IELTS exam in Qatar - June 2009 (General Training)

Our friend L reports about recent IELTS in Qatar, here are the topics and the questions she remembered. Thank you, L!

Listening Test

Section 1: Reservation of a hotel - short answer questions.

Section 2: It was about a musical concert. some short answering questions and filling in the blanks.

Section 3: A discussion between a student and a tutor about a research. All the questions were are multiple choice.

Section 4: A speech about a ship. All the questions were filling the blanks. This section was more difficult for me than all I practiced earlier.

Reading Test

All the sections were too difficult for me to understand, and too long. Time management was a big challenge for me.

Passage 1: A few advertisements about university accommodation; the questions were short answers, selecting suitable text. Then there was more information about the entry requirements of the university. There were few questions, no more than 3 words type.

Passage 2: There were 5 or 6 articles about an Australian historical architecture. The questions were to match expressions / sentences.

Passage 3: It was about a work shop and there were short answer questions related to paragraph summarizing. It was the most difficult one for me.

Passage 4: The text was about herbs, too long and there were 13 questions to match paragraph with the answers and no more than 3 words questions.

Writing test

Writing Task 1

You didn’t keep an appointment as scheduled with a friend. Write a letter to the friend, mentioning

- why couldn’t you keep an appointment

- apologize to her/him

- suggest any other date to meet.

Writing Task 2

People believe earning good salary in a job is more important than satisfaction, but people who get satisfaction from their work are more useful to the society. Explain your ideas.

Speaking Test

Interview

- What is your full name?

- Explain about your home town

- Do you like living there? For what reasons?

- Are the bicycles used and popular in your home town?

- Why do children most like to riding bicycles?

- How often do visitors come to your home?

- What do you arrange for them?

- Do you like visitors? / Why?


- Were there any other occasions with lots of visitors coming to home?

- What are those?

Cue card

Describe an educational trip you have gone on in your school time

- Where to was the trip ?

- What did you do and learn there?

- What are the experiences you have had?

Then my examiner asked few questions about the trip and asked whether the field trip helped me to gain better education compared to studying in the classroom.

Discussion


- Why is there a trend for children to be learning at home?

- How do people help their children to study at home?

- What do you think about learning at home?

- Studying without a teacher: is it good or bad? What is your opinion?

IELTS exams in Kazakhstan and London - June 2009 (Academic Module)

IELTS in Kazakhstan and London was identical to the exam in Liverpool,  according to some good people who were also kind enough to share the questions in Speaking, which, as you know is different for everybody. Here are the 2 versions of Speaking test that W and Z had:

Speaking Test 1

Interview


- What city are you from?

- What do you like about your city?

- Do people in your city use bicycles?

- Why do children like bicycles?

- How often do your friends visit you?

- What preparation do you do to meet them?

- Do you like to visit them? Why?

Cue card

Describe a dress you wore on a special occasion:


- What dress was it?

- Where did you buy it?

- What others said about it?

- Do you still have this dress?

Discussion

- Why do people wear uniform?

- Do people feel different when they wear uniform?

- Does lifestyle affect clothes people wear?

- Why does fashion change so often?


- Have a number of people who wear informal clothes increased?

Speaking Test 2

- What is your name?

- Do you work or study?

- Why did you choose this occupation?

- Do you write a lot?

- What do you write in your work?

- Is it rather handwritten or processed by a computer?

- Did you learn handwriting in school?


- Do you think is important to teach handwriting/calligraphy in school?

Cue card

What can we do / what do you do to stay healthy?

- what activity?

- why is it important?

Discussion

- Should schools be involved in promoting healthy life style? How?

- What could employers do to help their employees stay healthy/ promote healthy life style?

IELTS exam in Vietnam - June 2009 (Academic Module)

Here are the recent questions from IELTS in Vietnam, thanks to our friend N and his excellent memory. Don’t miss his personal message to all the IELTS candidates at the bottom of the page!

Listening test

Section 1: about bears in Australia.

Section 2: about automated vehicles made by students for competition.


Section 3: about three schooling/library/campus facilities (one of them is Princes Gate) and Section 4 developed this topic.

Reading test

Passage 1: about scientific research in human prehistory. Under this passage, there were different theories about when and where humans first existed. Debates between founders of the two dominant theories and comments of other scientists were also mentioned therein.

Passage 2: about synthetic fabrics and fibers, discussing mainly the development of fabrics and new technologies in making micro-fibers.

Passage 3: about human memory, memory competition, how to improve the memory.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report)

There were four pie-charts showing the change of the population in the European country between 1901 and 1981 and a prediction on 2021. Three age groups were displayed: 0 – 64, 64 – 84 and 84 +.

Writing Task 2 (essay)


Research suggests that the majority of criminals who are sent to prison commit crimes when they are set free. Why do you think this is the case? What could be done to solve this problem?

Speaking test

Interview

- What’s your full name? How can I call you?

- Do you work or study?

- What is your job? Is it a difficult job? Will it change in the future?

- When was your last holiday? Did you enjoy it? What did you like and dislike then?

- On which occasions do people in your country offer gifts or presents?

- When do you often give gifts?


- Have you ever made a gift or present on your own?

- Is it important to give expensive gifts? Why?

CueCard

Tell me about the stage or age you enjoyed the most in your life. You should say:

- What that stage was

- Why you enjoyed the most at that state

- What you were doing then.

Discussion

- At which age are children in your country fully responsible?


- When should children be allowed to get marriage? Why? Will that be changed?

- Similarly will the age set for children to be fully responsible for their non-marriage acts be changed? Why?

——————-

And a personal message from N to all the IELTS candidates out there:

“I knew I need to go to bed early on the day before the test date. But I was so nervous about the exam that I had broken sleep. It was difficult for me to concentrate on the tests, especially the listening test, possibly because of lack of sleep. You may post this story and remind IELTS candidates of, or advise them, how important it is to have a good night’s sleep - even with such an uneasy mind.”

IELTS exam in Liverpool, UK - June 2009 (Academic Module)

Our friend who had an IELTS exam in UK recently reports about the questions and topics she remembered - many thanks to S and here they are:

Listening test

Section 1: a customer was calling the travel agency and asking some questions about an excursion. This part was very easy, the task was to fill in the gaps

Section 2: an interview about a new music school, also very easy, the task was to fill in the gaps.


Section 3: something about ships construction – quite difficult, not many questions, but they had spoken for a long time, so it was really easy to get lost;

Section 4: a discussion between a teacher and a student about his dissertation. The tasks were multiple choice questions with answers a, b, c, d - quite easy.

Reading test

Passage 1: something about remembering and recognizing faces. The tasks were paragraphs matching, this paragraph was the most difficult for me.

Passage 2: the topic was astronomy, task - paragraphs matching

Passage 3: about hybrid cars and Toyota Prius in particular. It wasn’t hard, the tasks were to fill in the gaps.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report)


We had to compare 3 pie charts: how countries like South Korea, Sweden and United Kingdom deal with dangerous waste products;

Writing task 2 (essay)

Should people who cause road accident be strictly punished to minimize amount of accidents? Are there any other ways, what is your opinion?

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your name?

- Do you work or study?

