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November 2009

IELTS Video tips

Today I’d like to share some unusual kind of tips – short videos with some useful tips for IELTS preparation. These were made by British Council in Sri Lanka and can serve you as both tips and listening practice. I was amazed by the quality and just couldn’t keep them to myself. Enjoy!

IELTS Reading, tip #1

“Looking at the title, the picture and the questions for a passage will prepare you for what you’re going to read.”

IELTS Reading, tip #2

“Don’t waste too much time on one answer. If you find it difficult, continue to the next questions and come back if you have time.”

IELTS Listening, tip #1

“Check your spelling, as you will be penalized for mistakes.”

IELTS Listening, tip #2

“Underlining keywords in the questions will help you focus when you are listening.”

IELTS Writing, tips # 1

“Write the correct amount of words – not too few and not too many. Look at the number in task instructions and count the number of words you’ve written.”

IELTS Writing, tips # 2

“Timing is important – spend 20 minutes on task 1 and 40 minutes on task 2”.

IELTS Speaking, tip #1

“Talk to yourself on a variety of topics, record yourself and listen back to see if you sound interested. To sound interested, practice in stressing the keywords.”

IELTS Speaking, tip #2

“It’s OK to ask the examiner to repeat the question. You won’t lose marks for doing so”.

IELTS Speaking, tip #3

“Watch the tense in the examiner’s question – it will give you an idea what tense to use in your answer.”

Note: the people filmed here are most likely professional actors, but the tips come from real IELTS candidates who achieved high scores.

IELTS exam in Ireland – November 2009 (Academic Module)

IELTS test in Ireland was shared by our kind friend G., whose excellent memory is the reason we learned about the following questions:

Listening test

Section 1: A student was asking about the college accommodation details (there was a conversation between two people).

Section 2: A guide was giving brief introduction and instructions to an interviewer about a walking program from Tavy point.

Section 3: Two college students were discussing how to change a course.

Section 4: A radio show host was talking about a park and wild life conservation in Australia.

Reading test

Passage 1: About the life of seaweed – types, location, usage and how climate change affects it.

Questions: Matching headings to paragraphs, multiple choice questions.

Passage 2: About ants and their behavior. How they teach their youngsters to collect food, about research done this area and its controversy.

Questions: True / False / Not Given questions, choose four animal behaviors mentioned in the passage, matching information to the names of scientists.

Passage 3: It was about one of the famous sailors and his personality, stories and dramas written about him, etc.

Questions: Multiple choice questions, summary filling, matching information to paragraphs.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (a report)
We had to describe a line graph that compared types of new houses construction in a particular part of the UK from 2000 to 2010.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)
Some parents say that the increasing number of advertisements influences children to buy food, toys and other goods. However advertisers claim that they pass useful information. Discuss both points and express your opinion.

Speaking test

Interview
– Introduce yourself.
– Where do you live?
– Talk about transportation in your place.
– Do you think advertisements influence people?
– What did you buy under the influence of advertisement?
– Do you think top sports personalities can earn a great deal of money as compared to people in other important professions? Why?

Cue card
Talk about the following topics:
– What sports you enjoy playing,
– Why you think it is popular,
– Why it is easy to play.

Discussion
– Why do you think sports and games are important?
– What is its impact on children?
– Do you think a talent or special training is more important? Why / Why not?