by Fatime Losonci | general, IELTS listening sub-skills, IELTS reading sub-skills, IELTS speaking sub-skills, IELTS writing sub-skills
Thinking and writing are really connected for me. And perhaps you’ve noticed that I like to think (=write…) about • IELTS Listening SUB-SKILLS • IELTS Reading SUB-SKILLS • IELTS Writing SUB-SKILLS • IELTS Speaking SUB-SKILL –obviously… 😀 as...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD, general
I talk a lot about how to teach IELTS. Now here’s a chat about how NOT to do it as well, to avoid ‘demoralizing’ (our learners) and ‘fossilizing’ (their typical mistakes) … Check it out! What’s ONE of your current IELTS...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
Teaching (IELTS) writing doesn’t have to be ‘DRY’! In my course, How to Teach IELTS Writing you’ll find lot of practical AND fun activities to use with your students. Check out this teacher’s opinion about the course: “I decided to...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
According to a teacher, some of ‘side effects’ 😀 of taking How to Teach IELTS Listening include • being able to apply what you’ve learnt to other exam-training contexts involving skill training • or even beyond language teaching the course has a...
by Fatime Losonci | general
I’m looking for contributors to my blog! Are you an English teacher who’s also passionate about teaching SKILLs well? Do you feel you have ‘stuff to stay’ about how skills (/a particular skill or sub-skills) could be taught? Are you interested...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
Are your IELTS learners struggle with READING? Are you actually TEACHING them reading? … Check out what an IELTS teacher, Mila Kunych had to say about my course, How to Teach IELTS Reading: “I signed up for your course, How to Teach IELTS Reading because I...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD, item writing
If you’re new to #assessment and #itemwriting (especially #ELTassessment and #ELTitemwriting), you might want to start by Googling/revising the following key terms and ideas. Core Terms: –reliability (test, scorer/intra-rater vs inter-rater) –validity (face,...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD, item writing
I get asked what the advantages and disadvantages of #itemwriting are a lot. And while I believe that this is a very subjective question, in MY opinion… …the ADVANTAGES of being an item writer are that it · can be intellectually STIMULATING (e.g. to...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD, item writing
The other day we recorded a short video with John Hughes for his and Katherine Bilsborough’s YouTube Channel, Writing ELT Materials on #itemwriting for ELT tests and exams. Much like we had established the 5 key principles typically...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD, item writing
If you’re new to #ELTassessment and #ELTitemwriting, you might find this conversation I had with Jim Fuller on his YouTube Channel, Sponge ELT useful. And because the topic might be quite advanced at first, here’re some scaffolded...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback, general
THANK YOU if you signed up to be a reviewer of one of my IELTS teacher training courses, • How to Teach IELTS Listening • How to Teach IELTS Reading • How to Teach IELTS Writing • How to Teach IELTS Speaking and sent me your reflections...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD, lesson planning
The other day I got this very insightful comment (question?) on LinkedIn: “Dear Fatime, I doubt it that a CELTA qualified teacher is unable to teach IELTS. CELTA is the most thorough course and trains you how to teach English communicatively with observed...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD, general, IELTS listening sub-skills, IELTS reading sub-skills, IELTS speaking sub-skills, IELTS writing sub-skills
Grammar is not a SKILL! Chat GPT doesn’t seem to know this (yet), but if you teach #IELTS, I hope you do! And teaching skills is more challenging than grammar or vocabulary… Here is why: — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD, general, IELTS listening sub-skills, IELTS reading sub-skills, IELTS speaking sub-skills, IELTS writing sub-skills, lesson planning
Here is my talk with @Billie Jago of @ELTcpd on “How to Teach Skills for IELTS”. Have you watched it yet? What was YOUR biggest takeaway? — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping CELTA-qualified...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, feedback, learner autonomy
Students new to a challenge, including IELTS might automatically take it for granted that if they do a ‘PREP COURSE’, it’s a ‘guarantee’ that they’ll do well on the exam too. In reality we know it’s often not the case....
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
How to Teach IELTS Listening (–my Bootcamp’s modular, SELF-STUDY version) is finally ready! The course contains -12 Introductory PDFs to help you discover the basic format of the exam -25 Videos -25 Problems and Solutions PDFs detailing each sub-skill -50+...
by Fatime Losonci | lesson planning
Do you also like to turn interesting AUTHENTIC materials into IELTS teaching opportunities? As we discussed it with Jane Ritter yesterday on Teachers Talk Radio, there’re many good reasons to do so. Here’re a few ideas for you, based on the topic of food...
by Fatime Losonci | learner autonomy, lesson planning
Anytime when I hear an amazing story about #learnerautonomy, I perk up. Yesterday was no exception either, reading about a teacher’s student, who would regularly sneak into her office and did all the work the night before class. When caught, he explained...
by Fatime | feedback, IELTS speaking sub-skills, IELTS writing sub-skills
A while back I asked on LinkedIn if you had any fun stories about IELTS learners struggling with issues of INAPPROPRIACY in the PRODUCTIVE skills (i.e. speaking and writing). And I got some hilarious responses, including • “I got an ‘In sympathy’...
by Fatime Losonci | learner autonomy, lesson planning
Do you ever share your LESSON PLANS with your IELTS learners? …and have you considered sharing them IN ADVANCE?! I’ve heard from some teachers who do, because as they say, “I like my students to have the opportunity to prepare for the lessons so that...
by Fatime Losonci | lesson planning
Yesterday I read Michael Griffin’s thought-provoking and conversation starting blog entry titled ’29 statements about lesson plans’, and 5 of the points in particular triggered the following reactions in me: • “There is no sense planning...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, lesson planning
Next time when you’re lost for ideas while PLANNING an IELTS lesson, try including some sort of a GENRE TRANSFER ACTIVITY. For example, let’s say your learners have just read an article about Albert O Hirschman’s book ‘Exit, Voice and...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback, learner autonomy
What do your IELTS learners do with the FEEDBACK they receive from you on their WRITING? Do they really ‘squeeze’ enough learning out of it? If you suspect they might not, try this hack to increase their LEARNER AUTONOMY! — — Hi. I’m...
by Fatime Losonci | general
“…I prefer teaching reports, because it was a challenge for me to get my head around when I started teaching them (I’d never had to report on a chart or diagram before), I had to learn the tricks from scratch myself, so passing on that learning is...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
There’s a lot of chatter around how we can best help our IELTS learners score well in ESSAYS. Because yes, I agree that LANGUAGE matters. WORD COUNTS matter. SENTENCE COMPLEXITY matters. Knowing enough (ACADEMIC) VOCABULARY matters. …but...
by Fatime Losonci | Cambridge Delta, lesson planning
An IELTS lesson isn’t quite like a ‘lab’ (where a milliliter might mean the difference between whether you blow up the building or not… :D). However, I do believe that the PROPORTIONS of a lesson matter. And these will be reflected by the...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
“I did not expect to find so many documents, materials, and resources. It was a pleasant surprise”. Are you looking for an IELTS teacher training course as part of your 2023 #CPD? Did you know that if you take my IELTS teacher training course, How to Teach...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD, feedback
Check out what this recent Bootcamp graduate had to say about the course: 1) Why did you sign up for the course? What did you need help with? I signed up for the course, as I wanted to learn about a new take on teaching IELTS. After having taught it for many years,...
