Simone Braverman's Blog: IELTS-Blog.com, page 130

IELTS test in Canada – January 2020 (General Training)

M took IELTS in Canada and remembered the following topics and questions (thank you M for sharing!):

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

Write a letter to your friend inviting him/her to a music concert. Please say

– Where and when does the concert start?

– What type of music will be played there?

– Why do you think your friend will enjoy it?

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

In many countries around the world young people decide to leave their parents’ home once they finish school. They start living on their own or sharing a home with friends. Is this a positive or a negative development? Give reasons for your answer and include relevant examples.

Speaking test

Part 1 (Interview)

– What is your full name?

– Can I see your ID?

– Where are you from?

– Do you work or study?

– What do you do?

– Do you live in a house or an apartment?

– What do you like about living there?

– Would you like to move to a different home in the future?

– Are there many shops near your home?

– Who usually does the shopping in your household?

Part 2 (Cue Card)

Describe something you have bought that was difficult to use at first. Please say

– What was it?

– When did you buy it?

– What does it do?

Part 3 (Discussion)

– Why was it difficult to use?

– What type of products are difficult to use at first?

– Do you think it is necessary to follow fashion and use the latest products?

– What are some jobs that help people?

– Why do you think advertisements are useful in selling products?

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IELTS Speaking test in Iran – January 2020

Our friend V recently took the IELTS test in Iran and remembered the following Speaking questions:

Speaking test

Part 1 (Interview)

– Can you tell me your full name, please?

– Do you work or study?

– Do you like your job?

– What is the reason that you chose this job?

– Do you borrow money?

– Is it important to you to be able to borrow money?

– Have other people ever borrowed something from you?

Part 2 (Cue Card)

Describe a well known musical band that you know. Please say

– When did you discover this band?

– Where can you listen to them?

– What kind of music do they play?

Part 3 (Discussion)

– What are the qualities of a good singer?

– Does education play a role in a person’s likelihood of becoming a good singer?

– Why is traditional music important for children?

– Is it true that environment influences music?

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IELTS test in Pakistan and Greece – January 2020 (Academic Module)

Below are the IELTS questions from recent exams in Pakistan and Greece. The two exams were held on the same day and the questions were identical, thank-you to J, N and V for sharing.

Listening test

Part 1. A conversation between two people about a holiday prize.

Questions: 2 questions were fill in the blanks, 5 questions were multiple choice (instead of fill in the blanks that we are used to) and 3 questions were ‘choose 3 items from 7’.

Part 2. A map with questions on it.

Part 3. Two students were talking about academic subjects.

Questions: multiple choice, sentence completion.

Part 4. A scientist was talking about a plant.

Questions: 10 fill in the blanks.

Note: We had 45 seconds to check the answers at the end of every Part.

Reading test

Passage 1. Floods in the Great Canyon.

Questions: True/False/Not Given, fill in the blanks.

Passage 2. Schools in Msekeni in Africa.

Questions: matching headings to paragraphs, fill in the blanks, match a writer to information.

Passage 3. Innovation in companies and fears.

Questions: matching paragraphs to sentences, True/False/Not Given, multiple choice.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We received two pie charts with information about vehicle exports by a company in three years (1996, 2006 and 2016). We were asked to report the main features and compare/contrast where possible.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Many people believe that individuals are responsible for their own happiness, while others think happiness is dependent on other external factors. Discuss both views and include your own opinion. Give reasons for your answer and examples from your experience.

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IELTS essay, topic: In the past people wore their traditional clothes, but these days most people wear similar clothes, is this a positive or negative development?

In the past, people wore their traditional clothes and followed their culture. These days, most people wear similar clothes and therefore look very similar to one another. Do you think this is a positive or a negative development?

Sample Essay

These days, people’s perspectives on the value of clothing are changing, and individuals tend to wear similar clothing compared to people in the past who opted for their traditional clothing. I believe this tendency exerts a positive influence on the society.

It is certainly true that there are some drawbacks to this tendency because it may lead to a loss of global diversity. It can be argued those who wear ordinary clothes such as T-shirts and jeans cannot feel a connection to their roots, and they are likely to neglect their culture and the contribution of their ancestors. Therefore, these people may not take pride in their region, and they might migrate to an urban location rather than contribute to the development of their community. Consequently, many ethnic minorities could suffer from depopulation and eventually disappear.

However, I believe that there are more positives than negatives in people opting for similar clothes. The first explanation is that individuals can feel a sense of unity with people all over the world even though they have different religions and ways of life. This would motivate people in the world to support one another, instead of thinking that different parts of the world should deal with their own problems when natural disasters and other terrible problems occur in different nations. Furthermore, this tendency is economically profitable. Generally speaking, as ordinary clothes are automatically manufactured, they can be produced faster and more affordably than traditional clothing such as Japanese Kimono, which is hand-crafted.

