Face-to-face communication and comparing it to other forms is the topic for this IELTS essay writing task.
IELTS Homework
Write an essay to express your opinion on the effectiveness of face-to-face communication compared to other forms such as letters, emails, or telephone calls. Emphasise the unique benefits of face-to-face communication, and provide examples from your experience if possible. Your essay should have a minimum of 250 words and should take about 40 minutes to complete.
The return to normal working practice post-COVID has brought about a dilemma in society. Technology has played a significant role in this process. As a global society, we aim to strike a better balance between work, rest, and play. However, this is highly controversial, as there is a growing concern about the lack of social skills among the younger generation.
Work Environment
The workplace has embraced new forms of work environments, including hybrid and remote working. While this has sparked debate in certain sectors, it has proven to be effective in maintaining profitability and productivity for most sectors. For instance, remote working can reduce overhead costs for companies and provide employees with a better work-life balance, leading to increased job satisfaction and retention.
There are, nonetheless, skeptics who argue that these new forms of communication lead to a loss of face-to-face interaction. It’s important to recognise the value of physical interaction in building and maintaining relationships, both within and outside of the work environment. Some employers see technology as a threat to interpersonal skills that they consider essential, and it’s crucial to preserve these skills.
Family Structure
Another area where face-to-face communication has diminished is within the family structure. We can see more families replacing physical interaction with conference call technology such as Zoom and Skype.
When expressing your opinion, consider offering varied examples instead of relying solely on generic statements such as “I think.” Additionally, using a richer vocabulary can help you achieve a higher score. This topic falls under the genres of health and technology, and you can find related articles on most news portals’ homepages. It’s important to continually enrich your vocabulary to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the English language and to incorporate it into your speech.
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Level
Understand the level you have and what is needed to increase it. Having family, work and personal commitments must be balanced with the task in hand. Just the want to pass this exam is not enough, without planning, it will remain an unachievable objective and quite frankly a wasted effort of spending money and time.
The Horizon drifted through the Andromeda Nebula, a swirling mass of chaos and colour obscuring the stars.
In “Shadows of the Nebula,” the crew of the spaceship Horizon navigates the treacherous Andromeda Nebula, where they detect a mysterious distress signal emanating from a derelict Federation ship, the USS Valor. Commander Thorne, determined to uphold their responsibility to those in need, leads his team—technician Jax and telepath Lyra—into the depths of the abandoned vessel.
As they explore the eerie corridors, they encounter a lone survivor who reveals that the crew was taken by evil shadows lurking within the nebula. Suddenly, a dark figure confronts them, claiming they have trespassed into the realm of the lost. Faced with this supernatural threat, Thorne and his team must fight for their lives against the encroaching darkness.
In a tense escape, they manage to reach the transporter room and beam back aboard the Horizon just in time. With the shadows dissipated but the danger still looming, the crew sets a course for the nearest starbase, reflecting on their harrowing experience and the constant threats they face in their ongoing battle against the unknown forces of the universe.
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The Horizon
The Horizon drifted through the Andromeda Nebula, a swirling mass of chaos and colour obscuring the stars. This mysterious and dangerous nebula was known for its unpredictable energy fluctuations and the strange phenomena it spawned. Inside the ship, the atmosphere was thick with tension, a palpable reminder of the dangers ahead. Commander Thorne leaned over the control panel, his fingers dancing across the console as he monitored their surroundings.
“Status report, Jax,” he said, glancing at the nervous technician adjusting his collar.
“Nothing to report, just the usual cosmic soup,” Jax replied, his voice wavering. “But I’ve picked up some strange energy readings. It’s like we’ve stumbled into a worm’s nest.”
“Let’s not mince words,” Thorne retorted, his tone sharp. “What do the readings indicate?”
“Um, it’s hard to tell,” Jax stammered, peering into the screen. “It’s fluctuating. It could be a distress signal… or a trap.”
Just then, Lyra, the telepathic crew member, spoke up from her station. “I sense something… or someone. There’s a presence trapped within the nebula.”
“Great,” Jax muttered, shaking his head. “Just what we need—more company. We should cut our losses and get out of here.”
