Category Archives: Tips & Help

Next IELTS Courses [Term 5] beginning this Monday! // Why don’t you just observe? (and be like a cat below, okay?!)

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Hello everyone.

The first question you may want to ask is … why is there a picture of a cat above?

Well, I like cats, okay? Also, that picture represents (to me at least) the focus, attention, and dedication which you need in order to get a high IELTS mark. Focus! Attention! Dedication! And get better! 

And on that subject, can I remind everyone that …. [and I’ll put it in Chinese to make it clearer] ….

 

思考看看自己有沒有意願參加接下來將於[Term 5] 6 月展開的一系列課程。快點加入吧! 

下一期課程有週間班

  • IELTS Writing & Listening Course [MWF]  (週一三五: 晚上7–10:15 pm) [開課 June 1st – July 3rd].
  • IELTS Reading & Speaking Course [MWF]  (週二四: 晚上7–10:15 pm) [開課 June 2nd – July 2nd].

Saturday IELTS Skills Course  (Sat: 晚上9.30 am –5:15 pm) [開課 June 6th – August 22nd].

So, that’s it. Oh, there’s one more thing.

天天提供免費試聽!

Yes, you can book to observe a class any time [and this is FREE]. This includes the first class of all the above courses. So, why don’t you come along just to watch the first class, then you can make the decision to join later, right. Remember, as we say in English, seeing is believing.

By the way:

  1. we have very small classes,
  2. we have a big room,
  3. I disinfect the table tops every day,
  4. I take everyone’s temperature before class,
  5. Everyone must wash their hands before class.

… so don’t worry about Covid 19.

So, see you in my class this coming Monday – your first step to IELTS success, but you have to be like the cat in the picture at the top, okay?

Click on www.aisielts.com for more details, or go to the Contacts page.

New ‘Grammar & Vocabulary Course’ ! // This Course & the IELTS Courses Start in One Week [Term 4]!! // Special Deal with this G&V Course

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Hi everyone.

I haven’t written a pixnet post for some months now. After years of regularly putting Grammar, Vocabulary, Collocation, and Logic posts, I decided there is more than enough practice material for any serious student of IELTS. You could practice forever with all the material there, and it all fits together smoothly (like the above picture, right?).

So why am I giving a post now?

The answer: to announce a new Grammar & Vocabulary Course.

I use brown colour to show this new course (which again, links to the lovely brown colour in the above picture).

You can do this G&V course …

  • before
  • after
  • during

… a main IELTS course, and here’s the deal ….

 
If you pay at the same time for this G&V course and another one (e.g. G&V and IELTS R&S), you get $500 discount of both courses

This G&V course gives a solid foundation which fits in nicely with the main courses – and G&V is often a weakness among candidates/students. That’s the key to getting that high IELTS mark, right? 

And on that subject, can I remind everyone that …. [and I’ll put it in Chinese to make it clearer] ….

 

思考看看自己有沒有意願參加接下來將於[Term 4] 4 月展開的一系列課程。快點加入吧! 

下一期課程有週間班

  • IELTS Writing & Listening  Course  (週一三五: 7–10:15 pm) [April 27th – May 29th night time]
  • IELTS Reading & Speaking Course  (週二四: 7–10:15 pm) [April 28th – May 28th night time].

Grammar & Vocabulary Course  (週二四: 2–5:15 pm) [April 28th – May 28th afternoon].

So, that’s it. Oh, there’s one more thing.

天天提供免費試聽!

Yes, you can book to observe a class any time [and this is FREE]. This includes the first class of all the above courses. So, why don’t you come along just to watch the first class, then you can make the decision to join later, right. Remember, as we say in English, seeing is believing.

So, see you in my class this coming Monday – your first step to IELTS success. Click on www.aisielts.com for more details, or go to the Contacts page.

執業護士雅思一戰Overall6.5分( R7.5, L&W6.5 )

(因為本人沒有PTT帳號,所以請人代PO)
考試日期:2020/2/16
地點:IDP電腦考
分數:L:6.5 R:7.5 W:6.5 S:5.5 Overall:6.5

http://i.imgur.com/nBQFihJ.jpg

nBQFihJ.jpg

電腦考心得:

去考試的時候因應疫情,要全程戴口罩,我是早上考聽力、閱讀、寫作,我覺得用電腦考
滿方便,可以調整字的大小,耳機也能先測音量看O不OK,閱讀的時候如果在文章中直接
找到答案要填入空格,可以直接Ctrl+C複製、Ctrl+V貼上,不用怕抄上去的時候拼錯,也
很省時XD寫作的話,是下面自動計算字數,寫完很清楚就可以知道自己字數有沒有達到標
準、需不需要再加。

 

選擇補習Andrew的原因:

其實一開始在準備雅思考試的時候,沒有補習,因為當時是從事臨床輪班的護理工

作,時間很難自己分配。在自習的期間,我參考了許多網路上的心得文章,
後來發現了有人推薦Andrew老師編寫的
Practical IELTS Strategies Writing 1/ Writing 2/Reading/Speaking的書籍,
就把這這一系列的書買下來自己看。
在自己看的過程中,覺得內容很紮實,所以在我後來離開醫院輪班工作轉為正常班
工作、有週休二日後,就決定來上Andrew老師的週六班。

