Writing

Recent Exam Questions
Please share your recent exam questions here.

Writing and speaking questions are more useful Don't worry about listening and reading
It might help other students if you put the country and city. Thanks for sharing!
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You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post. yesterday my speaking exam was (((Melbourne-Australia)) - in part 1: about my name & where is my home town & describe your home town & using email instead of hand writing -part 2: describe place u visited with a lot of noise: why u went there - with who - when -do u liked it - part 3: about noise pollution & solve this issue
Posted by: Mona | Sunday, February 06, 2011 at 09:20
On 22/01/11 Australia I got speaking topic..... Part 1. Name, What yo doing?, More questions on my qualification....like why u like it? What will future scope? How important for you this course? Part 2: Describe a latest news you watched... What was the news? Who involved? What happened and why it was interesting for you? Part 3: About media and technology...
Posted by: Jay | Monday, February 07, 2011 at 07:06
My Speaking Test on Monday 7/02/11 (Melbourne, Australia) Part1. -Introducing and telling my hometown? -what do you like to do in your free time? -How does your free time important to you and will it change in the future?
-Do you like dancing? -What and where was your last time to dance? Part2; -Describe one of Practical Skill that you learned (ex: cooking, driving). - How was it? - How difficult it was? - Why and where you toke it? Part3; -Do you think Practical Skill is important? Why? -What do you think about learning a Practical skill without a teacher? -What are the differences of learning skill now a day and the past? -What you do think about Skill and Fact? -Does skill necessary for working place? -Who should response for the fee to learning a skill? Employer or Employee? - And some more questions related to skill which i can't remember... Cheers...
Posted by: huecam | Tuesday, February 08, 2011 at 09:04
Thanks every body for sharing your questions. Please, could you share us the writing task? :) Cheers
Posted by: Sara | Friday, February 11, 2011 at 06:18
task 2 It has been said that an individual behaviour in anti-social way, such as commiting a crime, society in general is to blame. What causes anti-social behaviour? Who shoud be resposnsibile to deal with it? AUSTRALIA
Posted by: saeed | Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 08:50
I just came back from my IELTS exam. The speaking and writing topics were: SPEAKING PART 1 - Introduce yourself. - What do you do? Are you a student?
- Which sports you used to play when you were a kid? - There is any distinction between sports for boys and girls in your country? PART 2 - Describe a television quiz show that you would like to participate. - What's the name? - How would you prepare yourself for that? - Are those quiz shows famous in your country? PART 3 - Are you a competitive person? - Do you find competition in your work? - What do you think about being a competitive person? Pros and Cons? - Do you think that to be competitive is part of the human being? WRITING TASK 2 -To rise standards of living in a country can cause problems in cities and rural areas. Talk about those problems and sugget solutions. ( Simon, I wasn't sure about what should I write on that, I followed your advice and I structured my text with an introduction, a paragraph about the problem, a paragraph with solutions and a conclusion. Everything was so fast, that i didn't have time to check. I'm not sure if the problem I gave is a real problem, hahha.. I would like to see you answer this one if it's possible.) Thanks for all your help, and good luck for everyone. Ps- Just something that I found out while doing the exam. As I'm use to writing my essays in the computer, I had a hard time writing it on paper. Believe me, I should have practice that before because everything is so fast that you don't have time to make any mistakes. I hope this helps!
Posted by: Gi | Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 21:02
SPEAKING task 2 examiner: let's talk about museums do you like to go to museums? when did you go to a museum last time? tell about it. (by the way, this particular question i had been ask twice - in different exams) task 3 Noise. Discribe the noisiest place that you have ever been to or experienced. Do you think there should be laws to control law? Then I have been asked about noise pollution.
another exam task 3: Legislation Introduce the new law for a existing appropriate problem that a country or a place need (something like this)Then my discussion went to laws, lawers and so on....
Posted by: Elena | Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 01:26
WRITING TASK 2 Tourism develops the country but it can also cause harm. How does the country ensure that tourism benefits its development.
Posted by: Elena | Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 01:32
Ielts 12 of feb 2011 Writing topics (Not exact words but) Task 1 : You have purchased a expensive item from a shop recently.You have found the item damaged when unpacked the delivery. Write a letter to the manager of shop, in your letter you have to mention 1. what was the item 2. What was the damaged 3. what actions do you expect from the manager of shop Task 2: Most people these days believes,that, travelling abroad is a great experience for younger generation. But others think, it is a waste of time and money. Discuss the opinions and mention your point of view with suitabel example.
Posted by: QAOPS | Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 05:48
12.02.11 Kazakhstan, Atyrau Writing Task 1 was about change in island.Before there was not almost nothing, after there so many touristic buildings.Describe changes in island. Task 2: About advantages and disadvantages of working outside home Comment: Task 1: i was surprised when saw it such task, because i haven't prepared to this kind of task enough. And there is no direction south,etc. I did it in 25 min Task 2: it was normal task,quite easy.But some of my friends thought about working outside the country.at first,i thought so however then i understood.Be careful and be ready for every kind of TASK!
Posted by: Azamat | Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 07:37
exam date June 2010 Azerbaijan , Baku SPEAKING: APPROXIMATELY PART 1 ARE YOU STUDYING OR WORKING ? HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU FIRST GO TO UNIVERSITY ? WHO DOES COOK IN YOUR HOME ? DO YOU THINK TAHT YOU WILL COOK IN THE FUTURE ? :)) PART 2 WHAT IS THE THING THAT YOU HAVE BOUGHT BUT HAVE NOT USED ? HOW YOU BOUGHT IT ? FROM WHOM YOU BOUGHT IT ? WHY YOU DIDN'T USE IT ? PART 3 CAN YOU SAY SEVERAL THINGS THAT CAN BE RECYCLED ? ACTUALLY I WASN'T SURE MYSHELT TAHT I WILL ABLE TO SPEAK . BUT I GOT 6.5 FROM THIS SPEAKING PART WRITING SIMPLE PAY CHART DESCIBING PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS IN FOUR COUNTRIES IN FOUR PAY CHART SECOND PART IS THAT WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE TO CHILDREN' LEARING DIFFERENT LANGUAGES IN THEIR EARLY AGES ? I GOT 6 FROM WRITING
Posted by: Tabriz | Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 15:24
Hi Gi, Have a look at the lesson below. It's similar to your topic about city problems. http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2010/11/ielts-writing-task-2-cityproblems.html Simon
Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 16:53
Dear Simon, I think I sat for the same exam as Elena's and our Writing Task 2 is rather ambiguous, don't you think? The question: "Tourism develops the country but it can also cause harm. How does the country ensure that tourism benefits its development". Many candidates said that the instruction is not direct. Should we discuss how tourism benefits development? Should we discuss the possible harm and suggest measures? Your opinion is appreciated, Simon.
Writing Task 1: 4 pie charts that compare the distribution of water use across 3 sectors; Agriculture, Industry and Domestic for 4 countries; Egypt, Saudi Arabia, NZ and Canada. The listening went really fast and it was quite difficult because some answers were mentioned when you are still writing the previous one. The reading is also quite lengthy and the choices for NOT GIVEN and NO can be confusing at times. The speaking part was rather long but very friendly 1. How do you organise your time? 2. What tools do you use to help you organise? 3. When was the last time you give a friend or a family member a gift? 4. Do you think it is easy to find a gift for friends and families? 5. What kind of gift you would like to have? 6. Describe a place near river/lake/sea that you visited when you were a child. Where is the place? Who did you go there with? What did you do there? Why you like/dislike the place? 7. Would you like to go there again? 8. What do you think are the functions of rivers nowadays? 9. What do you think of boats and ships as transportation? 10. Why people live near river/lake or sea?
Posted by: Nazri | Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 00:54
Yes, the same. I suprised many people here are from Melbourne, Australia...)
Posted by: Elena | Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 01:19
Hi Nazri and Elena, I agree that the task 2 question seems to be written in an unusual way. Personally, (for the main body of the essay) I'd write a paragraph about the potential harm that tourism could cause. Then I'd write another paragraph about how the negatives can be avoided and/or how countries can make sure they benefit from tourism. Hope this helps
Posted by: Simon | Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 11:15
Hi. I wanna shre exam questions which I've taken on 17th of february (Azerbaijan, Baku) Reading: -Tatoos in micronesia -hot summer in 2003 - asian technology (satallites)
Writing : chart describing, materials used for packaging in 3 different areas (USA,Japan, Europe) task 2: Some people think that government should provide care and financial support for people who retired while other believe that it's responsibility of each person. discuss both options and state your own opinion
Posted by: Elmin | Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 12:43
Some people believe that creative arts like painting and music, should have financial suport from the goverment. other argues that creative arts should get financial support from other sources. discuss both views and state your opinion.
Posted by: aguino | Friday, February 18, 2011 at 10:03
IELTS test on 14/03/1432 "yesterday" in Riyadh Writing task 1: It is a chart about the consumption of three materials (aluminum, plastic, glass, ?) in USA, Japan and EU in 2002. Task 2: Some people believe that a government's responsibility should provide care and financial support for people after they retire. Other said that people should help themselves. Do you agree or disagree, and what is your opinion? Speaking: Part 1: What is your home town? What is your city famous for? Do you meet new people? Did you study a history of your home town when you were a child and why? Part 2: Describe something naughty you did when you were a child. What is it? Why you do that? I'm not sure but I think tell a story about it? Why do you remember this? Part 3: Generally, it is about children and parents ( behavior, bad behavior of children now and in the past" compare, how parent can displine there children, should children do what parent say,. Hi Simon, could you please do a lesson about how we can aske questions, as I am srtugle with that somtimes. Thanks,
Hi Sara The good news is that you don't have to ask questions in any part of the IELTS test!
Posted by: Simon | Friday, February 18, 2011 at 12:50
:) I konw, but I need to learn how to do a good question without any gramtical mistake, for dail coounication. Cheers
Hi Sara, Yes, that's true, but I'm afraid that 'question practice' is outside the scope of this website. You really need to find a "general English" website or teacher to help with that kind of thing.
Hi all, My IELTS test was as follow: Writing task 1 A figure showing 5 materials used in Japan, Europe and USA for packaging. Writing task 2 To discuss and give our personal opinion about governments' responsability to care and to financially support people after the retiring age, or if people should save while working. Speaking p1 general questions about me and my town, and what was my town famous for. Speaking p2 to describe an ability that I was good at: what ability, where did I learn it,...(can't remember,sorry) Speaking p3 how can a teacher help a student that does not have particular abilities. What is the big influence for a child to develop a certain ability. Do you think is easy for adults to learn. This is what I remember from my test at Portugal. This was a backup test as i wasn't so
confident to achieve a good result in my previous test. In my opinion, the test was similar to my first test, and fairly easy. I have to admit that this website was an excelent medium to achieve the results I wanted, L-6.5 R-6.5 W-6.5 S-8.5, overall 7 enough to apply to almost any university for my masters degree. Thanks Simon, I hope people find this contribution useful, as I found your website very valuably to study. good luck for everyone, never give up.
Posted by: Telmo Costa | Friday, February 18, 2011 at 23:42
IELTS (Acadamic) HCMC, Vietnam 19 FEB Writing task 1: line graph with 3 line about CD seeling Writing task 2: some people believe that women should play an equal role to men in contry's police force or millitary force, such as army. Others don't believe so. Discuss two ieads and what is your opinion
Posted by: Kim | Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 08:52
19-20/02/2011 Japan Hello Simon, your blogs really helped. I thank for it by posting these Qs. Writing tasks were exactly same as above(in Vietnum.) Speaking: part1:About my home town -Describe it -Have you learned the historical aspect of your town? -On what your town is famous for? About dancing(!); -Where did you see many people were dancing last time? -Have you ever learned dancing? part2:Describe outdoor activites you like -What it is -Where you do it -How often you do it part3: -What are the popular outdoor activities in your country?
-Which do you think the outdoor activities more popular, in the younger generation or the older generation? -How is the outdoor environment changing? I could have some ideas about the dancing topic thanks for the blog. Cheers for everyone, K
Posted by: K | Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 04:29
Thanks for sharing guys. I'm glad the blog was useful for some of your questions. Simon
Posted by: Simon | Monday, February 21, 2011 at 10:46
Hi every one, Is there any body take the exame today? Thanks in advance,
Posted by: Sara | Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 16:57
Hi Simon! Thank you for all! I got band which i wanted. I used some of your phrases and got 6 in writing(i expected 5.5 or even 5) Regards from Kazakhstan Azamat
Posted by: Azamat | Friday, February 25, 2011 at 16:25
Hey are there anybody who takes exam on 10th march ?