by Fatime Losonci | general, lesson planning
When I talk to IELTS teachers, sometimes they wonder ‘out loud’ whether focusing on any ONE sub-skill at a time is ‘artificial’… Because yes, in real life PROFICIENT USERS of a language do rely on a bunch of these MICRO STRATEGIES at a...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills, lesson planning
…when it comes to writing, try ‘BITE-SIZING’ things (and properly SCAFFOLDING them ‘en route’ to the thing as well). So, for example instead of asking them to write a WHOLE essay, just give them 5-10 essay TASKS to read, and get...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
Do you ever ask your IELTS learners to REWRITE an essay, report or letter they wrote? Why/why not? We sometimes put a ton of effort into writing them FEEDBACK, but do they read it? And even if they do, does it ‘STICK’? After all, we know that we learn best...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
Here’s an EXCERPT from my book, How to Teach Yourself IELTS Letter Writing. (Normally I focus on SKILL development more, but you’ll see that this bit is all about LANGUAGE! ;)) Which of the following letter types is hardest for your students preparing for...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
How to Teach Yourself IELTS Essay Writing is a collection of PRACTICAL exercises to use with your students preparing for the exam (or even assign as homework). The contents of the book are also included in my course, How to Teach IELTS Writing. Which of its units...
by Fatime Losonci | lesson planning
SO hard to get into a Xmas mood in 35 Celsius… Is there a SKILL or ACTIVITY type that you tend to struggle to get your IELTS students ‘in the mood’ for? What is it? What makes it a drag for them? Let me know!...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
Do your IELTS students also think that PRONUNCIATION= individual sounds (only)? Then here’s an exercise you might want to try with them, to help them notice SENTENCE STRESS. 😉 (Answer key: 1 b 2 a 3 a 4 c 5 a) — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
How to Teach IELTS Writing is also in my IELTS writing teacher training course, and this is what’s in it.
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
Have you noticed that IELTS learners may jump to wrong conclusion and lose precious points if they stop scanning text too soon? This is because the EVIDENCE for a question might appear in a text LATER than they would expect. I called this problem ‘Delayed...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
How to Teach Yourself IELTS Report Writing is also in my IELTS writing teacher training course, and this is what’s in it. — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping CELTA-qualified English language teachers become better at...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, lesson planning
Love it? Hate it? If the former, how do you use it in your everyday teaching? And when was the last time that you made your IELTS learners CREATE, EVALUATE, ANALYZE, APPLY, UNDERSTAND or REMEMBER something? Bloom’s Taxonomy-Based IELTS Homework Choice...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills, IELTS reading sub-skills, IELTS speaking sub-skills, IELTS writing sub-skills
Have you heard?! ALL 7 of my IELTS teacher training books are on SALE as of today, for 10 days (until the 24 Dec 2022)! Some of this content is normally EXCLUSIVE to my Bootcamp only (which is why you won’t find Listening, Reading, or Speaking on Amazon either,...
by Fatime Losonci | general
We had a chat about the importance of TEACHING IELTS (as opposed to just TESTING it) with Mohammad Nabil today. Among many other points I mentioned that if we TEST (‘and scold’) our students instead of TEACHING, i.e. • choosing concrete ‘micro’ processes...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
How much ‘TECHNICAL’ (i.e. linguistic or methodology-related) vocab do you use with your IELTS learners? Just because we know certain CONCEPTS or the names of various (teaching or SKILLS-related e.g. reading techniques), it doesn’t mean our students...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
Match the letters to the numbers! 😉 (Answer key: a, b, d, e, c) — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping CELTA-qualified English language teachers become better at teaching SKILLS, as opposed to just testing them. Check...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Watch this space! 😉
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
..if we know it DOESN’T ≠ -TESTING speaking -using speaking to PRACTICE LANGUAGE (grammar, vocab) -using it as a FREE PRACTICE STAGE in another skill lesson (e.g. reading, writing, listening) — — Hi. I’m Fatime....
by Fatime Losonci | general
As some of you might know, my IELTS teacher training course, How to Teach IELTS -The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp– is becoming MODULAR and SELF-STUDY in January. I’m looking for a few more REVIEWERS to do a module FREE, in exchange for...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
I know it can be hard to know what to responsibly PROMISE our IELTS learners when they are considering signing up to do their exam PREPARATION with us. We do want to have enough students, after all… Yet it’s important to be STRATEGIC about what RESULTS we...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
I love hearing about the different teaching contexts IELTS teachers work in. I just don’t like to hear about the HURDLES y’all face day in, day out… :O For example, as one teacher describes “Not being able to spend time on building or even...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
A while back I asked my connections on LinkedIn how they felt when they first started teaching IELTS. I got to read a lot of teachers’ stories, and the majority were speaking to how FRUSTRATED and UNSUPPORTED they were feeling at the time. 🙁 Unfortunately, I...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
Have you noticed your IELTS students (consciously or unconsciously) using AVOIDANCE when they aren’t sure of a particular grammar area? While it can be a useful strategy at times, if overused, it might result in their GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY being...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
Do your IELTS students also make grammatical, as well as FACTUAL errors in their REPORTS? Then try this exercise. — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping CELTA-qualified English language teachers become better at teaching...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
This week was all about WRITING in my bootcamp, and we got to talk about how the different GENRES (mostly reports and essays) trip students up on IELTS. The ones in the picture are some useful genre awareness raising questions to ask when easing your IELTS learners...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
What do you do when your IELTS students REGULARLY fail to grasp either -the TOPIC -the SCOPE, or -the required ESSAY TYPE (e.g. opinion, for and against, solution, discursive; or a ‘hybrid’ of any 2 of these)? Which of these three is hardest for YOUR...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
There’s always so, SO much to be thankful for, in any (ANY!) moment in life. (It does take SKILL to learn this though…). This year I’m especially thankful for all the LEARNING that starting my own ‘eduprize’ has been providing me...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
“Timoteo, you smell like humans!” This is the lovely Timoteo, my friend Claudia’s dog. According to Clau, he was smelling bad even after she had bathed him in dog shampoo, so she decided to up the ante and also bathed him in human shampoo. :O Fit for purpose? Maybe...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
Other than omitting the OUTLINE writing stage, many IELTS learners also typically fail to see the importance of saving 2-3 minutes for checking their work when they are done. This is a shame because we typically manage to pick up on various MISTAKES we have...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
Do your IELTS students struggle to brainstorm for ideas for their ESSAYS? Teach them The Angle ABC method! Get them to think of some adjectives starting with the letters of the alphabet (e.g. artistic, biological, cognitive, developmental, economic, etc.) to ask...
