Simone Braverman's Blog: IELTS-Blog.com, page 135

IELTS test in Malaysia – October 2019 (General Training)

Our friend V. took the IELTS test in Malaysia and remembered the following questions from the Writing and Speaking tests:

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

There is a musical instrument class available in the classified ads section of the newspaper. Write a letter to the music academy, in your letter

– say that you are interested in attending the class

– ask about the days and times the class is available

– explain that you have some previous experience as well.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Some people say that historical buildings should be knocked down, while others believe that they should be preserved and restored instead. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

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?

– What software skills are required and HR personal is looking for?

– What software skills are you good at?

– Explain why these skills are important for recruiting a person.

– How can women achieve a better work-life balance?

– How important is a career for a woman?

– What is more important, a career or managing a household?

Part 2 (Cue Card)

Talk about a situation when something in your house broke or stopped working. Please say

– What was it?

– What happened when it broke/stopped working?

– How did you feel about it?

Part 3 (Discussion)

– Why do you think people buy second-hand products?

– Why do people sell second-hand goods and advertise them on the internet?

– Do you think advertising fools people?

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IELTS Speaking test in Vietnam – October 2019

The IELTS Speaking questions below were remembered and shared by J. from Vietnam after a recent test that he took:

Speaking test

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 visit your relatives very often? Why?

– What do you do when you meet them?

– Do you prefer to meet your friends or relatives? Why?

– Why are people littering on the road?

– Did you ever take part in any rubbish collection activity?

– What can the government do to reduce the amount of rubbish?

Cue Card

Talk about a famous person from another country whom you would like to meet. Please say

– Who is that person?

– Why is he/she famous?

– Why do you want to meet him/her?

Discussion

– Why do many companies use celebrities for advertising their products?

– What are the advantages for a country that has an internationally known celebrity?

– What are the drawbacks of being a celebrity?

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IELTS test in Iran – October 2019 (Academic Module)

S. remembered the following IELTS topics and questions after taking the test in Iran:

Reading test

Passage 1. About farming.

Passage 2. About the lack of physical activity in children.

Passage 3. Some methods used in international companies to deal with language barriers.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a line graph showing the percentage of students in a UK university who were interested in 3 different types of TV programs in 2008.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Some people claim that traditional games had more benefits for children than modern ones. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Speaking test

Part 1 (Interview)

– What is your full name?

– Can I see your ID?

– Tell me about the place you are living in now.

– Which room do you like the most in your house?

– Are you an organised person?

– Is it difficult for you to plan for your day?

– What is the advantage of being organised?

– Do you prefer to be busy during the day or not?

Part 2 (Cue Card)

Describe a famous person not from your country, whom you’d like to meet. Please say

– Who is this person?

– Why is he/she famous?

– What do you know about him/her?

– Why do you want to meet him/her?

Part 3 (Discussion)

– What are the advantages and disadvantages of being famous?

– How can famous people have an influence on children?

– How can they encourage people to do good things?

– Can they solve global problems?

– Why do people want to know facts about famous people?

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IELTS test in Hong Kong – October 2019 (General Training)

Our friend S took the IELTS test in Hong Kong and remembered the following topics and questions:

Listening test

Section 1. About tutoring for a child.

Section 2. About home insurance.

Section 3. A discussion about a tour.

Section 4. Don’t remember.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

Your company now allows employees to work from home. Write a letter to your boss to ask to work from home. Include the following in your letter:

– why you want to work from home,

– what part of your work can be done from home and

– how it will be beneficial for the company.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Some parents say that giving expensive gifts to a child can create bad habits in him/her. Do you agree or disagree? Give your opinion and include any relevant examples from your experience.

Speaking test

Part 1 (Interview)

– What is your name?

– What do you do?

– What do you like about your job?

– What are your duties at work?

– Are you a good planner?

– Tell me about one situation where your planning didn’t work.

