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Posts by April April
Joined: Jun 20, 2012
Last Post: Sep 5, 2013
Threads: 13
Posts: 148  
Likes: 22
From: Vietnam

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April April   
Aug 31, 2012
Writing Feedback / 'the progress of the nation' - spend their lives doing the same things and avoiding [3]

performing the same things repeatedly --- you just used the exact same phrase in the intro.
''the same set of events repeatedly. Therefore, people who perform the same things'' and ''everyone perform the same things repeatedly'' --- again with these phrases. You could write: ''carrying out similar tasks again and again''

the chance of doing mistakes --- the chance of MAKING mistakes
April April   
Aug 27, 2012
Letters / Letter about the benefits of student exchange programme in a foreign country. [3]

as you have the great chance --- as you WILL have A great chance
You could experience different cultures and lead a different life style. Besides that, you could also experience different teaching strategies and a different syllabus, --- you used 'different' too much. Replace it with 'various' or 'new'.

allows you exposure --- allows you TO ACCESS
in making own decisions --- in making YOUR own decisions

Best
April April   
Aug 27, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS ESSAY: Air transport is increasingly used to export agricultural products. [4]

we can easy to find --- we can EASILY find
which are not grown here --- what is 'HERE'?
between countries --- AMONG countries (when you write 'between' you mean only 2 countries. 'Among' indicates more than 2)
Is it a positive development? --- you should leave out this sentence. It's unnecessary

And Maria's right. Don't use contractions in academic writing.

Best
April April   
Aug 27, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS Essay: Scientific research sould be carried out by the governments or not? [3]

supporting for non-profit
programs --- SUPPORT for non-profit programs
non-profit programs, in my opinion, scientific researches should --- non-profit programs. IN (use a full stop instead of a comma) my opinion, scientific researches should

the corporation of various institutions --- the COOPERATION of various institutions (corparation means company. So you meant cooperation, right? It means working together)
these requirements are needed the sufficient financial support. --- these requirements NEED (no THE) sufficient financial support.

Best
April April   
Aug 27, 2012
Writing Feedback / 'Finance equally' - [IELTS] Prevention is better than cure? [5]

irredeemable illnesses such as cancer are caused by family genetic --- irredeemable illnesses such as cancer are HEREDITARY ('hereditary' is a better word, but I don't think cancer has anything to do with the genetic thing)

there will be lesser patients --- there will be FEWER patients

I think your intro is a bit too long while the 2nd body para needs a few more details. In the conclusion you need to paraphrase the topic before stating your opinion.

Best
April April   
Aug 25, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS Task 1: Changes in Town_Maps [5]

@Artin: So glad you found my comments useful. I'll try my best to help with your next essays :)
April April   
Aug 23, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS: Impacts of Technology and its crucial part of our lives [7]

@Malavika: yeah well the + plural is definitely correct, but it depends on the context that you have. If you're talking about sth in general, then there is no "the", but if the subject is already identified, then the+plural is correct. :D
April April   
Aug 23, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS: Impacts of Technology and its crucial part of our lives [7]

Thanks Binh a lot for the corrections!
As for the question: "the" + plural : is it correct,
Thao ?? --- I think it depends, and for this one, 'human's living standards' with 'the' just doesn't sound right to me.

Overall what are other things I need to improve? I mean with the essay as a whole?
April April   
Aug 22, 2012
Writing Feedback / Without capital punishment our lives are less secure and crimes of violence increase. [3]

I've gone over your essay and I think there are a few things to work on:

- First of all is the structure of the essay. You need to think of at least two reasons to support your side, then in each paragraph, use reasons and examples to explain the main idea. Don't write all the examples in a seperate para.

- Secondly, some of your sentences are not clear enough (especially in the 3rd para). Try to keep them short and easy to understand.
- Don't start a sentence with BUT, SO. Use HOWEVER, THEREFORE instead.

Best
April April   
Aug 22, 2012
Faq, Help / How do you edit your post? [13]

Hi Bianca,
You can only edit your posts in a certain period of time (I think it's 13 minutes) after you have posted it.
April April   
Aug 21, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS Task 1: Changes in Town_Maps [5]

big differenceschanges occurred toin

=> but at the end of the sentence I used "slightly changed" already so there'll be repitition? (When I wrote this I was also confused over these words)

Anw, thank you Ahmad!
April April   
Aug 19, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS Task 1: Changes in Town_Maps [5]

The maps below show the changes experienced by the town of Lakeside at the beginning of the 21st century.
The maps demonstrate alterations made to the town of Lakeside in the first few years of the 21st century (2000 and 2009). Generally big differences occurred to the north of the river, while the south of it just slightly changed.

