Using Mission IELTS to find solutions

for your students’ problems with

IELTS
Mary Spratt
Express Publishing
Russia 2012

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 This talk
- Identifying students’ problems with each IELTS
paper
- Suggesting solutions
- An overview of Mission IELTS 1 and 2

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 A quick overview of IELTS
1. How many modules are there?
2. What papers are there?
3. Which papers are used for both modules?
4. Which papers are module specific?

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 A quick overview of IELTS
1. How many modules are there?
2: General Training and Academic
2. What papers are there?
Listening, Writing, Reading, Speaking
3. Which papers are used for both modules?
Listening, Speaking
4. Which papers are module specific?
Reading, Writing

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 How well do you know the Listening
Paper?
• How many questions does it have?
• How many sections does it have?
• How long does it take?
• How many possible task types are there?
• What accents can the recording contain?
• What listening skills does it test?
• Where do candidates write their answers?
• How is it marked?
• Name 4 task types
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 Getting to know the Listening Paper
• How many questions does it have? 40
• How many sections does it have? 4
• How long does it take? 30 minutes approximately
• How many possible task types are there? 6
• What accents can the recording contain?
British, Australian, New Zealand, North American
• What listening skills does it test?
Listening for gist/ specific information/ detail/ attitude/ main ideas
• Where do candidates write their answers?
On the question paper, then on the answer sheet
• How is it marked? One mark per question
• Name 4 task types
Multiple choice
Matching
Plan/map/diagram labelling;
Form, note, table, flow-chart, summary completion
Sentence completion
Short-answer questions 6
 Learners’ problems with the Listening
Paper?
• Lack of familiarity with • Language
different task types • Different genres
• Coping with long texts • Not using correct skill to
• Hearing text only once listen
• Following instructions/
answer formats • Spelling
• Needing to listen and write • Not used to hearing real live
together English
• Not recognising • Lack of world knowledge
paraphrasing
• Speed of delivery • Inconsistent concentration
• Different accents • Fear/panic

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Learners’ needs in the Listening Paper?
EXAM NEEDS
• Familiarity with task types LEARNER NEEDS
• Coping with long texts
• Hearing only once • Not used to hearing real
• Following instructions/ answer formats live English
• Listening and writing together
• Not recognising paraphrasing • Lack of world
LANGUAGE NEEDS knowledge
• Speed of delivery
• Different accents • Inconsistent
• Language concentration
• Different genres
• Not using correct skill to listen • Fear/panic
• Spelling

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 How well do you know the Writing
Paper- academic or GT?
• How many questions does it contain?
• How many questions must candidates answer?
• How long does it take?
• How long should candidates spend on each
question?
• What do candidates need to do for each question?
• What are the 4 marking criteria for each question?

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 Getting to know the Writing Paper
• How many questions does it contain? 2
• How many questions must candidates answer? 2
• How long does it take? 60 minutes
• How long should candidates spend on each question?
Qu. 1-20 mins., Qu. 2 – 40 mins.
• What do candidates need to do for each question?
Academic – 1. Describe visual information
2. Discuss an opinion, problem or issue
GT – 1. Write a formal or semi-formal letter
2. Essay discussing a point of view, argument or issue
• What are the 4 marking criteria for each question?
Task 1 - Task achievement, Coherence and cohesion, Lexical resource,
Grammatical range and accuracy

Task 2- Task response, Coherence and cohesion, Lexical resource, Grammatical

range and accuracy
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 Learners’ needs in the Writing Paper?
EXAM NEEDS
• Dealing with timing
• Answering the question/
answering relevantly
• Following instructions
• Meeting word limits
• Being familiar with graphs and
diagrams and other genres
LEARNER NEEDS
• Lack of ideas
• Needing knowledge of the
world
• Lack of motivation for writing
LANGUAGE NEEDS
• Range and accuracy of
language and discourse,
register, coherence and
cohesion
• Lack of genre knowledge
• Lack of process writing
skills
• Limited view of what
constitutes good writing
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 How well do you know the Reading
Paper-academic or GT?
• How many questions does it have?
• How many sections does it have?
• How long does it take?
• How many possible task types are there?
• What kinds of texts are used in each section?
• What reading skills does it test?
• Where do candidates write their answers?
• How is it marked?
• Name 4 task types

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Getting to know the Reading Paper
• How many questions does it have? 40
• How many sections does it have? 3
• How long does it take? 60 minutes
• How many possible task types are there? 11
• What kinds of texts are used in each section?
Academic- books, journals, magazines and newspapers
GT Section 1: ‘social survival’ texts e.g. notices, advertisements and timetables.
GT Section 2: ‘Workplace survival’ texts, e.g. job descriptions, contracts, staff
development and training materials.
GT Section 3:, ‘general reading’ i.e. extended descriptive or instructive prose
e.g. newspapers, magazines and fictional and non-fictional book extracts.
• What reading skills does it test?
gist/detail/main ideas/specific info./ inference
• Where do candidates write their answers?
On an answer sheet
• How is it marked?
I mark per question
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 Reading task types
1. Multiple choice
2. Identifying information
3. Identifying writer’s views/ claims
4. Matching information
5. Matching headings
6. Matching features
7. Matching sentence endings
8. Sentence completion
9. Summary, note, table, flow-chart completion
10. Diagram label completion
11. Short-answer questions

