Simone Braverman's Blog: IELTS-Blog.com, page 76
October 16, 2022
IELTS Results competition winners in September 2022
Confucius, a famous Chinese philosopher and teacher, once said, “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”
Going by his words, the 6 people we are celebrating today are certainly moving in the right direction!
Let’s give a round of applause to …
IELTS results competition winners of September 2022Academic Module
1st place – Ali Taheri from Iran, Band 8.52nd place – Amanda Thompson Agaba from USA, Band 7.52nd place – Saroj Thapa Magar from Nepal, Band 7.53rd place – Flaminia Amatucci from Italy, Band 73rd place – Darshit Mukeshbhai Soneji from India, Band 7General Training Module
1st place – Thembekile Ncube from Zimbabwe, Band 7.5What a bunch of jaw-dropping scores! To mark this happy occasion we are sending our winners their certificates of achievement via email. We are also adding the winning IELTS results to the IELTS-Blog hall of fame – so please feel free to show them off to your friends!
How did they score so well?It feels amazing to see our students win!
Amanda used the book Target Band 7 and our writing correction service. After the test she wrote and said,
“I am excited to tell you that I took the test – and got Band 7.5 Overall, with 8.0 in Listening, Reading, and 7.5 in writing, which I practiced with you.”
Darshit relied on the book Ace the IELTS for his preparation. He said, “I am glad to announce that I got a 7 band in IELTS. I gave the exam on 27th August and I was very excited about it. The daily blogs and the questions of writing and speaking from all over the world from IELTS-Blog.com helped me a lot during my preparation. The book Ace the IELTS guided me through each and every single step to achieve a higher band score in the exam.”
Flaminia solved many High Scorer’s Choice practice tests while preparing for her exam. She said, “I am absolutely grateful for the support given by Simone Braverman and her effective platform IELTS-Blog.com. The website mentioned helped me a lot to understand my weaknesses, practicing on them. What I liked the most was the fact that I had the opportunity to evaluate my possible IELTS score, in order to be more prepared for the future examiner’s evaluation. I spent a lot of time exercising on the four parts of the test, and thanks to IELTS-Blog.com and its amazing books, I had the opportunity to vividly see my progresses, finally achieving an Overall Band Score of 7.”
As for the other winners – we would love to hear from you, because when you share your stories and tell us how you studied, you are helping thousands of test takers, preparing for their exams right now. Any useful tips will be posted on IELTS-Blog.com, so everyone can use the same technique and get a better score in their own exam this month.
Did you know? IELTS results competition runs every month, and everyone is welcome to participate. Learn how to enroll here.
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October 13, 2022
IELTS test in Australia – October 2022 (General Training)
Thanks to the lovely M.Y. from Australia we are sharing the questions from her recent IELTS test:
Writing test
Writing task 1 (a letter)
You recently had some items shipped to you from overseas. Upon receiving the shipment you found that some things were damaged in transit. Write a letter to the manager of the shipping company. In your letter
– Provide the details of your shipment
– Describe the damage
– Say what action you want the company to take.
Writing task 2 (an essay)
Some people say that television should be mainly used to educate and inform viewers, while others believe it should be used for entertainment. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview)
– What is your full name?
– Do you study or work?
– What kind of job do you have?
– Do you feel pressure when you work?
– Does your name have a meaning?
– Do you have any family members with the same name as yours?
Part 2 (Cue Card)
Describe an object that you think is beautiful. You should say
– what it is
– when you saw it
– what it looks like
– and explain how you feel about this object.
Part 3 (Discussion)
– What does human beauty mean to you?
– Do you think the idea of human beauty now is different from the past?
October 12, 2022
IELTS test in Maldives – October 2022 (Academic Module)
Our kind friend took IELTS in Maldives very recently and remembered the following questions:
Writing test
Writing task 1 (a report)
We were given a table and a bar graph. The table described people who had part-time and full-time jobs. The bar graph described men and women who held a part time job.
Writing task 2 (an essay)
More and more countries have a problem with plastic waste, polluting the countryside and oceans. What problems does it cause? How can these problems be solved?
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview)
– What is your full name?
– Where do you live?
– Do you work or are you a student?
– There were more questions, but our friend didn’t remember them.
Part 2 (Cue Card)
Talk about a difficult situation that you handled well. You should say
– what it was
– what you did
– why it was difficult
– and explain how you felt about it later.
Part 3 (Discussion)
– What are some of the most important decisions young people have to make?
– How important is advice from other people when making decisions?
– How do you feel about parents making important decisions for their children?
– Does advertising have an influence on the decisions people make?
