Without capital punishment our lives are less secure and crimes or violence

increase. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Committing serious crimes need capital punishment so that the offender unable to
involved in the crime in the future. However, If they want to stop the violated act in the
future then it would better to forget him and judge him for a change .
Overall, I agree with the fact that punishment is the way to avoid the crime to be
increased and hence our lives become more secure. If the wrongdoer wants to be a good
man and there is some financial or personal problem that led him to the wrong way, then
it would be the nice option to forgive him and try to solve the problem he have. Although
by this way, some bad man may become effective part of the society but some do not
bring themselves to the right path because they are very much used to of it. The person
that _ involved in the crime and never try to stop the law-breaking act should be punished
in the extremely serious way. However, it totally depends on the nature of crime. Some
crime led to capital punishment and some may require small penalty. The law-making
institutions are responsible to bring the bad man to the right level of punishment that he
deserves. If there is weak legislation to properly handle the offender, it may become our
society less secure for the good man. The government should be responsible authority to
provide secure and better state to live. Laws should be implemented and executed in the
most proper way that do not allow the offender to commit violence act or to break the law
in any way or extent. To sum up, it is the responsibility of the state runner to stop people
to involved in crime. It may be done through solving the problems of the people that led
them to commit violence act or by the punishment accordingly.

Where are the paragraphs? This is a very good essay; however there are many small
mistakes that will cost you dearly. There are also several unclear expressions and
grammatical errors.

You should rewrite it, giving more thought to what is required, eg. paragraphs.

Some people think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher.
Others think that it is always better to have a teacher. Which do you prefer? Use
specific reasons to develop your essay.

It is certainly said that learning is an ongoing process .Every person learn something new
according to their age, experience knowledge and education. According to my point of
view it is always better to have _teacher or guide for study.

One teacher has adequate knowledge to teach their student. He knows all the possible
ways to make subject easier for the students, even he teaches them in effective manner.
For example, some students are weak in some subjects but a teacher always guides them
according to their mental capacity. He teaches them as fun. Some people can learn better
in group by discuss the topics with others. In class people can know the other?s views,
even they know how we can learn effectively. Where the teacher always give easy
direction to learn.
In the today?s competitive world, everbody is busy, some people think that rather to
waste their time to go for classes they can learn better regarding their subject _. They can
attend online classes by using internet at home. They can get relevant information from
internet regarding their topic. There is not specific time, age limit to learn something
new. Some thing new which we always learn only with the experience such as atequates,
knowledge, new habits and so on.

In sum up, I would like to say that it is always better for the people to have teacher
because one teacher has good knowledge, experience and education to teach others. They
can take learn easy from him rather by themselves.

Where are the paragraphs in this essay? You must be very careful using definitive
words like ?always? and making statements of fact. The essay is for you to provide an
opinion and to provide supporting arguments. Also, the other side of the argument
about teachers that have limited knowledge or people that learn better on their own is
not presented here.

The boys are most influenced by their fathers and girls are most influenced by their
mothers. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and details to support your
opinion.

It is true that nowadays parent have a great influence over the children. Some people hold
the opinion that the same sex is the major determinations of influencing parent, but others
have a negative attitude. As far as I am concerned, I agree that boys are most influenced
by their fathers and girls are most influenced by their mothers. My arguments for this
point are listed below.

First of all, father is the person who passed that ways which are his son is passing now, in
the other words, sons are stepping in a trace which fathers had driven them. So, based on
experience it is easy for father to notice sons’ drawbacks and influence them.

Secondly, it is true that a boy is countedas a strong characteristics human , but a girl is
subtle and fragile one. It is hard for mothers to influence their sons, because it is
unbelievable that vulnerable something can affect a strong one.

In conclusion, it seems to me unfair that boys are most influenced by their mothers.
Based on at least two points which are above I strongly agree that children are influenced
by a parent of the same gender.

This essay is too short, 190 words instead of the minimum requirement of 250. It
doesn’t say anything about girls being influenced by their mothers, which is also a part
of the task – therefore the task is only partially covered. The sentences are not complex
enough, there are grammatical mistakes and language inaccuracies (see comments
underlined in blue). Overall, looks like a Band 5.5 essay
Even though globalization affects the world�s economies in a positive way, its
negative side should not be forgotten. Discuss.

In the present age, globalization is playing increasingly important role in our lives. But in
the meantime whether it is a blessing or a curse has sparked much debate. Some people
argue the globalization has fundamentally beneficial influence on our lives while many
others contend that it has detrimental effect as well.

Convincing argument can be made that globalization not only plays a pivotal role in the
development of technology and economy, but also promotes the exchange of cultures
between different countries. To start with, it is the globalization that impelled many
corporate to become an international group, thereby making contribution to local
technology and employment. Specifically, when a multinational group establish a factory
in a developing country, the new equipment, the new management skill and the job
vacancies are all in the best interest of local society. Moreover, people worldwide can
know each other better through globalization. It is easy to see that more and more
Hollywood blockbusters shows the cultures different from American, some recent
examples are Kungfu Panda and Mummy.