First of all, in the north of the river, a car park was built in 2009 in place of the derelict warehouses of 2000. Below these warehouses was the old town, which was transformed into blocks of offices, and a part of the land was used to build a new university near the school which stayed the same after nine years. To the left of the school where an Arts centre used to be, a multi-screen cinema was constructed in 2009. Just by the river, in 2000, there existed a residential area, but nine years later, it was replaced with a big shopping centre. However, the other residential area in the north remained unchanged throughout the period.

In the south of the river, there used to be a small industrial complex and a residential area, but the neighbourhood was removed in order to give room for the expansion of the industrial zone in 2009. It is also noted that the lake to the north of the town, which was connected to the river, was changed into a pond.

All in all, it can be seen that major alterations were made so as to make the lives of the citizens more convenient with the introduction of business buildings and a university and the development of the industrial complex.

What could be used to replace "residential area"?
Please give me some feedback. Any comments are appreciated!





April April   
Aug 19, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS: Impacts of Technology and its crucial part of our lives [7]

Some people fear that technology is gradually taking over control of our lives, while others think that it has led to many positive developments in all aspects of their lives.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinions.

Nowadays the whole world is moving from the paper age to the technological age with the introduction of a wide array of modern devices. This has led to a dispute over whether techonology is controlling our lives or it has brought about positive advancements to human beings. This essay will express my views on both these opinions.

First of all, it cannot be denied that to some extent, techonology is taking stock of our daily lives. For example, in many big shops, surveillance cameras are installed in order to prevent thieves. However, some people feel that this intrudes into their privacy and that they are uncomfortable when shopping with a camera recording their every move. Furthermore, many stores offer membership cards with which customers receive discounts on special occassions, but to own these cards, shoppers must provide basic personal information to store owners. As a result, their lives might be disturbed or even controlled if bad people could somehow hack this information.

Nonetheless, I am of the opinion that despite some negative impacts of technology, it has in fact created many positive changes to people's lives, a few of which are improvements in security and communication. Some people might think that the use of cameras causes discomfort to them, yet I would argue that this can prevent robberies or in case crimes occurred, it could help with the identification of the culprits. Besides, thanks to the invention of the Internet and mobile phones, communication has been made easier than ever. It is now possible for relatives and friends who are away from one another to contact regularly without having to wait for months for letters to be delivered.

In conclusion, it is indisputable that techonology has become a crucial part of our lives, and it has both negative and positive effects on us. Nevertheless, I believe that the benefits of technology outweight its drawbacks, and if we can make use of technology in the right way, there is no reason why it cannot improve humans' living standards.

Please give me some feedback. Any comments are appreciated!
April April   
Aug 15, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS essay: The suggestion for save forest! [2]

Hi Linh,

This essay has a few problems:
- In the intro, you need to address what this essay will do, for example: This essay will put forward some solutions to tackle the problem.

- It's underlength. An ielts essay must have at least 250 words, while yours has only 143 words.
- Your body didn't thoroughly answer the question. The first few sentences were not to the point and relevant. You should have at least two body paragraphs, each has 1 main idea (which is 1 suggestion), and you have to elaborate on that idea using reasons (why you think that suggestion is useful) and examples.

- Don't use contractions. For example, write IT IS instead of IT'S.
- In the conclusion, you need to paraphrase the rubric, and summarise your ideas.

Best
April April   
Aug 15, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS -a wide range of courses,i.e. physics, music. which most,least important [6]

A healthy physical and psychological body makesthea sustainable future offor children a possible.
where there must be a heavy burden, home workshomework(homework is one word and it's uncountable)

In the intro, you need to write a motivator, then paraphrase the rubric and state your opinion.
As for the body, I think it's not very well-organized. You should have at least two body paragraphs, and each should have its topic sentence (for example you could wrtie one paragraph about the most important subject, and the other about the least one)

In the conclusion, again paraphrase the topic and restate your opinion.


