Education

The speaking questions below were shared by A (thank you!) whose IELTS exam was in India. Speaking test Interview - Do you study or work? - What subjects did you study at college? - Are other students from your country interested in the same course? - Is your city noisy? - What kind of noise do you like? - Does noise affect your work efficiency? - How were you as a child? - Have you had a hobby as a child? - Do you spend time with kids these days? Cue Card Talk about a family photograph. Please say - Who is on that photograph? - Who took the photo? - Why do you consider it memorable? Discussion - Do you still take photos? - Do you think photography is an art? - Some photographs are considered to be works of art, what do you think? - How does media use photographs? - Would you agree that media can make or break famous people’s reputation? Related posts:IELTS Speaking test in China – December 2011 The questions below were shared by our Chinese friend X...IELTS test in Abu Dhabi, UAE – March 2012 (Academic Module) The exam below was shared by our kind friend M,...IELTS Speaking test in Nigeria – March 2012 The Speaking questions below were shared by S after his...IELTS test in India – April 2012 (Academic Module) Our kind friend J from India has shared the IELTS...IELTS Speaking test in India – January 2012 The following Speaking questions were shared by our friend D...

Our kind friend R shared the questions he remembered from the recent IELTS Speaking exam: Speaking test Interview - What is your full name? - Do you work or study? - What subjects do you study in your course? - Do you like reading books? - What kind of books do you like to read? Cue Card Describe something that you learned about another culture. You should say - What did you learn? - What is the new culture? - How did you find out about it? Discussion - Is it easier to learn a language if you know about the culture? - Does visiting a different country make learning a language easier? - Does visiting another country help you learn your own culture better? Related posts:IELTS Speaking test in Indonesia – March 2012 The speaking questions below were shared by S who recently...IELTS Speaking test in India – March 2012 Our kind friend R shared the following speaking questions, that...IELTS Speaking test in Australia – March 2012 The Speaking questions below were shared by S who recently...IELTS test in India and Saudi Arabia – April 2012 (General Training) This IELTS exam was shared by our kind friend D...IELTS Speaking test in Australia – April 2012 Our friend M was asked these questions in a recent...

Our kind friend A from Ireland shared the recent IELTS exam below: Reading test Passage 1. About human’s impact on nature. Passage 2. About ancient coins. Passage 3. About road building in Africa. Writing test Writing task 1 (a report) Describe a graph about daily calorie intake across the globe. Writing task 2 (an essay) Some believe elderly people should live in nursing homes, others think they should live with the younger family members. Discuss both view and give your opinion. Speaking test Interview Don’t remember. Cue Card Describe your friend. Please say - Who is he/she? - How did you meet? - Why do you like him/her? Discussion - Why is friendship nowadays so volatile? - Why is exercising important? Related posts:IELTS test in Saudi Arabia – April 2012 (Academic Module) Our friend A from Saudi Arabia shared the IELTS exam...IELTS test in India – April 2012 (Academic Module) Our kind friend J from India has shared the IELTS...IELTS test in the UK – April 2012 (Academic Module) Our kind friend E from the UK shared this IELTS...IELTS test in Sydney, Australia – April 2012 (Academic Module) The IELTS exam below was shared by our kind friend...IELTS test in Sudan and Azerbaijan – March 2012 (Academic Module) The IELTS exam below was shared by our kind friends...

The speaking questions below were shared by S who took an IELTS exam in the UK recently. Speaking test Interview - What is your name? - Where do you come from? - Are you a student? - What course are you enrolled in now? - Do you have any particular interest in that subject? - Why did you select this course? - Is it mandatory for your profession? Cue Card Talk about your favorite subject in school. Please say - What was it? - Why was it your favorite? - What were the special features of that subject? Discussion - Did it help you in further studies? - Is there a particular subject that will help people in any profession? - Are computers being used instead of conventional classroom or teachers? Related posts:IELTS Speaking test in the UK – April 2012 The Speaking questions below were shared by E from the...IELTS test in Melbourne, Australia – April 2012 (General Training) The following IELTS exam was shared by I from Melbourne,...IELTS Speaking test in Australia – April 2012 Our friend M was asked these questions in a recent...IELTS Speaking test in Nigeria – March 2012 The Speaking questions below were shared by S after his...IELTS Speaking test in Jordan – April 2012 Our kind friend T shared his IELTS speaking questions –...

