty good job of at least exposing you to sort of different types of language, I guess, or like what you're going to be listening to.
However, if we go back to speaking like we've said, you know...
Part three of the listening is a bit like being in a tutorial or a seminar.
If we think about the speaking skills in IELTS, I always think of you Nick, as a speaking specialist.
If you think about...
The three parts.
So part one.
So what is that testing really?
I guess is your sort of basic ability to talk about yourself, I guess, isn't it?
Yeah.
So important?
Because, you know, I think one massive factor of whether or not international students perform well at university is whether or not they make friends and they settle in.
So you know, being able to talk about yourself is important, but in terms of sort of like academic performance, that's not really going to be useful.
What about part two, the long term?
Well, as I said, it could help with presentations, I guess.
Yes.
Couldn't it?
Yeah, like being able to speak for a sustained amount of time.
And from what I've seen, most academic presentations at universities are 12 or 15 minutes.
Yeah, not two.
So it's not too long.
If you can talk for two minutes with one minute preparation...
And no slides.
I guess, you know, being able to give a presentation shouldn't feel too difficult.
But obviously you know, given a presentation, what other type of skills are the students going to have to learn, which are definitely not included in IELTS?
Well, you're going to have to learn sort of PowerPoint skills, aren't you?
And yeah management, like how to order information and manage information, and managing time as well.
I guess maybe it's all of that exactly.
Plus, you're going to be not just in front of exam, an examiner, but in front of a group of people, so you're going to have to think about, you know body language um, but there are certain things you know, like speed of speech, Sustained speech, which are kind of tested, I guess in part three, in part two and then in part three where we've got the more abstract questions.
I think that's probably going to be the most useful part.
Section of violence, you think?
Yeah, because if you're in a discussion or in a seminar, then you are going to be asked questions and you are going to have to give your opinion agree or disagree or, you know, make a comparison, and all this stuff.
Yeah.
For sure.
Yeah.
And I'd say I think maybe what I mean I think that is what is different to the UK education system, to other systems and other countries is that it's not enough just to be in the tutorials, right?
You are, or the seminars, you are expected to actively participate.
And if you don't, your score will be reduced.
Yeah.
I think having the confidence to talk, like you say, to give your opinion is really important.
I guess the one thing about IELTS which is a bit different have you ever seen a first certificate or an advanced Cambridge speaking test?
Not the speaking.
Is that the one where it's like with two teachers, or two people and two teachers, or something like that?
Yes, it's yes.
So there's a teacher who's kind of just the voice who sort of asked the questions, and there's another teacher who's in the corner giving the scores.
But as you said, there are two or three students.
And part of the score.
There is not just what you speak, but how you interact with the other students.
And I do think that is an element which is missing from IELTS.
I'm not sure why they don't do it because it's still a Cambridge test.
It is, yeah.
Am I right that there's two candidates in the life skills test?
In life skills, yes, there is.
Yeah, that's right.
And are they interacting or are they just being asked questions individually one by one?
No, no, they're interacting, but the life skills is for lower level candidates.
It's B1, it's A1, B1, A1, A2 and B1, I think.
Yeah.
Life skills.
So I think that is... I don't know why IELTS doesn't do it, but I would say...
The simple thing about IELTS for a student is you're asked a question and your job is simply to respond, isn't it?
But if you're in a seminar, you need to learn things like turn taking.
You know when to speak, when to let somebody else speak.
Yeah. how to agree or disagree with people.
So not saying that you agree or disagree with a concept, but showing that you agree or disagree with a person, right.
In a non-confrontational way.
You are wrong.
So they're kind of skills which are definitely not touched on.
Even interrupting people, I guess you could.
It's things that you would have to learn.
I mean, you kind of get a little bit of that in the listening test, I suppose in part three, but there's no practical application of those skills is there in the exams.
No.
And sort of like negotiating things, sort of like, you know, group work.
I'll do this.
You do this.
Why don't you?
Suggesting things, recommending things.
I have to say, I think that if you're a student who's got a 6.5. or a seven in speaking.
I think you might be able to do those things naturally.
Yeah, for sure.
But they are interestingly things which tend to be taught In advanced books.
If I think about sort of speak out, there's often like a real world bit at the end of each module, isn't there?
Where you get to learn how you know you might listen to people not always at university, but in a workplace environment.
It's a similar sort of thing, isn't it?
Like giving your opinion.
Yeah.
So I would say I don't know how do you think speaking, how much do you think speaking prepares students?