by Fatime Losonci | general
After being completely locked down in one place (a nice place, Cancun, but still…) during the pandemic, this year I’ve had to move around… TOO MUCH. Or so it feels… The last time I travelled was last week, this time from Miami to Merida, Mx,...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills, IELTS reading sub-skills, lesson planning
Sometimes we hear the complaint from our IELTS students that the exam requires too much ‘TECHNICAL’ knowledge (of engineering, biochemistry, architecture, neuropsychology, etc. …). And while it’s true that (the ACADEMIC module of) the exam...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
What’s your IELTS learners’ biggest struggle with coherence and cohesion in their writing? — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping CELTA-qualified English language teachers become better at teaching SKILLS, as...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
I’m a HUGE, (…HUGE) fan of learner autonomy. I love to SELF-STUDY stuff, always did, always will. …DISCOVER and COMPILE my own (life) curricula… AND… I also realize that there are times when this is LIMITED (…if not outright...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
The following introduction of a LETTER giving information was written by a student who needs to expand their grammatical range and accuracy before taking the exam. What grammar area do they not use correctly? What are their mistakes? “Hello Auntie Maud, I...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Are you • lacking in CONFIDENCE whether you can successfully prepare your learners for such a HIGH-STAKES exam, especially on SHORT NOTICE • worried that your teaching isn’t VERSATILE enough to offer sufficiently TARGETED, IMPACTFUL, bespoke courses,...
by Fatime Losonci | general
The TWO important, much-awaited changes I’m making to my course, How to Teach IELTS –The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp– as of January are as follows. The course is becoming • SELF-STUDY, and • MODULAR. This means that it’ll also be •...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Actual footage of me on the beach yesterday… 😀 😀 I’m feeling a bit patchy and rusty these days too… A LOT (of good things…) have happened this year, but probably a bit fast too, TBH… 😀 How’re YOU approaching the end of the year?...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
When students read an IELTS essay task, they face three different challenges: 1) understanding the TOPIC 2) understanding its SCOPE, and 3) identifying the required ESSAY TYPE. Getting either of these three wrong might make them collect IRRELEVANT or...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
Task achievement in Task 1 on the WRITING test of both the Academic and the General modules of IELTS, and its ‘variation’, Task response in Task 2 in both modules is the first criterion that is used to assess a piece of writing. EXERCISE: Which of...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback
If a learner’s ‘affective filter is lowered’, they’re more ready to learn in general, including becoming more receptive to feedback. What do YOU do to build rapport to ‘plow the soil’ first, for your constructive comments?...
by Fatime Losonci | general, lesson planning
Being a successful teacher, (teacher trainer, coach, etc.) is, to a large part, about asking GOOD QUESTIONS. They can be quite closed (i.e. yes-no Qs), or more open (usually starting with a question word). Display, or more ‘genuine’. Longer, or...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
This week is ALL about listening sub-skills for me (…and my happy campers 😀 ;P) Which SKILL do you enjoy teaching the most for IELTS? What makes it easiest for you? #showmehow #skillsfirst #IELTSTeacherTrainer #TeachingIELTSafterCELTA #IELTSlistening —...
by Fatime Losonci | general
I love to think about common myths … and see if I can bust them. 😀 For example, in ELT there is a common misconception around how it’s pretty impossible to teach critical thinking on LOWER LEVELS, or to YL. What other ELT myth do you know is not...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills, lesson planning
When we teach new LANGUAGE, we need to cover its • MEANING • FORM • PRONUNCIATION …and? • APPROPRIACY, yes, you guessed it! (I hope … :D) As a useful awareness raising activity of the importance of REGISTER in IELTS speaking, have your...
by Fatime Losonci | general
I got some lovely feedback from a teacher the other day who was saying that “I find it so valuable that you dig deeper and challenge teachers so that they move away from testing only as IELTS is so much more than that!” I completely agree that we should...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
Sometimes when we take a course we already have our ROI (Return on Investment) just by having our awareness raised of an issue we A) either didn’t know existed, or B) didn’t know WE had If on top of this eye-opener we also get a few useful,...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
In IELTS dialogues, meaning is often CO-CONSTRUCTED between the two (or more) speakers. Speakers often gradually come to a mutual understanding of what they are talking about by regularly checking they understand what the other person has said, using phrases...
by Fatime Losonci | general
These are the questions on my IELTS teacher training course’s kick off call. Even if you aren’t taking the course this time but are teaching IELTS, I’d love to know: 1) Where are you BASED, what do you teach, and how much of it is IELTS now? 2) What...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, CPD
Learning in the 21st century also includes knowing what new SKILLS, or what new KNOWLEDGE we want to acquire. That is to say, WE are in charge of CURATING our own curricula, as well as TAKING them. Which is why I’m really meticulous about who I follow, and...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, lesson planning
These are the 10 most important factors to consider when planning an IELTS lesson, IMO (–not in order of importance). 1) course AIMS (e.g. IELTS academic band 7 overall) and length (e.g. 1 month vs 3 months vs 6…?) 2) the learners’ AGE 3) group SIZE 4) the...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
Love it? Hate it? If the former, how do you use it in your everyday teaching? #showmehow #skillsfirst #IELTSTeacherTrainer #TeachingIELTSafterCELTA #bespoke #BloomsTaxonomy
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills, IELTS writing sub-skills
Have you noticed any issues with your students not knowing ALL FOUR of the following aspects of a word or phrase: • meaning • form • pronunciation AND… • APPROPRIACY!? We can’t really say a learner knows a word or phrase if they...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
Are MATCHING TYPE QUESTIONS easy or difficult for your learners? Here’s how to know. 1) How conscious are they of GRAMMATICAL and LEXICAL NEGATIONS and DOUBLE NEGATIVES? 2) Would you say they easily notice when the audio includes the PASSIVE VOICE but the...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Another thing few people know about me is that I actually DON’T have a dog now. :(( (Which is partly why I’m OBSESSED with them, I think… 😀 <3) If you ARE a lucky dog owner, AND would you like your doggies featured in some of my IELTS...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
In this video I talk about the importance of writing RELEVANT, CLEAR, and DISTINCT topic sentences in writing task 2 (the essay) of the Academic module of IELTS. If your IELTS students’ Task response and Coherence and cohesion marks could use a boost, help them...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
A friend of mine is teaching IELTS. And it’s not always smooth sailing… Working for a better IELTS band score (let alone if it’s in various skills and/or on short notice) is HARD WORK. It requires real commitment, and bravery… …to...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback
To my question, “What’s your top tip when giving feedback?” I got a lovely response on LinkedIn saying that “[…] feedback is something that should be ‘offered’, not ‘given’ and should also be nourishing and...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
Based on the errors in the body paragraph of a solution essay below, what grammar area would you suggest this candidate should work on from the above categories? “The number of stray dogs on the streets would have also decrease by providing owners free...
