Grammar for IELTS

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Showing Your Position in a Text – Lead In

Grammar for IELTS 24. Showing Your Position in a Text Showing Your Position in a Text – Lead In

A. Context Speaking

  1. How do you view education quality?
  2. Tell me about your school’s standard.
  3. What improvements do you suggest?
  4. How important is teacher qualification?
  5. Tell me about educational resources.
  6. What factors affect learning outcomes?
  7. How do you feel about class size?
  8. Tell me about student-teacher interaction.
  9. What methods enhance education standards?
  10. How can technology impact education quality?

B. Context Listening

You are going to hear two students, Nick and Tina, discussing a topic with their tutor. Look at the pictures below. What do you think the topic is?

Listen and decide whether these statements are true or false.

  1. Tina believes that her time at school was good for her.
  2. Nick had a bad experience at school.
  3. Nick believes that the boy who was bullied probably feels bad about his school days.
  4. Nick likes the idea of staying at home all day.
  5. Tina’s friend was able to meet new friends easily.
  6. Tina believes that you receive a better standard of education in school.

Listen again and fill in the gaps.

  1. Well, I’m a bit like you, Tina. I went to a normal school and, _______ , I had a great experience there. Mind you,  _______  that being educated at home would be good for some children. There was a boy in my class who was bullied by some older boys, and he must look back at his school days and feel really bad.
  2. Yes, I think that’s a good point. But,  _______ , schools do seem to be more overcrowded and less well-funded these days and the advantages of home education  _______ in terms of the quality of education. That’s the way my friend felt. Mind you, she finds it hard to interact in large groups of people. And,  _______ , she doesn’t have a great relationship with her parents  _______ ; she had enough of them as a child!

Look at your answers in Exercise 3 and find examples of:

  1. two verbs that express the speaker’s attitude or opinion: _______
  2. three adverbs that show how the speaker feels about the idea: _______
  3. two adverbs that show possibility: _______
Show Answer Key and Audio Transcript

Answer Key

1 The topic is whether children should be educated at home or at school*
2 I T 2 F 3 T 4 F 5 T 6 F
3 1 fortunately, I can see; I think 2 unfortunately; I can see; certainly; I think; interestingly, Perhaps
4 1 see; think 2 fortunately; unfortunately; interestingly 3 certainly; perhaps

Transcript

Tutor: Well, today’s topic for debate is ‘home schooling’. And the question we’re asking is, ‘Is it better for us to educate our children at home rather than send them to school?’ What do you think, Tina?

Tina: Well. I was educated at an ordinary school and I don’t have any regrets. Personally, I feel the teachers did a really good job and that I have benefited from the experience.

Tutor: What about you, Nick?

Nick: Well, I’m a bit like you, Tina. I went to a normal school and, fortunately, I had a great experience there. Mind you, I can see chat being educated at home would be good for some children. There was a boy in my class who was bullied by some older boys, and I think he must look back at his school days and feel really bad. If he’d been educated at home, he’d probably feel quite differently. But, in general, I don’t think it is a good idea.

Tutor: So, do you know of anyone who was home-schooled?

Tina: Yes, a girl on my course was taught at home by her mother.

Nick: Surely her mum can’t know enough to teach her everything? She must have missed out on a lot of subjects!

Tina: Actually, she believes that she received a better education as a result.

Nick: Frankly, I’d be totally bored staying at home all day.

Tina: Well, according to my friend, they did lots of fun things like going out for walks and looking at nature and going to the theatre to see literature in action. I can see the benefits of that.

Nick: Yes, but what about the social aspect? Doesn’t your friend feel she missed out on making new friends?

Tina: No, I don’t think so. Apparently, there’s a network of parents who teach at home, and they have clubs where their children meet and that’s how they made friends.

Nick: Yes, but it’s likely that those people will be very similar. I doubt that they met many people from different backgrounds and cultures, which in many schools it is possible to do. In my opinion, that’s a disadvantage.

Tina: Yes, I think that’s a good point. But, unfortunately, schools do seem to be more overcrowded and less well-funded these days, and I can see the advantages of home education in terms of the quality of education.

Nick: That’s certainly the way my friend felt. Mind you, I do think she finds it hard to interact in large groups of people. And, interestingly, she doesn’t have a great relationship with her parents these days. Perhaps she had enough of them as a child!

Nick: Well, anyway, Pm glad that my parents didn’t educate me at home. Some of my best friends today were friends I met at school.

 
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