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April 2011

IELTS Speaking test in Australia – March 2011

The Speaking questions below were shared by R who wrote to us after her IELTS exam in Australia. Here is what she remembered:

Speaking test

Interview

– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– Do you work or study?
– How important is this job to you? How about the the people you work with?
– Do you like flowers? Why or why not?
– What is the meaning of flowers in your country?

Cue Card

Talk about an expensive item that you bought, please say

– What was it?
– When did you buy it? Why?
– Where did you buy it?

Discussion

– Do you think people are spending a lot today? Why?
– What does influence people in their shopping habits?
– Is it good to spend a lot?
– What do people enjoy buying the most these days?
– Do you think people today are becoming more materialistic than in the past?

IELTS test in Poland – March 2011 (Academic Module)

Our friend M from Poland shared a recent IELTS exam below, with a comment “I used many tips from your blog – it’s incredible how helpful your ideas are! I’m really grateful!”.

Listening test

Section 1. We heard a recorded message that sounded like an answering machine, located in some sort of Public Transport Museum (it was mostly about trains). The booklet had various questions a person could ask regarding a museum, such as ticket prices, what exhibitions are on, etc.

Section 2. An interview with a young man, who was describing his experience when he found his first job.

Sections 3 and 4. Don’t remember.

Reading test

Passage 1. The text was about lost civilizations – why they failed and what should we do differently to survive. There were also some success stories, similar to Japan’s (how they managed to survive only because of cooperation between different classes).

Passage 2. A description of a new technology to produce power – tidal power.

Passage 3. Don’t remember.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a table and a line chart describing trends in employment in a certain country. The chart was showing an alarming trend – there were less and less people willing to work over 40 hours a week, but the number of people working on average 40 hours or less was growing. Also, the table contained information regarding the number of public holidays.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

The big cities are constantly growing. Why is this happening, and what problems does it bring? What can be done to improve people’s lives?