Author Archives: Paul Davey

About Paul Davey

I’m Paul from Bristol, England. I am an IELTS tutor available for face-to-face classes in Taipei and Skype classes anywhere in the world. I'm based in Yonghe, New Taipei City — very close to Taipei. I have been teaching for many years and I am good at it. I’m patient and never tire of correcting students’ mistakes. I know many good ways for students to learn quickly and make a lot of progress in a short time. You won’t be wasting your money. I especially know the difficulties faced by Chinese speakers, and I know how to overcome these difficulties. IELTS is my primary concern and over the years I have taught hundreds of students in the UK, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other spots around the world. I know what the examiners look for and I know how to increase your band and get the grade you need to make your dream come true. I have been blogging about IELTS for about a decade. I started my first website in 2007, before beginning to blog at IELTS Tutor on the Hello UK website. Now I blog only at IELTS in Taiwan and Around the World. I majored in Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia, UK, graduating with a bachelor’s degree (2/1 with honours). I obtained my language-teaching qualification in 2006, which is accredited by the Royal College of Teachers. Before I began teaching, I worked in a software company in the UK, writing and selling software solutions. After teaching for many years I took a five-year break to run my own retailing business. Following that adventure, I returned to full-time teaching. For the last 11 years, I’ve been in Taiwan, where in addition to my IELTS work, I have taught corporate classes at Taipei Bank, Pfizer, and Chinese Petroleum Corporation (CPC, Taiwan). I have interests in many fields including travel, literature, science and history.

IELTS Writing Task-2: Cambridge 14: Self Employed

Nowadays many people choose to be self-employed, rather than to work for a company or organisation. Why might this be the case? What could be the disadvantages of being self-employed? First let’s look at an effort by one of my … Continue reading

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IELTS Writing Task-1: Double-Line Graph

The graph below shows population figures for India and China since the 2000 and predicted population growth up until 2050. Here’s an effort by one of my students:

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IELTS Listening: Sentence Completion: Ethnic Food in America

America has plenty of so-called ethnic food from around the world. This story discusses some of it. The original is over at VOA here. https://av.voanews.com/clips/VLE/2020/07/10/f5b657db-e755-4d2b-90ad-39d911bc1dba.mp3 Listen to the recording and use no more than TWO WORDS to complete the following sentences. … Continue reading

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IELTS Listening: Short Answers: Foxes and Humans

Foxes seem to have had a close relationship with our ancestors. This story tells us how ancient humans influenced the diet of foxes. The original is here. Listen to the recording and write no more than TWO words or a number … Continue reading

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IELTS Listening: Short Answers: The River Ganges

What does the River Ganges mean to people in India? Is everything fine with the river? To find out and to practice your listening skills, click on the recording and answer the questions as you do so. The original is … Continue reading

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IELTS Listening: Short Answers: Mosquitoes And Blood

Why do some mosquitoes bite humans when others don’t? The answer might surprise you. The original story is from npr, here. Listen to the recording and write no more than ONE word for each answer to questions 1 to 5 … Continue reading

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IELTS Listening: Short Answers: Is the World Running Out of Food?

With the growing population, is the world running out of food? In this recording from npr (here) you’ll find out. Listen to the recording and write no more than ONE word for each answer to questions 1 to 5 Besides the … Continue reading

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IELTS Listening: Short Answers: Cancel Culture

This is a news story about a growing trend in America. The original is over at VOA and can be found here. https://av.voanews.com/clips/VLE/2020/08/04/f2c1cff7-9e7a-4142-865c-2bfba0bd0ca1.mp3 Listen to the recording and answer the following questions using no more than TWO words. According to George … Continue reading

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IELTS Listening: Short Answers: Store Robots

This is a story about robots replacing store assistants in Japan. The original is over at VOA and can be found here. https://av.voanews.com/clips/VLE/2020/07/16/7675b2b9-dfae-416d-9a18-62c28941bfdd.mp3 Listen to the recording and answer the following questions using no more than TWO words or a … Continue reading

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IELTS Listening: Short Answers: Fallen Statues

A short answer will be a specific piece of information that you hear in the recording. It could be: a characteristic of someone or something an object mentioned a number of something a kind of something a synonym for a … Continue reading

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