Admittedly, profit driven globalization severely affected the young people. Today, in the
metropolises in different countries, it is very common sight that teenagers are wearing
NIKE T-shirt and Adidas footwear, playing Hi-pop music with Apple ipod and having
KFC. The culture that took thousand years to form is just seems similar in these cities; it
is looks like you can only distinguish them by their language. Meanwhile, in some
developing countries, sweat workshop is always the issue that concerned by WHO. For
instance, some report shows that some teenagers who employed by NIKE�s contractor
always stay in the factory that is fulfilled by smell over 14 hours a day, but they only
work for fifty cents per hour.

In summary, I would concede that globalization do come with some adverse effects.
Despite that the benefits created by it far outweigh the disadvantages. Overall, I
convinced that we should further promote globalization and meanwhile the local
government should take some measures to combat culture assimilation and sweat
workshop.

This essay is extremely long (338 words instead of the advised 250-265). It has a sound
structure, your position is clearly expressed, the information is well-organized, and
structure-wise the sentences are fine. The vocabulary is impressive and there only were
a few grammatical errors (see comments underlined in blue). Overall, looks like a
band 7.5 + essay.

From his IELTS in Philippines K only remembered the Writing tasks and the Speaking
questions. Nevertheless, this is a very useful information, because these are new topics
and questions that never appeared before.
Thanks, K!
Writing Test

Writing Task 1 (report)

We were asked to describe a bar graph on what employees perceive as qualities of a good
manager, comparing it for three different years, 1984, 1994 & 2004.

Writing Task 2 (essay)

21st century has brought optimism to people, do you share same optimism and to what
degree?

Speaking Test

Interview
- Tell me, what is your full name?
- What should I call you?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Why did you choose this work?
- Do you like to work in a group or alone?
- Why?
- How often do you go out?
- When was the last time you went out with your friends?
- Do you prefer to go out alone or with friends?

Cue card
What Television show you enjoy most?
- describe the TV show you like
- why do you enjoy it?
- do you talk much about it?

Discussion
- What particular shows do people here enjoy the most?
- Are there any other shows that they enjoy?
- What is the role TV shows play in your society?
- Would it be better if people would keep watching TV shows?
- In the future, how will TV shows impact the culture of you society?

IELTS in Vienna, Austria was described by SVB as follows. Many thanks for
remembering and sharing.
Listening test

Section 1: A lady who had recently moved to a new place was inquiring about a drama
club with the chairman of the club.
Questions: Fill in the blanks, multiple choices, and information matching.

Section 2: A conversation between 2 students about books, their authors and contents of
the books. The books were about insects and wild animals.
Questions: Fill in the blanks.

Section 3: Conversation about a coal mining research.

Reading test

Passage 1: The text was about disabled children, their difficulties in education, the steps
taken by the government of New Zealand and what else can be done.
Questions: Which paragraph has the following sentences?

Passage 2: The text was about “Tulip Mania”, how the Europeans were crazy about
tulips, how tulips trading had its success and then declined.

Passage 3: The text was about believing in serendipity in scientific research and business
amongst different scientists.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report)

Explain the difference between the two diagrams. The 2 diagrams showed the school
buildings in 2003 & 2010.

Writing Task 2 (essay)

Express your views regarding insufficient respect nowadays towards older people. What
can be the reasons? How does it affect the society? Support your answer with your
personal experience.

Speaking Test

Interview
- Tell me about your full name?
- What should I call you?
- Where are you from?
- Why people travel to your country?
- Do you work or study?
- Why did you choose to study your course?
- Do you like to study with a group or alone?
- Why?
- How often do you go out?
- When was the last time you went out with your friends?
- Do you prefer to go out alone or with friends?

Cue card
You should speak about a special toy you got as a child
- describe the toy,
- tell why it was so important to you.

Discussion
- Do you think toys should be shared by children?
- What do you think is the impact of sharing toys between children?
- What can you tell about toys before and toys nowadays?
- How would a toy help in the development of children?

SVB says: My Speaking test questions were exactly the same set of questions like the
previous tests questions in Malaysia, Jeddah and Saudi Arabia, I prepared for above set
of questions night before the exam and I did it well, I think that past IELTS speaking test
questions are most probably to repeat in the future exams

Academic IELTS in New Zealand was described by R, who kindly shared the questions
she remembered:

Note: according to people from Taiwan their exam was the same.

Listening test

Section 1: Traveling to Sahara Desert.

Questions: Multiple choice, Filling in the gaps.

Section 2: Preschool family center.

Questions: Filling in the gaps.

Section 3: Honey bees in Australia.

Questions: Multiple choice, Filling in the gaps.

Section 4: Australian railway between Darwin and Adelaide.

Questions: Filling in the gaps.

Reading test

Passage 1: Industrial Revolution.