Posted by: simona | Friday, February 25, 2011 at 17:12
Well done Azamat. I'm glad my phrases helped!

Hi all, I took the exam today in Australia. Here is a synopsis: Writing: Task 1 We were shown two plans of a location called Mendow where some changes have taken place for building an international sports centre. The first diagram showed what the place looked like in the year 2000 and the second picture depicted what it looks like now. It also had some future plans listed to be completed in 2015. The task was to compare the two and list any significant changes that have taken place. Task 2
Countries should produce all the food that is required to feed its population and import as little as possible. Discuss this statement showing whether you agree or disagree with it. Speaking Module: Tell me about your hometown? When in school did you study much historical information about your hometown? My cue card question was: Talk about a place where you usually like to eat lunch. Speak about 1. What the place looks like? 2. Who do you generally eat with? 3. What kind of food is served there? What do you think a restaurant can do to market itself? Would you recommend this place (the place I talked about in the cue card question) to me? Why? How do you think kids can be educated about eating healthy? Do you think food cooked at home is healthier than the food we eat outside? Why? What kind of food is considered healthy in your country? These were the questions but not necessarily in this order. The examiner was very friendly and even had a chat with me after he turned the recorder off :p haha Will update you all about my results. Good luck!
Posted by: Priya | Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 10:39
IELTS Academic Exam on 26th Feb'2011 (UK) 1.Listening section 1:Library information Section 2:Museum tour Section 3:student teacher about assignment section 4:Oak land Farmland scientific research 2.Reading: 1.origin of fruits and vegetables 2.Tidal Power 3.Collapsing Society 3.Writing: Task 1: graph shows the average working hours of workers in the year 1998-2004.and table show the number of paid holiday in the same period of time Task 2: Quality of life in big cities is becoming worse.Give the cause and measure that you think should take to solve it.
Speaking: Part 1: 1.why do I choose my subject of study? 2.how my country will get benefit from it? 3.How many Language I know? How and when was I 1st started to learn in english? 4.How ofetn I practiced english? 5.how do I spend my day time?which part I like?why? 6. What The thing I dont like in my daily activities? Part 2 : Cue Card: Favourite Friend: When meet?why she/he favourite? How do you communicate with him?How she influenced me? Part 3: 1.What quality one friend must have? 2.Is it hard to make friend ship? 3.How people can become friend?is age can be a barrier?why?
Posted by: shameen | Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 21:19
Hi Guys I took the exam yesterday in Sydney, Australia. Writing Task 1 You found a small bag which contains name and address of the bag owner. Write letter to he/she in the letter - Describe where you found the bag - What is in the bag - How do you return the bag Writing Task 2 The modern invention brings many disadvantage to society, do you agree or disagree? Speaking test, I did it very bad, because it asked me about environment in the part 2. The question asked me like what you should do to protect our environment . I have no idea about environment but I just realize after I finished the speaking test that why why why why why why I dont talk about recycling. I am so dumb. Part 3, still asked me about wildlife environment but regarding wildlife. The question was about wildlife in my country and Australia and many questions about environment. Thats it. Game over..
Posted by: Ann | Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 21:33
Hi dear friends,
I just came back from the test center in Canada, it was not that tough for me. The listening was a bit hard, mostly in the second part that she was explaining on the map and third part that was multi choice which was tricky. The writing was about the importance of history and different argument on if it is important. the first writing was a bar chart about the amount of money that 5 different countries spent on health via public or private sectors. speaking is different for every person...for example, my test was different from the next person that went to the same room. My topics was about my profession and how important is to love your career and why .... and the second part about one of my close friends and how we started our relationship and .... the third part was about friendship and different questions on technology effects on relationships.... finding friends via internet, playing game via internet..... Unfortunately, they asked about OCEANIC SCIENCE from one of my friends in second part which she didn't know anything about it and she became embarrassed. Thank you very much Simon...your website is really useful and I learnt so much from it.I couldn't find such a huge useful information in any book.The information on the website helped me to be so confident. It is really appreciated. Good Luck every one
Posted by: Shirin | Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 21:52
Thanks for sharing guys.