A little bit, but yeah, as we've said, not really that much in terms of more advanced skills.
I think certainly for presentations, that would be something new.
And I think seminars, to be a good seminar participant, to know how to politely agree disagree, that type of thing could do some practice.
Again, I think you'll probably find that there are seminar skills workshops at a university that would help you do that.
So that's listening and speaking.
If we think about reading, I mean, what do you think, Nick?
If you think about the reading that you did at uni and the reading that we do in IELTS academic, are they similar?
Are they different?
I mean, they are different, obviously, but there are some similarities, I guess, between them.
Because sometimes you just have to read a chapter of a book.
And it might not be a super long chapter but at the same time you want to be reading for detail and reading for understanding.
So you might go over it once to get a sort of general idea of what it's about.
And then there might be parts that you want to underline key information and highlight specific points.
So you've got that kind of similar kind of skills to what you learn in reading in IELTS.
Interestingly, that type of reading is often also connected to seminars.
True.
Before a seminar, you might be asked to read a chapter.
And then, when you're in the seminar, you'll be discussing that chapter, thinking about it, giving your opinion.
So in that circumstance, you definitely want to read to understand, don't you?
So that you've got a good idea of the concepts.
Um, I think reading is interesting.
That's been the one skill that I realized that I had maybe underestimated a little bit, because a lot of the time devoted to teaching academic skills at the university where I am is academic reading.
Hmm.
And they use this word, Nick, which I think is a bit confusing.
Everyone's talking about critical, critical reading, critical writing which makes it sound.
You know, if I say the word critical, what's the first meaning that comes into your head?
Important.
Important.
Right.
So that is the correct meaning.
It's not negative.
I thought.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
I see what you mean.
I see like you're reading to criticize essentially.
Yeah.
Well, no, I think you're sort of reading.
Mm hmm.
To do what you said.
I think when I hear the word critical, my first thought is oh, it's about being negative.
But actually, it's what you said.
It's about choosing what is really important to read.
So you know, in IELTS we talk a lot about skimming and scanning, but we're not really talking about.
You know, in IELTS you're only skimming and scanning to answer a particular question right, whereas at university, most of what you read is is because, when you're reading, you are looking for material to put into an essay, aren't you?
That's right.
Essentially.
So it's a lot more...
About, you know, you've been given an essay question and a reading list of 20 books.
Not every book on that reading list will be useful for every essay question.
So a lot of what you need to do is essentially analyze all the time or sort of critically think.
What am I looking for as I read, essentially?
So you need to, first of all, you need to think, is this a good resource?
So it might be stuff like, is it relevant?
Has it got the information that I need in it?
Is it trustworthy?
You can use the internet at university, but you're not really going to be living on Wikipedia.
You want to be on university websites.
Nick, I've been blown away by how many incredible resources you can now find on these websites.
They're like online libraries, basically.
And you just go on there and you put in the topic and then you're just delivered thousands of journals.
When I was at university, you'd have to have gone and got each journal and looked through the pages.
Yeah.
Whereas now you can put in like a research question and bang, here are all the journal articles.
But there'll be hundreds.
Yeah.
So you've got to start thinking, is this exactly the topic that I'm looking at?
How long ago was it written?
All of this stuff, which, you know, selection of materials is nothing to do with IELTS, is it?
We're just given three passages on random topics that we have to read.
So I think the kind of selection, the sort of independent selection of materials is something that is very new for students and culturally as well.
In many cultures, working with quite a lot of Chinese students at the moment in China, you're told read this.
Whereas in English universities, you're given a starting point as a reading list.
Yeah.
But you're really expected to jump out from there and find your own resources.
So I think the reading is very, very different, essentially.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And just the amount that students have to read as well.
Like our reading passages are what, 800 words?
At the longest, yeah.
Yeah.
Like a journal article would be four or 5,000 words.
And you know, maybe in your first year in a 2000 word essay you might be expected to have six references, right?
So where you're referencing to six works.
By the time you're in the last year, you're expected to have for each essay, 20 references.
So that doesn't mean you have to read the whole of 20 journal articles, but you need to be able to go in and find the information that you need.
That's right.
And that's why you need to be critical.
So I think reading, although I think IELTS, the texts are not easy in IELTS, are they?
Not necessarily, no.
Some of the section two and section three texts can be very difficult.
Yeah.
So I think sort of the level is quite difficult.
And also, you know, as you said at the beginning, as you start to become more of a specialist in your subject area, you're going to start recognizing lots of vocabulary and topics.
It's going to get easier.