Questions: matching headings to paragraph, find a particular sentence, where it belongs
to.
Passage 2: Classical, Neoclassical approach to work. Weber, Gregor’s opinion and
criticism.

Passage 3: Science and Chemistry in 18th century

Questions: Matching paragraphs, Filling in the gaps.

Writing test

Writing Task 1 (report)

World Heritage sites (there was about 7) in Australia visited by tourists. There was a
table, with 3 columns for the following years 1996, 1998, 2000. In the rows there were
numbers for heritage sites
Great Barrier Reef 1500000 1980000 3210000
Blue Mountain 450000 470000 550000
Rainforest 700000 650000 600000
asmania don’t remember the numbers
Macqaurie Island 330 310 300

These are not the exact numbers, but similar ones.

Writing Task 2 (essay)

Some parents let their children live in another country or a bigger city and study in a
college. Is it a positive development? What are the reasons? Give examples and state
your opinion.

Speaking test

Interview
- What is your name?
- What do you do, study or work?
- Did you have to have training for your job?
- Where do you live?
- What do you think about advertisement?
- Did you buy any product, because it was advertised?

Cue card
Tell me about a conversation, which happened recently, you should say:
- why was it important
- who was that person that you had the conversation with
- when was it
- describe what did you learn from that conversation

Discussion
- Talk about conversations between women and men, what is the difference, if there is a
difference.
- Is conversation important?
- How can you improve it?
IELTS in Birmingham, UK was described as follows by M, who managed to remember
and share the questions. Later on I found out from another student that IELTS in
Hyderabad, India was exactly the same.

Listening test

Section 1: Opening a bank account.

Questions: There was a form to fill.

Section 2: A conversation between a student and a local person regarding a sports club
and other services of the town.

Section 3: HR of a clothing company giving out details on the recruitment process in the
company.

Section 4: A teacher who started a new website for online studies.

Reading test

Passage 1: Difference between traditional methods of IQ testing and the recent ones.

Passage 2: Gestures and how different countries have different meaning for the same
gestures.
Questions: Find a paragraph with the given statement, True/False/Not Given.

Passage 3 : Complicated text on marine biodiversity and the threat to marine life because
of human activities – a little confusing and difficult.
Questions: Multiple choice, matching headings to paragraphs, matching sentences to
paragraphs, filling in the gaps words from passage, overall rather difficult.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (report)

We had a simple table with 2 columns showing number of motor vehicles per 1000
population in 8 countries in the years 1999 and 2000.

Writing task 2 (essay)

Looking into family history is considered very valuable by some. Others live for the
present and for the future. Discuss both opinions and give your own opinion.

Speaking test

Interview
- Full name?
- What should I call you?
- Tell me about where you live now.
- Transportation facilities where you live, what are they?
- Fruits and vegetables – what do you think of them as a part of your diet?
- Do you read?
- Should kids be encouraged to read?

Cue card
Talk about a conversation you had with someone, you should say:
- Whom you had it with.
- What made it important to you.

Discussion
- Have you had this conversation with anyone else?
- In which situations do strangers talk to each other?
- What are the conversations that are usual in your country?

You stayed at your friends? house when you participated in a business seminar in
Australia. You left a file with important documents in your room.
Task: Write a letter to your friend, describing the file and ask him/her to return it
to you by post.

My dearest Philip,

I am sorry I am writing only now. Firstly, I would like to thank you for all the attention
and support you gave me while I was in Sydney. Things like that are priceless and all I
can give you is my gratitude. I expect you and Ingrid to come to Rio soon, so that I try to
somehow propiciate equaly joyful moments as those you propiciated to me. I am writing
also, because of the fact that I forgot a very important document in the room I used in
your house.

This document is a signed contract and was the most important reason of my trip to
Australia, after the business seminar I attended. You certaintly can wonder how desperate
I have been in the last days looking for this document midst my luggage. I could not find
it anywhere and am sure I left it in your house.

Please let me know if you find it, and post it for express delivery as soon as possible. I
will pay for the expense; just let me know what is your bank, account and branch
numbers.

With best whishes,

Leonardo

You have bought a new laptop computer and in a few days of purchase discovered a
major flaw. Write a letter to the company. In your letter
- introduce yourself
- explain the situation
- say what action you would like to company to take.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing you to express my dissatisfaction with a laptop computer I bought in your

store four days ago.

As soon as I turned on the computer, I realized that Windows operating system was not
installed in it, although the offer said it was included. In addition, I chose a gray laptop
and the one I received is black. Moreover, the default language of the laptop is Japanesse
and I haven�t been able to change it to my native language, which is English. To make
matters worse, the memory specifications of this laptop are not the same as the ones that I
read in your catalog.

I definitely need this situation to be solved as soon as possible. I made the decision to buy
the laptop at your store, because of previous good recommendations some friends of mine
gave me about your store. However, after this experience, I feel deceived.

I would like you can send me the laptop I first chose at your store, including all the
specifications were shown in the offer. If I don�t get a quick response to my request, I
hope a full refund of the payment I already made.