Posted by: Simon | Monday, February 28, 2011 at 11:27
Hi, please, if anyone took the IELTS exame on 26/02/11,could you write the speaking questions? Cheers
Posted by: Sara | Monday, February 28, 2011 at 20:50
VIET NAM, Feb 26th 2011 Part 1: Where is your hometown? Have you learned about the history of your hometown at schools? How often do you write letters or email? What is your daily routine? Do you want to change your daily routine? What is your favorite time of a day?
What is the time when you work best? Part 2: Describe a job which you want to try. - what this job is - where you can do this job - what skills which you have to learn - why you want to try this job Part 3 What do you think about the relationships between colleagues at work? Do schools and universities train their students well with skills for their jobs in your country? What are the skills that universities or schools train for their students in your country? Do you think whether students should go to universities or work immediately after leaving schools?
Posted by: CAPTAIN BEAR | Tuesday, March 01, 2011 at 03:15
Dear Simon, I will be taking IELTS at British Councill of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 19 March 2011. I am considered myself as ZERO and i will working hard by doing alot of self-study via net. Anyone can join me as a group communication study at 012.616.9380 or my email ianketam at hot M and just com. I am so nervous. cheers, Rustam Affendi Abu Rahim
Posted by: Rustam Affendi Abu Rahim | Thursday, March 03, 2011 at 18:04
I'm taking it on this Saturday, in Kiev,so nervous too.=/

Posted by: Veronika | Thursday, March 03, 2011 at 18:49
hey ...anybody got exam tomorrow? i have exam tomorrow in nepal

Posted by: rajan | Friday, March 04, 2011 at 02:30
hey I have exam next week in NORWAY if somebody would like to have a study partner U are welcome to find me on Skyp by name Anakarde1 Or email me kodel89@inbox.lt we could have chat for practising and share reading texts
Posted by: simona | Friday, March 04, 2011 at 12:23
Hi Sarah, I took the exam on 26th, you can find my topic in this page. Go back for 8-9 comments. Good Luck
Posted by: Shirin | Friday, March 04, 2011 at 16:24
Hi Simon, Just had my IELTS test(academic)today.For writing task 1,there were three pie charts (Chile,Argentina and Mexico).The pie charts show how these 3 countries distribute their exports in different regions in 2004.Summarize the diagram and compare when necessary. For task 2,it's about mobile phones and internet.How can this technology be useful to the elderly? What are the suggestions that you can give to encourage the elderly to use this technology. For the speaking part,i was asked with the following questions: *do you find it difficult to buy a gift for your friends or loved ones? *talk about a small business that you know *Talk about business development *How important is teamwork in a business.
Posted by: rose | Saturday, March 05, 2011 at 16:40
hey , i had my ielts exam yesterday...my writing questions were the same as the rose ... For writing task 1,there were three pie charts (Chile,Argentina and Mexico).The pie charts show how these 3 countries distribute their exports in different regions in 2004.Summarize the diagram and compare when necessary. For task 2,it's about mobile phones and internet.How can this technology be useful to the old people? What are the suggestions that you can give to encourage the old people to use this technology. my speaking exam is on 9th march...
Posted by: rajan | Sunday, March 06, 2011 at 04:05
the same was in Kiev as in Rajan's and Rose's posts monologue was the followingyour last visit-tour relative or friend. whom? when? what where you doing?
Posted by: Veronika | Sunday, March 06, 2011 at 07:59
Hi, Simom. I just read the speaking question of Rose. In her speaking test, she has a question about the Business Development. What is that excatly? Because I am not a big fan of business. What should I do if I get that kind of question? Thank you
Posted by: georginacheung | Sunday, March 06, 2011 at 21:07
Hi Georgina, It's difficult because "talk about business development" would not be the full question it's just the topic area. Maybe the full question was something like: "How do you think a business can develop successfully?" Just talk about using good advertising, making good products or serving customers really well. Give examples of good businesses that have grown because they do these things well. Hope this helps
Posted by: Simon | Sunday, March 06, 2011 at 21:19
Hey Simon, I get it. Thank you for replying.

Posted by: Georgina | Monday, March 07, 2011 at 11:16
No problem.
Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, March 08, 2011 at 15:53
IELTS Speaking test in the UK February 2011 Interview - What is your name? - What can I call you? - Tell me about your home town. - What do you think it is famous for? - Where did you learn about the history of your hometown? - Do you like your home town and why? Cue Card Describe a job that you would like to do. Please say: - What kind of job it is? - Where would you like to do it? - How would you like to do it? Discussion - Do you like sports? - What kind of sports have you played as a child? - Do girls and boys play the same sports in your country? - What are the ways to search for job? - What is the most efficient way in you view? - What are the challenges that one is facing while searching for a job?
- Why is it becoming difficult to find a job these days? - Do you watch movies? - What kind of movies do you like? - Do you prefer to watch a movie at home or in the cinema?
Posted by: Kamran | Tuesday, March 08, 2011 at 19:17
IELTS Speaking test in Nepal 9th March 2011 Interview - What is your name? - Tell me about your home town.Is it small or big? - Do you like your home town and why? - Do u like to do household works?? is it important to do?? why do u think it is important? - do you believe in lucky number?? - Do u think it is easy to remember dates n numbers?? how do u memorize it? Cue Card Describe a vehicle that you would like to buy. Please say: - What kind of vehicle it is? - how it looks? - why do u like it? Discussion - Did u ever ride in that vehicle? - What kind of transportation facilities do u have in ur town? - what is the difference in transportation system in the past and the today?? - what type of transportation system will be in the future??? - Is there any kind of traffic jams in ur town?? - what r the solutions for the traffic jams?
Posted by: Rajan | Wednesday, March 09, 2011 at 06:41
Hey everybody :) I am just after my Ielts exAM IN OSLO :) so I should say listening and reading for me was challenging but speaking and writting quite smooth,will see how much I will get total :) SO would like to share speaking questions and Writting topic :) writting essay topic was :) SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT BENEFIT FROM INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IS PROTECTING ENVIRONMENT,OTHERS THINK THAT INTERNATION
COOPERATION IS WORLD BUSINESSESS,dISCUSS BOTH VIEWS AND GIVE YOUR opinion. Speaking part I think was quite easy and simple,no any challenging or smart question, 1 where u came from 2 where young people make meetings in your country 3 how people meetings has changed from past 4 do u often fly with plain? 5 how u often communicate with friends Topic 2 was Describe a item u have recently broken ,and tell how it happened ,have u fixed it and like that Some more questions,was DO people prefer repair things if they broke or put in garbage WHat kind of things mostly tend u broke easily How people used to behave with broken things in the past,repair or no Why people buy clothes from SEcond hand shops, It is easy to find job in your country, So for me was quite easy,I was lucky at least fro speaking:) And writting tasl 1 was Line 2 grafs in one,about Japan population from 1960 with forecast in 2040 so Good luck for everybody :)
Posted by: simona | Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 16:56
Hey simon, Could you share some ideas about simona's task 2 of writng? Why the benefit of internatinal cooperation is protecting environment? i am going to take the ielts on saturday. Because i am also in the european exam center, so i wont have the same topic as simona in oslo, right? Thank you very much.
Posted by: Georgina | Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 23:21
Simona, Thank you for sharing

