Ielts Speaking and Writing Guide July 2014 PDF

IELTS Speaking and Writing Guide July 2014
Mark Griffiths
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2014 Mark Griffiths
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not e reprod"ced& copied& and'or distri"ted for commercial p"rposes#
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provided the ook remains in its complete& "ndivided& original form and f"ll credit is
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General Intrdu"tin
This $k has % se"tins& Se"tin 1 is 'The IELTS (es"riptrs (e"ded)! a $k
gi*ing a $asi" idea a$ut what is needed t a"hie*e *arius IELTS Speaking and
Writing $and s"res&
In Se"tin 1 there are my 'Tp Twel*e Tips +r the Speaking Test)! $ased n my
e,perien"e with -hinese IELTS "andidates& These are a little 'ld and simple) $ut
many "andidates still +ind them use+ul&
Se"tin 2 is a shw"ase + my ther $ks! $th +r IELTS "andidates and +r
general students + English as a +reign language& Links are pr*ided t we$sites
where yu "an $uy the $ks&
Se"tin % +eatures sme + the mst re"ent IELTS Speaking tpi"s + 2014& .r ea"h
speaking /uestin there are suggestins n hw t "reate suita$le answers& .r ea"h
writing /uestin there is a mdel answer& In this se"tin a +ew + the writing
/uestins are a"tually nt s re"ent! $ut I hpe yu +ind the mdel answers use+ul
0ust the same&
1t this pint I wuld like t thank and "redit Jimmy IELTS wh regularly re"ent
psts IELTS /uestins n .a"e$k&
1t the end + the $k there are links s that yu "an +ind me nline&
Ta$le + -ntents
Se"tin 1 The IELTS (es"riptrs (e"ded
Intrdu"tin
I need t get $and 2 in my speaking test
)"t * need to get and +#+,
)"t * need to get and -#+,
)"t * need to get and .#+,
!op !welve !ips for the Speaking !est
I need t get $and 2 in my writing test
S e"tin 2 5 Samples +rm ther $ks
30 Tpi"s +r IELTS Speaking 6with mdel answers7
101 Tips +r the IELTS Speaking 8dule
IELTS Speaking9 1 -mprehensi*e Guide
IELTS Writing9 1 -mprehensi*e Guide
#EW: 21 Letters +r IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 #EW:
101 8del 1nswers +r IELTS Writing Task 1 61"ademi"7
101 8del 1nswers +r IELTS Writing Task 2 6sets 1 and 27
101 8del 1nswers +r ;art 1 + the IELTS Speaking 8dule
101 8del 1nswers +r ;art 2 + the IELTS Speaking mdule
101 8del 1nswers +r ;art % + the IELTS Speaking 8dule
101 <"a$ulary ;r$lems
101 Grammar E,er"ises
101 -nne"ti*es
101 -n*ersatin ;hrases
101 ;hrasal <er$s 6sets 1 and 27
101 ;r*er$s and Sayings 6sets 1 and 27
101 Slang Terms 6sets 1 and 27
Se"tin % =e"ent IELTS Speaking Tpi"s
;art 1 Tpi"s
;art 2 and % Tpi"s
Writing Task 1
Writing Task 2
1$ut the authr
Se"tin 1 The IELTS (es"riptrs (e"ded
So& yo"/ve decided to take *E0!S# $o"/ve fo"nd o"t what and score yo" need to
achieve in the speaking and writing parts of the test 1almost certainly it/s etween + and
.#+2 and yo" are now asking yo"rself a very simple& yet very important& 3"estion# 45hat
do * need to do to get that and score6/
*/ve een involved in *E0!S since first 3"alifying as an *E0!S e7aminer at the eginning
of 2001# 0et me tell yo" an interesting fact# Many newly(3"alified *E0!S e7aminers are
asking a similar 3"estion# 45hat does a candidate need to do to get that and score6/
!hat/s what this short ook egan life as# *t was originally a g"ide for e7aminers who felt
that the *E0!S e7aminer training had not provided them with the essential pointers that
they needed in order to give acc"rate and scores to candidates# !he starting points for
this short ook are the p"lic and descriptors for speaking and writing& as p"lished y
the organisations that administer *E0!S#
!herefore& this ook is divided into two parts 8 speaking and writing# Each of those parts
is then s"divided into three sections 8 ands + and +#+& ands - and -#+& and ands . and
.#+# *n *E0!S speaking and writing& the differences etween and + and and +#+ are less
significant than those etween and +#+ and and -# *t/s the same with ands -& -#+ and .#
!hink of moving from #0 to #+ as a small step and from #+ to #0 as a igger step#
*f yo" want to get and -#+& and yo" are in a desperate h"rry& feel free to skip the sections
relating to ands + and +#+ and ands . and .#+# 9owever& * do strongly recommend that
yo" read those other sections& if only for comparison p"rposes#
:lease rememer that the points and tips made in this ook are y no means e7ha"stive#
!his is only an introd"ctory g"ide# !here is no single fi7ed way to achieve a partic"lar
and score# 9owever& there are certain things that every candidate needs to ear in mind#
!hose things are presented here#
!o achieve and - or higher& yo" almost certainly need more than this ook can offer in
terms of detailed information and skills# Check o"t the samples of my other ooks# ;o"r
of my ooks contain "p(to(date detailed information for candidates#
-0 !opics for *E0!S Speaking
-0 !opics for *E0!S Speaking with Model %nswers
*E0!S Speaking< % Comprehensive G"ide
*E0!S 5riting< % Comprehensive g"ide
!he English 101 Series contains "sef"l information and e7ercises for candidates aiming
for and - or higher#
0et/s egin ###
ack to top
I need t get $and 2 in my IELTS speaking test
)and + 8 ;l"ency and Coherence
5hat does the and descriptor say6
=s"ally maintains flow of speech "t "ses repetition& self(correction and'or slow speech
to keep going# May over"se certain connectives and disco"rse markers# :rod"ces simple
speech fl"ently& "t more comple7 comm"nication ca"ses fl"ency prolems#
5hat does that mean6
$o" can create long answers& "t in order to do so yo" repeat yo"r points word(for(word&
correct yo"r own mistakes and'or speak a little slowly# )y repeating yo"r points& yo" are
not developing the answer or giving details# Self(correction 4reaks "p/ yo"r speech#
Slow speech can send the e7aminer to sleep, Connectives are words like 4and/ and
4however/# Disco"rse markers are words like 4well/ at the start of a sentence# $o" only
need a limited n"mer of these to achieve and + for fl"ency and coherence& "t don/t
"se a few repeatedly# $o"r fl"ency may e fine when yo" are making simple sentences or
talking ao"t familiar topics 1e#g# yo"r hoies2& "t yo" have fl"ency prolems when
yo" make more comple7 sentences or talk ao"t less familiar topics#
)and + 8 0e7ical >eso"rce
Manages to talk ao"t familiar and "nfamiliar topics "t "ses voca"lary with limited
fle7iility# %ttempts to paraphrase "t with mi7ed s"ccess#
$o" can talk ao"t any topic in the *E0!S speaking mod"le& "t yo" are not ale to give
many details and yo" often "se the same words in different topics# $o" may reword
points& "t sometimes the rewording makes them hard to "nderstand#
)and + 8 Grammatical >ange and %cc"racy
:rod"ces asic sentence forms with reasonale acc"racy# =ses a limited range of more
comple7 str"ct"res& "t these "s"ally contain errors and may ca"se some comprehension
prolems#
$o" don/t make too many mistakes when "sing short& simple sentence str"ct"res& s"ch as
the present simple# $o" "se a few comple7 str"ct"res& s"ch as those containing cla"ses or
conditionals& "t they are not acc"rate and the e7aminer may not clearly "nderstand what
yo" are trying to say#
)and + 8 :ron"nciation
Shows all the positive feat"res of and 4 and some& "t not all& the positive feat"res of
and -#
!he and descriptors for pron"nciation are less helpf"l than the others# :ron"nciation
4feat"res/ are fre3"ently mentioned "t not e7plained# )asically& for and +& the e7aminer
can "nderstand yo" m"ch of the time& "t yo" are not "sing intonation and'or yo" are not
clearly making the so"nds of English 1partic"larly vowel so"nds2# ?ften& this is a res"lt of
yo" first lang"age 1012 pron"nciation infl"encing the way yo" prono"nce words in
English#
So& to s"mmarise& what do * do to get and +6
1# $o" make answers that are longer than a few short sentences#
2# Some repetition& self(correction or slow speech is acceptale& "t avoid these prolems
when giving answers on easy topics 1especially in part 12#
@# =se a variety of connectives and disco"rse markers# %void "sing a few again and
again#
4# Make s"re yo" can say something ao"t every topic in the test& even if it is limited to a
few simple sentences or points#
+# $o"r asic grammar sho"ld e okay# $o" can act"ally make n"mero"s mistakes#
-# =se a few comple7 str"ct"res and don/t worry ao"t making mistakes with them#
.# 5ith regard to pron"nciation& make s"re that the e7aminer can "nderstand most of
what yo" say# Don/t worry ao"t intonation or getting so"nds e7actly right#
!o get and +#+& yo" need to achieve and - in one of the fo"r criteria# Most candidates
do this y getting and - for pron"nciation& so check o"t that section elow#
ack to top
)and - 8 ;l"ency and Coherence
*s willing to speak at length& tho"gh may lose coherence at times d"e to occasional
repetition& self(correction or hesitation# =ses a range of connectives and disco"rse
markers "t not always appropriately#
$o" can create long answers with little repetition& self(correction or pa"sing# !his means
that yo" are devoting more time to developing yo"r answers rather than A"st filling time#
Connectives are words like 4and/ and 4however/# Disco"rse markers are words like 4well/
at the start of a sentence# $o" can "se many of these kinds of words& "t yo" may make
mistakes with them#
)and - 8 0e7ical >eso"rce
9as a wide eno"gh voca"lary to disc"ss topics at length and make meaning clear in
spite of inacc"racies# Generally paraphrases s"ccessf"lly#
$o" can talk ao"t any topic in the *E0!S speaking mod"le and yo" are ale to give
details# !he e7aminer knows what yo" mean even if yo" sometimes "se the wrong words#
$o" are good at rewording points#
)and - 8 Grammatical >ange and %cc"racy
=ses a mi7 of simple and comple7 str"ct"res& "t with limited fle7iility# May make
fre3"ent mistakes with comple7 str"ct"res& tho"gh these rarely ca"se comprehension
prolems#
$o" "se comple7 str"ct"res like cla"ses or conditionals& "t yo" don/t "se a wide variety
of them# %ltho"gh yo"r comple7 str"ct"res contain mistakes& the e7aminer knows what
yo" mean#
)and - 8 :ron"nciation
=ses a range of pron"nciation feat"res with mi7ed control# Shows some effective "se of
feat"res "t this is not s"stained# Can generally e "nderstood thro"gho"t& tho"gh
mispron"nciation of individ"al words or so"nds red"ces clarity at times#
4feat"res/ are fre3"ently mentioned "t not e7plained# )asically& for and -& the e7aminer
can "nderstand almost every word yo" say# $o" are "sing some intonation and yo" are
clearly making the correct so"nds of English 1partic"larly vowel so"nds2# ;irst lang"age
1012 pron"nciation infl"ences the way yo" prono"nce words in English& "t this does not
create a prolem for the listener 1i#e# the e7aminer2#
So& to s"mmarise& what do * do to get and -6
1# $o" make answers that are 3"ite long and contain good points#
2# % little repetition& self(correction or slow speech is still acceptale& "t avoid these
prolems when giving answers on easy topics 1especially in part 12#
@# =se a wide variety of connectives and disco"rse markers# %void "sing a few again and
again#
4# $o" might make voca"lary mistakes& "t the e7aminer knows what yo" mean#
+# $o"r asic grammar sho"ld e good# %void making n"mero"s asic mistakes#
-# =se comple7 str"ct"res often and don/t worry ao"t making mistakes with them# %s
long as the e7aminer can "nderstand yo"& yo"/re okay#
.# 5ith regard to pron"nciation& make s"re that the e7aminer can "nderstand yo" clearly#
Make s"re that yo" "se intonation and get so"nds right#
!o get and -#+& yo" need to achieve and . in one of the fo"r criteria# Most candidates
do this y getting and . for le7ical reso"rce& so check o"t that section elow#
ack to top
)and . 8 ;l"ency and Coherence
Speaks at length witho"t noticeale effort or loss of coherence# May demonstrate
lang"age(related hesitation at times& or some repetition and'or self(correction# =ses a
range of connectives and disco"rse markers with some fle7iility#
$o" can create long answers witho"t any maAor prolems# Minor fl"ency prolems will
not adversely affect yo"r score# Connectives are words like 4and/ and 4however/#
Disco"rse markers are words like 4well/ at the start of a sentence# $o" can "se many of
these kinds of words#
)and . 8 0e7ical >eso"rce
=ses voca"lary reso"rce fle7ily to disc"ss a variety of topics# =ses some less common
and idiomatic voca"lary and shows some awareness of style and collocation& with some
inappropriate choices# =ses paraphrase effectively#
$o" can talk ao"t any topic in the *E0!S speaking mod"le and yo" are ale to give
details "sing a variety of words# $o" can "se some specialised words& idioms& sayings
and perhaps even slang terms# $o" are ale to create collocations like 4deep l"e sea/#
$o" are good at rewording points#
)and . 8 Grammatical >ange and %cc"racy
=ses a range of comple7 str"ct"res with some fle7iility# ;re3"ently prod"ces error(free
sentences tho"gh some grammatical mistakes persist#
$o" "se a variety of comple7 str"ct"res& i#e# yo" don/t repeatedly "se a limited n"mer of
str"ct"res# %ltho"gh yo"r str"ct"res contain mistakes& there are n"mero"s instances of
str"ct"res "sed witho"t errors#
)and . 8 :ron"nciation
Shows all the positive feat"res of and - and some& "t not all& the positive feat"res of
and B#
4feat"res/ are fre3"ently mentioned "t not e7plained# )asically& for and .& the e7aminer
can "nderstand every word yo" say# $o" are "sing intonation and stress to help
emphasise yo"r points and yo" are clearly making the correct so"nds of English
1partic"larly vowel so"nds2# ;irst lang"age 1012 pron"nciation has little infl"ence on the
way yo" prono"nce words in English#
So& to s"mmarise& what do * do to get and .6
1# $o" make answers that are 3"ite long and contain good& developed points#
2# >are instances of repetition& self(correction or slow speech are still acceptale#
@# =se a wide variety of connectives and disco"rse markers correctly#
4# =sing less common voca"lary and phrasing in addition to a wide variety of common
words will enhance yo"r score#
+# $o" can "se a lot of different comple7 str"ct"res#
-# % lot of yo"r str"ct"res contain no grammatical mistakes#
.# 5ith regard to pron"nciation& "se stress and intonation to make yo"r points clear#
B# Make s"re that the way yo" prono"nce words in yo"r first lang"age has little infl"ence
on how yo" speak English#
!o get and .#+& yo" need to achieve and B in one of the fo"r criteria# Candidates sho"ld
cons"lt with an e7pert to see which of the fo"r criteria they can most easily achieve this
in& since moving "p from a and . to a and B in any single criteria generally re3"ires a
lot of foc"ssed work#
Twel*e Tips +r the IELTS Speaking 8dule
9ere are some tips to help yo" improve yo"r *E0!S Speaking res"lt#
1# Speak clearly and try to speak at ao"t the same speed as an English teacher#
2# %nswer the 3"estions that yo" are asked& not the 3"estions that yo"r ook& yo"r friend
or the *nternet says the e7aminer is going to ask,
@# *f yo" don/t "nderstand a 3"estion& ask CCo"ld yo" repeat that please6D in part 1 or
CCo"ld yo" rephrase that please6D in part @#
4# Don/t say phrases like C$o" knowD and C%s yo" knowD at the eginning of every
answer# Similarly& don/t say C!hat/s allD at the end of answers#
+# Check the meaning of the words 4always/ and 4never/ in yo"r dictionary# =se them
very caref"lly#
-# Don/t pa"se too m"ch& especially in the middle of sentences#
.# Don/t make asic mistakes& e#g# CShe go ED& C$esterday he see ED& C!here are many
car ED !he e7aminer cannot give yo" a good grammar score if yo" make lots of
mistakes from te7tooks for eginners#
B# $o" will almost certainly make mistakes when "sing comple7 English# *t is "s"ally
etter to foc"s on fl"ency& coherence& voca"lary and pron"nciation efore foc"sing on
advanced grammar#
F# )e caref"l not to repeat points or words# %nswer the 3"estion directly& then give a few
details and end#
10# =se connectives 1link words& e#g# however& in contrast& altho"gh2 often and correctly#
)e especially caref"l with giving ca"ses and reasons#
11# Do not ask the e7aminer 3"estions s"ch as CDo yo" know my hometown6D *t wastes
time#
12# %im to answer for ao"t @0 seconds per 3"estion in part one& one and a half or two
min"tes in part two and one min"te per 3"estion in part three#
ack to top
