IELTS Test Preparation
& EAP Writing:
Connecting the dots
Some IELTS statistics
Worldwide IELTS test takers in 2008
• 1.2 million
IELTS Test takers in China
• Over 260,000
1.2 million enrollments
4 million on-line students
Strategies encouraged…
Formulaic & mechanical writing
Memorization of sentence and paragraph
templates
Memorization of entire essays
Uncritical use of language
Example of formulaic essay intro
TASK: Some people think the main benefit of international
cooperation is in protection of the environment, while others
think that the main benefit is in the world of business. Discuss
both views and give your opinion.
With the rapid development of society and technology
in the world today, international cooperation has
become a hot topic. Some people hold the opinion
that international cooperation benefits the world
business. Others, however, disagree with it. As far as I
am concerned, I agree with the latter opinion to some
extent.
Flexibility
“The unifying characteristic of good readers
and writers seems to be flexibility, the
ability to use and reuse different strategies
as the moment calls for them.” -- Ilona
Leki
According to Cambridge ESOL
IELTS is designed to test readiness to enter the
world of university level study ... It does not
assume that test-takers have already mastered (or
even partially acquired) the range of university-
level writing skills which they are likely to
need…The implication of this is that IELTS
Academic Writing tasks cannot simulate the sort
of university-level tasks which test-takers will
encounter in their studies.
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/academic-english/ielts.html
An IELTS data task
Skills required for Task 1
Understand the data
Identify the salient information
Make generalizations (the overview sentence)
Classify data?
Compare data?
Task 1
Overview sentence:
• Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest primary
school enrollment rates in the world.
3 Classification groups:
• 1: 90% and above
• 2: in the 80% range
• 3: below 80%
Using Data
Data description Data commentary
IELTS Task 1 Academic tasks
Two moves Three moves:
1. locate the results 1. locate the results
2. report main findings 2. report main findings
and compare if and compare if
appropriate
appropriate
3. account for the
findings
Critical Intelligence
“…the EAP writing instructor must go
beyond helping students with syntax,
morphology, vocabulary and typical
genre conventions and attempt to reach
out to their critical intelligence.”--
Swales & Feak
Brainstorm Qs factual and
analytical
What are the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa?
What are their socio-political differences?
Have some countries been more successful than others in raising
enrollment? Why?
Is enrollment gender balanced?
What are the major obstacles to primary enrollment in Sub-Saharan
Africa?
Are the obstacles primarily economic or cultural?
What is being done? How effective are these efforts?
etc etc
From IELTS >> research essay
Possible research essay topics that extend the data
task:
• Choose one or two countries in Sub-Saharan Africa,
explain the low primary enrollment rate and evaluate
the efforts being made to increase it.
• Choose one country in two different regions and
compare the progress each has made in increasing
primary enrollment.
IELTS >>> academic skills
Develop arguments
Integrate sources
Analyse causes/results
Evaluate information
Make predictions based on evidence
Explain anomalies
Situate IELTS prep within EAP
“The necessary restrictions of the IELTS tasks as a
representation of academic writing suggests that
learners will need to pass beyond the immediate
requirements of the test if they are to be
adequately prepared for academic study. If
learners are aware of the limitations of IELTS in
this regard, they will be able to make better
informed choices about how to prepare themselves
for university study. IELTS should not be the only
element in this preparation.” --Anthony Green