Enviromental

Melting glaciers| 5/2/2015 12:00:00 AMACCORDING to media reports, the pace of melting glaciers in Pakistan is faster than in any other country. Thus, rains cannot be held solely responsible for unexpected floods in the country.

According to glaciologists, glaciers are adding fuel to fire and due to their melting, the flood situation is aggravating day by day. Dominant glaciers, which contain a huge quantity of water in frozen form, are melting at a faster pace. The recent decade has experienced exceptional environmental changes throughout the world because of global warming.

Glaciers up to 20,000 feet high have started melting and depleting, thus our frozen water reservoirs are diminishing rapidly. Climate change has not only triggered extreme weather events, but also brought uncertain ties in the behavior of certain weather phenomena.

The country is headed for increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events that include frequent floods and droughts. Hence there is a need for making policies to cope with the situation.

Khan Faraz Peshawar

Child labour| 5/3/2015 12:00:00 AMWE have always believed that the youth is a future asset of our country. They should enjoy the early years of their life and should not be forced to do jobs at an early age.

However, in Pakistan the situation is the opposite of what it should really be. We see these assets being used as labourers and being exploited at an early age. Child labour is a common and serious problem in most underdeveloped countries like Pakistan.

In Pakistan, children are forced by their families to work. In fact, some are even sold.

These children work in workshops, clean streets and might even be forced to become beggars.

The main cause of child labour is poverty and lack of education. Child labour should be banned so that children may not be sold by their parents.

To ensure that child labour is abolished in our country, I request the government to set up schools to provide free education to those who can`t afford to pay for it.

A glaring example is

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Indian curbs on planes| 5/12/2015 12:00:00 AMKARACHI: Pakistan will consider taking appropriate measures against Indian aircraft flying over Pakistani territory if India does not permit Pakistani aircraft carrying military personnel or equipment to fly over its territory, official sources said in Karachi yesterday. The Indo-Pakistan agreement in this respect, they added, was on a reciprocal basis. If the Indians withdrew this facility Pakistan would be compelled to do likewise. Official sources were commenting on Press reports from New Delhi that the Indian Government had decided not to permit Pakistani aircraft carrying military personnel or equipment to fly over the Indian territory.

All Pakistani aircraft flying over India on nonscheduled flights were now required to land at a designated Indian airport for customs inspection, even if granted prior permission to fly over India, the reports said. It was in pursuance of this decision, the reports further said, that a Pakistani aircraft bound for East Pakistan was detained at Palam airport last week and ordered to return to Karachi after being accused of carrying a contraband cargo. Of ficial sources also contradicted the statement of Indian Defence Minister Y.B.

Chavan that the Pakistani aircraft was carrying spare parts for military aircraft. They said it was not right on the part of India to have detained the crew and passengers of the aircraft carrying the weekly mail service. The plane should have been allowed to proceed to Dacca instead of being sent back to Karachi. These sources said the crew were also harassed when the plane was detained for no less than 36 hours. Agencies [Meanwhile, as reported by agencies from Coimbatore in south India], Mr. T.C.G. Stacey, a London journalist, was in jail here today [May 11] after being arrested on a charge arising out of an interview he is alleged to have had with Sheikh Abdullah. Mr. Stacey was arrested yesterday after allegedly visiting Sheikh Abdullah at the bungalow outside Ootacamund where the Sheikh is living under restriction. The British journalist was then arraigned before a Magistrate on a charge under the Criminal Procedure Code.[TOP]

EDUCATION in Pakistan is in tatters.but the educational sector is waiting for a saviour.

ISLAMABAD: The ownership of the palatial Bilawal House in Bahria Town, Lahore, has tax ofHcials perplexed as there is no document available on the Federal Board of Revenue`s (FBR) record to indicate who actually owns the property in question.

Sources in the FBR`s Intelligence and Investigation (I&I) directorate of inland revenue told Dawn that the property in question was purchased by the Zardari Group Pvt Ltd, a firm that has been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SE CP).

The company has made three paymentsto Bahria Town through cheques, amounting to Rs170 million, against a total value of Rs480.5m. According to the Bahria`s record, payments of Rs310.5m are still outstanding.

