IELTS & TOEFL Writing: 5 Common Mistakes
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Are you writing essays and getting the same score over and over again? Would you like to learn some techniques you can use to improve your writing and get a better score on the IELTS or TOEFL? Well, in this lesson, I will teach you five common errors that many students make that can lower their score. After watching this lesson, you will know what to avoid, what to include, and why trying too hard might actually be hurting your score.
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TRANSCRIPT
Hi. Welcome again to www.engvid.com. I'm Adam. Today's lesson, we're looking at IELTS and TOEFL, the writing section, and we're going to look at the five most common mistakes that I see when I'm checking students' essays. Okay? Now, as usual, for the IELTS and TOEFL lesson, I will speak a little bit more natural speed, a little bit faster than usual. If you're a beginner, don't worry. Watch the video, listen, practice your listening. Get the vocabulary you need. It's all... It's good for everybody, but just a little bit harder. Okay?
So, now, where do I begin? I check a lot of essays. Okay? People send me their essays, I check them, I edit them, I tell them what they're doing wrong, and I've come to the realization that there are certain mistakes that many, many people make. So, I want to tell you five of these common mistakes so that you can avoid making them. Okay?
And the first one-and this is the most common mistake that I see-is that you are trying too hard. Now, what does this mean? Trying hard is a good thing, right? Yes, it is. But you're trying too hard to sound impressive. Okay? You're trying to impress the graders of these... Of these exams, IELTS and TOEFL, you think that by using big words or lots of idioms, or very, very long sentences that are very complex and have many clauses that you're getting a higher score. In fact, most of the times, you're actually hurting yourselves. Why? Because you're using words incorrectly, you're using them inappropriately, meaning in the wrong context or the wrong usage or in the wrong parts of speech; you're using a verb when you should use a noun, etc. When you write very, very long sentences, quite often, you have run-on sentences, mean... Meaning you have two independent clauses in one sentence, and no punctuation, and no conjunctions, and then the whole sentence falls apart and means nothing. And also, a lot of people use idioms because... Yeah, idioms will get you extra points, but they're using them incorrectly or in the wrong context. Again, make sure you know the words you're using, make sure you know the idioms you're using, and shorter sentences can actually be better. Simple is often better than complex. If you think about... As an analogy, if you think about cooking, the more spices you put into the dish, the less you taste the actual meat or the actual core of the dish. Simple is best.
Let me give you an example. Here are two sentences. Okay? Let me read them to you. "The CEO", Chief Executive Officer, like the head of the company... "The CEO's tenure at the company was abbreviated due to his reluctance to integrate more females into upper managerial posts, thereby drawing the ire of the Board who consequently relieved him of his duties." Now, this sentence is perfectly okay. It's grammatically correct, all the words are being used correctly, but if you can write a sentence like this the way that I wrote it here, then you don't need to worry about the IELTS or the TOEFL; your English is obviously very high level. If you can do this, then this test will be very easy for you.
However, a lot of people, a lot of test-takers try to write this sentence, and then they end up making many, many mistakes. They don't use this word correctly: "abbreviated", they say: "abbreviation". Okay? That's the more common thing of it. "Abbreviated" means made shorter. Okay? "Reluctance", hesitance, like not really wanting to. This word: "ire". I write all the time, I write for a living. I never use this word "ire", because it's so old-fashioned. And also, it's a small word. Right? So you don't need many syllables, you don't need very rare words. You need to be simple, you need to get your message across. The most important part of the test is: Answer the question. They give you a task, answer it. Answer it clearly, concisely. Means: Use fewer words, not more words. If you can say the same thing in fewer words, get the message across, make it clear, make the reader interested, then you'll get higher points than if you write something like this. Okay?
Let's look at this sentence: "The CEO's time was cut short because he wouldn't promote women to top positions, which angered the Board who then fired him." Okay, look at the two sentences. This sentence means exactly the same thing as this sentence.
1. dont use too complex sentences.
2. dont give too many points without linking logically.
3.dont give many concepts without supporting examples.
4.dont repeat I think
5.dont forget the topic sentence of the paragraph.
And don't forget the use of capital letters at the beginning of sentences. ;)
Falah Tawfeeq r
Write Topic sentences
thank you~
Adam, thank you for your IELTS tutorial videos.I scored 7.0 in my IELTS exam.
could you do a review AND what you did on your exam_
@@nabtaabbas1037 probably he won't recall
Congratulations
is 7 Pass ?
@@monaarchy2367 It does
Wow I am a native speaker of English and this video is amazing! Good teaching bro!
You should say ' i am an English native speaker ' better !
"I am an English native speaker" is incorrect, and it doesn't sound right.
"I'm a native speaker of English," or "I'm a native English speaker" are correct.
"English native speaker" sounds wrong because "native" is a quality of "English," therefore it should come before "English."
Thanks laura
Sorry, I should have said that "native" is a quality of ""speaker."
I can't express my gratitude for your extremely helpful videos. I found them at such a critical time (my IELTS is two days away now. But I've been watching you for almost two weeks) and I can't help but be thankful for you for being such a good English teacher, language-wise and explanation-wise :)
how was it ? what was your score ?
