Test 2 Training Writing Task 1

Review
1 What information is Writing Task 1 based on?
2 How do you have to express the information?
3 Does it matter whether you use an informal style?
4 Are grammar, spelling and punctuation tested?
5 How long should you spend on this task?
6 How many words must you write?
7 Which parts of the data must you write about?
8 Should you make comparisons?
9 What should you draw attention to and interpret?

Useful language: the introduction

1 Read carefully these five introductions (1-5) to the task on page 87 written by
IELTS candidates. Then answer questions a and b for each introduction.
a Does the candidate give enough information about the table?
b Does the candidate describe the information in the table accurately?

1 In the table we can see some information about students enrolled at Bristol
University from the year 1928 till 2008.
2 The table shows the numbers of student enrolments at Bristol University, covering
the number of students, the percentages of female and male, and where they
came from , in three different years.
3 This table shows the number of people who are studying at Bristol University
and the number of people of each gender as well. Also, it shows the distance that
students come from , divided into two categories: wit hin 30 miles of Bristol and
overseas.
4 The table illustrates some information about student enrolments at Bristol
University. The table shows the percentages of male and female students and how
many students came from overseas or within 30 miles of Bristol in 1928, 1958 and
2008.
5 The table gives information about Bristol University student enrolments, the
percentages of males and females and what area they came from, in the years
1928, 1958 and 2008.

2 Suggest any improvements you could make to the content of each introduction.
(There are no language errors.)

3 Underline any useful words or phrases drawing attention to important data that
you might use when writing about other topics.

Writing Task 1 Test 2 Training 83

Useful language: drawing attention to important data
1 @, These sentences were written by IELTS candidates to describe different graphs
and tables. Underline the words in each one that you could use in writing about
other topics.
1 Also noteworthy is the low government expenditure on education.
2 This (rr&~.p"'- s"'-ows &1. sfri)(i1-t(r di.f.fe.re-1-tce. be.twe.e.-1-\ f"'-e. ~01A1-t(re.r &~.(re. ~rro1Ap &1.1-td
f"'-e. o.£de.r 01-te..
3 The mo5t 5triking fea-fure of tl.e graph i5 tl.e .sudden increa5e in tJ,e popularity of
computer game5.
4 aiUJther ja.ct worth IUJtiCin.J in. the ta.bte is tha.t jem..a.fes a.re m..ore IUU1t.erou..s tha.n. m..a.fes.
5 The IMOSi- veiM"'-Y~"'-\:>le poi'ti- is H'\01.i- i-l.-\e \\1.\IM\:>ev o.P ""'"'les wii-l.-\ "' cvi~Mi't"'-l
vecovd- i\\CYeOI.Sed- J-v"'""'"'i-ic"'lly.
6 It ~s noticeo.bLe. t.l1o..t expend.it.ure on photogro..phH remaine<i stabLe. from 1992.
to 2.000.

2 Using the sentences in Exercise 1 as models, expand these notes into full sentences.
1 noteworthy I fall in graduate numbers
2 striking similarity I teenagers in the USA I teenagers in South America
3 most striking feature I sudden decline I birth rate
4 fact worth noticing I high cost I fossil fuels
5 most remarkable I growth rate I increased suddenly
6 noticeable I few schools I swimming pools

Useful language: numbers and percentages

1 c{2 Be careful to use the appropriate nouns to report different kinds of number.
Choose the correct word in these IELTS candidates' answers.
1 In 1997 the employment figure/number was two million.
2 The data shows the difference between the percentage/percentages of men and
women doing full-time jobs.
3 In future the size/number of the population will increase sharply.
4 In Britain people spent the smallest number/amount of money on personal stereos.
5 Cinemas expect an increasing level/number of attendance in the future across all
ages.
6 Going out to restaurants decreased dramatically to seven percentage/per cent.
7 The number/quantity of people who came to Australia started to drop after 1994.
8 The graph shows that the percentage/per cent of 14- to 24-year-olds who are
cinema-goers is higher than other groups.
9 We can also see that the rate/proportion of males gaining diplomas was higher than
that of females.
10 A small part/proportion of graduates are self-employed .
11 It can be seen that the majority of prisoners are male as the percentage/share of
prisoners who are female is only 4%.
12 The number of books published depends on the literacy rate/figure.