The I&I directorate first stumbled upon this problem while it was investigating the assets of individuals with a high net worth. According to investigators, the Zardari Group`s profile has no details about any business activities or investment and the only changes appearing in the profile relate to the names of the company`s directors. Feit

Currently, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Faryal Talpur are the directors of the company, while Asif Ali Zardari, his daughters Bakhtawar and Aseefa and his mother Bilquis Sultana are shareholders in the company. Registered as a construction firm in 1981, the company`s paid-up capital amounts to a mere Rs1m. Despite having a National Tax Number (NTN), thecompany has not filed tax returns since its inception and only paid a nominal amount oftaxin February 2015.

Irregularities This is why I&I investigators are probing how a company with such a small portfolio could afford to pay for the sprawling Bilawal House in the capital of the Punjab province. They are also stumped by the absence of a sale or transfer deed, which can settle the question of ownership beyond any doubt. However, the absence of such record creates doubts as to the ownership of the property.

The I&I directorate began investigating the property in November 2014. They scrutinised the house ownership, the property`s sale and purchase price and the tax declarations of the owners vis-avis the sources of investment as well as the maintenance and day-to-day use ofthe mansion.

In past months, there were rumours that Bahria Town Chairman Malik Riaz had `gifted` the property to former president Asif Ali Zardari. However, a report by the I&I`s Lahore office, seen by Dawn, clearly states that the `registration of gift deed is not indicated from the revenue record of the City District Government of Lahore (CDGL)`. This means that Malik Riaz never declared the house as his personal property and therefore could not have given it as a gift to the former president.

The FBR officials are also concerned about undervaluation of the property.

According to their estimates, the property as well as the house built on it should cost well over Rs1 billion. However, the price tag of Rs480.5m does not line up with the market price of other, similar properties in the area.

The property itself used to be known as `Ali Farm House`. This was the name under which, in 2012, a site plan was submitted to the CDGL for approval.

Following approval of the plan, Bahria Town constructed a house on the property, with a covered area of 82,959 square-feet against a total area of 844,379sq-ft.

The FBR officials said that Bahria Town confirmed selling Bilawal House, Lahore, to the Zardari Group on May 6, 2013 and provided payment details for that period. Two cheques, worth Rs60m and Rs20m each, were issued to Bahria Town in February 2013, while another cheque worth Rs90m was issued in the name of Malik Riaz in May of the same year.

This is an anomaly, because in the case of a transaction between two companies or corporate concerns, it is considered improper to issue a cheque in the name of an individual.

When asked to comment on the ownership of the property, Farhatullah Babar, spokesperson for Mr Zardari, told Dawn that, `Bilawal House, Lahore, is owned by Zardari Group, which has Faryal Talpur, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and some other Zardari family members, but not Asif Zardari, as directors. Mr Zardari relinquished directorship after becoming president of Pakistan.

Future course of action In the light of information gleaned from the investigation so far, tax officials say that the corporate concern will have to explain the sources of investments in Bilawal House in a balance sheet which will be submitted to the FBR along with the company`s audited accounts and tax returns.

This action shall be initiated under Section 114 of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001, which requires every corporate taxpayer to file returns, along with audited accounts and abalance sheet.

The company will have to explain the sources of investments, failing which, the FBR can impose a flat-rate tax of 33 per cent on the declared value of the property.

Sources in the I&I directorate told Dawn the case had been referred to the regional tax office in Karachi who would identify the sources of investment.

Directions have also been given to the Karachi office to enforce the filing of returns, impose penalties for non-filing of returns under Section 182 of the ordinance.

The tax office concerned will serve notices on the company and exhort it to file its complete tax returns and the Regional Taxpayers Office (RTO) in Islamabad will be engaged to verify whether the cheque for Rs90m issued in the name of Bahria Town Chairman Malik Riaz was credited to his account or Bahria Town`s.

In case of the former, the issue of its taxability may be taken up with the RTO in Islamabad. [TOP]

Reforming education

| 5/10/2015 12:00:00 AM THIS is apropos the letter `Cheating in exams` by Air-Cdr (r) Azfar A. Khan (April 27). Degeneration has set in our education system to such an extent that a point of no returnhas been reached.

Everyone is corrupt, so where to go? InInter-Service Selection Board, candidates are given 90 questions to do in 30 minutes, three questions in a minute. So the candidate`s eyes are fixed on the answer sheet, no time even to whisper.

In USMLE, the much-sought-after examinations by doctors, 322 questions are set to be answered in eight hours (44questions in eight one-hour blocks).

The beauty of USMLE examinations is that a colleague sitting next to a candidate has a totally different set of questions. Both can`t help each other. Moreover, it is a race against time. To every question, there are four or five similar-looking answers and the doctor has to tick the right answer in a split of a second.

