Best tips for IELTS Spelling.

Today's best IELTS tip is about English spelling rules.
Spelling is taken into consideration in Listening, Reading and Writing and many students find English spelling very difficult because it is so irregular.  In fact many native speakers also find English spelling very difficult!
Here are some basic spelling rules when we add endings such as 'ing' and 'ed' to the end of a word: (note that there are always exceptions and these rules talk about what usually happens).

• Drop the final 'e' of a word if  the ending starts with a vowel e.g -ing and -able.  Eg  save - saving, ...
• If a single-syllable word ends in a short vowel sound + 1 consonant, double the consonant  if  the ending starts with a vowel e.g -ing and -ed. Eg big - bigger, ...
  
• If a word ends in consonant + 'y', change the final 'y' to 'i' when any ending is added.  Eg easy - easier, ...
  
• Nouns and verbs that end in consonant + 'y' have a plural form which engs in '-ies'. Eg story - stories, ...

I always advise my students to write words they have problems spelling on post-it notes and to stick them up around the house.
For more speaking test tips, why not download my free IELTS Speaking report; Speaking Test Tips from an IELTS Tutor.  I'm sure you'll find it useful!

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Alanna