Thanks in advance for your response.

Yours faithfully,

R.

This is a good letter, all it need is a little more attention as there are certain language
inaccuracies (see comments underlined in blue). Overall, looks like a Band 7 letter.

Even though globalization affects the world�s economies in a positive way, its
negative side should not be forgotten. Discuss.

In the present age, globalization is playing increasingly important role in our lives. But in
the meantime whether it is a blessing or a curse has sparked much debate. Some people
argue the globalization has fundamentally beneficial influence on our lives while many
others contend that it has detrimental effect as well.

Convincing argument can be made that globalization not only plays a pivotal role in the
development of technology and economy, but also promotes the exchange of cultures
between different countries. To start with, it is the globalization that impelled many
corporate to become an international group, thereby making contribution to local
technology and employment. Specifically, when a multinational group establish a factory
in a developing country, the new equipment, the new management skill and the job
vacancies are all in the best interest of local society. Moreover, people worldwide can
know each other better through globalization. It is easy to see that more and more
Hollywood blockbusters shows the cultures different from American, some recent
examples are Kungfu Panda and Mummy.

Admittedly, profit driven globalization severely affected the young people. Today, in the
metropolises in different countries, it is very common sight that teenagers are wearing
NIKE T-shirt and Adidas footwear, playing Hi-pop music with Apple ipod and having
KFC. The culture that took thousand years to form is just seems similar in these cities; it
is looks like you can only distinguish them by their language. Meanwhile, in some
developing countries, sweat workshop is always the issue that concerned by WHO. For
instance, some report shows that some teenagers who employed by NIKE�s contractor
always stay in the factory that is fulfilled by smell over 14 hours a day, but they only
work for fifty cents per hour.

In summary, I would concede that globalization do come with some adverse effects.
Despite that the benefits created by it far outweigh the disadvantages. Overall, I
convinced that we should further promote globalization and meanwhile the local
government should take some measures to combat culture assimilation and sweat
workshop.

This essay is extremely long (338 words instead of the advised 250-265). It has a sound
structure, your position is clearly expressed, the information is well-organized, and
structure-wise the sentences are fine. The vocabulary is impressive and there only were
a few grammatical errors (see comments underlined in blue). Overall, looks like a
band 7.5 + essay.

Even though globalization affects the world�s economies in a very positive way, its
negative side should not be forgotten. Discuss.

Globalization is such a commonly used term in the twentieth century. It simply means
that the world has become integrated economically, socially, politically and culturally
through the advances of technology, transportation and communication. It is undeniable
to say that globalization has resulted in both positive and negative effects which must be
addressed accordingly.

To begin with, globalization has contributed to the world�s economies in many

beneficial ways. The advances in science and technology have allowed businesses to
easily cross over territorial boundary lines. Consequently, companies tend to become
more productive, competitive thereby raising quality of goods, services and the world�s
living standard.

Secondly, several companies from the more developed countries have already ventured to
establish foreign operations or branches to take advantage of the low cost of labor in the
poorer countries. This kind of business activity will provide more influx of cash or
investment funds into the less developed countries.
However, one cannot deny the negative effects which have derived from globalization.
One crucial social aspect is the risk and danger of epidemic diseases which can easily be
spread as the mode transportation is easier and faster in today�s advance society. This is
evidenced in the recent bird�s flu disease which has infected most Asian countries over
a short time frame.

As large corporations invest or take over many off shore businesses, a modern form of
colonization will also evolve which may pose certain power pressure on the local
governments of the less developed countries. Unemployment rates in the more developed
regions like Europe may also escalate as corporations choose to outsource cheaper work
force from Asian countries.

In conclusion. I like to reiterate that globalization is inevitable and we must urge

individuals, companies and governments to use a more balanced approach by taking
appropriate steps to deal with matters relating to the financial or economical gains verses
the social, political or ecological concerns of the world.

This essay is too long, 318 words instead of 250-265. Otherwise (except for some
minor grammatical errors) it is a very nice work. It covers the task, has the right
structure, the paragraphs are coherent and logically connected by elegantly used
linking words, the structure of sentences is fine and so is your vocabulary. Looks
like a Band 7.5 or higher essay.

A very kind student from Japan is telling us about his recent exam (thanks K!), here is
what he remembers:

Listening test
Section 1 – about booking a seminar and the details of a presentation / a seminar
Sections 2 and 3 – don’t remember the topics
Section 4 – something about ancient paintings.

Sections 1, 2 and 3 were quite clear, I could listen and find the answers in proper
sequence.
Section 4 was too fast, in first 4-5 questions’ passage, there were no clear clues for the
answers, it was hard to locate them. I looked ahead in the next set of questions and stuck
to its next sub-heading, there I could find clear answers.

Reading test

Passage 1 was easy (True/False/Not Given questions)

Passage 2 had six paragraphs referring to six different person’s names. Questions were to
match each person’s name with the questions asked, so it was quite easy.