by Fatime Losonci | general
You might have heard me talk about the importance of always ‘breaking things down into ACTIONABLE STEPS’ for our IELTS learners when we’re teaching them a new SUB-SKILL. Well, I’m still new to (=nervous about) making video (but I know...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Sometimes looking at the same thing, but from a different ANGLE can make all the difference. For example, teaching IELTS by • focusing on teaching SKILLS, not just LANGUAGE (i.e. advanced grammar and academic vocabulary), as well as • helping learners...
by Fatime Losonci | learner autonomy
I’m often asked this too: “What should I do if my IELTS student isn’t doing any homework?” To which my go to answer is this: Have a conversation with them about the PSYCHOLOGICAL impacts of not doing homework. This is because I find that...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
Today I finally read Simon Sinek’s famous ‘Start with Why’. In it he talks about how important it is not only to define and communicate about WHAT we do, but to attract the right ‘tribe’ around us, also to say WHY. When a...
by Fatime Losonci | general
A language exam is never ‘just’ a language exam… It also tends to test • maturity • the ability to concentrate • persevere during preparation • cope with stress leading up to, and on exam day • world knowledge, ...
by Fatime Losonci | general
I keep hearing the same question from (IELTS) teachers: “How exactly is TEACHING different from TESTING?” Well, I think the difference between the two lies in • how AWARE we (teachers) are of the ‘mini-steps’ involved in acquiring a...
by Fatime Losonci | general
We talk a lot about TEACHER HEROES here, who are trained, motivated, (….know the difference between testing and teaching… ;)), and just in general, would give ANYTHING for their students to succeed in the IELTS exam. And I feel that sometimes there’s...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback
About a year ago I did a course online, where I had a lovely, elderly teacher. All was well enough, until we got to the ‘practicum’ stage of the program, where I started practicing the new skill, …and she started providing me with feedback on...
by Fatime Losonci | general
I shared some of the resources of my course, How to Teach IELTS -The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp– ahead of time with the next (4 Nov-4 Dec) cohort’s participants, and woke up to this message today! :O <3 <3 #puremagic When was the last time...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
EXERCISE: Listen to a recording about sentence completion and answer the questions. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. (Before you listen, try to guess the missing words!) 1) In sentence completion questions the maximum word count is _____....
by Fatime Losonci | general
Another question I keep getting from teachers is this. “I often hear people comparing IELTS to other Cambridge exams such FCE, CAE or CPE who would be undermining the complexity of the IELTS exam. I think, however, that IELTS can be tricky and definitely is not...
by Fatime Losonci | general
by Fatime Losonci | general
…but a HUGELY encouraging surprise for a brand-new ELT edupreneur to see yet another positive review on Amazon on one of my IELTS books! 😀 Since I’ve been at the helm of this whole ‘Fatime Losonci enterprise thing’ (…), I’ve come to...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
1) Which kind(s) of LABELING and VISUALS COMPLETION questions do your students find the hardest? Why do you think this is? 2) Do you try to activate your students’ SCHEMATA of the topic of a listening beforehand? Why/why not? (Do you also get them to brainstorm...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
Teaching IELTS (well…) can make a huge IMPACT on our students’ lives. “Teaching IELTS skills one-to-one can make a difference. I recently helped a student struggling to get a score of 6.5 in mock tests despite having spent months preparing at a...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
During the 20 years while I was actively teaching and preparing students for international language exams, people either approached me with a concrete language exam ALREADY in mind, or they wanted my help in picking one together. If they already knew that they...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, general
The skill that is HARDEST for your IELTS students to master might, or might NOT coincide with the skill you know how to teach BEST. In other words, always focus on what THEY need, not what’s easiest for YOU to teach. — — Hi. I’m Fatime....
by Fatime Losonci | general
In my opinion, IELTS provides learners with a VALID and MEANINGFUL learning challenge on its own right. (#backwash) While sometimes IELTS is criticized for having a bit of a ‘hybrid’ focus, I think it IS (especially its Academic module) a useful...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback, IELTS writing sub-skills
Whatever we want to learn, the process will have 3 components: INPUT and OUTPUT and… yes, you guessed it, FEEDBACK on it! It can (should?) come varied; sometimes generously sprinkled around what a learner is doing, sometimes offered sparingly, sometimes in...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
In my experience, IELTS candidates who are closer (or already on) the band score level that they are targeting and just need a quicker, shorter course will want lessons ONE-TO-ONE, while the GROUP format is useful to help learners MOTIVATE each other for a...
by Fatime Losonci | lesson planning
When I’m asked if I can recommend resources to teach GRAMMAR or VOCABULARY with for the IELTS exam I always like to ask my trainees what they want to teach that specific grammar or vocab FOR. Because my philosophy on this is that it should be EMBEDDED into...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
Sometimes just formulating the right questions is a LEARNING TECHNIQUE on its own right. I think these are some of the key questions to consider when teaching SENTENCE COMPLETION questions on the IELTS reading test: 1) How familiar are your learners with SENTENCE...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
I’m an introvert, but I KNOW I must keep working on leaving my ‘woman’s cave’ 😀 from time to time. It’s good for me personally, AND it’s good for my business in a million different ways. For example, by interacting more I get...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
A common challenge across ALL essay types for many IELTS learners is to get the SCOPE of the topic right. Yet it matters a lot, because it will define the quality of their BRAINSTORMING, which in turn largely defines the TASK RESPONSE score they will be awarded....
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
In real-life texts there is often a lot of pointing BACK to things that have been mentioned • EARLIER (also called ‘anaphoric’ referencing), as well as • referring AHEAD to things coming (‘cataphoric’ referencing). IELTS...
by Fatime Losonci | general
I have former IELTS students currently living, working and/or studying in the UK, Australia, Canada, and the US –most of them originally from Hungary, China, South Korean and Mexico. Where have YOU had IELTS learners from already? (And where are they now?) #showmehow...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Do you prefer teaching IELTS to students 1-2-1 or in groups? Why? #showmehow #skillsfirst #IELTSteacher #IELTSTeacherTrainer #IELTSTeacherTraining #ELTskillsteacher #TeachingIELTSafterCELTA #bootcamp
by Fatime Losonci | feedback
Another key advantage of teaching IELTS is that students tend to come REALLY READY for FEEDBACK. Warts and all. ‘Bring-it-on-teacher!’ style. Which I think is quite something, from a job satisfaction point of view… If you’ve tried...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
What are you in DENIAL about concerning your current IELTS teaching practice? 1) Is it any of the 4 skills that you feel less CONFIDENT about teaching than the others, for any reason? 2) Or is it that you feel that you sometimes accidentally ‘TEST and...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback
While thinking out loud about feedback on LinkedIn the other day with a friend we ended up discussing the idea of just how gentle our suggestions should be to our IELTS learners. My friend’s excellent point was that my overly cautious way of giving feedback...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
Summary completion exercises in the reading part of the IELTS exam require that candidates know what WORD CLASS (or part of speech) is missing from the gaps. If your students struggle with this, give them a set of exercises to raise their awareness of this important...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
A gentle encouragement/reminder: preparing candidates 1-2-1 for IELTS does ‘COUNT’ as well! Even if it’s a very SHORT course (e.g. of 2-4 weeks). Even if they’re already on the LEVEL they’re seeking (but perhaps don’t know the...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
Part 4 is a MONOLOGUE on an ACADEMIC subject, i.e. often a university lecture or some other kind of informative speech heard in a university context. To raise your learners’ awareness of what a MONOLOGUE is, or what we mean by ACADEMIC speeches, have them do the...