 

寫作6.5分:
先說,大家如果真的有準備過雅思,就會知道寫作真的是件很難的事情,這次
我可以拿到6.5分真的滿感動了!
先說我覺得最受用的就是老師的批改!每一堂都會有回家作業,老師會批改後
下一週發還給大家訂正。老師會在有問題或寫得不好的句子上面,
標註要參考的課本頁數,所以可以看著批改的註記頁數去翻找、探索答案,
自己也可以從中知道自己需要加強的地方,知道自己該複習那個章節,
十分有用!因為可能作文題目會隨著每次考試或練習不一樣
(所以背佳句或什麼硬背是絕對對考試沒有幫助的),
但錯誤的觀念或文法,只要能被批改、提點出來,下次再犯錯的機會就會降低很多!
老師的寫作概念也是很有幫助,老師通常是以雅思七分以上的標準來說明要達到什麼程
度才可能有七分,經過老師的說明,會有助於考生知道哪些事情是對提升分數有幫助的
、哪些沒有。像是背例句或是整段與文章主題無關的華麗結尾,
是對提升寫作分數毫無幫助的,還不如多加努力擴充自己文章的內容,
而文章內容的舉例和說明,如果一段出現很多主題,就會缺乏深入的探討,
這樣也拿不了高分。
所以老師的上課內容,會有架構的說明、教學如何想出idea的方法、怎麼樣找出有力的例
子,而且教學方式很活潑有趣,可以把寫作這麼艱難又複雜的東西,用這個有趣的方式
、搭配超厲害的PPT教出來,真的是很厲害!

 

閱讀7.5:
老師的閱讀技巧都放在書中了,雖然我自己再來補習前有自習過書本,
但實際上課的時候,因為老師的好笑和精美的PPT,真的讓上課一點都不無聊。
老師教的技巧都很實用,也不只對雅思考試有幫助,
對平常看英文文章的掌握度也會有提升,
例如:原本我以為應付考試應該要先看題目,再從文章中去找答案,
但其實透過老師的實驗練習,會發現先看文章的第一段、次標題和每一段的前兩行,
會對整篇文章有更深入的掌握,也很快能找到答案。
我想這次我可以考到閱讀7.5分,真的要很感謝老師的技巧,
畢竟我的字彙量不是很廣……,能拿到這樣的分數真的很滿足!

 

聽力6.5:
聽力我是怎麼樣能拿到6.5分的我也不清楚,可能就是每週來聽老師上課,
自然而然就有聽力的提升吧XD(因為老師是澳洲人)
雖然目前老師一系列的書裡面,還沒有聽力的書,
但是老師在上聽力技巧的時候,會發講義,帶大家走過題目和提醒要注意的東西!

 

口說5.5:
因為我的口說分數跟很多人比沒有比較好,所以好像也沒什麼好分享的XD的 我覺得老師的
書也是收錄了很多技巧和有助於得分的方法,但是師父領進門,修行在個人,
我補習完後比較沒有複習口說……所以才會只得到5.5分(哭)
我想為了下一次可以得到更好的成績,我之後會安排自己複習上課內容和多加練習!
希望下一戰可以更進步!

 

Andrew補習心得總結:
我覺得老師的教學理念裡面,最讓我感動的是每次發還作文批改的時候,老師都會放的Unc
le BEN說的三句話:
“Tell me, and I forget.”
“Teach me, and I may remember.’’
“Involve me, and I learn.”
所以可以感覺得到,在老師的教學系統裡面,老師不會要我們硬背什麼,也不會用傳統死板
的教學,主要都是在involve us,不管是課程的設計或是作文的批改方式,都是希望學生可
以融入、可以發展出自己的能力,並從中真正的成長。
最近我的課程結束了,其實班上的學生本來就不多(教學品質很好!),聽到老師說,可能最
近的疫情關係,報名的人數更少了,想到老師這麼認真教學,居然沒有什麼人知道,真的很
可惜!!!
如果你也是希望可以真正地培養自己的能力,我覺得可以來試試老師的課程!(有的時候會
看到有來聽試聽的同學,我覺得試聽也是很棒的方式,像我雖然當初沒有試聽,但也是因為

有買老師的書先自習,才知道這個教學style適合我,才會來補習的)
聽師母說團報有打折,有興趣的人也可以團報有優惠!

Andrew’s IELTS Study 週六密集班即將開課 [March 7th]!!!!

IELTS Writing %26; Listening, night, June 2018 Good Photo I.JPG

o you know that the girl standing next to me, on the right of the picture (although she looks a bit like a boy, doesn’t she?) got…

  • IELTS 8 for Speaking,
  • IELTS 9 for Reading,
  • IELTS 8.5 for Listening?

Okay, her IELTS Writing score was not so high, ‘just’ 6.5, but she told me later she hadn’t written fast enough, so I could understand why that score was lower. Underlength writing is scored down. What was surprising was her speaking score, because she was a quiet and softly-spoken girl. But maybe I should not be surprised, because she studied very hard, carefully going over every single word in my IELTS books, translating them when necessary. I noticed this in class – every page of the books covered in notes. What can we conclude? Two things.

  • Try to be like her.
  • Join my IELTS courses.