)and + 8 !ask %chievement 1"sed for assessing !ask 12
%ddresses the task only partially# !he format may e inappropriate in places# 1%cademic2
>eco"nts detail mechanically with no clear overview# !here may e no data to s"pport
the description# 1General !raining2 May present a p"rpose for the letter that is "nclear at
times# !he tone may e variale and sometimes inappropriate# 1)oth % and G!2 :resents&
"t inade3"ately covers& key feat"res'"llet points# !here may e a tendency to foc"s on
details#
!he writing doesn/t answer all the points or doesn/t incl"de all re3"ired information# !he
writing doesn/t make a connection etween details and the overall view# !he level of
formality may e wrong# !he candidate may not "se an appropriate layo"t#
)and + 8 !ask >esponse 1"sed for assessing !ask 22
%ddresses the task only partially# !he format may e inappropriate in places# E7presses a
position "t the development is not always clear and there may e no concl"sions drawn#
:resents some main ideas "t these are limited and not s"fficiently developed# !here may
e irrelevant detail#
!he writing doesn/t answer all the points raised in the 3"estion# !he candidate doesn/t
clearly develop arg"ments& might not have a concl"sion& might not "se an appropriate
layo"t and'or might incl"de irrelevant points in the writing#
)and + 8 Coherence and Cohesion
:resents information with some organisation "t there may e a lack of overall
progression# Makes inade3"ate& inacc"rate or over("se of cohesive devices# May e
repetitive eca"se of lack of referencing and s"stit"tion# 1!22 May not write in
paragraphs or paragraphing may e inade3"ate#
?rganisation is ins"fficient and points and'or paragraphs may not follow on from each
other# !here are prolems with the "se of connectives# !he candidate may e "sing the
same words again and again instead of "sing other words or words like 4it/& 4they/ and
4this/#
)and + 8 0e7ical >eso"rce
=ses a limited range of voca"lary& "t this is minimally ade3"ate for the task# May
make noticeale errors in spelling and'or word formation that may ca"se some diffic"lty
for the reader#
!he candidate has A"st eno"gh voca"lary to answer the 3"estion#
)and + 8 Grammatical >ange and %cc"racy
=ses only a limited range of str"ct"res# %ttempts comple7 sentences "t these tend to e
less acc"rate than simple sentences# May make fre3"ent grammatical errors and
p"nct"ation may e fa"lty# Errors can ca"se some diffic"lty for the reader#
Mostly "ses simple str"ct"res& with a few comple7 str"ct"res 1e#g# those containing
cla"ses& conditional sentences2# 0ots of grammar mistakes which can make it hard for the
reader 1i#e# the e7aminer2 to "nderstand points# !here may also e prolems with
common p"nct"ation marks& s"ch as commas and f"ll stops#
So& to s"mmarise& what do * do to get and +6
1# Make s"re that yo" answer at least part of the 3"estion#
2# !ry to get the organisation and paragraphing right& "t don/t worry ao"t it too m"ch#
@# %t least make s"re that yo"r main points are reasonaly clear#
@# =se a variety of connectives# %void "sing a few again and again# Don/t worry too
m"ch ao"t making mistakes with them#
4# Make s"re yo" have eno"gh voca"lary to make asic points# >epeat the voca"lary
thro"gho"t yo"r writing if yo" have to#
+# $o"r asic grammar sho"ld e okay# $o" can act"ally make n"mero"s mistakes# =se
simple str"ct"res for most of yo"r writing#
-# =se a few comple7 str"ct"res and don/t worry ao"t making mistakes with them#
.# Don/t worry too m"ch ao"t p"nct"ation#
!o get and +#+& yo" need to achieve and - in one of the fo"r criteria# !his is proaly
easiest to achieve in !ask %chievement 1!ask >esponse2 or Coherence and Cohesion#
Check o"t the criteria elow#
ack to top
)and - 8 !ask %chievement 1"sed for assessing !ask 12
%ddresses the re3"irements of the task# 1%cademic2 :resents an overview with
information appropriately selected# 1General !raining2 :resents a p"rpose that is
generally clear# !here may e inconsistencies in tone# 1)oth % and G!2 :resents and
ade3"ately highlights key feat"res'"llet points "t details may e irrelevant&
inappropriate or inacc"rate#
!he writing covers all the main points and incl"des necessary details# !he writing makes
a connection etween details and the overall view# !he level of formality may e wrong
sometimes# Some information may e "nnecessary or wrong#
)and - 8 !ask >esponse 1"sed for assessing !ask 22
%ddresses all parts of the task& altho"gh some parts may e more f"lly covered than
others# :resents a relevant position& altho"gh the concl"sions may ecome "nclear or
repetitive# :resents relevant main ideas "t some may e inade3"ately developed'"nclear#
!he writing covers all the points raised in the 3"estion& "t certain points may e dealt
with in more detail than others# !he candidate/s arg"ments are clear& "t the concl"sions
might not e or the concl"sions may e repeated# Some points might e presented "t not
developed#
)and - 8 Coherence and Cohesion
%rranges information and ideas coherently and there is a clear overall progression# =ses
cohesive devices effectively "t cohesion within and'or etween sentences may e fa"lty
or mechanical# May not always "se referencing clearly or appropriately# 1!22 =ses
paragraphing "t not always logically#
:aragraphing is reasonale and paragraphs are connected# Connectives are "sed
reasonaly well "t there may e mistakes and'or connectives may e "sed repetitively#
!he candidate "ses referencing words 1e#g# 4it/& 4they/ and 4this/2 with some mistakes#
)and - 8 0e7ical >eso"rce
=ses an ade3"ate range of voca"lary for the task# %ttempts to "se less common
voca"lary "t with some inacc"racy# Makes some errors in spelling and'or word
formation& "t they do not impede comm"nication#
)asic voca"lary is reasonale and the candidate "ses a few pieces of less common
voca"lary 1or perhaps some sayings or phrases2 incorrectly# !here are spelling mistakes
"t these do not ca"se any comm"nication prolems#
)and - 8 Grammatical >ange and %cc"racy
=ses a mi7 of simple and comple7 sentence forms# Makes some errors in grammar and
p"nct"ation "t they rarely red"ce comm"nication#
Mi7es simple str"ct"res and comple7 str"ct"res 1e#g# those containing cla"ses&
conditional sentences2# Got too many grammar mistakes# S"ch mistakes do not have a ig
impact on comm"nication# !here may e minor p"nct"ation prolems#
So& to s"mmarise& what do * do to get and -6
1# Make s"re that yo" answer all aspects of the 3"estion#
2# Make s"re that the p"rpose of yo"r writing is clear#
@# *ncl"de relevant details# Develop points where necessary#
4# Make s"re that the organisation and paragraphing are reasonale#
+# =se as large a variety of connectives as yo" can# %void "sing them again and again#
%void making mistakes with them#
-# Make s"re yo" have eno"gh voca"lary to make points and develop those points with
some details#
.# =se referencing words as often as yo" can#
B# $o" may try to "se less common voca"lary if yo" wish& "t make s"re that what yo"
write is "nderstandale#
F# =se a mi7 of simple and comple7 str"ct"res#
10# Don/t worry ao"t making some grammatical errors& as long as they do not affect the
meaning of yo"r sentences#
!o get and -#+& yo" need to achieve and . in one of the fo"r criteria# !his is proaly
easiest to achieve in !ask %chievement 1!ask >esponse2& Coherence and Cohesion or
0e7ical >eso"rce# Check o"t the criteria elow#
ack to top
)and . 8 !ask %chievement 1"sed for assessing !ask 12
Covers the re3"irements of the task# 1%cademic2 :resents a clear overview of main
trends& differences or stages# 1General !raining2 :resents a clear p"rpose& with the tone
consistent and appropriate# 1)oth % and G!2 Clearly presents and highlights key feat"res'
"llet points "t co"ld e more f"lly e7tended#
!he writing covers all the points and incl"des all necessary details# !he writing makes a
clear connection etween details and the overall view# !he level of formality is correct#
Some information co"ld e more detailed#
)and . 8 !ask >esponse 1"sed for assessing !ask 22
%ddresses all parts of the task# :resents a clear position thro"gho"t the response#
:resents& e7tends and s"pports main ideas& "t there may e a tendency to over(generalise
and'or s"pporting ideas may lack foc"s#
!he writing covers all the points re3"ired y the 3"estion& in the re3"ired level of detail#
!he candidate/s arg"ments are clear& developed and s"pported& despite minor prolems#
)and . 8 Coherence and Cohesion
0ogically organises information and ideas# !here is clear progression thro"gho"t# =ses a
range of cohesive devices appropriately altho"gh there may e some "nder('over("se#
1!22 :resents a clear central topic within each paragraph#
!here is a logical progression which flows thro"gh the writing# Each paragraph
concentrates on a given theme# Connectives are "sed well& with only minor prolems in
the fre3"ency of "se#
)and . 8 0e7ical >eso"rce
=ses a s"fficient range of voca"lary to allow some fle7iility and precision# =ses less
common le7ical items with some awareness of style and collocation# May prod"ce
occasional errors in word choice& spelling and'or word formation#
!he range of voca"lary is eno"gh to allow the candidate to e7press more e7act meaning#
!he candidate "ses some pieces of less common voca"lary 1or perhaps some sayings or
phrases2 correctly# !here are only a few mistakes word choice and spelling mistakes "t
these do not create any prolems for the reader#
)and . 8 Grammatical >ange and %cc"racy
=ses a variety of comple7 str"ct"res# :rod"ces fre3"ent error(free sentences# 9as good
control of grammar and p"nct"ation "t may make a few errors#
Many comple7 str"ct"res 1e#g# those containing cla"ses& conditional sentences2 are "sed
appropriately# Many sentences have no grammatical error in them# !here may e a few&
minor p"nct"ation prolems#
So& to s"mmarise& what do * do to get and .6
1# Make s"re that yo" answer all aspects of the 3"estion and develop and s"pport yo"r
points well#
2# Make s"re that the p"rpose of yo"r writing is asol"tely clear#
@# Make s"re that organisation and paragraphing are very good and clear to the reader#
4# =se as large a variety of connectives as acc"rately and precisely as yo" possily can#
+# Make s"re yo" "se a wide range of voca"lary to make precise points and develop
those points with plenty of details#
-# !ake great care with spelling#
.# =se referencing words as often as yo" can and as acc"rately as yo" can#
B# =se less common voca"lary when yo" can& "t make s"re that yo" "se it correctly
and that what yo" write is very clear to the reader#
F# =se a lot of comple7 str"ct"res# 9owever& rememer that simple str"ct"res can often
convey meaning more clearly#
10# Make s"re that a lot of yo"r sentences have no grammatical errors whatsoever#
11# !ake care with yo"r p"nct"ation#
!o get and .#+& yo" need to achieve and B in one of the fo"r criteria# !his is proaly
easiest to achieve in !ask %chievement 1!ask >esponse2& Coherence and Cohesion or
0e7ical >eso"rce# Cons"lt an e7pert to find o"t yo"r personal strengths and weaknesses#
ack to top
Samples +rm ther $ks $y 8ark Gri++iths
.ull des"riptins + the +llwing $ks are a*aila$le *ia the Internet links pr*ided&
30 Tpi"s +r IELTS Speaking
;lease $e aware that mu"h + the "ntent in this $k is similar t 'IELTS
Speaking9 1 -mprehensi*e Guide): This $k has +ewer tpi"s and /uestins! $ut
mre suggestins n hw t answer the /uestins&
1*aila$le at9
1pple iTunes>i?ks
@indle 61maAn7
@$
.lipkart
?arnes and #$le
Smashwrds
-*er phtgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 !he >iver Cole near Sarehole Mill&
)irmingham# !his is the area on which H#>#># !olkien is elieved to have ased 4!he
Shire/ in the 40ord of the >ings/ trilogy and 4!he 9oit/#
30 Tpi"s +r IELTS Speaking with 8del 1nswers
Ea"h + the /uestins nt nly in"ludes suggestins $ut als mdels t illustrate hw
answers "an $e "nstru"ted&
1*aila$le at9
1pple iTunes>i?ks
@indle 61maAn7
@$
.lipkart
?arnes and #$le
Smashwrds
-*er ;htgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 % view of the gardens at :ackwood 9o"se in the
co"ntryside so"th of )irmingham#
Sample pages9
%ility and S"ccess
:art 1
1# 5hat kinds of ailities did yo" learn from yo"r parents6
practical 8 driving& swimming& reading& comp"ter
m"sical 8 g"itar& piano& violin
sports 8 asketall& tale tennis& adminton
5hich parent6 5hen6 !ime6
2# Do yo" find it easy to learn new ailities6
Depends on which field'area 8 man"al& lang"ages& sport& practical
Degrees of diffic"lty 8 very& 3"ite& really& not very& 3"ite hard
Depends on how 8 watching& doing& playing& reading
Depends on teacher 8 strict& lenient& f"n
@# 5hat new ailities wo"ld yo" like to learn6
>efer to 3"estion 1 for ideas
5hy6 Easy to learn6 !ake classes6
4# 5hat things can yo" do etter than other people yo" know6
=se comparative forms 1etter& faster2
Mention what others do etter 8 "se C*Im not as good'fast asD
+# *s s"ccess important to yo"6
%re yo" amitio"s or not6
Do yo" want to impress others or make them happy 1e#g# parents26
Do yo" want something very m"ch 1e#g# money& stat"s& Ao26
:art 2
Descrie something yo" are good at#
$o" sho"ld say<
what it is that yo" are good at
whether yo" know other people who are good at this
why eing good at this is "sef"l to yo"
and e7plain how yo" ecame good at this#
5hat6 1painting& m"sic& footall& giving presentations& rememering names2
?thers6 1family& friends& colleag"es& classmates2
5hy "sef"l6 1at work& for st"dies& making friends2
9ow6 1practise& classes& learn from others2
Descrie a s"ccessf"l person who yo" admire#
$o" sho"ld say<
who the person is
why he'she is considered s"ccessf"l
how his'her lifestyle is different to yo"rs
and e7plain why yo" admire this person#
5ho6 1family memer& friend& colleag"e& classmate& famo"s person2
5hy considered s"ccessf"l6 1money& fame& possessions& position2
0ifestyle6 1large home& more'less work& travel& hoies'interests2
5hy admired6 1s"ccess& hard working& determined& confident& energetic2
:art @
%ility
1# 5hat are the most important ailities for people to learn in yo"r co"ntry6
=se a comp"ter6 Drive a car6 Speak English6
E7plain why these are so important 1work& social stat"s2
Compare with less important ailities 1J is m"ch more important than $2
2# 5hy are some children etter at doing things than other children6
Gat"ral aility6
:hysical attri"tes 1e#g# taller than other children26
0earn 1early2 from parents6
Classes 1evenings& weekends& holidays26
More practise6
Greater personal interest6
@# *f people want to develop their ailities& who sho"ld pay for it6
Depends on who 1e#g# children& ad"lts2
Depends on aility 1e#g# work'st"dy& hoy'interest2
Depends on level 1eginner& intermediate& advanced2
Depends on reason 1personal& work related2
Consider individ"als& employers& government
S"ccess
4# 5hy do many people want to e s"ccessf"l6
Stat"s'prestige
Money'possessions
Self(f"lfilment'happiness
Make the world etter
+# 9ow do people in yo"r co"ntry define s"ccess6
>efer to 3"estion 4
*f yo" met a stranger& how co"ld yo" assess their level of s"ccess6 1e#g# car& ho"se&
clothes& Aewellery& friends& family& Ao2
-# Do parents and children "s"ally have the same ideas ao"t s"ccess6
;or the same ideas& yo" co"ld "se Iin commonI
;or different ideas& yo" co"ld "se connectives like IwhereasI& IwhilstI and Ion the other
handI
Does it depend on social stat"s& income level& gender6
%chieving S"ccess
.# 5hat factors can lead to a person ecoming s"ccessf"l6
:ersonality 1e#g# amitio"s& self(confident& o"tgoing2
%ilities 1refer to previo"s 3"estions2
Ed"cation 1level& s"Aect'specialisation& school'"niversity2
:arents 1social stat"s& connections& wealth& personality2
;riends 1connections& friendsI ailities2
B# Do yo" think some people achieve s"ccess in the wrong ways6
Crime'corr"ption
Cheating'misleading people
9aving others do the hard work
F# Can a alance e achieved etween s"ccess and a happy personal life6
*t may depend on different factors 1time& personality& field of work2
%re the factors that make for s"ccess and a happy personal life the same& similar or
different6
101 Tips +r the IELTS Speaking 8dule
;lease $e aware that mu"h + the "ntent in this $k is similar t '30 Tpi"s +r
IELTS Speaking 6with mdel answers7) and 'IELTS Speaking9 1 -mprehensi*e
Guide): This $k is a mu"h shrter *ersin withut sample tpi"s! /uestins!