Best
April April   
Aug 14, 2012
Undergraduate / 'not happy without photography' - Art Institute of Dallas [2]

Hi Kelly,

I have a few suggestions for you to expand your essay:

''However, convincing
myself that I hated photography
was much harder than I could
have ever imagined.'' -- elaborate on this detail, as it shows your passion for photography. You can write things like: how you felt when you went out without a camera with you and you came across a sight or a person that is so beautiful and attractive, did it feel like sth was missing, etc.

''The Art Institute of Dallas is the only place for me to expand my knowledge of photography and help fulfill my dream of becoming a professional photographer.'' -- add more to this because it shows how well you know the school. Write about its curricular, environment and activities that you find useful for your study and that interest you (for example: they provide trips to different regions, etc.)

Hope you get accepted. Good luck!
April April   
Aug 12, 2012
Undergraduate / "M Last Strings" - Common app essay #1 [12]

Hi Edwin,

That I think is a difficult thing to deal with.
Well according to Jennifer, this essay shows who you are, but to me, there's something missing in the essay, and I don't really feel you in it, as I said it felt like a story with a happy ending I usually see on TV.

So, the decision would be totally up to you. If you think the essay is good enough to demonstrate your personality, keep this prompt. However, if I were you, I would cut down a litlle bit on some descriptive details and just keep those really essential in showing who I am, and add the part about its impact to the essay (and still use this prompt); or you should also ask some other people who have an authority and you really trust to proofread this essay.

Sorry that's all I can suggest. Hope it helps.

Best of luck to you!
April April   
Aug 11, 2012
Writing Feedback / 'busy work and modern entertainment' - lack a sense of community [3]

You should write about the 2 causes in 1 paragraph, don't seperate them in 2 different ones.
Also, in the rubric, it is ''solutionS'', so think of at least 2 solutions.

In the conclusion, you have to paraphrase the rubric before summarising what was in the body, and it would be better if you could add a prediction at the end, like If we do A, we'll be able to B.

Best
April April   
Aug 10, 2012
Undergraduate / "M Last Strings" - Common app essay #1 [12]

Hi Edwin,

You're a really good storyteller. You described how nervous you were and how you picked yourself up in such detail. You also made the story very interesting to me as a reader.

However, I don't think you've answered the question properly. Yes, I agree that this experience is significant to you, but I just don't see and don't feel much of the impact it has made on you. It's just kinda vague to me and felt more like a story with a happy ending.

I think you should add a little bit about how you as a student or as a musician have changed for the better, like you're now confident, unafraid and you can cope with anything, things like that. And I think putting a strong conclusion at the end of your essay would make it memorable.

Just my opinion. Hope I can help.

Good luck!
April April   
Aug 9, 2012
Writing Feedback / 'ways of becoming mature and courageous' - There's no success like failure [5]

I think the first half of your essay had so many quotes that they became pretty hackneyed to me.
Also, I don't know what type or what the purpose of this essay is, but I'd like to see more reasons and arguments instead of so many famous people's failures. Just choose a few of them to support your main ideas (which are the reasons why you support the statement), and elaborate on those main ideas.

Just my opinion.

By the way, ''the ex-outstanding president'' should be ''the OUTSTANDING FORMER president''.

Best
April April   
Aug 8, 2012
Writing Feedback / Training for work is more important than providing a broad base education? [3]

This is a task 2 essay, right? Then you need to write at least 250 words, and this essay that you have has only 211 words.

I don't know what the exact rubric is, but basically in an IELTS task 2 essay, in the intro, you need to write a motivator, then paraphrase the topic, and give your opinion.

In the body,

Training is important especially to the newly hired worker for them to be oriented in their workplace,to be more confident on their jobs..

=> this is considered three paragraphs.
For each body paragraph, you need to write a topic sentence, then explain it further, using relevant examples (which is what you wrote in the 5th paragraph). You should have at least two reasons to support your choice (which is training cannot outweigh broad based education) and make them 2 body paragraphs.

In the conclusion, paraphrase the topic and again, state your opinion.

Best
April April   
Aug 6, 2012
Undergraduate / 'I want to feel proud' - Transfer Essay - Reasons for transferring [2]

Hi Skander,

You should add more about what that school (or the department) you're transferring to has to offer (e.g: the facilities, teachers, mixed culture,...), say what you think of that school, show how well you know and how much you're interested in it (I mean praise the school a little bit), beacause as I finished reading your essay, I couldn't make out what was special about the school, you didn't even mention its name (or perhaps you intended not to post it here, but make sure you state the name of the school you want to transfer to in the real essay).