Similarly, GMAT and SAT tests are foolproof. There is no chance of cheating. It is a race against time.

In our army, the promotion examinations of military law paper are unique because of open book examinations. Four hours are allotted to answer the questions. The officer is required to consult three voluminous books called MPML, each having approximately 1,000 pages. He has to consult the relevant rules, sections and quickly prepare his reply on the spot. No readymade reply is available. This obviates the chances of cheating.

We have to switch over to modern techniques of examinations.

Greece had made enormous strides towards reaching

THIS week David Cameron, the newly re-elected Tory prime minister, will publish a bill to authorise a referendum on Britains membership of the European Union. The plan is to hold the referendum before the end of 2017, although some are talking of advancing it to late 2016. Before it can be held, however, Mr Cameron wants changes to the terms of Britains membership so that he can present voters with a choice to stay in what he calls a reformed EU. Butjust what changes does Mr Cameron want?So far Mr Cameron has been vague, but he is expected to set out more details at the EU summit in late June. So those seeking the answer now have been reading through past texts in which Mr Cameron set out some demands: the Bloomberg speech of January 23rd 2013, when he first promised to hold a referendum; a subsequent article in the Sunday Telegraph; a later speech on immigration and benefits; and the Conservative election manifesto.

From these sources, analysts come up with six main demands. First is a four-year bar on benefits, including in-work benefits, being claimed by migrants from the rest of the EU, to stop benefits tourism. Second is a reduction in EU regulation and even a repatriation of some regulatory powers from Brussels. Third is a big effort to complete the single market in areas like services, digital and energy. Fourth is a mechanism to safeguard the interests of non-euro countries from the risk that an integrated euro zone might discriminate against them. Fifth is a British opt-out from the treaty commitment to ever closer union. And sixth is a bigger role for national parliaments in blocking proposed EU legislation.

This list leads to three further questions. Can he win the unanimous agreement of other governments? Do any of the changes require treaty amendment, which is hard for some other countries to do? And will they persuade British voters to stay in the EU? The answer to the first is that most of the changes are quite modest, so they should not be too difficult to agree. The second is harder, since at least three of the proposalsthe benefits change, an opt-out from ever closer union and a mechanism to safeguard non-euro memberscould require a new treaty to guarantee their effectiveness. There may be scope for a legal fudge that stops short of full treaty change, similar to protocols adopted in the past to satisfy Danish and Irish demands after their voters rejected previous treaties. Or there could be a post-dated cheque: a promise to incorporate changes into the EU treaties whenever they are revised, for instance if a new country joins the club. The third question is the biggest unknown. But Mr Cameron is gambling that, fresh from his unexpected election victory, he can persuade voters that it is better to have the devil they know than the devil they dont. After all, a similar tactic favouring the status quo worked in the Scottish independence referendum last Septemberbut it was a close-run thing. AWALPINDI: President Ayub Khan today [May 25 J declared that Pakistan stood for peace but `if war is forced on us we will fight till victory is achieved`. Peace, he said, is essential for Pakistan and for the success of its development programme but defence of the country is top most. `We are not afraid of Indian bluffs and we shall not be cowed by threats,` he said and added `we cannot sit back while Indians mass their troops on our border poised for attack.` The President was addressing a huge gathering of the POF workers from the balcony of the administrative block after a 2-1/2 hours` inspection of the factories now producing modern, sophisticated arms and ammunitions.

`Our troops are at the right place and if the Indians dare attack us the Pakistan troops will be there to defend the country.` As [the] President said this the workers broke into thunderous applause. The President told the cheering crowd if at any time India attacked Pakistan the aggressors would not find the people and the defence forces of this country unprepared. `For us,` he said, `it would be a war for our very existence`. Correspondent [Meanwhile, as reported by our correspondent from Peshawar], the Commissioner, Peshawar division, Mr Masrur Hasan Khan, while addressing a representative jirga of Utmankhel, Safi, Halimzai and Tarakzai tribes of Mohmand Agency at the Commissioner`s House, said that the Government of Pakistan is fully determined to put the tribal areas on way to progress and prosperity and bring them at par with the other advanced areas. Continuing the Commissioner assured the tribesmen that with their co-operation the Government would leave no stone unturned in implementing schemes and projects which would bring prosperity not only to these areas but also help build solidarity of the nation at last.[TOP]