suggested answers! r mdel answers&
1*aila$le at9
1pple iTunes>i?ks
@indle 61maAn7
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.lipkart
?arnes and #$le
Smashwrds
-*er ;htgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 % small road leading to a farm near the village
of %"strey in the co"ntryside east of )irmingham#
Tip 149 Gi*ing yur pinin
*n part @& yo" will e asked to give yo"r opinion# $o" can do this in many ways#
6;ersnally!7 I think > dn)t think cars are a good way to travel in cities#
It might > may $e $etter t invest more money in ed"cation#
It might > may $e $etter i+ we invested more money in ed"cation#
In my pinin! we need to change the way we think ao"t this iss"e#
1s +ar as I)m "n"erned! they can do what they like 8 it/s their co"ntry#
I re"kn 1that2 the sit"ation will improve in the ne7t few weeks# 1informal2
I du$t 1that2 the sit"ation will improve in the ne7t few weeks# 1K * don/t elieve2
I agree entirely with what yo" say#
I disagree strngly with what yo" say#
Tip 129 Gi*ing the pinin + thers
$o" can also give the opinion of others& regardless of whether yo" agree or disagree with
them#
B1""rding t the latest government fig"res& inflation is rising#D 1Gote that we cannot
say 4according to me/#2
C*t is said that he killed his wife#D :eople think this& "t it is not proven#
C*t is >has $een reprted that there has een an accident at a factory in Shanghai#D 1"sed
with the media2
CMany 1most& a lot of& a few2 yo"ng people often 1sometimes& fre3"ently2 say > think >
$elie*e > agree > suggest that something sho"ld e done ao"t this iss"e#D
IELTS Speaking9 1 -mprehensi*e Guide
;lease $e aware that mu"h + the "ntent in this $k is similar t )30 Tpi"s +r
IELTS Speaking 6with mdel answers7): This $k has mre tpi"s and /uestins!
$ut +ewer suggestins n hw t answer the /uestins&
1*aila$le at9
1pple iTunes>i?ks
@indle 61maAn7
@$
.lipkart
?arnes and #$le
Smashwrds
-*er ;htgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 !he 0ondon Eye#
Sample + a ;art % Tpi"
%ges 1Stages of 0ife2
1# %t what age do yo"ng people legally ecome ad"lts in yo"r co"ntry6
*n most co"ntries& it is 1B& "t this age may vary according to different activities#
2# Do yo" think this age is s"itale6
9ere is an e7cellent opport"nity to "se 4too/ and 4eno"gh/# CGo& they are too immat"re
and ine7perienced#D C!hey are not e7perienced eno"gh#D C$es& yo"ng people are familiar
eno"gh with the modern world to make decisions#D *f yo" answer 4no/& yo" co"ld also
"se 4lack L no"n/& e#g# C$o"ng people lack wisdom#D
@# Do yo" think this age might e changed in the f"t"re6
Develop yo"r answer y saying why or why not# %re yo"ng people growing "p faster6
4# Do any celerations take place when a yo"ng person ecomes an ad"lt in yo"r co"ntry'
c"lt"re6
*f so& descrie what happens#
+# 5hich other life events are celerated in yo"r co"ntry'c"lt"re6
Consider weddings& f"nerals& grad"ation ceremonies& etc#
-# Do people celerate retirement from work in yo"r co"ntry'c"lt"re6
*f so& descrie what happens# *s it celerated at work& at home& or oth6
.# 5hen do people "s"ally retire in yo"r co"ntry6
!he ages may differ for men and women# Do people often retire early6
B# 9ow do retired people spend their time6
Game a few ways and say hwy these are pop"lar with retired people#
F# 9ow can an aging pop"lation affect a society6
5orkers may have to pay more ta7es to s"pport the elderly# !here will e a change in
demand for different prod"cts and services#
>eaching mat"rity
1# %t what age wo"ld yo" say a person ecomes mat"re6
2# %t what age wo"ld yo" say a person ecomes responsile for their own actions6
@# 5o"ld yo" say yo"ng people today are more mat"re than yo"ng people when yo"r
parents were yo"ng6
4# Do yo" think yo"ng people sho"ld take more family responsiilities than now6
+# %t what age sho"ld yo"ng people sho"ld start to take some family responsiilities6
-# *f a yo"ng person who is not an ad"lt commits a crime& sho"ld the parents e held
responsile6
.# 9ow do people ecome more mat"re6
B# 5hat life e7periences help people to mat"re6
>eaching certain ages in life
F# *n yo"r c"lt"re& which irthdays& representing reaching a new stage of life& are
especially important6
10# *n yo"r c"lt"re& what are some of the important life events that are celerated6
11# 9ow do people celerate these important life events6
12# *n what ways might family relationships change when yo"ng people reach new stages
in their lives6
:reparing for the ne7t stage of life
1@# 9ow do yo" think people can prepare themselves for the ne7t stage in their lives6
14# 9ow do yo" think a person can prepare him or herself for "niversity6
1+# 9ow do yo" think people can est prepare themselves for retirement6
1-# 9ow can people get help if they have 3"estions ao"t the ne7t important stage in their
lives6
IELTS Writing9 1 -mprehensi*e Guide
Sme + the essays in this $k appear in the 101 mdel answers +r tasks 1 and 2&
Cwe*er the mdel answers $ks d nt "ntain in+rmatin a$ut the writing test
r a$ut essay "nstru"tin&
1*aila$le at9
1pple iTunes>i?ks
@indle 61maAn7
@$
.lipkart
?arnes and #$le
Smashwrds
-*er ;htgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 !rafalgar S3"are& 0ondon#
Sample + hw t "reate a Task 2 essay
:resent a written arg"ment or case to an ed"cated reader with no specialist knowledge of
the following topic#
Some people arg"e that "sing animals in scientific e7periments is cr"el and "nnecessary&
whilst other insist that s"ch e7periments are necessary and have many advantages#
5hat is yo"r opinion on the iss"e6 Give reasons for yo"r answer#
$o" sho"ld write at least 2+0 words#
$o" sho"ld "se yo"r own ideas& knowledge and e7perience and s"pport yo"r arg"ments
with e7amples and relevant evidence#
=nderstanding the M"estion
!he 3"estion is fairly clear# *f yo" agree with "sing animals in e7periments& yo" may
need to e7plain to what e7tent yo" think it is acceptale# ?pinions need to e s"pported
with appropriate evidence# :eople who are pro(vivisection need to make a case that it is
sometimes or often necessary to "se animals in e7periments# !hey sho"ld e fairly
specific# !he arg"ment that s"ch e7periments save h"man lives is the most common#
!hose people who are anti(vivisection need to demonstrate that alternative methods are
availale and practical and'or "se the moral arg"ment that ca"sing s"ffering to animals is
not A"stified# >ecent advances in io(technology have strengthened their side of the
arg"ment# Generalisations s"ch as C%nimals are o"r friendsD are ins"fficient# 9"mans
have not een very friendly towards animals& certain animals will attack h"mans and
most animals are afraid of h"mans#
?rganising the Essay
*ntrod"ction 8 !he introd"ction sho"ld riefly restate the 3"estion& "sing the st"dent/s
own words as far as possile# Many st"dents like to place their opinion in the
introd"ction& "t this is not strictly necessary#
)ody 8 *t is est to "se a separate paragraph for each arg"ment# !here are two ways to
write the essay# !he 4classic/ approach is to deal with the ca"ses and then deal with the
sol"tions# %nother way of approaching an essay of this type is to look at each of the
arg"ments s"pporting yo"r opinion and& within the same paragraph& deal with the
co"nter(arg"ments to this point# *n other words& deal with the s"pporting and opposing
arg"ments together# !his is a little tricky& so practise it first and have yo"r essays checked
y a native speaker or a non(native speaker with a high level of English# Each paragraph
needs a topic sentence and s"pporting sentences# E7amples are desirale# !hese e7amples
can e general or specific# ?f co"rse& few of "s have had personal e7perience of
e7perimenting on live animals& tho"gh yo" may have dissected dead animals at school#
Concl"sion 8 *n yo"r concl"sion& yo" sho"ld clearly state yo"r personal opinion on the
iss"e# S"mmarise yo"r main reason1s2 for taking that viewpoint#
Model %nswer
Disc"ssions ao"t h"mans and their relationship with animals occ"r on several different
levels# ?ne deate concerns the "se of animals in scientific e7periments# !he animals are
sometimes "sed in order to assess the effect of medicines and cosmetics on h"mans& "t
to what e7tent are they necessary6
!he most common arg"ment against s"ch e7periments is that they are cr"el# Cr"elty
s"ggests that the animals "sed in the e7periments "ndergo some kind of pain& discomfort
or deformity# !his is "nderstandaly "psetting to many& who imagine the rait& mo"se or
frog that they had and cared for as a child having to end"re s"ch things# Most
e7periments that were carried o"t on animals do not now re3"ire a live animal for
realistic res"lts# >es"lts and concl"sions can e arrived at "sing tiss"e grown from cells
or& in the case of genetic e7periments& "sing hair or lood samples& which can e gained
with little or no discomfort#
%nother arg"ment "sed y opponents of animal e7periments relates to the type of
e7periment# * find myself in complete agreement with them with regard to e7periments
for cosmetic p"rposes# * cannot think of a single item of toiletry which wo"ld A"stify pain
or death to an animal# 9owever& there are some medical e7periments which need to e
done on animals prior to eing introd"ced for h"mans# *n s"ch cases& * do elieve that the
life of the h"man is more val"ale than the life of a la rat#
:ersonally& * am for e7periments on animals only for medical reasons where alternative
so"rces of material for the e7periments are inappropriate or "seless# Scientists sho"ld
take care to cond"ct e7periments with d"e care and regard for the animals they are "sing#
*deally& there sho"ld e a ody to monitor s"ch e7periments& paid for y the companies
and organiNations cond"cting them#
1@02 words2
#EW: 21 Letters +r IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 #EW:
1*aila$le at9
1pple iTunes>i?ks
@indle 61maAn7
@$
.lipkart
?arnes and #$le
Smashwrds
-*er ;htgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 % lake at Earlswood& a village to the so"th of
)irmingham#
;lease nte that sme 6a$ut 22D7 + the letters in this $k are taken +rm 'IELTS
Writing9 1 -mprehensi*e Guide):
$o" have een offered a place at a "niversity and wish to find s"itale accommodation#
5rite a letter to the accommodation officer incl"ding the following information<
the type of accommodation yo" wish to find
some details ao"t yo"rself
any special re3"irements yo" may have
and any other relevant information#
Dear Sir or Madam&
* recently received confirmation that * have gained a place on the M#Sc# Microiology
co"rse at yo"r "niversity& starting this Septemer& and am writing to yo" with regard to
arranging for accommodation# My st"dent registration n"mer is 12@4+-#
* "nderstand that yo" offer accommodation oth on and off camp"s& the latter costing
etween O1+ and O@0 per week# * wo"ld prefer to live off camp"s in a ho"se with two or
three other st"dents& each st"dent having his'her own room& ideally within a @0(min"te
walk of the "niversity# * have "dgeted for rent of O20 per week# *f possile& * wo"ld like
to remain in the same accommodation for the entire d"ration of my co"rse& i#e# two
academic years#
* do not have any special re3"irements& "t wo"ld prefer to share the accommodation
with st"dents my age 1* am 2+2 who are actively interested in sport# * myself am a keen
r"gy player# * do not mind whether the other st"dents are on a similar co"rse to me or
not#
* wo"ld e gratef"l if yo" co"ld send me details of two or three choices at yo"r earliest
convenience#
$o"rs faithf"lly&
%ndrew Scott
1F. words
$o" have recently moved to a different ho"se# 5rite a letter to an English(speaking
friend#
*n yo"r letter<
e7plain why yo" have moved
descrie the new ho"se
invite yo"r friend to come and visit
Dear Hohn&
*/m writing to let yo" know that * and my family have moved to a new ho"se# !he
previo"s one was too small for "s now that we have another child# !he new one has three
edrooms and a larger garden for "s to rela7 in# !he attic has also een converted for "se
as storage space& which my wife is very happy ao"t eca"se it means there is
somewhere convenient to p"t my collection of ooks# Downstairs& there is a large living
room and the kitchen and dining room are comined into one#
Gow& * have to spend some time on redecorating& "t * sho"ld e ale to finish that in
ao"t a month# 5hy don/t yo" come to visit "s d"ring the s"mmer& when * have finished6
!he area is very nice and as we are on the o"tskirts of town it is easy to get to the
co"ntry# */m s"re yo" wo"ld enAoy yo"rself# 5e all look forward to seeing yo" soon#
)est wishes&
David
1-+ words
101 8del 1nswers +r IELTS Writing Task 1 61"ademi"7
1*aila$le at9
1pple iTunes>i?ks
@indle 61maAn7
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.lipkart
?arnes and #$le
Smashwrds
-*er ;htgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 ;ields near %"strey& a village to the east of
)irmingham#
%verage earnings
!he tale elow shows women/s average earnings in five Aos as a percentage of men/s
average earnings and men/s average weekly earnings in dollars#
S"mmarise the information y selecting and reporting the main feat"res& and make
comparisons where relevant#
!he tale shows womenIs average earnings as a percentage of menIs along with the
average earnings of men per week in those sectors#