Part 2 (Cue card)

Describe a person you know who is doing charity work. Please say

– what his/her name is,

– what he/she does,

– why he/she is doing it and

– how you feel about the work this person is doing

Part 3 (Discussion)

– Do you have any experience doing charity work?

– How can children help with charity work?

– Do you think parents or teachers should encourage children to do charity work?

– Should the government provide financial support to charity organisations?

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6 Easy Ways to Improve Your IELTS Listening Score

Achieving a fundamental improvement in Listening takes time, work and patience, there’s no doubt about that. But I find that people often overlook some quick steps they can take to significantly raise their IELTS score. And for some test takers, that increase in score is all they need! So, by all means work on your Listening skills, but do these steps first and see your score go up:

1. Watch your spelling!

Even if you heard the correct answer but misspelt it, you won’t get a mark for that answer. The easiest marks you can ever get in Listening is by watching your spelling. A ‘Commonly misspelled words’ list can help you learn the words you are most likely to misspell (you can find it here in free trial of ‘IELTS Success Formula’ book)

2. Learn to write while listening

Writing while listening is a skill that needs developing. If you have trouble with it, writing your answers at same same time as listening to the recording will feel a lot harder. Find out early whether or not you can write while listening, and develop/improve that ability by listening to any kind of lecture or talk, and making notes at the same time.

3. Read questions and try to predict answers

When you are given time at the beginning of every Listening section, go over the questions in that section, but don’t just read them – try to predict what kind of answer they require. It makes a big difference to your listening, when you know you are listening for a date, or a time, or a dish on the menu and so on.

4. Develop unbreakable concentration

From the moment the Listening recording starts playing, don’t let your mind wander. A single thought that takes you away from the recording can cost you an answer. All your attention should be on the recording, and you need to actively shut down any other thoughts. This takes practice, but you can easily do that at home – just put on a Listening test recording and practice ignoring any distractions for the next 25-30 minutes. You’d be surprised how good you can become at blocking things out!

5. Avoid getting stuck on a missed answer

If you followed suggestion #3 and predicted what kind of answer you’re listening for, you can recognise when the topic of conversation switches to another subject and realise you missed that answer. At that point in time you need to move on, read the next question, predict the answer type and start listening for it, to avoid a chain reaction causing you to lose multiple answers. Your worst case scenario here can be losing all the answers from the first one you missed and to the end of that section. But your best case scenario can be losing just ONE answer, quickly recovering and saving the situation.

6. Get familiar with accents commonly used in IELTS

IELTS Listening test recordings feature different accents: they use British, Canadian, American, Australian, New Zealand speakers, etc. You can’t afford to be in a situation where you are hearing one of these accents for the first time in your life during an actual IELTS exam, because the pronunciation of some words really differs from one accent to the other. You can and should expose yourself to these accents by doing Listening tests with them – such as these practice tests here.

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IELTS test in India – October 2019 (Academic Module)

Our friend S took an Academic IELTS test in India and remembered the following topics and questions:

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a bar graph showing the percentage of overweight men and women in the USA in three different years.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Nowadays an increasing number of people change their careers during their working life period. What are the reasons behind this trend? Is it a generally positive or negative development?

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?

– Do you like it there?

– Are you a patient person?

– Have you ever lost patience while waiting for a bus or a train?

Part 2 (Cue Card)

Describe an achievement that you have celebrated recently. Please say

– Where and when was it?

– What did you do?

– Who was there with you?

Part 3 (Discussion)

– Is team sport more difficult for a player compared to individual sport?

– Why do you think so?

– Do people in your country celebrate National Day?

– Do you enjoy watching sports?

– Do people in your country enjoy watching sport on TV, if your country is playing?

– When a local player wins a tournament, do you feel happy about it?

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IELTS Band 9 essay, topic: Should teachers be required to conform to a dress code?

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 3

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Many people believe in the idea of school children wearing a school uniform, but should teachers as well be required to conform to a dress code?

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

You should write at least 250 words.

