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There is less communication between family members of late. Do you agree or

disagree? To what extent do you agree?

Collocations = words that go together e.g. to play a vital role

Referencing = referring to something that has already been mentioned and using words like ‘this/
these’ or ‘it’ etc
TR – Task Response
CC – Cohesion and Coherence
LR – Lexical Resource
GR – Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – it is important to avoid using basic words so ‘in-
creasingly’ is used rather than ‘much’. You could also use
‘significantly’ here.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – using the passive is essential for grammatical range
so learning phrases such as these is useful e.g. It is fre-
As electronic devices play an increasingly more central role in our lives, quently said; It is often argued; It has been proposed…

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – instead of just saying ‘a decline’, the language has
been made more complex with the addition of ‘unprecedent-
ed’ meaning ‘never seen before’.

it has been suggested that there has been an unprecedented decline in Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – there is a risk of overusing the word ‘communication’
in this essay. Here, the word ‘interpersonal’ has been added
to show it is ‘social’ communication.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – lists are a good way to get in lots of good vocabulary
interpersonal communication not only with colleagues, business associates and to impress the IELTS examiner.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – there is a risk of overusing the word ‘family’ so by
using ‘immediate family’ meaning ‘close family members’, it
makes it sound more complex.

close friends, but also with our immediate family. I completely agree with Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – referencing – referring to the idea that there is less
communication nowadays.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – use discourse markers to signpost to the reader what
is coming next. This word indicates that there something is
this assertion and, moreover, this is a worrying trend that looks set to continue. going to be added to support this.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – collocation – it is vital that IELTS candidates know
collocations such as this one that can be used in lots of
different tasks.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – very complex and less commonly used language.
Here ‘set’ is an adjective and it means ‘likely’.

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 Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – ‘although’ and ‘even though’ have similar meanings,
but ‘even though’ is slightly stronger and is less commonly
used by IELTS candidates.

Even though face-to-face interactions are possibly at their lowest level ever, it Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – substitution for ‘communication’. IELTS examiners do
not like repetition.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language meaning ‘stupid’.
would be foolish not to recognise the valuable role that advanced technology
Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – collocation that would be useful in other tasks.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – this means ‘because of’ or ‘as a result of’ and is less
commonly used by IELTS candidates.
plays. Thanks to it, we can instantly get in touch with any individual or
Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – idiomatic phrase meaning ‘it works extremely quickly
and easily’. Idioms should be used with caution in IELTS
Writing, but this one is an acceptable one to use.

organisation, at the touch of a button, regardless of time zone or location. For Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – the present perfect tense is a tense not commonly
used by non-native speakers so if you can use it in IELTS
Writing or Speaking, it will impress the IELTS examiner.

Ex-IELTS Examiner

example, we can follow what our friends have been doing through social media CC – discourse markers are required throughout to organ-
ise the text.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – this refers to the social media platforms.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, therefore, the rise in communication GR – modal passives will add to grammatical range and
impress the IELTS examiner.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – starting the paragraph with this word indicates that
something different is going to follow that contrasts with the
via such methods cannot be underestimated. previous idea.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language meaning ‘worrying’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – a useful and complex word meaning that something
Nevertheless, this reduced contact with our own family is a disturbing by-product happens as a result of another thing happening e.g. Crime
is a by-product of rising levels of unemployment.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – use of modal passive to expand grammatical range.

of electronic communication, and could be attributed to the change in lifestyles, Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – in IELTS Writing it is highly likely that you are going to
talk about ‘people’ so knowing lots of ways to refer to them
is essential. IELTS examiners do not like repetition so it is
important to avoid it to get a high grade in LR.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
for the current generation. For instance, the previous generation worked in LR – in IELTS Writing it is highly likely that you are going to
talk about ‘people’ so knowing lots of ways to refer to them
is essential.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – an idiomatic phrase meaning a job with regular
nine-to-five jobs, and went home every day to eat and chat about their day working hours.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – a new word and one that would impress the IELTS
examiner and it means a person who became an adult
around the year 2000.

with their families. The millennials, in stark contrast, are frequently employed Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – to show contrast and more complex with the addition
of the word ‘stark’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – using the passive adds to your grammatical range.
as digital nomads, working irregular hours, and this lack of routine results in a
Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – another new word in English meaning ‘someone
who uses technology, especially a laptop and a wireless
network, to work remotely from anywhere in the world’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – reduced relative clause. The full clause would be ‘who
are working’.

