dear student,welcome to this new oriental ielts preparation course and the writing book in particular.ielts, the international english language testing system, is one of the world's most popular english language tests for entry into university or higher education where english is the language of communication. in other words, it is your academic passport!one of the most difficult challenges you will face in a academic writing test is being able to respond to task 1 and task 2 questions appropriately. in this book, you will be guided to produce the kind of writing that is required.grammar is very important. you will learn the most common verb tenses and how to use them as well as the correct grammar structures for a variety of language functions that you will need to answer task 1 (comparing, contrasting, etc.) and task 2 (evaluating, discussing, giving opinions, etc.)you will learn coherence, that is, how to link your ideas together fluently and how to organise your writing into coherent paragraphs.specific vocabulary is targeted for task 1 to enable you to write about data, trends, and changes. in addition, typical vocabulary related to common topics of task 2 is introduced.as you work through this book, you will become aware of how to respond appropriately, accurately, and relevantly to the requirements set out in each ielts writing task.thank you for choosing to study for the ielts with new oriental where the teaching team will be helping you to develop confidence and the ability to communicate in english with greater fluency.rod ellis.