I am now on vacation in New York, a city I love dearly. 💜
But enrollments are open and in full swing.
If you wanted to join one of my courses, now is a good time to do the first two steps of the placement process.
I will be conducting the second round of interviews on 3 and 4 September. So if you do the writing part now and we meet next week, we'll be all set and ready to rock and roll the second week of September. 📅
More about my courses and schedules:
https://t.me/irinalutsenko/742
More about my enrollment process:
https://t.me/irinalutsenko/740
💌 Dm me @iraluts
But enrollments are open and in full swing.
If you wanted to join one of my courses, now is a good time to do the first two steps of the placement process.
I will be conducting the second round of interviews on 3 and 4 September. So if you do the writing part now and we meet next week, we'll be all set and ready to rock and roll the second week of September. 📅
More about my courses and schedules:
https://t.me/irinalutsenko/742
More about my enrollment process:
https://t.me/irinalutsenko/740
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Two harsh truths about #IELTS writing you need to hear if you are aiming for 8+
1️⃣
With scores 8 and above, 0.5 differences are actually huge.
I know 0.5 looks like nothing. But climbing to each next +0.5 level can take years -- and that's OK.
And I mean years of work, not years of waiting for an enlightenment or hopping from tutor to tutor in search of life hacks. Especially if you other scores are not 9 either.
2️⃣
If you got a high score once, it does not necessarily mean you can repeat it.
You can get 8 today and 7.5 tomorrow. Tasks are different. Examiners are different. You are different. If you have a one-time score achievement, have some humility too.
If you are consistently getting the same high score and want to move higher, see point 1.
Finally,yes, exceptions exist. But they are rare. You might be it, but I suggest you assume you are not.
More harsh truths about IELTS? Share or ask in the comments.⬇️
With scores 8 and above, 0.5 differences are actually huge.
I know 0.5 looks like nothing. But climbing to each next +0.5 level can take years -- and that's OK.
And I mean years of work, not years of waiting for an enlightenment or hopping from tutor to tutor in search of life hacks. Especially if you other scores are not 9 either.
If you got a high score once, it does not necessarily mean you can repeat it.
You can get 8 today and 7.5 tomorrow. Tasks are different. Examiners are different. You are different. If you have a one-time score achievement, have some humility too.
If you are consistently getting the same high score and want to move higher, see point 1.
Finally,
More harsh truths about IELTS? Share or ask in the comments.
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Updated IELTS schedule:
1️⃣ Standard course, 10 months, 7.5+
- Tuesday 11--12:30 Moscow time
-Tuesday 13--14:30 Moscow time FULL
- Friday 11--12:30 Moscow time
2️⃣ Standard course, 7-8 months, below 7.5
- Saturday 9--10:30 Moscow time
3️⃣ Crash course, 2.5-3 months, 7.5
- Friday 14--15:30
4️⃣ Old students
- Year 3: Thursday 10--11:30 Moscow time
- Year 2: Thursday 12--13:30 Moscow time
❗️ One or two places left in most groups
How to sign up: https://t.me/irinalutsenko/740
💌 @iraluts
- Tuesday 11--12:30 Moscow time
-
- Friday 11--12:30 Moscow time
- Saturday 9--10:30 Moscow time
- Friday 14--15:30
- Year 3: Thursday 10--11:30 Moscow time
- Year 2: Thursday 12--13:30 Moscow time
How to sign up: https://t.me/irinalutsenko/740
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Missing part?
"Book clubs are not a common activity for most Americans. Only 7% of adults say they have participated in a book club in the past 12 months. Women are more likely than men to say they _?_ (10% vs. 5%)." (Source: Pew Research Center)
"Book clubs are not a common activity for most Americans. Only 7% of adults say they have participated in a book club in the past 12 months. Women are more likely than men to say they _?_ (10% vs. 5%)." (Source: Pew Research Center)
Anonymous Quiz
6%
Did
3%
Did it
12%
Did so
6%
Have done
14%
Have done it
43%
Have done so
16%
Have done that
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Forwarded from IELTS CDI Report
SEPTEMBER 21
Part 1: The maps below show a housing estate as it is now and a plan for developing it in the
future.
Part 2: Science tell us which activities are good for our health and which ones are bad for us. Despite knowing this, million of people still do activities which are bad for them Why is this the case? What can be done to change it?
#writing
📩 @cdireport_admin
🔗 cdireport.t.me
Part 1: The maps below show a housing estate as it is now and a plan for developing it in the
future.
Part 2: Science tell us which activities are good for our health and which ones are bad for us. Despite knowing this, million of people still do activities which are bad for them Why is this the case? What can be done to change it?