Yep, that’s the key to getting that high IELTS mark. And on that subject, can I remind everyone about my next …

IELTS Weekend/Saturday Course

which starts THIS COMING SATURDAY!!!!  (9:30am–5:15pm, with a lunch break)

[March 7th – May 23rd].

Hey, maybe I’ll remind you about the Weekday Courses, but they don’t start for another three weeks.

 

思考看看自己有沒有意願參加接下來將於[Term 3] 3 月展開的一系列課程。快點加入吧! 

下一期平日班課程

  • IELTS Writing & Listening  Course  (週一三五: 晚上7–10:15 pm) [March 23rd – April 24th]
  • IELTS Reading & Speaking Course  (週二四: 晚上7–10:15 pm) [March 24th – April 23rd].

So, that’s it. Oh, there’s one more thing.

天天提供免費試聽!

Yes, you can book to observe a class any time [and this is FREE]. This includes the first class of all the above courses. So, why don’t you come along just to watch the first class, then you can make the decision to join later, right. Remember, as we say in English, seeing is believing.

So, see you in my class this coming Monday – your first step to IELTS success, and you too can be like that girl next to me in the picture at the top.

Click on www.aisielts.com for more details, or go to the Contacts page.

Term 1 IELTS Courses starting this coming Monday (6th)! // Come along and observe!

IELTS Writing %26; Listening, night, June 2018 Good Photo I.JPG

Do you know that the girl standing next to me, on the right of the picture (although she looks a bit like a boy, doesn’t she?) got…

  • IELTS 8 for Speaking,
  • IELTS 9 for Reading,
  • IELTS 8.5 for Listening?

Okay, her IELTS Writing score was ‘only’ 6.5, but she told me afterward that she didn’t finish either writing task on time. Yes, slow writers will always struggle to get high scores, because underlength writing is immediately penalised. But what’s wrong with 6.5, right? And think about the score she would have got if she had written faster. Wow! Her writing was underlength, and she STILL got 6.5. This means that her writing was definitely good!

What really surprised me about her was the high IELTS speaking score, since she was a quiet and softly-spoken girl in class. But she did something few of my students do: studied very hard. She carefully went over every single word in my IELTS books, translating them when necessary. I noticed this in class – every page of the books covered in notes. In short, this student was diligent, committed, did all the homework, and attended every class, and followed my system. Obviously that REALLY helps.

So, there are two points to learn.

  • Try to be like her.
  • Join my IELTS courses.

That’s the key to getting that high IELTS mark. And on that subject, can I remind everyone that …. [and I’ll put it in Chinese to make it clearer] ….

 

思考看看自己有沒有意願參加接下來將於[Term 1] 1 月展開的一系列課程。快點加入吧! 

下一期課程有週間班

  • IELTS Writing & Listening  Course  (週一三五: 晚上7–10:15 pm) [開課 January 6th – February 14th]
  • IELTS Reading & Speaking Course  (週二四: 晚上7–10:15 pm) [開課 January 7th – February 13th].

So, that’s it. Oh, there’s one more thing.

天天提供免費試聽!

Yes, you can book to observe a class any time [and this is FREE]. This includes the first class of all the above courses. So, why don’t you come along just to watch the first class, then you can make the decision to join later, right. Remember, as we say in English, seeing is believing.

So, see you in my class this coming Monday – your first step to IELTS success, and you too can be like that girl next to me in the picture at the top.

Click on www.aisielts.com for more details, or go to the Contacts page.

Answers to Collocation 12 of 12 // After my holiday, the new IELTS Courses start on January 6th! See you there!

jigsaw-40975_1280 (1).png

Final Post of this Collocation Series

Well, we come to the end of another series of ‘collocation’ posts. All I have to do is give the answers to 12 of 12, and it’s done.

Well, here are those answers, and remember, you can learn more about me at   www.aisielts.com . If you click here, then go to Courses, then go to …Timetable for the Term 1 & 2 IELTS Courses, you will see that everything will start again this coming January, with the new IELTS courses beginning on Monday 6th. See you there.

Anyhow, here are those answers.

Answers to Collocation 12 of 12

1.

This makes a big impact on students lives.

This has a big impact on students’ lives.

2.

The power of guns is vital.

The power of guns is enormous.

3.

People want to escape the patterns of everyday life

People want to escape the routines of everyday life.

A good phrasing here is ‘escape the monotony of life’.

4.

The fare is considerably expensive.

The fare is quite expensive.

‘Considerably’ is used more when comparing.

The temperature is considerably colder at night (than in the day).

Travelling is considerably more expensive on public holidays.

5.

People can now easily transport to other countries.

People can now easily travel to other countries.

We could use ‘transport’ in the passive: ‘easily be transported to’ but this is rather unnatural phrasing when talking about people. It is usually for goods and products.

6.

Foreign tourism creates jobs for native people.

Foreign tourism creates jobs for local people.

‘Native’ means ‘indigenous’ or ‘aboriginal’.

7.

Travelling in one’s own countries means one sees all the same things and buildings.

Travelling domestically only offers the same culture and architecture.

There was really nothing wrong with the first sentence, but the phrasing is inexact, wordy, and awkward.

8.

Due to the prosperity of the tourism, more jobs are created.

With the growth of tourism, more jobs are created.

With the prosperity of the region, more jobs are created.

‘Prosperity/prosperous’ is for areas, regions, people, and businesses.

