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December 2016

Happy New Year 2017!

Happy New Year 2017!

Hello everyone! This is Simone, and I am excited to say that the next time you will hear from me will be in 2017! Sounds so futuristic, doesn’t it? 🙂 Yet it’s just around the corner. They say time flies when you’re having fun – well, I think that it’s true: my 2016 went zooming past because I’ve been working for you, and I LOVE doing that.

Today, per my annual tradition, I’d like to tell you what a fantastic bunch of people you’ve been in 2016, and how YOUR success has become my pride and joy:

In 2016…

  • Over 4,400,000 people visited IELTS-Blog.com and downloaded more than 12,200,000 pages. When I last checked where you guys come from, I was totally blown away – there were 230 countries on the list!

  • Over 36,000 of you subscribed to our daily IELTS updates – you love learning online, and you know how important it is to be up-to-date in this rapidly-changing world!

  • We’re just about to cross 400,000 fans on Facebook. OMG.

  • IELTS-Blog claimed the first place on Top 25 IELTS Blogs list by Feedspot. Your support has gotten us there!

  • My IELTS book ‘Target Band 7‘ was translated into Japanese, and – I honestly never expected that – became one of the top 5 IELTS books on Amazon Japan! A big thank-you goes to Yusuke Tsukioka, without whom this wouldn’t be possible.

  • Success in Japan made us realise people like reading IELTS books in their native language, and for this reason we had ‘Target Band 7’ translated into Spanish! It is already available on Kindle (look for “IELTS Objetivo Band 7”) and will be released in print on Amazon in January 2017. A special thank-you goes to Gabriel Montilva and María José Campos for their dedicated work on the Spanish translation.

  • Last but not least – YOU implemented the IELTS tips and techniques from this website and my books, and you achieved success! The number of students with remarkable IELTS scores is amazing – thank you for sharing your stories with me. I’ve never come across people who were more determined to turn their life around than you are, people who cared so much for others facing the same difficulties, people with more desire to share knowledge and inspiration.

From the bottom of my heart I’d like to thank you for choosing IELTS-Blog.com for your exam preparation. My team and I will continue to work for you in 2017, so that you can break through the IELTS barrier and reach new heights.

May 2017 be a joyful, peaceful and wildly successful year for you.

Happy New Year from Simone and the entire IELTS-Blog.com team!

IELTS test in Sri Lanka – December 2016 (General Training)

Thanks to an IELTS test taker from Sri Lanka we can share these Writing and Speaking questions:

Writing testIELTS test in Sri Lanka

Writing task 1 (a letter)

You have been recently accepted to a university abroad. Write a letter to the accommodation officer of the university and say:

– Ask him/her to arrange accommodation for you.
– Explain what kind of accommodation you are looking for.
– Ask for description of what needs to be done when you arrive there.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Many people had been involved in sports as children, but don’t do any physical exercises as adults. What are the reasons people avoid physical exercises? How to overcome this trend and motivate adults to be more physically active?

Speaking test

Interview

– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– Where are you from?
– Do you work or study?
– Can you describe your hometown?
– Let’s talk about hats and caps.
– Do you wear them?
– What kind do you prefer?
– Do you like leisure activities?
– Do you read newspapers and magazines? Why?

Cue Card

Describe a skill that you have learnt in your childhood. Please say

– What was it?
– Who taught you that?
– Is it helping you in your life?

Discussion

– What skills are necessary for children to learn?
– Why do you think so?