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January 2011

IELTS Speaking test in Dublin, Ireland – January 2011

The speaking questions below were shared by S and her friend (thank you!), who took the test in Dublin, Ireland.

Speaking Test 1

Interview

– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– What do you want me to call you?
– Where are you from?
– Tell me about your hometown.
– What is it famous for?
– Have you studied about the history of your hometown at school?
– Do you like to meet people?
– What are the common places where people prefer to meet?
– What were the places where people liked to meet in the past?
– Do you like to go to museums?
– Did you like to visit museums when you were a child?
– When did you visit a museum recently?
– What kind of museums are there in your country?

Cue Card

Talk about a person who is very successful in his/her life. Please say
– Who is that person?
– How do you know him/her?
– Why do you like that person?

Discussion

– What does success mean to you?
– Why do people like to follow a successful person?
– Why do parents pressure their children to gain success?
– Does success means richness?
– What is the difference between success, work load and leisure?

Speaking Test 2

Interview

– General introductory questions.
– Do you like reading books?
– What type of books do you read?
– Are you reading a book presently?
– Would you like to write a book in the future?

Cue Card

Describe a situation when something in your house broke or stopped working. Please say
– What was it?
– What happened when it broke/stopped working?
– How did you feel about it?

Discussion

– Why do you think people buy second-hand products?
– Why do people sell second-hand goods and advertise them on the internet?
– Do you think advertising fools people?

IELTS test in the UK – January 2011 (Academic Module)

Our kind friend M from the UK remembered some parts of her IELTS exam and shared the following:

Reading test

Passage 1. How experience is developed, its different stages and comparison between them.
Passage 2. The Antarctic, and its effects on the globe’s weather.
Passage 3. Documenting history with moving pictures (videos), and the historian rejection.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (a report)

We were given a table showing the percentage of sales and waste of food on every day of the week in a large supermarket. The task was to summarize the information provided and where possible compare and contrast data. The table had days of the week in the rows (Monday – Sunday) and the following in 3 columns: average sales of food (£), average waste (£), waste as percentage of sales (%).

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Some people say that parents have the most important role in a child’s development. However, others argue that other things like television or friends have the most significant influence. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Speaking Test

Interview

– Where do you live?
– Is it a nice place to visit?
– Let’s talk about numbers: do any numbers hold particular meaning in your culture?
– Do you think people should attach particular meaning to numbers?
– Do you have any numbers that are special to you?
– Between numbers and words, which do you remember easily?
– What do you do to remember them easily?

Cue Card

Describe your ideal house. Please say
– Where do you want the house to be?
– What should it look like?
– How many people should it accommodate?

Discussion

– Do you think people in cities are better off than those in rural areas, and why?
– Do you think cities will grow bigger and bigger in coming years?
– What problems are involved when cities grow bigger?
– Is there something that can be done to restrict the growth of cities?