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May 2009

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?
– Which way of communication do you prefer: receiving letters, emails or phone calls?

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?