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 Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – in IELTS Writing it is highly likely that you are going to
results in a different way of life to our ancestors. talk about ‘people’ so knowing lots of ways to refer to them
is essential.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – instead of using ‘Although’ here, this sentence has
been made more complex by using ‘Despite + verb +ing’
Despite communication being at its highest level, in terms of quantity, the e.g. Despite having… Despite spending…

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language meaning ‘questionable’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language that is relevant to the topic.
quality of this communication is debatable. Social media updates should not
Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – substitution for ‘communication’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – another use of the modal passive to show the IELTS
replace personal contact with close family members and interactions should be examiner that the candidate can use this tense accurately.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – collocation – ‘to set a good example’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – in IELTS Writing it is highly likely that you are going to
encouraged by senior family members, by setting a good example to children talk about ‘people’ so knowing lots of ways to refer to them
is essential.

such as not using gadgets at the dinner table and instead trying to engage with

their offspring in more meaningful ways.

TR – All parts of the task have been addressed. The introduction states
what the situation is and the opinion is included in the introduction to make
the writer’s position clear. The paragraphs have topic sentences, which are
then supported by examples. The conclusion is related to the thesis in the
introduction. Overall, the response has been full and relevant and each of the
points is detailed and connected to the thesis.

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© IELTSPodcast.com / B.Worthington / BW English Services. 2017 - 2025. All Rights Reserved.
International marketing is sometimes seen as invasive and an intrusion into
the country in question. Others argue that it is a necessary and economical
form of education in addition to spreading ideas, language and culture.

Collocations = words that go together e.g. to play a vital role

Referencing = referring to something that has already been mentioned and using words like ‘this/
these’ or ‘it’ etc
TR – Task Response
CC – Cohesion and Coherence Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – an example of a collocation. IELTS examiners look for
LR – Lexical Resource these, as they are used frequently by native speakers, but
not used as much by non-native speakers.
GR – Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – good collocation connected to the field of marketing.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – another collocation connected to marketing and is
better than simply saying ‘to increase sales’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – referencing – this refers back to ‘the international
marketing campaigns’ and has referenced ‘the international

Companies frequently run international marketing campaigns to break into marketing’ with ‘these’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language connected to the topic of marketing.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language meaning the rapid increase in the
new markets or maximise sales in existing foreign markets. These campaigns number or amount or something.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – correct use of such + noun.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – use of passive to extend grammatical range.
may take various forms such as TV adverts or online pop up ads. The
Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – Using substitution – instead of saying ‘some people’,
we can just use ‘some’ to make it more complex.

Ex-IELTS Examiner

proliferation of such advertising is viewed by some as intrusive, whereas LR – rather than copying the word ‘intrusion’ from the title,
the adjective has been used.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – using a discourse marker to show contrast

Ex-IELTS Examiner
others maintain that they have educational benefits. I disagree with this latter LR – Using substitution – instead of saying ‘other people’,
we can use ‘others’ to make it more complex.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – instead of a basic verb such as ‘feel’ or ‘believe’, this
verb makes it sound more sophisticated.

view, as they are largely exploitative rather than informative. Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – referencing – referring to the last opinion.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – adverb used for emphasis and is a less commonly
used one. Many candidates overuse ‘very’ and need to use
alternatives such as this.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – rather than using ‘invasive’ from the question, a
different word has been used to show the candidate’s range
of vocabulary.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – substitution – rather than using ‘educational’ again, the
candidate has substituted it for this word.

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 Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – using a wide range of vocabulary connected to the
topic of ‘marketing’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – use of less common language rather than ‘regardless
of’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
Marketers seem to think that they can make their brand appeal to international GR - This is a frequently used word in IELTS writing, but is
often not punctuated correctly. You cannot use a comma
here. The ‘however’ is a transitional phrase and will usually
start a new sentence, but you can use it with a semi colon
before and a comma after for a smoother transition.

consumers irrespective of cultural differences; however, great understanding Ex-IELTS Examiner

LR – good use of collocation.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – more complex than using ‘to make sure’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
of local markets is required to ensure that marketing campaigns do not offend LR – good use of precise language to convey meaning.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – agreement is required here. It must be ‘their’ because
it agrees with ‘marketing campaigns’. IELTS candidates
often choose the wrong pronouns/possessive adjective.
their intended audience. For example, the Italian car manufacturer Fiat ran a
Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – good use of collocation meaning the audience it is
planned for.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – use of reduced relative clause ‘which was fronted by’
campaign fronted by the American actor Richard Gere. Gere is a renowned reduced to ‘fronted by’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language meaning ‘famous’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
supporter of the Dalai Lama, therefore, not an appropriate frontman for this CC – use of discourse marker with punctuation.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – advanced vocabulary meaning ‘a person who rep-
resents an organisation and works to make its image more
appealing to the public’.
campaign when aired in China. Fiat ran the ad and it angered the Chinese who Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex vocabulary connected to the topic.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language and less common than ‘annoyed’.

subsequently boycotted Fiat cars. This lack of cultural awareness caused severe Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – cohesive device being used effectively and not
mechanically.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language conveying precise meaning and
damage to the Fiat brand. meaning ‘avoided’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – good use of collocation.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – good use of collocation meaning ‘a lot of damage’.