Do you ever wonder how others are doing in their IELTS exams? Here is the answer: some people do exceptionally well. Today I am proud to announce the 12 winners who achieved the best IELTS results in April 2012. Their hard work finally paid off! Don’t let me say another word before I present the high achievers: Academic Module – 1st place Karen Decruz from India, Band 8.5 Sristi Barman Roy from India, Band 8.5 Academic Module – 2nd place Ahmed Al-Adawy from Egypt, Band 8 Alfonso Tanate from the Philipines, Band 8 Academic Module – 3rd place Umair Iqbal from Pakistan, Band 7.5 Rinchen Dorji from Bhutan, Band 7.5 Wilson Khembo from Malawi, Band 7.5 General Training Module – 1st place XingYuen Ng from Malaysia, Band 8.5 General Training Module – 2nd place Rajadeep Roy from India, Band 8 Rakesh Dhir from India, Band 8 Rajesh Chidambaram from India, Band 8 Ravinder Singh from India, Band 8 Congratulations to the winners! You all have done a great job, and your success is a great inspiration to many other test takers, going through their IELTS books right now. According to our tradition, the winners will receive special certificates to their email addresses, and their names will be joining the IELTS-Blog hall of fame. If you’re wondering how these people were able to score so well, so do we. That’s why we are hoping the winners will write back and share their methods of preparation, tips and advice. Dear winners – don’t be shy, please reply and we promise to share your tips with everyone. P.S. Our competition runs every month, and everyone is welcome to participate. Learn how to enroll here. Related posts:IELTS Results competition winners in January 2012 Today I am excited to announce the 10 winners who...IELTS Results competition winners in February 2012 Is IELTS band score of 8 or even 8.5 too...IELTS Results competition winners in March 2012 Band 9, that used to be so rare to find,...IELTS Results competition winners in May 2011 May was an amazingly productive month for IELTS test takers....IELTS Results competition winners in June 2011 I am delighted to give you the good news –...

Our kind friend Y from Israel shared the IELTS exam below: Listening test Section 1. A man was calling to find out about day care services. Questions: filling in blanks. Section 2. About a famous artist. Questions: filling in blanks, multiple choice. Section 3. Don’t remember. Section 4. Conversation between two students about a report they have to do on whales and marine life. Questions: filling in blanks, matching pictures of whales to their descriptions. Reading test Passage 1. Bus services and different tours available. Questions: True/False/Not Given. Passage 2. Rules for new employees who are being late for work. Questions: filling in blanks. Passage 3. A text about ice and glaciers. Questions: True/False/Not Given, matching headings to paragraphs. Passage 4. Don’t remember. Writing test Writing task 1 (a letter) Write a letter to your friend from whom you borrowed something that accidentally broke. Please say - Remind him/her, what have you borrowed - Explain what happened - What you will do about it Writing Task 2 (an essay) Some people think that a person should change a carrier at least once, while others think that it is better to stay in one job for a lifetime. Do you agree or disagree? Speaking test Interview - Do you live in a town, a city or a village? - Do you like your city? Why? - Do you think your home town is good for young people? - While on holidays, with whom do you prefer spending time: your friends or family? - Would you go back to the same place where you spent your last holiday? - Do you use a mobile phone often? - Do you call or send text messages? - Do you think that in the future we will use mobile phones more? Cue Card Talk about a family photograph. Please say - Who took the picture? - Who is on the picture? - When was it taken? Discussion - Do you think it is hard to take a good photograph? - Can anyone take a good photograph? - Can you take a good photograph without attending special classes on photography? - Do you think technology has affected photography? How? Related posts:IELTS test in Israel, Romania and India – February 2012 (General Training) The IELTS exams in Israel, Romania and India were the...IELTS test in India – April 2012 (General Training) The following exam was shared by our kind friend S...IELTS test in Israel – November 2011 (General Training) The topics below were shared by L, who recently took...IELTS test in India and Saudi Arabia – April 2012 (General Training) This IELTS exam was shared by our kind friend D...IELTS test in UAE – April 2011 (General Training) The IELTS exam in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) was sent...