In conclusion, although people today tend to wear similar clothes instead of traditional ones and this trend cause several problems, I believe that the society as a whole can reap more benefits of this tendency.

All parts of the task have been covered. The writer presents a well‐developed position that addresses all parts of the task prompt with suitable, widely covered and sufficiently supported ideas. The paragraphing is handled appropriately. The range of vocabulary allows the writer to convey the intended meaning. The overall control of grammar and punctuation is fine, with only a few errors mostly related to word choice (hover/tap on corrections in blue for details). Well done! Overall, this essay seems worthy of IELTS Band 8.

Click here to see more IELTS essays of Band 8

‘the’ is not needed here
‘idea’ or ‘mindset’ would be a better word choice here
‘may’ is a better word choice here because the writer is speculating

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IELTS test in India and Iran – January 2020 (General Training)

Our friends H. and S. took their General Training IELTS tests in India and Iran (the two tests taken on the same day were identical). Here are the topics and questions they remembered:

Listening test

Part 1. Job details.

Questions: filling in blanks, multiple choice.

Part 2. About a harbour and different events held there, map and table of programs and their information.

Questions: filling in blanks.

Section 3. Two students were discussing taking different courses.

Questions: multiple choice, information matching.

Section 4. A plant used for biofuel production.

Reading test

Passage 1. A text about camera exhibition.

Passage 2. Don’t remember.

Passage 3. Tokyo restaurant and its recipe.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

You recently took a trip to another city, and you had a plan to visit your friend who is living there. However, you couldn’t see him/her. Write a letter to your friend, and say

– Apologize for not being able to meet.

– Give your reasons.

– Suggest how you can meet some other time.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

In the past people wore their traditional clothes and followed their culture. These days most people wear similar clothes and therefore look very similar to one another. Do you think this is a positive or a negative development?

Speaking test

Part 1 (Interview)

– What do you like about the area you live in?

– Let’s talk about hair.

– How long have you had your current hair style?

– Do you like to color your hair?

– Do you like going to your hairdresser?

– Have you ever been dissatisfied with your haircut?

– Let’s talk about jeans.

– Why are they popular?

– Do you wear them?

– Did you wear them when you were in school?

Part 2 (Cue Card)

Talk about a toy you had when you were a child. Please say

– What was it?

– Who gave it to you?

– How did you play with it?

Part 3 (Discussion)

– Let’s talk about toys.

– Comparing traditional and new toys, which ones are better?

– Is there any benefit to playing online games?

– What kinds of toys are popular in your country?

– What can children learn from playing with their toys?

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IELTS test in Australia – December 2019 (General Training)

Y took the IELTS test in Australia and remembered the following questions from the Writing and Speaking test:

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

During a recent plane journey you sat next to a businessman who owns a chain of restaurants. You talked to him and he suggested that you should contact him about a possible job in one of his restaurants. Write a letter to the businessman and say

– When and where you met.

– What kind of job are you interested in?

– Why would you be suitable for the job?

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Nowadays more and more tourists are visiting places with difficult weather conditions, such as the Sahara desert and the Antarctic region and so on. What are the advantages and disadvantages for tourists who visit such places?

Speaking test

Part 1 (Interview)

– What is your full name?

– Can I see your ID?

– Where are you from?

– Do you work or study?

– What do you do?

– Where do you live now?

– What are the disadvantages of your neighborhood? Why?

– Do you plan to live in this suburb in the future? Why?

– Let’s talk about voices.

– Do you feel that your voice is special?

– Did it change over time? Why?

– On what occasion did your voice change? Why?

Part 2 (Cue Card)

Talk about a public building that you wish to visit. Please say

– What kind of building is it and where is it located?

– Why do you want to visit it?

– How did you learn about it?

Part 3 (Discussion)

– Why do you think people like to visit such places?

– What other places would you like to visit? Why?

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Changes to IELTS Listening Test in January 2020

Starting from 4 January 2020 the IELTS Listening test has changed. The changes are quite small but important to be aware of, because encountering an unexpected change can take you by surprise and affect your performance.

The changes have been made to the instructions and layout of paper-based IELTS Listening test.

IELTS Listening Test Changes January 2020

Change #1 – from ‘Sections’ to ‘Parts’.

The word “Sections” has changed to “Parts”. Instead of Section 1, Section 2, Section 3 and Section 4 there are now Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 in the Listening test.

Change #2 – no more references to page numbers.

Page number reference has been removed from the instructions. This means that, for instance, instead of asking you to ‘look at questions 1-5 on page X’, you will be just asked to ‘look at questions 1-5’ without a page number. This shouldn’t present a problem because there is just one group of questions numbered 1-5, and it will be easy to find.

Change #3 – Part 1 Example has been removed.