- Do you use any machines for your work?

- So you think your work can change in the future?


- What are your interests outside of work?

- Do you like visiting friends?

- Do you have many visitors?

- Is there anything special that you prepare for guests?

- What age is in your country in the most important for people?

- When people are considered adult (mature)?

- What occasions people celebrate in your country?

Cue Card

Tell me about best time in your life, please say


- when was it,

- what did you do,

where did you live then,

- why was that time the best for you

Discussion

- At what age people can be responsible for themselves?

- Our society is getting older – is that good or not?

- What it looks like in your country?

- Do you think it is good to be older?


- What changes in society are caused by people living longer?

IELTS exam in Malaysia - June 2009 (General Training)

Here are the questions from a recent IELTS exam in Malaysia, thanks to G who remembered quite a bit:

Listening test

Section 1: About choosing a venue for a wedding from a few different ones.

Section 2: About designing a computerized car by Uni students


Section 3: Wind turbines in some place in Australia

Reading test

Passage 1: don’t remember the topic, but it was very easy.

Passage 2: About the discovery of Douglass Fir trees and bringing them back to the UK.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (letter)

Write a letter to local council about the closure of playground and explain

- why so few children is using the playground


- how to increase the number of children using the playground

Writing Task 2 (essay)

Some people are staying in the same line of work while others change it. What are the reasons for staying or changing? What is your opinion?

Speaking test

Interview

- What do you do, work or study?

- What type of work do you do?

- What are your responsibilities at work?

- How do you liaise with your colleagues? Why do you need to communicate with them at work?

Cue card

Describe a speech you heard recently, you should say:

- Where was it?

- Who was the speaker?

- What was the main purpose of this speech?

Discussion

They asked about having outside speakers going to schools to talk to children:

- What kind of speakers will be good for children?

- And kind of speakers will be good for adults?


- What is the main criteria for speakers catering to adults?

- Do these speakers need visual aids in their talks?

- What are the speakers concerned of when speaking to adults?

IELTS exam in UAE - June 2009 (General Training)

A friend from UAE is reporting about his IELTS exam - thanks, I! Here’s what he remembers:

Listening test

I was surprised that there were no individual headsets - I thought we were supposed be given those for the Listening test. Nevertheless, the room had an audio system where the speakers were attached to the ceiling. The voices were clear but individual headsets would be better because you can be less distracted that way.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (letter)

You had an appointment to meet someone but you were not able to make it. Explain the reasons why you couldn’t be there. Tell him/her how you tried contacting him/her. Request another meeting.

Writing Task 2 (essay)

Some say that high salary is the most important feature in a job. Others say that it’s about serving the society. Discuss the two sides, what is your opinion?

Speaking test

Interview

Do you work or study?

Where do you come from?


Who does the cooking in your house?

So you prefer home-made meals or you like eating out?

Cue card

I was asked to talk about what changes I want to make in my life, why and how make them.

Discussion

The questions here were about the education system in my country.

IELTS exam in Georgia, USA - June 2009 (General Training)

A friend from Georgia, USA has remembered almost everything about her exam (thanks a lot, M!). Here are the topics and the questions:

Listening test

Section 1: a customer inquiring about which barbecue model to buy.

Task: There was a table with columns for model, type of build, special features and the price. We had to fill in the blanks.

Section 2: a train journey of a group of students.

Task a. Again, fill in the blank type of questions, asking what is mandatory to carry, time they meet, duration of the journey, kind of transport from the station to the hotel.

Task b. It had two questions where we had to select which features were available in the hotel they were staying.

Task c. There were three multiple choice questions related to the tour of the city after they reach the hotel.

Section 3: two students discussing the design of a research project related to birds.

Task a. Fill in the blanks

Task b. A table and a flowchart of the sequential steps to design the research.

Task c. Multiple choice question, where we were required to mark if the observer had to make an entry in the observation sheet, the researcher or neither.

Section 4: A lecture on child psychology comparing old thought process with the new one.

Reading test

Passage 1. Article on Jack London Square - related to the life and inspiration of the noted writer Jack London and also about the site.

Passage 2. Continuation of the previous article - this time, there was a piece on the Potomac yacht and the historic site tour. Questions were about the person who handled the management of Potomac ship, what was in the historic site tour, what time should one get there to take the last tour and what was the fee for an adult.

Passage 3. Car pool - how to make use of car pool, how to get authorization from line manager, who to contact to book for it, how to reach the car pool, where were the cars parked, what to report to the help desk about the car.

Passage 4. A passage on maps - the earlier maps, how it progressed over the ages. We had to choose which paragraph had contents specific to a given sentence. There were also True/False/Not given questions.

This part had a few tricky questions.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (letter)

Your friend is visiting you for a week. However, the dates that she is visiting you are not suitable for you. Write a letter to her -

a. apologizing

b. explaining why the dates don’t suit you

c. suggest an alternative plan

Writing Task 2 (essay)

Competitive sports like football are considered to add a lot of value by bringing people of different age and nationality together. Yet some argue that these sports divide people based on age groups and nationalities. What is your opinion? Write about each view and then describe yours, supporting it with relevant examples from your experience.

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your name?

- Can I see your identification?

- Where are you from?

- Are you working or studying?

Cue card

Speak about a recent talk that you attended, you should say

- where was it held and by whom


- what was the talk about

Discussion

- Is it difficult to give talks to children? Why?

- Do you prefer talks or discussions. Why?

- Do you like to travel?

- Describe a place you visited recently and explain why did you like it?

- Which place would you like to visit and why?

- Do you believe International Cultural conferences help to bring people closer? How? What kind of exchange takes place there?

Note: My interview was scheduled at 13:00, however I was called in at 12:15 hours. You might want to report 20 minutes early for the Speaking test. We were told that if the interviewer called our names and we were not present, she/he reserve the right to cancel the Speaking test for that candidate.

نکات مهم در خصوص روز آزمون کتبي و مصاحبه (سنجش )

روز آزمون کتبي:
- آزمون راس ساعت 9 شروع مي شود و داوطلبان بايد از ساعت 7 در محل برگزاري آزمون کتبي حاضر باشند تا تشريفات ثبت نام انجام شود. در صورتي که داوطلبي با تاخير به سالن آزمون مراجعه کند، ضمن جلوگيري از ورود وي به سالن آزمون، غايب آزمون محسوب مي شود و هزينه اي نيز عودت داده نمي شود.

- همراه داشتن کارت ملي يا پاسپورت شخص داوطلب(اصل مدرک شناسايي که سالم، بدون قلم خوردگي و داراي اعتبار باشد) الزامي است.

- همراه داشتن نوشت افزار الزامي است.

- همراه داشتن کيف، کوله پشتي، کتاب، جزوه، برگه يادداشت(حتي سفيد)، تلفن همراه(حتي خاموش)، وسايل صوتي، mp3 player و ... ممنوع است.

- از آوردن وسايل اضافي خودداري کنيد؛ ايران آيلتس مسئوليتي در برابر حفاظت و نگهداري از وسايل غيرمجاز داوطلبان را ندارد.



