thas been two years since I sat down to drat the first edition of The Ten-Day Step-by-Step Guide to IELTS Writing. I confess that I did not quite anticipate the rave reviews this book would
receive before letting it go to press.
Back then, as today, my overriding goal was to offer a stand-alone handbook for prospective IELTS candidates who are interested in but unfamiliar with English essay writing. Still, I am most
gratified to learn many IELTS training programs in China have adopted my book as their main course book, sometimes along with supplemental pamphlets.
To me, every new edition is like a new roadmap for my intellectual inquiry. Since I spent much of my time since the last edition in countries other than China, the text you will be reading
reflects the ways in which these ﹀experiences have influenced my thinking on essay writing. For instance, some newly-added chapters address the issues and questions on exemplification that
involves Jife in English-speaking countries such as Britain and Australia.
Besides, many of the new sample sentences have been drawn from works published in Commonwealth countries. This new edition has also been devised as a reaction to Cambridge IELTS 7 and the
corresponding changes in the test per se.
I continue to believe that acquiring the skills for the IELTS Essay Test, a test noted for the variety and complexity of its essay questions, has three dimensions: reading, writing and
reflecting. Ideally, the outcomes of each can continually interact. Read widely about the IELTS essay topics. Write arduously about these topics while drawing on ﹀ the reading materials. Then
reflect on those topics by keeping a test-prep journal documenting your reading and writing experiences and by discussions with your mentor and peers.
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