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March 2011

News flash: IELTS breaks the 1.5 million tests record, IELTS-Blog follows closely

If you haven’t heard, IELTS has officially become the most popular high stakes English test. Quoting from the press release on IELTS.Org website,

“IELTS has cemented its position as the world’s most popular high stakes English language test with latest figures revealing a record 1.5 million tests were taken around the world in 2010.”

“North America followed by the Philippines and Hong Kong experienced the largest growth over the year, whilst China, Australia and India continue to retain their positions as the largest markets for IELTS.”

And do you know what I personally find amazing?

That out of those 1.5 million test takers, 1.089 million used IELTS-Blog.com in their exam preparation in 2010.

This basically means that out of every 4 people who took the IELTS test 3 were browsing through IELTS-Blog.com. No matter where they live, and no matter what language they speak. These folks have downloaded the unimaginable number of 9.5 million pages in 2010 and spent collectively 136,091 hours browsing through the same website you are reading now.

How did they find us? Most people just Googled “IELTS” and saw IELTS-Blog.com in the search results, others came through our Facebook page, and many just heard about us through “word of mouth”. The “how” doesn’t really matter – but the fact that we were able to help that many people fills my heart with an overwhelming joy. I can only hope that we can break this record in 2011 and help even more people achieve their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families.

I invite every reader of IELTS-Blog.com to spread the word and recommend it to their friends who are about to embark on their IELTS journey.

IELTS Test in Malaysia – March 2011 (Academic Module)

The following update was sent by our kind friend H who took his IELTS exam in Malaysia. Unfortunately, H didn’t remember the Listening or the Reading topics, but did a great job with Writing and Speaking:

Writing Test

Writing Task 1 (a report)

We were given a line graph showing the number of CDs that were purchased at three different locations: in a supermarket, in a music store and on the internet. The task was to write a report that describes the trends of CD purchases based on the graph provided.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Some people think that the role of women in the military or police forces is very relevant and becoming more significant. Others argue the opposite. Do you agree or disagree? What is your opinion?

Speaking test

Interview

– What is your full name?
– What should I call you?
– Can I see your ID?
– Are you currently working or studying?
– What are your responsibilities at work?
– Do you enjoy doing your current job? Why?

– Are there any numbers that are meaningful to you? Why?
– Which is harder to remember, a set of numbers or your friends’ names? Why?
– What kind of numbers do you have to remember?
– How do people nowadays remember phone numbers or their friends’ names?

– Do you like flowers?
– Why do you like / dislike flowers?
– In your country, when do people give flowers to others?
– Is there any festival in your country involving the use of flowers?

Cue Card

Talk about yourself trying to have a healthy lifestyle. Please say

– What prevents you from having a healthy lifestyle?
– What are the disadvantages of not having a healthy lifestyle?
– What can you do in order to improve your lifestyle?

Discussion

– Is it hard to live in a healthy environment nowadays?
– Do you think most people in your country have a healthy lifestyle?
– How do you think we can influence others to have a healthy lifestyle?
– Who should be responsible for that?
– In 10 years, do you think people in your country will lead a healthier life?
– Will there be any improvements or significant changes to their lifestyle during that time?