Natural English 1)The KISS method: Keep It Simple Stupid. (all photos in this series are taken by the Author as he travels around Australia) The KISS method is a great way to prepare for IELTS as IELTS is all about information. We learn new information through Listening and Reading. We give new information through writing and speaking. It really is that simple. Giving information is harder due to the current education systems limited ability to measure it and therefore they cannot test for it. How well you give information, through speaking, is measured by how well the examiner can understand the information you are giving. This the same for writing. With all languages there is more than one way to complete a sentence so grammar was introduced to help. Unfortunately we are now in a world where grammar is treated like an unbreakable rule instead of helping the exchange of information. Look at the writing examples in IELTS test preparation books and you will see those with 7,8 and 9 scores have grammar mistakes. What makes these scores high is the ability to use vocabulary, punctuation, narrative (story line) and how little the examiner needs to try to understand the information you are giving. I know this as I have sat with examiners and seen them grade 50 to 100 written essays in a day. It is really difficult for them. So keep it simple. Remember the examiner is only human. They are interested in your personal experiences so give them a smile with your essays. Look and you will see that every question in IELTS writing and speaking sections has the word “you” are “your” in it. Why do you think this is? Have fun T Mark