Good luck!
April April   
Aug 6, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS Task 1: Reasons for Study and Support Received [8]

Put the charts here

=> these are the charts. Please take a look and suggest a general trend. Thank you so much!

Oh and you may not be able to read the captions:
1st chart: Reasons for study according to age of student. White columns represent students studying for career, black columns are for those who study for interest.

2nd chart: Employer support, by age group (time off and help with fees).




April April   
Aug 5, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS Task 1: Reasons for Study and Support Received [8]

@Lutcifier: thanks. I couldn't upload the picture (the size was too big)
@Ahmad:

Add a General Trend

there are two charts so if I write a general trend, it's got to be about both of them, or can I just choose one?

what type of chart?

=> both are column charts.

which reason?

=> for their career. When I wrote that, I was kinda stuck, I didn't know how to paraphrase it.
Anw, thank you, Ahmad!
April April   
Jul 31, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS Task 1: Fish and Meat Consumption [3]

The graph below shows the consumption of fish and some different kinds of meat in a European country between 1979 and 2004.
The graph demonstrates the amount of fish and three kinds of meat consumed in a European country from 1979 to 2004. There are two general trends: upward and downward.

Regarding the former one, the consumption of chicken soared from below 150 grams per person per week in 1979 to approximately 250 grams in 2004, making it the largest consumed type of food.

With respect to the latter trend, the amounts of beef, lamb and fish eaten all declined. Beef consumption fell sharply by about 100 grams throughout the recorded time after having reached its high in 1983 at nearly 235 grams. Similarly, the consumption of lamb reduced from 150 grams per person per week to just over 50 grams. Besides, the amount of fish eaten, though did experience a downward trend, had only a slight decrease of about 10 grams.

Overall, after the 25-year period, chicken was consumed the most out of the four types of food, while fish was the least popular.

Please give me some feedback. Any comments are appreciated!
April April   
Jul 31, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS Task 1: Reasons for Study and Support Received [8]

The charts below show the main reasons for study among students of different age groups and the amount of support they received from employers.
The two charts provide information about how reasons for study and the amount of support received varied among five age groups.

In the first chart, it is clear that the percentage of people who studied for interest increased with age. Only 10% of students less than 26 years of age wanted to derive pleasure from their study. The percentage rose gradually as people got older, and it reached 70% for learners aged 49 and over. In contrast, most young students in the age group of under 26 studied for their career (80%). The older people became, the less they were interested in learning for this reason, as only 20% of the people aged 49 and over studied for career purpose.

With regard to the second chart, employees who were under 26 received the largest amount of support from their employers (62%). The support given to workers decreased steadily when people went through their late 20s and 30s, and then rose slightly among 40-year-old learners and older.

Did I repeat myself too much?
Please give me some feedback. Any comments are appreciated!

April April   
Jul 30, 2012
Undergraduate / Speech Language Pathology Graduate School Essay - Seeking edits [2]

I failed realize --- I FAILED TO REALIZE

Great piece of writing! I really enjoyed reading it.
The intro got me curious.
You answered the question, you showed a lot of passion for what you were doing and also your determination to move forward and achieve what you really want.

I think this essay could get you anything you want.

Good luck!
April April   
Jul 30, 2012
Student Talk / How to improve English writing? Learning through reading. [130]

To improve your writing skill, you can buy some books and documents about writing, or search for them on the Internet (as far as I know, there are a plenty of books about Toefl writing on the webs) and follow their instructions.And like David said, read a lot. It will help you improve your vocab and get to know about different sentence structures and expressions. Most important of all, write as much as you can.

And if you want your essays fixed, write and post them on this forum, other members will help you.

Good luck!
April April   
Jul 30, 2012
Graduate / Physical Therapy: Characteristics you possess that would make an excellent PT [3]

Hi,

I have a suggestion:
I think you should use the second option, because to me, I was more interested in reading your story and knowing your experiences than reading the 1st option (which is about how good you are without any proof showing that you're that good).

However, it'd be better if you could add a little bit more about what you did that demonstrated your characteristics and professional behaviours to help your patient to that 2nd option, not just a brief sentence: I used many skills.

Just my opinion. Hope I can help.