Posted by: Georgina | Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 23:22
Hi Simon and everyone, I took the test on March 11 in Toronto, and some of my topics were: Writing Part 2: Studies show that there is an ever-increasing proportion of the younger population (15 and under) in some countries. What current and long-term effects can this trend cause in those countries?
Speaking part 2: Describe a friend who is a leader. Thanks, Katya

Posted by: Katya | Friday, March 11, 2011 at 02:44
Hi Georgina, I won't have time to look at that question before your exam. But don't worry - you will have a different topic. Good luck!
Posted by: Simon | Friday, March 11, 2011 at 11:45
Hi, My writing task 2 topic on 12/03/11 was: Competitiveness is considered to be a positive quality among people. How does competitiveness affect individuals? Is competitiveness a positive or negative quality?
Posted by: Sam | Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 13:49
l took ielts 12 march in london. writing 2--more and more countries open their doors to the tourists .many people believe that the advantage of tourism outweiht the disadvantage of it. what is your view.discuss -describe a friend you helped him
Posted by: mahomed | Monday, March 14, 2011 at 00:27
Hello My test was in Jordon 12 March Speaking: How did you learn your English? How important is to learn a new language? Suggest a new law that could help your country. How easy do you think it can be enforced? How popular do you think that law will be? Why is law necessary? In which case do you need a lawyer? What is the most important trait that the lawyer should have? What's the most significant thing about the lawyer job? Do you think the law should be updated from time to time? Why? Do you find police job suitable for women? Why?
Writing: Advantages of tourism to the host country outweigh its disadvantages. Do you agree or disagree?
Posted by: Salih | Monday, March 14, 2011 at 15:05
Hi Simon, I appreciate if you answer my below question: Regarding the topic I just shared: Competitiveness is considered to be a positive quality among people. How does competitiveness affect individuals? Is competitiveness a positive or negative quality? --------------------------------------------------Is it acceptable if we talk about the effects of competitiveness in the first body paragraph, and in the second paragraph, we begin by saying: TO A CERTAIN EXTENT I BELIEVE THAT competitiveness is a positive quality; However, it may have some drawbacks.... Since the question is not asking directly to "give your own opinion", IS IT ACCEPTABLE THAT I HAVE USED "I BELIEVE" in the second body paragraph??? However, the question required us to give reason and example from our own experience. Thank you
Posted by: Sam | Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 06:54
Hi Sam, I've used this topic as a lesson (see today's blog post). Your suggestion is fine, and "I believe" is a good phrase to use - even though it doesn't say it directly, the question is asking for YOUR opinion.
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 16:56
Hi Simon, thanks for your great help! i got a really good score just reading ur advice about writing (esp. keeping the intro very short and working on body p.) my questions:HONG KONG-MARCH 2011 speaking: Tell me about your hometown? What do you think about museums? Why are they important? What do you celebrate in your country? How and where do you celebrate it? When do you celebrate it?
How do you learn about your traditions? Is it better to learn them from older generations or book? Do you think other countries influence your country's culture? Is it a positive or negative thing? Do you think younger generation care about traditions or older generation? that is all i can remember writing: task 1: Two charts comparing female and male driving licence holders task 2 Some ppl think governments should spend money on saving languages which are not spoken widely whereas other think they should not since it is a waste of money.
Posted by: Didem | Friday, March 18, 2011 at 07:41
Thanks Didem. I'm pleased to hear that you followed my advice!

