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Recent IELTS exams

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

Update from an Academic IELTS exam, China

This update from an Academic IELTS exam was brought to us by Y from China, many thanks!

IELTS test in China

Writing test

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Some people think that students study more efficiently in groups, others argues that studying separately is better. Discuss the advantages of both ways and give your opinion.

Speaking test

Interview

– Do you live in a flat or a house?
– What does it look like?
– What can you see from your window?
– Is there anything on your walls?
– Questions about a museum – do you visit museums often?
– Can you tell me something about the museum that you have visited?
– Do you think visiting museum helps children?

By the way, I think I answered well, because he listened carefully, agreed with me and asked me some questions similar to section 3. We spent a lot of time in part 1.

Cue Card

Talk about a letter you have received. Please say:
– When you received it,
– From whom you received it ,
– What was the content.

Discussion

– Do you write letters often?
– Do you think the conventional letter will disappear?
– Compare a phone call to a letter.
– What do people write in a letter? (what kind of things?)
– Do you think that business letters are used much?
– Why do you think letters are important in communication?
– What are the benefits of face to face communication?

Update from a General IELTS exam, Melbourne, Australia

This update from a General IELTS exam came from Melbourne, Australia – thank you, R.C!

Listening test

The format of the listening exam was exactly the same as it in the Cambridge book 6, the second listening test.

Section 1. The admission form of a child ( fill in the gaps).

Section 2. Some city exhibition, the task was to fill in the gaps dates and activities.

Section 3. Discussion of the advantages of changing the subject and suggestions. Fill in the gaps.

Section 4. Success at work and company strategy. 4 multiple choice questions and the rest was ‘fill in the gaps’.

Reading test

I felt it was a piece of cake but a bit lengthy (may be the credit goes to my hard work – I had practiced for 1.5 months religiously)

Passage 1. The text was about different venues such as marriage halls and car parking places.
Questions: Match sentences to small paragraphs.

Passage 2. A single-page text about a car parking lot.
Questions: True, false, not given.

Passage 3. About different levels of certificates, diploma courses.
Questions: match a sentence to one of the given statements.

Passage 4. The most lovely part was the last one which I am usually unhappy about. It was about New Zealand famous folk plant which they use to make their traditional skirts and baskets, how it transformed to new products, methods how they made it soft texture and how captain Cook exported it to Europe.
Questions: True/False/NG and fill in the gaps, and the last one was to match headings.

Writing test

I salute to your website – my topic came from the list of the exams that different candidates listed.

Writing Task 1 (a letter)

Write a letter to an employment company and say:

– Which type of job you are looking for,
– What kind of company you are interested to be hired by,
– Reasons why you want to work abroad.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Some people think cars should be banned from the city center, do you agree or disagree?

Speaking test

My speaking was fairly good but I was very dehydrated and very cold in 3 hours after my exam. Sitting system wasn’t decent enough, they let us sit in the open and cold for 3 hours which made me bored to death. I believe the cold affected me.

My speaking was all about chores I perform at home, family functions, marriages in my culture and a one minute talk was on my favorite event.

Previously I sat the IELTS exam in Dubai at British council and trust me it was much harder in comparison to this exam.