Original BandLadder material
Along the way you get worked examples with the key words marked, before-and-after fixes that show why the first version loses marks, a one-page visual summary, word cards with meanings and examples (a nuclear family, the extended family, a single-parent family and elderly relatives), a quick check to test yourself and a recap of the rules to remember. Each card holds one idea, so you can read it on a phone between practice sessions.
Reading it online is free: create a free BandLadder account and the whole lesson opens in our study reader, on the web and in the app. Downloading the PDF to keep needs a plan; the free reader has every card.
The first 3 of 9 cards
fits every family, so it says nothing
'A good family' and 'a lot of time' fit any family, so they say nothing. Name the bond, the time, the relatives.
In a good familygood how? parents usually spend a lot of timewhat kind? with kids and old peoplewhose? live nearby.
The fixes: a close-knit family, quality time, elderly relatives.
say which bond, which relatives
| Write | Instead of |
|---|---|
| a close-knit family | a good family |
| quality time | time with the kids |
| elderly relatives | old people in the family |
| the extended family | grandparents, cousins |
| childcare | look after small kids |
| the generation gap | old and young disagree |
IELTS Writing Band 7, Lexical Resource: "some ability to use less common and/or idiomatic items".
the nouns a family essay needs
Most of Mia's friends grew up in a nuclear family.
Sunday lunch brings the extended family together.
Rahul grew up in a single-parent family.
Many adults now care for elderly relatives.
Card 4 of 9 onwards
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