Passage 3: I started with Passage 3, because its always found harder than the other two
passages and it requires more time to locate correct answers. It was based on various
Social Institutes and what they do. What age group they consider and what help they
provide. Answers were in form of (True/False/Not Given) and gap-fills with no more
than three words.

Writing test

Writing Task 1
You saw an advertisement of some social activity related to helping old people. Write a
letter to a manager and say
- Why you want to help old people.
- Give the details of your experience
- Tell them when could you be able to help them.

Writing Task 2
Some people say that international travel will be decreasing in future. Should the
decrease in international travel be good? What are the positive and negative effects?

Speaking test

Interview
- What is your Full Name?
- Where are you from?
- Tell me about your current stay in Japan, where do you live?
- Tell me about transportation where you live.

Clue card
Discuss on an electronic machine/ device you would like to buy, you should say
- what would you like to buy
- where did you get to know about it
- what features would you like to have in it.
- explain why would you like to buy it.

Discussion
- Do you like driving?
- If you are having children, at what age would you like them to drive?
- What are the advantages of technology for you?
- What are the disadvantages of technology?
- How are the social changes related to technology happening?
- What about Internet, do you think Internet is a cause of social change?
- Do you think that people get lost if they are not coping up with technology?

In some countries children have very strict rules of behavior, in other countries they
are allowed to do almost anything they want. To what extent should children have to
follow rules?
The extent to which children have to follow rules is in itself a very complex issue, since
children across the world grow up in very different cultures. In India for example, the
level of morality is very high and children are to be very submissive to their parents as
well as other adults around them. This, however, is not the case for the Western countries
of the world where children follow the motto �Thou shalt do what thou wilt� as
promoted by celebrities and rock stars. I believe that following strict rules has both
advantages as well as serious drawbacks as discussed below.

Firstly, strict rules of behavior create responsible and respectful children who in turn
mature into respectful adults. This forms a stable society which is virtually free from
vices such as prostitution and drug abuse. Secondly, if children do not follow strict rules
of behavior, they will get out of hand and become work- shy and indolent. This will then
create a burden on society since the government has to find ways to cater for these social
ills.

However, forcing children to follow strict rules of behavior doesn�t always yield
positive results as discussed above, most of the time it backfires and works against
society. For example, teenagers are more likely to do the opposite of what they�re told
to do simply because they want to be independent. Children should also have rights to
exercise their free will and develop their own pattern of behaviors. Strict rules simply
destroy the individuality of children if they�re imposed on them.

At the end of the day, it is clear that children should be guided by rules, but these rules
should not be imposed on them because as human beings, they need to have room to
develop their own traits of character and adopt a behavioral pattern of their own.

This essay is too long (309 words instead of advised 250-265). Otherwise this work is a
very good one; it covers the task, your position is clear, the ideas are well-organized,
expressed, explained and supported. The sentences show a wide range of language
structures, cohesive devices and the grammar is fine. Overall, looks like a band 7.5 or
higher essay

Financial education should be mandatory component of the school program. To

what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

It is an obvious fact that financial aspects are a major part of daily life, as an adult and
even as a young individual. Each and every one of us has to make financial decisions
concerning recreation, health, education and more. The question is whether to start with
financial education as part of school program or postpone it for a later stage in life.

To being with, being able to understand the value of money, the way the economic
system works and interpret financial news and its implications is a virtue. Without this
virtue, an individual, and even a young one, might suffer, to some extent. For an
example, a child who doesn’t understand the concept of money might find it more
difficult to except choosing only one present out of more possible ones.
In addition, many adults are lacking financial analysis capabilities. Quite often, the
reason can be a shaky basis or insecurity when it comes to financial terms and concepts.
Starting from an early age, building a strong background, can very likely prevent such a
situation.

However, financial education necessarily involves quantifying and setting prices and
value for services and goods. It can be easily turn young people into cynical and cold-
hearted human beings. Furthermore, a tendency to self-concentration and egoism might
rise when one start measuring everything from a profit making perspective.

In conclusion, financial education has both pros and cons. In my opinion, the advantages
are stronger than the disadvantages, making financial education an advisable component
of school program. The disadvantages should be thought of as a certain price that young
people have to pay due to the characteristics of the world that we live in.

This is a wonderful essay. It covers the task, is correctly structured, the paragraphs are
logically connected, the structure of sentences shows excellent command of English.
The vocabulary is fine and both spelling and grammar are very good. See comments
underlined in blue for some minor corrections. Overall, looks like a Band 7.5 � 8
essay.

You are advised to spend a maximum of 20 minutes on this task.

The table below describes percentages of home schooled students in SomeCountry

in 1999-2004. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information
shown.

You should write at least 150 words.

This table shows homeschooled students in Somecountry in year 1999-2004 in

percenages.

The main trend is that all grades including kindergarten is growing for every year.
Kindergarten started highest at 2.4 and ended highest at 2.9 percent with a constant
increase. But grades 1-2 and grades 5-6 shows a little different trend, both starts at 1,5
percent in 1999 and declines a little bit in 2000. Both of them increased slowly in 2002
and both it holds that course to 2004 where grades 1-2 ends at 2,1 percent and grades 5-6
ends at 2.6 percent.

