Skip to content

Simone Braverman

Simone Braverman is the founder of IELTS-Blog.com and the author of several renowned IELTS preparation books, including Ace the IELTS, Target Band 7, the High Scorer's Choice practice test series, and IELTS Success Formula. Since 2005, Simone has been committed to making IELTS preparation accessible and effective through her books and online resources. Her work has helped 100,000's of students worldwide achieve their target scores and live their dream lives. When Simone isn't working on her next IELTS book, video lesson, or coaching, she enjoys playing the guitar or rollerblading.

IELTS test in Jamaica – September 2021 (General Training)

A big thank-you to our friend D.L. who took the IELTS test in Jamaica recently and remembered the following details:

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

A very important piece of equipment at work broke down. Write a letter to the company’s technician. In your letter

– Describe the problem
– Explain how is it affecting your work
– Say what you want them to do about it.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Computer games are becoming very popular among children of all ages and nationalities. Parents say they are concerned because these games have little educational value and many harmful effects. Do you agree or disagree?

Speaking test

Part 1 (Interview)

– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– Where are you from?
– Where did you grow up?
– Do you work or study?
– Do you like wearing special clothes?
– When was the last time you wore special clothes?

Part 2 (Cue Card)

Describe a leisure activity that you enjoy doing near the sea. Please say

– what the activity is
– when you do it
– with whom you do it
– and explain why you enjoy doing this activity.

Part 3 (Discussion)

– Let’s talk about global warming.
– Do you believe that global warming is a real problem?
– What are the reasons for global warming?
– What is being done to reduce the effects of global warming?
– Should there be penalties for companies that contribute to global warming?

‘I skyrocketed my score from 6.0 in writing to 7.0 in less than eight weeks’

We at IELTS-Blog.com absolutely love celebrating YOUR achievements, and today’s success story belongs to Prabu Sivakumar, a software engineer from India, currently living in Singapore.

Prabu won the 1st place in our IELTS Results competition, scoring IELTS Band 8 in the test, and here is the journey that took him there, in his own words:

Band 8.5 in IELTS“When I decided to submit my application to migrate to Australia, the first thing that came to my mind was scoring IELTS Band seven in every section. Most of my friends could not get through 7.0 in Writing. They were stuck at either 6.0 or 6.5.

As software engineers by profession, we write dozens of emails every week. We presume that we don’t make silly mistakes while writing or speaking in English. Besides, we work in a multi-national company, where we interact with native English speakers every day.

I attempted my first IELTS test in May 2021. I’ve managed to score 7.0 and 7.5 in Reading, Speaking and Listening, however, the writing band score didn’t move beyond 6.0. The exam fee is $365 SGD. I do not want to make another attempt without evaluating myself before the exam.

I made a decision to use the Writing Correction services offered by IELTS-Blog.com. Interestingly, they provide an Express correction service where you get your feedback instantly. The feedback is shared with you in less than 24 hours. Initially, I scored 6.5 during the evaluation. When I started scoring 7.5 and 8.0 consistently, I decided to book my exam.

While using the Writing Correction service, you are allowed to choose from a range of topics. I decided on the most challenging academic essays instead of picking the easy ones. I simulated the exam-like environment to write the essay in 40 minutes, without referring to the website or using auto-correction tools. I randomly picked the topic within 40 minutes. I generated ideas and penned them down within the same time.

The feedback you receive is quite exhaustive, and corrections are made in the same document with track changes enabled. Some examiners might provide you with their version of essay, if yours doesn’t serve the purpose. You also get an indicative band score that closely resembles your IELTS score.

The feedback helped me to incorporate the changes and minimise the grammatical errors that I was making earlier. It is quite evident from the evaluations that I have made good progress. I scored 7.0, 7.5, 7.5 and 8.0, respectively, in four assessments. Within four reviews, I skyrocketed my score from 6.0 in writing to 7.0 in less than eight weeks.”

Congratulations, Prabu, on this wonderful outcome!

Best IELTS test result August 2021