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December 2013

Happy New Year 2014!

Dear readers! This is Simone Braverman, happy to welcome you on the last day of 2013, here on www.IELTS-Blog.com. I would be very surprised if many people visited our website on New Year’s Eve. Surely you have friends and family to celebrate everything you achieved in 2013 and to share your hopes for 2014.

I don’t want to keep you from the table full of delicious food and from watching the fireworks, so instead of my usual long speech I’ll just say this…

Happy New Year 2014!2013 was an amazing year for me, and for IELTS-Blog.com. This website yet again broke all records receiving over 4 million visits and getting over 13.7 million pages downloaded. Our Facebook page grew from 12,000 fans to over 50,000 and counting!

For me personally the biggest achievement of 2013 was publishing a new book “IELTS Success Formula” together with Stephen Slater. It took years of research and hard work, but finally it’s out! We are very excited because it will enable more people to pass their IELTS exams with scores of Band 8 and up!

I truly am grateful to everyone who contributed to IELTS-Blog in 2013, to all the visitors who came here searching for the latest IELTS updates, to all the teachers who used this website and recommended it to their students, to everyone who referred their friends here to get help with IELTS, to people who sent their feedback and helped us to improve. Your support means more than I can put into words.

I love you all, and hope you have a wonderful 2014!

IELTS test in Iran – December 2013 (Academic Module)

An IELTS test taker from Iran (thanks, N!) shared these topics and questions from a recent exam:

Listening testIELTS test in Iran

Section 1. A conversation between a job seeker and an employer about a fruit picking job.

Section 2. About various types of ongoing theatrical plays.

Section 3. A conversation between a student and tutor about an ancient language.

Section 4. A teacher was guiding students about facilities available on campus.

Reading test

Passage 1. About two successful companies and their strategies regarding customers and employees.

Passage 2. About similarities of human beings and chimpanzees.

Passage 3. Judgment of people based on their appearance.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a chart showing different ways of waste disposal during 6 years in one European country.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

In some countries it is illegal to reject candidates for a job based on their ages. Discuss advantages and disadvantages of this and give your own opinion.

Speaking test

Interview

– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– Where are you from?
– Do you work or study?
– Where do you live?
– Is it an apartment or a house?
– What is your favorite room there?
– Who was choosing your clothes when you were a child?
– What kind of clothes do you wear now?
– What aspect is important for you when choosing clothes?
– Do you help others to choose clothes?
– When did you start using a mobile phone?
– When do you usually turn your mobile phone off? Why?

Cue Card

Describe an outdoor activity that you haven’t done yet and would like to do in the future. Please say

– What activity is it?
– When and where would you like to do it?
– What special skills or equipment would you need?

Discussion

– Do you think it would be expensive?
– What are the beneficial effects of physical activity, in general?
– Do you think today we are less physically active than in the past? Why?
– Do you think we should only blame technology for that?
– Why do some people like doing dangerous activities like parachuting?
– In your opinion, why is there an increased interest in these activities compared to the past?