!he tale tells "s that female stock clerks earn& on average& 10@P of what men make for
that kind of Ao# ;emale ook keepers earn the same as men in those positions# ;emale
police officers earn slightly less 1FBP2 than their male colleag"es# 5ith school teachers&
the difference is somewhat greater& with women earning F2P of what their male co(
workers earn& on average# 9owever& when it comes to financial managers& the difference
in pay etween males and females is far larger& with women earning two(thirds 1--P2 of
what men do in that line of work#
!he information provided on the average earnings of men indicates that male stock clerks
earn Q4BB per week# Male ook keepers earn& on average& Q-+4 per week# Male police
officers earn QF4B per week& almost twice as m"ch as stock clerks# Male teachers make
Q1022 per week and male financial managers earn almost +0P more than that& at Q1+04
per week#
?verall& this tells "s that women are paid aro"nd the same as men in these Aos& e7cept
for financial managers& "t that women are paid relatively less than men as average
weekly earnings increase#
21@ words
0ondon airports
!he map elow shows the location of airports in and aro"nd 0ondon& with the location of
a proposed airport at Cliffe#
S"mmarise the information y selecting and reporting the main feat"res& and make
comparisons where relevant#
!he map shows 0ondon and its s"rro"nding area& partic"larly motorways and the location
of airports in the area& as well as the possile site of a new airport# 0ondon is s"rro"nded
y the M2+ motorway& which is intersected at vario"s points y other motorways& several
of which lead to airports#
!he closest airport to the centre of 0ondon is City %irport& which lies 10km east of the
centre& near the >iver !hames# 9eathrow airport lies A"st inside the M2+ on the western
edge of 0ondon& 24km from the centre of the city# !he M4 motorway leads directly to it
and two others& the M@ and the M40& meet the M2+ neary# Gatwick %irport is 4@km to
the so"th of the centre of 0ondon and the M2@ leads directly to it from the M2+# Gorth of
0ondon& there are two airports 8 0"ton and Stanstead# !hey lie 4Bkm and +4km from the
centre of 0ondon respectively# !he M1 leads to 0"ton %irport and the M11 leads to
Stanstead# )oth these motorways intersect the M2+# !o the east of 0ondon& there is
So"thend %irport& which is 4Bkm from the centre& and the proposed Cliffe %irport& which
is @Bkm from the centre# Geither of these places has a motorway neary#
20- words
101 8del 1nswers +r IELTS Writing Task 2
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Set 2 6pu$lished 20147 1*aila$le at9
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Some people think that st"dents at school and "niversity can learn more from teachers
and lessons than from !R and the *nternet# !o what e7tent do yo" agree or disagree6
*n my opinion& st"dents can learn a lot from !R and the *nternet& "t * still think that
teachers and lessons are etter# * shall e7plain why * elieve this in this essay#
!R and the *nternet are clearly good so"rces of information& not only for st"dents at
schools and "niversities& "t for yo"ng children and people who have finished their
ed"cations and are in work& looking for it or even in retirement# ?n !R& there are many
e7cellent doc"mentary programmes& incl"ding many that cover the same or similar
material to that covered y teachers in lessons at secondary and tertiary level instit"tions#
;or e7ample& some of these deal with wildlife and environmental protection whilst others
look at the c"rrent economic climate# !he *nternet similarly has many "sef"l wesites
that st"dents can "se to find o"t information that is ta"ght in schools and "niversities#
Many of these wesites are directed specifically at yo"nger st"dents#
*t is clear that teachers "nderstand this& since they sometimes "se lesson time to show !R
doc"mentaries to st"dents and recommend wesites that might e helpf"l for st"dents
wishing to discover more information or seeking help with homework assignments#
9owever& * think that teachers and lessons provide an environment where st"dents can
disc"ss the things they have learnt 8 at school& from !R or from the *nternet# *n my
e7perience& this is recognised y most ed"cators& most parents and most st"dents as eing
more "sef"l than simply learning the answers to 3"estions as it involves discovering
processes and developing comm"nication skills# *n addition& a classroom environment
provides the opport"nity for st"dents to ask 3"estions and for teachers to correct
mistakes#
!o s"mmarise& * am in favo"r of st"dents of all ages and levels "sing !R and the *nternet
to help them learn& "t that these are est "sed to s"pplement teachers and lessons rather
than replace them#
@10 words
5e all work 1or will work2 in Aos with many different kinds of people# *n yo"r opinion&
what are some important characteristics of a co(worker6
* think that there are many important characteristics of co(workers and will o"tline a few
of the key ones elow#
;irst of all& * think that co(workers need to e honest with each other& as well as with
other people they come into contact with in the co"rse of their work# *f co(workers are
honest with each other& this means that they can tr"st each other to work together as a
team to get Aos done efficiently# *f there are prolems with aspects of the work& then co(
workers need to know that they can point o"t these prolems and get s"pport for
resolving them#
Secondly& * think that co(workers sho"ld e ale to get on well with a variety of people#
%s the r"ric points o"t& we work with many different kinds of people and the aility to
deal with them is a key one# !his may involve eing ale to comm"nicate with people in
different ways& perhaps thro"gh "se of different lang"age or y having different methods
for interacting with vario"s people# !his is a skill that often takes many years to develop&
tho"gh some people may e 4nat"rals/ at it#
!hirdly& * think that a co(worker needs to e diligent# * don/t mean that a person needs to
spend more time working than other people# * mean that they sho"ld e ale to work
efficiently to get a lot of work done witho"t many prolems and mistakes# !his re3"ires
the aility to concentrate on work and not to s"cc"m to the many distractions aro"nd "s#
!o s"mmarise& tho"gh there are many to choose from& * think that the three most
important characteristics of a co(worker are honesty& the aility to get on with others and
diligence# *n my e7perience& workers with these attri"tes are s"ccessf"l with co(workers
and with clients and other people#
@0+ words
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-*er ;htgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 5arwick Castle 8 one of the est castles to visit
in England# 5arwick =niversity is near the town# !his photograph forms part of a
panorama with the covers for model answers for parts 2 and @#
%dvertisements
Do yo" like advertisements6
* like certain advertisements& especially those which have c"te animals in them# * think
that these ads are very effective at getting prod"cts and services recognised y the p"lic#
9owever& * think that there are too many ads on !R& in magaNines and on the streets& so
generally * don/t like advertisements very m"ch#
%ges
5hen do people "s"ally get married in yo"r co"ntry6
* think that people generally get married in their late twenties& "t there are many people
who marry m"ch earlier 8 even while they are still in their teens# ?n the other hand& there
are some people who marry in their thirties or even do not marry at all# * think that the
trend in recent years has een to marry later#
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panorama with the covers for model answers for parts 1 and @#
Descrie a memer of yo"r family#
$o" sho"ld say<
what the relationship is etween yo" and him'her
how m"ch time yo" spend with this person
whether yo" think yo" have similar or different personalities
and e7plain why yo" chose to talk ao"t that person#
*Id like to talk ao"t my rother# 9eIs three years older than me# 9eIs a little shorter than
me& "t m"ch more m"sc"lar# 0ike me& he has very short hair# 9is hoies are making
model aircraft& playing pool and cooking# !he latter two are also hoies of mine& so we
sometimes do those activities together# ;or e7ample& in s"mmer we love to prepare a
arec"e at his home or at mine for o"r friends and family# 5e spend a lot of o"r free
time together& "t oth of "s have to travel a lot eca"se of work& so we sometimes donIt
see each other for weeks# 9e works as an engineer in the oil ind"stry& so he earns a pretty
good salary# * think that we have similar personalities& "t he is m"ch more o"tgoing than
* am# 9e is also very good at rememering Aokes& which * am not#
Descrie a family 1not yo"r own family2#
$o" sho"ld say<
who the memers of the family are
how yo" know them
what each person in this family does
and e7plain how yo" feel ao"t this family#
*/d like to talk ao"t my neigho"rs# !here are three of them in the family& which is fairly
typical in a Chinese city# !he father works as an acco"ntant for a foreign company& "t *
don/t know the name of it# 9e dresses very smartly and clearly takes care of his
appearance# *t/s the same with the mother# She works part(time as a hairdresser# She
works part(time eca"se she likes to take their da"ghter to school and pick her "p in the
afternoon# !he da"ghter is seven years old and& like most kids of that age& is really c"te#
She/s very polite and always addresses people correctly# She loves r"nning aro"nd and is
partic"larly fond of dogs# She A"st r"ns "p to them and starts playing with them# *t makes
me a little nervo"s to see this& "t the dogs love her# !hey/ve lived ne7t door to "s for the
last three years and * hope they/ll stay for many more#
101 8del 1nswers +r ;art % + the IELTS Speaking 8dule
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panorama with the covers for model answers for parts 1 and 2#
%ility
Can teaching compensate for a lack of nat"ral aility6
* think it can# Many st"dents have had good teachers who can help them with
enco"ragement and with practical advice on how to deal with prolems and where to find
information online or in a lirary# !eachers often spend time in class and after school
ho"rs helping children to s"cceed at s"Aects even tho"gh these children seem lacking in
nat"ral aility to handle the s"Aects# %s we spend so m"ch money on ed"cating people&
we clearly elieve that teaching has enefits and can provide some compensation for a
lack of nat"ral aility#
%dvertising
Does advertising make o"r lives more interesting or more stressf"l6
* think it does oth# *t makes o"r lives more interesting y providing "s with information
ao"t new prod"cts and services& s"ch as comp"ter programmes to make life easier and
holidays that we can go on which provide "s with e7citing e7periences# Many prod"cts
and services are advertised in interesting ways& "sing c"te animals for e7ample# 9owever&
advertising also makes life more stressf"l y trying to pers"ade "s that we need more
things and that if we do not have these things& we are somehow not living in the est way
possile# *t can e very stressf"l for parents when their children constantly want things
that they see on !R& witho"t considering the cost of these items#
101 <"a$ulary ;r$lems
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the east of )irmingham#
Common'pop"lar
*f something is IcommonI& it means that it happens often or can fre3"ently e seen or
e7perienced# 9owever& Ipop"larI means that people like something or do it often eca"se
they enAoy it# So& the key distinction is etween fre3"ency and how m"ch people like it#
;or e7ample& traffic Aams are common in many cities& "t they are certainly not pop"lar,
?f co"rse& some things are oth pop"lar and common& e#g# playing footall in England#
=se IcommonI and Ipop"larI in the following sentences#
1# 9e is a very SSSSSS oy at the school#
2# Earth3"akes are SSSSSS in my co"ntry#
@# !his shopping centre is very SSSSSS with yo"ng people#
4# *t is not SSSSSS for poor people in my co"ntry to travel aroad#
+# :eople love this dish& "t itIs very diffic"lt to make# *tIs SSSSSS "t not SSSSSS#
Co"ntry'nationality'lang"age
)e caref"l to "se the correct form of words when yo" give names of co"ntries 1and
regions2& nationalities and lang"ages& e#g# IMe7ico is a co"ntry in Gorth %merica# !he
people are Me7icans and they speak SpanishI#
5hat are the nationalities and main lang"ages of the following co"ntries and regions6
1# =S%
2# =T')ritain
@# !hailand
4# M"eec
+# 9ong Tong
-# Sa"di %raia
.# !"rkey
B# )raNil
F# Me7ico
10# *ndia
101 Grammar E,er"ises
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the east of )irmingham#
Get "sed to
5e "se this str"ct"re when we talk ao"t ecoming familiar with a new sit"ation& e#g#
I5hen yo" move to a different co"ntry& yo" 1might2 need to 1m"st'have to'sho"ld2 get
"sed to many new thingsI#
=sing the following prompts& say what many people 1might2 need to 1m"st'have
to'sho"ld2 get "sed to when they move to )ritain#
1# the climate
2# "se'local c"rrency
@# the food
4# "se'English
+# cars drive on the left
-# p" c"lt"re
.# m"sic
B# celerate'festivals
F# wear'different clothes
10# listen'people'talk ao"t footall
4!o/ 1p"rpose2