by Fatime Losonci | general
I’d sooner chew on an old tennis shoe than to take on an IELTS student who 1) isn’t already on B1+ LEVEL (=band 5) at least 2) isn’t ready to invest at least the same amount of time to doing HOMEWORK as we spend together in class 3) wants a band...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, CPD
In your IELTS teaching context do YOU place your own students? If so, are you in charge of also carrying out a NEEDS ANALYSIS with them to find out • what their current LEVEL is • which MODULE they need (i.e. Academic or General) • what OVERALL band...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback, lesson planning
Thank you for sending in your IELTS lesson plans as part of my Bootcamp scholarship competition, I really enjoyed reading them and writing up feedback for you! <3 I saw some very innovative ideas in your plans as well, and just in general a LOT of enthusiasm for...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
…I didn’t quite know what I was doing. 😀 I had been working with candidates preparing for the Cambridge FCE, CAE, and CPE (today ‘B2 First’, ‘C1 Advanced’ and ‘C2 Proficiency’), but I hadn’t heard much of IELTS...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
A DISCURSIVE essay asks you to investigate a topic from various angles and present these. Discursive essays do not require the writer to take a strong stand either for or against a subject, only that the topic be DISCUSSED from various angles, either defined by...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback
The other day I made a mistake. I used a ‘non-PC’ image in one of my posts, accidentally depicting animal cruelty. And then I got this beautiful message from a friend of mine. “Hi Fatime, Hope all is well with you. I love your dog images...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
Understanding the TASK in an IELTS essay is super important, as this will determine the ‘quality’ of the BRAINSTORMING and the actual WRITING that follows. If your students also struggle with the four essay types that they might encounter on the exam, give...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
If you know other language exams, how is the IELTS speaking exam similar to, or different from them in terms of • TASK TYPES • CRITERIA, and • LEVELS (=’bands’)? Which exam(s) do you most enjoy preparing students for? Why?...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills, IELTS reading sub-skills
It might be a good idea to help your learners notice that synonyms are CONTEXT-dependent. After a RECEPTIVE skill lesson (i.e. reading or listening), consider giving them an exercise such as the following. EXERCISE 1 Look at the words from the audio below, and match...
by Fatime Losonci | lesson planning
Do you have a favorite piece of IELTS material? What do you like about it? What do your LEARNERS like (find useful) about it? And what if you REPURPOSED it to teach a different SUB-SKILL with it? 😉 — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
What is wrong with the conclusion and sign off of the following IELTS letter below from a TASK ACHIEVEMENT point of view? Collect five main issues! TASK: Your friend saw on social media that you are looking for a job, and offered to forward your application to...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
Are you looking for some quick, snackable FREE IELTS CPD? Then here’s an idea for you. 🙂 Why don’t you check out ALL my past IELTS teacher training blog entries (130 and counting)! Any IELTS-related theme that you think is missing from the collection? Let...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
Speaking Part 3 tends to be challenging for candidates because the questions get REALLY complex by this point in the exam… To help them prepare, show them how they can ‘build up’ their ideas from ‘the ground up’, by collecting some...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
When students read an IELTS essay task, they face three different challenges: 1) they have to understand the TOPIC 2) they have to understand its SCOPE, and 3) they have to understand the required essay...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
Here’s a quick WRITING challenge for you if you teach IELTS writing! 🙂 Look at the following ESSAY task. Identify the TOPIC, and rewrite the task into the essay TYPE provided. ESSAY TASK: “What are the reasons why genetically modified food is so widespread...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills, IELTS reading sub-skills, lesson planning
Many IELTS teachers I talk to admit that they feel more confident when scaffolding PRODUCTIVE skills. For example, when teaching SPEAKING, they just give a bit more time for students to brainstorm, or take notes (even in Parts 1 and 3). Or when teaching WRITING, they...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
I’m often asked about the differences between IELTS essay types, such as OPINION, FOR AND AGAINST, SOLUTION, and what I like to call DISCURSIVE. I talk a lot about these a lot in my IELTS writing teacher training course (and how to teach them ;)), but in short,...
by Fatime Losonci | general
What are some common IELTS teaching tips that you’ve received that you DO agree with, AND …some that you DON’T follow? Why? P.s. I talk about my IELTS teaching principles in my course, How to Teach IELTS –The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training...
by Fatime Losonci | general
What’s your biggest QUESTION or concern you have about preparing learners for the exam? Let me know for some confidence boosting! 😉 <3 #showmehow #skillsfirst #IELTSteacher #IELTSTeacherTrainer #IELTSTeacherTraining #ELTskillsteacher #CambridgeCELTA...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
Much like we SCAFFOLD things in a lesson to make learning easier, we need to scaffold our IELTS students’ EXAM SKILLS. Candidates need to experience INCREASINGLY (cognitively and psychologically!) more demanding situations leading up to the exam, to do well on...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
To help your IELTS learners brainstorm more efficiently in SPEAKING Part 2, you could raise their awareness of coming up with concrete EXAMPLES of the NOTIONS in the task. Try giving them this exercise: Match each NOTION to a concrete EXAMPLE below. The first one has...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
When asked about a struggle that IELTS students can have with the READING test in particular, a teacher on LinkedIn raised a very …well, INTERESTING point. 😀 Namely, that for some students, IELTS texts can be TOO INTERESTING. This can become a problem because...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
Which of the three levels of pronunciation, i.e. SOUND, WORD STRESS, or INTONATION do your students most struggle with? Why? 1) What is the L1 of the majority of your students? How does their nationality influence the issues they have pronouncing the SOUNDS of...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
Do you teach any of these IELTS-specific SPEAKING sub-skills? How? 1) being able to speak AT LENGTH on a given topic without being prompted by the examiner 2) understanding the general SOCIAL CONTEXT of a language exam (and its expectations) 3) using COMPENSATION...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
Sometimes it’s hard to know what a SUB-SKILL is, or where one ends and another one begins… So, as a quick test, which of these do you think is NOT an IELTS listening sub-skill? 1) distinguishing between literal and implied meanings 2) guessing the word...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
What’s YOUR opinion about mock exams? For example, about assigning entire writing tasks, following actual exam conditions straight out the gate? I personally like to ‘ease them in’ to a course, a bit more gently. For their first ‘mock’ I...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
Do your IELTS learners realize that preparing for the exam is a ‘JOINT VENTURE’? By that I mean are they deeply aware of the fact that while you’re there to help them prepare for it, THEY are the ones who’ll actually be taking it? 😀 😉 😉...