Grades 3-4 has a slow but steady growth througt all six years. It starts at 1.6 percent in
1999 and increases 0.1 every year except in 2003 when it peaks up 0.2 percent. Grades 7-
8 starts at 1.6 percent and stays there for three years until it rapidly rises up to 2.2 and
peaks at 2.5 in 2004.

Overall, all grades including kindergarten has had a rise at rougly minimum 1 percent and
more in 6 years.

This is a good report; here is how you can make it better: the coherence needs
improvement, meaning the logical connection between sentences inside a paragraph
and between paragraphs. Use more connective words (Furthermore, However, etc).

The groupings you?ve done are fine, but try to use more variations describing those
statistics: use words such as numbers, figures, percentages, etc. The grammar and the
spelling need some extra attention.

The graph below gives information on wages of Somecountry over a ten-year

period. Write a report for a university tutor describing the information shown.

You should write at least 150 words.

The linegraph describes the growth of wages in Somecountry from year 1993 to year
2003.

The growth starts at two percent in 1993, but it doesn’t stay there very long before it
rapidly doubles in 1994. Further on, the percentages declines to three percent in 1995,
stays steady for year, before it start to rise slowly and ends up just under four percent in
1997. 1998 is the best year where the wages peaked at six percent.

However, after 1998 the wages declines nearly every year. Only a year after , the
percentage drops to well under three percent, stays there on roughly three percent till
2000. In 2002 the wages reach the lowest point of just one percent growth. Luckily the
growth rises in 2003 at junst under two percent.

Overall, the growth rate in wages in Somecountry has shown striking changes through the
ten years.

This is a good report. It covers the task, divided correctly into paragraphs and the
vocabulary is just right. Problems: it has less than 150 words (146) and there are some
grammatical errors. Assuming the corrections were made, looks like Band 7.

The graph below shows annual water usage (in millions of cubic meters) by
industries in Somecountry. Write a report for a university tutor describing the
information shown.

You should write at least 150 words.

The bargraph describes the water usage for every year in Somecountry in millions of
cubic meters.

The water usage are shown in two trends , ground water and public supply. Fuel and
textiles are the ones that uses the least water, 10 of public supply and 70 and 80 of ground
water. Machinery are just the opposite of these two and has 10 of ground water and 100
of public supply.
Food/drinks, metal, paper and chemicals are all over 100 of ground water where
chemicals peaks at dramaticlly 430. The highest number of water usage of public supplies
also belongs to chemicals (240). Next on the list is food/drinks with 190, the others are
under 100.

Overall, the chemical industry uses a lot more water then the rest of the industries both
ground water and public supplies, and in general most industries use ground water by far
more then public supplies.

This is a good report, the trends are correctly noticed. Suggested improvements: use
units in addition to numbers (10 of what? Millions of cubic meters). Use more
connective words to smoothly move from one paragraph to another. Pay attention to
grammar, see comments.

You successfully passed a job interview. You are expected to start on November 15,
but you will not be available on that date. Task: Write a letter to your new boss,
explaining your situation, expressing your concern and suggesting solution.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am Leonardo Gomes and I have recently passed a job interview for the Software
Engineer position at the Software Infrastructure group. I was expected to start on
November 15, as agreed, and am writing because unfortunately I will not be able to
present myself on that date.

During the interview I estimated fifteen days as the amount of time needed for me to
finish my activities at my current job and start at your company, but due to fact that I got
sick for the last whole week and was not able to work, I could not finish my tasks and
will need another week to do so. If necessary, I can give you a copy of a letter from my
doctor informing that I had to stay at home and under medical care during that week.

I really apologize for the inconvenience and expect it not to affect our relationship.
Should I present any other form of proof or talk to someone else at the company, please
let me know.

Faithfully yours,
Leonardo

You stayed at your friends? house when you participated in a business seminar in
Australia. You left a file with important documents in your room.
Task: Write a letter to your friend, describing the file and ask him/her to return it
to you by post.

My dearest Philip,
I am sorry I am writing only now. Firstly, I would like to thank you for all the attention
and support you gave me while I was in Sydney. Things like that are priceless and all I
can give you is my gratitude. I expect you and Ingrid to come to Rio soon, so that I try to
somehow propiciate equaly joyful moments as those you propiciated to me. I am writing
also, because of the fact that I forgot a very important document in the room I used in
your house.

This document is a signed contract and was the most important reason of my trip to
Australia, after the business seminar I attended. You certaintly can wonder how desperate
I have been in the last days looking for this document midst my luggage. I could not find
it anywhere and am sure I left it in your house.

Please let me know if you find it, and post it for express delivery as soon as possible. I
will pay for the expense; just let me know what is your bank, account and branch
numbers.