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 Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – use of discourse marker to show a contrast will follow.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – collocation - excellent use of less common and
sophisticated vocabulary meaning ‘to cause people to have
a worse opinion of them’.

Nevertheless, it would be unfair to tarnish the reputation of all companies in this Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – collocation – ‘to adapt something to suit someone/
something’ meaning ‘to change something so it is more
suitable’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
way. There are several companies who adapt their products to suit individual GR – use of the passive to show grammatical range.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – agreement – this must be singular to agree with
McDonalds.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
countries and this is reflected in their marketing. For example, McDonalds GR – use of reduced relative clause ‘which are marketed
as‘ reduced to ‘marketed as’..

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – correct use of referencing. Using possessive adjec-
tives such as this makes your writing more cohesive.
has introduced macarons to its French menus and uses flatbreads, marketed
Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – good use of complex language rather than ‘changes’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – correct use of the passive to show grammatical range.
as ‘McArabia’, in its restaurants in the Middle East. Such modifications to LR – previously the word ‘viewed’ was used so it has been
substituted to ‘regarded’ here.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
TR - This phrase can be used to show that what you are
writing is so obvious that everyone agrees with it. It can
help with your mark for TR because you are making your
their menus and advertising cater for the local culture and is not regarded as argument stronger.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – instead of using ‘in some cases’, you could use ‘in
certain cases’.

inappropriate. Ex-IELTS Examiner

LR – substitution – ‘products’ was used in the previous
paragraph so it has been changed to ‘goods’ here.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – correct use of preposition with adjective.

Of course, it is not just the marketing, but in certain cases the goods that must Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language connected to the topic and much
better than using ‘people’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – extremely high level and sophisticated vocabulary.
be sensitive to and suitable for the local needs of consumers. A scattergun
Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – the verb risk is followed by the -ing form e.g. to risk
doing.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – good use of discourse marker.
approach, which means that the marketing is the same for all countries and
Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – substitution – previously the word ‘boycotted’ was
used.
GR – use of modal passive to show grammatical range.

races, risks offending potential customers and, consequently, the brand might
Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – use of complex language meaning ‘important’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – use of complex language connected to the topic
be blacklisted in certain markets. Research is, therefore, vital before launching a meaning ‘to bring a new product to the market’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – use of complex language connected to the topic
meaning ‘the whole world of shoppers’.

product into the global marketplace.

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TR – All parts of the task have been addressed. The opinion is included in the
introduction to make the writer’s position clear. The paragraphs have topic
sentences, which are then supported by examples. The conclusion refers to
the thesis statement.

GR – complex sentences have been used such as: A scattergun approach,

which means that the marketing is the same for all countries and races,
risks offending potential customers and, consequently, the brand might be
blacklisted in certain markets.

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© IELTSPodcast.com / B.Worthington / BW English Services. 2017 - 2025. All Rights Reserved.
Doing an enjoyable activity with a child can develop better skills and more
creativity than reading. To what extent do you agree? Use reasons and specif-
ic examples to explain your answer.

Collocations = words that go together e.g. to play a vital role

Referencing = referring to something that has already been mentioned and using words like ‘this/
these’ or ‘it’ etc
TR – Task Response
CC – Cohesion and Coherence
LR – Lexical Resource
GR – Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – to spend time doing something.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – it is highly likely that you will need to refer to people/
children in your IELTS Writing task so make sure that you
have lots of different words to use such as this. IELTS
examiners do not like to see the word ‘people’ or ‘children’
Parents throughout the world place spend time reading with their offspring over and over again.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language connected to the topic meaning
‘reading skills’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
to prepare them for school where their literacy skills are further developed; GR – use of the passive to extend grammatical range.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC/GR – correct use of ‘however’ with a semi-colon before
it and a comma after.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
however, recent research suggests that focusing on reading at an early age can TR – it is a good idea to refer to research to show that your
arguments are supported.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – ‘to focus on’ is following by an -ing form.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
be detrimental, and participating in fun activities would be far more beneficial. LR – complex language meaning ‘harmful’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – instead of using ‘much’, it can be substituted for ‘far’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language meaning ‘useful’.
I am a strong advocate of this approach, and the benefits of it will be covered in
Ex-IELTS Examiner
TR/LR – showing what your opinion is and using complex
language to do so. If you are ‘a strong advocate of some-
thing’, you are ‘a firm believer in something’.

this essay. Ex-IELTS Examiner

GR – modal passive to show grammatical range.