روز آزمون مصاحبه:

- آزمون مصاحبه براي هر داوطلب بصورت مستقل برگزار مي شود و زمان، تاريخ و آدرس جهت مراجعه 10-12 روز قبل از آزمون کتبي در سايت اعلام مي شود و داوطلب بايد در زمان اعلام شده در محل آزمون مصاحبه حاضر باشد؛ در صورتي که داوطلبي با تاخير به محل آزمون مصاحبه مراجعه کند، غايب آزمون محسوب مي شود و هزينه اي نيز عودت داده نمي شود.

- همراه داشتن کارت ملي يا پاسپورت شخص داوطلب(اصل مدرک شناسايي که سالم، بدون قلم خوردگي و داراي اعتبار باشد) الزامي است.

- از آوردن وسايل اضافي خودداري کنيد؛ ايران آيلتس مسئوليتي در برابر حفاظت و نگهداري از وسايل غيرمجاز داوطلبان را ندارد.



تذکر مهم:
- داوطلبان نيازي به مراجعه و پيگيري جهت دريافت کارت ورود به جلسه آزمون و ... در روزهاي قبل از آزمون ندارند.

- نيازي به ارائه عکس، فرم کاغذي ثبت نام و ... نيست.

IELTS exam in UK and Netherlands - June 2009 (Academic Module)

Thanks to A from the UK and D from Holland we know this much about the most recent IELTS exam there. Needless to say that those exams were identical (apart from the Speaking test which only one of them remembered).

Listening test

Section 1: A conversation between a student and a secretary about renting an accommodation.


Section 2: About a resort in Australia

Section 3: About a football game

Section 4: they didn’t remember

Reading test

Passage 1: The effect of climate on wildlife.

Passage 2: the effect of global warming on wildlife.

Passage 3: how the language is developed.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report)

We had a graph about how the water is used in four countries, Chine, USA, Russian Federation and Australia. There were 3 different purposes to water usage: industry, agriculture and domestic.

Writing Task 2 (essay)

Some people think that the main purpose of school system is to turn children into good citizens, rather than to worry about their individual benefit. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Speaking test

The questions were about my house, to describe it, to talk about going shopping and the last part was to talk about changes in our lives. What I’d like to change, why, and which changes we can not avoid in our lives.

IELTS exam in Japan - May 2009 (General Training)

A very kind student from Japan is telling us about his recent exam (thanks K!), here is what he remembers:

Listening test

Section 1 - about booking a seminar and the details of a presentation / a seminar

Sections 2 and 3 - don’t remember the topics


Section 4 - something about ancient paintings.

Sections 1, 2 and 3 were quite clear, I could listen and find the answers in proper sequence.

Section 4 was too fast, in first 4-5 questions’ passage, there were no clear clues for the answers, it was hard to locate them. I looked ahead in the next set of questions and stuck to its next sub-heading, there I could find clear answers.

Reading test

Passage 1 was easy (True/False/Not Given questions)

Passage 2 had six paragraphs referring to six different person’s names. Questions were to match each person’s name with the questions asked, so it was quite easy.

Passage 3: I started with Passage 3, because its always found harder than the other two passages and it requires more time to locate correct answers. It was based on various Social Institutes and what they do. What age group they consider and what help they provide. Answers were in form of (True/False/Not Given) and gap-fills with no more than three words.

Writing test

Writing Task 1

You saw an advertisement of some social activity related to helping old people. Write a letter to a manager and say

- Why you want to help old people.

- Give the details of your experience

- Tell them when could you be able to help them.

Writing Task 2

Some people say that international travel will be decreasing in future. Should the decrease in international travel be good? What are the positive and negative effects?

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your Full Name?

- Where are you from?

- Tell me about your current stay in Japan, where do you live?

- Tell me about transportation where you live.

Clue card

Discuss on an electronic machine/ device you would like to buy, you should say

- what would you like to buy

- where did you get to know about it


- what features would you like to have in it.

- explain why would you like to buy it.

Discussion

- Do you like driving?

- If you are having children, at what age would you like them to drive?

- What are the advantages of technology for you?

- What are the disadvantages of technology?

- How are the social changes related to technology happening?

- What about Internet, do you think Internet is a cause of social change?


- Do you think that people get lost if they are not coping up with technology?

two recent IELTS Speaking test

Somehow the Speaking test is easier for people to remember than the Listening, Reading and Writing. Here is a collection of questions that appeared in 2 recent Speaking tests. I hope you get the same in your exam!

Speaking Test 1

Interview

- Describe the town you come from in your country.


- Do you believe bicycles are popular where you live?

- Do you believe bicycles are important to children?

Cue Card

Describe something you have always wanted to buy.

- What is it?

- Why do you like it?

- Do you think you will buy it some day?

Discussion

- Do you believe shopping is more popular today than in the past?


- Does it affect our society positively or negatively?

- Do you believe we spend to much time shopping?

- How does advertisement affect our shopping habits?

- What are the pros and cons if it?

- How does advertisement affect business?

Speaking Test 2

Interview

- What is your full name?

- Tell me about your town.


- What do you like about your town?

Cue card

Discuss a sports activity you watched or joined, you should say

- Where it happened

- What exactly happened

- Why it was memorable

Discussion

- What do you think is the most popular sports nowadays?

- What do you think about the benefits of swimming?


- Do you think swimming is a good sport?

- What sports activities were you engaged in at school?

- If you were given a chance to go back to school, what sports would you engage in?

- Should children be encouraged to do more sports?

- What kind of sports are better for the kids, team or from individual sports?

قبل از آزمون آیلتس، از کجا باید شروع کرد (رویه ها)

برای هر کدام از دوستانی که مهاجرت یا ادامه تحصیل در خارج از کشور را در دستور کار خود قرار می دهند، اولین نکته و مسأله ای که ذهن اکثر ایشان را به خود مشغول می کند داستان شیرین زبان و سؤال اساسی "از کجا باید شروع کرد؟" می باشد.

هر چند بسیاری از دوستان با روال آزمون های بین المللی مربوطه و مشخصاً آیلتس آشنایی هرچند اندکی دارند اما با توجه به سؤالاتی که از طرف برخی از دوستان مطرح شده، لازم می بینم کمی عقب تر رفته و توضیحی اجمالی در مورد آزمون ها در جهت پاسخ به این سؤالات ارایه دهم. در این پست درباره ضرورتی پایه برای دیگر بحث ها صحبت خواهم نمود.

 

استاندارد:

اولین نکته ای که توجه شما را به آن جلب می کنم مسأله ای است که هر چند هزاران بار آن را شنیده ایم اما هنوز احساس جمعی دقیقی در مورد آن نداریم. مسأله استاندارد و معنی آن. شاید بپرسید استاندارد رو چه به امتحان زبان. کمی تحمل بفرمایید تا توضیح دهم.

