Update from Academic IELTS exam, Australia

This IELTS update is brought to you courtesy of Lucienne from Australia.

Listening

1) An ad in the newspaper from someone selling different furniture. A woman called and asked for measurements of a bed, mattress, cabinet, etc.
2) A museum or something and someone giving info on openings hours, possibilities for school/group tours, etc.
3) A woman giving info on how rangers manage a nature park. Questions involved some tables, where you had to fill in gaps.

Reading

1) Text on otters, where they live, difference between certain breeds of otters, how they waterproof their coats, etc.
2) If parents should be involved in schooling of their children, so be active in the school. Different opinions from various researchers. Text argued that lots op people claim good results from parent involvement, but hardly any real evidence for it.
3) Task asked you to put the proper headings with paragraphs in a text on things as satellite science in Asian countries. There were more headings than paragraphs. This one took me by surprise, but apparently I did okay.

Writing

Task 1
4 line graph to describe, forgot what about

Task 2
Essay on how scientific development either had a positive or negative effect on quality of food and what your opinion was on it.

Speaking

Little Speech
Tell me something about a letter you received, who send it, why was it important to you.

Discussion
Are letters important historical material and if things would change for historians, now people are mainly using email and other digital communication means. (like: where does it all go?)