So I think the techs are at a similar level in the exam.
And I think...
Some of the things the questions ask you to do, like a headings question, is essentially checking.
Can you summarize information?
Which is something you are going to need to be able to do.
Yeah, that's a skill you need in university, definitely.
Yeah, or find specific information if you're answering a question and you need a quote.
So there are, I think.
I do think that the skills they're testing you on in IELTS definitely match, but just the volume of the reading.
But I guess it's difficult to do that in an hour, isn't it?
Well, you can't, yeah.
Yeah, that's why.
I would just say, if you're listening to this and you're going to university, that would be my warning to you.
Because there's not really a shortcut for it, unfortunately.
So I would say reading...
It does a good job.
I think it does as much as it can, essentially.
Yeah, I would agree.
Writing though, I guess writing.
Yeah.
I mean, if you think about our IELTS essays Nick, and the university essays, what would be the major differences between them?
The length.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
What were you asked to write when you were a student, usually?
I mean, in my bachelor's, the least was around 1,500 and the maximum was 5,000.
Wow, really?
And then in master's, it was like between 2,000 and 6,000.
Yeah.
I think 1,500 was the minimum.
Yeah.
And then I seem to remember by third year, it only went up to 3,000, not 6,000.
But definitely we're looking at essays which are sort of 10 times longer.
Mm-hmm.
There are many things that you learn in writing an academic.
You know in an academic essay for IELTS that you're going to need when you go to university.
Like, if you think Nick, about like structuring a paragraph, what would we expect to see in our students' general paragraphs?
Topic sentences.
Topic sentences transition signals to show relationships, referencing progression of ideas.
So nothing repeating.
All of those things which examiners look for.
That is exactly what you're going to have to do at university.
You're just going to have to write many many, many more of those paragraphs and longer paragraphs, I guess, right.
Our paragraphs tend to be 100 words.
I'd say you know you can have shorter paragraphs at university, but you're more likely to be writing 200, 250 word paragraphs.
I would say
So certainly the length of the essays... is definitely vastly different.
I also think it's not just essays.
I've been really surprised, Nick.
Can you believe it?
Some of the students are assessed, where I am, on writing blog posts.
Wow.
Yeah.
So they do have reports.
And they do have, you know, essays.
But yeah, blog posts.
What else?
Is that kind of like keeping a diary of what's happening as you're going through the course?
I think it's students who are doing a practical course and it is, you know, like I went in today to bake these cakes and this is what happened.
Like it was a disaster or whatever.
But I think that's it.
I think there's also things I've seen like personal reflection writing.
So if you had a I mean so, part of your master's degree, you went to latvia, didn't you?
Estonia, estonia?
So maybe you might have been asked to have just, you know, a bit of a.
That would be more like a diary, sort of like to critically reflect on your time.
Think if it was good, what was not good.
So there's.
There seems to be a lot more types of writing happening at universities now.
Uh, business proposals, that's another sort of thing um, But I would say, in terms of essays, the length is definitely different.
And what is the other huge difference?
And it's connected to reading between an academic essay and an arts essay.
Connected to readings.
Yeah, so think about what I said about reading.
So like when you write an essay... You actually have to do proper references, I guess.
Exactly.
Yeah.
So I think in IELTS, our essays...
Exactly.
So in IELTS, our essays are simply based on our own opinions, right?
We have no, there's no internet.
That's why we hate it when people make fake examples, right?
Because there's no, how do you know that 75% of English people eat Mars bars for breakfast.
There's no way you could know that in the exam.
A recent study by Cambridge University.
Showed, exactly.
But the funny thing is, is that really academic writing at university is the complete opposite.
So it's not really... about your opinion, really.
It's about, what is it?
I guess I sort of see it a bit like a jigsaw puzzle.
You read everything there is about the topic and you find out- Gather and present information, I guess, isn't it kind of-
Exactly.
I think stage one, I would call detective.
So you go and find, well, what do all of the big thinkers think about this topic?
John says this, Sam says this, you gather all the information.
And then, once you've got all the information, your job is to kind of just put it all together, a bit like a lawyer to present a case.
Well, you know, so it's not just, I agree that...
This business practice is a waste of time.
No one cares who you are, but if you can find this person from this resource and you can quote and you can paraphrase and put that together.
That's how we build essays.
And I think that is the major difference in writing between what we do in IELTS, which is really just a personal opinion essay, and to what we're doing at university, which is
Using other resources to show our opinion, essentially, which I think is kind of interesting.
