Professional Documents
Culture Documents
5
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Guy Brook-Hart and Vanessa Jakeman
CalvrBRrDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Contents
$peaking refenence B8
Wrlting reference 92
I-anguage reference 100
Wond list 108
IELTS practice test 116
Recordlng script 133
Answer key I49
Acknowledgernents L67
Contents
@
IELTS Academic Module: content and overview
LISTENING o four sections o Candidates are expected
approximately o 40 questions to listen for specific
30 minutes c a range of question types information, main ideas and
opinions.
o Section 1: a conversation on a social topic, e.g. someone making o There is a range of task types
a booking which include completion,
o Section,2: a monologue about a social topic, e.g. a radio report matching, labelling and
o Section 3: a conversation on a study-based topic, e.g. a multiple choice.
discussion between students o Each question scores 1 mark;
o Section 4: a monologue on a study-based topic, e.g. a lecture candidates receive a band
score from 1 to 9.
Students have ten minutes at the end of the test to transfer their
answers onto an answer sheet.
The recording is heard ONCE.
READING o three sections o Candidates are expected
t hour o 40 questions to read far / understand
o a range of question types specific information, main
ideas, gist and opinions.
o Section 1: a passage with 13 questions o Each section contains
c Section 2: a passage divided into paragraphs with 13 questions more than one task type.
o Section 3: a passage with 14 questions They include completion,
matching, paragraph
At least one passage contains arguments and/or views. This is headings, True / Fal se / Not
usually Section 3. Given and multiple choice.
o Each question scores 1 mark;
candidates receive a band
score from 1 to 9.
WRITING o two compulsory tasks o Candidates are expected to
t hour write a factual summary and
o Task 1: a 150-word summary of information presented in a discursive essay.
graphic or diagrammatic form c Candidates are assessed on a
o Task 2: a 250-word essay presenting an argument on a given nine-band scale for content,
topic coherence, vocabulary and
grammar.
Candidates are advised to spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40
minutes on Task 2, which is worth twice as many marks as Task 1.
Starting off l
Listening Section I
ffi
. You hear a conversation between two people on a social or
practical topic.
. ln this section only, you are given an example at the beginning.
. You write your answers on the question paper while you listen.
@ unir l
@ Work in pairs. Read Questions 1-5 in this @ n"ad Questions 6-10. Underline the key idea in
Listening task. flecide what information you will each question.
need for each gap; for example, which answers
might need nurnbers? Which might need the Questions 5-10
name of an activity?
Cltoose tlte correct letter, A, B or C.
6 According to Don, what might be a problem
for Jenny?
A her accent
B talking to her colleagues
C understanding local people
7 How many members does the club have now?
A30
850
CBO
Questions 1-5 8 How often does the club meet?
Complete ttte form below. A once a week
Write OI/E WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for eactt B once every two weeks
answer. C once a month
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Multipte choice
Eiam,,'&. iirtc0',,,',' Form completion . Befof: you listen, underline the key idea in each
. While you read the questions, think whart type of
q uestion.
information you need for each gap.
. The correct answer is often expressed using
. You will often
different words frorn the words in the question.
l:ul someone spell a name or
say a number" Make sure you know how to say
@ Work in pairs. Imagine that you want to join the
letters and numbers in English. International Social Club. Take turns to interview
. Write numbers as figures, not words. each other to complete the form in Exercise 2.
. You need to find specific information. Sometimes work, study or a sense of adventure take us out
. lt is usually easier than the other parts, so it's a of our familiar surroundings to go and live in a different
good idea to do it first. culture. The experience can be difficult, even shocking.
Almast everyone who sttidles, lives or works abroad has
{F Work in small groups. Look at the list of things
people do when they live or study in a different prnblems adjustlng to a new culture. This response is commonly
,eulturs
country. Which do you think are quite easy and referred tn as shoek'" Culture shock ean be defined as
which are more difficult? Why? 'the physica! and emotional diseomfort a person experienees
o eating different food when entering a eulture diffenent fl'om their CIwn' {Weaver, 1$93}.
o understanding people For people movinE to Australia, Price (2001) has identified
e getting to know local people
certain values which may give rise to culture shock. Firstly, he
c using public transport
o missing family and friends argues that Australians place a high value on independence
c obtaining the correct papers and personal choice. This means that a teacher or course tutor
will not tell students what to do, but will give them a number of
options and suggest they work out which one is the best in their
circumstances. lt also means that they are expected to take
action if something goes wrong and seek out resources and
support for themselves.
@ Vou are going to read a passage about culture matters, appearance and relationships are only discussed with
shock. Read the title of the passage and the close friends. While people may volunteer such information, they
subheading in italrcs" What do you think culture may resent someone actually asking them unless the friendship
shock is?
is firmly established. Even then, it is considered very impolite to
@ nead the whole passage quickly. Which ask sorneone what they earn. With older people, it is also rude
stage of culture shock seems to be the most
u nc ourfortable?