“Not so fast,” Thorne interjected, his eyes narrowing. “We can’t abandon anyone in trouble. We have a responsibility, whether you like it or not.”
“Responsibility? You mean to get us all killed?” Jax shot back, but he knew Thorne was right. They couldn’t leave someone to suffer in the depths of the nebula.
“Or worse,” Lyra added, a grim look crossing her face. “What if this presence is linked to the Federation? Our mission was to investigate the disappearance of a Federation research vessel in this sector. If this is indeed their ship, we may have stumbled upon the cause of their vanishing.”
“Then we’ll have to deal with it,” Thorne said, his voice steady. “Set a course for the source of the signal. We can’t afford to look the other way.”
As the Horizon inched closer, the nebula enveloped them, tendrils of gas swirling like wraiths. The ship shook, and the view screen flickered with bursts of colour. “It’s as if the nebula is alive,” Jax whispered, a chill running down his spine.
“Don’t let your imagination run wild,” Thorne snapped. “We need to keep our wits about us.”
“Easy for you to say,” Jax muttered, gripping his seat. “You’re not the one risking your neck.”
“Enough. Prepare to beam down,” Thorne ordered, his gaze fixed on the readings. “We’ll find out what’s happening.”
The team materialised on the surface of a derelict Federation ship, the USS Valor. The air was stale, saturated with the scent of decay. The crew’s breath caught in their throats as they took in the eerie scene. “This place is a graveyard,” Jax said, his voice barely above a whisper, a shiver running down his spine.
“Stay alert,” Thorne commanded, scanning their surroundings. “We don’t know what we’ll find.”
As they moved deeper into the ship, shadows flickered at the edges of their vision. Lyra paused suddenly, her senses prickling. “Something’s not right,” she warned. “I can feel it.”
“Don’t get jumpy,” Thorne said, but his voice showed a hint of concern. “We need to keep moving.”
They entered the main engineering bay, where the source of the distress signal flickered on a console. A lone crew member lay slumped against the wall, his face gaunt and pale. “Help… please,” he gasped, his voice a mere whisper.
“Get him out of here,” Thorne said, urgency in his tone. “What happened?”
“The nebula… it took us,” the man gasped. “One by one… the shadows came for us.”
“Shadows?” Jax echoed, his eyes wide. “What do you mean?”
Suddenly, the air crackled with energy, and a dark figure emerged from the shadows, its form shifting and twisting. “You have trespassed into the realm of the lost,” it intoned, its voice a chilling echo.
“Back off!” Thorne shouted, raising his weapon, but the figure advanced, its presence suffocating. “You cannot escape your fate.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Thorne retorted, his resolve hardening. He turned to Jax and Lyra. “We need to get out of here. Now!” The crew, though terrified, stood their ground, ready to face whatever came their way.
The figure lunged at them, and chaos erupted. Jax stumbled, fumbling with his blaster as Lyra tried to focus her mind, pushing back against the oppressive force. “We can’t let it take us!” she cried out.
Thorne led the charge, directing them towards the exit. “Stay together! We’ll fight our way out!” The crew, united in their struggle, pushed forward as one.
As they raced through the corridors, the shadows seemed to close in around them, whispers echoing in their ears. “You cannot run from the inevitable,” the figure taunted.
“Shut it!” Jax shouted, panic lacing his voice. “We’ll take our chances!” The crew, refusing to succumb to fear, pressed on with unwavering determination.
They reached the transporter room just as the figure surged forward, its form coalescing into a mass of darkness. “You will join the others!” it roared.
“Now!” Thorne commanded, slamming the transporter controls. The team beamed back aboard the Horizon, the darkness dissipating as they materialised on the ship.
“Status report!” Thorne barked, adrenaline surging through him.
“Shields are holding, but we need to get out of this nebula before it’s too late,” Lyra said, her brow furrowed with worry.
“Set a course for the nearest starbase,” Thorne ordered, his voice steady. “We can’t afford to linger here.”
As the Horizon pulled away from the nebula, the crew felt a wave of relief wash over them. They had faced the darkness and emerged intact, but the shadows of the past still haunted them.