by Fatime Losonci | general
What’s a ‘smart question’ for you? Don’t you just love, love, LOVE being asked a smart question by your IELTS students? One that shows that they’re getting ‘it’. (The ‘it’ being any important IELTS sub-skill...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
Yes, skimming and scanning are two very important reading SUB-SKILLS. We do both in our everyday lives as well, in our L1 too. But there’s MUCH MORE to teaching reading well to learners preparing for the IELTS exam. Which of the following are some of the other...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
Are you aware of the importance of investing in the RIGHT (=most impactful and transformative) CPD …in THEORY? …but are struggling to commit to a ‘more serious’ course because you’re teaching 40+ hours a week (…instead of the ideal...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
Which IELTS writing GENRE (i.e. letter, report or essay) are the following SUB-SKILLS of? 1) remembering to actually answer the PROMPTS in the task and not just ‘write around’ them (i.e. writing about things related to the bullet points but not really...
by Fatime Losonci | general
If you have the Cambridge CELTA or equivalent, and have been teaching general English for a while, maybe it’s time to consider specializing in teaching IELTS. Here’re just some of the reasons why this might be a smart move: 1) There are millions of test...
by Fatime Losonci | lesson planning
What’s the point of planning a lesson if we know that things won’t go according to it? By planning we make sure that what we want to do in a lesson will be fresh in our minds. So, in essence, it isn’t HAVING a plan that’s useful, but...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
I don’t know about you, but what proved to be a useful strategy with my IELTS students over the years was to always ‘OVERCALIBRATE’. By this I mean that if a learner needed, say a band 6 in one particular skill or overall, I liked to aim for 6.5 or 7...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
I’m still in the process of furnishing our new home with stuff from Amazon, and the playful (?!…) delivery person likes to dump our packages in the most unexpected places. It’s as if they were playing hide and seek with me on purpose, but TBH...
by Fatime Losonci | Cambridge Delta
As of January 2023 I’ll also be offering a Pre-Delta Module 2 prep course for candidates 1-2-1, called ‘The Delta Module 2 Whisperer’. If you’re considering signing up for the Delta Module 2, here’s a YouTube playlist to binge on: You can...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
Bespoke to ME mostly means • carrying out a NEEDS ANALYSIS when starting to work with a new IELTS student, • planning MILESTONES in advance, and • MONITORING these consciously during the course, adjusting content and strategy where necessary. What does bespoke...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback, IELTS writing sub-skills
Different learning contexts allow for varying depth to a teacher’s comments on a student’s work. In larger groups in a public school, for example, or if writing is a neglected part of the curriculum (which it often is), our learners might not receive...
by Fatime Losonci | lesson planning
If you · have been following my IELTS teacher training posts for a while · watched my free IELTS Masterclass and loved it · speak English on a C1 level or above · have the Cambridge CELTA or equivalent · already teach, or plan to teach IELTS...
by Fatime Losonci | lesson planning
So, the other day we went to the beach for the first time since I got here. We were super excited, and packed everything for a perfect day: ice cold drinks, food, suntan lotion, towels, snacks and goggles… you name it. Oh, and a fancy new beach umbrella too,...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
Are your IELTS learners avoiding or overusing any grammar area? Do they sometimes resort to AVOIDANCE when they’re not confident about a grammar area? What gives them away? Have any of your learners been OVERUSING a grammar (or vocab!) area to compensate for...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Are you on the fence about signing up for my upcoming IELTS teacher training Bootcamp in November, How to Teach IELTS? Let me guess. 1) Is it because you’re concerned you might not have the necessary TIME to dedicate to studying on the course? OR 2) Is it...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Yes, I’m ‘nuts’ about Florida –how well they know me! And nuts about nuts in general: almonds, pecans, even cashews… 😀 ;P I’m also ‘nuts’ about TRAINING teachers, and seeing them become better and more confident at teaching...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
1) Are your learners good at identifying the AUTHOR’S PURPOSE with the whole text and each paragraph? 2) Do they usually manage to correctly identify KEY WORDS and chunks in the HEADINGS? 3) How skillfully do your students use the PROCESS OF ELIMINATION? Do they...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
1) How aware are your learners of the differences between reading for pleasure, i.e. reading EXTENSIVELY in their everyday lives as opposed to reading on the IELTS exam? 2) Which QUESTION TYPES do your learners seem to be more familiar with already from their previous...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
Some learners struggle to follow SIGNPOSTING (starting, listing, adding, digressing, returning to topic, concluding, etc.) and other ways of cohesive linking in LISTENING tasks on the IELTS exam. As a result, they might have a hard time noticing where the...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
What do you do when an IELTS student of yours always writes LESS than the required word count? And when they tend to write MORE? The Word Count Skeleton technique might help with both. Check it out here. — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Moving our body makes us stronger and more flexible. Moving to a new home, (town, country, continent, culture…) makes us more resilient, resourceful, and emotionally, mentally more agile. In other words, SOME change and disruption can often be good for us, as it...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
1) How familiar are your learners with the kinds of VISUALS (e.g. summary/note/table/flow-chart/diagram) that they might have to complete in completions questions on IELTS? 2) Can they detect WHICH SECTION is talked about in the questions? 3) Can they recognize the...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, general
We spend a lot of time thinking about becoming better teachers for our learners –as we should. And we tend to think less about who our IELTS lessons are NOT for. Yet there are students who we should not strive to work with, for a variety of reasons, including...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
To help raise your IELTS learners’ awareness of the importance that INTONATION plays in creating meaning, you could have them do the following SPEAKING exercise. “Create one-word conversations with a ‘story’ behind each. Practice reading/acting...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
IELTS learners often complain about not having enough (relevant) IDEAS to flesh out in their LETTERS and especially their ESSAYS. Teaching them to use some kind of a ‘brainstorming device’, such as an ‘Angle ABC’ can help them generate more...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
Some students who are new to IELTS (…but have perhaps heard that it’s a challenging exam… with strict time limits too…) will treat it like a MEMORY TEST. Short-term memory plays a role, yes, but often differently than how these learners...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback
In my experience, a few things might help make feedback easier to take on board: 1) starting with the POSITIVES 🙂 2) using gentle, reaffirming LANGUAGE throughout 3) NOT DUMPING but choosing ‘staggered delivery’ as much as possible,...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
Yesterday I got to talking with a lovely Bootcamper about the importance of managing our IELTS learners’ expectations carefully. Because our job is relatively easy when a student who is ALREADY on the (CEFR/band score) level that they are targeting, but may...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
In this part of the IELTS exam candidates are given a card which asks them to talk about a particular topic. They have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. After this the examiner asks one or two questions on the same topic. Things to ponder:...
by Fatime Losonci | general
If you teach IELTS and… 1) would like to learn how to use the public band descriptors as teaching tools 2) want to learn more about why an initial needs analysis can be useful when taking on a new student, how to conduct one and what to include in it 3)...