-,*, Unit 1
ffi n"ad the paragraph infuh:ax* in the passage and
say which of these statements is TR.UE, which is
toaskhowoldtheyare,whytheyarenotmarriedo.rwhytheydo FALSE and which is NOT GIVEN.
not have children. lt is also impolite to ask people how mueh they
1 Culture shock affects most people who spend
have paid fol. something, unless thene is a very good reason fcr time living in another country.
asking. 2 Culture shock affects certain types of people
Kohls (1996) describes culture shock as a process of change
more quickly than others.
marked by four basic stages. During the first stage, the new
3 Culture shock only affects how pecple feel.
arrival is excited to be in a new place, so this is often referred @ Ure the underlined words in Questions l-6 below
to as the "honeymoon" stage. Like a tourist, they are intrigued to find the relevant part of the passage. Then read
by all the new sights and sounds, new smells and tastes of their
those parts of the passage carefully to answer the
questions.
surroundings. They may have some problems, but usually they
accept them as just part of the novelty. At this polnt, it is the
similarities that stand out, and it seems to the newcomer that
Q estions l-G
people everywhere and their way of life are very much alike. This " Do the follouting statements o"gree utitlt the
:, tnformotiort giuen in tlte reading pl.ssage?
period of euphoria may last from a couple of weeks to a month,
but the letdown is inevitable. Write
During the second stage, known as the 'rejection' stage, the TRUE if the statement a-grees witlt the
Rewcomer starts to experience difficulties due to the differences tnforntatian
between the new culture and the way they were accustomed to FALSE if the statement contro"dicts the
living. The initial enthusiasm turns into irritation, frustration, anger inforrnation
and depression, and these feelings may have the effect of people NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
rejecting the new culture so that they notice only the things that
cause them trouble, which they then complain about. ln addition, Australian teachers will suggest alternatives
to students rather than offer one solution.
they may feel homesick, bored, withdrawn and irritable during this
penod as well.
In Australia, teachers will show interest in
students' personal circumstances.
Fortunately, most people gradually learn to adapt to the new
Australians use people's first names so that
culture and rnove on to the third stage, l<nown as 'adjustrnent everyone feels their status is similar.
and reorientation'. During this stage a transition occurs to a new
Students who study all the time may receive
optimistic attitude, As the newcomer begins to understand more positive comments from their colleagues.
of the new culture, they are able to interpret some of the subtle
It is acceptable to discuss financial issues
cultural clues which passed by unnoticed earlier. Now things with people you do not know well.
make more sense and the culture seems more familiar. As a Younger Australians tend to be friendlier than
result, they begin to develop problem-solving skills, and feelings ol&r Australians.
of disorientation and anxiety no longer affect them.
WmaffibesHmry
Questions 7-I3
Nr*fuf wffi'? ffir {s'm{sfuf w? ffi{fmcf m r mff**t?
Cornplete the toble belout.
@ mrrs candidates often confuse pro blem/trouble
Cltoose NO NIORE THAN TWO WORDS
and affect/effect Read these extracts from the
from the po.ssl-ge for each snswer. carnbridge Aduanced Learner's Dictionary (1ALD)
and the cambridge Learner's Dictton&ry (cLD).
Tffiffi $TAffiFS $F ffiULTIJRH $hfrOCK Then circle the correct word in sentences 7-4.
They learn 12 for Use the noun effeet to taik about ihe change, reaction or result caused
by sornething
dealing with Cifficulties.
Global warming is one of the etffects of pollutian,
13 They enjoy some of the
customs that annoyed them I They may have ro-.@*167rF}r / troubles, but
before. usually they accept them.
2 They notice only the things that cause them a
problern / trouble.
@ Now read the relevant sections of the passage and 3 Feelings of disorientation and anxiety no longer
answer Questions Z-lj. affect / effecf them.
4 These feelings may have the offect / effect of
@ Work in small groups. people rejecting the new culture.
a Have you ever lived or travelled abroad? If so,
how did you feel about the different culture? Did W@ Five of these sentences contain a mistake made
you suffer from culture shock to start with? by IETTS candidates. Find and correct the rnistakes.
3 How is your culture similar to or different from 1 Many students' studies are ffi by difficulties
Australian culture as described in the passage? with language. at{e*ted
2 Overseas students have accommodation problems.
3 Modern lifestyles have an affect on our health.
4 Other countries effect our customs.
5 Immigrants have an affect on the local economy.
6 Most children can deal with their own troubles.
@ Unit l
ffipffiffikffimg WmwW K @ Work in pairs. Which of these staternents are
7-
good things to do in Speaking Part l? Tick ({)
Exam informotion the boxes.
' The examiner asks you about yourself, your I Answer each question as briefly as
horne, work, studies and other topics. possible in two or three words I
" This part lasts between four and five minutes. 2 Give reasons for your answers tr
3 Cffer extra details I
ffi d& Listen to four IEI,TS eandidates - Svetlan&, 4 Sound interested in what you are saying I
Huano Reva and Mateu sz, - eackn answering one of 5 Repeat the exact words of the question. I
the questions below. Which question does each 6 Speak clearly sc that the examiner can
candidate answer? hear you easily I
ffi trt} Listen to the four candidates again. Which of
the things in Exercise 2 do they all do?