“Another close call,” Jax said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Next time, I’m voting for a nice, quiet planet.”
“Don’t count on it,” Thorne replied, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “In this line of work, quiet is a luxury we can’t afford.”
The Horizon surged forward with the stars glimmering ahead, ready to confront whatever dangers lay beyond. Together, they would continue their fight against the Federation and the shadows that threatened to consume them.
Questions
What is the name of the ship in the story?
Who is the commander of the Horizon?
What phenomenon does the Horizon navigate through?
Which crew member senses a presence within the nebula?
What type of ship do the crew members find when they beam down?
What happens to the crew of the USS Valor, according to the lone survivor?
What does the dark figure claim when it confronts Thorne and his team?
How does Thorne respond to the dark figure’s threats?
What do the crew members do to escape the dark figure?
What is the crew’s plan after they escape the nebula?
The CELPIP exam places a significant emphasis on the photo description skill, making it a crucial area of focus for your preparation.
Photo description is a great way for exam boards like CELPIP to draw out core vocabulary and determine if candidates are applying structures or just memorising set words and phrases.
The CELPIP exam places a significant emphasis on the photo description skill, making it a crucial area of focus for your preparation. This skill is not just another aspect of the exam, but a key determinant of your success. Below, you will find some credible reasons. As always, practice makes perfect. The pressure of time constraints and interacting where you are not given the chance to translate between languages can add value to your study efforts.
The Exam Preparation Course helps to prepare students by focussing on strategy. Live corrections, working under time sensitive deadlines in class coupled with the use of core vocabulary helps to manage this process.
CELPIP Photo description
Describing photographs in an English exam serves several purposes:
1. Communication Skills:
It enhances your ability to articulate observations and convey thoughts clearly and effectively.
2. Critical Thinking:
Analysing a photograph requires you to interpret visual elements, understand context, and draw conclusions, strengthening critical thinking.
3. Vocabulary Development:
It encourages you to use descriptive language and expand your vocabulary, helping you express ideas more vividly and creatively.
4. Cultural Understanding:
Photographs often reflect cultural elements, allowing students to engage with and understand diverse perspectives.
5. Preparation for Real-World Scenarios:
Overall, it helps students develop a well-rounded skill set that is not only beneficial academically but also in everyday life. Remember that you will need more than memorising words to pass this exam. Practicing how to apply them will give you a practical advantage in real-world scenarios.
When preparing to describe photographs for exams like CELPIP, familiarising yourself with specific vocabulary related to visual descriptions is helpful. Here’s a list of words and phrases you might find useful:
CELPIP General Vocabulary
– **Subject**: The main focus of the photograph.
– **Background**: The area behind the subject.
– **Foreground**: The part of the image closest to the viewer.
– **Composition**: The arrangement of elements within the photograph.
– **Lighting**: How light affects the photograph (natural, artificial, bright, dim).
– **Colour Palette**: The range of colours used in the photograph.
Descriptive Adjectives
– **Vibrant**: Bright and lively colours.
– **Muted**: Soft, subdued colours.
– **Dramatic**: Strong contrasts or impactful elements.
– **Serene**: Calm and peaceful.
– **Chaotic**: Busy and disordered.
– **Rustic**: Relating to the countryside; a simple, rural aesthetic.
– **Urban**: Relating to a city; modern and metropolitan.
Action Verbs
– **Capturing**: To take a photograph that conveys a moment or feeling.
– **Depicting**: To show or represent something in a photograph.
– **Portraying**: To represent someone or something in a specific way.
– **Highlighting**: To emphasise a particular aspect of the image.
– **Framing**: To compose the photograph with specific elements in the foreground or background.
Phrases for Analysis
– **In the foreground, we can see…**
– **The background features…**
– **The photograph conveys a sense of…**
– **This image illustrates…**
– **The use of lighting creates…**
– **There seems to be a contrast between…**
– **The overall mood of the photograph is…**
Contextual Vocabulary
– **Landscape**: Natural scenery.
– **Portrait**: A photograph of a person or group.
– **Still life**: An arrangement of inanimate objects.
– **Action shot**: A photo capturing movement.
– **Candid**: A spontaneous, unposed photograph.