Hazell Gayatin (one of our ‘Best IELTS Score’ competition winners in March 2012) is originally from the Philippines, and speaks Tagalog. It was her first IELTS exam, and here is how she prepared and won this battle, in her own words: “For Listening I did a lot of practice tests I found online; all that I could grab from the free sites. I did all of the practice tests when I was very relaxed and in a quiet and comfortable place. I also listened to (FM) radio where most of the DJs are British. Most of the time I used to guess what was said if I didn’t get it the first time, and then I made up sentences to use new words on the subject being discussed in a sentence. I also watched a lot of foreign movies including those that have characters who speak in British and other European accents such as ‘Pirates of the Carribean’, ‘Notting Hill’, ‘Bridget Jones Diary’, etc. Those movies made me familiar with words otherwise difficult for me to catch upon hearing in a whim. Reading was the component where I had too much confidence in myself to hit Band 8. I am a “Reader”. I read books in English since I was 5 years old. My first book was the Holy Bible my grandfather gave me. Since then I read novels, magazines, newspapers, anything I can lay my eyes on, even store and traffic signs. So imagine my disappointment when I received a 7 score for Reading (sob). Well, I hope you, future test takers, consider this: it’s not enough to rely on reading for pleasure. You have to read and learn. Comprehension, grammar, vocabulary; all these should be taken into consideration especially for a test like IELTS. As for me, I skipped some of practice tests for Reading I saved for this particular IELTS exam. As I’ve said, I was very confident I will score high. Higher than 7, that is. Now I can’t help but regret passing on those practice tests. Some questions I encountered in Reading contained trick words, words that will confuse a test taker. I advise to always watch out for synonyms and paraphrases as they can be allies or enemies, depending upon how you utilize them. However, it has to be to your advantage, right? One has to understand that words grow into sentences, sentences eventually morphs into paragraphs and become a story. Nonetheless, the story, every bits and parts of it, has to be studied and understood. DO PRACTICE TESTS! Writing is the hardest component for me. Why? Because I need time to write a very good piece. IELTS gave me only 60 minutes! Well, there are always ways and means to a good ending. I found the following tips very useful: 1. Spend 2 minutes brainstorming for ideas, 2. Outline, outline, outline, and 3. Practice writing by hand and count your average number of words per line to know exactly how many lines you need to construct during the test. In IELTS you get deductions for writing pieces with less than 150 words in Task 1 and less than 250 in Task 2. Write from the heart. There’s nothing more interesting than to tell something you have experienced rather than make up something that didn’t happen. I was lucky I get to write about my hobby in the Task 2 of the Writing test. The question posed gave me the opportunity to discuss something I love doing – Fishing! Not every day is a holiday, but you can always find something to celebrate. My point is, whatever the topic asked to be discussed, you can always try to point it to the direction you want it to go. If it’s not your experience then maybe it is a story of a family or relative, a friend, a colleague, someone you’ve been with at the airport, or from a book you’ve read. The Speaking test was a breeze. But I realized after the test that I became too excited and nervous at the same time, my mouth could barely keep up with my mind! I was doing a 120 in a 80 kph road! My advise would be to work on your speed (pace of words and punctuations), volume, clarity. Practice to modulate your voice. I always practiced speaking after I did the listening and reading practice tests. I read aloud. I read the texts over and over. I recorded my voice and listened for some inconsistencies in my pronunciation and diction. It is also very helpful if you can have a buddy whom you can converse regularly in English with. I hope I can encourage would-be IELTS test takers to do a lot of practice tests. Related posts:What Ayan’s experience can teach us about getting Band 7 Every now and then I receive emails from people who...Shyam explains what it takes to get Band 8.5 in IELTS This may not sound very professional, but sometimes I receive...Priyanka was aiming at Band 7 in IELTS… but got Band 8, here’s how Today I’d like to share an inspirational story with you....Dr. Afroza Shameen: you CAN get Band 8, here is how (part 1) Some people get their target score in IELTS in the...IELTS Success story (Vy Bui, Band 8.0) Some time ago I wrote about Vy Bui who took...