Good luck!
April April   
Jul 28, 2012
Writing Feedback / 'Spending money on hamburgers' - IELTS-Task1 Expenditure On Fast Food [4]

Well I'm not an expert, but as far as I know, the structure is ok and the essay has a good flow. It would be better if you could use both simple and complex sentences, so what you did was fine. And I think it's important to use a wide range of vocab, not necessarily big words.

Keep working and you'll get what you want!

Good luck
April April   
Jul 27, 2012
Writing Feedback / [IELTS Writing]: Urban development, should old building and houses be taken down ? [6]

Old buildings are now becoming a source of concern to many people due to the safety reasons. In fact,Therefore, some people suggest that old houses and buildings have lived up to their lives and should be taken downMy suggestion:demolished . On another handHowever , there are people who believe in the intrinsic value of old houses and buildings, thus they must be kept intact. In my opinion, I support the latter view with a few clarifications to be addressed.
April April   
Jul 27, 2012
Writing Feedback / 'Spending money on hamburgers' - IELTS-Task1 Expenditure On Fast Food [4]

the expenditure on humbergers(spelling)hamburgersdeclinesdeclined with the decrease of people's income
Nevertheless, unlike hamburgers and pizza,(put a comma) which are more popular among high salary groups, fish and chips are the favourite fast foods for average salary cosumers.(no full stop) (25 pence per person per week)

the consumption of hamburgers saw an upwardsupward trend
More specifically,the figure rose dramtically from 100 grammes in 1970 to over 500 grammes byin 1990
but less steeply from approximately 40 grammes in 1970 to 170 grammes after a 20-year period.

Overall, high income groups spend the largest money on humburgers which were consumed the most among the 3write numbers below 10 in words kinds of fast food after the year 1982.

=> My suggestion:Overall, hamburgers, whose consumption outstripped the other two, especially after 1982, were the most popular fast food among high-income people.

There's no such thing as a "perfect writing", so don't worry about being perfect
Also, you should only read samples from other people to know the structures of the essay and some more vocab and expressions, not their writing styles :)

And about the length of this essay, to me, 248 words is quite long for task 1, but if you can write this in about 15-20 minutes, it's totally fine.


Best
April April   
Jul 26, 2012
Writing Feedback / IELTS task 2 : Olympic Games not playing a role in 21st century? [4]

considered as an sport event => CONSIDERED A sport event
with the above statement => what statement?

Your intro needs to be more concise. You should leave out the 2nd and the 3rd sentences, they are unnecessary and will take away the time you should be spending on the body paragraphs.

For the intro: Give a motivator (which is your first sentence, and it was good), paraphrase the topic (you didn't do this), and state your opinion (you did this well).

Good luck with the exam!
April April   
Jul 26, 2012
Scholarship / 'Keng, my brother' - the most interesting person you have ever met? why? [4]

Great introduction! Really like it.

I can't lie => I'd say "I have to admit that"
taught me, many => taught me THAT many
You should switch the sentence stating your brother is the most interesting person with the one before it.
Brian disorder ever since => Brian disorder. Ever since
Taking caring of => Taking CARE of

Best
April April   
Jul 26, 2012
Writing Feedback / Dear John, look after my house and pet - IELTS letter [11]

In the case of an emergency you can call me inat the hotel where I amwill be staying and the number is +610430919454. Or Else, you can even ring to my cousin Chris whose number isMy suggestion:at(so that you don't repeat "number" twice in 1 sentence) +977043092343.

One of the big black dogs is having a problem with the right leg so you need to give him medicine and you can find it in the drawer of store room. AndBesides , the others need shower ...

which you need to put outside of the house as a resultso that the municipality can take it away

Best
April April   
Jul 26, 2012
Writing Feedback / (adopting greener forms of energy in the US) - IELTS Graph [5]

Well yeah, your second body para did have more comparisons than the 1st one.
However, the way you structured your essay didn't allow you to compare and contrast in both body paragraphs, right? And the more you can show your language skills by making comparisons, the better your essay is. So I have to say that I would structure the essay differently.

Anw, it's just a suggestion.

Oh and btw, I think you can just keep the conclusion like that (because you can only see that after having thoroughly analysed the charts), but add a general statement to the intro, for example: "Generally, abc was the most popular source of energy, while xyz constituted the least to the generation of power."

Best

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