CELPIP Practice Tips
– Look at various photographs and practice describing them using this vocabulary.
– Try to express your thoughts on what the image conveys emotionally and contextually.
– Use specific details and avoid generalisations to enhance your descriptions.
Familiarising yourself with these terms will help you articulate your thoughts clearly and effectively during your exam.
Medical English Nurse is a medical English podcast for nurses who are studying for an IELTS or CELPIP exam.
Nurse Medical English podcast
Nurse Podcast Transcription
Hello, and welcome to this edition of One2one podcasts. Today, I’m focussing on the medical sector, particularly nurses taking English exams.
There are two parts: the first will help you pronounce essential vocabulary you will need for an exam, and the second is a listening task to help you identify with spelling.
Good luck with the tasks, and remember, we help prepare you for the IELTS and CELPIP exams. The tasks featured in this podcast will help you with some of the tasks you will be expected to complete in both these exams.
Listen carefully to the following vocabulary:
Patient
The patient had a medical condition.
Nurse
The nurse administered the vaccine.
Doctor
The Doctor wanted a second opinion.
Hospital
The hospital was only a 20-minute drive from the City centre.
Clinic
Outpatient care is available at the clinic.
Surgery
The patient underwent surgery for a cancerous growth.
Medication
Medication is only available on prescription.
Diagnosis
A biopsy is needed before a diagnosis can be made.
Treatment
Outpatients must go to the treatment centre between 8 am and 7 pm.
Medical record
The app provides a medical record for patients.
Wound
The wound needed to be cleaned before being assessed.
Intravenous
Intravenous medication acts faster because it flows directly through a vein.
Catheter
A catheter is a tube inserted directly into the body to drain fluid or administer medication.
Rehabilitation
The patient was prescribed with a three-week rehabilitation program.
Palliative Care
Palliative care improves the quality of life for patients with serious illnesses.
Pediatric
The Piadiatric department looks after children who need treatment or care.
Nurse Listening Task
This Podcast is also available on Spotify:
This podcast is also available on Soundcloud:
This podcast is also available on YouTube:
In this next section, there is a short story. Listen carefully and answer the questions below:
Sally was a (1)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ at the Royal Cresent Hospital in London. She was involved in a car accident and underwent (2)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ on her left arm for a torn ligament.
The (3)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was very strong, and she was advised not to drive. Initially, her (4) _ _ _ _ _ _ prescribed an intravenous drug, but that was later changed to tablet form when she had a follow-up appointment at the (5) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ centre.
Susan Davis was Sally’s (6) _ _ _ _ _ and always updated her medical records at the end of each visit. Sally had fifteen stitches that were removed three weeks after surgery. The (7) _ _ _ _ _ was then cleaned and dressed.
Alternative energy is a highly controversial topic. Given its significance to a global society, it is popular with English exam boards.
Alternative energy – IELTS
Alternative energy should be on your radar when preparing for an exam. It’s very popular because it requires a stronger opinion in the English language rather than softer topics like friendship.
Alternative energy – IELTS
Podcast
Alternative energy transcript
Thanks for joining me for this IELTS writing task based on alternative energy.
There are many resources online. The internet will provide you with a wealth of information. However, there can often be too much information, so you should research and find things you can easily digest, write and speak about.
You may have noticed that I just mentioned speaking. This type of content applies to every area of an English exam. So be prepared to practice the topic of alternative energy in all formats.
Knowing how to turn your weaknesses into strengths can become more challenging if you are home studying. However you can achieve it, but you need to keep at it, and it will be a much longer route to take, so make sure you allow for that in your study plan.
WRITING TASK
Now to the task at hand, I will give you an essay assignment to do for your homework this week. It is set at a general level and Written in an IELTS-styled format, you will have forty minutes to complete it, and you must write a minimum of 250 words.
Here is your task:
Some people believe that investment into alternative energy infrastructure is necessary to future-proof our planet. Others believe that as a global society, we should modify our energy consumption to achieve the same result.
Write an essay to express how you feel about this topic and where possible, try and include examples from your own experience. The depth of your grammar impacts your score, so try to avoid getting repetitive with your vocabulary.