And yeah, then you need a reference list at the end, you need to know insight referencing.
I mean, that's a whole thing.
Where I am, we've got a 47-page book that helps you reference things.
Because now, it's not just journals and books you're referencing, Nick.
You're referencing things from the internet.
So if you found something online, you have to say like...
The internet address you found it, on what paragraph the information was in and on what date you accessed that website.
In case it's been changed.
But you can do, you know, block, you can reference podcasts.
Yeah, I guess. focus a lot or ask a lot of questions about paraphrasing.
So I often, when students make inquiries about the course, are there lessons on paraphrasing?
I'm not very good at paraphrasing.
Students are really focused on this skill of paraphrasing.
Mm-hmm.
If you think about IELTS essays though, like how useful is that skill of paraphrasing, or where in the essay may it be useful?
Well, we're probably going to paraphrase the opinions if it's a discuss both sides essay.
Yes.
Paraphrase the question.
It is literally that, isn't it?
It's going to be in an IELTS essay.
The only place where we need to paraphrase is going to be probably the introduction.
Because, as you said, if it's to discuss both views, you're going to have to paraphrase both views.
If you're asked if you agree or disagree, you're going to have to paraphrase what you agree or disagree with.
Mm-hmm.
If you've got a problem solution, you're going to have to paraphrase the problem that you've been given.
Same for advantages, disadvantages, but really it's just the introduction.
And there may be topic sentences as well, because you might have to reflect the question in the topic sentences.
But really in an IELTS essay there's quite minimal paraphrasing compared to when you go to university.
And for that reason I've always kind of said to students I don't really think focusing on paraphrasing is the most important or the best way to spend your time, because it's a tiny percentage of what we have to do.
However, because now I'm working with students who really do need to have to paraphrase.
I, as a teacher, have built up my skill bank of teaching paraphrasing.
And there are new things which I had never even thought of before.
So I think that next week we should have a lesson where I will.
It will be a basic introduction to paraphrasing which, if you're already at university or planning to go, is going to be super useful but, more importantly, um.
It's going to help us paraphrase in our introductions.
And we will finally have that missing jigsaw piece.
So when people email me and say, where is your lesson on paraphrasing?
I can point to next week's podcast and say, it is there.
And now I'm going to make it in the bibliography.
Exactly.
Perfect.
So.
I would say that that's what we're doing next week is paraphrasing.
In terms of writing, I have to say, I think...
IELTS gives you... I don't know.
I think IELTS gives you an incredibly good foundation for essay writing if you've been taught well.
If you've actually, you know, learned what topic sentences are, what referencing is, what it means to you know, link ideas together using the correct grammar structures.
Although, if that kind of thing, I think you will be ahead nick, not even ahead of the other international students but, trust me, ahead of the local students.
Yeah, it's that bad, is it?
It is that bad, but then you just need to write them longer and you need to learn how to include these, this reference.
You know citations and references and all that sort of things.
Yeah, but if you can learn how to paraphrase, you will, and you understand how to connect ideas together, like the straw man technique which we teach as part of our course.
Correct, that's?
That's a, you know, that is a huge academic skill which is used all the time at university.
Um, you will be ahead.
It's nice to be back.
It is, isn't it?
It is.
It is.
This will be motivating me to start again next week.
So if you are taking IELTS, not to go to university?
If you're a doctor, if you are off to Canada.
Thank you for listening and making it this far.
Next week's episode will be much more useful.
But if you are going to university, we do have an old episode years ago.
I think about how to choose a good
Do you remember studying in the UK?
We've got an old episode about that.
Do we?
I don't seem to remember that one for some reason.
I don't even remember what we spoke about.
I think it's how to choose a good... How to choose the university that is right for you, I think.
I think we looked at like guardian lists and talk about different subjects are good in different universities and
Anyway, have a look on the blog.
I'm 99 sure unless I've gone mad in the break that there is an old episode on how to choose the right university if you're studying in the UK.
But in any case, we will definitely be back next week.
Thank you for sticking with us in the break and take care until then.
Bye-bye.
Bye.
My IELTS Classroom podcast is a production of My IELTS Classroom Limited.
Nick and I do not represent IELTS, and everything you heard in this episode is our own personal opinion.
Speaking Lessons and Marking Service You can find that at www.myieltsclassroom.com.
If you have a question or query or just want to chat, you can email Nick and I at hello at myieltsclassroomcom.
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Have a great week.
Study hard.
And remember, this is my IELTS classroom.
Thanks for listening.
We'll see you next week.