Prior to the change in the Listening Part 1 a short part of conversation was played twice, first to demonstrate where the answer is and what it is, and then as part of the actual Listening test. Now Part 1 recording will be played only once, with no parts of it being played twice. Get ready to listen for the answers as soon as the test begins.

Luckily there are no more changes to the content, format or accents used in the Listening test.

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IELTS Results competition winners in December 2019

Tiger Woods once said “Winning solves everything”, and we are just about to introduce to you 5 people whose IELTS scores solved all their problems! Life barriers, show-stoppers, the uncertainty of their future, all of that evaporated right in front of their eyes. They are starting a new life in 2020 and we couldn’t be happier for them!

Let’s give a round of applause to the owners of best IELTS Results in December 2019:

Academic Module – 1st place

Mohit Shrestha from Nepal, Band 8
Madhav Ramdev from India, Band 8

Academic Module – 2nd place

Akshit Beniwal from India, Band 7.5

General Training Module – 1st place

Chethan Narasimhaiah from India, Band 8

General Training Module – 2nd place

Karankumar Patel from India, Band 7

Congratulations to the winners! As a token of our appreciation we are sending your certificates of achievement to your emails. Winning IELTS results will be displayed in the IELTS-Blog hall of fame – so if you won, please feel free to show them off to your friends!

How did they score so well?

We’re always trying to find out from the winners how they did it. I’d like to ask the winners – please be kind to the other test takers who are still preparing for their IELTS exams. Do share your stories and tell us how you studied, and what helped you achieve success in IELTS. Any useful tips will be shared on IELTS-Blog.com, so everyone can use the same technique and get a better score in their own exam this month.

We are expecting responses from our winners and as soon as we get their tips, we will post them on IELTS-Blog.com. The first IELTS results competition we held 11 (!) years ago was our very first step towards connecting successful test takers with everyone else. Winners have obviously done a lot of things right, and by sharing their tips, ‘secrets’ and advice they are helping thousands of others achieve great results in IELTS. IELTS-Blog.com is proud to be the channel for the experience and wisdom of high scorers to reach every IELTS test taker in the world!

So if YOU got a high score in IELTS, no matter when – this month, last month, a few months ago – we want to hear from you! We would like to extend our warm invitation to everyone who is happy with their IELTS score. Take part in our IELTS results competition today, and share your IELTS tips when you win!

Learn how to enroll here.

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IELTS test in Malaysia – December 2019 (Academic Module)

Our friend Z. took the IELTS test in Malaysia and remembered the following topics and questions from the Listening, Reading and Writing tests:

Listening test

Section 1. A phone conversation about hotel room reservation.

Section 2. About different types of bees.

Section 3. Don’t remember.

Section 4. About the modern construction materials used nowadays.

Reading test

Passage 1. About the language of piraña people.

Passage 2. The effects of climate on economy.

Passage 3. About the main source of laughter and happiness.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a pie chart showing male and female students, studying full and part time for their degrees in the UK between 1990 and 2010. We had to summarize and compare the data.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Some people think that old people need to live in special communities, but others believe they should live with their family and adult children. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

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IELTS Band 9 essay, topic: Many people nowadays travel abroad for their university education (discuss)

This is a model response to a Writing Task 2 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is likely to score IELTS Band 9.

Set 1 General Training book, Practice Test 5

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Many people nowadays travel abroad for their university education.

Why do people do this? Would you consider doing this yourself and why?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Answer

In recent years it has become normal for high school graduates to travel abroad for their university education. There are numerous positive aspects to studying in a foreign country, such as the discovery of new cultures, the possibility of learning more about oneself and the chance of learning a new language.

By travelling to a foreign country, it is certain that one will be confronted with foreign customs and traditions. Experiencing and understanding these customs and their origins provides students with an interesting chance to develop a more open-minded attitude towards others. Additionally, it is also extremely stimulating to learn more about the reasons behind certain traditions and practices.

A prime reason for students studying abroad is the prospect of finding oneself and growing as an individual. When living in a foreign country, students have to become increasingly independent and they are confronted with their strengths and weaknesses. Typically students develop increased self-esteem and also acquire or improve upon their skills of housekeeping and cooking, which are important for living independently later on in life.

When living in a foreign country students are exposed to a new language and in most cases attempt to learn it. If they already possess some knowledge about the language, they have the possibility of advancing and improving upon these skills with the native population. The ability to speak multiple languages offers students a higher chance of being successful on the international job market, which makes studying abroad an attractive choice.

Personally, I would like to study abroad in either Scotland or France, because I would like to experience the life and customs in these countries. Additionally, I would like to become more fluent in French, as I believe this will be beneficial for me later in life.

In conclusion, studying abroad offers the possibility for students to grow and develop as individuals and to acquire valuable skills that will be useful in adult life.

Go here for more IELTS Band 9 Essays

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