استاندارد ابزاری است برای سهولت و سادگی ارتباطات، تعاملات و معاملات بین افراد مختلف. در گذشته خریدار برای اطمینان از این که آنچه که خریداری می کند همان چیزی است که مورد نظر اوست، یا باید علم کاملی در مورد محصول داشت و پیش فرض های فراوانی را در قرارداد خود با فروشنده می گنجاند و یا این که می پذیرفت که اولاً فروشنده راست می گوید و ثانیاً کاملاً از منظور او آگاه شده است ودقیقاً همان چیزی را ارایه می دهد که مورد نیاز خریدار است. به مرور زمان برای کاسته شدن از این مشکلات و تبعات بعدی آن این پیش فرض ها صورتی مشخص و تعریف شده به خود گرفته و به نام استاندارد شناخته شدند. در نتیجه امروز در جوامعی که استاندارد حکم فرماست اولاً تعاملات با سهولت بیشتری صورت می گیرد و ثانیاً طرفین بر اساس رویه ای مشخص و قابل پیش بینی در مقابل هم قرار می گیرند.

در گذشته استاندارد فقط برای محصولات و موادی خاص وضع می شد، اما برای دستیابی به دو فاکتور "سهولت" و "قابل پیش بینی بودن" رد پای استاندارد در تمامی شئون زندگی انسان مدرن قابل مشاهده است.

 

پیرو مقدمه فوق و در اولین توضیح در مورد آزمون های بین المللی همچون IELTS یا TOEFL صحبت خود را با این جمله شروع می کنم که این آزمون ها استاندارد هستند (بر خلاف بسیاری از آزمون ها و امتحاناتی که در داخل ایران برگزار می گردند.) پس به فراخور استاندارد بودن آنها حداکثر تلاش برگزارکننده برای سهولت کار من و شما به عنوان طرف دیگر این معامله صورت گرفته و نحوه برگزاری، نتایج و رویه های آن به صورتی است که من و شما می توانیم بدون دغدغه آن را پیش بینی نموده و برای آمادگی و موفقیت در آ« برنامه ریزی کنیم.

بر اساس این توضیح به صورت خودکار موارد زیر قابل نتیجه گیری خواهد بود:

1-      اگر برگزارکننده آزمون رویه ای استاندارد را پیش می گیرد، پس من هم باید در اولین گام با این استاندارد آشنا شوم.

2-      در نظر داشته باشم که من به دلیل برخی پیشینه های فرهنگی با مفهوم استاندارد و رفتار استاندارد آشنا نیستم و بپذیرم که برای انطباق با آن در ابتدا کمی اذیت خواهم شد.

3-      حالا که با رویه ای استاندارد مواجه هستم، پس من هم باید رویه ای استاندارد در پیش بگیرم.

4-      شنیده ام که این آزمون ها روشی است استاندارد و معتبر برای سنجش سطح زبان و میزان توانایی من غیر انگلیسی زبان در برقراری ارتباط با افراد انگلیسی زبان در جامعه ای انگلیسی زبان. پس در گام اول برای انطباق با استاندارد فوق باید انرژی خود را صرف افزایش سطح زبان خود نموده و در اولین قدم به فکر زیرآبی رفتن نباشم.

5-      باز هم توجه کنم و توجه کنم زیرآبی و میان بر رفتن رویه ای استاندارد نیست.

6-      و در نهایت به این نکته هم توجه کنم که هیچ استانداردی وحی منزل نیست و در هر کاری هرچند معتبر و بین المللی امکان خطا وجود دارد، اما مطمئن باشم این خطا آنقدر نخواهد بود که موجب نابودی من، ارزوهایم و رؤیاهایم باشد. در نتیجه اگر از حسین قلی بیک می شنوم که در آزمون ماه قبل نمره لیسنینگم 7 بود، ولی این سری 4 گرفته ام، در مرحله اول به استاندارد نبودن حسین قلی بیک شک کنم تا آزمون آیلتس.

لهجه استرالیایی

افراد زبان انگلیسی را غالبا با دو لهجه آمریکایی و بریتیش میشناسند. اما جالب است بدانید که لهجه استرالیایی با آن ها فرق دارد. لهجه خاصی که واقعا درک آن بسیار سخت است و تمرین زیاد لازم دارد. کسانی هم که به استرالیا سفر کرده اند از این موضوع شکایت میکنند. برای ما مهاجرین هم خیلی این مسئله مهم است. مخصوصا اینکه هنگام مصاحبه برای استخدام تسلط بر زبان برای کارفرمایان بسیار مهم است.

اما جای نگرانی نیست. با وجود نعمتی مثل اینترنت میتوان از آن سوی اقیانوس ها باخبر شد. رادیو ABC استرالیا با برنامه های متنوع با لهجه استرالیایی خیلی به من کمک کرد. در سایت این رادیو آخرین PodCast ها مربوط به برنامه های پخش شده گذاشته شده است که میتوان آنها را دانلود کرد. برای من که خیلی مفید بود. من که هیچی از لهجه استرالیایی نمیفهمیدم الان میتونم تا ۹۰ درصد حرفاشون رو متوجه بشم. خیلی خوبه اگه فایل ها رو دانلود کرده و همیشه گوش کنیم.

به آدرس http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/default.htm برید و اونها رو بگیرید.

يادداشتي از يكي از داوطلبين : گزارشی از وقایع روز آزمون!

  با سلام

بر آن شدم تا تجربه شخصی خودمو از امتحان اخیر آیلتس سنجش بنویسم:

سعی کنید وسیله اضافه با خودتون نبرید چون بایستی هنگام ورود تحویل بدین و بعد هم هنگام خروج با ازدحام فراوان پس بگیرد که معطلی زیاد داره.
خوراکی نبرید چون بایستی تحویل بدین يا بخورينش.
افراد طبق حروف الفبا وارد مسیر خاصی میشن که پاسپورت میخوان و بعد شماره ردیف صندلیتون رو بهتون میگن. و بعد توسط دستگاه کنترل میشین تا وسیله ی اضافه همراهتون نباشه.
نوشت افزار لازم نیست چون خودشون میدن! ولی اگه دوست دارین ببرین.
ساعت لازم نیست چون دو تا نصب شده و توسط مراقبین هر بیست دقیقه اعلام میشه .
آبمعدنی هم میدن! ولی سعی کنید نخورید چون دستشویی لازم میشه.
دوربینهای قوی دارن که حتی شماره روی صندلی شما روهم نشون میده البته یه فیلم از اون بهتون نشون میدن.
دستشویی حتماً بروید چون به سختی امکان خروج از سالن وجود داره و روی دست شما یه مهر میزنن که موقع برگشت مشکلی نباشه.
پاسپورت همراهتون باشه
ابتدا قران میخونن و بعد سرود جمهوری اسلامی پخش میشه و بعد دستورالعملهای لازم را بهتون میگن البته به انگلیسی!!
بعد پاسخنامه لیسننیگ و ریدینگ رو پخش میکنن. سپس سوالات لیسنینگ رو میدن. بهیچ وجه تا نگفتن دست به سوالات نزنین چون با دوربین و مامورین بیسیم بدست شدیدا کنترل میشه و بدون تعارف از جلسه اخراج میشید.
کیفیت صدا خوبه. کولرها موقع امتحان لیسنینگ خاموش میشه تا کاملا متوجه صدا بشین. پایان این امتحان اعلام میکنن که دیگه چیزی ننویسن که بایستی گوش کنید چون سروکله مامورین پیدا میشه.
بعد پاسخنامه رو برگردونبن و سوالات ریدینگ توزیع میشه که تا نگفتن دست نزنید. زمان مرتبا اعلام میشه، نگران نباشید در پایان این بخش سوالات و پاسخنامه رو جمع میکنن.
برای رایتینگ ابتدا اوراق مخصوص نوشتن را توزیع میکنن بعدا سوالات مربوطه را میدن که در راس زمانی که اعلام میکنن بایستی شروع کنید و زمان هم اعلام میشه ضمن اینکه ساعت هم وجود داره. در پایان سوالات و اوراق مخصوص نوشتن رایتینگ جمع آوری میشه.
روی پاسخنامه ها و سوالات بایستی مشخصات خودتون بنویسید که هر بار توسط ممتحنین اعلام میشه.
سعی نکنید تقلب کنید چون دقیقا زیر نظر هستید و سریعا سراغتون میان
در آخر امتحان، کاغذی که روی صندلی شما چسبیده با خودتون ببرید.
نکته مهم دراین امتحان غلبه بر استرس و مدیریت زمان خصوصا در موقع رایتینگ هست که خیلی مواظب باشین.
سوالات در مرکز ایران آیلتس و تهران آیلتس یکی بود. جهت اطلاع!
روز امتحان مصاحبه پاسپورت فراموش نشه موبایلتون رو هم ازتون میخوان که خاموش کنین. این قسمت خیلی راحته و ممتحنین 3 نفر هستن که همگی نیتیو

