116 IELTS LAYOUTS

Part 1

By:
IELTSTEP
116 IELTS LAYOUTS 1
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 Part 1- Introduction & Interview
[This part of the test begins with the examiner introducing himself or herself and checking the
candidate’s identification. It then continues as an interview. In the interview, the examiner asks the
candidate about his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics….]

Topic: Place where you live

Q. Good afternoon. My name is Kristina Pollock. Could I have your name, please?
Answer: Good afternoon Madam. My name is Joseph Mark and my nickname is Mark. So you can call me
"Mark".

Q. And your candidate number is...

Answer: My candidate number is BR547.

Q. Thank you. Now could you tell me a little about yourself and where you live?
Answer: Well, I'm Joseph Mark and I live at ... in the ... district. My father's name is... and he is a government
service holder. My mother's name is... and she is basically a housewife but sometimes she works at our shop;
we have a small gift shop that we have been owning for the last ten years. I'm 26 and I've finished my
graduation from the ... University. My major in university was Mathematics. I've got 2 brothers and a younger
sister. I'm doing a part-time job at a local school. I'm planning to complete my M.Sc. from a reputed university
in the UK. My future plan is to teach in a college. I spend my leisure time mostly by browsing the internet and
reading books. Sometimes I hang out with my friends on the lakeshore. I am maintaining a personal blog and
there I try to add a post every week. This is basically a technology and mathematics related blog.
The place where I live is really charming and I love to live there as this is one of the best neighborhoods in our
town.

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 Q. What are some of the nicest things about where you live?
Answer: The town where I live in is a calm place and is very neat and clean. You will find it naturally beautiful
and the majestic lakes, gardens, fountain, river, hill and the songs of birds will take your heart away. Whenever
my friends from other cities come to visit my area, they become awestricken! Our area is indeed a stunning
place to live in.
On top of that, people are very nice and friendly and you would be very gratified with their charming behaviors
if you ever visit there. The area is free of pollution as it is not an industrial area and the fresh air would give a
soothing feeling. The traffic on the road is good most of the time and you won't have to worry about public
transportation as they are available around the clock. This area is famous for many historical sites and
monuments like (...say some names here...) and many tourists come to visit here every year.
Finally, there are many fabulous restaurants there and you can pick one of your delicious menus from there
and I am sure you will never forget the taste! The crime rate is pretty low and as a small town, we know each
other very well. I am sure if you visit our area, you will simply love it.

Q. What would be the best way for me to get there?

Answer: If you have a private car with you, you can drive along the roads for about an hour and reach my
town. Alternatively, you can take a public bus or hire a car and reach there. The rent for public transportation
is fixed and you do not need to pay any extra charge.

Q. Should I go there at any special time of year?

Answer: Most of the tourists visit our town during the summer season and I would recommend you to do so
as well. There are lots of activities you can do during this time and I'm sure you will find the area most beautiful
then.
[Examiner: I see, this has all been very interesting.]

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 Part 2- Cue Card/Candidate Task Card

Topic:
 Describe a problem that affects the environment in the area where you live.
 You should say:
 what the problem is
 what causes it
 what people feel about the problem

and explain what you think could be done to solve it.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you
are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
[Examiner: All right? Remember you have one to two minutes for this, so don't worry if I stop you. I'll tell you
when the time is up. Can you start speaking now, please?]

Model Answer 1:
The environmental problem is a very big issue in today’s world. In fact, there is hardly any country or city in
this world which did not have to deal with this problem or is not still struggling with it. So, naturally, the place,
where I live, is not immune from environmental problems either. However, the environmental problem, my
city is facing can be considered a bit different from other places.
To give some details, the environmental problem, that my area is facing today, is deforestation. But I bet that
the majority of the people, where I live, didn’t even know before 10 years that such a problem could actually
exist! But they came to a rude awakening when they found out to their utmost shock that more than 50 per
cent of the trees, which once provided them shed and clean air on a hot summer day, had just vanished.
Of course, the culprit to blame for such deforestation can squarely fall upon the urbanization efforts of our
local city government, which is trying to construct more and more new buildings for commercial purposes.
Some new buildings are also being erected in order to accommodate the rising population who are moving
into our city for a better life and better employment opportunities. Then also, the trees on both sides of the
roads, which were planted a long time ago as a part of the “city beautification effort”, are gone to make the

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 roads even wider. So, in essence, people like me feel that it is an all-out attack on our city ecosystem, which
was saving it for a long time, in the name of urbanization and modernization.
I believe, in order to stop this environmental problem or deforestation, the local city government must take a
comprehensive plan to plant more trees in a ring that surrounds our entire city. Besides, city dwellers should
also be encouraged or even be given incentives to plant any kind of trees on whatever empty space they have
in their front yard or back yard. Finally, people can also plant different kinds of trees on their rooftops to
increase the number of living trees in their city.

