EnglishRyan's IELTS Blog

Friday, October 7, 2022

Deconstruct/Reconstruct a band 9 essay with me!


Get more information about Ryan's IELTS resources: https://www.ieltsspeakingblog.com/ Here is a copy of the question and essay analysed in this video: Many people think that public celebrations (like national holidays, festivals, etc.) are a waste of money and that the government should spend these funds in a better way. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and examples from personal experience where appropriate. National holidays cost countries and their governments a lot of money. Wages need to be paid to employees despite their absence from work, and a national loss in productivity is experienced. For these reasons, some people suggest governments do away with holidays and instead spend the money on worthy projects. While this might seem at first to be a practical suggestion, I disagree strongly for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is axiomatic that a country’s production of goods declines when workers are not working; however, this is a tiny part of a much larger economic picture. Productivity is a function not only of hours worked but also of energy, drive, and morale. Thus, national holidays, which give workers a chance to relax and to celebrate aspects of their country and their lives, make for a happier and more productive workforce. In Australia, for example, the long weekend is a tradition that helps to unify society by making all feel rewarded and valued in a common enterprise and identity. It is for these reasons that labelling public celebrations ‘a waste of money’ cannot be supported. Further, having the financial means to start new national projects is a good thing, but the question of apportioning funds in a manner that an entire society agrees is ‘a better way’ is simply unrealistic. A further consideration is the ramifications of pressure put on workers to work 52 straight weeks a year, a policy that could lead to stress-related illnesses and serious social problems. As this shows, the cancelling of public holidays and redirection of funds is an implausible suggestion. In conclusion, I must affirm that while it is tempting to realise the short-term increase in productivity and savings that would result from abolishing public holidays, the overall cost greatly outweighs the gains.

Monday, October 3, 2022

IELTS Band 9 speaking sample! "Is doing things spontaneously a good idea?"


Sign up for $25 USD / month and join us in the Whatsapp group! https://www.ieltsspeakingblog.com/weekly-lessons/60214/buy Do you like surprises? If they are pleasant surprises, yes, of course I enjoy a good surprise. Do you think doing things spontaneously is a good idea? It depends on what the things are. A trip taken spontaneously can be wonderfully adventurous and rejuvenating. However, a house or car purchased on a whim can spell financial disaster. So spontaneity can be a great way to bring some excitement to a person’s life but it has to be done in moderation. How do unexpected situations make people feel? Generally, I think people are uncomfortable with the unknown. We say that we like excitement and novelty, but in reality we are creatures of habit and are uncomfortable in unfamiliar circumstances. People get anxious and if this feeling is prolonged or happens repeatedly, their well-being suffers. Why do some people feel stressed when things don’t go as planned? People like a sense of control. Or rather, I should say they like the illusion of control. They like to feel like they are masters of their own destiny – although if you ask me, this is ridiculous. I think people get stressed because they are insecure about their ability to handle something unexpected, and it’s a little childish quite frankly. #英語 #english #learnenglish #englishteacher #ielts #ieltswriting #雅思 #英文 #ingles #아이엘츠 #영어

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Reconstruct a band 9 essay with me!


Sign up for the FREE newsletter! https://www.ieltsspeakingblog.com/ Here is a copy of the essay as it appears in the video: Some argue university studies should be engaged by all young people. Others feel young people should be free to pursue alternative training arrangements. Which opinion do you agree with? Some feel that all young people should attend university, while others point out this may not be a suitable path for everyone. I am of the latter view. I believe that career training in other areas may serve the interests of many young people far better than undergraduate studies, and I will demonstrate my reasoning for this position in this essay. On the one hand, there is convincing support for university education for all. Firstly, a liberal education encourages the broadening of the mind. For example, students of history, art and literature tend to be tolerant and thoughtful and fulfil useful service careers in teaching, journalism, public relations and politics. Encouraging everyone to enrol in university would also push people towards lucrative professional roles, such as those held by doctors and lawyers, positions that also bring great social prestige. However, despite these benefits, universal tertiary education would be problematic at both the societal and personal levels. It should be noted that the building of houses and offices, the transporting of goods, and the production of furniture and appliances are essential to society and require skilled manual workers and tradespeople. Further, many young men and women naturally excel when working with their hands. Forcing them to study disciplines of abstract thought would clearly be a waste of their time and potential. Thus, encouraging people to choose a path that allows them to invest in their natural strengths is better for both the individual and society as a whole. Overall, it can be seen that although pursuing a university education has many merits, it may be more of a hindrance than a help to some people. In my own case, being very bad with my hands but quite handy with words, university was the right option for me. As this essay has shown, everyone is different and no one course in life fits all.

What is IELTS?

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is an exam that assesses the English abilities of those who wish to work or study in an English speaking country.

(The following is taken directly from ielts.org):

International Recognition

IELTS is recognised for course admission by universities in many countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, the UK and increasingly in Germany and wider Europe.

In the USA the IELTS Test is now recognised by more than 1000 institutions and new ones are constantly added to the list, of which you will always find the latest version here.

IELTS is also required as proof of your language abilities for immigration to Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

What appears on the test?

The test checks the applicant's strengths in the areas of speaking, reading, listening and writing and is separated into two test types - Academic and General.

What is the difference between the Academic IELTS Module and the General Training IELTS Module?


IELTS Academic Training is a course and test designed to prepare and assess those wishing to attend institutes of higher education in English speaking countries. The listening and speaking portions of the two tests are identical, but the reading and writing portions are not. The General Module test asks the candidate to complete two writing tasks. The first is a letter (minimum 150 words). The second is an essay (minimum 250 words). The Academic Module test, however, is different. For this test, the candidate must write one piece describing factual information that is presented to them (for example, a bar graph or list of statistics). Using this information, the candidate must accurately depict in words the information presented by the images (minimum 150 words). The second task is to write an essay on a given topic (minimum 250 words).