by Fatime Losonci | general
If you teach IELTS (–sometimes with your dog lurking in the background perhaps… :D) … AND …would like your dog featured (with your names ;)) in one of my LinkedIn and blog posts on my website, send me their picture on LinkedIn or to...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
How to Teach IELTS –The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp– might just be the right back-to-school CPD for you if you 1) want to be able to share lots of useful sample answers your learners to better model what is expected of them on the exam (e.g. on the...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Consider taking How to Teach IELTS –The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp– if you 1) have already taught (or are teaching) TOEFL or TOEIC courses, now want to teach IELTS, and need to understand the differences between these 2) would like to feel more confident...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Oh, hi there, have we met? 😀 Sorry to stop your scroll (–nah, not really ;P), but did you know that… …TESTING doesn’t equal TEACHING! :O (Except when learning to ‘teach’ skills on the CELTA, which is an ENTRY-LEVEL qualification for...
by Fatime Losonci | general
I find that the best way to discover a new place is by …purposefully allowing yourself to get lost there! :O :O Between Bootcamp session writing burst I’m also taking some time these days to wander around my ‘new’ (=about a 100 years young :D)...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD
If you are addicted to life-long learning like I am, chances are that you have signed up for things (courses, trainings, etc.) quite haphazardly in the past as well. And there’s nothing wrong with that, if the training (course, or ‘thing’)...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
If your IELTS students struggle with MATCHING HEADING QUESTIONS in the reading test, you could give them a few paragraphs on the same TOPIC, but with a different AUTHOR’S PURPOSE. After they are done reading, debrief about what key language and discourse...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Living in a city where people normally holiday can be confusing: you don’t quite know if you’re ‘coming or going’… 😀 I’m slowly settling in to my new life in (another) ‘paradise city’, and restarting work as well,...
by Fatime Losonci | lesson planning
This is Sophie and me, planning a lesson about 20 years ago… :O Well, I was planning it, she was in charge of classroom management… 😀 😀 (Oh, the irony…) When was the last time dogs ‘featured’ in a lesson you taught? (Not necessarily...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
1) Do your learners confuse FALSE/NO questions with NOT GIVEN? How have you tried to help them? Did it work? 2) Do your students tend to identify the RIGHT SECTION in a text when looking for the answer? 3) How aware are they of the idea of SCATTERED EVIDENCE across a...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback
…have developed some clever ways to gently burst their students’ bubbles who want to RETAKE the exam too soon after having ‘failed’ it. Now, IELTS isn’t a PASS-OR-FAIL exam of course, but candidates often sign up for it with very specific...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Still can’t quite believe this is happening.After 10 years in Mexico… ♥️🇲🇽 Any tips, advice for the new life? 🤔🥳🥳🥳♥️🙏🏻🇺🇸 (—not political 😆🥳🥳☝🏻👍👏👏🤔)#showmehow
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
Here’re some things to encourage your IELTS students to check for in their reports. 1) Did I respect the overall minimum WORD COUNT (150 words)? 2) Did I INTERPRET the visuals correctly? 3) Does my writing look PROPORTIONATE? 4) Does it have visibly SEPARATE...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
What are the key PRIORITIES when teaching each IELTS writing genre? Connect the most important aspect of each genre that a teacher should pay special attention to. Aspects of writing: 1) the ability to write neutrally and precisely about facts presented by someone...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS reading sub-skills
Students might struggle to recognize the AUTHOR’S PURPOSE in an IELTS reading text. This issue can cause difficulty when dealing with MATCHING HEADING QUESTIONS, because understanding the communicative aim of a paragraph, AS WELL AS the headings is necessary to...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills, IELTS reading sub-skills
Do your IELTS learners realize that words might be synonyms in one context but not in another? It might be useful to help them notice this for a better score on the receptive skills tests of the exam, such as reading and listening. For example, the word...
by Fatime Losonci | general
I’m often asked about the format of my IELTS teacher training course, How to Teach IELTS –The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp–. Well, FYI, it follows a ‘hybrid’ format, to include the best of a variety of learning ‘worlds’ (e.g....
by Fatime Losonci | feedback, IELTS writing sub-skills
…the FACTUAL accuracy of their content. It’s not enough to only look for LINGUISTIC (e.g. grammar and vocab), and STRUCTURAL (e.g. coherence and cohesion, genre, word count, etc.) issues. We need to also pay attention to whether what the student is stating...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
…that one day all IELTS students will use vocabulary of the right REGISTER in the exam… 😀 If you want to draw your IELTS learners’ attention to the importance of APPROPRIACY of lexis in the speaking test, you could try the following fun activity....
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
Part 3 is a conversation between up to four people set in an educational context, for example between a university tutor and a student or students, discussing an assignment. So, which of the following topics and speakers do you think candidates might hear in a Part 3...
by Fatime Losonci | general
I’m often asked why I ‘don’t believe in’ teaching grammar and vocabulary for IELTS.Or what’s up with me ‘constantly’ telling IELTS teachers to be ‘judicious’ about any (explicit) language teaching to IELTS...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
In my IELTS teacher training Bootcamp, ‘How to Teach IELTS’ candidates learn to use, for example the following writing teaching techniques: ‘Mini Essay Scaffold’ ‘Word Count Skeleton Method’ and ‘The Angle ABC’ Can you...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills
Do your IELTS students associate being fluent in English with non-stop talking? Then you might want to draw their attention to the fact that one of the most noticeable differences between native and nonnative speakers of a language is their so-called...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
An outstanding IELTS essay or letter is full of relevant ideas, is creative and intelligent in its content, structurally complete, respects the word count, and is rich in accurate language (both grammar and vocabulary). What else would you add to the list? —...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills, IELTS reading sub-skills
IELTS READING teaching tip: Draw your higher level (=band 6+) learners’ attention to the fact that negation may be expressed through LEXICAL means as well (e.g. using antonyms), not only GRAMMATICAL ones (e.g. using ‘auxiliary + not’). For example,...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Consider signing up for my course, How to Teach IELTS –The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp– if you 1) are (or were) an IELTS examiner but feel that you do not know so much about teaching listening and reading as the productive skills 2) are (or were) an IELTS...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD, general
Why, and HOW did you become an IELTS teacher? Is it any different than what you thought it’d be like? #showmehow #ieltsteacher, #IELTSTeacherTrainer, #IELTSTeacherTraining, #ELTskillsteacher
by Fatime Losonci | general
Before ‘Corona’ became such a taboo word (…), the unfortunate (?) beer company used to have an ad that I would see all over town (in Cancun) on billboards. It said something along the lines of ‘Pencils down, Limes up …FIND YOUR...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, general
What do you do when you start working with IELTS students who were taught by a colleague or an institution, and have a lot of erroneous ideas either about what’s IN the exam, or HOW to prepare for it? Have you had this problem before? What were the issues?...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS writing sub-skills
In IELTS essays getting a good band score on the Task response criterion requires that -candidates follow the essay FORMAT and TONE -respect the WORD COUNT (of 250 words) -respond to the topic, scope and essay type as prescribed by the TASK, and ...
by Fatime Losonci | general
I’m Planning a Flash Sale! I’m planning a back-to-school flash sale sometime in August/early September, just FYI. 😉 If you -teach IELTS -have been following me for a while -like my content -and would love, love, LOVE a place on my...
