A Blog for IELTS and ESL Teachers
I mostly teach my students IELTS preparation, as that’s all they’re interested in. I’m supposed to teach general English, Australian culture, and study techniques. But alas, this is Asia, where exams rule. Students want to learn how to pass exams, so if…
IELTS is big business these days as people from all around the world look to sit this essential English exam. Getting a high band score in IELTS can open all sorts of doors – employment, education, immigration – and so each year…
There are lots of ways to learn IELTS and lots of ways to teach IELTS, but there’s no getting away from one important fact: feedback is essential. In today’s article, I’ll explain why it is so important to give IELTS students feedback…
There are so many ways to teach IELTS, but without a good textbook, it can be tough, especially if you’re working with a large class. I’ve used lots of IELTS textbooks over the years, and I’m going to share with you some…
Most ESL teachers know that it’s important to get your students moving around the classroom. From mingle activities to running dictation, having an active classroom is not just fun, it’s important in the education process. But what about IELTS? I believe that…
If you’re new to teaching IELTS, you might wonder how to write effective lesson plans. It can seem scary at first. IELTS students often have extremely high expectations and so there’s a lot of pressure on the teacher. However, planning a good…
I like teaching IELTS listening skills. It is usually much more fun than teaching reading or writing, and it’s easier than teaching speaking. At its most basic, the IELTS listening exam is a test of a student’s listening skills, and so you…
I started this blog long ago over at Blogger, under the name www.davidteaching.blogspot.com. Back then I was teaching IELTS, but it wasn’t really the focus of my teaching. My students just studied for IELTS a bit, and I was teaching them a…
I’ve been teaching ESL for 10 years and in that time you can’t imagine the ridiculous names I’ve encountered in my classes. In South Korea, every class had a Harry Potter or a David Beckham. There were countless Dragons and Kings and…
I work in China, where a typical university class consists of anywhere from thirty-five to sixty students. Most of the classes I’ve taught have about forty-five students in them, and that presents me with more than a few problems to overcome. Chief…