انگلیسن که زیاد سخت نمی گیرن و موضوعات عجیب و غریب نمی پرسن.

موفق باشين.

IELTS exam in Italy and Kuwait - May 2009 (Academic Module)

It looks like IELTS exams was the same in Italy and Kuwait, according to what A and S are saying in their emails. Thanks a lot, guys, and here are the topics (make sure you read about the 2 different versions of the Speaking test).

Listening test

Section 1: a questioner for a residence association.

Section 2: a talk about wreck diving.


Section 3: two students talking about their research protect.

Section 4: a lecture about marine animals.

Note: This listening test looks to me the same as this one in Namibia.

Reading test

Passage 1: about Olympic Torch.

Passage 2: about socializing in children.

Passage 3: about violin and how it is made.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report)

We had 2 line graphs about the number of men & women voters in a European country. The two graphs were comparing data about local and international elections. Data was also compared by gender.

Writing Task 2 (essay)

We should invent a new language to communicate with people all over the world. Discuss whether the benefits outweigh the problems. Give your opinion.

Speaking test

Option 1 (Kuwait)

Interview

- What is your name?


- Where do you work?

- Is your job interesting?

- Do you go to parties?

- Do you go with family or friends?

- What is the difference in young people’s & old people’s party?

Cue card

Talk about a dress which you wore on a special occasion, you should say


- What dress was it?

- When did you wear it?

- Why you did you like the dress?

Then I was asked some follow up questions about fashion, uniforms, etc.

Option 2 (Italy)

Interview

- What is your full name?

- Are you a student or a worker?

- Do you like travel? Why?


- Where did you travel recently?

- Do you like going out with some friends?

- Where do you usually go?

- Do you prefer going out with a group or with only one or two people?

Cue card

Describe a speech you heard recently, you should say:

- Where was it?

- Who was the speaker?

- What was the main purpose of this speech?

Discussion

- What do you think are the most important qualities for a good speaker?

- Do you prefer a speech or a one on one discussion?

Writing Task 2 - Sample of Band 8

Financial education should be mandatory component of the school program. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

It is an obvious fact that financial aspects are a major part of daily life, as an adult and even as a young individual. Each and every one of us has to make financial decisions concerning recreation, health, education and more. The question is whether to start with financial education as part of school program or postpone it for a later stage in life.

To being with, being able to understand the value of money, the way the economic system works and interpret financial news and its implications is a virtue. Without this virtue, an individual, and even a young one, might suffer, to some extent. For an example, a child who doesn’t understand the concept of money might find it more difficult to except choosing only one present out of more possible ones.

In addition, many adults are lacking financial analysis capabilities. Quite often, the reason can be a shaky basis or insecurity when it comes to financial terms and concepts. Starting from an early age, building a strong background, can very likely prevent such a situation.

However, financial education necessarily involves quantifying and setting prices and value for services and goods. It can be easily turn young people into cynical and cold-hearted human beings. Furthermore, a tendency to self-concentration and egoism might rise when one start measuring everything from a profit making perspective.

In conclusion, financial education has both pros and cons. In my opinion, the advantages are stronger than the disadvantages, making financial education an advisable component of school program. The disadvantages should be thought of as a certain price that young people have to pay due to the characteristics of the world that we live in.

This is a wonderful essay. It covers the task, is correctly structured, the paragraphs are logically connected, the structure of sentences shows excellent command of English. The vocabulary is fine and both spelling and grammar are very good. See comments underlined in blue for some minor corrections. Overall, looks like a Band 7.5 � 8 essay.

IELTS exam in Canada - May 2009 (Academic Module)

Today we’ve got D from Canada telling about his recent IELTS exam. Here’s what he remembers:

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report)


Two graphs were given to compare the performance of trains in October and November 2008. The categories were “delayed trains” and and “train cancellations”.

Writing Task 2 (essay)

Some people say that teaching foreign language to children in primary school is good and that advantages of teaching foreign language early outweigh the disadvantages. What is your opinion?

Speaking test

Interview

We started by discussing my work.

- Do you find any difficulty in doing that work?

- Through which medium do you get the news?

- What is the importance of reading newspapers?

- How often do visitors visit your county?

Cue card

What famous person you would like to meet?

- Who is this person?

- Where did you hear about that person?


- Why is he/she that famous?

- Explain why you want to meet that person.

Discussion

- Why do you think people want to be famous?

- Do famous person have privacy? How much of it?

- What do you think, are famous persons role models?

- What are the disadvantages of them not being role models?

- People say that adults are responsible for being role models for the young. What do you think?

IELTS exam in Australia - May 2009 (General Training)

This report came from R who took IELTS in Australia. Thanks, R!

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (letter)

Write a letter to a manager in regards to an advertisement you saw about volunteering to helping old people. In your letter explain


- why you think you can do this job

- what kind of experience you have

- what is the time you can give to this job

Writing Task 2 (essay)

Some people say that the amount of international travel is likely to reduce in the future. Will it have a positive or a negative impact, what is your opinion?

Include some ideas from your personal experience.

Speaking test

Interview

- Do you work or study?


- Where do you work?

- Why did you choose that occupation?

Cue card

Speak about a piece of music you learned in your childhood and still remember.

- What kind of music was it?

- Where did you hear it?

- Why was it important?

Discussion

- What kind of music do young generation prefer in your country?


- Is music played in every party in your country?

