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Recent IELTS exams

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

IELTS in South Africa – September 2009 (General Training)

Thanks to N. from South Africa, we know a lot about the IELTS exam there:

Listening test

Section 1: It was about a burglary, an inspector was talking to a woman who owned the home (not rented). The entrance was made through the back door as nothing was opened or broken at the front. The PC was stolen and the inspector asked the woman for the serial number. Money was stolen as well.

Questions: How long have you lived here? Write down the serial number of the PC. What type of purse it was and its colour or type of fabric (in my test it was silver).

Section 2: A lady calls a reception to advise that there is no hot water in her room and and the receptionist tells her how to turn the hot water on.

Questions: Which knobs to turn for hot/cold water – fill these details in the blanks, then we had a diagram labeling.

Section 3: A continuation of Section 2. Regarding spare keys and where they are kept, light bulbs and where to find them.

Section 4: Organic vegetables.

Reading test

Passage 1: Three articles regarding 3 tours in and around the city.
Questions: True / False questions, short answer questions (one word).

Passage 2: Cannot remember.

Passage 3: An article about a person who went to other countries to get native plants and bring them back to England. Each section was broken into pieces and marked A to H.
Questions: Information matching, such as “Which paragraph did he almost die and lose all of his seedlings in?”

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)
Write a letter to your friend overseas, invite them to a party and explain how to get to your home.

Writing task 2 (an essay)
Many parents use TV and computer games as ‘baby sitters’ (allow children to watch too much TV and or play computer games for too long). What are the reasons for this situation? What are the effects of watching too much TV or playing computer games on children?

Speaking test

Interview
– Your full name.
– Where do you live?
– What type of work do you do?
– Do you like working alone or with other people?

Cue card
Think of an advertisement you liked and say:
– Why you liked the advertisement.
– What in it would make you want to buy the product.

Discussion
– Why do you think the advertisement worked?
– What types of advertisements work?
– What types of advertisements have you seen on the street corners?
– What type of advertising is more effective, on TV or on the radio?

IELTS in UAE and Ghana – September 2009 (Academic Module)

According to S. and J., IELTS exams in UAE and Ghana were the same, and the tasks in the Writing section were as in the IELTS in Sweden. Thank you guys for sharing what you remembered with everyone.

Listening test

Section 1: A police report about a burglary.
Questions: Filling personal information in the gaps.

Section 2: A telephone conversation about a water heater.
Questions: Labeling a diagram of a water heater.

Section 3: A conversation of 2 college students about a research in South African students entitled “Integrating a Retail System”.
Questions: Filling in the gaps.

Section 4: A lecturer talking about Organic fruits in Australia.
Questions: Filling in the gaps and multiple choice questions.

Reading test

Passage 1: Australia’s sugar cane industry.
Questions: What are the names of 5 persons mentioned and what they have said, plus some True/False/Not Given questions.

Passage 2: An expedition researching stone and rivers in Missouri.
Questions: Matching headings to each paragraph (B-G), True/False/Not Given questions, filling in the gaps.

Passage 3: Canadian immigrants and the building of railways connecting USA and Canada.
Questions: True/False/Not Given, locate a certain sentence in a paragraph.

Writing test

See IELTS exam in Sweden

Speaking test

Interview
– What is your name?
– Are you working or studying?
– Some questions about competitions.

Cue card
Talk about a person who won a competition, you should say:
– who that person was
– what he/she won
– when he/she won
– what you liked about this person and why

Discussion
– Do you think only children can enjoy competitions?
– What do you think about the activities of children at school?
– Do you think competitions are good for children?
– What do you think are the characteristics of a good player?