An IELTS Spritzer:

A half-and-half of Writing and

Speaking teaching practice
Greg Archer
gregarcher@email.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregarcherelt/
© Cambridge University Press
What is the most memorable reason a learner has given
you for enrolling on:

a) a General English course

• I hope it will help me find an English wife

• I want to take my boss’s job
• I would like to make friends – I have no friends

b) an IELTS course

• I need it to get into university

• I need to get a visa so I can move to England
• I need it for my new job
 Writing Task 2:

The value of TR awareness

Some people prefer to spend their lives doing
the same things and avoiding change. Others,
however, believe that change is always a good
thing.

Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Some people prefer to spend their lives doing
the same things and avoiding change. Others,
however, believe that change is always a good
thing.

Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Some people prefer to spend their lives doing
the same things and avoiding change. Others,
however, believe that change is always a good
thing.

Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Eating a balanced diet is the most important factor for a
healthy life.

To what extent do you agree?

Artists need a certain amount of freedom to develop their creativity.

Some people think that artists should have total freedom to
express any thoughts and ideas.

To what extent do you agree?

Eating a balanced diet is the most important factor for a
healthy life.

To what extent do you agree?

Artists need a certain amount of freedom to develop their creativity.

Some people think that artists should have total freedom to
express any thoughts and ideas.

To what extent do you agree?

 Writing Task 2:

The importance of a position

Over the last century people are starting to live longer and longer in the
majority of countries. Many people argue that that there are far more
benefits than drawbacks in this development. Others, however, roundly
disagree with this view, and I would count myself among their number.
BAND DESCRIPTORS: TASK RESPONSE
Over the last century people are starting to live longer and longer in the
majority of countries. Many people argue that that there are far more
benefits than drawbacks in this development. Others, however, roundly
disagree with this view, and I would count myself among their number.
Nowadays, stress-related illnesses are becoming increasingly common.

What are the causes? What solutions can you suggest?

More and more people are being reported to suffer from health conditions
connected with stress in recent times. Personally, I believe that this trend
could be explained by the global shift among employees from physical to
mental work, and should be approached in a number of ways suggested by
the modern psychological science.
BAND DESCRIPTORS: LEXICAL RESOURCE

Over the last century people are starting to live longer and longer in the
majority of countries. Many people argue that that there are far more
benefits than drawbacks in this development. Others, however, roundly
disagree with this view, and I would count myself among their number.
 Writing Task 2:
Developing and supporting ideas
How many words? 103
 What is more,

How many words? 106

 25 words

When people play sports often that are difficult and maybe
sometimes dangerous, they will become more healthy and
more fit, and it is also positive for their brain when they can 31 words
think quicker.
 Writing Task 2:

The Vanished Stage

1. Brainstorm ideas
2. Select ideas
3. Plan structure
4. Plan language
5. Write
People live for a longer time BUT they don’t enjoy themselves
- they are too old
 Despite

Type 1 ‘Despite the fact that’

Type 2 Despite + ‘-ing’
Type 3 Despite + noun phrase
 Despite

Type 1 ‘Despite the fact that’

Type 2 Despite + ‘-ing’
Type 3 Despite + noun phrase

People live for a longer time BUT they don’t enjoy themselves
- they are too old
 Despite

Type 1 ‘Despite the fact that’

Type 2 Despite + ‘-ing’
Type 3 Despite + noun phrase

Despite the fact that people live for a longer time, BUT
they don’t enjoy themselves - they are too old
 Despite

Type 1 ‘Despite the fact that’

Type 2 Despite + ‘-ing’
Type 3 Despite + noun phrase

Despite people living for a longer time, BUT

they don’t enjoy themselves - they are too old
 Despite

Type 1 ‘Despite the fact that’

Type 2 Despite + ‘-ing’
Type 3 Despite + noun phrase

Despite their longer lives,

people don’t enjoy themselves - they are old
Which other structures might lend themselves to the
expression of:

a) Concession / Contrast

b) Cause and Effect

 While

People live for a longer time BUT they don’t enjoy themselves
- they are too old

While people live for a longer time, BUT they don’t enjoy
themselves - they are too old
 The…The…

People live for a longer time BUT they don’t enjoy themselves
- they are too old

The longer people live, the less they enjoy themselves

- they are too old
 The…The…

People live for a longer time SO they don’t enjoy themselves

- they are too old

The longer people live, the less they enjoy themselves

- they are too old
 Not only…but also

When people get older, not only do they enjoy themselves less,
but they also have less friends due to the fact that they die out.
These days, more people are
going to university than in the
past. They start work later in life
and with higher qualifications.

