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August 2009

IELTS in Iran, Egypt and UK – August 2009 (Academic Module)

You probably guessed by now that IELTS exams in Iran, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Italy and the UK were identical. Well, almost identical – apart from the Speaking module, in which students had different questions. Thanks to 3 kind IELTS candidates (A, M and G) we know this much about the recent exam:

Listening test

Section 1: A phone conversation where a customer provides personal details such as name, telephone number, date of birth, etc.

Section 2: A map was given and the questions were about identifying places on it.

Section 3: A university lecture about a project in painting.

Section 4: A lecture about architecture.

Reading test

Passage 1: About Chimpanzee (kind of monkey), their similarities and differences. The text was very long.

Passage 2: About tourist and effect on nature, eco-tourism.

Passage 3: About the kind of technology that is more effective: small or large, cheap or expensive.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (report)
We had two pie charts that compared the reasons why students are choosing a particular UK university in 1987 and 2007.

Writing Task 2 (essay)
Some people think that governments should care about their citizens’ diet and health. Others think that people themselves should take responsibility for their own diet and health. Discuss. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Speaking test

Interview
– What is your name?
– Where are you from?
– Tell me about your home.
– Which room in your apartment is the best?
– What do you do for improving your home?

Cue Card
Talk about your best friend and how do you spend your time together, you should say
– Who the friend is
– What do you do together.

Discussion
– What do you think about strong relationship within families?
– Discuss Tehran families.

IELTS in Sydney, Australia – August 2009 (Academic Module)

IELTS in Australia was kindly shared by V, who wishes everybody good luck and excellent score in their exam. Right back at you, V!

Listening test

Section 1: Mr. Northwaite was filing complaints about a removal company which broke/lost several of his items.

Section 2: A responsible/teacher explaining to new university students how things work in the campus.

Section 3: A research that showed wind turbines can be dangerous for birds, and the possible solutions to avoid turbines being a threat to the birds.

Section 4: Don’t remember.

Reading test

Passage 1: A research concerning the healing powers of magnetism on human body, the application of magnetism in modern medicine and in ancient ages, arguments about whether it is effective or not, where can you buy magnetic stones.

Questions: Matching headings to various paragraphs.

Passage 2: A research concerning the possible causes of the extinction of mammoths in North America 11,000 years ago. The opinion and theories of various experts, one blaming human hunting, another blaming deadly diseases introduced by humans, yet another blaming the climate instability.

Questions: Mainly about recognizing was who said what, completing phrases with quotes from the document given.

Passage 3: The psychology of young children aged 12-36 months, about how they interact with the external world and how aware they are of society at those ages. The capacity of understanding and elaborating lies, jokes, etc. The opinion of experts.

Questions: Answer general questions, True/False/Not Given questions.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (report)
A graph that was showing popularity of 6 sports (football, rugby, snooker, swimming, tennis, golf) among UK residents in the years 1995, 2000, 2005.

Writing task 2 (essay)
Similarity between cultures in the world is increasing. What are the possible reasons in your opinion, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of this phenomenon. Discuss including personal opinions and experiences.

Speaking test

Interview
– What is your name?
– Where do you come from?
– Do you drive a car?
– Do you think it is important to drive safely?
– What age would you like your kids to start driving?

Cue Card
Talk about an electronic device you would like to have.
– Describe it.
– Explain its functions.
– Why do you want it?
– Do you plan to buy it?

Discussion
The final part was a discussion about the role of teachers in school during modern ages, and if they were still important figures in a classroom, with all the technology available. I was asked to discuss this theme and express my opinion.