84 I Test 2 Training Writing Task 1

2 Write sentences using phrases 1-7 and the words in brackets.
C:.Gl£11£1 Test 1 Writing Task 1 for useful verbs

1 the rate of Unemployment 2 t he proportion of Computer ownership

unemployment the population
(1979 and 1985) (computers)

1990 2000 201 0 now

3 the amount of Industrial energy 4 t he number of cars

energy (industry) consumption (public transport)

1980s 1990s
5 the level of 6 the quantity of food Food waste
literacy (change of (affluent parts of the
government) world)

1960 1980 2000

7 the share of global

resources (the
poorest countries)

1980s 1990s

Useful language: spelling

@ These sentences contain 22 of the most common spelling mistakes made by IELTS candidates. How fast
can you find and correct them?

Give yourself one mark for spotting each mistake, another mark for putting it right correctly and deduct one
mark for any changes you make to words that were not wrong!
1 Nowd~)tS 1 )(~owf~d e. ~bo'!At tl.-\.e. e.~virottt.e.~t is e.sse.~c.i~£ ~~d ~~~~ ove.rttt.e.~ts 1A~de.rst~~d tl.-\.e.
0 0
be.~i.f11-s o.f e.d1Ac.~t;~ c.l.-\. i fde.~ to be. ~w~re. o.f 1.-\.ow tl.-\.e.~ c.~~ c.o~trib'!Ate. to tl.-\.is.
0
2 1n. llt':J exteriense, becou.se sociat'j is in. some resfeCts organised fitjjren.t/'j in. other con.tries, foriegn.ers find d relaxing to
visd this tart of the worM.
3 It- is IMY oppi\\iO\\ t-1--."'t- .Pew people "beleive t-1--.e i\\.POviM<".t-iO\\ wid" is BiVe\\ i\\ "'.Avevt-iSIMe\\t-s.
4 Tie~M~gers sv10uc\ 111-0t be !Allowec\ to V11Ave tV1ere ow111- cClrs u111-Hll tV1e!::) !Are -prtp~Arec\ to /Accept res-poL~~-sClb~l~t!::) for tV1e
!Affect tV11At bClc\ c\r~V~V~-9 ClAVI- V11Ave 0111- otV1er ro!Ac\ users.

Writing Task 1 Test 2 Training 85

Useful language: finishing your summary
Here are four ways (1-4) used by IELTS candidates to finish their summaries for
the task on page 87. Although there are no language errors, three of them are
unsatisfactory for various reasons. Read the comments in the box and match them to
the paragraphs.

a Not an accurate description of what the table shows.

b Statements should be supported by figures from the table.
c Too vague. It is unclear what part of the data is referred to, and offers no
conclusion.
d A useful contrast, well supported by data from the table.

1 :I:.-tt co-ttd1Asio-tt 1 tke. pe.rce.-tth.(te. i-ttcre.~se.d i-tt di-F-Fe.re.-ttt w~(Ys 1A-ttti£ 2.008 ~-ttd
-Fe.££ i-tt otf..\.e.r w~(YS.

2 It ~.s c.Lee~ r tV1e1t ti-le V\.-UV~A..ber of fore~g 11\., .stucleV\.-t.S ~11\.,cree~.secl wl-leree~.s ti-le .stucleV\.-t.s wl-lo
cCIVIA..t froV~A.. w~tl-1~11\., 30 V~A..~Le.s ofE.r~.stoL clecree~.secl. Furtl-lerV~A..ore, ~11\., 200f!? tl-le V\.-UV~A..ber
of feV~A..e~Le .stucleV\.-t.s wl-lo eV\.-roLLecl e~t ti-le uV\.-~Ver.s~t!::j we~.s V~A..ucl-1 1-l~gl-ler thCIV\.- ~11\., ~2f!? .

3 final\'{. the. figure.f> for f>tude.nt e.nrolme.nt at Brif>to\ Unive.rf>it'{ c.hange.d dramatic.a\1'{. 1he. numbe-r of
f>tude.ntf> re.ac.he.d a pe.al: in 1q?s but we.nt down again be.twe.e.n the. '{t-arf> tq?s and wos. Ove.ra\1, the.
numbe-r of fore.ign f>tude.ntf> re.maine.d a\mof>t the. f>ame. be.twe.e.n tq~s and tq?s. 1-\owe.ve.r, it rof>e. f>harpl'{
in the. ne.~t ?o '{t-arf>.

