Irina Lutsenko: IELTS, writing, cohesion

Umbrella terms in IELTS W1: use them wisely An umbrella term is a term used to cover a broad category of things rather than a single specific item. For example, some umbrella terms for "rice" would be: grain, crop, ingredient. Umbrella terms are a great way to avoid repetitions. One noun can have several umbrella terms, but they depend on the task and are not interchangeable. For the task above, "rice" is a type of grain. It's not a crop because crops are not consumed - they are grown commercially on a large scale. That said, "crop" would be a good umbrella term for a task about rice production. Rice is not an ingredient here either because ingredients are only used in cooking. But "ingredient" would be a good umbrella term in a cooking process description. Your turn. What would be some umbrella terms for the nouns below and what kinds of IELTS tasks could you use them in? - Coca-cola - Cotton - Aluminum ❓

I am going to give a talk "Teaching writing: challenges and solutions" at a conference (MISIS university, 30-31 May, Moscow). 📅 I am in the writing classroom every day, and I have already come up with a bunch of challenges (and solutions). But what if I missed some? Help me address the topic even better by filling in the form below. If you teach writing, what are the challenges you face? If you don't teach writing because you are afraid of potential challenges, what are they?❓ The form is anonymous. https://forms.gle/WqUN2cbw6enLB2NH9

Ways to avoid repetitions, ranked from best to worst 1. Ellipsis* 2. Reference, substitution 3. Shell nouns 4. Nothing wrong with actual repetitions 5. Synonyms In the quiz above, can you write, say, "in the next three age groups"? Of course, you can. It's not a wrong answer. But it's not the best answer. First, ellipsis* is just more elegant. Second, think about the big picture. It's likely that you will have to write "age group" (and synonyms) many more times in your answer. (This specific sentence was taken from my answer to an IELTS task with seven age groups and two genders.) Even if you do find many ways to paraphrase "age group," they will still attract attention and make the answer bulky. * Ellipsis = the omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues. So, if you see an opportunity for ellipsis, seize it.

IELTS processes: a common (referencing) problem "The diagram gives information about the process of making carbonated drinks." Look at this part of the overview written by a student. Do you notice the problem? 1️⃣ "... a series of various machines, passing through which water is treated with some chemicals, carbonated and mixed with additives before it is ready for distribution." What does "it" refer to? Water. The problem is what is distributed is not water. Here is a part of another overview with the same problem. 2️⃣ "Before being packaged, water undergoes processing, which involves thorough purification, carbonation, and mixing with additives." We don't have a referencing problem per se here, but the fundamental problem is the same: the subject for the first clause is "water," but it's not water that is packaged. In processes, things change their state and turn into new things. Be mindful of the nouns, pronouns, and verbs. Btw, how would you rewrite the first or the second sentence?

New IELTS Writing group starting soon 🎉 - Level: 6.5/7 - Schedule: Sunday 11-12:30 MSK - Course duration: 4 months (16 classes) - Classes meet weekly on Zoom - Course instructor: Anastasia Alexandrova (IELTS 8.5, my student, degree in teaching). This short booster course will prepare you for every IELTS writing task imaginable and give you the confidence you need during the exam. More - in the attached product description. Message me. 💌

"If I write IELTS answers every day, will it help me increase my score?" When I was visiting Ad Astra yesterday, I was asked a lot of good questions. Here is one: "If I write IELTS answers every day, will it help me increase my score?" The short answer is the annoying "It depends." Here are some considerations: 1⃣ Writing every day certainly helps with timing. If timing is a problem, then the answer is Yes. 2⃣ In order to improve though, you need to add new things to your writing. It’s totally possible to write 30 IELTS essays in one month, and they will all be the same old level. To improve, you need to add something you haven't used before: higher level lexis, a complex grammar structure, a new cohesive device, deeper development of the idea.  3⃣ It's probably best to write daily-ish rather than daily. I'm afraid writing every single day might result in getting fed up with IELTS, and this is not a feeling conducive to improvement. Alternatively, you can write daily, but not always full answers, especially if you want to focus on adding new elements. Overall, it is certainly a great idea to write often - this will give you confidence and courage. Where do you stand on writing IELTS answers daily? Any important considerations missed? 

Visiting the famous Ad Astra school in Bukhara was pure pleasure. Now words can say how absolutely awesome everyone is!!!!! So grateful to Alisher Soliev and Mukhammadali Sodikov and everyone I met here! 🌟🌟🌟

It was a pleasure meeting Irina Lutsenko, whom we had heard many great things about from Alisher teacher. Today, after meeting her, any doubts, if any, about her expertise vanished. She shared her experience and perspectives on various areas, including, but not limited to education. Interestingly, as someone who struggles to socialize with new people, I found myself deep-knee in open conversation with her in no time, which was quite surprising to me, frankly. I hope I didn’t overwhelm her with my questions. Her lively nature and broad horizon added an extra layer of depth to our interaction. I truly enjoyed every second of it. I am thankful to her for her positive vibes and energy! 🙏 Here’s to lifting each other up and inspiring one another! 😇