Irina Lutsenko 

I have written and shared oodles of IELTS materials - models answers, worksheets, explanations, you name it.

Some are behind the paywall. Some are available for free. So, sometimes other instructors ask me, "Irina, can I use your IELTS materials in my classes?" 

I answer, "Yes, but please credit them to me: add my name and the link to my social media when you use them." And I always add, "Do this for everyone, not just me." 

This is just good practice. Find something you like? Share the creator's name and socials. 

I personally think all IELTS assessment except one type is unreliable.

AI, instructors, former examiners, examiners -- they are all unreliable, in my humble opinion. All scores by all these people (and machines) are just opinions that don't guarantee anything.

Think about this: If your score is changed after a remark, what does it mean? It means the original assessment -- assessment by a trained, paid examiner -- was wrong. If even this assessment can be unreliable, then how can assessment by people (or machines) who never got examiner training or who got it a decade ago be reliable?

❌ Though the figure then declined a little, it recovered by the end of the period.

✅ Although the figure then declined slightly, it recovered by the end of the period.

1️⃣ NEVER write the short "though." Always write the full conjunction "although."

2️⃣ NEVER write "a little." Always write "slightly" instead (or synonyms like "insignificantly").

I don't like extremes like "never" or "always," but ...

❌ The figure grew up till 2010.

✅ The figure grew until 2010.

1️⃣ NEVER say "the figure grew up." Children grow up. Figures grow (as do numbers, percentages and the rest of the flock).

2️⃣ NEVER use "till." Always use "until" instead of "till" in IELTS writing. Always.