Once again, you can learn more about me at   www.aisielts.com .

So, what will the next series of posts be about? Hmmmmm. I’m still thinking about it. Today, I’ll flying off to Okinawa for a quick holiday, but I’ll be back in 10 days.

Remember, the new IELTS Course start in early January. See you there.

Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (12 of 12)

jigsaw-40975_1280 (1).png

Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (12 of 12)

Collocation is the key to getting a higher IELTS Writing and Speaking score, but it is not easy. Students often do not collocate words very well (which is why they don’t receive IELTS 7 or 8). To have ‘a sense of collocation’ (= IELTS 7), you need to have some familiarity with English. So, start reading all my pixnet posts, and getting this familiarity, right? By the way, you can learn more about me at   www.aisielts.com .

In the meantime, the following exercises will help.

Time to Practice

Can you ‘fix’ the following sentences by changing (or removing) the underlined word? There may be different ways to answer this. The answers will be in the next ‘collocation’ post.

1.

This makes a big impact on students lives.

2.

The power of guns is vital.

3.

People want to escape the patterns of everyday life

4.

The fare is considerably expensive.

5.

People can now easily transport to other countries.

6.

Foreign tourism creates jobs for native people.

7.

Travelling in one’s own countries means one sees all the same things and buildings.

8.

Due to the prosperity of the tourism, more jobs are created.

Answers to Collocation 11 of 12

1.

When a criminal is executed, it creates a vivid image.

When a criminal is executed, it creates a tragic/terrible/shocking image.

2.

The police need to research the crime more.

The police need to investigate the crime more.

3.

The police can cheat about what actually happened.

The police can lie about what actually happened.

4.

It experienced a period of downturn.

It experienced a period of decline.

5.

The park had large grass.

The park had tall grass.

6.

Single-sex schooling promotes poor social development.

Single-sex schooling does not help in the development of social skills.

Single-sex schooling hinders natural social development.

Single-sex schooling retards natural social development.

Single-sex schooling negatively affects social development.

‘Promote’ is a positive verb, used for positive aspects. We promote development, learning, a new company, product, or idea. ‘Poor social skills’ is negative, so we need to change ‘promote’ to neutral or negative phrasing, which could require more than one word.

7.

Single-sex schools provide a chance to sexually confuse students.

The environment of single-sex schools can sexually confuse students.

This is the same problem as 6. ‘Provide a chance’ is for positive things. My teaching provides a chance for you to learn.

8.

Guns should be banned, since they are possibly deadly tools.

Guns should be banned, since they are potentially deadly tools.

By the way, you can learn more about me at   www.aisielts.com .

Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (11 of 12)

jigsaw-40975_1280 (1).png

Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (11 of 12)

Collocation is the key to getting a higher IELTS Writing and Speaking score, but it is not easy. Students often do not collocate words very well (which is why they don’t receive IELTS 7 or 8). To have ‘a sense of collocation’ (= IELTS 7), you need to have some familiarity with English. So, start reading all my pixnet posts, and getting this familiarity, right? Remember, you can learn more about me at   www.aisielts.com .

In the meantime, the following exercises will help.

Time to Practice

Can you ‘fix’ the following sentences by changing (or removing) the underlined word? There may be different ways to answer this. The answers will be in the next ‘collocation’ post.

1.

When a criminal is executed, it creates a vivid image.

2.

The police need to research the crime more.

3.

The police can cheat about what actually happened.

4.

It experienced a period of downturn.

5.

The park had large grass.

6.

Single-sex schooling promotes poor social development.

7.

Single-sex schools provide a chance to sexually confuse students.

8.

Guns should be banned, since they are possibly deadly tools.

Answers to Collocation 10 of 12

1.

People still smoke, despite the formidable risks.

People still smoke, despite the serious risks.

Formidable = impressive in size, power, or skill, and therefore deserving respect or being very difficult to deal with.

Meeting the energy demands of a large city is a formidable task. An opponent, a reputation, or a challenge can be formidable.

A ‘risk’ can be ‘formidable’, but it would have to be a risk which is specific and defined. For example, the formidable risks of climbing Mount Everest.

Smoking presents very long-term, non-specific [what type of cancer will you get?] risks.

2.

The greatest reason people smoke is for relief.

The strongest/biggest/main reason people smoke is for relief.

3.

Increasing the cigarette tax can fix the situation.

Increasing the cigarette tax can improve the situation.

We fix a problem, a broken car, and a leaking roof.

4.

The radiation may leak out.

The radiation may escape.

A liquid ‘leaks out’.

5.

It is not a wise option of energy.

It is not a wise choice of energy.

You can use ‘option’ by itself. ‘It is not a wise option.’

6.

The energy is ample for both household and factory needs.

The energy can meet both domestic and industrial needs.

There was nothing wrong with the first sentence, but obviously the second has more precision and better collocation.

7.

The energy can support the public’s demand.

The energy can satisfy/meet the public’s demand.

8.

Nuclear energy has a great cost on the environment.

Nuclear energy has a great toll/impact on the environment.

By the way, you can learn more about me at   www.aisielts.com .