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 Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – good way to start your topic sentence - to show that
this a major reason, you can use this phrase.
LR – collocation – ‘a fundamental reason’.

A fundamental reason for this is that there is no biological age for reading, Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – it is highly likely that you will need to refer to people/
children in your IELTS Writing task so make sure that you
have lots of different words to use such as this. IELTS
examiners do not like to see the word ‘people’ or ‘children’
over and over again.

and pushing infants to acquire this skill before they are ready could have Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – good use of collocation and more complex than ‘learn’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language meaning negative things that
happen as a result of something else.
repercussions. For example, in the UK, many boys are reluctant readers,
Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – collocation meaning someone who is not keen on
reading.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
possibly because of being forced to read, and this turned them off reading. By GR – when we use ‘because of’ followed by a verb, it takes
the -ing form.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – phrasal verb meaning to ‘put somebody off something’

Ex-IELTS Examiner
focusing on other activities and developing other skills such as creativity and LR – complex word meaning ‘quickly’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – use of a good discourse marker to show that what
follows agrees with the previous ideas.

imagination, when they are ready to read, they usually acquire this skill rapidly. Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – use of the modal passive to impress the IELTS
examiner.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – it is highly likely that you will need to refer to people/
children in your IELTS Writing task so make sure that you
In addition, the importance of encouraging creativity and developing a child’s have lots of different words to use such as this. IELTS
examiners do not like to see the word ‘people’ or ‘children’
over and over again.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language connected to the topic meaning the
imagination must be acknowledged. Through play, youngsters develop skills required for social interactions.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – collocation – ‘to learn something through context’
means to learn it while experiencing it in a real situation.

social and cognitive skills, for example, they are more likely to learn vocabulary Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – ‘rather than’ is followed by an -ing form.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – use of discourse marker to show that what comes
next supports this argument.

through context rather than learning it from a book. Furthermore, play allows Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – use of complex language meaning ‘to develop’

youngsters to mature emotionally, and gain self-confidence.

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 Ex-IELTS Examiner
There is no scientific research which suggests reading at a young age is LR – the word ‘important’ is overused in IELTS Writing so
make sure you know lots of different substitution words
such as ‘essential’ or ‘vital’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
CC – good discourse marker to show that what is coming
essential for a child’s development, moreover, evidence suggests the next adds further to this argument.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – useful phrase meaning ‘the opposite is true’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – to focus on doing something.
reverse is true. In Finland, early years’ education focuses on playing. Reading
Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – complex language connected to the topic.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – phrasal verb meaning to be behind someone in terms
is only encouraged if a child shows an interest in developing this skill. This of progress.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – it is highly likely that you will need to refer to people/
children in your IELTS Writing task so make sure that you
have lots of different words to use such as this. IELTS
examiners do not like to see the word ‘people’ or ‘children’
self-directed approach certainly does not result in Finnish school leavers falling over and over again.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – a useful phrase to add emphasis and support some-
thing that has already been said.

behind their foreign counterparts. In fact, Finland was ranked the sixth best in Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – instead of saying ‘Although I am…’ by using ‘Despite
being…’ it shows a more sophisticated used of grammar.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – previously the word ‘advocate’ was used so it has

the world in terms of reading. been substituted here for ‘supporter’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
LR – this is a more complex way of saying ‘I am not against
it’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
Despite being a supporter of this non-reading approach, I am not vehemently GR – after the verb ‘recommend’ we use an -ing form.
LR – collocation – we collocate ‘recommend’ with ‘strongly’.

Ex-IELTS Examiner
GR – modal passive to extend grammatical range.

opposed to it and I strongly recommend incorporating bedtime stories into a

child’s daily routine. However, reading as a regular day time activity should be

swapped for something which allows your child to develop other skills.

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TR – All parts of the task have been addressed. The opinion is included in the
introduction to make the writer’s position clear. The paragraphs have topic
sentences, which are then supported by examples. The main body and the
conclusion are related to the thesis in the introduction. Overall, the response
has been full and relevant and each of the points is detailed and connected to
the thesis.

© IELTSPodcast.com / B.Worthington / BW English Services. 2017 - 2025. All Rights Reserved.