5e "se ItoI say why people do things& e#g# I* switched on my comp"ter to check my
emailI# Make sentences "sing the following prompts#
1# She often goes to the town centre SSSSSS#
2# * "se a comp"ter SSSSSS#
@# 9e plays footall SSSSSSS#
4# 5e read ooks SSSSSS#
+# !hey go to the gym SSSSSS#
-# * want to go to the =S% SSSSSS#
.# :eople often "se spices in food SSSSSS#
B# Societies need laws SSSSSS#
F# * m"st go shopping SSSSSS#
10# ?ne p"rpose of a national anthem is SSSSSS#
101 -nne"ti*es
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-*er phtgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 !he >iver Cole near Sarehole Mill&
)irmingham# !his is the area on which H#>#># !olkien is elieved to have ased 4!he
Shire/ in the 40ord of the >ings/ trilogy and 4!he 9oit/#
%ove all
=se< saying that something is the most important
E7ample 1< 5hy did yo" choose to st"dy English6
* chose it for several different reasons# * like learning foreign lang"ages# * enAoy watching
%merican !R shows# %ove all& * think it will help me to get a good Ao in an
international company#
E7ample 2< 5hy do yo" think we sho"ld protect the environment6
!here are many reasons# * think we have a d"ty to protect animals and plants& "t& aove
all& we sho"ld protect the environment for f"t"re generations#
%ccordingly
=se< saying why something happened or was done
E7ample 1< 5hy did yo" choose to st"dy at that "niversity6
!here were many good "niversities to choose from& "t that was the only one in my home
town# %ccordingly& * decided to go there#
E7ample 2< 5hy did yo" decide to follow that career6
* have always wanted a Ao that involved international travel and paid a lot of money# *
chose accordingly#
101 -n*ersatin ;hrases
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-*er phtgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 !he interior of the p" 4$e ?lde !rip !o
Her"salem/ in Gottingham# Some claim it is the oldest p" in England# !his is my
favo"rite cover photograph#
%ct"ally
=se< :roviding correct information
E7ample< 5o"ld yo" prefer to live in another place& since yo"r hometown is so poll"ted6
%ct"ally& no& * wo"ldn/t# 5hat * wo"ld like is to pers"ade the local government to
improve the sit"ation so that people wo"ld stay rather than moving to less poll"ted towns#
E7ample< *n yo"r co"ntry& do children often learn practical skills from their parents6
%ct"ally& * think it depends on whether they live in cities or in the co"ntryside# Children
in the co"ntryside learn many practical skills from their parents& "t those in the cities
don/t#
%ll in all
=se< *n s"mmary
E7ample< Do yo" prefer to have a few close friends or many ac3"aintances6
%ll in all& * think that it is etter to have a few close friends& eca"se they are more likely
to help yo" when yo" are in tro"le# %c3"aintances "s"ally don/t feel that they have to
do something for yo"& eca"se they don/t know yo" very well#
E7ample< 5hich school s"Aects are the most important& in yo"r opinion6
%ll in all& * think that the most important are those relating to science and technology 8
incl"ding mathematics# * s"ppose foreign lang"ages& especially English& are also
important#
101 ;hrasal <er$s
;hrasal <er$s 6set 17 1*aila$le at9
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-*er phtgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 Cows in a field near %"strey& a village to the
east of )irmingham#
;hrasal <er$s 6set 27 1*aila$le at9
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-*er phtgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 Cows in a field near %"strey& a village to the
east of )irmingham#
%ide y
Meaning< follow 1r"les& laws2
E7ample 1< 5hat is the main p"rpose of laws& in yo"r opinion6
* think that the main p"rpose of most laws is to protect citiNens# ;or e7ample& if people
didnIt aide y laws ao"t stealing& people wo"ldnIt feel safe or feel that their property
was safe#
E7ample 2< Do yo" think children sho"ld wear "niforms to school6
Definitely# *t means that all the children wear the same thing so there is no competition to
look more fashionale than others# * think this is a r"le all children and schools sho"ld
aide y#
%cco"nt for
Meaning< e7plain
E7ample 1< 5hy do yo" think people commit crimes6
Many people say it is eca"se of poverty& "t * donIt think this acco"nts for a lot of crime#
;or e7ample& many poor people donIt commit crimes and some rich people do#
E7ample 2< Do yo" think the state sho"ld provide free health care for citiNens6
* think that it is a ad idea# * think people sho"ld pay for their own health care to make
them more responsile for their health# *n co"ntries that provide free health care& it often
acco"nts for a lot of the government "dget#
101 ;r*er$s and Sayings
;r*er$s and Sayings 6set 17 1*aila$le at9
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-*er phtgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 % canal in )irmingham# !his photograph fits
with the photograph for set 2#
;r*er$s and Sayings 6set 27 1*aila$le at9
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-*er phtgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 % canal in )irmingham# !his photograph fits
with the photograph for set 1#
% Ao"rney of a tho"sand miles egins with a single step
Meaning< something that takes a long time or a lot of work egins with something simple
E7ample< Do yo" think it is easy to start yo"r own "siness in yo"r co"ntry6
!here is a lot of "rea"cracy& so * think it is a 3"ite diffic"lt and often lengthy process#
9owever& a Ao"rney of a tho"sand miles egins with a single step# !he first thing is to go
to the government office and get the paperwork#
!opics< "siness& travel& transport& s"ccess& competition& change
% poor workman always lames his tools
Meaning< a person who makes mistakes says that the fa"lt is with the things they "se 8
not themselves
E7ample< *n what ways do yo" help other people6
*Im very good with comp"ters& so * often help other people with prolems with their
laptops or desktops# :eople "s"ally think the comp"ter is the prolem& "t "s"ally they
are# % poor workman always lames his tools#
!opics< help& s"ccess& aility& competition& personality& technology
101 Slang Terms
Slang Terms 6set 17 1*aila$le at9
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Slang Terms 6set 27 1*aila$le at9
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-*er phtgraph $y 8ark Gri++iths9 % field near %"strey& a village to the east of
)irmingham# !his photograph fits with the cover of set 1#
all
Meaning< a f"n time 1"s"ally "sed with the vers IhaveI and IeI2
E7ample< 5hich is yo"r favo"rite festival6
My favo"rite festival is Christmas# %ll the family get together to have a large l"nch and
e7change gifts# 0ater we play party games like charades# 5e really have a all,
!opics< celerations& weddings& parties& festivals& free time& yo"ng people
allistic
Meaning< very angry 1"sed with the ver IgoI2
E7ample< Do yo" think some people take sport too serio"sly6
Definitely, My rother is craNy ao"t footall# 9eIs ecstatic when his team wins& "t he
goes allistic if they lose& partic"larly if itIs an important match#
!opics< personality& family& sport& happiness& rela7ation and stress& crime
ack to top
Se"tin % =e"ent IELTS Speaking Tpi"s
;art 1 Tpi"s
;htgraphy
Do yo" like taking photos with yo"r phone or camera6
Give answers for oth# !his will make yo"r answer longer and 1hopef"lly,2 more
interesting#
Say which yo" prefer taking photos with and why 13"ality& easier& camera f"nctions&
portaility2#
:erhaps yo" "se them in different sit"ations 1give e7amples2#
5hat will yo" do with these photos6
Send them to friends 1"sing social media& e#g# 5eChat2
Teep them or delete them
?rganise them 1how62
5o"ld yo" like to do a co"rse in photography6
$es 8 interesting& f"n& meet new people
Go 8 dislike photography
5o"ld like to& "t donIt have time'money'possiility
-n"entratin
Do yo" prefer to st"dy in a 3"iet environment or in a place that has some noise6
Most people prefer a 3"iet environment& "t many people like to listen to m"sic while
they work or st"dy# ?ther people act"ally dislike complete silence#
5hat do yo" do if thereIs too m"ch noise and yo" want to work'st"dy6
!ell people to stop making so m"ch noise#
Go elsewhere#
!ry to ignore the noise#
Stop working or st"dying and do something else#
%t what times of day do yo" find it easiest to concentrate6
Morning& afternoon& evening& night
$o" co"ld also give a more e7act time or incl"de the words IearlyI or lateI& e#g# early
morning& late evening#
Give reasons& e#g# other people not aro"nd& less traffic o"tside
5hat times in yo"r life do yo" need to concentrate on doing something6
5ork or st"dies
:laying sports or games
Disc"ssions with other people
Does yo"r Ao's"Aect re3"ire concentration and attention to detail6
St"dies 8 writing essays& doing e7periments& listening to lect"res& deating or disc"ssing&
researching
5ork 8 operating machinery& writing doc"ments& writing comp"ter code& meeting people&
making presentations
5hat affects yo"r aility to concentrate6
Goise 1give e7amples2
!he presence of other people
Movement 1give e7amples2
5orrying ao"t other things
8aps
Do yo" ever "se a map6
$o" co"ld egin with something like Ievery dayI& Ionce a weekI& Itwice a monthI& once in a
whileI or Ia few times a yearI
Say what kind of map yo" "se& e#g# to"rist map& world map& maps for driving
Give reasons& e#g# to find yo"r way& to check yo"r location& personal interest& part of yo"r
work or st"dies
5ho ta"ght yo" how to "se a map6
;amily memer& teacher& friend
Give a few details ao"t the circ"mstances or sit"ation
Did yo" find it easy to learn6
Do yo" prefer to "se electronic maps or those made of paper6
Electronic 8 Noom in'o"t
:aper 8 yo" can to"ch them witho"t "sing any feat"res inadvertently
*s there any difference in detail or 3"ality6
9ave yo" ever asked other people for directions6
$o" co"ld riefly mention the circ"mstances or sit"ation#
5ho did yo" ask6
5ere they ale to help yo"6
5here were yo"6
5here did yo" want to go6
(ays + the Week
Do yo" do the same things every day of the week6
!here are almost certainly differences etween working days and days off#
5ork and st"dies
9o"sework
9oies and interests
!ravel 1comm"ting2
*s there anything yo" wo"ld like to change ao"t yo"r weekly ro"tine6
Consider the points yo" made in answer to the previo"s 3"estion#
5hat and why6
*s the change realistic or easy to make6
*s yo"r c"rrent ro"tine temporary6
5hat wo"ld yo" do instead6
9ow many days off do yo" have every week6
%re these days together or separate6
Do they vary from week to week or month to month6
%re yo" Ion callI on yo"r days off6 1on call K yo" co"ld e called to work2
Do yo" think yo" have eno"gh days off6 1?f co"rse not,2
5hich is yo"r favo"rite day of the week6
*f yo" donIt have a favo"rite& yo" co"ld say why yo" partic"larly like 2 of them#
>easons 8 day off& a reg"lar weekly activity& meet people on a partic"lar day
;art 2 and % Tpi"s
J$s and Wrk
:art 2 8 C"e Card
Descrie a person yo" know who has an interesting Ao#
$o" sho"ld say<
who this person is 1family memer& friend& colleag"e& former classmate2
what they are like 1appearance& personality& clothes2
what their Ao is 1Ao title& "se vers to descrie e7actly what they do2
and e7plain why yo" think it is interesting# 1proaly ased on the previo"s point2
:art @ 8 5ork
5hat Aos do people prefer to do in yo"r co"ntry6
%ge& gender and ed"cational'professional 3"alifications
Salary& working conditions& work ho"rs& responsiilities& social stat"s
Do yo" think yo"ng people today find career choices conf"sing6
Gowadays& there are many more types of Aos availale
%re they conf"sed y what others tell them6
9ow m"ch inp"t do other people 1e#g# parents2 have6
%re the Ao re3"irements clear to yo"ng people6
Do yo" think it is eneficial to e relocated to other places for work6
$es 8 see new places& meet new people
Go 8 move away from family'friends
Depends 8 c"lt"re& salary 1and other financial or non(financial enefits2
*s it eneficial for companies to send'allow employees to get f"rther ed"cation6
$es 8 greater efficiency& etter ailities
Go 8 cost& employees ecome attractive to competitors
Sho"ld employees e7pect higher salaries when they ret"rn from training6
$es 8 etter 3"alified& etter workers& etter chance of promotion
Go 8 the company paid for their ed"cation
.amily -ele$ratins and 8arriage
:art 2 8 C"e Card
Descrie a family celeration yo" attended#
$o" sho"ld say<
what it was 1wedding& irthday& national or religio"s festival2
where and when it took place 1home& o"tside& resta"rant& hotel2
what yo" did d"ring the celeration 1drank& ate& chatted& danced& listened to m"sic2
and e7plain how yo" felt 1happy& e7cited& ored& chatty2
5hen yo" talk ao"t what yo" did& yo" co"ld incl"de details of who was at the
celeration& e#g# I* danced with my grandmotherI#
:art @ 8 Marriage
%t what age do people "s"ally get married in yo"r co"ntry6
*s it different for men and women6
Does it depend on social stat"s or ed"cation level6
*s the trend towards getting married later6
Do yo" think this trend will contin"e in the f"t"re6
*n yo"r co"ntry& do people "s"ally marry partners of a similar ed"cation level6
:erhaps they meet at "niversity or when they st"dy aroad
:erhaps they share an interest in a s"Aect