- What kind of music do older people prefer in your country?

rقبل از آزمون IELTS از كجا بايد شروع كرد؟

1-   از فکر کردن به هرگونه عجله و اقدام ضربتی برای برای موفقیت در آزمون خودداری نمایید. (یادگیری زبان فرآیندی تدریجی است و باید مرحله به مرحله و طمأنینه آن را پیش برد. البته منکر این امر نیستم و خود نیز با دانشجویانی مواجه بوده ام که در بازه زمانی 2 تا 3 ماه توانستند خود را از سطح elementary تا سطح نمرات 6 و 7 آیلتس برسانند. اما مطابق آنچه که قول و قرار کردیم، مقرر شد بر اساس استانداردها و رویه های مرسوم پیش برویم. اما اگر وضعیت شما خاص بوده و از نظر زمانی دچار محدودیت هستید، داستان داستان دیگری است که در این مورد در پست های بعدی صحبت خواهم کرد.) بر پایه تخمین هایی که از دانشجویان مختلف به دست آورده ام، برای یک دانشجوی در سطح مبتدی، در صورتی که از راهنما یا استاد مناسب استفاده نماید، در شرایط معمول، رسیدن به سطح نمره 6 آیلتس، به 700 تا 1000 ساعت مطالعه مؤثر نیاز دارد و برای هر یک نمره ارتقا حدود سه ماه وقت مورد نیاز است. یعنی اگر در آزمونی شرکت کردید و نمره 4 به دست آوردید. به طور معمول 6 ماه زمان و روزی 2 تا 3 ساعت مطالعه نیاز دارید تا نمره 6 خود را کسب نمایید. دوباره تأکید می کنم که ارقام فوق بر اساس یک سری ارزیابی آماری به دست آمده و قطعاً در آن استثناء هایی هم وجود دارد. اما تدبیر حکم می کند که برای برنامه ریزی بر اساس استثناء ها تصمیم گیری نکرد.

 

2-   تیم تحقیقاتی پشتیبانی کننده آزمون آیلتس به صورت مستمر نتایج آزمون ها را مورد بررسی و تحلیل قرار داده و براساس این تحلیل ها، راه کارهایی را جهت طرح سؤالات آزمون به نوعی که امکان استفاده از ترفندهای مختلف را به حداقل برساند، ارایه می دهد. پس اگر در جاهای مختلف می خوانید که مثلاً آزمون امسال سخت تر از آزمون پارسال بود، دقیقاً به همین دلیل است. برای اثبات این موضوع، فقط کافی است نگاهی به کتاب های 6 گانه نمونه آزمون های آیلتس منتشر شده توسط کمبریج بیندازید. تفاوت های بین کتابچه اول و آخر کاملاً مشهود است.

 

3-   البته به این نکته توجه کنید که معنی جمله بالا به هیچ وجه این نیست که آزمون از نظر سطح زبان سخت تر شده است. به هیچ وجه. بدان معنی است که آزمون های آیلتس رفته به رفته دقیق تر شده و ارزیابی دقیق تری از سطح زبان امتحان دهنده خواهند داشت و آن چه که سخت تر شده است احتمال به کارگیری ترفندها و نکات تستی کنکوری و کلیشه ای است.

 

4-   اگر دانشجویی زبان عمومی را به صورتی استاندارد تا سطح Intermediate یا آزمون FCE کمبریج گذرانده باشد، قاعدتاً و منطقاً از نظر دانش مورد نیاز برای گذراندن آزمون آیلتش با مشکل خاصی مواجه نبوده و با مرور برخی نمونه آزمون ها و مطالعه در حد 150 تا 200 ساعت و یا 10 تا 20 جلسه کلاس آموزشی قادر خواهد بود به راحتی نمره 6 آیلتس را کسب کند. یعنی تسلط به کتاب های چهارگانه Interchange که در بسیاری مؤسسات تدریس می شوند، برای این امر کفایت می کند.

 

5-   مجدداً یادآوری می کنم که مطابق جدول ذکرشده در بند قبل، بر اساس استانداردهای کمبریج، پس از آزمون FCE، دو دوره و دو آزمون مرتبط با آنها تحت عنوان CAE و CPE وجود دارد که دارنده مدرک CPE می تواند ادعا کند که زبان انگلیسی را به خوبی مسلط بوده و اصطلاحاً می تواند پُز مدرک خود را بدهد. این مسأله را از این جهت گفتم تا بتوانم بزرگی و سختی پیش ساخته از آزمون آیلتس را در ذهن شما بشکنم.

 

6-   بر این مبنا اولین پیشنهاد برای هر یک از دوستان علاقه مند به شرکت در آزمون آیلتس، شروع کردن فرآیند یادگیری به صورتی مستمر و با تمرین فراوان در جهت افزایش توانمندی ها در زبان عمومی تا بالاترین سطح ممکن می باشد. برای این منظور هم، منابع فراوان و مؤسسات گوناگونی وجود دارد که می توانید به صورت شخصی و یا کمک گرفتن از این مؤسسات و شرکت ها به صورت عمومی و یا خصوصی، برای تسریع فرآیند آموزش به این مهم همت گمارید.

IELTS exam in Moscow - May 2009 (General Training)

Today I received emails from Moscow (Russia), Dubai (UAE), Budapest (Hungary) and Sri Lanka, and they all said that their exam was the same as in Namibia. However, the report from Moscow was a very detailed one and with several versions of Speaking questions, so I decided to post it anyway. Pay attention to the words in bold - those are the answers. In the end P tells us about unexpected difficulties they had - keep on reading and be prepared! Thanks a bunch to P for updating us!

Listening test

Section 1: a questionnaire of local citizen of Newport town, a man of 19, who lives there for 9 years, probably a salesman, shares an apartment with a friend, has a bicycle, among public transport regularly uses only trains and taxi (fill in). He also eats out once a month, twice a week visits clubs, goes to the cinema only occasionally and never goes to the theater because of the prices. His main sport activity is sailing and he attends a Japanese course (fill in too).

Section 2: Wreck diving. I remember that you need a certificate to join this activity, it’s popular enough because there are many sunk vessels - 2050 to be exact. Then, you’re lucky if you could find a ship bell with a name of a vessel on it. Sharks are not dangerous in British waters, but the water is rather dark so that you can’t see clearly (fill in). There also were multiple choice questions with 3 options, a/b/c.

Section 3: Agree with everything, that wrote C from Namibia. The questions were multiple choice with three options (a/b/c).

Section 4: The section was divided into 2 parts, the first was about a marine biologist, what made her work for the laboratory, why they prefer to explore marine creatures (similarity to human or long period when they remain unchanged), what subject she is specialized in (immune system or muscles or something similar). The questions here were multiple choice with 3 options (a/b/c).

The second part was a table completion of 3 species of some kind of crabs (not exactly a fish), what particular qualities they study and what use it can bring to humans. This last section was a bit complicated but easier than previous about methodology research.

Reading test

Passage 1: Northside theater and its facilities, T/F/NG questions.

Passage 2: About the same theater, with short-answer questions (answer in three words).

Passage 3: Courses at some University, what is the shortest course you can get, are the courses running on the same schedule, whether you can return an airline expenditure or not if travel more than 2500 km from Sydney, is there a chance to get an attendance certificate if the reason of your absence is not an illness. The questions were T/F/NG and short answer ones (answer in three words).

Passage 4: Sexual segregation. Why different kinds of animals create groups of one gender, possible reasons of the phenomenon: food preferences of male and female, behavioral examples of different species (monkeys, hoofed mammals, human), whether among human it is more related to boys or girls, what was the reason of hunting in traditional societies - need for more energetic food or a point of status. There were T/F/NG questions and matching statements to passage content (not matching headings indeed).