NARENDRA MODI became India's prime minister almost a year ago, on May 26th 2014. Since then he has made many detailed promises, to be kept by set deadlines.The Economisthas collated as many of these as possible in the table below. Around half relate to tasks to be done by 2019, the likely date of the next general election. Some are strikingly ambitious, such as improving India's position on the World Bank's "Ease of doing business" ranking from a woeful 142nd today to the top 50 by 2017. One or two have already been achieved, or are likely to be soon. For example a plan to open 75m new bank accounts by the end of January 2015 has been surpassed: some 150m accounts have been opened. A goal to have one billion Indians enrolled in the Aadhaar "unique identity" biometric database this year looks doable. These goals also reveal Mr Modi's mentality as a leader: he sees himself in the mould of a CEO, or a taskmaster who sets concrete targets for others to implement.The 30-odd items constitute a checklist to assess whether Mr Modi's government is living up to its promises. Critics might dispute whether all are worth pursuing, such as a proposal for massive river-linking projects to divert fresh water to drought-prone areas, or a hugely expensive plan for high-speed trains (fixing low-speed ones is a greater priority). Others could grumble that worthy goals are not connected to the right projects. Attempting to end the widespread practice of open defecation is laudable: bad public hygiene leads to ill-health, poor nutrition, child mortality and more. But this requires a broad, thoughtful plan, to do with education and changing cultural habits, not just the government building 100m new toilets. Critics could also point to the fact that many important ambitions are missing. Your correspondent once suggested to Mr Modi he should have a plan to get Indian universities ranked in the top 200 in the world, but so far he has very little to say about higher education. Nonetheless, it is useful to track official pledges and see what is achieved.ON THE desk of Chris Case, chief technology officer of Oxford Photovoltaics, there sits a small but heavy vial filled with a canary-yellow liquid. Thats enough for a kilowatt, he says. The material in the vial is called methylammonium lead iodide, and enthusiasts such as Dr Case believe it, and materials like itknown collectively as perovskitescould lead to a dramatic increase in the worlds use of power from the sun.Oxford Photovoltaics is one of many firms, both small and large, that see promise in perovskites. These are compounds that share a crystal structure and are named, collectively, after the mineral that was the first substance found to have this structure. Often, they are semiconductors. This means that, like the most famous semiconductor of all, silicon, they can be used in solar cells.In this section Crystal clear? The X-files To sleep, perchance The watcher in the waterReprintsRelated topics Technology Science and technology Energy technology Alternative energy Solar energyThe first perovskite solar cells were made in 2009. They converted 3.8% of the light falling on them into electricity. Now, the best hoover up around 20%. This rate of conversion is similar to the performance of commercial silicon cells, and researchers are confident they can push it to 25% in the next few years.Moreover, unlike silicon, perovskites are cheap to turn into cells. To make a silicon cell, you have to slice a 200-micron-thick wafer from a solid block of the element. A perovskite cell can be made by mixing some chemical solutions and pouring the result onto a suitable backing, or by vaporising precursor molecules and letting them condense onto such a backing. If these processes can be commercialised, silicon solar cells will have a serious rival.Light workSolar cells, perovskite ones included, all function in broadly the same way. When light hits a crystal of the material they are made from, it frees electrons (which are negatively charged) and leaves behind what are, in effect, positively charged holes in the crystal lattice. This formation of electron-hole pairs is characteristic of semiconductors exposed to light. Neighbouring materials then capture the positive and negative charges and transport them to electrode layers on the cells outer faces, where they generate a current.This general theme, though, is capable of variation. Last year, for example, Michael Grtzel of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, in Lausanne, devised a cell in which the perovskites were infused into the electron-capturing material, rather than being a separate layer. That design, he thinks, will make cells cheaper to manufacture, and more stable. Dyesol, an Australian firm with which Dr Grtzel is collaborating, agrees. It is building a factory in Turkey, planned to open in 2017, to manufacture solar cells that are based on the Grtzel infusion principle.But the variations on the photovoltaic theme that most excite researchers at the moment are tandem cells, which have layers of both perovskite and silicon in them. These will permit more of the spectrum to be converted into electricity. Perovskites can be made to many different formulae, which means they can be tuned to absorb different parts of the spectrum. The top layer of a tandem cell is a perovskite that has been tweaked to absorb strongly at the blue end of the spectrum. Beneath it is a layer of silicon, which mops up the red.The first such tandem was unveiled in March by researchers from Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It had an efficiency of 13.7%. This week, Oxford Photovoltaics showed off one that has an efficiency of 20%. It hopes to see its first commercial tandems roll off production lines in 2017. This marriage of convenience between the old and new ways of doing photovoltaics may not, however, last long. Henry Snaith, Oxford Photovoltaics founder, looks forward to all-perovskite tandems that have cells of different composition, each tuned to harvest a particular part of the solar spectrum.The main obstacle to the march of perovskites is water: they decompose in it. Perovskite solar panels must thus be totally watertight. But technology exists to make effective seals on solar cells. The standard tests for cells, including those for watertightness, are set by a body called the International Electrotechnical Commission. One of these tests requires that cells sustain their performance for more than 1,000 hours at 85C and 85% humidity. Others put cells through drastic temperature