IELTS考试准备要点（全英文）2--英语频道_出国考试

working out unfamiliar vocabulary

　when reading a passage in the ielts test, it is most likely that you will come

across words with which you are unfamiliar. be prepared for this. you may not need

to understand the exact meaning of an unknown word, unless there is a question

directly related to it.

　if you do need to know the meaning of an unfamiliar word, don't panic. there

are various strategies that you can use to work out the meaning of the unknown

words.

　check the context

　are there any clues in the surrounding words or phrases? look particularly at

the words just before and just after the unfamiliar words.

　look for a definition

　sometimes the writers realise that the word is an uncommon one so they define,

restate, explain or give an example of it. words that signal meaning often include

‘is',‘means',‘refers to',‘that is',‘consists of'. for example,‘snoring is a

noise generated by vibrations of the soft parts of the throat during sleep.' the

word‘is' signals a definition.

　remember, too, to check if there is a glossary.

　identify the word's place and purpose

　is it a noun, adjective, verb or adverb in the sentence? are there any

punctuation clues, for example, semicolons or question marks?

　look for connective words

　they are often near the unknown words and will usually help to identify the

general direction of the argument which will help to give some understanding of the

unknown word.

　break the word downsintossyllables

　sometimes knowledge of common roots, affixes and possible similarity of words

in your own language can help you to identify the meaning.

　treat the unknown word as an algebraic entity‘x'

　observe the relationship of the unknown word,‘x', to other words and concepts

with which you are more familiar. often this is enough to answer questions that

include‘x'.

　skills for the writing module

　task one

　in task 1 of the writing module, you are given about 20 minutes to write a

minimum of 150 words.you are asked to look at a diagram, table, graph or short

piece of text and describe the information in your own words. there are three

important steps you should follow: preparation, writing and editing. these steps

will help you to write a coherent and well organised essay in the time given.

　

　preparation (about 2 minutes)

　you need to spend 2-3 minutes working out exactly what you are going to do. you

should pay attention to the following points:

　study the question carefully. most task 1 writing involves writing a report

which describes some information given. you may wish to note the instructions with

a high-lighting pen. think carefully about the topic. outline some pertinent

points. ensure that your ideas are arranged logically.

　writing (about 15 minutes)

　when writing a task 1 report, include:

　introductory sentence body paragraphs (1-3) concluding sentence (optional)

introductory sentence the introductory sentence explains what you are describing,

for example:

　‘the table compares the population growth and interstate migration in each

australian state for 12 months to the end of 1994.'

　‘the graph shows the growth of computers in australia between 1975 and 1995.'

　‘the pie chart represents the proportion of gases contained in natural gas.'

　body paragraphs

　when discussing the date presented in the task, identify significant trends and

give examples that relate directly to the given information to support your

statements. if you are explaining a process or an object and how it works, you need

tosgroupsyour information so that it follows a definite logical order.

　remember that the use of verbs expressed in the present passive voice is often

appropriate when giving a description of a process or procedure, for example:

　‘coffee beans are pulped to remove their casing. they are then soaked in

water, rinsed thoroughly and dried. after the beans are sorted, they are roasted in

a kiln and blended. next, they are packed and dispatched to shops and

supermarkets.'

concluding sentence (optional)

  

　a simple concluding statement could include any of the

following,swheresrelevant:

　significant comments a potential solution an overall summary of the ideas

future implications.

　editing (about 2 minutes)

　make sure that you have followed the instructions carefully. be sure that you

have written what you intended and that no important ideas are missing.

　in the last few minutes, check for obvious errors, such as spelling or

grammatical errors.

　task two

　all too often students begin planning or even writing their answers in the

ielts writing module before they understand what is actually expected of them.

following the steps below will help you to plan a well-structured and coherent

essay or report that addresses the given task.

　preparation

　you may wish to spend about 5-7 minutes working out exactly what you are going

to do. there are five steps to consider.

　study the question carefully. most task statements or questions have a key

instructional word or words telling you what to do. note these words with a

highlighting pen. there are also key topic words which point to the most important

parts of the question. underline those words too. ask yourself how the key words

relate to the given instruction. think carefully about the topic. how do you feel

about it? establish a point of view and list some points for development. the

answer normally takes the form of a short essay. the word‘essay' comes from an old

french word essai which meant‘to attempt or try out', or‘to test'. in an ielts

writing module task 2 answer, your purpose is to develop your point of view in a

convincing way. decide which points will be written as topic sentences. think about

how they will developsintosparagraphs. ensure that your points are arranged in a

logical order.

　writing

　when you are writing a task 2 answer, a structure based on the following

elements could be used (summarised in the flow chart opposite).

　introductory paragraph

　the introduction of a task 2 answer should begin with a general statement or

idea of your own that takessintosaccount the key topic words or their synonyms. the

last sentence of the introduction should include a thesis statement which shows the

point of view or direction that will be taken in the answer.

　body paragraphs

　body paragraphs each consist of several sentences that are arranged in a

logical way to develop a main idea. you can expect to write about 2-4 body

paragraphs for a task 2 answer. each of these contains an appropriate connective

word to ensure a smooth transition between paragraphs. this connective is then put

in a topic sentence which is the main point of the paragraph clearly stated in a

sentence. every sentence in the paragraph must be directly related to it. try to

develop every paragraph adequately. this may be done through the use of examples,

explanations, detail, logical inference, cause and effect or making comparisons or

contrasts. there are many different ways to organise your ideas for body

paragraphs. be confident of the ideas you choose.

　the conclusion

　a good conclusion serves several purposes:

　it indicates the end of your essay. it gives your final thoughts and

assessments on the essay subject. it weighs up the points in your essay and should

strengthen your thesis statement. do not simply repeat your opening paragraph. this

appears too mechanical and superficial.

　introduction general statement thesis statement

　body paragraph 1 topic sentence including connective word first supporting

sentence second supporting sentence third supporting sentence

　body paragraph 2

　body paragraph 3

　further body paragraphs

　conclusion final assessment with concluding connective