Model Answer 2:
Many problems negatively affect the environment in our area, but the density of population, in my opinion, is
the most severe one. While in many countries, less than 100 people live in one square kilometer, we have got
more than a thousand people living per square kilometer. This is a huge problem both for the environment
and the living standard.
About the problems it creates, traffic congestion has become a common scenario on roads and it kills people's
valuable time each day besides causing sound and air pollutions. Secondly, the crime rate is rising at an
alarming rate. Furthermore, several unplanned and risky constructions have been established, and as a
consequence, the environment is getting polluted and seems like no one cares!
Many reasons have contributed to the outburst of this large population in the city where I live. The most
influential reason is the consolidation of the industries and businesses in this city. Most of the factories, offices,
universities, hospitals, and facilities of our country are located in this city and people from all parts of the
country come here to find a career or better life. The political reason not to take strict measures to
decentralize the city is fueling it up.
People already feel the heat of this uncontrolled population rise. We all suffer from the problems it creates,
and often talk about it. But I have not seen any real planning or effective actions to solve this problem yet.
Unfortunately, the political leaders who could take initiatives to lessen the problem are busy with their
political agenda more than public interests.
To solve it, I believe, decentralization should be in place. Industries, offices and factories that can be moved
outside the city should be relocated promptly. Also, local government can be empowered to support and
improve rural areas and invest in the development projects in their areas. People naturally want to live in a
place where they can find a job and get the necessary amenities. If that can be ensured throughout the country,
this problem can be reduced to a great extent and city environments would become less polluted and more
loveable again.

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 Part 3
Topic: National problems
Q. Tell me, what do you think are the greatest problems your country is facing at present?
Answer: Slow economic development, political instability, unemployment and healthcare are the major issues
most of the people in my country are really tired of. In my opinion, these are the most burning issues and the
greatest problems we have in our country.

Q. Do you think things are likely to get better or worse in the future?
Answer: We hope that the problem we have in our country would be resolved within the next few years. The
government and other organizations are working hard to address these issues and we are noticing some signs
of progress. So, we can definitely be positive and wait for the glorious days when we won’t have any of those
issues. This was an optimistic idea and I have positive impressions about my country. But the greatest obstacle
is the hunger for power and our political leaders often create haphazard situations for the sake of power and
money. This is the single worst reason that can degrade the situation in the future if the mentality does not
change.

Q. And what has been done so far to solve these problems?

Answer: The government has taken many initiatives for the economic growth of our country. According to the
statistics, we are indeed progressing. But I am not convinced by the statistics only. I want to see the result,
and I want to feel it around me. The political instability seems like consuming most of our good wills and
energy. While major political parties should have worked together to help improve our economic conditions,
sometimes their actions give me a real doubt whether they are the type of leaders we need for our country!
On the positive sides, the government has emphasized on the ICT sector, made the export process easier for
businesses, established many training institutes to enhance the skill of the rural people and those are all
hopeful signs. Someday definitely we will see the real progresses that we want. Education, skill development,
foreign investment, job security etc. are also important areas where the government has invested a lot of
money. The aim of this investment is to create a skilled and educated generation who would lead the economy
and the country. 'Healthcare and treatment' is still an expensive area for the mass people and the
government’s initiatives for the establishment of new hospitals, enrolling more doctors and nurses are in
reality very little compared to the actual need.

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 Topics: Solving problems

Q. How successful would you say these measures have been?

Answer: These measures are successful to some extent but if I present those in figures and numbers, it would
be only a few percentages of the actual progress we expect. For instance, more than three thousand new
hospitals are required right now throughout the country whereas only 45 hospitals have been established in
the last three years.

Q. Is what you are going to study likely to be of any use to solve these problems?
Answer: I am going to finish my graduation in computer science major, and I am very positive that it would
directly or indirectly help eradicate unemployment of many people, contribute to our economic progress - no
matter how tiny it might seem, and help me contribute to the overall progress of our community and country
from a broader perspective. After finishing my education, I will establish a small software company and
hopefully one day it would grow to be a large company where hundreds of employees would work. The ICT
sector also helps earn foreign remittance for a country and I would also contribute to building some quality
software for our local market.

Q. Should countries try to solve the climate change problems together or individually? Why?
Answer: I believe climate change and its negative consequences are global issues and therefore the whole
world should work together to solve it. It is true that some parts of the world are facing more problems due
to global warming and other climate changes, but if the world-leaders fail to work together, the entire world
will suffer unforeseeable consequences. Rich nations contribute more to degrade nature and have more
responsibility and power to bring the nations together to a common platform - to make the world inhabitable
for us and for our future generations.
[Thank you very much. It's been pleasant talking to you. I wish you success in your study program. Goodbye.]

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