swings, artificial hailstorms and so on. Dr Snaith says that Oxford Photovoltaics cells have passed the 1,000 hour test and are well on the way to making 2,000 hours.Another way around the problem of a potentially limited lifetime is to find applications where it does not matter. In these, perovskites should do well. Some firms, for example, hope to enter the mobile-device marketreasoning that such devices are usually replaced by their owners every few years and so do not require a long-life cell. Saule Technologies, in Poland, and VTT, in Finland, are experimenting with flexible perovskite cells intended to charge mobiles. Olga Malinkiewicz, Saules founder, says that her company has made prototype flexible cells which are 3% efficient, and she thinks its engineers can get to 10% in the next two years. When Saules cells are commercialised, she plans to make them using inkjet printers that spray perovskite precursors onto adhesive backings. This will permit the cells to be stuck onto any device that needs power.Oxford Photovoltaics and Dyesol, though, are looking at larger-scale, longer-lasting products. They hope to glaze buildings with panes covered in semi-transparent perovskite cells, allowing such edifices to declare, if not independence then at least autonomy from the power grid. The ultimate dream, though, would be to feed that grid itself with power from perovskite cells. At the moment, solar energy contributes a little over 1% to the worlds electricity production. Silicon cells are teetering on the brink of being properly competitive with fossil fuels, but a new way of doing things might push costs down dramatically. Perovskites could be that innovation.Monday, May 25, 2015IELTS Reading: a good study techniqueWhen practising with the Cambridge IELTS books, try this study technique:1. Choose a reading passage.2. Go to the back of the book and get the correct answers.3. Study the passage with the aim of proving why those answers are correct.4. Make a keyword table.When you know what the answers are, you can focus on exam technique: searching for keywords, then reading the relevant part of the passage carefully. You might find this helps you more than simply testing yourself would.Posted bySimoninIELTS Reading|Permalink|Comments (9)Sunday, May 24, 2015IELTS Vocabulary: collocations and phrasesThere were some goodcollocationsand phrases in the 'improved sentences' that I wrote for yesterday's lesson. Did you write them in your notebook? give a presentation members of the audience my mind goes blank use visual aids engage the audience feel anxious regardless of how (+ adjective) something is adequate preparation the key to doing somethingPosted bySimoninVocabulary/Grammar|Permalink|Comments (9)Saturday, May 23, 2015IELTS Speaking / Grammar: improved sentencesHere are my suggestions for improved versions of the sentences in yesterday's lesson. Compare both versions carefully to learn from the changes that I made.1. In my opinion, people are afraid to give presentations when they think that members of the audience might know more than they do.2. My mind often goes blank when starting a new slide.3. I believe that using visual aids can help to engage the audience.4. Of course, giving a presentation can make people feel anxious, regardless of how confident they normally are.5. I think that adequate preparation is the key to giving a good presentation.Posted bySimoninIELTS Speaking,Vocabulary/Grammar|Permalink|Comments (16)Friday, May 22, 2015IELTS Speaking: improve the sentencesHere are some sentences that students wrote below last week'slesson. Can you correct and improve them?1. In my opinion people afraid about people that they know more than them in their presentation.2. My mind often goes blind when starting a new slide.3. I believe that realizing and utilizing visual aids highly can increase people's concentration.4. Of course, when people giving presentations to audiences in which it make them feel a little bit of anxiousness. No matter you are confident people.5. I think by preparing adequately towards presentations is the key to giving a good presentation.Posted bySimoninIELTS Speaking|Permalink|Comments (22)Thursday, May 21, 2015IELTS Writing Task 1: pie chart answerA few people asked me to put the 'waste' pie chart paragraphs together in one place. So here's the full report that my students and I wrote. You can see the pie charts by clickinghere.The pie charts below show how dangerous waste products are dealt with in three countries.The charts compare Korea, Sweden and the UK in terms of the methods used in each country to dispose of harmful waste.It is clear that in both the UK and Sweden, the majority of dangerous waste products are buried underground. By contrast, most hazardous materials in the Republic of Korea are recycled.Looking at the information in more detail, we can see that 82% of the UKs dangerous waste is put into landfill sites. This disposal technique is used for 55% of the harmful waste in Sweden and only 22% of similar waste in Korea. The latter country recycles 69% of hazardous materials, which is far more than the other two nations.While 25% of Sweden's dangerous waste is recycled, the UK does not recycle at all. Instead, it dumps waste at sea or treats it chemically. These two methods are not employed in Korea or Sweden, which favour incineration for 9% and 20% of dangerous waste respectively.(159 words, band 9)Posted bySimoninIELTS Writing Task 1|Permalink|Comments (15)Wednesday, May 20, 2015IELTS Writing Task 2: two-part questionHere's a recent exam question (thanks to Mohammed Nasser for sharing it).Many people prefer to watch foreign films than locally produced films.Why could this be?Should governments give more financial support to local film industries?I call this type of question a "two-part question". The best thing about two-part questions is that it's so easy to plan your 4-paragraph essay structure:1. Introduction: topic + general answer to both questions2. Answer the first question3. Answer the second question4. Conclusion: paraphrase the answer you gave in the introductionPosted bySimoninIELTS Writing Task 2|Permalink|Comments (39)Tuesday, May 19, 2015IELTS Listening: more practiceListen to two students talking about lectures and seminars at university, and fill the gaps in the summaries below.Note:Don't worry if you have to listen several times to get the answers. This is an exercise that I made myself, not a real IELTS question.Click here to listenStudent AUniversity lectures involve everyone on a course ______ up and receiving