1 00:00:00,570 --> 00:00:05,190 After you finish the listening and reading sections of the exam, you're then going to go ahead and 2 00:00:05,190 --> 00:00:09,270 move forward and tackle the writing section for the Isles exam. 3 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:14,910 This involves two writing tasks and the first one is academic writing and task number one. 4 00:00:15,090 --> 00:00:18,780 In this lecture, I'm going to go over the basic information of that task. 5 00:00:27,970 --> 00:00:31,600 We're going to go over the following aspects of writing task number one. 6 00:00:31,690 --> 00:00:34,180 First, of course, you're going to get an introduction. 7 00:00:34,540 --> 00:00:37,850 After that, we're going to give you a rubric explanation. 8 00:00:37,870 --> 00:00:44,830 This is really, really important because many students are stuck on a six or 6.5 and they won't be 9 00:00:44,830 --> 00:00:49,210 able to score a 7 to 7.5 or eight on the writing section. 10 00:00:49,510 --> 00:00:53,560 It's very important that you understand how to attack the rubric. 11 00:00:54,250 --> 00:00:58,300 Next, we're going to go over the question types and the standard strategy. 12 00:00:58,660 --> 00:01:04,300 Following that, we're going to take on each individual question type, where I'm going to walk you 13 00:01:04,300 --> 00:01:07,480 through step by step of how to do these questions. 14 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:11,360 For academic task number one. 15 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:14,270 I want to mention a couple of basic things to you. 16 00:01:14,390 --> 00:01:18,620 Number one, you have to be able to write this task in about 20 minutes. 17 00:01:18,620 --> 00:01:19,550 That's all. 18 00:01:19,730 --> 00:01:21,890 20 minutes to do a complete report. 19 00:01:22,490 --> 00:01:25,100 Task number one is factual in nature. 20 00:01:25,430 --> 00:01:31,730 What I mean by that is you are not allowed to give your opinion or to do any type of interpretation 21 00:01:31,730 --> 00:01:34,820 of a graph chart process or a map. 22 00:01:36,340 --> 00:01:39,370 Finally understand the scoring system. 23 00:01:39,700 --> 00:01:44,320 Task number one is only worth 33% of the writing score. 24 00:01:44,740 --> 00:01:48,850 Task number two is worth 66% of the writing score. 25 00:01:49,750 --> 00:01:54,490 So both writing tasks are not graded equally. 26 00:01:54,760 --> 00:02:00,580 It's very important that you understand that you need to make sure that you do a great job on task number 27 00:02:00,580 --> 00:02:03,640 two because it's worth double the points. 28 00:02:06,990 --> 00:02:12,180 A little bit more information about the scoring and grading criteria in terms of the writing scoring 29 00:02:12,180 --> 00:02:12,750 system. 30 00:02:13,350 --> 00:02:20,610 If, for example, if task number one is worth eight points and task number two is worth six points, 31 00:02:21,030 --> 00:02:29,940 your final score would be a 6.5 because that means you'll have a six plus six plus eight, which when 32 00:02:29,940 --> 00:02:34,080 you add all three and divide, it will equal a score of a 6.5. 33 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:40,170 Whatever score you get for task number two, you have to add that score twice. 34 00:02:40,740 --> 00:02:43,830 That's what gives you your overall writing score. 35 00:02:44,460 --> 00:02:49,890 Now, with this in mind, some students like to go ahead and start with task number two. 36 00:02:50,700 --> 00:02:56,790 They'll start with task number two, write task number two, and then go back and write task number 37 00:02:56,790 --> 00:02:57,330 one. 38 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:00,390 In regards to the grading criteria. 39 00:03:00,540 --> 00:03:02,280 There are four aspects. 40 00:03:02,610 --> 00:03:10,170 Number one is task achievement, which is where they're looking at your use or writing of the specific 41 00:03:10,170 --> 00:03:12,600 details and overview and the key features. 42 00:03:13,290 --> 00:03:21,630 The next grading criteria is coherence and cohesion, then grammatical range and accuracy and also lexical 43 00:03:21,630 --> 00:03:22,590 resource. 44 00:03:22,620 --> 00:03:29,460 Now you're graded on a score of 0 to 9 in each one of these aspects. 