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 Learners’ needs in the Reading Paper
LANGUAGE NEEDS
• Not reading in the right way
• Lack of language (grammar
and/ or vocabulary,
discourse, chunks and
collocations)
• Spelling
• Lack of familiarity with topic
• Lack of familiarity with
genre
• EXAM NEEDS
• Completing the answer sheet
correctly
• Recognising paraphrasing
• Reading or following instructions
• Lack of familiarity with task types
• Misleading word spots
• Reading too much of the text
LEARNER NEEDS
• Fear/ freezing, motivation
• Thinking that practice tests =
sufficient preparation
• Lack of reading outside class
• Lack of familiarity with wide range
of topics
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 How well do you know the Speaking
Paper?
• Who takes part?
• Is the test recorded?
• How many parts does it contain?
• What are the names of the three parts?
• How long does it last?
• What are the four marking criteria?

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 Getting to know the Speaking Paper
• Who takes part? Examiner and candidate
• Is the test recorded? Yes
• How many parts does it contain? 3
• What are the names of the three parts?
Introduction and interview, long turn, discussion
How long does it last? 11-14 minutes
• What are the four marking criteria?
Fluency and coherence
Lexical resource
Grammatical range and accuracy
Pronunciation

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 Learners’ needs in the Speaking Paper
LEARNER NEEDS
• Nerves/shyness/ natural reticence/ overebullience
• Lack of/ running out of ideas
• Lack of knowledge of the world
• Fear of mistakes

LANGUAGE NEEDS
• Lack of fluency/ accuracy/ interactional competence/ language/ range and
variety of language
• Poor pronunciation
• Lack of physical expressiveness - body language and eye contact
• Limited view of what constitutes good speaking

EXAM NEEDS
• Not understanding format and requirements of paper or examiner’s role
• Not organising their response well c.f. part 2
• Not making use of preparation time

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 Problems common to all the papers
• Learner
- Affective factors
- Ideas and world knowledge
- Lack of exposure
• Exam
- Familiarity with task types
- Reading and following instructions
- Answering in the required way in the required time
• Language
- Grammar Spelling
- Vocabulary Discourse
- Skills and subskills Genres

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 Solutions common to all papers
Language
• Practice of all language components
• Exercises
• Awareness-raising
• Work on subskills
• Focus on paper and topic specific language
• Vocabulary records
• Preparation tips
• Tasks outside class

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 Solutions common to all papers
Learner
• Familiarisation
• Awareness-raising
• Practice
• Out of class tasks
• Preparation tips
• Variety of topics
• Scaffolding and challenging student ideas
• Motivation

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 Solutions common to all papers
• Exam
- Analysis of task types and exam requirements
- Tips about exam
- Focus on answer formats
- Exam practice
- Awareness-raising

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Bob Obee and Mary
Spratt

Express Publishing

Targetting IELTS 5-6.5

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Mary Spratt and Bob
Obee

Express Publishing

Targetting IELTS 7
and above

Forthcoming late
2012

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Components of Mission IELTS

Mission IELTS 1 Mission IELTS 2

• Student’s Book • Student’s Book
Academic + CD Academic + CD
• General Training • Teacher’s Book
Supplement
• Teacher’s Book • Practice Tests
+CD
• Workbook + CD

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 Overall unit content

• One skill/ paper per unit

• 4 sections
- Vocabulary focus
- Skills Focus
- Grammar focus
- Exam focus

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 Vocabulary focus

• Individual items
• Chunks
• General vocabulary
• Academic vocabulary
• Learning strategies
• Topic related
• Could be done as homework
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 Skills focus

• Aims to develop language subskills

• Practised through relevant exam tasks
• One skill per unit allows for thorough
treatment of skill

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 Grammar focus
Mission 1
• General B1 and B2 type structures
• Overall more focussed on general English than
academic English
• Slightly more academic focus in W and R units
• General English needs to be established before
Academic English is added
Mission 2
• High level
• Paper specific
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 Exam focus
3 parts
- Tips for IELTS
- Practice Tests
- Thinking about the Practice Test
i.e.
briefing  action  reflection

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Scaffolded exam practice

Vocabulary

Skills

Grammar

Exam tips

Exam practice

Debriefing
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 Some possible routes through
Mission IELTS
• Longer v shorter (e.g.language/skills
sections for homework)
• Focussing on one skill at a time
• Focussing on GT or Academic
• Self-access
• Focussing on task types
• Page 1 to end
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 Unique Selling Points

• Comprehensive range of focuses

• Focus on language
• Separate focus on development of skills
• Systematic working through task types
• Development of general proficiency as a
platform for introducing academic English
• Recognition of differing student levels
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