With best whishes,

Leonardo

A student asked me about the following topic, whether I think it is a situation essay or an
argument one.

“The first car appeared on Britain’s road in 1888. By the year 2000 there may be as
many as 29 million vehicles on British roads. Alternative forms of transport should
be encouraged and international laws introduced to control car ownership and use.
What are your views?”

I think this is a situation essay because it is talking about a problem and is looking at a
possible solution.

Essay plan

Introduction paragraph

Here you should explain what is the problem, what is it’s reason and it’s consequences.
The problem is traffic congestion and a higher number of traffic accidents, the roads are
jammed and the environment suffers from increasing amounts of pollution.

First body paragraph – an explanation of the reasons for this situation

The reason is people are accustomed to using their own cars and that population growth
combined with higher living standards means that more and more people own cars.

Second body paragraph – a possible solution (alternative transport)

Explain what forms of public transport should be developed more and why the state they
are now is not sufficient to convince people use the public transport. How exactly can
government develop the public transport and how can it encourage people use it.

Third body paragraph – another possible solution (laws to control cars ownership)

Write about what kind of laws can be introduced world wide to limit the number of cars
per family / per company. Write whether or not you think it will work and why.

Conclusion paragraph

Summarize what was said before, do not add new information.

This is a suggested plan for an essay on the following topic:

“Today a lot of different cultures and ethnic groups live together in one country.
Why is this so and do you think this is a positive or negative development?”

Essay plan

Introduction paragraph

In the introduction paragraph you should first explain about the situation, mention its
reason and consequences:

Example: Due to the highly developed technology, advanced communication channels

and massive amounts of information delivered by media about various countries, people
get more motivated to leave their home country and move somewhere else in the world.
In turn, this creates a situation where well-developed and thus desired countries are
getting filled of a mixture of cultures, all brought by immigrants. As beneficial as this
development is to the well-being of a country, it’s drawbacks shouldn’t be forgotten.

First body paragraph – 1 point against multicultural society

 People stick to their own ethnic group and don’t interact with other groups, thus
creating the opposite of united society.
Make that point, explain why this is so and why this is bad for the country. Then mention
the good sides of cultural mix to smoothly move on to the 2nd paragraph.

Second body paragraph – 1 point for multicultural society

 People from various cultures contribute in multiple different ways to development
because they bring with them different sets of skills, characteristic to their home country.

Make that point, explain why this is happening and why this is to the benefit of the new
country.
Third body paragraph – 1 point for multicultural society

 People broaden each other’s horizons by exposing a larger audience to the traditions
of their own country.

Make that point, explain how this is happening and what are the benefits for the new
country.

Conclusion
Summarize what was already said without adding new information, express your own
opinion.

I’ve received a letter from a student who ran out of ideas to write about in his IELTS
essay. Nick (not his real name) was asking me if I could send him a plan for his essay and
I thought that more people could find it useful, so here it is:

Essay topic: Some people think that if women were to rule the world, there would be
less violence in it. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Essay plan

Introduction paragraph

In the introduction you can first state that there are people who think that women have a
less violent nature than men and for this reason suggest that women would make the
world a less violent place if they were in power. Then you could mention that putting the
women in charge won’t necessarily have that effect, because there are arguments for and
against.

First body paragraph � 3 points against women in power

 Ruling the world takes some cruelty that women might not have
 Having more submissive nature than men, women can create even more violence
 Women are not decisive enough to enforce order and thus reduce violence

Second body paragraph � 3 points in favor of women in power

 Women have less violent nature

 Women have less tolerance for violence
 Women are very concerned with making the world a safer place for the sake of the
kids
Conclusion

State your personal opinion (let’s assume that you’re in favor of women in power), then
summarize what was said in the second paragraph.

Doan Hung Phuong, Band 7 student, shares with us his secrets to success in the Speaking
test.

Speaking tips

Speaking is a weakness of analytic learners (who learn English from books and tapes).
Moreover, in countries where English is not a first language, improving your speaking in
English is really difficult. Therefore, I don’t have much experience in practicing
speaking. Here are some tips that I got from my teachers and some suggestions that I
think they might be helpful for you.

Pronunciation is the most important feature in speaking. If you speak correctly,

academically and interestingly, but no one understands what you are talking about, you
certainly lose your points.

One of my teachers, who is fluent in 5 languages, shares his experience that

pronunciation is the key of learning a language. It might be true since native English
speakers can pronounce a unfamiliar word correctly but don’t know how to spell it.
Because English is a combination of many languages, there are no totally general rules
for pronunciation. As a result, you must remember everything.

So how to pronounce the words correctly?

- Firstly, listen and learn what native English speaker said. As I

mentioned, listening can help you in speaking. You can correct yourself in basic words if
you listen a lot. Moreover, listening can also help you to learn how to stress important
words, how to speak naturally and even how to organize your speech.

- Secondly, if you learn a new word, you must know how to pronounce it first. Typically,
when people want to learn new words, they revise these words again and again, and write
it down so many times. But now, to improve your speaking and listening, you must hear
electronic dictionary pronouncing and repeat after it again and again.