Andrew’s IELTS Study 週六密集班即將開課

週六密集班課程資訊
*授課日期 : 108年11月30日~109年2月29日。
*上課時間 : 每週六9:30am~12:45pm,2:00pm~5:15pm
*課程時數 : 至少78個小時 ( 一堂課3hrs15mins,總共24堂課 )
*學費 : 28000元 ( 每小時均價359元,上課用書一本300元,同學也可以自行購買 )
PS. 老師的課程不只教雅思技巧還可以真正提升學生的英文程度, 而且對同學到國外留學寫論文相當有幫助喔!
*團報優惠 : 兩人同行一人折1000元,三人同行一人折2000元 ( 詳細團報規則請參考AIS網站 )。
課程詳情請參考 Andrew 老師網站 : aisielts.com

雅思首戰8分心得分享 + 推Andrew

雅思一戰8分心得+推薦Andrew
等好久的成績終於出來了,看到真的很意外
因為第一篇作文沒寫完已經準備要二戰了
L: 8.5 R: 9 W: 6.5 S: 7.0 O: 8
背景:專五,多益930、英檢中高級初試通過
於9月開始上Andrew小班制密集班課程
正文開始
聽:考完覺得跟真題播放速度差不多?
但是每個section能先閱讀的時間不同,要注意
趁這時間圈關鍵字(需要多少單字?重點?)
記住:看題目就好沒時間看答案選項!!
Andrew有教我們遇到fill in the gap的題目時
可以先預測答案,並且寫下是動/名/形容詞
例如:staying in a _____ 則是寫下一個小n。
因為方向感不好,每一次看到地圖題都很崩潰
下面有幾個他教的tip我覺得很有用,想分享
1.找到起始處(通常是entrance)
2.確定地圖上有的字(一定會提到)
3.開始用筆trace
相關的單字要清楚,像是opposite, on the corner等等
我習慣在聽到錄音時開始寫下聽到的內容大意
如果遇到不確定的題目才能有效使用刪去法。
個人認為這是最推的方式!
如果一時分心也不要慌,繼續下一題就對了。
有時候聽到speaker講某個選項,但是突然有but出現時要特別注意!通常答案才是後者。
Synonym和paraphrase也很重要,練習時老師會試著讓大家先想可能會用什麼方法來問、
相關的字有哪些等等,覺得很有幫助。
至於大小寫,建議考試一律大寫!
不用擔心因為將人、地名寫成小寫而失分。
平常推薦聽BBC podcast、BBC 6 minutes english 。
讀:在這裡拿到9分真的太意外了!
寫劍橋真題時頂多也8分
Andrew第一次上課有讓我們試下面兩種方式
第一個是先看題目再看文章,
第二個是先看文章再看題目
雖然差異不大,但是我後來選擇後者
因為我發現skimming能夠了解各段落的大意
只看第一、最後一句,也要留意大寫、數字、轉折處(but/yet/however)能夠定位、抓重點
一開始T/F/NG真的超級頭痛的
但是練久開始抓到訣竅。
不能從文章推斷答案,就是NG。
headings有時會有陷阱要注意!
不能只單單看了某句就填答案,練習的經驗是
一定會有幾題較簡單,快速抓重點就能寫,
但是有幾段是需要花更長的時間看。
這時paraphrase同樣很重要,寫下相關的字,
碰到不確定的題目是難免的,但不要一直執著,趕快跳過繼續寫。
我會限定自己每篇作答15分鐘,才能留時間再看一次文章、檢查。
訂正時可以用ReadingIELTS有提供英文分析,
平常閱讀文章也是很棒的選擇!我每天平均看3篇英文文章,最喜歡The New York Times 。
寫:一直以來都是死穴😭
想當初英檢就是卡在這裡⋯
前面有去上兩個中師的課,後來考試前幾個月,上網爬文,找到Andrew小班制課程。
原本就想找外師教課,真的太幸運了!
從來不知道要寫overview,更不知道沒有寫分數直接上不去6分。
老師也有教我們怎麼寫架構,做比較,
還有鼓勵我們試著用日常的英文來寫文章,
像是most popular/ garnered the most等等。
還有告訴我們抓重點寫,
像是高低起伏可以寫fluctuations等。
原本超害怕的地圖和流程圖,經過老師細心解釋,比較能夠了解,也會教一些可以使用的用詞。
Task 2
之前每一次拿到題目,擔心沒時間就埋頭狂飆!
幾乎每篇都離題,甚至有一次誤解題目,模考分數4.5⋯
上課時老師會給大家兩種題材,並且分組討論
老師也會下來幫忙給意見還有協助。
Brainstorming完,兩組互相交換內容,
順便可以練口說,並且知道其他人的想法。
每一次都會有作業,總共9篇作文!
老師真的改得非常細心!會在下面寫鼓勵的話
上課訂正時也會走到大家旁邊協助,
並且把一些常見的錯誤用PPT再次解釋。
準備時看著自己檢討和老師的範文很有幫助,
能從文章找出比較漂亮的用法,試著自己寫。
說:其實每一次上課都會練到口說哈哈!
老師會讓大家兩兩分組,但是partner都會輪流
所以能認識其他人覺得蠻不錯的!
雖然之前就有用discourse markers,
但是經過解釋老師解釋每一個的定義,
才了解該如何正確使用。
這點真的非常重要!為了避免repetition,
需要有更多的變化。
像是如果要回答absolutely,我下一次會改成definitely、certainly、there’s no doubt in my mind 等等。
盡量少用and,因為真的太基本了!
還有有時候會很擔心part 3講不出來,
老師有教我們幾招,能稍微拖延時間,
像是well, that’s a challenging question、
I think it oversimplifies ⋯等等。
有時候答案可能是你不確定或不知道的,當然可以很誠實的回答,但是一定要給原因,並且試著用其他方式說!
像是之前被問到會不會修東西,我跟考官說我完全不會,甚至被稱為the female version of wrecking ralph(無敵破壞王),但是有朋友非常熱衷這種方面,還會特地去研究等等⋯
回答問題時也不要ㄧ兩句就結束,先給立場,再來試著給例句,從中解釋。
之前一聽到題目像是反射性的秒回答,
但發現稍微的先思考,回答會比較有邏輯!
gestures
當Andrew提到這個這時我蠻意外的,
雖然和朋友說話會用,雅思反而沒有想過。
但前提是要很自然!我記得考試的時候,
我在講解某個地方的大小,就用手勢來示意。
idioms
如果想要口說7分的話必備!
建議每個part都用一個,雖然真的非常多,
但是找幾個比較簡單的就行了!
但是一定要知道該怎麼正確使用、定義為何。
例如:
a piece of cake 輕而易舉
I have a soft spot for 很喜歡某東西
to cut a long story short/ to cut to the chase/ in a nutshell 簡短來說
practice makes perfect 熟能生巧
這些都能被用在蠻多地方的。
pronunciation
Andrew很強調語調一定要有fall rise tone,
我覺得這點真的蠻難,也要花時間練習。
建議多聽podcast或演講,了解外國人如果強調某東西時,如何加重語氣。
還有說話不用太快,發音清楚才是重點!
fluency
講一講會有pause,這是難免的,但是次數不能太多。
當然用程度較難的單字很加分,但是如果真的想不到,也可以先用比較熟悉的來替代,保持流暢。
突然忘記某東西的名稱,我會試著解釋,讓考官能大概猜出我在說什麼。
像是之前提到健身房,我突然忘記treadmill
所以就回答:well it’s something that’s very common, presumably all gyms own that sporting equipment. Basically, the device is used for walking or running, though I prefer the latter one. Apart from the moving belt and handrails, there are settings which speed is adjustable based on your level of fitness and needs, for instance burning extra calories or improving the cardiovascular system.
之前part 2 要講滿兩分鐘真的很困難,後來教我們用這個方式,我覺得超推!
1分鐘note taking時用5W1H來設定自己題目,並且寫下幾個回答的重點。
上課時除了有比較基本的topic,也會有一些多元化的主題,覺得很特別,也可以刺激思考。
 