#writing
📩 @cdireport_admin
🔗 cdireport.t.me
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#IELTS Task Response issues ⬆️ ⬆️ ⬆️
The IELTS essay topic above from a recent exam is a topic I often used as a speaking topic in my interviews to see if people might have Task Response issues in IELTS writing.
One common issue is only speaking about reasons related to one harmful activity. For example, "People consume fast food and sugary drinks because such foods and drinks are delicious." (Food is a common choice.)
But the topic is not specific to one activity. What about smoking? What about alcohol? What about screen time and excessive social media use?
You must come up with a reason that will encompass all of the activities above -- plus other, unnamed activities proven to be harmful by science.
Feel free to try your hand in the comments.⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
The IELTS essay topic above from a recent exam is a topic I often used as a speaking topic in my interviews to see if people might have Task Response issues in IELTS writing.
One common issue is only speaking about reasons related to one harmful activity. For example, "People consume fast food and sugary drinks because such foods and drinks are delicious." (Food is a common choice.)
But the topic is not specific to one activity. What about smoking? What about alcohol? What about screen time and excessive social media use?
You must come up with a reason that will encompass all of the activities above -- plus other, unnamed activities proven to be harmful by science.
Feel free to try your hand in the comments.
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A more colorful version of the task from the recent exam (shared above). ⬆️
Reconstructed by a student. Drawn by Anna Skopina -- the person behind all the creative images on my social media.
Do you think IELTS tasks should be more colorful? Or is "black and white" better for focus?⬇️
Reconstructed by a student. Drawn by Anna Skopina -- the person behind all the creative images on my social media.
Do you think IELTS tasks should be more colorful? Or is "black and white" better for focus?
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#IELTS: Two things to absolutely never write in Writing Task 1
I don't like extremes like "never" or "always," but ...
❌ The figure grew up till 2010.
✅ The figure grew until 2010.
1️⃣ NEVER say "the figure grew up." Children grow up. Figures grow (as do numbers, percentages and the rest of the flock).
2️⃣ NEVER use "till." Always use "until" instead of "till" in IELTS writing. Always.
Six IELTS Writing groups started last week. 🤪
Do you want me to share IELTS-y things like explanations or common mistakes?⬇️
I don't like extremes like "never" or "always," but ...
Six IELTS Writing groups started last week. 🤪
Do you want me to share IELTS-y things like explanations or common mistakes?
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#IELTS: Two more things to absolutely never write in Writing Task 1
Two more extreme "Never"s you can avoid and fix effortlessly.
❌ Though the figure then declined a little, it recovered by the end of the period.
✅ Although the figure then declined slightly, it recovered by the end of the period.
1️⃣ NEVER write the short "though." Always write the full conjunction "although."
2️⃣ NEVER write "a little." Always write "slightly" instead (or synonyms like "insignificantly").
Both "though" and "a little" are too informal for IELTS Writing (Academic).
Two more extreme "Never"s you can avoid and fix effortlessly.
❌ Though the figure then declined a little, it recovered by the end of the period.
✅ Although the figure then declined slightly, it recovered by the end of the period.
1️⃣ NEVER write the short "though." Always write the full conjunction "although."
2️⃣ NEVER write "a little." Always write "slightly" instead (or synonyms like "insignificantly").
Both "though" and "a little" are too informal for IELTS Writing (Academic).
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"Irina, is #IELTS assessment by AI reliable?"
I personally think all IELTS assessment except one type is unreliable.
AI, instructors, former examiners, examiners -- they are all unreliable, in my humble opinion. All scores by all these people (and machines) are just opinions that don't guarantee anything.
Think about this: If your score is changed after a remark, what does it mean? It means the original assessment -- assessment by a trained, paid examiner -- was wrong. If even this assessment can be unreliable, then how can assessment by people (or machines) who never got examiner trainining or who got it a decade ago be reliable?
The only reliable IELTS assessment, in my humble opinion, isthe assessment by a current senior examiner .
In the face of this overall unreliability --you are unlikely to have consistent access to senior examiner assessment -- I think it makes more sense to focus on skills, not scores.
I personally think all IELTS assessment except one type is unreliable.
AI, instructors, former examiners, examiners -- they are all unreliable, in my humble opinion. All scores by all these people (and machines) are just opinions that don't guarantee anything.
Think about this: If your score is changed after a remark, what does it mean? It means the original assessment -- assessment by a trained, paid examiner -- was wrong. If even this assessment can be unreliable, then how can assessment by people (or machines) who never got examiner trainining or who got it a decade ago be reliable?
The only reliable IELTS assessment, in my humble opinion, is
In the face of this overall unreliability --
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A student runs his IELTS report through Claude and gets
I run it through Gemini and get
That's how accurate IELTS assessment by AI is.
I don't think humans would disagree by this much.
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