English

• Unity


  Achieved when a composition contains one focused idea, and the supporting ideas are relevant to the main thought
• Coherence


  Ideas are connected at the conceptual level
• Cohesion


  Connection of ideas at the sentence level
• 3 Techniques to Achieve Cohesion

  • Use Pronouns
  • Use Transitional Devices
  • Repetition of Key Words
• Organization


  Achieved when ideas are logically and accurately arranged, knowledge of the parts of composition is a great help in adhering to the correct organization of ideas
• Language Use


  • Use clear and concise sentences
  • Avoid redundancies, wordiness, cliches and highfalutin language
  • Use precise vocabulary (condense lengthy phrases into fewer words)
  • Use appropriate level of formality
  • Avoid sexist language
• Mechanics


  Characterized as a set of conventions on how to spell, punctuate, and capitalize a composition, including always using Standard English, avoiding contractions, avoiding exclamation marks, and mentioning the full name of an institution or organization
• Challenging students (as described in the book by Wilbert McKeachie and Marilla Svinicki)

  • Attention-seeking, discussion-dominating students who want to be heard
  • Inattentive students who doodle and drift off during class discussions, often staring into their cell phones and chatting with their classmates during lecture
  • Unprepared students who skip doing their assignments prior to the class, not having pens or paper even when they know they are scheduled to take quizzes and exams
  • Uncivil and disrespectful students who display rude behaviors
• Knowing these types of challenging students would help teachers manage these behaviors constructively
• IELTS is the International English Language Testing System
• IELTS Academic


  Designed to test potential students planning to enter undergraduate or postgraduate studies at an institution where English is the language of instruction
• IELTS General Training


  Designed to test English learners who need to demonstrate English proficiency for work purposes
• IELTS Writing Task 1

  • Describe, summarize or explain a graph, table, chart or diagram
  • Possibly asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process, how something works or describe an object or event
• IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic)

  150 words, write a descriptive essay
• IELTS Writing Task 1 (General Training)

  150 words, write a letter dealing with an everyday situation
• IELTS Writing Task 2

  • 250 words, write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem
  • Responses must be written in an academic or formal style
• Standards of English Usage

  • Standard Formal English
  • Standard Informal English
  • Standard Literary English
  • Standard Colloquial English
• IELTS 9-Band Scale


  Scores range from 1 (Non-user) to 9 (Expert user), corresponding to CEFR levels from A1 to C2
• IELTS Writing Assessment Criteria

  • Task Achievement
  • Coherence and Cohesion
  • Lexical Resource
  • Grammatical Range and Accuracy
• Task Achievement (Task 1)


  Assesses how appropriately, accurately and relevantly the response fulfills the requirements set out in the task, using the minimum of 150 words
• Coherence and Cohesion


  Concerned with the overall clarity and fluency of the message: how the response organises and links information, ideas and language
• Lexical Resource


  Refers to the range of vocabulary the candidate has used and the accuracy and appropriacy of that use in terms of the specific task
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy


  Refers to the range and accurate use of the candidate's grammatical resource as manifested in the candidate's writing at sentence level
• In Academic Writing Task 1, you are expected to write an essay describing information found on a chart, graph, diagram of a process or how something works, maps or table
• Parts of a Task 1 Essay

  • Introduction
  • Body
  • Conclusion
• Types of Charts and Graphs

  • Bar graph
  • Multiple line graph
  • Pie chart
  • Venn diagram
  • Scatter plot
  • Radar chart
• Bar Graph


  The pictorial representation of data (generally grouped), in the form of vertical or horizontal rectangular bars, where the length of bars are proportional to the measure of data
• Multiple Line Graph


  A line graph that is plotted with two or more lines, used to depict two or more variables that change over the same period of time
• Pie Chart


  A type of graph that displays data in a circular graph, where the pieces of the graph are proportional to the fraction of the whole in each category
• Venn Diagram


  Uses overlapping circles or other shapes to illustrate the logical relationships between two or more sets of items
• Scatter Plot


  Uses dots to represent values for two different numeric variables, used to observe relationships between variables
• Radar Chart


  Helps illustrate the comparison of data groups and entities with distinct features, used to compare the characteristics of various groups and items