當天考試:
試著讓自己放輕鬆,不要在意分數
聽讀過程覺得都滿順,比想像中簡單
寫作Task 1是table,六種國家的咖啡豆生產量Task 2則是問有關報紙/網路的重要性。
真的要把握時間,我前者沒寫完差2個字150⋯
口試當天預計是倒數第二個考,
但是我提早半小時到,所以順利先進去考試。
緊張就多做幾次深呼吸,進去時面對微笑,把考官當作平常聊天的對象
part 1 我覺得蠻順利就結束,但是part 2前面講太久然後還剩一大半沒說完時間就到了⋯
後來part 3 問到motivation和工作,在回答完某一題後考官笑著跟我說很像我前面提到的學姊(part 2題目是describe a person who encouraged and helped you achieve a goal )
我覺得整體感覺是蠻輕鬆的,離開的時候也跟考官揮手說have a nice day
因為覺得自己能說得更好沒有預期到有7,反正考試真的平常心就好,可以多使用肢體語言
扣除實習,雅思準備了5個月。
在考試前兩個月報名Andrew的課程,
老師非常具有教學熱誠,很願意幫助學生!
課程設計活潑有趣,
有時候還會突然蹦出一兩句中文哈哈哈哈哈。
而且每堂都會有討論時間,
所以有非常多的口說機會!
能夠了解如何邏輯思考,不只是為了考試而念
上過這麼多老師的課,
但是我覺得他是我遇過最認真的老師!
雖然PPT已經非常豐富,
但是還是會看到老師在筆記本記下一些重點、做修正。
學校上完課還要補習感覺很累,沒想到上課氣氛會這麼棒,不但不會想睡還很有精神。
一路以來要感謝的人真的太多了,很開心被這麼好的老師教導,也認識了很多不錯的戰友,大家為了共同的目標努力。
很高興一戰就達標,希望大家考試都能順利!一次和雅思說分手!
* 同學沒有ptt帳號我幫她代po

Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (10 of 12)

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Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (10 of 12)

Collocation is the key to getting a higher IELTS Writing and Speaking score, but it is not easy. Students often do not collocate words very well (which is why they don’t receive IELTS 7 or 8). To have ‘a sense of collocation’ (= IELTS 7), you need to have some familiarity with English. So, start reading all my pixnet posts, and getting this familiarity, right? By the way, you can learn more about me at   www.aisielts.com .

In the meantime, the following exercises will help.

Time to Practice

Can you ‘fix’ the following sentences by changing (or removing) the underlined word? There may be different ways to answer this. The answers will be in the next ‘collocation’ post.