45 00:03:32,730 --> 00:03:38,610 Here are some important tips and advice regarding academic task number one. 46 00:03:39,270 --> 00:03:45,600 First of all, what I want you to do is make sure that you separate your writing into four separate 47 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:54,250 paragraphs, four separate paragraphs, not two or three for separate paragraphs. 48 00:03:54,270 --> 00:03:58,890 This really helps out your organization coherence and cohesion. 49 00:03:59,850 --> 00:04:03,600 Next, always favor quality over quantity. 50 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:09,150 The minimum writing word count is 150 words. 51 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:15,930 Typically, you should you should end up right around 175 to 225 words. 52 00:04:17,180 --> 00:04:21,920 You don't want to write 300 350 words for academic writing task number one. 53 00:04:22,250 --> 00:04:23,720 You're not supposed to. 54 00:04:24,110 --> 00:04:30,020 Most of the time, students get in a lot of trouble when they write too much, because really, you 55 00:04:30,020 --> 00:04:32,750 just end up showing more and more mistakes. 56 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,660 Always favor quality over quantity. 57 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:39,240 Next. 58 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:45,820 Typically, in a full report for academic writing, task number one, you're going to write about 9 59 00:04:45,820 --> 00:04:47,270 to 12 sentences. 60 00:04:47,270 --> 00:04:48,230 That's all. 61 00:04:49,620 --> 00:04:53,130 I normally end up writing about 9 to 10 sentences. 62 00:04:54,510 --> 00:05:00,570 If you're writing those high quality sentences, meaning compound and complex sentences, you're going 63 00:05:00,570 --> 00:05:05,100 to end up probably around 9 to 10 sentences. 64 00:05:05,820 --> 00:05:09,090 Next is very important that you learn the different question types. 65 00:05:09,210 --> 00:05:13,740 Generally speaking, there are about seven different types of questions. 66 00:05:13,980 --> 00:05:21,540 You have the bar chart, pie chart line, graph table, two different charts, a diagram for a process 67 00:05:21,540 --> 00:05:23,040 and a diagram for a map. 68 00:05:23,730 --> 00:05:26,130 Now, this is really critical to understand. 69 00:05:26,250 --> 00:05:32,400 The same strategy is used for all question types is the exact same strategy. 70 00:05:32,940 --> 00:05:39,130 There is no specific strategy for a process in a specific strategy for a line graph. 71 00:05:39,150 --> 00:05:41,790 It's all the same writing strategy. 72 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:51,260 Here are a few more high scoring tips for the academic writing test. 73 00:05:51,260 --> 00:05:56,990 Number one that I want you to keep in mind is critical that if you plan on scoring a seven, eight or 74 00:05:56,990 --> 00:06:01,430 nine, that you have a lot of sentence and vocabulary variety. 75 00:06:02,090 --> 00:06:05,540 Number two Write in your own words. 76 00:06:06,020 --> 00:06:09,350 Don't copy the summary that they give you for task number one. 77 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:12,800 Try your best to use your own words. 78 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:19,460 And then finally, if you want to get a score of a seven or eight, you have to be able to write mistake 79 00:06:19,460 --> 00:06:20,750 free sentences. 80 00:06:21,290 --> 00:06:25,430 Examiners love mistake free sentences by students. 81 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:33,170 If you're making mistakes in every sentence or every other sentence, it is very difficult to move from 82 00:06:33,170 --> 00:06:37,490 a six or 6.5 to a seven, 7.5 or eight. 83 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:46,330 Now, if you want to have a great performance, you have to have great time management. 84 00:06:46,690 --> 00:06:52,570 That means that when you're practicing at home that you are practicing with an 18 minute clock. 85 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:59,110 I know you have 20 minutes, but I think you should practice with an 18 minute clock so that you can 86 00:06:59,110 --> 00:07:01,390 simulate the pressure of the exam. 87 00:07:02,260 --> 00:07:04,840 Number two, simulate the exam. 88 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:10,990 Really use everything the same way the exam does. 89 00:07:12,010 --> 00:07:16,720 What I mean by that is try to sit in a room with other people. 