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November 2009

IELTS in Dubai, UAE – November 2009 (General Training)

IELTS in Dubai, UAE was shared by A.J. who remembered and described everything. My appreciation is endless, and on behalf of all readers of IELTS-blog I wish A.J. an excellent score. Here goes:

Listening test

Section 1: A person asking a removal company to remove some household materials.
Questions: Sentence completion & Table completion.

Section 2: About a museum and its annual exhibition.
Questions: Multiple choice (A,B,C).

Section 3: A student and a teacher were discussing the further procedures after admission in a university (such as medical centre, student union, library use) and then there was a speech about academic study.
Questions: Sentence completion.

Section 4: About renewable energy. A reporter was narrating a report, which was prepared by a scientist.
Questions: Multiple choice and Table completion.

Reading test

Passage 1: About use and law for bicycle riding.
Questions: True / False / Not given

Passage 2: Buying a cash register machine.
Questions: Sentence completion.

Passage 3: Guidelines for a supervisor on how to allow the employees’ leave in different cases.
Questions: Flowchart completion.

Passage 4: Population growth in the UK in different decades.
Questions: Headings matching and True / False / Not given.

Note: This section was quite tough for a General Training test.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (a letter)
You have just arrived in an English speaking country to study a course. Before you left your English teacher invited you to a dinner. Write a letter to him describing your present situation. In your letter include the following

a) Thank him for the dinner.
b) Tell about your studies.
c) Tell how his advices helped you.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)
As the population is growing, more homes are needed. What is your opinion whether the homes are better to be built in an existing city or in countryside.

Speaking test

Interview
– In the place where you are living, is that possible to get fresh fruits and vegetables?
– Why do people advertise?
– Do you think, nowadays there are too many advertisements found in newspapers and on TV?
– Which media would you prefer for advertising, TV or a magazine? Why?
– Did you buy anything recently being influenced by an ad?

Cue card
Describe a leisure activity that you want to start. You should say:
– what it is,
– how you will start it,
– why you will start it.

Discussion
– Is there anyone known to you who did this?
– Are you going start it soon?
– Why people have a leisure activity?
– Do you think it is important to have a leisure activity? Why?
– Do you think employers should provide leisure activities to their employees?
– Some people think leisure activity is just a waste of time. What types of people think so? Why?
– People who have retired have plenty of leisure time, how they can use it?

IELTS exams in India and Denmark – November 2009 (Academic Module)

IELTS test in Bangalor, India was described by V., whose good memory and kindness made this update possible. Thank you V.! Later on I found out from C. that in Denmark they had the exact same topics in the Listening, Reading and Writing tests.

Listening test

Section 1: A conversation between 2 people about a damaged bicycle and garden tools.
Section 2: A visit to a biscuit museum.
Section 3: Orientation program for University students.
Section 4: Dangers of windmills to birds.

Reading test

Passage 1: About road transport and its trends in Europe.
Passage 2: Australian Parrots.
Passage 3: About an old manuscript.

Note: Both students said that all the passages were long and the language was quite difficult to understand.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)
There was a bar graph showing amount of oil in billion barrels discovered each year between 1950 and 2020, including prediction.

Writing task 2 (an essay)
Governments spend huge amount of money on arts. Some people feel that this is justified, whereas others feel that this money can be used for public health and education. Give your views and your opinion.

Speaking test

Interview
– Tell me about the place you live in.
– How long have you lived there?
– Who introduced you to the Internet?
– What are the benefits and who uses the internet the most these days?

Cue Card
Talk about a speech you heard which you liked, please say:
– what was the topic,
– who was the speaker,
– why did you like it.

Discussion
– Speeches by people other than teachers – should those be held at schools?
– What are the differences between speaking to children and speaking to adults, should visual aids be used?
– Why do people attend conferences?
– How can conferences be used as a means of cultural exchange?

Update: I have been told that IELTS exam in Hyderabad, India was the same.