%re these marriages more s"ccessf"l than when there is a ig difference6
%side from ed"cation& what other factors are involved6
5hat role do family memers play6
*s it e7pensive to get married in yo"r co"ntry6
5ho pays6 1the co"ple& family& in China wedding g"ests make contri"tions2
5hich aspects are most e7pensive6 1food and drink& clothes& accommodation2
Does it depend on location6 1cities& co"ntryside2
*s there a ig difference in the cost of weddings6
Do some people prefer cheaper weddings6
In+rmatin and =esear"h
:art 2 8 C"e Card
Descrie a s"Aect that people often want to disc"ss with yo"#
$o" sho"ld say<
what the s"Aect is 1give e7act details& try to "se specialised voca"lary2
why they want to disc"ss it 1their interest& m"t"al interest& e7pertise& work& st"dies2
where and when yo" talk ao"t it 1location& kind of place& time of day& which days2
and e7plain how yo" feel when people talk to yo" ao"t it 1happy& e7cited& ored2
:art @ 8 *nformation ' >esearch
5hat are the 3"alities of a good researcher6
Tnows where to find information
Tnows how to check information
9as good connections with other people in their field
:atient 1research often takes time2
=nderstands foreign lang"ages
EnAoys reading
9ow can people check whether information is reliale or not6
=se vario"s so"rces
%sk other people& e#g# colleag"es
*n science& cond"ct tests to confirm it
5hat medical research do yo" think might e important in the f"t"re6
Rirology 8 gloal pandemic 1e#g# Iird fl"I2
=se of nanotechnology in medicine
=se of IchipsI in h"mans 1e#g# to help move lims2
>esearch into cancer& %*DS& malaria
;"sion of h"mans and machines'technology 1e#g# mechanical lims2
Do yo" think that sharing research is important6
)"ild on the work of others
*nternational co(operation 1e#g# in space2
Cost effective
Rariety of ideas and lines of in3"iry
5hy might people not want to share research6
Selfish
Gational pride ' nationalism
5ant to take f"ll credit
?thers might steal ideas& res"lts& work
-ulture and Ethni" 8inrities
:art 2 8 C"e Card
Descrie a place yo" visited where yo"Ive learned ao"t a new c"lt"re#
$o" sho"ld say<
where yo" went
when yo" went there
who yo" went there with
and e7plain what yo" learned
!his 3"estion essentially comines elements of two previo"s c"e cards 8 a place yo" have
visited and something yo" learned ao"t a different c"lt"re#
:art @ 8 Ethnic Minorities
* am very happy to see 3"estions ao"t ethnic minorities in the *E0!S Speaking Mod"le
as * predicted several years ago that they wo"ld e# My ook I*E0!S Speaking< %
Comprehensive G"ideI contains information on this topic#
%re there any ethnic minorities in yo"r co"ntry6
Game them
9ow large are they6
%re they infl"ential6 1e#g# Chinese minority in !hailand2
5hich areas of the co"ntry do they live in6 1also "ran or r"ral areas2
9ow is their c"lt"re similar'different to the maAority c"lt"re6
>eligion
Clothing
;estivals
)"siness
Social and personal interactions
*f yo" can give two or three e7amples& that gives yo" a great opport"nity to show off
some nice voca"lary to the e7aminer#
5hat aspects of minority c"lt"re do yo" think sho"ld e protected6
>efer to the s"ggestions for the previo"s 3"estion#
!he word IprotectedI s"ggests a legal aspect to the protection# ;or e7ample& many national
constit"tions 1claim to2 protect the rights of minorities#
Cmes
:art 2 8 C"e Card
Descrie a place where yo" wo"ld like to "ild a ho"se
$o" sho"ld say<
where the place is 1which co"ntry& which region& near or in a maAor city2
when yo" first visited it 1how often do yo" go there& did yo" first find this place online2
what facilities are in the area 1transport& sports& ed"cation& health& social2
and e7plain why yo" like this area so m"ch 13"iet& ea"tif"l& "n"s"al& mo"ntains& river&
lake2
!he c"e card does not prohiit yo" from descriing the ho"se yo" wo"ld "ild& "t *
recommend that yo" foc"s on the points mentioned on the c"e card and descrie the
ho"se only if yo" feel the need to Ifill o"tI the two min"tes#
:art @ 8 9omes
5o"ld yo" prefer to live in a small ho"se or a ig one6
)ig 8 more space& more rooms& large family& stat"s symol
Small 8 easier to keep clean& cosy& small family 1or single2& cheaper
5hat do yo" think ao"t city residents "ilding a second home in the co"ntryside6
Good 8 etter for children& change of scene& red"ces r"ral decline
)ad 8 drives "p prices for r"ral people& less contri"tion to local life
Do 1yo"ng'old2 people in yo"r co"ntry "s"ally prefer to live in cities or in the
co"ntryside6
;acilities 8 health& ed"cation& sport
?pport"nities for meeting people
!ransport
:ay attention to whether the e7aminer incl"des the words Iyo"ngI or IoldI 8 or neither, %ll
three versions have een reported y candidates#
%part from location& what factors do people consider when choosing a place to live6
;acilities 1see previo"s 3"estion2
!ransport
:rice
SiNe of home
Geigho"rs
Gardens
)roadand connectivity,
.riends and .riendship
:art 2 8 C"e Card
Descrie an old friend that yo" met after a long time#
$o" sho"ld say
who yo"r friend is
how long yo" didn/t see him'her for
what the two of yo" talked ao"t
and e7plain how yo" reacted when yo" saw him'her again#
:art @ 8 ;riendship
9ow important is friendship6 15hy are friendships important62
9"mans are social animals
;riends help each other
%dvice with prolems
Share interests
Spend time together
So"rces of information
5hy do friendships come to an end sometimes6
%rg"ments& disagreements
:eople move away
:eople change Aos& interests& social circles
:eopleIs personalities change 1e#g# as they get older2
Do yo" think it is good to have friends in different parts of the world6
Different c"lt"res
Risit them& e#g# on holiday
)"siness contacts
0earn ao"t other parts of the world
S"hls and Edu"atin
:art 2 8 C"e Card
Descrie yo"r school where yo" went as a child#
$o" sho"ld say<
where it was
what classes yo" had there
what the teachers were like
and e7plain how yo" felt when yo" went to that school#
:art @ 8 Ed"cation
5hat are the advantages and disadvantages of large classes6
0ess individ"al attention from teachers
Cheaper for schools
Classes will "s"ally contain a mi7t"re of st"dents 1more'less ale2
5hat social and academic skills sho"ld children learn at school6
Skills& not s"Aects,
Comm"nication
:resentation
>esearch
Deate& conversation
>eading& listening& writing
0ogic
:oliteness& p"lic ehavio"r
Transprt
:art 2 8 C"e Card
Descrie a time yo" "sed p"lic transport#
$o" sho"ld say
when and where yo" went
why yo" made the trip
what yo" did on the trip
and e7plain how yo" felt ao"t the trip#
:art @ 8 !ransport
5hy do people often prefer to drive their own car rather than "se p"lic transport6
Convenience& speed
Stat"s& prestige
:"lic transport is inconvenient
5eather& climate
EnAoy driving
*t may e "sef"l to consider whether the advantages of driving are real or only perceived
1y drivers2#
5hy do people often drive their cars for short trips6
$o" can "se the ideas for the previo"s 3"estion#
*n addition 8 hait& laNiness
9ow wo"ld yo" increase the "se of p"lic transport6
Make it cheaper
More ro"tes
Greater fre3"ency
)etter night services
*ncrease the cost of cars and "sing cars 1ta7es& petrol'gas2
>ed"ce space availale for parking 1or increase parking charges2
Make driving tests more diffic"lt
*ncrease the minim"m age for drivers
*n yo"r co"ntry& do children reg"larly take p"lic transport to school6
Convenience 1ro"tes2
:rovided y school or not
Safety
Cost
Do yo" think the "se of p"lic transport will e more common in the f"t"re6
:erhaps cities will ecome more crowded& limiting on the "se of cars#
:erhaps flying cars will ecome common& so there will e more space#
:erhaps it depends on peopleIs attit"des towards the environment#
IELTS Writing Task 1
1"ademi" Task 1
3 2 %
2 3 %
2 1 %
1 8 %
6 %
w a t c h i n g T V
e a t i n g o u t
t a l k i n g w i t h
f r i e n d s
f a m i l y
o t h e r
3 0 %
8 %
2 6 %
7 %
2 %
2 7 %
w a t c h i n g T V
e a t i n g o u t
f r i e n d s
f a m i l y
o t h e r
p l a y i n g c o m p u t e r
g a m e s
!he pie charts show how people spent their free time in 2000 and 2010#
*n 2000& almost a third of people 1@2P2watched !R# Gearly a 3"arter of people 12@P2 ate
o"t# % slightly lower percentage 121P2 talked with friends& which was a little higher than
the percentage who talked with family 11BP2# -P of people did something others than
the aforementioned activities#
*n 2010& the percentages had changed significantly in most cases# 9owever& the
percentage of people who watched !R was only slightly lower 1@0P2# !he percentage
who ate o"t dropped y two(thirds& to BP# 2-P of people talked with friends& a somewhat
higher percentage than in 2000# ?n the other hand& the percentage who talked with family
had dropped to A"st .P# ?ver a 3"arter of people 12.P2 played comp"ter games& leaving
2P who did something else#
!o s"mmarise& watching !R was the most fre3"ently mentioned activity# !alking with
family and eating o"t ecame significantly less fre3"ently mentioned and playing
comp"ter games was a newly mentioned activity in 2010 that attracted a lot of people#
1.- words
200- 2010 2014
make calls 100 100 100
take photos -+ .0 .+
te7t messaging .+ .+ B0
play games 20 40 40
rowse the internet + 40 .+
play m"sic 10 20 2+
record videos + 10 @+
!he tale gives "s an idea of how people "sed their moile phones in 200-& 2010 and
2014#
%ll "sers "sed their moiles for making telephone calls in all three years# *n 200- and
2010& three(3"arters of people "sed them for te7t messaging# !his proportion rose to fo"r(
fifths in 2014# -+P of people took photos with their moiles in 200- and this fig"re rose
y five percentage points every fo"r years to .+P in 2014# ?nly +P of people "sed their
moile phones for rowsing the internet in 200-# 9owever& y 2010 this fig"re had risen
eightfold to 40P and almost do"led again to .+P in 2014#
% fifth of people "sed their moiles for playing games in 200-# !his proportion do"led
to 40P in 2010 and remained the same in 2014# H"st +P of people "sed their moiles to
record videos in 200-# )y 2010& this had increased to 10P and then rose significantly to
@+P in 2014# :laying m"sic was something done y 10P of people with moiles in
200-# !his rose to 20P in 2010 with a f"rther increase to 2+P in 2014#
?verall& we can see that the maAority of people "sed their moile phones for calls& photos
and te7ting# !he iggest rise in "se was in rowsing the internet& altho"gh the percentage
of people citing other "ses increased too#
224 words
!otal visits
1millions2
%verage length
of stay 1nights2
%verage spent
per visit 1po"nds2
%verage spent
per day 1po"nds2
Gorth %merica + 14 B2@ +.
E= E"rope 41#1 F @@B @B
Gon(E= E"rope 4#- 11 404 @-
?ther co"ntries - 1F .F4 41
!otal world +-#. 11 4@0 41
!he tale shows where )ritish people went aroad& how long they stayed on average and
the average amo"nts they spent each visit and each day#
!he maAority of the +-#. million foreign visits were to E= co"ntries 141#1 million2& with
the other visits fairly evenly divided etween Gorth %merica 1+ million2& non(E=
E"ropean co"ntries 14#- million2 and other co"ntries 1- million2# ?n average& people went
aroad for 11 nights# !his was also the case when visiting non(E= E"ropean co"ntries&
tho"gh when visiting E= co"ntries& the average was less 1F nights2# !he averages were
higher o"tside E"rope& with 14 for Gorth %merica and 1F for other co"ntries#
*n terms of money spent& the overall average was 4@0 po"nds per visit or 41 po"nds per
day# ?n average& they spent most in Gorth %merica 1B2@ po"nds per visit or +. po"nds
per day2# !he corresponding fig"res for other co"ntries o"tside E"rope and Gorth
%merica were .F4 po"nds and 41 po"nds 1the latter e3"alling the overall average2# *n
E"rope the average spent per visit was greater for non(E= co"ntries than for E= ones
1404 po"nds against @@B po"nds2# 9owever& the average spent per day was slightly higher
in E= co"ntries 1@B po"nds vers"s @- po"nds2#
*n s"mmary& people spent the most in Gorth %merica& on average& "t visited co"ntries
o"tside E"rope and Gorth %merica for the longest average period per visit#
22B words
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
January March May
Phone A
Phone B
Phone C
!he line diagram ill"strates sales of three Smartphones over a si7 month period#
*n Han"ary& there were 100 sales of :hone %# !his decreased to B0 "nits in ;er"ary and
increased to F0 "nits in March# !hereafter& there was a sharp decline in sales to +0 in
%pril and @0 in May# *n H"ne& sales rose to 40 "nits#
+0 "nits of :hone ) were sold in Han"ary# Sales increased to -0 "nits in ;er"ary with a
f"rther increase to F0 "nits in March# *n oth %pril and May sales were at their highest
levels at 100 per month# *n the following month 8 H"ne 8 sales fell to B0 "nits#
?nly 20 "nits of :hone C were sold in Han"ary# 9owever& sales more than do"led to +0
"nits in ;er"ary with a slighter rise in sales to -0 "nits in March# !here was another
sharp rise in sales in %pril& to F0 "nits# !hereafter& sales fell to B0 "nits in May and .0
"nits in H"ne#
?verall& sales of :hone ) and :hone C rose consideraly etween Han"ary and %pril
whilst sales of :hone % generally fell& partic"larly in the period from March to May#
1F- words
0
1 0
2 0
3 0
4 0
5 0
6 0
7 0
8 0
U
S
A
J
a
p
a
n
A
u
s
t
r
a
l
a
U
!