Posted by: Simon | Friday, March 18, 2011 at 17:13
Hi Simon, Writing Task 2: Around the world, more adults will work from home, and children will study from home, as computer technology becomes cheaper and accessible. Do you think it is a postive or negative development? I have written it is a positive development. I gave reasons why adults work from home is good (1 paragraph) and why children study from home is good (another paragraph) However, I also one more paragraph how cheap computer technology help the people in developing countries. Do you think this paragraph is relevant to the question??
Posted by: Ming | Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 07:03
Hi simon March 2011 question (general training) from bangladesh writing task-1 Complain to the local environmental officer of your locality about a lot of rubbish in your area.describe the rubbish come from where, what problem did, give some suggestion to officer to prevent it. task-2 Some people think that student should attend the extra classes after finished their school, some others believe that allowed them to play. In what extent do you agree or disagree?
Posted by: ara | Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 13:39
Hi, Simon . I'd like to share with the people my yesterday's exam questions . exam date 03.19.2011 Speaking where are you from About your hometown tell me about history of your hometown Are you tought about your history at school Part 2 Describe a gift that you purchased to give somebody who this person is what you give and when why you choose him Did he like it Part3 in your country what you give as a gift ? Is this possible to give money as a gift ? is there any special ocassion that you give a gift to each other Listenin was difficult because besdies first section all other sections were just text and this made questions very difficul to be read. I found reading quite normal.there almost wasn't any insolvable question. Writing about modern life and its influence to the dependence and independence of people from each other .what is your opinion are people more dependent from each other or not ? another part was about cinema and visit here in three country .However I couldn't come to an end it was quite easy thanks
Posted by: Tabriz | Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 06:17
hi simon.. I took the exam yesterday in London. And its all the same with Tabriz. The reading part was difficult as we have to struggle with the time. The long passages made it difficult. Theres like 10 paragraph in each pasages. 1. Dinosaur 2. The Ebook 3. The Sun
About the writing: Task 1 is to compare 3 different countries in terms of the cinemas,total number of visits per year and the average. It was a table though. Task 2: the same thing as Tabriz. Listening: It was difficult because most of the part are fill in the blank. Either one word or two words. And if you cannot go with the flow,youll lose points because every speaker would include 10-12 questions. Speaking: About a new law youll propose to your hometown or government. How will it affect? How can the new law make your life easy?
Posted by: shani | Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 12:01
Hi simon, i just had my academic exam yesterday. the listenig part was ok, eventhough there was no head set for candidates and there was one loud speaker for everybody. reading was quite difficult. The topics included: research on dinosausers size popularity of e-books planets and space Writing Task 1 : A table showing number of cinemas in Three countries in 1995 & 1999 and number of total visits made by people and frequency of individual visits. Task2 :some people think, in the modern world people are more dependant on each other while others think people are more independant. Discuss both views Speaking : Hometown and its history What it is famous for Holiday and what do you do on holiday What kind of news is interesting to you How important is live news to you Cue card Describe something naughty you did when you were a kid -what -why -what happened next
part 4 problems of parents in bringing up their kids Should kids always obey what parents say why some kids are disobedient at some times compre the problems parents face today and in the past. It was quite easy questions. Now i am waiting for the result. thank you for all the support. Your site was really helpful
Posted by: vidya | Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 12:45
Hello Simon. I found this website by accident but it proved very helpful. Thank you for the precious piece of advice you share with all of us. I took the exam yesterday in Bulgaria. My writing task was: 1) a table comparing the number of cinemas and cinema visits in three countries over a 4-year period ( I followed your recommendations and I hope I did well) 2) Are people in the modern world becoming more or less dependent on each other? Discuss both sides and give your opinion. I will share with you my speaking topics on Tuesday. Good luck to everybody who is about to take the exam (it is not as scary as I expected :D)
Posted by: Gabriela | Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 15:21
It is good to share our exam questions .We can see that these questions are the same in all countries.Actually, I think that reading part was't difficult(however time will show whether it was difficult or not).mainly the vocobulary of the third part was some more unfamiliar.but, you were some more awake then answers can esayily be found.for example, there was heading with the phrase 'Solar System' to be matched with the paragraphs .and Solar System was only the last paragraph of the text. that is way you do not need to read hole text to find it. but listening indeed was very difficult. it is required from you to read fastly long questions and at the time to listen the recording and one thing , what did you write for the date in first section of listening ? november or october Examiner, in speaking might be Pakistani beacause she was sounding br br :))
Posted by: Tabriz | Monday, March 21, 2011 at 11:55
Hi Tabriz :) I wrote October 31st in the Listening Section 1. However, in my opinion listening was a lot easier than reading but I assume it depends on the individual. Good luck with the results.
Posted by: Gabriela | Monday, March 21, 2011 at 15:12
Hi Ming, Your answer seems fine to me - the last paragraph might be a bit less relevant, but it should be ok. ... Thanks for sharing this week's questions guys! I used the "dependence" question with my students today, so I'll put our ideas on the blog on Wednesday. Simon
Posted by: Simon | Monday, March 21, 2011 at 17:07
Hi Simon, I want to score 8 band in writing. I have already scored 7 band for writing. But, I am finding it hard to reach the level of 8 band. I need your help. Looking forward to hear soon from you.
Posted by: kissa | Saturday, March 26, 2011 at 05:16
Hi Kissa, It's difficult for me to help because I haven't taught you. What you really need is a teacher who can analyse your written work and point out where improvements can be made. My best piece of general advice for achieving band 8 would be to work on the 'range of vocabulary' that you use to express your ideas.
Posted by: Simon | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:11
Hi Simon, I need to score band 7 in all components of the test. Your ideas were really helpful for me on the writing task, the problem was that I did not have enough time to study them so as a result I scored only 6.5 on my first test. The most challenging ones for me are the reading and the writing tasks. Is purchasing your e-book the best way to improve my writing skills? and how could I improve my reading besides using the great tips of your website? Looking forward to hear soon from you.
Posted by: Lilian | Sunday, April 03, 2011 at 16:14
Hi Lilian, The ebook will help with ideas for common writing topics. All of the ideas are expressed using excellent vocabulary and correct grammar, so I'm sure you would find it useful. For reading, you just need to keep practising - the Cambridge books are the best because they contain real tests. Hope this helps
Posted by: Simon | Monday, April 04, 2011 at 18:57
Dear Mr. simon, Thank you for your great efforts. Referring to the exam that I did three days ago on 02-04-2011 in the UK please find the following questions: Listening: First section: General conversation for opening File with GP ( new patient). Second section: Describe for tow teams one joniors and another seniors> Third section: academic topic about collect data for research. Fourth section: Topic gives A Brief History for shuttles and trains. Reading: Passage 1: Title> The last man who new every thing Thomas Young > auther by Andrew Robinson http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/jan/20/featuresreviews.guardianreview7 Passage 2: Educations theories about pupils behaviour. Passage 3: Marketing study. writing: Task 1: write about tow Bar chart . the first about puplis who studied 4 diffrent subjects in 1995> and the second one about the same things but in 2005. Task 2: some people agree to use the modern tech. in farming such as factory and creating a new products for fruit and vegatab.others oppose this statment. Discuss those and give your opinion? --------------------Mr simon I need to have an answer for a question : I'm just wondering : In the reading exam , I wrote T/F/NG instead of True/False/ Not given, is it acceptable or not? Please give a certain answer because i'm worried about that? Thanks alot
Posted by: ahmed S | Tuesday, April 05, 2011 at 00:17
Hi Simon, Thank you very much for your advices. I am sure they will be of great help.
Posted by: Lilian | Tuesday, April 05, 2011 at 19:23
can u plz give me some useful suggestion regading reading ielts practice ,and which council is better whther its idp or Bc .Thanks
Posted by: kiran sharma | Tuesday, April 05, 2011 at 20:18
Hi Simon, can u plz give me some useful suggestion regading reading ielts practice ,and which council is better whther its idp or Bc .Thanks
Posted by: kiran | Tuesday, April 05, 2011 at 20:20
I took the exam last Saturday on 2/4/2011 my exam questions were the same as Ahamed Simon, could you please discus writing task 2 the one about the agriculture
Posted by: Aisha | Tuesday, April 05, 2011 at 20:51
Thanks Ahmed. T, F, NG is fine. ... Np problem Lilian. ... Hi Kiran, IDP is like the Australian version of the British Council - IELTS belongs to them both equally (along with Cambridge University). Click the link below for reading practice: http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2010/11/do-some-ielts-readingpractice.html ... Hi Aisha, I'll do a lesson about the 'farming' question soon.
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, April 06, 2011 at 17:11
Dear simon, thank you for the repaly. I want to be confident again in the email which was done they wrote ( False ) so i understand that even if they put the example in full word like False , F is acceptable by eximaner. It's confusing. I heard that the answer sheet is corrected by computer , is it true? becuse I'm wondering how can computer read the answers.
Posted by: ahmed S | Wednesday, April 06, 2011 at 17:45
Hi Ahmed, I'm sure that "F" is fine. To be honest, I'm not sure whether a computer checks the answers - it's something I need to ask about.
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, April 06, 2011 at 17:57
Thank you very much. That means originally, Reading and listening are corrected by examiner manually through colouration the column that beside the answers and then computer accounts score. Isn't it ? Reagrds, ahmed
Posted by: ahmed S | Wednesday, April 06, 2011 at 21:05
Hi Ahmed, Examiners only mark the speaking and writing tests. Reading and listening tests are sent to a central office (e.g. in Cambridge), so I can't say for definite how they are marked there. I'll try to find out.
Posted by: Simon | Friday, April 08, 2011 at 15:25
Thanks Simon for your response. Anyway, the fundamental thing is if they ask you to write True or False or Not given , they accept your answers which were written in T&F&NG . warm regards,
Posted by: ahmed S | Friday, April 08, 2011 at 23:44
Hi everyone, Ahmed, who say that? or it is just what do you think? Cheers,
Posted by: sara | Saturday, April 09, 2011 at 22:09
Dear sara, What do you mean in your Q? If you mean writing T&F&NG instead of True & False & Not given in reading section, Mr simon told me that it was fine. You can ask him youself
Posted by: ahmed S | Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 01:28
Hi Ahmed, Please, don't be angry. I have already asked Mr Simon about that but he said to you and I, he needed to aske. I have asked you because I noticed you are completly confedent with your answer. Cheers,
Posted by: sara | Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 22:01
Hi sara, Mr simon mentioned that: "I'm not sure whether a computer checks the answers - it's something I need to ask about". So he needed to ask about how the exam is corrected ". However, He confirmed that T&F&NG are fine. Please re-read his reply. Is't clear now? regards,
Posted by: ahmed S | Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 22:21
Hi Ahmed, Thank you for your replying. What I am understanding from Simon's answer is that he wanted to aske if F, T and NG are redable through computers or not. Thanks,
Posted by: sara | Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 22:48
Hi sarah, to correct your understanding , Mr.simmons' answer is to ask if the exam generally is corrected by computer or not. regards,
Posted by: ahmed S | Monday, April 11, 2011 at 00:42
Hi Ahmed and Sara, Just to confirm - I'm sure that "T, F, NG" are accepted, but I'm not sure whether exams are checked by a computer or a human. I'll find out as soon as I can.
Posted by: Simon | Monday, April 11, 2011 at 17:38
Writing task 1 A line graph shows daily visitor of a museum in autumn and summer. Writing task 2 Some people welcome cheap air traveling but some argue that it will add more environmental problem. Please provide your opinion.
Hi, Simon. I stumbled upon this blog 3 days before the ielts exam when I was kinda worried because I haven't really prepared for the writing task. I found it very helpful with very clear yet simple explanation given to all. I applied the writing technique learned from your blog...And, I just got my result today. I scored 7 ^0^ Thank you simon!!!Your blog is AWESOME!! Regards Aly, Malaysia
Posted by: Aly | Friday, April 15, 2011 at 16:21
Hi Simon! This is from Bangkok, Thailand. 16th April 2011 Many people believe that it is important to protect the environment, but they make no effort to protect it themselves. Why do you think it is the case? What actions do you think that individuals can do to protect the environment I've written the first paragraph why protecting the environment is important. My second paragraph is about the ways people should do to protect it. Do you think that my answers are fine? Thanks a lot
Posted by: Pete01 | Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 07:54
Hi Aly, That's fantastic news! I'm glad the blog helped. ... Hi Pete, Your answer seems fine. Did you explain why people make no effort to protect the environment?
Posted by: Simon | Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 14:52
Simon If the topic "Describe something in home that was broken/stopped working" Do you think it's find to tell the examiner that I can't remember about something in home that stopped working, but recently my mobile phone stopped working temporarily?
Thanks a lot for your answers!