90 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:23,350 Don't sit in solitary confinement in your room, whereas nice and quiet and there are no distractions. 91 00:07:23,620 --> 00:07:29,500 Simulate the real exam always in terms of simulating the real exam. 92 00:07:29,500 --> 00:07:31,510 Use the real answer sheets. 93 00:07:31,510 --> 00:07:38,380 If you're doing the written exam, not the written exam the paper exam, use the real answer sheets 94 00:07:38,380 --> 00:07:39,700 to practice your writing. 95 00:07:40,030 --> 00:07:42,430 That way you get comfortable using it. 96 00:07:43,210 --> 00:07:48,160 Number four To get a great score, you must attack the rubric. 97 00:07:50,170 --> 00:07:58,120 What I mean by that is you have to have really clear understanding of what does it take to get an eight 98 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:03,490 in grammar, an eight on vocabulary, eight in coherence, and an eight on task achievement. 99 00:08:03,850 --> 00:08:09,370 And then when you're writing, you have to make sure that you attack those aspects. 100 00:08:09,490 --> 00:08:15,310 You have to include those parts in your writing to be able to get that score. 101 00:08:16,060 --> 00:08:23,590 If you're writing is only showing the level of six or 5.5 or five, if you're writing is only showing 102 00:08:23,590 --> 00:08:26,950 that level, that's the score you're going to get. 103 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:34,000 And then finally, keep in mind that this is a formal language exam for academic tasks. 104 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:40,960 Number one, no slang, no street language, use very formal language. 105 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:43,810 This is a very formal report that you're going to write. 106 00:08:48,460 --> 00:08:51,370 Now some mistakes that I want you to avoid. 107 00:08:51,550 --> 00:08:52,690 Number one. 108 00:08:55,310 --> 00:08:58,280 You must be able to paraphrase the introduction. 109 00:08:58,370 --> 00:09:04,160 If you don't paraphrase the introduction, if you copy it verbatim, you're going to hurt your score. 110 00:09:04,930 --> 00:09:08,980 Number two, avoid writing about every aspect. 111 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:11,460 To do well for academic writing. 112 00:09:11,470 --> 00:09:16,780 Task number one, you're not supposed to write about every aspect on the graph or chart. 113 00:09:17,110 --> 00:09:23,620 Number three, poor organization, no logic, no sequencing will equal a low score. 114 00:09:25,460 --> 00:09:33,050 Number four, you have to always use the proper verb tense and have the proper word form, choice and 115 00:09:33,050 --> 00:09:33,650 order. 116 00:09:34,220 --> 00:09:41,840 If the chart has dates between 2000 and 2010, you're going to use the past tense. 117 00:09:42,020 --> 00:09:49,310 If the chart has information and data in 2025 and 2030, you're going to use the future tense. 118 00:09:49,700 --> 00:09:57,620 If it's a diagram or a process that does not have dates or it's a graph, or if it's a graph or a chart 119 00:09:57,620 --> 00:10:02,660 that does not have dates, then of course are going to use the present tense. 120 00:10:04,790 --> 00:10:11,060 You want to make sure that you avoid vocabulary, repetition and using basic level vocabulary. 121 00:10:12,050 --> 00:10:19,010 And finally, don't describe the items mechanically in the next lecture, when I really go over how 122 00:10:19,010 --> 00:10:23,900 to really succeed in regards to the rubric, I'm going to explain that a little bit more. 123 00:10:24,710 --> 00:10:31,100 But so many students lower their score by just describing items very, very mechanically, which is 124 00:10:31,100 --> 00:10:32,390 a big, big mistake. 125 00:10:34,860 --> 00:10:35,400 All right. 126 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:39,870 And coming up next, we have a lot of great information for you. 127 00:10:39,900 --> 00:10:46,350 You're going to first get some rubric advice and then I'm going to go over the question types and general 128 00:10:46,350 --> 00:10:47,160 strategy. 129 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:48,150 Thanks a lot. 130 00:10:48,150 --> 00:10:49,140 I'll talk to you soon. 131 00:10:49,170 --> 00:10:50,310 Have a great day.