October 10, 2022
IELTS Report, topic: Table describing the amount of road traffic in London (from IELTS High Scorer’s Choice series, Academic Set 4)
This is a model response to a Writing Task 1 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is close to IELTS Band 9.
Set 4 Academic book, Practice Test 18
Writing Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The table below shows the total amount of road traffic in the London borough of Enfield for the years 2008 – 2015.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
The table shows six categories of the total road traffic in the London borough of Enfield for the years 2008 to 2015. The totals are all given in thousands of vehicle miles.
Overall, it is evident that pedal cycles travelled the least and cars – the most.
The fewest road miles were completed by pedal cycles. There were 1542 miles completed in 2008 and this steadily rose to 1712 miles in 2011, before falling again to a low of 1017 miles in 2014. 2015 saw a rise again to 1360 miles. Motorcycles experienced a contrasting trend, miles dropping from 2008 to 2010 before rising again to 2014, followed by a small drop in 2015.
Light goods vehicles also showed a general trend, going down from 2008 with 110,150 miles to 87,397 miles in 2011 and then rising again to 115,311 miles in 2015.
Cars showed the highest miles completed, though there was no real trend, with numbers going up or down randomly in all years. The highest figure was 644,208 miles in 2011 and the lowest was 578,072 in 2012. Buses and coaches and heavy goods vehicle also showed no discernable trends.
The totals for all vehicles also showed no apparent trend with figures going up or down in following years. The year with the highest miles was 812,323 in 2011 and the lowest was 747,214 miles in 2012.
Go here for more IELTS Band 9 Reports
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IELTS Speaking test in Oman – October 2022
Today we are sharing the questions that our lovely friend remembered from his recent IELTS Speaking test in Oman:
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview)
– Can I have your full name, please?
– Can I see your ID?
– Do you study or work?
– Where do you work?
– Where do you live?
– Do you use public transport? Why or why not?
– How good is the public transport in your country?
– Are you good at reading a map?
– Have you ever studied geography at school?
Part 2 (Cue Card)
Describe a person who you believe dresses well. You should say:
– who the person is
– how you know him/her
– what kind of clothes he/she wears
– and explain why you think he/she dresses well.
Part 3 (Discussion)
– Where do you buy your clothes?
– Do you prefer buying clothes online?
– What are the benefits and drawbacks of shopping online and offline?
– Do you think online shopping is going to replace brick and mortar shopping in the future?
October 6, 2022
IELTS Speaking test in Iran – September 2022
Today we are sharing the questions that our kind friend K remembered from a recent IELTS Speaking test in Iran:
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview)
– Can I have your full name, please?
– Can I see your ID?
– Do you study or work?
– Do you like the subject you are studying?
– Do you like wearing a watch?
– Why do some people wear expensive watches?
– Do you like sports?
– Is playing sports in school good for students?
– Which sports do you like to watch on TV?
– Which sports would you like to play in the future?
Part 2 (Cue Card)
Describe the last time you used your mobile phone for something important. You should say
– what you used your mobile phone for
– when it happened
– how important it was to use your mobile phone
– and explain how you felt about the experience.
Part 3 (Discussion)
– Do you think the advancement of technology is a good development or not?
– Why do young people use mobile phones so much these days?
– Do older people in your country use social media less than younger people?
– What should parents do when they see their children being addicted to these kinds of technology?
October 5, 2022
IELTS essay, topic: Young people aren’t spending their weekends doing outdoor activities such as hiking or mountaineering (reasons and solutions)
This essay topic was seen in a recent IELTS test in Australia
These days, many young people are not spending their weekends and holidays doing outdoor activities such as hiking or mountaineering. Why is that happening? How can they be encouraged to spend more time in the natural environment?
Sample Band 8 Essay
Nowadays, the younger generation tends to avoid recreational activities such as hiking or alpinism. It seems that young people prefer to spend their weekends indoors, gaming or engaging in other online activities. If that is the case, by promoting sports more actively and organising sports competitions, the schools could counteract this trend.
Living in the era of technology, the wide availability and variety of online entertainment are compelling young people to spend a lot of their free time indoors, using their gadgets. Numerous relatively cheap forms of amusement, such as online games, videos, audiobooks and plenty of other activities, tempt teenagers to stay at home and lead more sedentary lifestyles. A recent survey revealed that the vast majority of students would prefer spending their weekends playing computer games, rather than in the nature. That is one clear reason why our modern youth is less interested in recreational sports.