"
n
#
a
$ r o a # $ a n #
# a l u p
!he ar chart shows "s the percentage of people in five co"ntries who have roadand
and dial "p internet at home#
*n the =S%& .0P of people have roadand& compared with a m"ch lower 20P who have
dial "p# !he fig"res are similar for Hapan& where -+P of people have roadand and 1+P
have dial "p# *n other words& @ to 4 times as many people in those two co"ntries have
roadand than have dial "p# *n %"stralia& we can see that the same percentages of people
have roadand and dial "p 8 40P# *n the =T and *ndia& the percentages of people who
have dial "p are ao"t twice as high as those that have roadand# -0P of )ritish people
have dial "p whereas @+P have roadand# *n *ndia& 20P of people have dial "p whilst
A"st 10P have roadand#
!he key point this chart shows "s is that roadand is more common in the =S% and
Hapan whilst dial "p is more common in the =T and *ndia# *n addition& they are e3"ally
common in %"stralia and *ndia has the lowest percentage of people with internet access
at home#
1F0 words
!he ar chart ill"strates the amo"nt of aid given to developing co"ntries y si7 developed
co"ntries in the years 200B& 200F and 2010#
!he =S% gave 2#1 illion dollars in 200B# !his fig"re fell to 1#F illion in 200F and then
rose consideraly to 2#+ illion in 2010# *n Germany and Hapan& the pattern was similar#
Germany donated 1#1 illion dollars in 200B& 1 illion the following year and 1#2 illion
in 2010# !he amo"nts given y Hapan were very similar 8 1#1 illion in 200B& declining to
0#F illion in 200F and rising to the same level as 200B in 2010#
*n the Getherlands and Sweden& the largest amo"nts were donated in 200F# !he
Getherlands gave 0#. illion in 200B& 0#F illion in 200F and 0#B illion in 2010# Sweden
made slightly lower donations of 0#. illion in 200B& increasing to 0#B illion in 200F and
dropping to 0#- illion the ne7t year#
!" # $ermany %apan &etherlands !weden
0
0'(
1
1'(
2
2'(
2008
200)
2010
!he pattern for the =T was 3"ite different# *n 200B& the =T gave 0#F illion# !his rose to
1#2 illion the following year& with a f"rther increase to 1#@ illion the year after that#
!o s"mmarise& the =T was the only co"ntry where foreign aid increased every year&
overtaking those of Germany and Hapan# 9owever& the =S% donated the most money#
21+ words
!he maps show the coastal village of %erham in 2000 and now#
*n 2000& %erham had a fishing port in the so"th# Gow& that has disappeared# !he fish
market that was on the coast y the port has een redeveloped into apartments and the
shops that were across the street from the market in 2000 have een replaced y
resta"rants# *n the so"th(east of the village& the cafe remains y the sea& as does the hotel
across the road# 9owever& the hotel now has a car park on its east side#
!he aforementioned hotel is on the north(east corner of the A"nction of two roads 8 one
r"nning east(west and the other leading north(west from the coast# !o the east of this
road& there "sed to farmland and a forest# !his land has een transformed into a golf
co"rse and tennis co"rts#
!o the west of that road& there is a ho"sing estate# !his estate has now een e7panded
along an e7tended road leading west# !he north(west of %erham had ho"sing along the
road from the hotel in 2000& "t now there are more ho"ses than previo"sly#
!o s"mmarise& the so"thern part of the village of %erham has een almost entirely
redeveloped# !he main amo"nt of ho"sing has also increased significantly#
211 words
!he diagrams show how a village park looked ten years ago and how it looks now#
!he entrance is in the north(west corner# *n the centre of the park is a footall pitch# *n
the north& close to the entrance there are now fo"r tennis co"rts& whereas ten years
previo"sly there were two# ?n the western side of the park there is a car park# % decade
ago& it co"ld take twenty cars& "t now it has a capacity of fifty# *n the so"th(west of the
park there is now a picnic area& where there was nothing marked on the older map# *n
addition& a cycling path now encircles the park#
!he eastern side of the park has changed consideraly# !en years ago& near the north(east
corner of the park& there was a childrenIs play area with woods to the so"th of it and a
pond to the west of the woods# !he play area is still there& "t there is now a soft play
area for children immediately to the so"th# % toilet is to the so"th of those play areas&
meaning that ao"t half of the wooded area has een c"t down# *n the remaining woods
there is a cafe# !he pond has een transformed into a oating lake#
!o s"mmarise& the northern and western parts of the park have had facilities added to
them whereas the eastern side has changed mainly as a res"lt of the removal of trees#
242 words
!he diagram provides information for visitors to Mo"nt Eron#
% road approaches Mo"nt Eron from the north(west and another approaches from the
north(east# *n the vicinity of Mo"nt Eron& these roads Aoin a circ"lar road aro"nd Mo"nt
Eron# %long these roads we can see five car parks# !wo are on the road from the north(
west 8 one at the s"nset viewing area and the other A"st efore the road makes a tight
c"rve towards Mo"nt Eron from the so"th(west# ?ne car park is on the road from the
north(east& at the s"nrise viewing area whilst the other two are on the road circling the
mo"ntain# ?ne is on the so"th side and the other is on the west side# !his latter car park
also has toilet facilities and a first aid post#
>"nning aro"nd Mo"nt Eron& A"st inside the circ"lar road& is a path# %nother path leads
from the car park on the so"th side of Mo"nt Eron to the mo"ntain# %nother path leads
from the aforementioned tight t"rn in the road from the north(west to the car park& toilets
and first aid post# ;inally& there is a climing track on the western side of Mo"nt Eron#
1F. words
!he maps ill"strate how the village of ;armside has developed into a s""r of !ownton
since the si7ties#
*n 1F-+& ;armside a village separate from !ownton& with a small road r"nning thro"gh it
from the west to the north# 5e can also see that !ownton had a railway line going north
to east#
)y 1FB+& ;armside had grown in siNe# % ho"sing estate had een "ilt in to west of the
village& with a s"perstore to the so"th of the now widened road# ;"rthermore& a leis"re
comple7 had een constr"cted in the north(east of the village# *n addition& a new road
leading from the vicinity of the s"perstore linked ;armside with !ownton#
Gow& ;armside is a s""r of !ownton& the two eing connected along the a7is of the
main road Aoining them together# !o the so"th of this road is a new "siness park# !o the
north& there is a station on a sp"r from the railway line going thro"gh !ownton# H"st north
of the station is a hotel#
!o s"mmarise& ;armside was initially developed mainly y the addition of ho"sing and
facilities to the west and north# 0ater& developments to the east ca"sed it to ecome part
of !ownton#
200 words
!he map ill"strates the present layo"t of >iverside =niversity camp"s and the proposed
development of the site#
!he "niversity is c"rrently sit"ated etween a river which lies to the west and north and a
motorway which r"ns along its so"thern edge& crossing the river# !he entrance to the
"niversity is from the motorway# !he main "ilding is to the west of the entrance and
sports facilities are to the east# ;"rther to the east there is a large car park#
*t is proposed that the main "ilding e e7tended to the east and west and that the sports
facilities e e7tended eastward& covering some of what is now the car park# ;ac"lty
offices and a lirary are planned on the so"th side of the river& opposite the entrance#
Geary& a footridge is planned across the river& leading to a st"dent "nion "ilding and
st"dent accommodation#
!o s"mmarise& the "niversity plans involve e7pansion of e7isting "ildings and new ones
to the north and across the river#
1-+ words
General Training Task 1
$o"r assignment was d"e last week# 5rite a letter to yo"r teacher saying that yo" did not
complete it on time# *n yo"r letter say
what the s"Aect was
why yo" didnIt complete it
when will yo" complete it#
Dear Mrs# Mitchell&
* am a first year st"dent from yo"r )ritish 9istory co"rse# * am writing to yo" to
apologise for not completing my history assignment on Mary& M"een of Scots on time#
=nfort"nately& my mother was taken ill last week and * felt that * had to go home to e
with her# * am at home now and * think * will e here for the foreseeale f"t"re "ntil she
is at least a little etter#
* am taking some time each day to complete the assignment& "t * think that it will still
take me another week to complete it# * wo"ld e very gratef"l if yo" co"ld grant me an
e7tension "ntil ne7t ;riday#
* know that e7tensions are generally only given if st"dents apply for them in advance& "t
* hope that yo" will take into acco"nt the e7ceptional circ"mstances of my motherIs
illness& which was totally "ne7pected#
$o"rs sincerely&
%gnetha )ornholm
ack to top
Writing Task 2
Sme peple think what "hildren learn in s"hl is a waste + time& Ether peple
think the knwledge is use+ul&
(is"uss $th *iews and gi*e yur pinin&
Generally speaking& * think that what children learn in school is "sef"l& "t * wo"ld
certainly not say that everything that every child learns there in classes is "sef"l#
?ften& yo" can hear people point to s"ccessf"l people and note that they didnIt do well at
school# 9owever& * think that very often these arg"ments are not entirely fair# ;or
instance& there are many s"ccessf"l people who dropped o"t of school eca"se they saw
other opport"nities open to them# !his doesnIt mean that school ed"cations are Ia waste of
timeI# *t simply means that there is more to s"ccess than a formal ed"cation#
Many st"dents will not "se the science that they learned in school in their later lives#
9owever& sometimes it is not learning the act"al information that is important& "t
learning how to think and how to act# 5riting essays might seem oring and time
wasting& "t learning to comm"nicate effectively is not# H"st eca"se there is no direct
relationship etween what st"dents learn and its "sef"lness in life& we cannot concl"de
that something is Ia waste of timeI# :erhaps teachers co"ld e7plain the connection etter#
Many people wo"ld like to see more practical s"Aects and relevant s"Aect matter in
schools# Many st"dents find academic s"Aects oring# *t may e a good idea for schools
to provide alternative learning e7periences for them# Many st"dents might find that it is
more eneficial to learn ao"t personal finance or they might prefer to foc"s more on a
practical skill that leads directly to employment& s"ch as carpentry# 9owever& it might e
diffic"lt for all schools to provide all these s"Aects& so it will not e possile to satisfy
everyone#
*n concl"sion& * "nderstand where the sentiment that a lot of school ed"cation is a waste
of time comes from# 9owever& * think that most of the knowledge is "sef"l& tho"gh the
sit"ation co"ld e improved#
@1+ words
In sme "untries the age limit is 1F +r adult respnsi$ilities su"h as dri*ing "ars!
marriage and *ting $ut in sme ther "untries it is lder r yunger&
What d yu think is the right age +r adult respnsi$ilitiesG
* think that the correct legal age for ad"lt responsiilities& s"ch as those mentioned in the
3"estion r"ric& is eighteen#
!he first point that * wo"ld like to make is that any age is an aritrary one# * do not
elieve that a teenager wakes "p on their eighteenth irthday significantly more mat"re
and ale to deal with ad"lt sit"ations than when they went to ed the previo"s evening
1ass"ming that they didnIt stay "p late,2# 9owever& from a legal standpoint& co"ntries
aro"nd the gloe have felt that setting s"ch an aritrary age is the est policy# Eighteen
seems to me to e correct# My personal e7perience is that yo"nger teenagers generally
lack mat"rity& "t this is not "niversally tr"e#
9owever& there may e other possiilities# *f we look at the legal age for driving& for
instance& there may not e a completely logical reason for it# * am not s"ggesting that we
allow yo"ng children to drive# 9owever& it is 3"ite common for people yo"nger than 1B
to drive and ride mopeds# :erhaps we sho"ld allow them to do so if they can show that
have the re3"isite skills# 9owever& in many co"ntries& this wo"ld re3"ire changes in other
laws& s"ch as those governing criminal responsiility and ins"rance#
0etIs look at the iss"e from another perspective# 5e do not a"tomatically allow people to
drive cars when they reach a given age# !hey m"st pass a test# Co"ld we do this in other
sit"ations6 *f people had to pass a test in order to vote& wo"ld governments rig the test to
favo"r those who vote for them6 * s"spect that& in many co"ntries& the temptation wo"ld
e great# %n independent commission is the ovio"s answer& s"ch as there is in )ritain to
determine constit"ency o"ndaries#
*n concl"sion& * think that a fi7ed age for marriage& driving& etc#& is est& tho"gh it
certainly is not a perfect sit"ation# Eighteen is that age in most developed co"ntries and *
agree with it#
@@0 words
Eld "ities and twns were $uilt +r the peple li*ing in pre*ius "enturies&
What are the pr$lems "aused $y them tdayG Suggest slutins t these pr$lems&
5e all know that modern life for the overwhelming maAority of people is very different
from life in the past# ?ne conse3"ence of this is that many towns and cities were
designed for a different age and are "ns"ited to the modern era# !his has led to prolems
that m"st now e dealt with#
% key iss"e is one of space# !he centres of towns and cities& in partic"lar& are fre3"ently
f"ll of what are now relatively small "ildings# !hey sit on val"ale land# !his often
makes them a target for redevelopment# ?ften& the profit motive is a primary factor#
?ffice locks& shopping malls and classy apartments are more profitale than old
"ildings# Generally this is left to market forces& altho"gh many towns and cities have
reg"lations that leave "ildings of architect"ral interest or historical significance intact#
%nother important iss"e is that of traffic# Cities and large towns often re3"ire wide
thoro"ghfares to cope with increasing n"mers of cars& lorries& "ses and other vehicles#
!his almost always means that old streets have to e widened& involving the destr"ction
of many old "ildings# !his prolem can e avoided in several ways# ;irst& new roads can
e "ilt aro"nd the e7isting "ildings# Second& the areas where there are old "ildings can
e preserved as pedestrian areas or places where only limited traffic is permitted#
% related iss"e is that of the layo"t of the streets# ?ne cannot fail to notice the difference
etween many =S cities& which are often constr"cted on a grid system& and almost all
E"ropean cities& which are f"ll of little winding streets# ;re3"ently& the sol"tion in E"rope
involves the demolition of older "ildings& "t the attraction of these little streets for
to"rists 1and locals& no do"t2 has meant that they have s"rvived# Sometimes& geography
has lent a hand& as in Renice& which is partly made "p of islands# Market forces& once
again#
!o concl"de& there are many prolems ca"sed y the manner in which cities and towns
were constr"cted in the past# 9owever& there are a variety of sol"tions aside from simply
"lldoNing thro"gh them#
@4. words
The +amus 1meri"an a"tr Jhn Wayne n"e said BTmrrw is the mst
imprtant thing in ur li+e&H Cwe*er! sme peple think that the present time is
mre imprtant&
Cw imprtant is it +r indi*iduals and the "untry t think and d smething +r
the +utureG What is yur wn pininG
* think that it is incredily important for individ"als and co"ntries to consider the f"t"re
and take steps to do something for it#
?n an individ"al level& we need to consider the f"t"re in many important sit"ations#
:eople need to think ao"t their retirement# :eople need to make decisions that infl"ence
their careers# Certain choices might e financially detrimental in the immediate f"t"re&
"t significantly eneficial in the long term# Consider the costs in oth time and money&
of training to e a doctor 1a well(paid and respected Ao in most co"ntries2# Most people&
when they consider their f"t"res& m"st also take into acco"nt the f"t"res of their children#
!his is well(known to e an overarching consideration with most parents#
Co"ntries need to consider the f"t"re too# S"ccessf"l co"ntries "s"ally have governments
that make significant investments in infrastr"ct"re# Gowadays& the need and search for
energy is a powerf"l infl"ence in international politics# 5e can see this in the relationship
etween the =S% and Sa"di %raia# Some co"ntries need to import energy to facilitate
economic growth# ?thers have e7cess energy reso"rces which they can sell to the same
effect# *n oth cases& the f"t"re of the co"ntry is a key factor#
?f co"rse& the present is important too# *ndivid"al people often spend money in order to
enAoy something# E7periences& for e7ample& are an important part of eing h"man# !his
doesnIt always mean that those people do not think ao"t the f"t"re 8 or even that the
present is more important than the f"t"re# * eat eca"se if * do not& * will event"ally die#
Similarly& co"ntries need to consider the present in order to keep r"nning# 9owever& it
seems clear to me that many people often foc"s on the present at great e7pense# !hese are
the kind of people who spend money as soon as they get it 8 the people who re3"ire
instant gratification# :erhaps it is not eca"se they donIt think ao"t the f"t"re# :erhaps
they simply elieve that everything will work o"t well#
!o concl"de& * think that the f"t"re is e7tremely important& "t we sho"ld also take care
of the present#
@+4 words
With in"reasing demand + energy sur"es su"h as il and gas! shuld peple $e
lking +r sur"es + il and gas in remte and untu"hed pla"esG ( the
ad*antages + this utweigh the disad*antages + damaging su"h areasG
*n my opinion& we sho"ld e looking for so"rces of fossil f"els s"ch as oil and gas in
remote and "nto"ched places#
;or me& the primary& over(riding iss"e is one of development# !he maAor economies of
the world developed 8 and are still developing 8 largely thanks to the availaility of
relatively cheap fossil f"els# *n the past& coal was the main driver of this& "t now oil and
gas are as important 8 if not more so# *n addition& many of the remote and "nto"ched
areas where oil and gas have now een fo"nd are in co"ntries where they are needed
most# *t wo"ld e "nfair and hypocritical to tell co"ntries and pop"lations that they
sho"ld not develop their nat"ral reso"rces after more developed co"ntries have already
done so#
9owever& there are many people who point o"t the disadvantages of looking for oil and
gas in remote and "nto"ched areas# !he most f"ndamental arg"ment is "s"ally that these
areas are important for o"r ecosystem# 9owever& this arg"ment may not e as strong as is
often tho"ght# ?il and gas reserves can& with modern technology& e accessed with m"ch
less environmental impact than previo"sly# *n addition& despite the scenes of devastation
following oil spills& evidence s"ggests that environments can recover 3"ickly from them#
Certainly& there is no evidence that the environment is permanently wiped o"t#
!o concl"de& the enefits of tapping oil and gas reso"rces in remote and "nto"ched places
provide a co"ntry with an opport"nity to develop its economy if s"ch reso"rces are
properly "tilised# ;"rthermore& the evidence s"ggests that people who a"tomatically
ass"me that development of these reso"rces will lead to environmental disaster are
wrong#
2.4 words
It is generally $elie*ed that edu"atin is + *ital imprtan"e t the de*elpment +
indi*iduals and the well5$eing + s"ieties& What shuld edu"atin "nsist + t +ul+il
$th these +un"tinsG
*n this short essay& * will e7plain what * elieve ed"cation sho"ld consist of in order to
contri"te oth to individ"al development and to society as a whole#
;irst of all& * think that ed"cation re3"ires individ"als to ac3"ire a wide range of fact"al
information# !his means that people sho"ld have a solid asic knowledge of a variety of
fields& s"ch as technology& science& lang"age& mathematics& history& geography and
c"rrent affairs# !hese are "sef"l to individ"als eca"se they need s"ch s"Aects in order to
live& work and comm"nicate with a wide variety of people# Society enefits eca"se the
pop"lation is well(informed and can "se s"ch knowledge to improve social conditions
and work etter#
Secondly& * elieve that ed"cation sho"ld incl"de some non(academic feat"res& s"ch as
handicrafts& m"sic and sports# * think that these fields can roaden the horiNons of
individ"als and provide a physical aspect to ecoming a well(ro"nded person# Sports can
help people to stay healthy and handicrafts can enco"rage creativity# Socially these are
eneficial for vario"s reasons# ;or instance& prowess at sports can lead to s"ccess at
international sporting events& s"ch as the ?lympics& raising national prestige and pride#
!hirdly& * elieve that ed"cation sho"ld also have a moral aspect& teaching people how to
e good citiNens and providing lessons on how to interact properly with others# !his
enefits individ"als eca"se they can find it easier to form healthy relationships with
others& s"ch as friends& colleag"es or family memers# !his in t"rn enefits society as a
whole# !his aspect of ed"cation is likely to incl"de a lot of the c"lt"re of a society#
!o s"mmarise& * think that ed"cation sho"ld comprise the aforementioned three parts so
as to enefit individ"als and society#
2B4 words
.ssil +uels! su"h as "al! il! natural gas! are used in many "untries& ?ut in sme
"untries! the use + alternati*e sur"es + energy! in"luding wind and slar pwer!