Writing test

Writing task 1 (letter)

Write a letter to your employer and ask to attend a training course. In your letter:

1) give reasons why you want to attend this course;

2) explain why it could be useful for your job;


3) suggest suitable time for you to attend the course.

Writing task 2 (essay)

Nowadays the amount of people who live till 100 is increasing.

1) what are the reasons of the trend;

2) what effect it has on an individual and the society.

Speaking test

My friend had an her exam on the same day, so I have two options for Speaking:

Option 1

Interview


- What’s your name?

- Do you work or study?

- What kind of work do you do?

- How could it happen that you do it?

- Who usually cooks for your family, do you like to cook?

Cue card

Remember a public library you used, talk about

- where was it located,


- what purpose did you used it for,

- how useful was it for your studies or research,

- what did you like and dislike in it.

Discussion

Then there were questions related to libraries:

- Why now people use them less frequent than earlier?

- Should government support libraries?

- What is better for people - libraries or bookshops, what is your attitude to online libraries?

Option 2

Interview

- Do you work or study?

- Is it easy to work?

Cue card

Describe an apartment or house you like (not your home), you should say:

- Why do you like this house?

- Where is it located?

Discussion

Other questions were about local regulations of house design.


Where do you prefer to live: in a flat or to run the house.

BTW, I would like to mention that they changed the tasks order for one group of test takers because of some breakdown of the equipment, and had done the reading part first, then listening. And it was a bit confusing to have the reading first, and writing after listening, nobody expected such sort of thing and it felt messy.

But the most embarrassing fact was that we needed to wait for 5 hours for speaking, so we spent all this time in a park on a hot whether, and were almost exhausted during the Speaking. I’ve never seen any information about such cases before and weren’t ready for these difficulties.

IELTS exam in Namibia - May 2009 (General Training)

This update about a recent IELTS exam was made possible thanks to the excellent memory of C from Namibia. Here are the questions and the topics:

Listening test

Section 1 was about a woman that was interviewing a man and asked questions about his occupation, where he stays, what does he do on weekends, how regularly he eats out, what language is he busy studying. This one was very easy, there were multiple choice (3 options) questions.

Section 2 was about diving in the British waters, what permit do you need before you can dive, what are the risks of diving there, what can you find in the water, and where can you collect information on the ships that has sunk there, how many ships has sunk, whether the water was clear or not. It was not that difficult and the questions were also multiple choice (3 options).

Section 3 was about a girl and a boy that must collect data for their project at college, where and what are everyone’s tasks. This topic was really difficult, they spoke around what they wanted to say and before you could hear, they were at the next question already and it was monkey puzzles. Wow, they went really fast.

Section 4 was about a marine biologist, why she prefers to work in a laboratory, what fish they run the tests on and what they found out about these fishes. This topic was also very hard and they went on very fast.

Reading Test

Passage 1 was about a show at the theater, the snack shop, the available parking for wheel chair ticket holders, whether they have ramps to the snack shop, and the certain days the shop is open. It was really easy, there were short questions (answer in 3 words) and True/False/Not Given questions about where you can buy tickets and the shop.

Passage 2 was about a training school, where people can take courses not shorter that 20 weeks. It was also really easy and had True/False/Not Given questions. I can not remember the third topic.

Passage 4 was about the reasons why boys and girls don’t mix, how they associate us with animals and birds, why animals have different eating habits, dangers in nature, why men hunt in certain cultures. The questions were short answer questions and matching headings for all the paragraphs. All of the reading was a piece of cake.

Writing test

Writing Task 1


Write a business letter to your boss and explain about a course that you want to go on, why you want to do the course and what dates you planed on taking the course.

Writing Task 2

The number of people who live to the age of 100 is increasing these days. Why in your opinion do these people grow to this age, give examples. What is the effect of this on the individual person and the society?

Speaking test

I was a stress ball, the guy never smiled, and he had this cold look on him and made me very anxious. I barely looked him in the eyes, that was the worst part of all.

Interview

- What is your full name?

- Do you work or study?

- Do you like working alone or with other people?


- Why do you like working with other people?

- When was the last time you went shopping?

- Do you like to shop in small shops or in big ones?

- Why big ones?

Cue card

How do you keep healthy?

Discussion

- What can our government do to keep the people healthy?

- What are the consequences of living unhealthy?


- Why do unhealthy people not care anymore?

- Why is unhealthy living on the increase?

- Where do you go when you go out?

- What do you do for fun?

- Do you like to go out with 2 or three friends or in a big group, why?

- Why do you go out?

- When was the last time you went out?

IELTS exam in Malaysia - May 2009 (Academic Module)z

Thanks to Y from Malaysia we know this much about the recent IELTS exam there:

Listening test

Section 1: a telephone conversation between about a mover and an officer
Section 2: a lecture about food science course
Section 3: about recycling
Section 4: about chimpanzees

Reading test

Passage 1: about types of transport
Passage 2: about relationship between odor and humans’ memory
Passage 3: about plain English

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report)
We had a bar chart describing percentage of people in the age group 25-35 having higher education qualification in 5 countries in 2001.

Writing Task 2 (essay)

Governments should make more effort to promote alternative sources of energy. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Speaking test

Interview
- Introduce yourself
- Do you work / study

Cue card
Talk about a time when you had to wait in a traffic jam, you should say:
- How did you get there
- When was it
- Where was it
- What did u do

Discussion
The questions were about the ways to decrease traffic jams in the big cities.

9IELTS preparation tips from a Band 8 candidate

this letter was written by Shahriar from Iran after he prepared to IELTS on his own, in just 3 weeks and aced his test, receiving an awesome score of overall Band 8, with Listening 9!, Reading 7.5, Writing 7 and Speaking 8.5.

I asked Shahriar how he prepared and what would his advice be to other students, and here is what he says:

You asked what helped me achieve such a high score? I think I could have done even better with more time to practice.

1. First of all, I did some basic research on the Internet and looked at other people’s experiences and suggestions. I gathered a good set of references to start and work with.

2. I watched quite a few movies in their original English language in the last 6 months.

3. I had a good background in English (Studied Computer Science during 1978-1984 in the USA, and got my master of science degree). Although my English skills were pretty much rusty in some areas after a 25 year recess and not being in an English speaking environment.

4. I looked at the basic guidelines set out for clean, clear and organized ways of writing an essay. I tried to write a few (150 & 250 words) essays in the allowed 60 minutes time. I went back and saw my weaknesses in writing.

5. I gathered the results of the last 10 tests administered by the testing organization in my country and concluded statistically that on the average highest scores were achieved in Speaking, then Writing, after that Listening and the lowest were in reading. So to compensate I spent most of my time on Reading and then Listening.

6. I extracted and summarized the questions asked on around 30 recent speaking tests . I went over the questions and answered them out loud a few times the day before speaking test and up to one hour before taking the test.

7. I read “How to get a higher IELTS score by building a positive image in the examiner’s mind” by Donna Miller carefully and tried to implement the ideas.