To address this issue, the school management could intervene and offer a better range of outdoor sports activities and competitions, both within the school curriculum and as extra-curricular activities. For example, high schools could increase the number of weekly football, running and climbing classes, and organise competitions at the end of each term. As a result, pushed by their desire to win, students would do more walking, jogging, running and mountaineering during the school term, in preparation for the competition. This would reduce the time spent online, lessen the students’ dependence on the Internet for entertainment, and eventually boost their desire to spend more time enjoying the natural environment.
To sum up, screen addiction plays a major role in young people’s avoidance of various outdoor activities. Opening up more recreational sports and offering frequent competitions on school grounds is a great way to motivate more students to spend their leisure time in the nature.
Teacher’s comment: All parts of the task are sufficiently addressed in this response. The writer has developed and supported their ideas well. The use of substitution and referencing helps to maintain coherence throughout the essay (both within and between the paragraphs). The correct use of paragraphing helps the writer to keep their ideas and arguments organised. The range of vocabulary is wide, including uncommon lexical items that have been used appropriately. The bulk of the sentences are error-free, and the writer has used a variety of linguistic constructions. This essay is likely to get Band 8 – 8.5 in IELTS.
Click here to see more IELTS essays of Band 8
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IELTS Speaking test in the Philippines – September 2022
Thanks to our lovely friend U.E. today we are sharing the questions she remembered from a recent IELTS Speaking test in the Philippines:
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview)
– Can I have your full name, please?
– Can I see your ID?
– Do you study or work?
– Let’s talk about birthdays.
– What do you usually do on your birthday?
– Do you think celebrating a birthday is important?
– How did you celebrate your birthdays as a child?
– Let’s talk about public transportation, do you use public transport often?
– Do people use public transport in your country?
– Do you think public transportation will be used more in the future?
Part 2 (Cue Card)
Talk about a time when someone gave you money as a gift. You should say
– who gave you the money
– why he/she gave you the money
– what you used the money for
– and explain how you felt when you received the gift.
Part 3 (Discussion)
– At what age do you think children can have their own money?
– Why do you think a child asks for money?
– Is it essential for a child to learn how to earn and save money?
– Is it okay for a child to do some tasks in exchange for money?
– Which do you prefer, cash or credit card?
– Can you name two disadvantages of using a credit card?
– Is it a good idea for older people to use credit cards?
October 2, 2022
IELTS test in Australia – September 2022 (General Training)
Thanks to our kind friend from Australia we are sharing the questions from her recent IELTS test:
Writing test
Writing task 1 (a letter)
You recently discovered that there are plans to build a new airport in your area and you are not happy with it. Write a letter to the local authority. In your letter,
– Say how you found out about the plans
– Explain what problems your neighborhood will face
– Suggest some possible solutions to those problems.
Writing task 2 (an essay)
Many people like having a fixed daily routine, while others enjoy change in their lives. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Speaking test
Part 1 (Interview)
– What is your full name?
– Do you work or study?
– Do you live in an apartment or a house?
– Do you have a favourite room in your house?
– Do you like reading?
– Do you prefer print books or e-books?
– Have you ever borrowed books from others?
Part 2 (Cue Card)
Talk about a novel or a story that you enjoyed when you were young. You should say
– what it was
– how you found it
– when you read it
– and explain why you enjoyed it.
Part 3 (Discussion)
– Are novels written by authors from your country popular there?
– What sort of novels do often become movies or TV series?
– Is it only those sorts of novels that become movies or TV series?
September 29, 2022
IELTS Letter, topic: Asking your boss for some time off
This is a model response to a Writing Task 1 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is close to IELTS Band 9.
Set 4 General Training book, Practice Test 19
Writing Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
A close relative of yours is having a birthday lunch next week, but you know you will be working. Write a letter to your boss or supervisor to ask for some time off.
In your letter,
– explain the situation and why you particularly want to attend the lunch
– specify the dates, times and amount of time off you will need
– offer to work late or come in early another time to make up for the time
You should write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Mr. Jones / Dear Mrs. Jones,
Sample Band 9 Letter
Dear Mr. Jones,
I am writing this letter to request that you permit me to leave work early next week, on Tuesday, June twenty-second. It will be my grandmother’s eighty-fifth birthday and she is planning an elaborate family lunch beginning at one p.m. and lasting the remainder of the day. She and I are very close, my grandmother having almost raised me as a child, and both she and myself would be very disappointed if I were not able to attend. She has not celebrated her birthday significantly since her children were born and this day will be very special to the whole family.
I am very aware that I would be missing valuable time at the office, but I can assure you that I will make the time up by working late for several days. As you know, I have been a dedicated employee during the three years I have worked for this company and I can assure you that this dedication will not change.
Please consider my request and thank you for your time.
Yours sincerely,
Catherine Broad
Go here for more IELTS Band 9 Letters
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