are en"uraged& Is this trend a psiti*e r a negati*e de*elpmentG
*n this essay& * shall e7plain why * elieve that the trend towards enco"raging alternative
so"rces of energy is a negative development#
Many people will no do"t disagree with my view# *t has ecome almost Ireligio"sI to
s"pport the development of alternative energy so"rces& s"ch as wind and solar power#
Everyone IknowsI that fossil f"els ca"se poll"tion and are leading to catastrophic climate
change# !his is why governments are falling over themselves to enco"rage alternatives#
9owever& * elieve that there are two key prolems with this approach# !he first is that
h"man(led catastrophic climate change is "nlikely to e occ"rring# ;or one thing& the data
is "nreliale# M"ch of it res"lts from st"dies of the width of tree rings# 9owever& there
are several factors that infl"ence the width of tree rings& s"ch as the amo"nt of shade that
a tree is in and whether the tree is infested with parasites# ;"rthermore& the proAected
climate changes are ased on comp"ter models& which are only as good as the data
programmed into them# *f some data has een omitted& the model ecomes "nreliale# *n
addition& most climate data is now otained from cities# *n the past most was gained from
r"ral areas# Cities tend to generate heat#
!he second prolem is economic# Many governments are spending h"ge s"ms of money
on s"sidies for alternative energy so"rces# *n the =T& it is estimated that the government
will spend .+0 million po"nds on it# !his will increase energy prices at a time when
many people 8 the elderly for instance 8 are finding it hard to make ends meet# *t also
adds consideraly to the national det& which is already massive# *n some co"ntries&
alternative energy is creating "nemployment# *n Spain& it is relialy estimated that the
creation of one Ao in the alternative energy sectors costs two Aos o"tside that sector#
!o concl"de& * am not against alternative energy so"rces& "t the reasons p"t forward& and
the costs involved& are& in my opinion& an ins"fficient asis for enco"raging them#
@@- words
Sme peple supprt de*elpments in agri"ulture su"h as +a"try +arming and
"reatins + new types + +ruits and *egeta$les! while thers ppse this *iew&
* am roadly in favo"r of developments in the field of agric"lt"re s"ch as factory farming
and new kinds of fr"it and vegetales# * will o"tline my reasons in this short essay#
!he main reason that * s"pport these new developments is that they generally lead to
higher prod"ction with the "se of fewer reso"rces# !he massive increase in the worldIs
pop"lation over the past cent"ry or so has meant that h"mans need larger amo"nts of
food and that more and more land is eing "sed for "ildings and infrastr"ct"re# %s a
res"lt& it wo"ld simply e impossile to feed everyone "sing low(tech methods that were
common several cent"ries ago# !he creation of new fr"its and vegetales can have great
enefits# ;or e7ample& a new type of anana has recently een "nveiled that contains a
greater amo"nt of vitamins than the "s"al variety# !his will aid people in poorer co"ntries
where diets fre3"ently lack the necessary n"trition for h"mans#
9owever& there are many people who point o"t that there are prolems with factory
farming and the creation of new kinds of food# ;actory farming is often achieved at the
e7pense of the welfare of livestock# !his had led to the pop"larity amongst some people
of Ifree rangeI prod"cts& s"ch as chicken and eggs# 5hen it comes to new crops& many
people say that we sho"ld e caref"l eca"se we have no idea what o"r IplayingI with
genetics co"ld ca"se#
5hilst& * accept some of the points made y opponents of technological developments in
agric"lt"re& * think that we have to look at the great enefits# *n some sit"ations& s"ch as
rearing livestock& * think that we sho"ld improve o"r approach& however#
2B1 words
Sme peple think that the g*ernment shuld esta$lish +ree li$raries in ea"h twn&
Ethers $elie*e that it is a waste + mney sin"e peple "an a""ess the Internet at
hme t $tain in+rmatin& (is"uss $th sides and gi*e yur wn pinin&
* disagree with the s"ggestion that the government sho"ld estalish free liraries in each
town# * will o"tline my reasons elow#
;irst of all& as mentioned in the 3"estion r"ric& people can access a lot of the information
they "sed to get from liraries at home& via the internet# ?f co"rse& this may not e tr"e in
many poorer co"ntries& "t in )ritain& * think that spending money on liraries wo"ld
fre3"ently e a waste for this reason alone#
9owever& many people in )ritain point to the social f"nction of liraries# !hey are not
only places where people go to find information and to orrow ooks& "t they also serve
as meeting places for people with common interests# *n )ritain& many ook cl" memers
and collectors meet in liraries#
;"rthermore& whilst accessing information y "sing the internet has ecome increasingly
pop"lar& that does not mean that everyone "ses it or that everyone feels the need for an
internet connection at home# Elderly people may only need to access the internet once or
twice a week# Some people are simply "sed to getting their news and information in other
ways& s"ch as from television or newspapers#
*n order to satisfy these needs& * think that we sho"ld look at alternatives that do not
re3"ire "ilding e7pensive liraries that might not e "tilised# ;or e7ample& many towns
and villages have schools or other p"lic "ildings that co"ld e "sed# Schools are
fre3"ently not "sed in the evenings or at weekends in )ritain& so they co"ld easily f"lfill
the social f"nctions of liraries& as well as the traditional one#
!o concl"de& * think that "ilding a lirary in every town in )ritain 8 tho"gh 3"ite likely
desirale 8 wo"ld not e worth the cost and there are cheaper alternatives availale#
2F. words
#wadays! sme wrkpla"es tend t emply e/ual num$ers + men and wmen
wrkers& ( yu think it is a psiti*e r negati*e de*elpmentG
!ho"gh * do not have a partic"larly strong opinion on the s"Aect& * generally elieve that
having more women in the workplace is a good thing#
*f a society wants strong economic development& one thing that it is practically essential
to do is to ens"re that its women are given ed"cation to the same standards as men# Many
people 8 myself incl"ded 8 wo"ld arg"e that this sho"ld e done simply on the asis of
gender e3"ality# 9owever& it has also een demonstrated that women who are etter
ed"cated raise children who are etter ed"cated# !his has a n ovio"s enefit for a society
seeking economic development# ?nce there are etter ed"cated women in society& it is
logical to s"ggest that these women sho"ld work# !his is a trend that it has proven
impossile to prevent e7cept thro"gh e7treme coercion#
9owever& * do not think that every company or organisation sho"ld e forced or re3"ired
y law to employ e3"al n"mers of men and women# ;or one thing& there may e same
professions where achieving this might e diffic"lt# ;or instance& * am s"re that many
)ritish women wo"ld like to e soldiers or miners& "t * do"t that there are s"fficient
n"mers of women with the re3"isite skills or aptit"de to do those Aos to the same
standard as the men who want to do them# ?f co"rse& this works oth ways# >elatively
few men are n"rses#
!o s"mmarise& * think that employing women is normal and that it enefits society and
individ"als# *f companies and organisations aim to employ e3"al n"mers of men and
women& * donIt mind& so long as the est person gets the Ao and they are not forced to
employ less 3"alified people#
2BF words
The spread + multinatinal "mpanies and the resulting in"rease in gl$alisatin
prdu"es psiti*e e++e"ts +r e*eryne& ( yu agree r disagreeG
* disagree with the s"ggestion that the spread of m"ltinationals and more gloalisation
prod"ces enefits for everyone#
5itho"t wishing to e too pedantic& there is simply no way that CeveryoneD enefits from
these two phenomena# M"ltinational companies e7ist primarily to make a profit and to do
this they compete with each other and with smaller companies# *f one enefits& it is likely
that another loses in some way# Gloalisation allows people from one co"ntry to compete
with those from other co"ntries in the commercial world# !his fre3"ently means that
certain ind"stries in given co"ntries find that they have diffic"lty s"rviving# ;or e7ample&
cheap steel prod"ction in other co"ntries meant that )ritainIs steel ind"stry s"ffered#
* think that there is nothing intrinsically ad ao"t m"ltinationals# :eople fre3"ently
criticise m"ltinationals& "t these often grow y providing people with what they want at
attractive prices# Goody is standing o"tside Star"cks with a g"n forcing people to go
there rather than to IHoeIs CafeI aro"nd the corner# 9owever& many m"ltinationals have
eno"gh power to "nfairly infl"ence governments# >ecently& )raNil had to change its law
prohiiting alcohol in footall stadia in order to accommodate )"dweiser& a ;*;% 5orld
C"p sponsor# !here is a difference etween fair "siness and e7cessive infl"ence#
Similarly& * am not against gloalisation if it satisfies a market and provides employment#
*t certainly doesnIt enefit everyone and it fre3"ently ca"ses economic pain& at least in
certain sectors of economies# 9owever& many co"ntries have discovered that s"sidising
loss(making companies to protect them from foreign competition has long(term
disadvantages& partic"larly in terms of e7pense# ?ne of the key prolems is that most
co"ntries do not provide level playing fields for foreign and domestic companies# !his
generally enefits large companies as they are ale to infl"ence governments more easily
and they have the enefit of scale#
*n concl"sion& m"ltinationals and gloalisation provide enefits& "t we m"st take care to
ens"re that they operate fairly#
@20 words
8dern s"iety is $ased n sel+ishness and greed& Sme peple think that we shuld
return t a traditinal s"iety with respe"t +r thers& ( yu agree r disagreeG
*n this essay& * shall e7press my tho"ghts on e7tent to which modern society is ased on
selfishness and greed and whether a more respectf"l society e7isted in the past#
* certainly elieve that there is a lot of greed and selfishness in the modern world# 5e can
see this in the way that many people try to IgraI whatever they can for themselves
witho"t regard for the feelings or circ"mstances of others# *n )ritain& most )ritish people
are especially angry at certain ankers and financiers who& despite losing money that
elonged to others& have still managed to s3"irrel away eno"gh cash for relatively
l"7"rio"s lifestyles# Every year& lists of the worldIs richest people show that some
individ"als have greater personal fort"nes than the ann"al GD:s of small co"ntries#
9owever& * am not totally convinced that the sit"ation in the past was m"ch etter# Greed
and selfishness are nothing new# 5hole empires have een "ilt on these val"es# !he
decimation of indigeno"s peoples and tries all over the world shows that greed and
selfishness are "niversal# *n )ritain& monarchs "sed to have far more power than todayIs
:rime Minister has# * am not convinced that s"ch a society was etter than modern
)ritain#
9owever& there does seem to e an increase in the lack of respect etween people of
ro"ghly the same social standing# *n some 3"arters& in poor "ran areas of )ritish cities&
for e7ample& showing respect can e taken as a sign of weakness# !herefore some people
are loath to show it& partic"larly to those o"tside their immediate peer gro"p#
!o concl"de& * think that there is too m"ch greed and selfishness and that there may well
e less respect in society nowadays# 9owever& a ret"rn to a more traditional society might
not e the sol"tion and we sho"ld perhaps look at more original ways of solving the
prolem#
@11 words
Sme peple think that the supply + +resh water shuld $e stri"tly "ntrlled $y
g*ernments as the resur"es are limited& While thers think we "an use as mu"h
water as we want&
* think that people sho"ld e permitted to "se as m"ch water as they want and that the
government sho"ld not strictly control the s"pply of this precio"s commodity#
Many people elieve that the "se of water sho"ld e restricted in some way# !here can e
little do"t that there is a limited s"pply of fresh water& altho"gh some parts of the world
feel this more ac"tely than others# >ising pop"lations in parts of the world where fresh
water is already severely limited might lead governments to the concl"sion that they
sho"ld impose restrictions on how water sho"ld e "sed and how m"ch of it each person
sho"ld e permitted to "se#
5hilst * can see that this arg"ment has a certain logic& * think that strict government
controls are not the answer# ;irst of all& in many co"ntries certain regions are fre3"ently
favo"red over others& often depending on where politicians come from# *f a government
is granted too m"ch control over water s"pplies& a region might not e given the water it
needs as a res"lt# Secondly& governments can already infl"ence how m"ch water people
"se thro"gh pricing# *f water s"pplies are low and demand high& governments can simply
allow the price to rise to reflect this# *f necessary& governments can make special
payments to people& e#g# the elderly& if they have tro"le with their water ills# *f prices
rise& this co"ld also enco"rage "sinesses to look for new so"rces of water 1e#g# y "sing
desalination plants2 or find ways of "sing it more efficiently#
*n concl"sion& * elieve that governments sho"ld ens"re that all citiNens have s"fficient
access to fresh water and price it 8 or allow it to e priced 8 according to s"pply and
demand#
2BF words
ack to top
1$ut the authr
Mark Griffiths egan teaching English in 1FF0 and has worked mainly in the CNech
>ep"lic and China# 9e first 3"alified as an *E0!S e7aminer in 2001 and has had several
*E0!S ooks p"lished in China with total sales e7ceeding 200&000 copies#
Some of his ooks& s"ch as this one& are ao"t the *E0!S speaking and writing mod"les#
?thers are part of the English 101 Series 8 a range of ooks p"lished in the first half of
201@# Some of these ooks are specific to *E0!S whereas others are of "se to all people
st"dying English as a foreign lang"age#
Mark can e fo"nd presenting the p" 3"iN at 4!he Goose and D"ck/ 1a#k#a# 4;rank/s2
near his home in )eiAing on 5ednesday evenings#
http<''www#smashwords#com'profile'view'markgriffiths
1My Smashwords a"thor page#2
https<''www#faceook#com'ieltsookmark
1% page ao"t my ooks#2
https<''www#faceook#com'gro"ps'-100+-+1+.4@.@4'
1% gro"p dedicated to c"rrent *E0!S speaking and writing 3"estions#2
https<''www#faceook#com'pages'*E0!S(M"estions'-+410B@B4-4.+4-6refKhl
1% page for general 3"estions ao"t *E0!S#2

Ielts Speaking and Writing Guide July 2014 PDF

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