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Recent IELTS exams

Real students tell about their recent IELTS exams: IELTS questions, topics, tasks, answers.

IELTS Speaking test in Brisbane, Australia – July 2010

Questions from the IELTS Speaking test in Brisbane were shared by our kind friend N (who said that the other sections were just like in the exam in France). Here is what he remembered:

Speaking test

Interview

– Where are you from?
– Talk about your hometown.
– What place in your town would you recommend to visit?
– How is your hometown changing?

– Did you learn how to cook when you were a child?
– Do you like cooking?
– Who is preparing meals in your family?

– Do you like to travel?
– Where is the place you want to travel to the most?
– Have you ever been on a long journey?

Cue Card

Talk about the TV program that you watched and disliked, please say
– When and where was it?
– What was the show about?
– Why did you dislike it?

Discussion

– What is the difference between Australian TV programs and the ones in your hometown?
– Do you think we should or should not have more educational programs on TV?
– How did your hometown TV programs change nowadays, compared to the past?
– Does your country have any TV programs for education?
– What are the characteristics of TV stars?

IELTS test in USA and Mexico – July 2010 (General Training)

IELTS exams in USA and Mexico were identical. Here is what was shared by our fellow test-takers K and I:

Listening test

Section 1. A person was ordering a product from a catalog over the phone. There was the description of the item, prices and totals.

Questions: filling in the gaps (one word only).

Section 2. History of Romans.

Questions: filling in the gaps (no more than 2 words)

Section 3. Two students were discussing cars. They talked about a research that compared old and new cars. Why youngsters prefer to buy one and not the other, advantages and trends, and so on.

Questions: filling in the gaps (no more than two words).

Section 4. A trip to Santander Spain, description of a hotel and its rules for the guests staying there, and places to visit.

Questions: filling in the gaps (one word only) and multiple choice questions.

Reading test

Passage 1. About water safety service for people in town. How to file a complaint, how to send written correspondence to a local office, hours of the office and so on.

Passage 2. About staffing, training and employment agency.

Passage 3. Instructions for employees how to use a car service of their employer, about the procedure they need to follow to get the car checked out of the garage before they drive on duty.

Questions: filling in the gaps (no more than 2 words).

Passage 4. Handwriting and how it can help to identify a person’s qualities and characteristics, and state of mind. The passage included many theories, different studies, and scientists.

Questions: filling in the gaps (one word only) and matching paragraphs with statements.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (a letter)

You bought a new magazine. The editor of the magazine asked every subscriber to give feedback. Write a letter to the editor that includes the following:
– an explanation why you bought the magazine,
– what you liked and disliked about it,
– what kind of improvements you would recommend.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Some people say that mobile phone plays a major role in their professional life. Others say it plays a more important role in their personal life. Discuss both sides. What is your opinion?