1.

People still smoke, despite the formidable risks.

2.

The greatest reason people smoke is for relief.

3.

Increasing the cigarette tax can fix the situation.

4.

The radiation may leak out.

5.

It is not a wise option of energy.

6.

The energy is ample for both household and factory needs.

7.

The energy can support the public’s demand.

8.

Nuclear energy has a great cost on the environment.

Answers to Collocation 9 of 12

1.

We must take attention on people’s mental health.

We must pay attention to people’s mental health.

This is really just a grammar, ‘wrong word’ issue, rather than bad collocation.

2.

This prevents people from making crime.

This prevents people from committing crime.

3.

Deaths reduce when gun control measures are conducted.

Deaths reduce when gun control measures are implemented/instituted/undertaken.

We conduct studies, orchestras, business, surveys, interviews, and experiments.

4.

Guns can kill widely.

Guns can kill indiscriminately.

This is a difficult adverb, right, but it is the best fit here. Indiscriminately’ means everyone around the place, and not just some of them. For example, sarin nerve gas is an indiscriminate killers. Everyone who breathes it in will become paralysed.

5.

The earth is under the risk of being hit by comets.

The earth faces the risk of being hit by comets.

6.

The movie won a great reputation.

The movie gained/developed/established a great reputation.

7.

Goverments spend too much on discovering space.

Goverments spend too much on exploring space.

8.

Abandoned satellites would flow in space.

Abandoned satellites would float/drift/orbit in space.

Remember, you can learn more about me at   www.aisielts.com .

Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (9 of 12)

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Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (9 of 12)

It’s been quite a while since my last post, actually. I have been busy lately, preparing and doing a seminar at the IDP Education Exhibition (last Sunday), and I’ve had a few health issues [bad back]. Again, here’s the next post of the current ‘collocation’ series.

Remember, collocation is the key to getting a higher IELTS Writing and Speaking score, but it is not easy. Students often do not collocate words very well (which is why they don’t receive IELTS 7 or 8). To have ‘a sense of collocation’ (= IELTS 7), you need to have some familiarity with English. So, start reading all my pixnet posts, and getting this familiarity, right?

In the meantime, the following exercises will help.

Time to Practice

Can you ‘fix’ the following sentences by changing (or removing) the underlined word? There may be different ways to answer this. The answers will be in the next ‘collocation’ post.

1.

We must take attention on people’s mental health.

2.

This prevents people from making crime.

3.

Deaths reduce when gun control measures are conducted.

4.

Guns can kill widely.

5.

The earth is under the risk of being hit by comets.

6.

The movie won a great reputation.

7.

Goverments spend too much on discovering space.

8.

Abandoned satellites would flow in space.

Answers to Collocation 8 of 12

1.

Planet Earth encounters many problems.

Planet Earth is facing many problems.

‘Encounter’ is more for sudden things. You encounter a friend on the street, and (quickly forming) problems in life. Earth’s problems have been developing for a long time.

2.

When the nuclear waste can is broken, radiation will escape.

When the nuclear waste container is broken, radiation will escape.

3.

It takes thousands of years for the radiation to disappear.

It takes thousands of years for the radiation to dissipate.

4.

This can slow down the speed of climate change.

This can mitigate climate change.

There was nothing wrong with the first sentence, but ‘mitigate’ is more concise, less used, and more accurate, so it improves your IELTS vocabulary score.

5.

Taiwan shut down the electricity for a time due to not having enough power.

Taiwan had black-outs due to power shortages.

Again, the first sentence gives the meaning clearly enough, but the second is more concise and accurate, with better word-use, which obviously improves your IELTS vocabulary score.

6.

Fukushima had the most famous nuclear accident.

Fukushima had the most infamous/notorious nuclear accident.

This has happened before. ‘Famous’ is for positive things; ‘infamous/notorious’ is being famous for negative things. Michael Jackson is famous; Jack the Ripper is infamous/notorious.

7.

The Japanese fear re-opening their nuclear power plants.

The Japanese are reluctant to re-commission/re-start their nuclear power plants.

Once again, the first sentence gives the meaning clearly enough, but the second better for the same reasons as Sentences 5 and 6.

8.

Nuclear energy avoids air pollution damage.

Nuclear energy reduces air pollution

By the way, you can learn more about me at   www.aisielts.com .

Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (8 of 12)

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Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (8 of 12)

Collocation is the key to getting a higher IELTS Writing and Speaking score, but it is not easy. Students often do not collocate words very well (which is why they don’t receive IELTS 7 or 8). To have ‘a sense of collocation’ (= IELTS 7), you need to have some familiarity with English. So, start reading all my pixnet posts, and getting this familiarity, right?

In the meantime, the following exercises will help.

Time to Practice

Can you ‘fix’ the following sentences by changing (or removing) the underlined word? There may be different ways to answer this. The answers will be in the next ‘collocation’ post.

1.

Planet Earth encounters many problems.

2.

When the nuclear waste can is broken, radiation will escape.

3.

It takes thousands of years for the radiation to disappear.

4.

This can slow down the speed of climate change.

5.

Taiwan shut down the electricity for a time due to not having enough power.

6.

Fukushima had the most famous nuclear accident.

7.

The Japanese fear re-opening their nuclear power plants.

8.

