IELTS Study Tips and Skills

Hello erkansami,
This is a question we get asked a lot and I always answer the same way: the most important thing you can do to improve your speaking is to practise.  Do you have a friend who is also learning English and with whom you can practise?  If you do and if you arrange regular practice together it will help a lot with your fluency and confidence.  You'll find yourself speaking more quickly and hesitating less.  When I was learning a foreign language I practised with a friend regularly and it really helped with my speaking.  I even practised with my cat!  Perhaps that sounds strange but I used to talk to my cat all day, just practising the words and sounds, and I learned to speak very quickly and fluently as a result.  The cat was very patient and never once tried to correct me!
Another thing that is very helpful is to listen to examples of conversations. There are some great audio and video materials on the LearnEnglish site - try them and see which ones are best for you.
Examples of typical everyday conversations are really useful too. Take a look at our ‘How to’ videos (and exercises).
Good luck!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team

Hello eleni24,
Thanks for your question. In Task 1 of the Academic Writing paper there's no obligation to use fractions like 'one third' rather than percentages, though using a range of language is often a good idea to add variety and improve the style of your writing. The most important thing is to describe the graph/table/chart clearly and include all the relevant information.
 
Here is a detailed description of the task from Cambridge:
"In Writing Task 1, candidates may be asked to describe facts or figures presented in one or more graphs, charts or tables on a related topic; or they may be given a diagram of a machine, a device or a process and asked to explain how it works. Candidates should make sure to include the most important and the most relevant points in the diagram. Some minor points or details may be left out.
They should write in an academic or semi-formal/neutral style.
Candidates should spend no more than 20 minutes on this task. They are asked to write at least 150 words and will be penalised if their answer is too short. While candidates will not be penalised for writing more than 150 words, they should remember that a longer Task 1 answer may mean that they have less time to spend on Task 2, which contributes twice as much to the Writing band score.
Candidates should also note that they will be penalised for irrelevance if the response is off-topic or is not written as full, connected text (e.g. using bullet points in any part of the response, or note form etc.). They will be severely penalised if their writing is plagiarised (i.e. copied from another source)."
 
You can find a lot of IELTS tips and exercises on the site here.  
Good luck with your studies and your exam, when you take it!
Best wishes,
 
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team