4 \.<'\SHy, rl-\eve is <'\\\ i\4-\pOvr<'\\\r .:Ai~eve\\Ce i\\ rl-\e pvopovt-iO\\ 0~

Srl.\.:Ae\\rs wl-\o C0\4-\e ~v0\4-\
wirl-\i" '30 14-\iles 0~ Bvisrol "'".:A rl-\ose wl-\o C0\4-\e ~Y0\4-\ ovevSe<'\S: <'\r rl-\e 't>eBi""i"B t-L--.eve
weve ~ew Srl.\.:Ae\\rs C0\4-\i\\B ~Y0\4-\ ovevSe<'\S <'\\\.:A 14-\0ve C0\4-\i\\B ~Y0\4-\ \\e<'\v rl-\e ciry, wl-\ile
oy 2008 rl-\e pevce\\r<'\Be o~ 'loc"'l' srv..:Ae\\rs L-\"'.:A ve<'\lly .:Aecve<'\Se.:A (~v0\4-\ ">07. ro
I-2J{), wl-\eve<'\S rl-\e pevce\\r<'\Be 0~ ovevSe<'\S Srl.\.:Ae\\rs L-\<'\.:A i\\cve<'\Se.:A ~v0\4-\ O\\ly 5"/. ro
ur..

86 Test 2 Training Writing Task 1

 Test 2 Exam pradice Writing Task 1
Action plan reminder Before you write
1 Look at Writing Task 1 below. 3 Select data and highlight or make notes before
you begin to write your summary.
• What does the first part of the question tell
you? 4 Write your summary.

• What three things does the rest of the • What should you avoid copying word for
question remind you to do? word?

2 Look at the table in Writing Task 1 below. • Should you try to write about all the data?

• What do you learn from the title of this table? • Should you challenge the data?
• What do the headings of the three columns After you write
tell you?
5 What should you check for when you have
• What information does the table contain? finished?
• What do the numbers in the first row
~QIJI•i Test 1 Writing Task 1
represent?
• Why is the second row divided into two
smaller rows?
• Why do the bottom two rows not add up to
100%?

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. CTip! Remember you'll need more
time for Task 2 than Task 1.
The table below gives information about student enrolments at
Bristol University in 1928, 1958 and 2008.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main
features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

CTip! Don't lose marks by writing
too little.
Bristol University student enrolments
1928 1958 2008
Howmanynew
students enrolled?
1 ,.
218 t\IT 1 1 •046'•&•&•&•
t\ITAITAITAIT
1 6 377HAWHAW
• HHAtAHHt IJ!®BJ
Between which years was the increase in
What percentage
were female? 42% 32% 54% enrolments greater?
What percentage
were male? 58% 68% 46% When was the percentage of female
enrolments lowest?
'- I . : I} I I} •• I t;::i._
I ~ ~I ~L ~ When did the percentage of overseas
students change most markedly?
What percentage
came from overseas?
1
1
5% II
from 3 countnes ...,
1
1
6%
from 27 countnes
~
J
28%
from 98 countnes
l>

Test 2 Exam practice 87

Test 2 Training Speaking

Speaking Part 1
Review
1 What must you remember to take to the exam 3 Will the questions all be about the same topic?
room? 4 Do you get a separate mark for Speaking Part 1?
2 What do you have to answer questions about?
CTip! You can use the preparation ideas in this test to help you when you
practise other IELTS speaking tests.

~GJH¥\J Test 1 Speaking Part 1

Useful language: work and studying

@ Correct the one or two mistakes in these sentences written by IELTS candidates.
1 I went to Canada for studying engineering.
2 I am learning history at un iversity.
3 I would like study oversea.
4 I have been study English for half a year.
5 I have classes at the daytime and I work in the even ing.
6 I have a part-time work in a restaurant.
7 I am hoping to get a good employment when I graduate.
8 I finish my work at five o'clock.
9 There are lots of foreign pupils at my university.
10 I want to gain a lot of money.

Useful language: tenses

1 Look at these questions about a job. Think about what tense you would use in
the answer and underline the verbs that help you decide.
1 What is your job?
2 How long have you been working there?
3 What do you enjoy about your job?
4 What job did you want to do when you were a ch ild?
5 Do you think you will do a different job one day?
2 Which question(s):
1 ask about now? What tense is used?
2 ask about the past? What tense will you use in your answer?
3 ask about the future? Think of three different ways of beginning an answer.
4 ask about a length of time? What tense is used?
CTip! Listen carefully to the tense in the question so you give the right kind of answer.