- Thirdly, make sentences with new vocabulary. Everybody might know how to
pronounce words correctly, but when they combine them all together, they cannot
pronounce correctly anymore, or even if they do, their sentence may sound unnatural.
The reason is they lack of intonation. Listening might solve this problem.

- Fourthly, practice pronunciation every week (3-4 times a week) by reading out loud a
short passage. At first, you practice to pronounce all the words in that passage correctly.
Then read the whole passage slowly and correctly (pay attention to ending sound).
Afterward, increase reading speed in each sentence (’read’ here means you must speak
out the words, not read in your mind). If you speak quickly but start to pronounce
wrongly, that means you reach your limit, don’t speak faster than that. And finally, you
read the whole passage again at normal speed, or may be a bit faster than normal a little
bit, but you MUST include intonation.

To find material for practicing this exercise, you can visit this website:
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com. There are hundreds of short news and audio files
spoken by a native speaker. I guarantee if you practice this kind of exercise gradually,
you pronunciation will improve a lot. (Note: this is the exercise of my teacher, who
speaks 5 languages, as I mentioned before)

Now, to prepare for IELTS Speaking test, you should practice some more exercises:

- Pick a topic and stand in front of mirror to practice speaking test. You should go
through all three parts of the real speaking test. Standing in front of mirror will help you
improve your body language and also your pronunciation. You might find it strange that
mirror can correct your pronunciation. In fact, there are some vowels and consonants that
you can’t pronounce correctly if you don’t know how to do that (not just simply
remember the pronunciation).

- Try to speak naturally. You are advised to speak fast with intonation (the previous
reading exercise will certainly help you). You should learn and apply some verb phrases,
idioms and slang expressions. This is not the key part of speaking test, but it is better if
you know, not only for your test but also for you speaking skill. If you want to get 7.0,
you must master pronunciation, accuracy and intonation.

Important tip #1
When you practice in speaking, you must pay attention to the ending sound. But when
you take the real test, don’t do that, because it will affect your fluency. In the real test, it
is the time you show examiner what you got, not the time you can show them how good
you can correct yourself. Using experience you gained from practicing to prove your
speaking skill.

Important tip #2
Another wonderful way to practice speaking is to speak English in your dream. If you
never do that, you do it now. I have already spoken English in my dreams even before my
teacher advice me to do so. I just watch cartoons in English, films in English and listen to
songs in English. As a result, I naturally dream in English. Actually, I can control my
dreams, lol, it is very interesting, try to do that. By doing that, I can think quickly in my
mind, but I still have problems when speaking my ideas out. So, you must do 2 previous
exercises in order to improve speaking.

Here are some real reading test questions that students from India recently had in their
exam:
Speaking test #1

Interview
1. Is bicycle a best/good transport?
2. Do you think that there should be separate lane for bicycles?
3. Why should a child have bicycle?
4. Are you working or a student?

Cue card
Describe a famous person, you should say:
Who he is?
Why is he famous?
Would you like to meet him/her why?

Follow up questions:
1. Which quality should a famous person have?
2. Why do young generation copy them?
3. Who were the famous persons 50 years ago and who will be famous in the next 50
years?
4. Should they have personal life?
5. If you get a chance to be famous what would be your attitude?

Speaking test #2

Interview
1. What is your full name?
2. How can I call you?
3. Can I see your identification?
4. What do people usually do on weekends in your country?
5. What do you do on weekends?
6. Did you think art is important in life, like painting and sculptures?
7. Did you draw anything when you were at school?
8. Are there any art galleries and museums in your home town?

Cue card
Describe an animal you saw, which you find very interesting. You should say:
Where you saw it?
How you felt about it?
Why do you think it was interesting?

Follow up questions
1. What kind of animals people have in their home?
2. An animal you saw which is very rare to see in your home town?
3. Why people have pets in their home?
4. Do you think people do not give respect animals in these days. What about 50 years
ago?
5. Earlier people used animals for their work. Now, what people use to do their work?
6. Researchers are conducted on animals, is this a good idea?
7. So many animals are extinct in these days. What do you think? why it is happening?

Speaking test #3

Interview
1. Recent changes of home town.
2. Meaning of your name?
3. Why your were given this name?
4. How may I address you?

Cue card
Describe a recent happiest event you had.

Follow up questions
1. What moments make other people happy?
2. What moments are happy for elderly?
3. Are rich people happy?

Speaking test #4

Interview
1. What is your full name?
2. How may I address you?
3. Where are you living?
4. How long have you been living there?
5. What are the advantages of your home town?
6. Is there any swimming pool?
7. Have you visited any swimming pool any where?

Cue card
Describe a famous person in your country.

Follow up questions
1. Why do people want to get fame?
2. How can a person be famous?
3. Which person get inspiration by famous people?
4. Which type of people get inspiration from celebrities?
5. What sort of people were famous in past, say 50 years ago?