Answer

The wearing of school uniforms is an issue that is both supported and opposed by many people. Numerous schools around the world require students to wear school uniforms on their grounds, however, teachers are not often required to wear a specific uniform while working. It has therefore been suggested that it should be compulsory for teachers to wear a specific uniform or follow a specific dress code on a daily basis.

One reason for introducing a dress code for teachers would be that teachers typically function as role models. For students who are not willing to conform to the dress code of their school, it would be beneficial to see figures of authority wearing the same outfit as each other, and they would then potentially be more willing to follow their own dress code.

Another reason for introducing a compulsory dress code for teachers would be that if all teachers wore the same outfit, there would be no visible difference amongst them. Naturally some teachers are wealthier than others and would tend to show this through their clothing. This could cause other teachers to feel inferior and therefore could result in lower quality work and decreased motivation. Furthermore, students would feel treated more fairly, if not only they, but teachers as well had to wear a certain uniform in school.

Lastly, uniforms for teachers would enable students and other teachers to easily distinguish between school staff and other adults. In many schools there is no high quality security system and strangers can easily enter and steal something or commit other crimes. If teachers wore uniforms, one would then be able to approach and confront strangers more easily, as one could distinguish teachers wearing uniforms clearly from other adults.

In conclusion, there are many positive effects of introducing uniforms for teachers and therefore, in my opinion, they should be installed in as many schools as possible.

Go here for more IELTS Band 9 Essays

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IELTS test in Bangladesh – October 2019 (Academic Module)

The IELTS test questions below were shared by F. from Bangladesh:

Reading test

Passage 1. About Hershey’s chocolate.

Passage 2. About currencies that people used from 1800 BC to the 19th century.

Passage 3. Don’t remember.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a process diagram of canned fruit production.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Lectures given by teachers in universities used to be the only way of teaching students, however, nowadays technology has evolved and made it possible to study online. This causes many people to believe that the lecture system will not be needed in the future. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

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 study?

– What do you like the most about your study?

– What kind of music do you listen to?

– Do you listen to music alone or with friends?

– Did you listen to the same music as a child?

– What is the importance of concentration when you are doing work?

– When couldn’t you give your full attention to work? Why?

– What do you do when you need to achieve complete concentration?

Part 2 (Cue Card)

Describe a local product that is only available in you region. Please say

– what product it is

– where you can get it

– what it is for

– and what makes it unique to your region.

Part 3 (Discussion)

– What is the most innovative product nowadays? Why?

– What makes a product unique?

– Are these products really helpful to us?

– What new innovative product is imported by your country?

– Why do some products become popular and some do not?

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IELTS Speaking test in India – October 2019

Below are the Speaking questions that S. remembered and shared, after a recent IELTS Speaking test in India:

Speaking test

Part 1 (Interview)

– What is your full name?

– Can I see your ID?

– Where are you from?

– Do you work or study?

– Where do you study?

– What course are you studying?

– Why did you choose this course?

– Is it a popular course among your friends?

– Who does the cooking at your home?

– Can you cook well?

– Do you think it’s necessary to have cooking skills?

– Should it be taught at school? Why?

– What do you do when you hang out with friends?

– Do you hang out with just a few friends or with a large group of friends?

– When was your last time going out?

Part 2 (Cue Card)

Talk about another course that you would like to take, not related to your previous studies. Please say

– What kind of course would it be?

– What do you want to learn from it?

– Why would you choose it?

Part 3 (Discussion)

– Do you think universities should only offer courses related to employment or courses on other topics as well?

– What is more important to employers, qualifications or experience, in your opinion?

– What would you choose personally? Why?

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IELTS Speaking Band 8.5 Full Test with Examiner’s Feedback

The video you are about to watch features a Swedish student, Joanne, who is answering questions from Speaking Test 16 in “High Scorer’s Choice” IELTS Practice Tests book series.

Joanne is doing a full simulated IELTS Speaking test with an examiner, who is asking her typical IELTS Speaking test questions. This video shows you what happens on the test day in the real examination room.

IELTS Speaking Test has 3 parts.