3 Look at the questions about work/studying on page 96 and answer them

about yourself.

Speaking Test 2 Training 91

Useful language: food vocabulary
CTip! If you neve~ eat !n a
1 Think about a place where you like to go if you eat out. Tick (.f) the restaurant, 1mag1ne
things below that are most important to you. Add any other reasons one where you would
you could give for choosing a restaurant or a cafe. like to eat. You can do
delicious/tasty food family run vegetarian this in the test, too, if
you don't have much
reasonably priced part of a chain traditional recipes personal experience of
fresh ingredients home-made dishes lively atmosphere something.
fast service plenty of choice

2 Look at the questions about food and restaurants on page 96 and the
Useful language below.
CTip! Add some details
Where I come from, ... to each answer and
In my country we usually ... try to use a range of
When I'm at home, ... grammatical structures
Compared to my parents, ... and vocabulary.
Until I came here, I ...
If I have something to celebrate, ...
My favourite restaurant ...

3 Practise saying your answers. Record yourself answering the questions.

Listen to what you said and think about how to improve it. Did you
speak clearly? Did you use a range of grammatical structures and
vocabulary?

Speaking Part 2
Review
1 What does the examiner give you?
2 How long do you have to make notes?
3 Where should you write your notes?
4 How long do you talk for?

Test 1 Speaking Part 2

STRATEGIES
Making notes: spider diagrams
1 Look at this exam task and the completed spider diagram on the next
page.
CTip! Read the card carefully.
Describe your favourite TV programme. Make sure you keep to
You should say: the topic.
the name of the programme and where it is set
what kind of programme it is
what it is about
and explain why you enjoy it.

92 I Test 2 Training Speaking

2 Now look at the task about a film on page 96 and write similar notes on the
spider diagram below.

Useful language: giving a talk

1 Use your notes and record yourself talking about a film for two minutes. Use a clock.

For me, the best part was ...

It was one of the best films I've seen
because of ...
What stood out for me was ...
I particularly liked ...
Compared to other films, I felt ...

Cnp! Although it doesn't matter what order you give the information asked for, make sure that what
you say is logical.

2 Listen to what you said and think about how to improve it. Think about these questions.
Did you introduce the topic?
Did you use the correct tenses?
Did you use a range of vocabulary?
Did you connect your sentences?
Did you cover all the points on the card (not necessarily in that order)?
Did you speak clearly?

3 Look at the two follow-up questions on page 96 and think of your answers.

Speaking Test 2 Training 93

 Test 2 Exam practice Speaking

Speaking Part 1
CTip! Speak clearly. You will be marked
The examiner will ask you some questions about yourself. on your pronunciation and how
Let's talk about your studies (or your job). easy you are to understand.

Are you a full-time student at the moment?

Where do you study?
How long have you studied there?
Is it far from your home?
What job would you like to have in the future?
OR
What is your job?
How long have you been working there?
What do you enjoy about your job?
What job did you want to do when you were a child?
Do you think you will do a different job one day?

The examiner will then ask you some questions about one or two other topics, for example:

Now let's talk about food and restaurants.

Do you often eat out in restaurants, cafes and so on?

How do you choose where to go when you want to eat out?
Are fast-food restaurants such as burger bars popular in your country?
Do you ever cook for yourself, or other people?
Can you recommend a restaurant in your home town?

Speaking Part 2
Describe a film you enjoyed.
The examiner will give you a topic on a card like the one on You should say:
the right and ask you to talk about it for one to two minutes. the name of the film and where it was
Before you talk you have one minute to think about what made
you're going to say. The examiner will give you some paper what kind of film it was
and a pencil so you can make notes if you want to. what happened in the film
and explain why you enjoyed it.
The examiner may ask one or two more questions when you
have finished, for example:

Do you often go to the cinema?

Do you think watching films in English is useful?

Speaking Part 3
The examiner will ask some more general questions which follow on from the CTip! If you don't understand what
topic in Part 2. you have to talk about, the
examiner can rephrase it for
Is going to the cinema more or less popular than it used to be, do you think? you.
What are the most popular types of film among people you know?
Do you think there 's too much violence in films? CTip! The examiner will notice if you
Should there be more films made for children? try to use an answer you have
Do films influence other things- fashion, for example? learnt by heart and you will lose
Do you think the media invade the privacy of film stars or put them under too marks.
much pressure?
Do you think films will continue to be an important form of entertainment?

96 I Test 2 Exam practice Speaking