IELTS test in London, UK July 2012 (Academic Module)

Posted: 20 Jul 2012 03:30 AM PDT

The Writing and Speaking questions below were shared by S who recently took an IELTS exam in London. Writing test Writing task 1 (a report) We were given a line graph describing the percentages of people in four different age groups who went to a cinema in one of the European countries between 2000 and 2011. Writing Task 2 (an essay) In order to improve safety on our roads more severe punishment should be established for driving offenses. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Speaking test Interview - Tell your full name. - What do you do? - What do you like about your job? - What kind of meal do you like? - Which meal is more important to you: breakfast, lunch or dinner? Why? - Do you prefer to eat once a day or three times a day? Why? Cue Card Describe a situation where you were close to a wild animal. Please say - When and where was it? - What animal was it? - What was the animal doing? - Why do you remember that day? - How did you feel about it? Discussion

- Tell me about peoples attitude towards animals in your country. - Why do people keep pets in their homes? - What is the difference between keeping a fish and a dog? - What do you think about people who dont like to keep dogs in their homes? - What is the role of the zoos in the society? - Why are they important in educating people? Related po

Writing Task 2 (an essay) Nowadays we communicate less with our family members. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Speaking test Interview - What is your full name? - Do you work or study? - What do you do at your job? - Why do you like this job? - Do you watch TV often? - What do you usually watch? - Normally when do people watch TV in your country? - Do parents encourage children to watch TV in your country? Cue Card Talk about a present that you received. Please say - What was it? - Who was it from? - Why did you like it? - What was peoples reaction to this present? Discussion - What do people expect to receive as a present usually? - What do you think about the cost of presents? - Do people like cheap presents? - Why arent cheap items a problem for some people? - Do all people like flowers?

IELTS test in Australia and Philippines July 2012 (Academic Module)

Posted: 18 Jul 2012 01:20 AM PDT

The IELTS update below was shared by Y and B who took their exams in Australia and the Philippines. Listening test Section 1. A customer was making a reservation for bed and breakfast over the phone. Section 2. Presentation of a book about insects. Section 3. Dont remember. Section 4. Research about career education. Reading test Passage 1. History of chariots in China. Passage 2. Chimpanzees and their evolutionary breakthrough. Passage 3. Curve Theater in London. Writing test Writing task 1 (a report) We were given a diagram showing the traditional and new transportation systems of goods to supermarkets. The reason for the new transportation was to reduce delivery costs. Writing Task 2 (an essay) When visiting foreign countries, visitors should take full advantage of learning the culture and traditions of that country. How can they learn about the culture and traditions? Why do some visitors strive to learn about culture and traditions while other are not interested at all? Speaking test Interview - Do you live in an apartment or a house? - Where is your hometown? - What are good and bad things about your hometown?

- What sports would you like to learn? - What sports are popular in your country? Cue Card Describe your favorite weather. Discussion Some questions related to climate change (did not remember exactly). Related posts:

IELTS test in Belgorod, Russia June 2012 (Academic Module)

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 04:33 AM PDT

The IELTS exam below was remembered by E (thank you!) who recently took the test in Russia. Listening test Section 1. Registration of a new student at the library. Section 2. About musical groups. Section 3. Discussion of two students about their recent research connected to preferences in music among different age groups. Section 4. Dont remember. Reading test Passage 1. About the evolution of different species of birds. Passage 2. Reconstruction of a park in Auckland, New Zealand. Passage 3. How to run a company successfully. Writing test Writing task 1 (a report) We were given a line graph in order to describe the process of CO2 emission by 4 types of vehicles according to their speed.