In Part 1 you should expect personal questions on familiar topics, for instance about your job or studies, your home, your family, etc.

Part 2 is different, because you receive a single topic to talk about for 1 to 2 minutes, with 4 bullet points you should cover in your speech. Another difference between Part 2 and the other parts is that in Part 2 you get 1 minute preparation time and you can write down some ideas to talk about. This doesn’t happen in Part 1 or Part 3.

Part 3 is a longer discussion where the examiner asks you questions related to Part 2 topic. You are expected to give longer, more elaborate answers and talk in-depth about the topics your examiner brings up.

Here is how you can learn from this Speaking test video

1. Get familiar with everything that happens in the Speaking test. It will help you feel prepared when it’s your turn.

2. Listen to the questions the examiner asks and how Joanne answers them. Then think about what YOU would say in response to these questions.

3. Spot Joanne’s mistakes and avoid them when you speak.

4. Go over Examiner’s Feedback below to learn how he rated Joanne’s performance and why (he also points out some of her mistakes!)

5. You can even use this as a Listening exercise, and switch on subtitles on YouTube to understand every word on the recording.

Watch the video on YouTube here:

Examiner’s Feedback

This section shows you what goes on in the examiner’s mind when he rates a Speaking test. Make sure you read this before looking at the scores he gave Joanne in every criterion, because this explains the reasons she got those scores.

Speaking Test, Part 1 – 0:22

Joanne spoke fluently and confidently in her section 1, showing that she was perfectly comfortable speaking in English. Joanne had an excellent range of lexis that she used and her vocabulary choices were natural and appropriate; there were only rare instances of her using a mildly awkward expression, i.e. “that goes to a certain extent.” Joanne’s grammatical range was always appropriately varied and there was excellent accuracy. Joanne had no discernable Swedish accent and even had a slight U.S. accent. This allowed her communication to be excellent. One criticism of Joanne is that she provided quite short answers and she was short on the required amount of time for section 1. She naturally spoke quite fast, but fuller answers would have put her in a better position.

Speaking Test, Part 2 – 3:28

Joanne was again very fluent and confident. She communicated well and had no problem with the vocabulary and grammar needed for what she had to say. One issue again was that she spoke very fast and frenetically, and she only managed around 38 seconds of speaking, when she needed to produce between 1 to 2 minutes. Slowing down would have helped her and maybe a bit more calm would have allowed to her to realise she had not addressed all the points on the answer sheet – she didn’t really talk about the type of food served (a lot could have been said on this) and the restaurant’s atmosphere was only touched on by saying that it was “open and friendly”. Joanne’s lexis were well chosen and mostly appropriate, with only one slightly awkward collocation, “so much effort”. The grammatical range and accuracy were excellent and again, Joanne’s pronunciation was extremely good, creating the feeling of a native speaker.

Speaking Test, Part 3 – 4:55

Joanne delivered a good section 3 and she provided some intelligent and thoughtful answers. This time, even though she spoke quite fast again, she managed to give fuller answers to the more demanding questions and speak for the required amount of time. She was not quite as fluent as before and she occasionally got a bit tongue-tied (this could have been down to nerves) and she tailed off a bit at one point. In Joanne’s case, the greater difficulty of the questions actually allowed her to show that she had a greater lexis range than was apparent earlier, i.e. “rooted in the history”, “it impacts”, “specific dietary needs”, “lactose intolerant” and “glucose intolerant” are some examples. She also knew some specific scientific vocabulary, i.e. “allergens”. Together, this showed Joanne had an accomplished English vocabulary. Joanne also produced an excellent and accurate grammatical range and was accurate all the way through. Her pronunciation, as before, was of native speaker standard.

Joanne’s IELTS Speaking score

The marking of the IELTS Speaking Test is done in 4 parts.

Fluency and Coherence 7

Lexical Resource 9

Grammatical Range and Accuracy 9

Pronunciation 9

Estimated IELTS Speaking Band 8.5

Need more Speaking tests with Examiner’s feedback? Find them in High Scorer’s Choice book series.

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