information from one of the ______ about a particular topic. Seminars, on the other hand, are ______ group meetings in which students discuss in detail the ______ of ideas that they heard about in a lecture.Student BA university timetable will consist of a ______ of lectures and seminars. The number of people in lectures can ______ depending on the course. For my course we have about 400 people in a big lecture ______. The number of people attending a small-group seminar ______ between 10 and 20.Posted bySimoninIELTS Listening|Permalink|Comments (25)Monday, May 18, 2015IELTS Reading: paragraph headingsMatch the correct headings with the paragraphs below.1. The causes of stress among employers and employees2. The increase in work-related stress3. The increase in visits to physicians4. Stress has wide-ranging effects on the body and on behaviourA)The number of stress-related disability claims by American employees has doubled according to the Employee Assistance Professionals Association in Arlington, Virginia. Seventy-five to ninety percent of physician visits are related to stress and, according to the American Institute of Stress, the cost to industry has been estimated at $200 billion-$300 billion a year.B)It is clear that problems caused by stress have become a major concern to both employers and employees. Symptoms of stress are manifested both physiologically and psychologically. Persistent stress can result in cardiovascular disease, a weaker immune system and frequent headaches, stiff muscles, or backache. It can also result in poor coping skills, irritability, jumpiness, insecurity, exhaustion, and difficulty concentrating. Stress may also perpetuate or lead to binge eating, smoking, and alcohol consumption.Posted bySimoninIELTS Reading|Permalink|Comments (104)Sunday, May 17, 2015IELTS Advice: identify the problemMany students ask me for advice about how to improve their scores. Or they ask me to explain why they didn't get higher scores in their exams.Unfortunately, I can't give good advice if I don't know the person. To give good advice, I need to be able to identify the problem, and the only way to do that is by speaking to the student and reading some of his/her essays.So, here's my tip for today: If you want to improve your score, first you need to identify what your problems are. You might need to invest in a few lessons with a teacher who can help you with this.Posted bySimoninQuestions/Advice|Permalink|Comments (20)Saturday, May 16, 2015IELTS Advice: before you retake the examBefore you retake the exam, ask yourself some questions: What specific areas have I worked to improve since my last exam? How do I know that I have improved? Can I get higher scores when I'm practising than the scores I need?Here's an example of an ideal response to these questions:Since my last exam, I've been doing a lot of work to improve my 'main body' paragraphs for writing task 2. I now spend more time planning and organising my ideas before I start writing, so my paragraphs are a lot better. My teacher noticed this improvement and gave my most recent essay a band 7. I only need a 6.5.Posted bySimoninQuestions/Advice|Permalink|Comments (8)Friday, May 15, 2015IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'presentations' topicHere are some questions that have recently appeared in part 3 of the IELTS speaking test. How would you answer each one? Remember that the examiner is expecting longer, more detailed answers in part 3.1. Do you like giving presentations?2. Why do some people feel nervous about giving presentations?3. What do you think people should do before giving a presentation?4. How can visual aids help in a presentation?Posted bySimoninIELTS Speaking|Permalink|Comments (21)Thursday, May 14, 2015IELTS Writing Task 1: past simple, past perfectSeveral people have asked me to explain how the past perfect tense can be used in writing task 1. The example below might help.Look at the following description:In2002, the cost of an average house in the UKwas130,000.By2007, the average house pricehad risento almost 190,000.Notice the verbs used with "in" and "by": I used "in" with the past simple "was" to talk about what happened in one year only (2002). I used "by" with the past perfect "had risen" to talk about an increase that happened in the yearsbefore2007 (from 2002 to 2007).Try writing your own sentences with "in" and "by" to practise describing numbers with the past simple and past perfect.Posted bySimoninIELTS Writing Task 1|Permalink|Comments (16)Wednesday, May 13, 2015IELTS Writing Task 2: strong or balanced opinionThe following question asks for your opinion. You can either have a strong opinion or a more balanced opinion, but you should definitely make your opinion clear in your introduction.Governments should not have to provide care or financial support for elderly people because it is the responsibility of each person to prepare for retirement and support him or herself.To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?Introduction (strong opinion):People have different views about whether or not governments should help senior citizens.I completely disagreewith the idea that elderly people should receive no support from the state.Introduction (more balanced opinion):People have different views about whether or not governments should help senior citizens.Although I acceptthat we all have a responsibility to save money for retirement,I disagreewith the idea that elderly people should receive no support from the state.Note:After the first introduction, I'd advise you to write 2 paragraphs that both explain why you disagree. The second introduction allows you to discuss both sides (which might be easier).Posted bySimoninIELTS Writing Task 2|Permalink|Comments (20)Tuesday, May 12, 2015IELTS Listening: section 4Section 4 is the most difficult part of the listening test for the following reasons: There is no break in the middle of the 10 questions You hear one speaker giving a fairly long talk or lecture The speaker will speak quite quickly A wider range of vocabulary is used, compared to the other sectionsHere's my tip: Don't worry too much about this section. Try to get as many points from the other 3 sections as you can, and this will allow you to lose points in section 4. Remember that you can make 10 mistakes and still get a band 7.Posted bySimoninIELTS Listening|Permalink|Comments (10)Monday, May 11, 2015IELTS Reading: general reading keywordsHere's a keyword table from the general reading test on pages 41-42 of Official IELTS Practice Materials book 2.