Posted by: Pete01 | Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 15:27
16/4/2011 Australia speaking topic part1 studying/working information received from TV or elsewhere part2 describe something that you are good at doing what is it how did you learn why do you think you are good at it what do you feel when you are doing it part3 what parents can do to support when children have special talents? How children know they have talents? What problems may smart children have when interacting with their friends?
Posted by: Elly | Monday, April 18, 2011 at 07:57
16th april 2011- UK. Task 1: There were two pie charts. One pie chart showed a foreign language course training done by employees through part time. full time or evening course. The other chart showed the reasons given by employees for learning a foreign language. Task 2: Rich countries should not offer skilled jobs to people from poor countries because they need more. do you agree or disagree? Speaking: Historic town. what is favourite about your place. about games- girls and boys. 2mts session: a piece of advice. who gave it, why and was it useful. questions on: Online business advisors- risks and advtantages associated. online business declining or growing?
Posted by: Sachin | Monday, April 18, 2011 at 17:35
Hi everyone, I have a question about whether there are any guidelines to writing answer, eg on a practice exam I got some questions wrong because I wrote "A and B" and the answer was supposed to be "A, B" (ie a comma instead of 'and') or used unshortened version of don't, wouldn't (i.e. i wrote "do not" and "would not" but the answer was marked as wrong because the correct answer used "don't" and "wouldn't". Furthermore, I've seen, in a single reading text, an inconsistent use of hyphenated words and when I wrote my answer with a hyphen it got marked as incorrect because the expected answer didn't contain a hyphen... etc. Are these problem just specific to practice exams and do similar ambiguities in answers appear on the real exam as well? Are there any general guidelines on how to avoid writing down a correct answer in an incorrect form? thank you
Posted by: Tomas | Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 16:00


Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post. I juz exam on last Saturday in Thailand Writing : people know that they hav to protect environment that is really important but why they didn't try to protect it and what solution can tackle this problem Speaking : abt number that has effected on you How u can remember number Between number and words which one is easier for you to remember Part2 : I got question abt oldest people that I known Who is he how old is he and feeling Part3 : about people nowsaday still respect older people or not How they do with oldest people And all about retirement such as what they do after retirement? This exam was on 16 April 2011 in Thailand
Posted by: Jjay | Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 09:22
Hi Pete,
Yes, I think it would be fine to talk about your phone. ... Hi Tomas, I answered on Facebook.
Posted by: Simon | Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 14:32
Thanks a lot Simon! You're a very good teacher!

Posted by: Pete01 | Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 15:17
Thanks Pete!
Posted by: Simon | Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 16:25
Hi Simon! As you mentioned before, we don't really need to use a lot of difficult vocabulary, but we should use the words that the native speakers use naturally. It's true and I found that the examiner smiled when I use the less common words such as "Grounded, outside the warranty period, I'm a city guy." This is because of The examiners don't see a lot of people using them or use them correctly and naturally. Thanks for your vocabulary Simon, It's worth much Have a nice stay Pete.
Posted by: Pete01 | Friday, April 29, 2011 at 07:51
Hello, Simon. I want to ask you about dyslexia. Do you know this diagnosis influens on marks? Thank You!
Posted by: Ksenia | Friday, April 29, 2011 at 12:00
Hi Pete, Yes, you've got the right idea - I'm not surprised that the examiner smiled when you said those things! ... Hi Ksenia,
If students have any problems like dyslexia, they should always tell the person at the IELTS centre. I'm not exactly sure what they do, but you should definitely tell them before your exam.
Posted by: Simon | Friday, April 29, 2011 at 15:56
4/30 Taipei, Taiwan Task 1. bar chart - fair trade sales Task 2. Foreign tourists abroad should be charged more than local people to visit country's cultural and historical attractions. agree or disagree
Posted by: Colin | Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 12:24
hi Colin! and what did you answer for task 2? hi Simon! i don't have any idea for this topic, what should i write?
Posted by: Aidyn | Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 17:26
Hello everyone! 4/30 Toronto, Canada Writing: Task 1: 2 line charts, one with male population in prison, the other with female, in an European country, from 1911 to 2001. Task 2: in many countries more and more people choose to live by themselves. What causes this? Is it positive or negative for development of society? Good luck to all candidates!
Posted by: Cami | Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 22:39
30/04/2011 usa chicago academic exam questions writing 1 2 chart about the number of prisoner in a European country writing 2 nowadays people prefer to live alone whats the impact it on society. speaking describe a family members or friend you visited i tried to write todays exam questions...
Posted by: burak | Sunday, May 01, 2011 at 04:56
Hi Aidyn, Maybe you could agree because local people work/pay taxes in that country, and the policy would encourage them to visit those places more. Or you could disagree and argue that that policy would have a negative effect on tourism. Tourists bring a lot of money into the economy of many countries, so it would be a bad idea to charge them more.
Posted by: Simon | Monday, May 02, 2011 at 14:34
I got it. thank you very much for your help