Nuclear energy avoids air pollution damage.

Answers to Collocation 7 of 12

1.

All the factors have to be solved.

All the factors have to be addressed.

2.

We need to prevent the environment from potential danger.

We need to protect the environment from potential danger.

3.

The speed of climate decline is increasing.

The speed of climate change is increasing.

4.

The forest in the Amazon needs immediate remedial work.

The forest in the Amazons needs immediate remedial action.

But changing the structure of the sentence would be better. For example …

        Amazonian deforestation requires immediate remedial actions.

        Immediate remedial actions needs to be done in response to this deforestation.

5.

Space missions are vastly important.

Space missions are extremely important.

‘Vastly’ relates to size or quantity. Countries can have vastly different cultures. The hotel can be vastly improved. We can see the vast expanses of the African plains, above which there is a vast number of stars.

6.

An asteroid strike put dinosaurs to extinction.

An asteroid strike rendered the dinosaurs extinct.

An asteroid strike resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs.

7.

If an asteroid is going to hit the earth, the other problems become useless.

If an asteroid is going to hit the earth, the other problems become irrelevant.

8.

Space is a mysterious area.

Space is a mysterious environment.

‘Area’ is for smaller and more defined things – the area in front of my apartment, or next to that chair, for example.

By the way, you can learn more about me at   www.aisielts.com .

Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (7 of 12)

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Let’s do Collocation Again, Okay? (7 of 12)

Collocation is the key to getting a higher IELTS Writing and Speaking score, but it is not easy. Students often do not collocate words very well (which is why they don’t receive IELTS 7 or 8). To have ‘a sense of collocation’ (= IELTS 7), you need to have some familiarity with English. So, start reading all my pixnet posts, and getting this familiarity, right?

In the meantime, the following exercises will help.

Time to Practice

Can you ‘fix’ the following sentences by changing (or removing) the underlined word? There may be different ways to answer this. The answers will be in the next ‘collocation’ post.

  1. All the factors have to be solved.
  1. We need to prevent the environment from potential danger.
  1. The speed of climate decline is increasing.
  1. The forest in the Amazon needs immediate remedial work.
  1. Space missions are vastly important.
  1. An asteroid strike put dinosaurs to extinction.
  1. If an asteroid is going to hit the earth, the other problems become useless.
  1. Space is a mysterious area.

Answers to Collocation 6 of 12

  1. Nuclear power stations are taken care of.

Nuclear power stations are well maintained.

We take care of children, or the mobile phone which someone lends to you. Also, as p.33 of my Writing Task Two book says, try to avoid multiple-word verbs. They can often be replaced by a more formal and concise single-word verb. For example, …

            Avoid…                                   and try for …

Get rid of                  = eliminate

Find out                    = determine

Go up and down       = fluctuate

Come up with            = suggest

Hang out with             = associate with

  1. In an emergency condition, guns are needed

In an emergency situation, guns are needed.

  1. Smokers should be banned from public spaces.

Smokers should be banned from public areas.

  1. With online shopping, people have to expose personal information.

With online shopping, people have to reveal personal information.

  1. Smoking is harmful behaviour.

Smoking is a harmful habit.

  1. The government needs to set landmarks as free places to visit.

The government needs to establish/designate landmarks as free places to visit..

  1. Students need to learn about the disadvantages to smoking.

Students need to learn about the dangers of smoking.

  1. For teenagers, opinion from their peers is important.

For teenagers, approval from their peers is important.

  1. The nicotine activates receptors to release dopamine.

The nicotine stimulates receptors to release dopamine.

  1. The prisoner was sentenced to the death penalty.

The prisoner was given the death penalty.

You could also write, ‘The prisoner was sentenced to death’.

By the way, you can learn more about me at   www.aisielts.com .

Andrew老師平日雅思(英文)課程即將開課

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1.平日雅思寫作和聽力課程 

上課時間 ~ 每週一三五晚上7–10:15 pm 

授課日期 ~ 10月14 至11月15

課程時數 ~ 至少49個小時 ( 一堂課3hrs15mins共15堂課 )

學費 ~ 17500元 ( 每小時均價357元 + 兩本上課用書600元 )

 

2.平日雅思閱讀和口說課程

上課時間 ~ 每週二四晚上7–10:15 pm

授課日期 ~ 10月15至11月14 

課程時數 ~ 至少33個小時 ( 一堂課3hrs15mins共10堂課 )  

學費 ~ 11000元 ( 每小時均價333元 + 兩本上課用書600元 )

PS. 以上兩個課程可以擇一報名也可以只選擇單一技巧報名,詳細課程訊息以及團報優惠規則請同學參考Andrew老師的網站aisielts.com

Andrew’s IELTS Study 週日密集班即將開課

週日密集班課程資訊
*授課日期 : 10月13日~1月12日。
*上課時間 : 每週日9:30am~12:45pm,2:00pm~5:15pm
*課程時數 : 至少78個小時 ( 一堂課3hrs15mins,總共24堂課 )
*學費 : 28000元 ( 每小時均價359元,上課用書一本300元,同學也可以自行購買 )
*團報優惠 : 兩人同行一人折500元,三人同行一人折1000元 ( 詳細團報規則請參考AIS網站 )。
課程詳情請參考 Andrew 老師網站 : aisielts.com