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October 2009

IELTS in Moscow, Russia – October 2009 (General Training)

IELTS exams in Moscow (Russia), Istanbul (Turkey) and Dubai (UAE) were almost identical, apart from the questions in the Speaking test. As you know the questions in the Speaking test are different for every student, whereas the rest of the exam is normally the same for countries in the same time zone (or no more than 3 hours apart). The questions from the Speaking test will follow tomorrow.

Thanks to O. we know this much about the recent IELTS test:

Listening test

Section 1: A phone conversation about choosing a subscription plan with a phone company.
Questions: Filling in the gaps, multiple choice questions.

Section 2: A lecture on garbage recycling plant.
Questions: Filling in the gaps, multiple choice questions.

Section 3: An orientation session for a food cooking course student.
Questions: Filling in the gaps, multiple choice questions.

Section 4: A lecture on study of chimpanzee behavior.
Questions: Filling in the gaps, multiple choice questions.

Reading test

Passage 1: An article on the Roaring Camp national park in California.
Questions: 5 True/False/Not Given questions.

Passage 2: An advertisement for public speaking coaching.
Questions: Filling in the gaps.

Passage 3: Descriptions of 7 different art galleries.
Questions: matching statements to advertisements, True/False/Not Given questions.

Passage 4: An advertisement about distant learning courses.
Questions: Filling in the gaps, 5 True/False/Not Given questions.

Passage 5: An article on the finding of the remains of the prehistoric man in the Alps.
Questions: Matching statements to paragraphs, 5 True/False/Not Given questions.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)
You have invited your English-speaking friend to a family wedding and reserved a room at the hotel for him/her as you agreed before. You won’t be able to meet him/her at the airport. Write a letter to your friend, describing:
– the reason why you can’t meet him/her,
– how he/she can get to the hotel from the airport,
– the hotel where you made the reservation.

Writing task 1 (an essay)
In many countries private companies make their employees wear uniform to work. What about your country? Do you think wearing uniform to work is necessary?

IELTS in NSW, Australia – October 2009 (General Training)

IELTS in Australia was described by R from NSW, who has kindly shared all he remembered about his exam. Here are the questions R. had in the Writing and Speaking sections:

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)
A friend of yours has decided to come and visit you in one month. Unfortunately, it will not be possible.
Write a letter and
a. Apologize.
b. Explain why it will not be possible and suggest an alternative.

Writing task 2 (an essay)
Many people believe that the members of family are more important than friends in life. Do you agree/ disagree?

Speaking test

Introduction
– Do you work or study?
– What do you do on weekends?
– Is it important to have weekends off? Why / Why not?

Cue card
Describe about a car or motorbike that you have or would like to have in the future, you should say:
– What car / motorbike is it
– Why you would like to have it
– Will you be able to buy it or not.

Discussion
We had a conversation about transportation system:
– Is it important to have a good transportation system in a country?
– What benefits does it bring to a country’s economy?
– Does it have effects on social life and community?
– Does it affect the way people work?