*
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unit l
@
1 What is the greatest problern for 18-34-year-
@ you will get higher rnarks in the exam if you
olds? How many of them experience this use your own words, not the words in the
problem? How does this compare with the other Writing task.
age groups?
2 What is most probiematic for people in the oldest 1 What wcrds does the writer use in the sample
age group? How does this compare with the answer for these words?
youngest age group? a problems di{*isu{fies
3 What thing does the oldest age group have the b go to live
least Cifficulty with? How does this compare c other countries
with the other age groups? 2 What other information does the writer add in
the introductory paragraph?
@ n*ad the sample answer below to the Writing task.
I Which paragraphs answer questions 1-3 in ffi @IELTS candidates often make mistakes when
Exercise 5? they use percenf and percentage. Look at the two
2 What is the purpose of the last paragraph? underlined sentences in the sample answer in
Exercise 6.
Which word - percent or percento"ge - is used
The charf shows fhe difficulfies people have when
after a number?
they nnove fo a new counfry and how the problems vary
Which word is not used with the exact number
according fo people s ages.
given?
The greafesf problem for young people aged 18 to s+ is 3 Do we use a before percent?
forming fniendships, a problem experienced by +a percent 4 Which word do we use before percento"ge?
of fhe people in this age group. However, only 3b peycent 5 Can we make percent plural?
of ss- to s+-year-olds find if hard fo make friends, while
even fewer people over 55 (23 percenf) have this problem. @ @ Each of these sentences contains a mistake
made by IELTS candidates. Find and correct
Fifty-four percenf of the older age group find learning
the mistakes.
fo speak the local language fhe rnost problematic. ln
comparison, fhe youngest age group finds this easier, and
I The graph shows the increase in the percent of
people who used rail transport between 1976
fhe percentage who have problems learnlng the language
and 1999. flereestfnrye
is much lower, af z? percent
2 The graph shows th*e percentage of people with
ln confrasf fo fheir language-learning difficulfies, only zz a criminal record according to their age and
percenf of people in fhe oldesf age group have frouble percentage of people in prison according to their
finding accornmodafion. Howeyer, this is fhe second most gender.
significanf problem for fhe ofher f,wo age groups with 3? to By 1995, the numbers had fallen to a two
40 percent of the people in each group finding if hard. percent.
In 2004, the number rose to approximately 58
tn general, all age groups experience fhe same problems
p ercents.
fo some exfent butfhe percenfage of slder people who
It is surprising that percentage of people
find language learning difficulf is much higher than the
watching television remained the same.
ofhers. () On the other hand, socialising with friends rose
sharply to 25 percentage in comparison with
1981.
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. Cltort summary
. Write a short introductory paragraph saying
what the chart shows"
' Compare the important information.
. Include figures from the chart !n your summary.
. Don't suggest reasons for the data which are
not inctuOlO in the information you are given.
Starting somewhere
@ Work in pairs. Look at the Writing task below. :# $|$ ffiffi
1 What does the chart show? #* rfi #d* *d#.ffi$,
2 What information would you put in your
introductory sentence? @,nnatch the::rules for making
, witn'the exarnples from the
3 What is the biggest problem for the middle age
group? What percentage of them experience this """nff# il #ffifi ,".-''
-'i'i,tu .,',f t'
problem? How does this compare with the other *litiliigcffiIlil i'',i
f,,' E
age groups? l
Which age group seems to have the most E'. ffid,.ffibresr u
problems related to money? How does this
compare with the other age groups?
$',,,ffi. ffib$f ''' t o,b.t;8ffiftf|iE
. il
Which group has the most problems finding a lotT ;.omperati#$'$f
adi.eer e$ ffi,irh dil€ syll te
school for their children? And which has the by addlng -er.
least? Form superlatives of adjectives with one syllable
6 In general, which group has to deal with the by adding the -est.
most problems? Formcomparisonsandsuperlativesofadjectives
with two syllables ending in -y by changing y Io i
and adding -er and -est.
The chart below shows iruformstion o.bout tlrc
Form comparisons and superlatives of adjectives
problems people have when they go to live in
with more than one syllable by addin g more and
other countries.
the most.
Summarise the information- by selectirug and
ffi pffiff# I ffiffi fWaking cfrft]pffiils#/?s
reporting the mai.n features, and, make
comparlsorus wlrere retevsnt.
€ Complete these sentences by putting the adjective
trntegration problems for people living abroad (o/r) in brackets into the correct form.
40
Learning the language is the *zuqst iw1grtn*tt
(important) thing for people going to live in a
new country.
Many people find making friends
(hard) than findin g a job.
Local people are often (friendly) than
you expect.
If the climate is (worm) or
(iotd) than at horne, it afiects the way people
feel about their new country.
5
making friends than younger people.