Everyone loves the teacher that is really demanding, concise in his instructions, pushes you all the time, and is utterly smart. That's Adam.
Hi Adam, i just got my TOEFL results: 115 and honestly, at least 60% of that is due to you! Your videos were my main source for studying and I just wanted to come back and say thanks so much, you are a great teacher! Keep up the good work. Everyone else, LISTEN TO THIS GUY!!!
This is extremely useful, Adam. Thanks for what you do for English learners!
Dear Adam,
I'm preparing for my TOEFL test, and you have no idea how much your videos have helped me. I'm really thankful for your great, clear, and interesting classes. Again, thank you very much; I will keep watching your videos, and learning from such a wonderful teacher. Love you!!!!
I have watched so many videos for teachers explaining different branches of English but not as Simpl and clearer as you,Adam. Your way of explaining is clear,direct, accessible and uncomplicated which makes me feel studying English with you is more enjoyable tham with anyone else...Great job, thank you....
I like the way you break it up or break it down for that matter. You isolate your points clearly and i can see how a second language learner can benefit from your program. Well done...
Yes he is really a great teacher.
Parents make the best teachers: (Improved essay version)
At home the opinions of parents play a huge role in a child´s early development.
Parents are often seen as idols and are treated with respect.
This is why I believe parents to be the best teachers.
First of all, parents know how to motivate their children.
For example, parents may give their children sweets as a reward for their commitment, whereas
school teachers usually don´t have that option.
Furthermore, they have control over their children´s learning environment.
Having an eye for how much your child watches television or when it goes bed, might improve
parent´s awareness of distractions.
....
You are a fantastic teacher, Adam. Thank you so much!
hi friend where are from?
Adam, you don't only teach me English but also how to think clearly. thank you so much! i really appreciate your work 😊
good
I agree with you.
Now I clearly see why I won't pass that damn exam.
It is not about grammar or lexics but rather about something that I can't do even in my native language.
Hi Adam, thanks for your program. I finally hit a 7.5 in my general test. Cheers.
My lecturer told me that to write a good paragraph you have to include claims, reasons, and evidence. After watching this I am more sure that we do have to make sure every sentence is coherence and cohesive.
Thanks a lot.. I used your techniques in my toefl exam and I passed the exam successfully.
you are best teacher in my life who has experienced practises
I love your videos. I teach in Turkey and really wanted to refresh my teaching skills in relationship to IELTS and TOEFL . Your simple and direct approach is really easy to follow. I'd love a video for teachers on teaching grammar, actually a small series. Thanks again.
Thank you very much, Adam! It's really helpful. Finally I understood mistakes I had been repeating all the time.
YES，I agree too
Thank you for the class! Many students put a lot of ideas throughout the essay, but don't break dow theses ideas analytically with detailed reasons and concrete examples.
Thank you very much for being so nice and patience explaining all of this.
Thanks for all the tips. Was very helpful for my test this August.
you are such a genius! i love your classes! thank you so much! mainly because you share your knowledge here on youtube, not like others teachers that just promote themselves on youtube and then ask them to pay!
It is interesting here that so many native speakers of English posted their positive comments on Adam's teaching. As a non-native speaker of English, I could learn a lot of important things in writing a good essay. I will try to make it shorter and to the point. Thank you always for the excellent lessons!
I absolutely love the way you explain things so that you really do get your message across. Thanks a lot!
Thanks so much!!! I've been following your videos for a while now. Really helpful and crystal clear!!!
Really nice your channel and the way you explain everything!
Excellent explanation. Clear and concise. Thank you very much.
i love your lecture so much, very detailed and useful than any videos i ever watched before !
This is really helpful.Sir Adam, you are explaining systematically,It is very easy to follow. Although my English skill is very poor.Thank you for teaching us from the video
Thanks. I like your lessons. Sometimes I can't catch every word then I'm watching over and over again. And you are sweetness and light.
you are a good teacher thanks alot
Thank you so much for your help Adam you are a great teacher.
I hope do well on my exam.
I completely agree with ya,using hard words sometimes just it's like being grandiloquent, so much gratitude for your comprehensive explanation it was cut and dried
Thanks a lot for your helpful lessons, I also hope you can teach us how to analyze a pie chart in IELTS writing task 1
Great explanation, Adam! Very clear! You are a great teacher!
Adam is an amazing English teacher! I really enjoy watching your lessons :) Thank you so much for sharing so many things here.
Thanks for your lectures, Adam. It helped me score a decent band.
Adam you are a great teacher. Thank you for this video lesson!
Love it , thank you Adam for your a fantastic elaboration.
Thank you for your useful English-lesson. Since I started to following you, my speach is more fluently
Adam you are the best language teacher I have ever seen
I am so glad listening to your lessons.
l cnt thank you enough Adam with your videos n a little bit of practice l made it l gt band 7 of wich l was aimin fo a 5.5 ,may God bless your soul
I became a big fan of your useful channel, even though I don't understand some words that you say sometime but I search for it directly in a dictionary. Many thanks for you for all the big efforts you're doing to help us, much appreciated.