Writing Task 2 (an essay) There are many different reasons that can keep a person in their workplace. Some believe that money is the main reason. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Speaking test Interview - What is your full name? - Where are you from? - Can you describe your hometown? - Has it changed a lot since your childhood? - What type of transport people use in your country, mostly? - Do you use it as well? - What improvements can be made in your citys public transport system? - Do you want to own a car? - How often do you use a computer? - What do you like/dont like about it? Cue Card Describe a person that helped you a lot. Please say - Who was it? - What did he/she do for you? - How did you feel about it? - When did that happen? Discussion - How can a help of a parent be different from a help of a friend? - In what ways can countries help each other? - What are the negative/positive sides of this help? - How can countries benefit from this help? Related posts:

Practical IELTS tips from Angie, Band 8.5

Many non-native English speakers think they would easily get Band 9 in IELTS, if only they spoke English from birth. They couldnt be more wrong. Even native English speakers require preparation if they want to score well in IELTS and here is some practical advice on how to prepare from Angie Coleman, a young lady from the UK and ourfirst place competition winner, who got Band 8.5 in her IELTS exam. Angie says:

The advice I would share is simple: Dont think if you are a native English speaker it will be easy, you still have to prepare. Complete practice tests over and over again to ensure you know the format of the test and what types of questions are being asked, the pace of the test and get familiar with writing essays (by hand) over and over again. Buy practice tests or access to a website for practice tests. I used a few freebee tests on the internet, but you can only use them once and then you know what they are looking for, so its not effective. I then paid for access to a website, the tests had a number of mistakes in them but it still helped me to get used to the format and I didnt waste time searching for free practice tests. On a practical level, the test conditions are not easy, so be prepared. I was in a room from about 9am until 14pm. During that time, no toilet breaks (you can go to the loo but it comes off of your test time), no snack breaks, it was freezing and you are concentrating hard from test to test. So best be prepared. Get a solid night sleep the day before and dont drink any alcohol, drink tons of water the day before, eat a healthy breakfast, dont drink too much coffee or liquids in the morning before the test. Wear layers into the building. You have to check in your coat so make sure you will be warm enough. I had layers, but my teeth still chattered. You move from room to room during the registration process, on the last leg try to go in near the end and use the loo one last time before the test. Otherwise you will sit in the room for an hour plus waiting for others to come in. Listening For the test itself, make sure you focus and dont drift off in the listening. This is hard to do especially if you are not prepared on what to listen for. Scan the questions when you can so you know what to tune your ear into. Reading Read the questions first before diving into the text. You need to know what you are looking for. When its a matching section, answer question by question and if you do not know what it is, skip it and come back to it. After you have completed everything, go back and read the answer to the question to make sure it makes sense. Writing Answer the questions in full. Use a range of grammar and vocabulary. Learn 20 plus words that you can easily insert into almost any topic of discussion and practice your spelling of these words and other common words. During your practice tests, its useful to type your essay into a word document after you have hand written it and spell check it. You can then see any grammar or spelling mistakes you might not have otherwise seen. And also get a word count. If you run out of an argument to write about but are short on words, use personal experience to describe. Keep to the word limits, you get penalised for writing under the limit automatically. Speaking Practice with your friends. Get them to mimic the test format and test questions so you are comfortable answering questions in this way. Have them time each section so you are used to speaking fluidly for that amount of time. Use lots of description (not just yes or no) and keep

answering the question until the examiner (or your friend stops you). If you run out of things to say about a topic, draw on personal experience or make something up. Remember its a language test not an interview. Good Luck and Best Wishes!! Thanks again for helping me get through this test!!

IELTS Speaking test in the UK June 2012

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 03:30 AM PDT

The Speaking questions below were remembered by a test taker from the UK (thank you A!). Speaking test Interview - What is your full name? - Where are you from? - Do you live in a flat or a house? - Which part of the house do you like and why? - Are you using the Internet in your daily life? - Which types of clothes do you mostly like? - Did you buy any clothes over the Internet ? Why? - Are clothes in your country cheaper or more expensive? - Which meal do you like the most, lunch or dinner? Why? Cue Card Talk about something difficult that you did very well. Please say - What was it? - When did it happen? - How much preparation did you do to make it a success? Discussion - Are people more ambitious in your country? - What type of profession do they choose? - Is it good that people are more ambitious in their lives? Give your opinion. Related posts: 1. IELTS Speaking test in Dhaka, Bangladesh June 2012 A test taker from Banglad