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March 2009

IELTS exam in Malaysia – March 2009 (Academic Module)

A caring student from Malaysia is telling us about her Academic IELTS exam:

Reading test

Surprisingly, the first two paragraphs were tougher than the third. One of them was about the planet Venus, and the questions were “fill in the blanks”.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (report)
We had a 4 – line graph on vehicle production by 4 US manufacturers over 5 years

Writing task 2 (essay)
Do you think the number of sporting facilities should be increased for the benefit of the public, discuss, what is your opinion?

Speaking

Interview
– Describe the house that you live in now (so I described the house, giving details on how many bedrooms, restroom, kitchen, and living area)
– Which room is your favorite?
– Do you like shopping?

– When was the last lime you went shopping? With whom?
– When do you normally I go shopping?
– Have you ever dislike shopping?
– Do you love writing?
– How did you learn writing when you were a child?
– How do we go about teaching the children how to write? .
– Do you prefer conventional writing using a pen or digital using a computer? ( of course I chose computer, it’s easier and very practical.)

Cue Card
Describe your favorite speaker, you should say:
– Who it was
– Where did you meet him,
– What was the topic of his speech

At the beginning I managed to say who he is and what was the topic was. But then, after 1 minute or so, I started to lose focus. When the examiner gave me the time-up sign, only then I concluded my statement. Bottom line, I messed up in part 2.

Discussion
– What makes a good speaker?
– Do visual aids help in a presentation?
– Do school children need to be motivated by speakers, what kind of speakers?
– Were there any speakers that came to your school?

IELTS exam in China – March 2009 (General Training)

This update is about IELTS exam in China, our friend Z is telling us what topics and questions they had in a General Training module.

Listening test

Part 2 had a map of the interior of a house. Easy, but I have poor sense of direction, and couldn’t follow exactly.
The last part was about the car development in Australia from 1940s to 1990s, blanks filling.
The whole set was quite easy, if only I didn’t feel so nervous in the first part (thus missing four questions).

Reading test

The last reading article was about the development process of a plane, the questions were matching the statements with the paragraphs and 4 multiple choices.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (letter)
It is reported that a group of people was engaged in some unpaid work to help elderly people (not sure in what country). Write a letter to tell:
1. Who you are.
2. Why do you think they are doing an important job
3. Ask what type of unpaid work can you apply to do

Writing task 2 (essay)
The cost of air flights has reduced sharply nowadays. Do you think it is a positive or a negative development, give your reasons.

Speaking test

Interview
– Do you work or are you a student?.
– Do you like cooking?
– Who cooks in your home?
– Do you like traveling?
– What is your favorite place and why?

Cue card
Decribe a piece of music you heard in childhood. You should say:
– What music was it
– When did you hear it
– How did you feel

Discussion
– Where can you hear music?
– Is it good to have music played in public places or better to keep them silent?
– Do you think there is a purpose to playing music?

The whole process lasted only about 10 minutes.