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS listening sub-skills
In the IELTS listening test candidates sometimes struggle because MATCHING QUESTIONS require that they notice certain more ABSTRACT ideas and NOTIONS in the recording, such as ‘rejecting an idea’. Being able to do this often requires a GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback
We regularly GIVE our learners FEEDBACK, but do we ask THEM for theirs enough? Here’s the feedback I got from a client I recently worked with: “Fatime is passionate about sharing her ELT, Delta and IELTS expertise, extremely hard-working, patient, and...
by Fatime Losonci | lesson planning
I’m moving house (and country) in two weeks, and am in the process of buying household items on Amazon for our new home. And although I hardly ever burst out laughing shopping for basic products like kitchenware, the description of a set of water glasses did...
by Fatime Losonci | Cambridge Delta, item writing
Click here to access the Session Notes as well! Jeff is preparing for the Cambridge Delta. In this (slightly improvised… :D) session we talked about the following topics, among others: -item writing standards in ELT -fairness, validity -L1 interference (e.g....
by Fatime Losonci | IELTS speaking sub-skills, IELTS writing sub-skills
To score a higher (6+) band on the IELTS exam, candidates need to be familiar with (AND skilled at using…) HEDGING. Hedging is using CAUTIOUS language, to draw the reader’s/listener’s attention to differences between facts and claims. If a...
by Fatime Losonci | general
For the last few days I’ve been thinking a lot about POLYGLOTS, thanks to a few thought-provoking conversations that I’ve had with a client and friend of mine. And because my grandmother was a German teacher back in her day, and is a life-long...
by Fatime Losonci | lesson planning
…YET another YouTube video about the structural, factual aspects of the exam, or generic posts about the features and timings of each test. What they DO need is to be guided by a teacher who TEACHES them the concrete SUB-SKILLS required to get the band scores...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD, general
I have a favorite cosmetics brand. I love their products and have been using them for decades, wherever I was living at the time (–yay globalization). I’m super loyal to them, AND… their Mexican website is a cluster f*^# of UX. :(( They don’t keep me...
by Fatime Losonci | feedback, IELTS reading sub-skills, lesson planning
Newsflash! Having the answer key to a (past paper’s) reading task doesn’t in itself make you a (good…) IELTS teacher. You also need to be always able to ‘ARGUE FOR’ the correct answer on demand. 😀 😉 (…which isn’t good IELTS...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, IELTS listening sub-skills, IELTS reading sub-skills, IELTS speaking sub-skills, IELTS writing sub-skills, lesson planning
Adapting authentic materials (with specific IELTS sub-skills in mind) tends to be SUPER engaging for IELTS students. The reason is that IELTS is often somewhat of a (scary) burden on your students’ minds… A hurdle they have to overcome, to unlock their own...
by Fatime Losonci | general
IELTS is a skills only exam. It’s short. (Well, shorter than other English language exams, for example of Cambridge’s main suite). It’s ‘sweet ‘n’ practical’. 😀 And it is HARD and STRAIGHTFORWARD at the same time. IELTS...
by Fatime Losonci | lesson planning
We SHOULD give our students lots of freedom whenever possible. Yes, we also want to encourage learner autonomy in general. We want them (as in, our adult learners preparing for a language exam) to feel that they are in charge of their own learning.What can be...
by Fatime Losonci | CPD, general
The other day, my ELT business and mindset coach, Rachael Roberts asked me the question ‘What movement do you want to start …or have started already?’It really helped me crystallize my ‘ELT mission’, which is to • improve the quality of...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, feedback, general
Picture this. You meet YET ANOTHER IELTS student who has taken the exam about 3 times already, and failed to get the required results. And deep down they still kind of believe (…hope…) that if they just ‘keep trying’ (as in keep signing up for...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke
Said no legit taxi driver, EVER. 😀 We WANT our ‘driver’ to know our destination, and have an idea for an itinerary for us as well. Our learners aren’t much different in that when they start preparing for the IELTS exam with us, they’d welcome a...
by Fatime Losonci | general
Hi there! I’ve got news for you. If you teach IELTS, you are a GATEKEEPER. You are teaching something VITALLY important that your learners’ futures hinge upon. So, make sure you’re really, REALLY up to the task, for example by signing up for my...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, general
As a teenager I went to a very academically demanding high school, where we learned –among other deeply knowledge-based concepts– about solar prominences, and how to calculate orbital velocity. :O I remember tuning out a lot (…a LOT!) during these science lessons...
by Fatime Losonci | bespoke, general
I love, love, LOVE knowledge. AND … I also feel that it’s time we reversed the order in which we start any new learning or teaching endeavor, to allow us to keep up with an ever-faster, and increasingly more complex world. I feel that today it’s best if we...
by Fatime Losonci | Cambridge Delta, CPD
What Does Exploiting the Same Material to Go ‘Deep’ with Your Target Language Mean? Do you sometimes feel ‘guilty’ when using the same piece of material over and over again in a lesson? Don’t! Your learners will thank you for it. 😉 How do YOU like to...
by Fatime Losonci | Cambridge Delta, CPD
The Difficulty of Doing the Cambridge Delta Module 2 in Some (Cultural or Professional) Contexts Is good teaching prohibited in any ways in your context? :O — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping CELTA-qualified English...
by Fatime Losonci | Cambridge Delta, CPD
How Many Lexical Items Should I Include in a Cambridge Delta Module 2 Lesson Have you ever tried teaching much more? Much fewer? What happened? — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping CELTA-qualified English language teachers...
by Fatime Losonci | Cambridge Delta, CPD
On Failing and Jumping to the Next Level… When was the last time something worked out differently for you than planned? How did you ‘use’ it to gain momentum or ‘catapult’ yourself to the next level? — — Hi. I’m Fatime....
by Fatime Losonci | Cambridge Delta, CPD
Progress Is Sometimes Imperceivable (for Us!)… Is there a skill you recently got better at and struggled to notice this growth in you? What helped you become aware of your improvement in the end? — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher...
by Fatime Losonci | Cambridge Delta, CPD
Why Creating Info Gaps Is a Good Idea What’s a ‘real life info gap’ situation you’ve recently been in? — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping CELTA-qualified English language teachers become better at...
by Fatime Losonci | Cambridge Delta, CPD
How to Be Principled about the Interaction Patterns We Choose What are your favorite interaction patterns? Why? …And do you think you might overuse them from time to time…? — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping...
by Fatime Losonci | Cambridge Delta, CPD
What’s Wrong with Choosing Target Language Items that Are Interchangeable? What kinds of problems does choosing too similar target language items cause in a lesson? — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping CELTA-qualified...
by Fatime Losonci | Cambridge Delta, CPD
On the Importance of Labeling Our Exercises Correctly –Part 1 Do you think it matters whether an exercise (for example in a coursebook or a worksheet) is labeled correctly? Why/why not? — — Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping...