Posted by: Aidyn | Monday, May 02, 2011 at 17:15
5/7 Taiwan, Academic Listening: 1-a woman wants to join a gym in order to lose weight 2-how a man became a zoologist 3-two students discuss about how to make a presentation 4-about windfarm Reading: 1-Seeds hunter 2-stree less 2-something about education Writing task 1: From 2000 to 2012, three line graphs about people have bought books through three different ways- bookshops, supermarkets and Internet. Writing task 2: The environmental problems have become so big that individual country or people cannot address anymore. It has reached to an international issue. To what extend do you agree or disagree?
Posted by: Yamei | Saturday, May 07, 2011 at 06:56
speaking -latest news you watched -tv versus radio -last holiday writing task 1 -describe a bar graph shows unempleyment percentage between 15-24 and overall employment in five different european countries in 2005
writing task 2 -music is important in society, on the other hand some people do not agree this, argue... reading -avalanche -academic fraud -detecting liar people
Posted by: xxxx | Saturday, May 07, 2011 at 13:24
7/5 Speaking test in Taiwan Interview: -name -Do you work or study? -Which one do you think is more important? The place you work or people you work with? -Do you think people in your country do lots of housework? -Do you like to do housework? Why or why not? -Do you like flowers? -Do flowers mean anything in your country? -Do people in your country send flowers to each other? Cue card Talk about the books you like to read, you should say -What kind of books do you like to read? -When did you start to read? -Why do you read these books? Discussion -Do people read a lot in your country? -Why people don't read? -What do they usually read? -Why do they read magazines or comic books instead of books? -What's the difference between the books for adults and for children? -Do you think imagination is important for people who read? -If people don't read, will they start to read in the future? Why or why not?
Posted by: Yamei | Saturday, May 07, 2011 at 13:37
IELTS General 7th May 2011 - USA --------------------------------Listening ---------1-Hotel reservation for conducting party 2-Map 3-Windmill 4-History of a Shipping company
Reading -------1-Airport to Railway station transportations 2-Musicians 3-Research on Sea beds contd.
Posted by: Gopi | Saturday, May 07, 2011 at 20:21
Writing -------1-Letter to school recommending your friend for the post of a sport instructor 2-Essay on advantages and disadvantages of rebuilding and redesigning the old cities into modern ones. Hope this helps in your preparations. Thanks Simon. Your website was vey useful in preparing for the exam. Keeping my fingers crossed on the results.
oops..forgot the speaking part. Your name Where you live now. About drawing and painting -what kind of drawing did you do in your school days -should it be mandated for children -why do you do it now (because I said I still pursue this hobby) -what is the gift you have given to someone recently (contd.) -what is mre important givng or receiving gifts? why?
(contd.) Topic card - the most exensive object you bought -what/where/when etc. Why do people shop/buy things? What factors influence shoping? What do teenagers/school goers buy? Is savings important? What is important - savings or spending? -------------END---------Thanks All.
IELTS General Lviv Ukraine 07.05.2011 Writing: 1 Letter.You need a reference for your new job.Ask your teacher to give you.Explain why you ask him. Describe your job.and why you suit for this job? 1 Essay.Some people say television has huge impact on us .Do you agree or disagree? Speaking: 1 Where do you live in small town or big city?Do you find interesting to live there? Domestic work in your country,do you use any gadget? what house work do you enjoy to do?Did you help your mother when you were a child. 2 Topic You're going to bay some vehicle.Describe which one, why, where will you use it? 3 Discussion Which type of transport is the most popular in your country,what type of public transport do you have in your country? What do you think cause traffic congestion, how to avoid it. Benefits of bicycling. Transport in the future.
Posted by: sasha | Monday, May 09, 2011 at 09:32
Tomas, plase follow the Cambridge IELTS books (1/2/3/4/5/6/7) and follow the answers there in. These are authentic. Never mind online tests - they just make you nervous intentionally so you could buy their practice materials !
Posted by: Gopi | Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 00:04
IELTS test in the UK - 28.04.2011 Hi all, I took my IELTS test on the 28th of April in the UK and to be honest, I was not sure that I'll get a good band ( I mean band 7) for several reasons: 1. I did not manage to copy all my answers onto the answering sheets in the Listening and Reading parts of the test. 2. Also I did not have enough time to check my writing. Writing Task 1: Compare two tables ( about temperatures together with the length of the day in Moscow and Mumbai during one weekend from Friday to Sunday in May 2007). Writing Task 2: Theoretical subjects like maths,economics or philosophy should no longer be taught in universities because more students are taking practical subjects like accounting,computer technology etc.To what extent do you agree or disagree? Speaking Part: In part 1 of the Speaking part I've been asked follow questions:
Do you work or are you a student? Tell me about the outdoor activities which are popular in your country. Let us talk about numbers and meanings of different numbers, why numbers are important in our lives? Part 2: Talk about a small successful company you know. Part 3: What type of businesses are successful in your country? What qualities should business leaders have?
Posted by: Elly | Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 11:15
Hi simon, yesterday i took ielts exam in melbourne. writing task "individual greed and selfishness is the basis of modern society.we should return to the traditional values to have stable societies." to what extent are you agree or disagree? in on body paragraph i have supported this statement and in second,i have mentioned what efforts should we do to return to our values.i spent little extra time on the first task and i was worried about time and i wrote it like a cause /solution essay ! i need seven band up to end of may only....i dont have time!as you were a ielts examiner,how much i can expect my score?i am in extreme stress...if u can guide me so that i can sit for a test before the results come.as you always helped me....i really appreciate ur advice.
Posted by: ana | Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 03:26
writing task 1 three pie chatrs showing the type of accomodation holiday makers chose in three different years. speaking test about birds,name ceromonies sports,any match u have seen further sports related
Posted by: ana | Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 03:31
IELTS Academic May 14, 2011 in Taipei Taiwan Writing task 1 three pie charts show the percentage of holidaymakers staying in different accommodation in different years.
1988,1998,2008 Staying with relatives/friends(52%,52%,44%) Camping(24%,13%,9%) Hotels(18%,?%,25%) Ranted house(6%,?%,22%) Writing task 2 Individual greed and selfishness are the basis of modern society. Some people argue that we should return to the old and traditional values of respect to the family and community in order to make a better life in the world. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Speaking // Part 1 // (1) House/Apartment/Room (2) Name - do you like your name? - do you want to change your name? - in your country, who make the decision to give a child name? - in your country, what factors would people consider when picking a name? (3) Happiness/Unhappiness/Money // Part 2 // Describe a foreign film you have seen. // part 3 // -Which types of movies are popular in Taiwan? -foreign culture v.s. local culture -Hollywood influence on local culture -How to be an good actor? -Do you think movie stars and actors earn too much money? -What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a famous person? ----Thank you, Simon! "Learning English is like learning a musical instrument - you slowly get better the more you practise." I will keep your words in mind and keep working hard! Thank you!
Posted by: Allison Huang | Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 13:25
Speaking part 2 Describe a journey you took longer than you expected
part 3 advantages and disadvantages of bike how do people travel around why do people travel long distance what can the government do to reduce traffic in the city
Posted by: adrian | Monday, May 16, 2011 at 07:47
Hi Ana, I think you did exactly the right thing, so don't worry - your answer and structure are fine, so it just depends on the language you used. ... Thanks Alison, I'm glad you liked the comparison with learning an instrument! ... Thanks to everyone who has shared their questions.
Dear Simon regarding the following question I am struggled about what it is about ? Some people welcome cheap air traveling but some argue that it will add more environmental problem. Please provide your opinion. Could you please advise Thank you in advance
Posted by: Ahmed | Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 05:40
Thanks a lot ,simon !

Posted by: ana | Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 11:16
Hi Ahmed, Cheap air travel means that travelling by plane is much cheaper nowadays. The advantage is that more people can travel abroad for their holidays. The disadvantage is that planes cause air pollution which leads to global warming. ... No problem Ana
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 17:36
IELTS Test in Oman today: Listening : Section1 : interview with a women who would like to apply for job (post # , birth date and experince) Section2 : a map about new libaray and you should specify each area Section 3 : interview with student about her project : obersvation on birds Section 4 : lecture about the benefits of drama in childern classroom
Posted by: Ahmed Fahmy | Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 10:06
Dear friends, I have taken my ielts exam on May 19th. It was in Sydney. My writing topic 2 : some people nowadays living longer than they used to be. what are the reasons for that? is it a positive or negative affect?
Posted by: sudheer | Friday, May 20, 2011 at 01:48
IELTS Test in Oman 19 May Writing : TASK 1 : your friend write to you to ask you te help them in prepartion of his party tell him how you will help hime what you will bring with you when you will be available TASK 2 : Some people think that keeping animals in the home have benefits .others think that having pets is a bad Idea Discuss both views and give ur opinon ?
Posted by: Ahmed Fahmy | Friday, May 20, 2011 at 12:34
MAY 19 - IELTS in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia Writing Task 2: Nowadays, people are living longer in this modern world. What are the causes for this? Do you think this is a positive or negative development? Just to share.....
Posted by: David Tseu | Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 08:06
hey Simon, I took an Ielts test last week in Melbourne. there was a question kept bothering me,because I was/am still struggling with its answer. Could you help me with it? It's a T/F/NG question: in context(can't remember exactly) basically describing two laws(law A and law B) that can protect consumers' rights. there is no right or wrong order when choosing them. However, companies suggest consumers to use law A first when making a claim. The question is: consumers should choose law A first when making a claim. I chose TRUE as my answer because I tested it this way 'consumers shouldn't choose law A first...' which is obviously FALSE. What's your opinion on this. Thank you.
Posted by: Wenny | Monday, May 23, 2011 at 09:59
writing task 2(Thailand 14/05/11) Individual greed and selfishness has been the basis of the modern society. Someone think that we must return to the olds, more traditional values of respect for the family and the local community in order to create a better world to live in. To what extent do you agree or disagree.
Posted by: Suphichet | Monday, May 23, 2011 at 12:04
Hi Wenny, I think you are right.