8. I practiced all of the reading and listening tests presented in Cambridge official IELTS practice tests books 1 through 6, observing the time limits for each test. I started only 3 weeks before test date and I did a test every night.

9. I saved the test results and made a line chart out of it to see my progress. I looked at the answers to see the reasons behind my mistakes and tried to correct them when taking the next test.

Most of my reading tests were Academic, which made me perform even better on the General reading samples. I think this was the most effective component of my training.

If you ask me to summarize the whole experience in one sentence, it would be: Practice, practice and practice more.

Thanks again, you were definitely a major contributor to my success.

Yours sincerely,


Shahriar ”

IELTS exam in Singapore - May 2009 (Academic Module)

A friend from Singapore reports about her Academic IELTS exam, here is what she remembers:

Writing test

Writing Task 1

We had a bar chart and a line graph about percentage of people who smoke in one of the European countries and we had to compare the two graphs.

Writing Task 2

Some people find visiting museums boring as a form of entertainment, while others believe that the role of museums is to educate people, not entertain. Discuss, what is your opinion?

Speaking test

Interview

In this part my examiner asked me about myself and my hometown.

Cue card

Describe a dress that you wore to a ceremony, you should say:

- Do you have a photograph with that dress on?

- How did you feel about wearing that dress?

Discussion

- What is your view of wearing uniforms in workplaces?

- Could you name workplaces that require uniform?

لطفاً جهت كسب اطلاعات بيشتر فهرست موضوعي مطالب را ببينيد.

IELTS exam in Germany - May 2009 (Academic Module)

In this report D from Germany tells us about his IELTS exam, the topics and questions. Many thanks, D!

Listening test

It was quite difficult and I can hardly remember anything but the following:

Section 1: a talk about a sports center with different facilities like tennis courts, etc.


Section 2: a talk about a journey to some caves.

Reading test

I can only remember the Passage 3, which was about sand dunes. It said that there are different types of dunes, some dunes are static and others are moving. The progress of moving dunes was explained and some information about the sound it makes while moving was given as well.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report)

We had a bar chart with information concerning the average class sizes in

1. Primary schools

2. Lower secondary schools

in 6 different countries (all over the world: Korea, Japan, UK, Mexico, Iceland and one more I don`t remember) in 2006.


This information was contrasted to the world average and I had to write a report for a university lecturer.

Writing Task 2 (essay)

Some people think that their happiness in life is strictly related to economic success. Others give different reasons apart from that one. What do you think about it? Discuss.

Speaking test

Interview

In Speaking my examiner began with some questions about my studies and my work. Then we talked about the television and she asked:

- What do you watch when you need to relax?

- How many hours do you watch TV a week?

- What do you like the most on TV?

Then she asked me about reading, those were nearly the same questions as the ones she asked me concerning the TV. What I read, how many hours I spend on reading and so on.

Cue Card

Talk about someone who helped you very much in a difficult situation. You should say:

- Who helped you

- What it was about

- When it occurred and

- Why it was so important for you

Discussion

- Nowadays old people are often in need of our help. Years ago the younger generations spent more time doing that. Why did it change?


- What are the reasons for that change?

- Do you think it is important to help older people?

- And in what ways do they need help?

مقایسه نمرات امتحان IELTS و TOEFL

The term IELTS refers to the International English Language Testing System, which is the standard test used by British universities to assess the English language proficency of applicants whose first language is not English. It consists of four components: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Because it includes a fairly rigorous test of both of the productive skills (speaking and writing), many selectors feel that the IELTS gives a clearer picture of an applicant’s proficiency than the TOEFL.

This comparison is made by the   Vancouver English Centre   and does not imply recognition by IELTS or ETS Ltd.

TOEIC	TOEFL Paper	TOEFL CBT	TOEFL IBT	IELTS
0 - 250	0 - 310	0 - 30	0 - 8	0 - 1
	310 - 343	33 - 60	9 - 18	1 - 1.5
255 - 400	347 - 393	63 - 90	19 - 29	2 - 2.5
	397 - 433	93 - 120	30 - 40	3 - 3.5
405 - 600	437 - 473	123 - 150	41 - 52	4
	477 - 510	153 - 180	53 - 64	4.5 - 5
605 - 780	513 - 547	183 - 210	65 - 78	5.5 - 6
	550 - 587	213 - 240	79 - 95	6.5 - 7
785 - 900	590 - 637	243 - 270	96 - 110	7.5 - 8
905 - 990	640 - 677	273 - 300	111 - 120	8.5 - 9
Top Score	Top Score	Top Score	Top Score	Top Score
990	677	300	120	9

IELTS exam in Lithuania - May 2009 (Academic Module)

Thanks to RM from Lithuania I can tell you a lot about the recent IELTS exam there. Not only he gives us the topics and the questions, but also his conclusions and lessons he learned, what he would have done differently in his exam preparation. Here goes:

Listening test

I can say is that unlike the usual test, where section 4 is the hardest, in our test it wasn’t difficult (something about children). However the second section was hardest one for me and some other students.

Reading test

I don’t remember it very well but I will try to describe all I do remember.

Passage 1: Some sort of material which is added to chewing gum, helps to clean oil and is sprinkled on fruits so they grow bigger than they would naturally.

Passage 2: Bamboos, where they grows, what presents dangers for bamboos and so on.

Passage 3: Fairytales for children, when they were invented and how old tales developed to nowadays tales for kids.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (report)

We had two tables with the numbers of international students of two academic years in 2 countries, there were total numbers of international students and the change in percents. First table was about international students in Canada and the second one about international students in the USA.

Writing task 2 (essay)


In many countries traditional food is changed to international fast food. This has negative effect on families and societies as well. Do you agree or disagree provide reasons for your opinion.

Speaking test

Firstly I was asked if I’m a student and I said “Yes I am”. A man then asked me in which university, I told that I’m not in university, I’m in my graduation years at school, so he told me (I could say little bit angrily) that I’m not a student then (that’s strange because in school we always call kids who go to school ’students’).

Interview


- Tell me your full name.

- Tell me how should I call you.

- Tell me where you live.

- What you like about your city?

- Does your town have a place where to swim?

- Do people in your town like swimming?

- Do you think swimming is useful and why?

- When people in your country give presents?

- Do you think it is important that present is expensive?


- Have you ever made a gift by yourself?

- Is it hard for you to choose the present?

Cue card

Cue card was the same as in Brunei, May 2009, about who would be the famous person you’d like to meet. I’ve read that letter from Brunei before my exam and I though that I won’t get the same topic, so I didn’t think who that person could be. It was a shame that I didn’t, and I still don’t know who it could be, so I made it up).

Discussion


- Would you like to be famous?

- Why do you think people want to be famous?

- How do you think, do famous persons have privacy? How much of it?

- Do all famous persons have a lot of money?

- What is the difference between famous persons in the past and in nowadays? (this was difficult one for me, because I honestly couldn’t tell it even in my mother tongue)

- What famous person should have to be adored by teenagers?

And my advice to everyone who is going to take IELTS exam is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, as much as you can! Is it really very helpful. I’m saying it because I didn’t practice enough (because of my laziness)and now I’m afraid I didn’t get my target score.