I tell all of my students to practise both academic and general reading tests. The techniques that we use are the same, and the vocabulary is always useful.Posted bySimoninIELTS Reading|Permalink|Comments (8)Sunday, May 10, 2015IELTS Advice: practice or preparation?Are exam practice and exam preparation the same thing? I'd say they are not. Preparation for any test should involve more than just exam practice. What else do you do, apart from test practice, to prepare for the IELTS exam?

Posted bySimoninQuestions/Advice|Permalink|Comments (20)Saturday, May 09, 2015IELTS Vocabulary: review and practiceIf I asked you to list the 10 best phrases from yesterday's speaking lesson and Wednesday's writing lesson, which would you choose?Could you then use those 10 phrases in your own sentences?Posted bySimoninVocabulary/Grammar|Permalink|Comments (6)Friday, May 08, 2015IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'prize' answerHere's a question that I mentioned in a lesson a few weeks ago:Describe a prize that you would like to win. You should explain- what the prize is for- how you know about it- what you would have to do to win it- and why you would like to win this prize.And here's my sample answer: Im going to talk about a prize that I would like to win, which is the employee of the year award at the company where I work. At the end of December each year, the company directors give this award to a member of staff who has made an outstanding contribution to the business over the previous twelve months. I first heard about this prize during my training and orientation period just after I got the job three years ago. It was early December and some of my colleagues were discussing who might be awarded employee of the year later that month. I was intrigued, and asked them to tell me more about the award. As I said, the prize is given for outstanding contribution to the business. We dont have an exact definition of what this means, but we assume that you have to achieve certain standards, such as 100% attendance, good punctuality, meeting targets and deadlines, good teamwork, and so on. I think the winner also needs to have done something especially creative. For example, last years winner created a completely new service for our clients. Id like to win employee of the year because it would mean that my work had been recognised by the company directors, and this would definitely help me to progress in my career. It would also give me a great sense of personal achievement.Posted bySimoninIELTS Speaking|Permalink|Comments (18)Thursday, May 07, 2015IELTS Writing Task 1: three sentence typesHere are three 'sentence types' that I like using:1. whilesentence2. respectivelysentence3. sawsentenceTry using 'while' at the beginning of a sentence when you want to make a contrast between two numbers or trends. Use 'respectively' at the end of a sentence that compares two or three numbers. Use 'saw' to say what happened in a country (e.g. the UK saw an increase in...).Can you write an example sentence for all three types, with no mistakes?Look through my lessons to find examples if you need help.Posted bySimoninIELTS Writing Task 1|Permalink|Comments (24)Wednesday, May 06, 2015IELTS Writing Task 2: 'road safety' essayHere's the full essay that I wrote with my students for the question below.Some people think that strict punishments for driving offences are the key to reducing traffic accidents. Others, however, believe that other measures would be more effective in improving road safety. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.People have differing views with regard to the question of how to make our roads safer. In my view, both punishments and a range of other measures can be used together to promote better driving habits.On the one hand, strict punishments can certainly help to encourage people to drive more safely. Penalties for dangerous drivers can act as a deterrent, meaning that people avoid repeating the same offence. There are various types of driving penalty, such as small fines, licence suspension, driver awareness courses, and even prison sentences. The aim of these punishments is to show dangerous drivers that their actions have negative consequences. As a result, we would hope that drivers become more disciplined and alert, and that they follow the rules more carefully.On the other hand, I believe that safe driving can be promoted in several different ways that do not punish drivers. Firstly, it is vitally important to educate people properly before they start to drive, and this could be done in schools or even as part of an extended or more difficult driving test. Secondly, more attention could be paid to safe road design. For example, signs can be used to warn people, speed bumps and road bends can be added to calm traffic, and speed cameras can help to deter people from driving too quickly. Finally, governments or local councils could reduce road accidents by investing in better public transport, which would mean that fewer people would need to travel by car.In conclusion, while punishments can help to prevent bad driving, I believe that other road safety measures should also be introduced.(269 words, band 9)Posted bySimoninIELTS Writing Task 2|Permalink|Comments (32)Tuesday, May 05, 2015 gap-fill summaryListen to the following excerpt from a talk about innovation, and fill the gaps in the summary below.