CHECKING
Checking your work can help you to avoid unnecessary mistakes, such as misspellings or full stops. There is always a temptation to use very long sentences or more complex words to try and demonstrate fluency. You need to be aware that this isn’t the case.
Planning is critical and takes little time to do if you develop a system. Normally, block planning can help and can adapt to most essay structures.
SPEAKING
Earlier on, I mentioned that this topic is content used in reading, writing, speaking and writing. Therefore, I wanted to help you identify with the speaking element.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY QUESTIONS
Here are some questions that could appear:
Is the key to reducing a carbon footprint related to education? What do you personally do to manage energy consumption? What type of rule is in place for plastic bag usage? Should governments invest more in solar energy? Why? Are wind turbines are an excellent alternative source of energy? Why? If you had the power to manage your country’s energy laws, what action would you take to protect the environment? Why?
Of course, there are many more thought-provoking questions. However, your job is to find vocabulary and phrases that can adapt to different questions.
That’s all the time we have today. I hope that you found this podcast on alternative energy useful. Our website has a text version to help you; a link is in the description box.
Please remember to like and share until next time; bye for now.
CREDITS
Podcast production – One2one podcasts Presenter – Sanj Saigal Instagram – @one2one_academy Facebook – learnenglishonline001 Established in 2011
Society believes prison is the best way to punish criminals. Write an essay to express your opinion, and where possible, try and include examples from your experience.
Prison
Deterrent
History has shown society that prison may not always act as a deterrent. As a result, there appears to be a growing opinion that the rehabilitation of prisoners could include other methods.
Social deprivation, also linked to poverty, can act as a catalyst and facilitate crime. In addition, various studies have indicated a link between crime and education.
Deterrents such as prison are now considered a factor for removing social skills and the inability to be reintroduced into society. In addition, an environment such as a prison could educate prisoners on criminal skills, thus reflected in the statistics showing a direct link towards repeat offending.
Prison
Prison is widely adopted as the preferred method of choice in protecting society from criminals. However, like any argument, many perspectives should always be considered. In the case of this essay writing task, writing about them will show the depth of your grammar.
Drawing a parallel to society as a structure in general, there are older, younger and middle-aged prisoners, some of who have served lengthy prison sentences for their crimes.
On some level, this is thought-provoking as perhaps the younger generation does not respond to prison in the same way as the other generations, thus making it ineffective as a method of reform.
I recommend you take a few minutes to plan the structure of your essay. Don’t use the same vocabulary; avoid using structures with the letter “I”. Repeating yourself will not give you points or show the depth of your grammar.
You’re expected to complete an IELTS essay writing task within a deadline of forty minutes and write a minimum word count of two hundred and fifty words.
Exam’s do not prepare us for the real world, but they provide a scaleable measure of achievement. Acting as an indicator to demonstrate the application of theory an employer can gauge your ability to send an email, have a meeting and sell a product or service but most importantly, the ability to interact with customers.
If you are professionally qualified and by this I mean an accountant, nurse, doctor or lawyer, to name a few, then having a higher score is mandatory. An organisation needs to know that an employer can not use the phrase “I am sorry, I didn’t understand”. The reality is that mistakes can cost a business money.
Unless you can pass an English exam with a decent score, finding employment becomes very challenging. That said, not every industry values a high score, so keep that in mind.
This course focuses on the strategy to pass an exam, which means that you will be shown a system that will help you identify with creating templates – you cannot memorise English for an exam, but you can develop a word phrase bank that can be applied. Every student learns differently, so it is far from a one size fits all attitude.
One2oneacademy helps you identify with a bespoke solution, so every student will be provided with a unique approach. This course has a one teacher to one student ratio, offering 10 years of hands-on experience we measure our success on the results.
Each class lasts for 55 minutes, and we use Skype to teach because it stores the chat which you can always refer to. Where possible we try and offer you a simulated environment where you are forced to apply theory in a realistic scenario.
Classes are individually prepared based around your strengths and weaknesses and are therefore unique to your situation.
Choose between course instructors offering you both a male and female perspective.
Homework is provided at the end of each class.
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