Do you think this is a positive or

a negative development?
Contrast/Comparison/Concession?

Cause and Effect?

Example?

Addition?
While…

WHILE A GREATER NUMBER OF PEOPLE TODAY LEAVE UNIVERSITY

WITH GOOD QUALIFICATIONS, THEY OFTEN HAVE LESS PRACTICAL
KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD.
Despite…

TYPE 1 DESPITE THE FACT THAT A GREATER NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE LEAVING UNIVERSITY…

TYPE 2 DESPITE A GREATER NUMBER OF PEOPLE LEAVING UNIVERSITY…

TYPE 3 DESPITE THE GOOD QUALIFICATIONS GAINED BY A GREATER NUMBER OF PEOPLE…

Hypothetical/Turbohypothetical

If the choice of degrees was not as huge, students might make better decisions when
choosing a degree

Were there not such a huge choice of degrees, students might….

Comparative cause & effect

THE MORE TIME CONSUMING AND INTENSE THE DEGREE IS,

THE _____RESPECT_______ BY POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS

AND THE _______?_________ JOB PROSPECTS AT THE END

Comparative cause & effect

THE HARDER A STUDENT WORKS,

THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT THEY WILL GET A BETTER JOB

Comparative cause & effect

THE MORE DIFFICULT A DEGREE IS,

THE MORE EMPLOYERS WILL RESPECT THE GRADUATE

BAND DESCRIPTORS: GRAMMATICAL
RANGE & ACCURACY
 Speaking:

An ELT Reminder
To throw / have / hold a
party

My mother surprised me with

a new Smartphone

I still treasure this gift

I went out for dinner with

my friends

Birthdays are celebrated

differently in my country
Contextualise your language teaching within the test
Contextualise your language teaching within the test
Signpost EVERYTHING
To throw / have / hold a
party

My mother surprised me with

a new Smartphone

I still treasure this gift

I headed out for dinner with

my friends

Birthdays are celebrated

differently in my country
Describe what you did for your last birthday. To throw / have / hold a
party
You should say: My mother surprised me with
a new Smartphone
- what you did
I still treasure this gift

- where you went I headed out for dinner with

my friends
- who was there Birthdays are celebrated
differently in my country
and explain how you felt during the day
 Speaking Part 1:
Getting off to a flyer
Examiner How often do you use your mobile phone?

Candidate Not as much as I did in the past. After I first bought it, I used it
almost constantly, but I think that maybe I use it too often and I
should try to limit how long I spend on it. I don’t know if that is
possible, though, as they are such a big part of everyone’s lives
these days, but I have to try. Not completely, though – I need it
for my social life.
 Speaking Part 1:
Extending the answer
 Speaking Part 2:
Getting off to a flyer
Describe what you did for your last birthday.

NOW
Describe what you did for your last birthday.

NOW

1) did or didn’t
2) was or wasn’t
3) had or hadn’t
 Describe what you did for your last birthday.

NOW

1) So, for my last birthday, we didn’t do anything too out of the ordinary - my wife took me to a
fantastic new restaurant in town
2) I wasn’t feeling too happy about turning 40, but I wasn’t being all miserable about it, either.
3) In fact, we hadn’t been to this restaurant before, and I’d been looking forward to it since I found
out where we were going.
Describe a day when you received good news.

NOW
Describe a day when you received good news.

NOW

1) did or didn’t
2) was or wasn’t
3) had or hadn’t
Are there any other triplets of grammar that lend themselves to these types of question?
 Speaking Part 2:

The Dreaded Looooong Turn

PART 2 – THE TWO-MINUTE LONG TURN

Typical Part 2 themes

• Anecdotes
• Habitual Behaviour
• A Person
• Summary and Reaction
• A Personal Experience (e.g. of learning)
 I’ve run out of things to
say about this, so I’m
going to talk about
another [x]

I honestly can’t think I think I’ve said

of anything more to everything I can about
tell you about this. this restaurant…

Speaks fluently and at length, developing each

answer appropriately and using a range of
connectives and discourse markers to move between
ideas together without noticeable effort.
 Caveat no. 1

It is best viewed as a safety net

Caveat no. 2

Only change ‘topic’ once

Caveat no. 3

Don’t veer too far off course

IATEFL Talk 2019: Functional. Not functional.
http://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2019/04/18/iatefl-2019-rethinking-ielts-writing/

Webinar: What is the examiner looking for?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plRpFjlgYWg

Webinar: To err is human: strategies for higher-level IELTS Speaking success

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuqGKQdh8I
Greg Archer
gregarcher@email.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregarcherelt/

© Cambridge University Press