Please write and tell us….

When you took the iPassIELTS course?
Why you took IELTS?
How being successful in IELTS changed your life?
Where you are living now?
What you are studying or working as?

Please leave your comments here or send them to me at jenny@ipassielts.com

Test your knowledge of C20th medical discoveries with this week’s health and science quiz!!

1. Who was knighted on June 3, 1934 for his medical discovery of insulin and its properties for treating diabetes?
2. In which year did American medical researcher, Jonas Salk, become the very first person to discover the cure for polio?
3. Michiaki Takahashi discovered a vaccine for which disease in 1974?
4. Which Scottish biologist is widely remembered for his accidental discovery of penicillin in 1928?
5. Which Nobel Prize-winning biochemist discovered the hepatitis B virus and then helped develop a powerful vaccine to fight it?
6. Which disease did the German physiologist, Emil Adolf von Behring, discover a vaccine for?
7. In which year did he win the first ever Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine?
8. In 1920, who perfected the easy-to-use adhesive dressing, commonly known as the Band-Aid?
9. Which American surgeon pioneered the idea of a blood bank and a system for the long term preservation of blood plasma?
10. Which Nobel Prize winning biochemist invented many life-saving drugs, including 6-thioguanine which is used to fight leukemia?

Be the first to post 10 correct answers and win a week’s free trial of our fantastic interactive online course - English for Health

When you’re telling a story or describing a past event it’s essential to be able to use different past tenses: past simple, past continuous, past perfect

We call these narrative tenses. First of all you need to know how to form the tenses and when to use them. Let’s start with the past perfect tense.

                                          How do we form it?     

HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE       HAD WORKED (regular verb)      HAD BOUGHT (irregular verb)

                                          When do we use it?   

              When one action in the past occurred BEFORE another action in the past

For example;            I had paid for the dress before I left the shop.

Read the following story and decide if the missing verbs should be past simple or past perfect.

It was my first time abroad and my first holiday without my parents. I was 17 years old and 1. __________ (decide) to go to the Greek island of Crete with my best friend. When we 2. __________ (arrive) we were a bit disappointed as the hotel was very basic and it wasn’t near the beach as we 3. __________ (expect). But the weather was fantastic, very hot and sunny, and the hotel had a great pool so we 4. __________ (spend) most of the time sunbathing and swimming. We also 5. __________ (book) to go on some excursions including a boat trip around the island and a bar-b-q on the beach. We were really looking forward to it because we were starting to get bored of being at the hotel all the time. But then disaster struck! On the day of the trip I 6. __________ (wake up) with terrible stomach pains and feeling very sick. We had been told not to drink the water but I had been having lots of drinks with ice and I think the water from the ice 7. __________ (give) me some kind of food poisoning. There was no way I could go on the excursion so my friend 8. __________ (go) without me and had a great time! I was really fed up so although the hotel doctor 9. __________ (tell) me to stay in bed I 10. __________ (go) down to the pool to sunbathe. But to make matters worse I 11. __________ (fall asleep) in the sun and woke up two hours later with not only a sore stomach but terrible sunburn too!!! If only I 12. __________ (listen) to the doctor!!

What’s the difference?

Sore = painful or uncomfortable, usually caused by an injury or infection, eg a sore finger

Sprained = painful, caused by turning or stretching a joint too much, eg a sprained ankle

All of the following parts of the body can be used with ‘sore’ but only 3 can be used with ‘sprained’. Do you know which 3?

throat   wrist   knee   thumb   toe   ankle   foot   finger   eye   ear   head

• parts of the body
• health problems
• health collocations
• language used at the doctors
• cures and treatments

We will be posting lots of fun language exercises and quizzes to test your knowledge of English on this topic, not forgetting a great story-writing competition in which you could win a free English for Health online course!! More details on that later this week!

This month we’re going to be looking at language related to health. This will include:

• parts of the body
• health problems
• health collocations
• language used at the doctors
• cures and treatments

We will be posting lots of fun language exercises and quizzes to test your knowledge of English on this topic, not forgetting a great story-writing competition in which you could win a free English for Health online course!! More details on that later this week!

First of all, here’s a little vocabulary teaser for you. Do you know when to use the word ‘pain’ and when to use ‘ache’?

For example, when your head is hurting do you say, I’ve got a headache or a head pain?

That’s right! It’s headache. Remember, ‘ache’ has the same pronunciation as ‘cake’ or ‘make’.

So here’s a more difficult question for you. All of the following body parts can be used with ‘ache’ but one can only be used with ‘pain’. Which one is it?

• ear
• stomach
• chest
• tooth
• back

Are the following 10 statements true or false?

1. In Britain, it is normal to kiss someone 3 times on the cheek when you meet them for the first time?
2. “How do you do?” is not actually a question. It’s a greeting which means “pleased to meet you”.
3. The word “cheers” is also used to mean “thank you” as well as “good health” when having a drink with someone.
4. When you greet someone for the first time it is more polite to shake hands with the left hand.
5. In informal situations you can just say “Morning” or “Afternoon” instead of “Good morning/afternoon”.
6. If you bump into someone in the street it is customary to say “sorry” even if it isn’t your fault.
7.At formal dinner parties it is normal to ask personal questions such as “How much do you earn?” or “Why aren’t you married?”
8. When invited to someone’s house for lunch or dinner you should always arrive half an hour later than the specified time.
9. It is perfectly acceptable to start eating before everyone is served or seated.
10. You should always use a knife and fork, even if you’re only eating a sandwich or snack food.

Check back for the answers later this week!

Answer:

HOWEVER is a contrasting linker

THEREFORE introduces a result or a consequence

For example:

Studying for the IELTS exam is very hard work. However, I am determined to get a good result!

I have been studying very hard for the IELTS exam. Therefore, I am sure I will get a good result.

If the question asks me to agree or disagree, should I give a balanced argument or a one-sided opinion? And what should I include in the conclusion?

iPassIELTS answer:

In all Task 2 questions you are expected to give your own opinion. If the question explicitly asks you to discuss both views then you should definitely present both sides of the argument before concluding with your own opinion.

If you’re being asked to agree or disagree then your answer could be more one-sided, especially if you strongly agree or disagree with the statement. The important thing is that you support your opinion/argument with relevant examples and reasons.

However, even if you are presenting a one-sided argument, it is still a good idea to include a contrasting view, because it shows that you have considered alternative opinions and it also gives you an opportunity to include some contrasting linkers!

For example, you might say ....

I strongly believe that the problem of rising crime, particularly in poorer areas, cannot be resolved by the police and prison system alone. However, there are many people who are in favour of giving the police more powers and increasing prison sentences in order to deter criminals from committing offences.

The reason why I think ...... is that ......

For more help with contrasting linkers go to the iPassIELTS free writing module: Gender Pay Gap

1. Do you know / Can you tell me what time the last bus is?

2. Do you know / Can you tell me where the tourist information office is?

3. Do you know / Can you tell me how much a return ticket is?

4. Do you know / Can you tell me how far the train station is from here?

5. Do you know / Can you tell me why the chemist is closed?

How many did you get correct?

You can use ‘do you know’ or ‘can you tell me’ to start.

1. What time is the last bus?
2. Where is the tourist information office?
3. How much is a return ticket?
4. How far is the train station from here?
5. Why is the chemist closed?

Get the answers tomorrow!