I want to thank you Adam for all your amazing videos and articles! They surely helped me getting an overall 8 band..keep up the good work and all the best!
As long as I am watching your lessons, realizing that you are one of a kind, Adam.
Thank you so much Adam. Your tutorials are amazing.
I want to say thank you! Very helpful videos! thank you so much
Adam , you are the best teacher , I’m learning a lot from your videos , i hope that i can make a good score in my ielts exam!
Thank you so much, this lesson is really helpful
It's very helpful to us. We have been learnt different things across from your videos..
Thank you so much for making and sharing such good videos!
For instance if you use it in your essay as you said you must explain the positve and negative side
I adore just how you speak, thanks Adam, I find every your lesson very useful, good luck!
Again a brilliant and astonishing video. Thank you. Adam
I really like your shirt not ironed ;-) it adds you an extra charm ...
Thanks for share these tips. I find them very useful. Could you upload more videos about how to improve writting score?
I have upgraded my english and I'm so happy because your channel has been adequated.
Sir, I have already watched a range of videos you made. You are an excellent teacher. You made any difficult sencences in to easy and understandable wich i like very very much. Thanks a lot.
I like it the way of teach you, even though if I go to tutorial class could not be able to take because you teach me in simple
hi Adam, i am preparing toefl now although it’s not for studying abroad, however, it’s beneficial to subscribe your channel and listen to the lessons. I am aware that the new channel Write-to-to is going to help students on Toefl and Ielts writing but i wonder if you plan to work out another channel to help students on speaking session which should be the most difficult one for most of the students in Mandarin speaking.
Hi, Adam! I love your lessons and I would like to ask if you have TOEFL online lessons for the personal approach?
Thank you very much!
You makes me feel good, your way to explain is the best. ThankS Adam.
Adam you the best. I simply love the way you explain with ease
i like ur lessons very much the way you explain every point so minutely.
Sir it has been long you didn't upload any new video!!!
I am waiting if you could do more regarding essays. The previous videos are very fantastic.
Looking forward to positive reply.
i have almost watched most of your videos. you are fabulous with your explanations.
Thank you Adam, I would be glad to learn more about writing
Hi Adam i would just like to thank you for videos and some pointers i passed IELTs with better scores now thank you
you are the greatest teacher I have ever seen
Been watching many ielts vids , u r the best teacher so far !
Thanks
Thank you Adam for these useful tips. It was great.
again ironing 😁
and yes you are awesome maybe the most likable teacher I found on youtube.
This man and this channel are awesome guys!!!
Thanks for this video.Very useful tips.
I love this guy
You are good teacher. I have learned a lot from u and specially the nice way present things.
Thankyou so much, Adam. You are great!
I am very much impressed. Good teaching by giving concrete explanation.
Hallo Mr. Adam your way for llearning is very clear.
Thanks so much. You r great teacher, Adam!
All of those explication are so clear ! Great teacher !
i wonder if there are more videos about pronounciation the wards...i learn how pronounced it from you.pronoun and pronounciation
thank you very much,step by step will acquired the speed of speach,and speak very fast.
great video IELTS & TOEFL writing
you are the best bro
thanks you sir, i love your vidéos. now I will watch them. when i was free
Hi, Adam. I use your videos with most of my English Proficiency students. I find you to be clear and concise. This particular video 'niggled' me a bit though. I have used your 'five best idioms' video in essay writing tasks and one of the five included 'a double-edged sword'. My students have learned it and use it correctly, but now you're recommending that they don't use it? You say, and I quote "The problem with a double-edged sword is that there's two sides to it"..... Really?? I spend a lot of time trying to correct my students' badly learned grammar from teachers of their L1 who teach them English incorrectly. My 11 year old students would know to say " there ARE two sides to it"! Please take care what you are putting out there.
Also, the point he said "no topic sentence" or "too many ideas" is important not only when I'm writing in English but when I'm writing in my native language. Well, I guess languages are all same.
Thanks Adam for your fruitful lessons
thank you very much! really clear explaination.
your lessons are very useful and you are an interesting teacher
Thank you so much! I really love this episode. I wish I could smash the like button.💖💖💖
Thank you so much! Great video as always
Mr Adam thank you for your explaning as puntuations:but What I will recommeded you is When you are telling the websites that We are going to paractice or listen english.please That website name write it on the board.
Thank you Adam . You're The Best 👍🏻
I really enjoyed your lecture, thank you
Thank you. Mr. Adam.
Although I understand your point on decreasing the use of personal pronounces, I'd prefer to reiterate that this is only my opinion. In other words, I do not want the reader to read my essay as something factual unless I cite my sources, in which case I might still want to ephasize the lack of creadability of the source. How can this be accomplished on for instance a TOEFL exam, with exclusion of multiple uses of the word "I"?
Thank you so much , you are great teacher, can u share sample essays ( with mistakes like these samples you are showing) i need them for my students ,pls?
Very clear advises, thanks