Are we getting overwhelmed with an always-connected, ______-______ lifestyle, and is that going to lead to less ______ thoughts as we move away from the slower, deeper, contemplative state of reading?The great ______ of scientific and technological innovation has been the historic increase in ______, and our ability to reach out and exchange ideas with other people, and to borrow other peoples ______ and combine them with our ______ and turn them into something new. That has been the primary ______ of creativity and innovation over the last 600 or 700 years.Its true were more ______, but what has happened that is really miraculous and marvelous over the last 15 years is that we have so many new ways to ______ and find other people who have that ______ piece that will complete the idea were working on.Posted bySimoninIELTS Listening|Permalink|Comments (36)Next

Many people prefer to watch foreign films than locally produced films.Why could this be?Should governments give more financial support to local film industries?There are myriad reasons why people tend towards international movies rather than the domestic production. I believe that govt assistance can be helpful for the improvement of Local Film industry.Firstly the far most important thing in a film to attract audience is the visual quality. Normally the print of the International movies is far better than the domestic production. Secondly, cultures of two different countries are different from each other. Movies promulgate the culture of that specific country to the world. In addition to this, it is the human instinct that they want to learn those things, which they dont know.For example, Pakistan is one of the biggest markets for Bollywood movies because of the cultural differences albeit not very much, but the quality of the picture and scripts are far better than the Pak film industry. This is apropos, to the Govt support to the local film industry, I believe this can play a pivotal role in the reviving of the local industry. The support can be in terms of financial or technical.For example, Govt can give subsidy or tax rebate on modern equipment or can help in opening of technical Education Centre for the training of new comers.A glaring example is Pakistan, the country has world famous writers and poets but its film industry is nowhere near to its competitors due to lack of modern instrument and shortage of available funds and Govt support.In conclusion, I would concede the fact that local film industry can be improve with the help of Govt support but improvement in quality will remain the key element in its improvementAlbeit