GuruEAP

Academic English not only for Indonesians

Percent of what?

In this post we think about how a writer describes percentages so that the reader is always able to answer the question ‘percent of what?’. (more…)

IELTS, numbers, percentages, statistics, Task 1, writing

When most people prepare for IELTS reading, they think about subskills like skimming and scanning, but sometimes overlook another very important activity – extensive reading. With ‘extensive’, (more…)

extensive reading, IELTS, jumbled sentences, reading, text reconstruction

Songs censored by the BBC

For some reason I posted this as a page some time back, but here it is again as a post so that it shows up more easily in searches. Enjoy! (more…)

annotated text, collocation, IELTS, speaking, vocabulary, writing

Reconstructing public transport

Transportation, and the future of transportation, are common topics in the IELTS Speaking test. Reconstruct the text below to reveal an extract from an essay by Marcus Enoch in which he presents four visions for the future of public transport. (more…)

coherence, coherence and cohesion, cohesion, IELTS, jumbled sentences, reading, speaking

Windows to the soul

Another post highlighting and analysing cohesive devices in academic writing, this time a summary of research looking into the facial expressions of animals. (more…)

coherence, coherence and cohesion, cohesion, cohesive devices, IELTS, referencing, substitution, vocabulary, writing

Cohesion in the news

In this post we look at some cohesive devices used in a recent news report covering the unrest in Hong Kong. (more…)

coherence, coherence and cohesion, cohesion, cohesive devices, IELTS, interactive, writing

Comparing crash landings!

In this post we take a look at some nice language comparing two crash landings in which all passengers and crew survived! (full news story here). (more…)

analysis, compare contrast, discourse markers, grammar, IELTS, signals, speaking, vocabulary, writing

What is my IELTS score?

If you’re wondering what your IELTS score might be, take a look at these descriptions of language performance prepared by IELTS! What do you think your band scores might be in IELTS Speaking and Writing? (more…)

assessment, band descriptors, IELTS, self-assessment, speaking, writing

First Page IELTS #3

A third ‘first page’, again from Harry Potter! This time I’ve highlighted the suitablility of items for IELTS Speaking and/or IELTS Writing Task 1 and 2. (more…)

annotated, collocation, grammar, IELTS, reading, speaking, vocabulary, writing

Academic Collocation Flashcards

Reloading the page gives you a randomised collection of common academic collocations. Can you guess the missing collocates? (more…)

AWL, collocation, gapfill, IELTS, practice, reading, speaking, vocabulary, writing