The IELTS exam topics you’re about to read were shared by our kind friend K from Poland (thank you!)

Listening test

Section 1. A lady was calling a gym to ask about membership options.

Section 2. A discussion about studying tourism.

Section 3. Don’t remember.

Section 4. A story about swimming pools and swimming techniques.

Reading test

Passage 1. Kindergarten offers.

Passage 2. Doctor’s appointment.

Passage 3. Don’t remember.

Passage 4. About the movie industry.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

You have attended a course in college. The teacher was very helpful, however you are not satisfied with the college facilities. Write a letter to explain about the problems you have faced and provide suggestions for improvement.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Some people think that spending a lot on holding wedding parties, birthday parties and other celebrations is just a waste of money. Others, however, think that these are necessary for individuals and the society. Discuss both views and give you opinion.

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Tell me about your home.
- What would your dream home look like?
- Do you like having guests?
- What do you prefer: being a host or a guest?
- Do you like walking?
- Where are you walking?
- Will you continue walking in the future?

Cue Card

Talk about a letter you received recently. Please say

- Who was it from?
- What did it say?
- How did you feel about it?

Discussion

What are the advantages and disadvantages of emails and letters?

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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?

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Ravinder Singh, who won second place in our latest ‘Best IELTS results’ competition, comes from India. His first language is Punjabi, but it turns out that his English is almost as good – since he got Band 8 overall with an amazing 9 in Listening in a recent IELTS exam.

Here are a few tips that Ravider wanted to share with everyone:

“I think there is no real quick way to learn English truly. It is a slow process where you adopt a language in your daily life. If one is solely looking for a good score in IELTS (Band 8 and above), the following can be done:

1. Practice – it makes one perfect (at least 2-3 hours daily for 60 days). It helps you to tune yourself to the format of the test.

2. Read – get into a habit of reading (newspapers, novels, etc). This helps with absorbing English faster. Sentence structure, grammar, vocabulary will improve faster. This was the takeaway from the institute that helped me prepare for the exam.

3. Think – Start thinking in English, talk to yourself in English. You may call this a part of point 1 above.

More specific tips for the Listening and Reading Modules in IELTS:

a. Read ahead in the pauses in listening, skim the paragraphs in Reading.

b. Try to understand the context of sections being played.

c. Don’t panic if you couldn’t hear or concentrate and missed the conversation being played in Listening, concentrate on what you still have (the rest of the recording).

d. In Reading, don’t read the questions one by one and find answers. Read 2-3 questions (as many as you can remember) and try to find asnwers in comprehension.

I think the score also depends on current mastery of English, the practice efforts the student can make and a mix of analytical (for Listening and Reading modules) capabilities and interest (for Writing and Speaking modules) that one shows.”

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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?

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Our friend from Singapre (thank you U!) has shared the IELTS exam below. U didn’t remember the topics in the Listening and Reading sections.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

You saw an advertisement recently and bought the advertised product. Upon receiving the product you discovered that the information in the advertisement was incorrect. Write a letter to the person responsible for the advertisement and say:

- What is the product?
- What information in the advertisement is incorrect?
- What do you expect the person to do about it?

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Do children behave better when they are rewarded or punished? Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Speaking test

Interview

- What holiday destination do you wish to visit?
- Why would you choose to go there?
- Have you already been there?
- Would you go there again and why?

Cue Card

Talk about a very good student friend that you had during school. Please say:

- Who this friend was,
- Why he/she was your good friend,
- What did you do together?

Discussion

- Are academic studies important?
- Can a person with high school education excel in life or do they need university education?
- Do you think a person who is famous is well liked? Why?

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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?

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The IELTS exam below was shared by our kind friend M from Australia. M didn’t remember the Listening or Reading topics, but had a good recollection of the Writing and Speaking questions.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a graph describing different age groups and their internet usage.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Some people consider thinking about the future to be a waste of time, and say that we should simply live now. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Speaking test

Interview

- Do you like your home town?
- Is it safe to live there?
- Do you think it is a good place to grow up?

Cue Card

Talk about a restaurant that you like. Please say

- What restaurant is it?
- What type of food is served there?
- Whom did you go there with?

Discussion

- Is eating healthy important?
- What is being done to promote healthy food?
- How do we get the message about healthy eating out to the community?

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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.

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Our kind friend T shared his IELTS speaking questions – enjoy!

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Where do you come from?
- How do you celebrate birthdays in your country?
- Whom do you want to celebrate your birthday with?
- Why is celebrating a birthday important?

Cue Card

Describe a place of work that you know of. Please say

- Where is this place?
- Who works there?
- Is it a good place?

Discussion

- Is location of a workplace important?
- Why is the location important?
- If you would build a house in another country, would you need to consider its location?

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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?

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