The speaking questions below were shared by Z from Bangladesh (thank you!) Speaking test Interview - What is your full name? - Do you work or study? - Do you enjoy it? Why? - Do you think getting such a job is difficult? - When did you first use the Internet? - Do you think your life would be harder without the Internet? Cue Card Describe a foreign music event that you have been to. Please say - When was it? - Where was it? - How did you feel there? Discussion - What is the impact of music on people’s lives? - Why do people like different types of music? - Does any social factor play a role in choosing music? - What is the importance of music in people’s lives? Discuss different categories of music. Related posts:IELTS Speaking test in Bangladesh – April 2012 These speaking questions were shared by M (thank you!) who...IELTS test in Dhaka, Bangladesh – June 2011 (General Training) The questions below were shared by our kind friend A...IELTS Speaking test in Bangladesh – March 2012 The speaking questions below were shared by our friend S...IELTS test in Bangladesh – February 2012 (Academic Module) Our kind friend M from Bangladesh has shared this information...IELTS Speaking test in Kuwait – July 2011 The Speaking questions below came straight from Kuwait, where our...

This IELTS exam was shared by our kind friend D from India. Listening test Section 1. A girl’s father and her teacher were talking about her class discussion. Section 2. A radio presenter was discussing his FM channel and the type of services it provides to the local community. Section 3. A professor was discussing with students the course of action before, during and after placements. Section 4. A flow chart of a certain process in a company. Reading test Passage 1. Railway facilities and the discounts available to the frequent users. Questions: True/False/Not Given. Passage 2. A description of various restaurants and particular questions about each restaurant. Passage 3. About a university and its rules and regulations. Questions: short-answer type (no more than X words). Passage 4. About the Dodo bird. Questions: filling in blanks, multiple choice, True/False/Not Given, match paragraphs to statements. Writing test Writing task 1 (a letter) Write a letter to the event organizer to let them know you are not happy with the hotel that was booked for your meeting. Please say - What meeting was it? - Why didn’t you like the hotel? - Suggest what the organizer should have done differently. Writing Task 2 (an essay) Nowadays people are forgetting national celebrations and enjoying themselves on other days that are important to them personally. Discuss and give your opinion. Speaking test Interview - What type of house do you live in? - What transport is normally used in your city? - Which kind of transport do you use often? - Are you annoyed by other passengers while traveling in public transport? Cue Card Talk about a culture you became familiar with recently. Please say - What culture was it? - When did you learn about it? - What was the occasion? Discussion - Is knowing a culture can be an advantage? - If you know the language is it easier to learn the culture? - Does technology help in learning a culture? - Is it necessary to go to another country to learn about the culture? Related posts:IELTS test in India – April 2012 (General Training) The following exam was shared by our kind friend S...IELTS test in Israel, Romania and India – February 2012 (General Training) The IELTS exams in Israel, Romania and India were the...IELTS test in india – January 2012 (General Training) The IELTS exam in India (below) was shared by our...IELTS test in India – March 2012 (General Training) Our Indian friend M shared the details of a recent...IELTS test in Pune, India – May 2011 (General Training) Thanks to our friend A from India we are able...

Our kind friend J from India has shared the IELTS exam below – enjoy! Listening test Section 1. A man was talking with a day care receptionist about enrolling his child in the centre. Section 2. A phone conversation regarding job details. Section 3. A discussion about whale watching. Section 4. A talk about works of a painter. Reading test Passage 1. An article about the invention of roller coasters. Passage 2. An article about development of an innovative product. Passage 3. An article about children’s literature. Writing test Writing task 1 (a report) We were given a table with the types of housing preferred by people in 3 cities in the UK and the amount of people who like each type of housing, such as flats, terrace houses, detached and semi-detached houses in each area. Writing task 2 (an essay) Is playing computer games by youngsters a good or a bad thing? Discuss both views and give you own opinion. Related posts:IELTS test in India – April 2011 (Academic Module) The IELTS test below was shared by our kind friend...IELTS test in India – April 2012 (General Training) The following exam was shared by our kind friend S...IELTS test in Brunei – February 2012 (Academic Module) The following details were shared by A who recently took...IELTS test in the UK – April 2012 (Academic Module) The IELTS exam below was shared by our kind friends...IELTS test in Delhi, India – December 2011 (Academic Module) The following IELTS exam was shared by S from India...