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June 2009

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?
– Do 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 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.