Hi Simon I wrote task 1 from IELTS 1 TEST 1 According to your Instructions please correct me if i am wrong. thanks TASK 1 IELTS 1 TEST 1 The graph shows the proportion of seven different categories why adults choose study and who contribute their education cost. It is clear that personal interest in subject is the most popular reason for education among adults, therefore, individual share higher cost than others. Only 9% of students chose study for communication with others and slightly more adults study with their job transition at 12%. About 20% of students chose education because they enjoy study and similar percentage of adult chose education as they desire promotion or looking better career options. However, interest in subject stood 40 %
which is double proportion than these two reasons. Obtain degree is the second popular reason for study at 38%, but only 22% of adults chose study to gain benefits from their present job. The pie charts describe that higher amount of contribution made by individuals about 40% which is 5% higher than employer share and 15 % more than government share.
Posted by: Kal | Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 04:01
Hi Kal, You seem to have the right idea, but I'm afraid I can't give you detailed feedback, scores or corrections - too many people ask for this kind of help, and if I help one person, everyone will send me their essays. Try to find someone who can help you with detailed feedback.
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 14:11
Yesterday was my IELTS test in Cititel Hotel, Penang, Malaysia. SPEAKING task 1-describe my hometown -describe the household chores i used to do -is it important to train children to do household chores. why? task 2 - describe an adventurous person i would like to meet WRITING others believe that the role of a teacher is to educate students about what is wrong and right. some believe that the role of a teacher is just to teach in terms of academic. discuss both these views and include your opinion.
Posted by: Afni Yusuff | Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 05:39
Thanks Afni.
Posted by: Simon | Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 12:18
28 may ielts istanbul (academic) Speaking part 1 ; dou you study or work ? do you like your job or study ? why ? do you like flowers ? why ? what kind of flowers are important in your country ? why ? part 2 ; a food from another country you would like to try, when, where... part 3 ; in your country, is there any differences between males and females about cooking ? why ? New technology influence cooking positively.Do you agree or disagree ? why ?
Writing task 2 Although rich countries have provided financial support to solve poverty in undeveloped countries for many years.Countries suffering from poverty have not been able to overcome poverty yet. Providing only financial support is not a reasonable solution.Do you agree or disagree ?
Posted by: memo | Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 21:16
(Dublin , Ireland) Hello Every one, I want to thank simon for building this website and allowing people to exchange their ideas, it's an incredible resource test takers. well Just finished speaking and the questions are: 1) About my house or apartment?? 2) what changes that I would like to make to my apartment? Photographs: 1) Do yo take photographs? what sort of photographs do take/ like? 2) How important are the photographs in your culture? 3) DO you think people are increasingly taking photographs these days? 4) would you prefer paintings or photographs? watching tv 1) Do you watch TV, what kind of programs?? 2) Do you generally watch TV with friends or Alone?? 3) Do you think you watch more TV?? Topic: Talk about your Favorite street in your home town?? ( Well I've spoken something based on my experience) City life: 1) what are the advantages of City life? 2) what age groups are mostly attaracting to the city life? why? 3) In your hometown what kind of residential areas people prefer to live?? Historical buildings: 1) Should we preserve historical buildings? why? 2) Should authorities consult public while town planning? I hope I've remembered every thing :) Thanks every one.
Posted by: Nag | Friday, June 03, 2011 at 13:19
Thanks Nag. You've got a good memory!
Posted by: Simon | Friday, June 03, 2011 at 13:34
29/05 (Beijing,China Academic ) Speaking Part 1 Name,Where u from,How long u been live here?Do you think Beijing is an interesting place? Do u often visit your friend? Do you perfer given people gift or recive gift from others? What animal does chinese people like to keep as pet ? What wild animal do you like? Why? Part 2 A friend you been visit recently(When was it? Why u been there? Any special things happend in the visit ?) Part 3 Do you think the model technology makes people visit each other more easier than before ? Do you think is there any different between the visit made by adult and children? Is there any problems about the visit ? Wirting Task 2 Some people believe that teacher should be responsible for teaching students to judge what is right to what is wrong and behave well. Others think teachers only need to teach academic courses. Disscuss both view and give your opinion Hi Simon, There is something confused me,about the cue card in speaking ,I was try to made note during exam but actually as I talk about it i can not be detail,I was use 2 sentences for each of questions which is horrible, after the exam i feel lost of confendent cause it too short. I don't know how to keep the answear as long as i got something to talk about.
Posted by: Lisa | Friday, June 03, 2011 at 15:41
Hi Lisa, I'm sorry to hear about your difficult part 2 in the speaking test. You just need to keep practising. Try to add detail to your answers by explaining more and giving personal examples. Have a look at the lesson below: http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/01/ielts-speaking-add-detail.html
Hi simon , my exam was today and it was very difficuot , speacially writing part2 , it was easy subject but deciding what kind of paragraph you should choose and how to organaise my question was difficult , please give me some information and clearance ,
what type of essay it is ? .. memorising of information by repitation is used in education system , does this overweight any other limitations ?
Posted by: darya | Saturday, June 04, 2011 at 20:33
(Ireland) Hi simon, I've finished my writing session of the exam yesterday. Task 1: It's an illustration of 'making soft chese' in a flow chart format. ( it's fairly easy as the whole process is in a step-by-step procedure so I just expalined everything and couldn't make any comparisions as there is no such information to do that) Task 2: 'Memorisation' often called repetitive learning (rote learning) is widely practised in many educationa systems. Do you think usefulness of Memorisation can outweigh it's limitations. As darya said in the above post I found it little unusaul to deal with, but however I've chosen our standard method of Intro+ Body1 + Body 2+ conclusion. In the introduction I've repeated the topic and given my stand which is it can't outweigh it's limitations. then I went on to write why it's popular and it's roots in the secondary schools etc. then I wrote something about it's negative side like students don't understand what they are are studying, results in poor acdemic performance, physical strain and finally can be a hurdle to top in their career ex: dream job etc.and finally conclusion repeating my stand. Actually for some reason I need all individual 7's in IELTS I'm ok with rest of the components bit worried about writing. Have to see how it's gonna turn out. Thanks simon.
Posted by: Nag | Sunday, June 05, 2011 at 11:55
Hello Darya,can you please tell me that from where you belong from? Naq, Your ideas are brilliant and i think you can get 7 bands in writing also.
Posted by: sameer | Monday, June 06, 2011 at 12:54
Dear simon , I am from kurdistan /iraq , but I came to london 2 months ago for doing ielts exam . Because there was no centers in my country until recently , and I need 6.5 . I decided to return to my country for the second chance , because I dont think I will get that score .. For writing 2 essay , I wrote my introduction by introducing some research and point of brain and way of memorising information and how repetation effects on brain and memorising . 2nd paragragh I wrote about positive of repetition and how
teachers influence students to repeat after them , 3rd paragraph I explained that repetation is not always a good way without understanding the subjects like in case of mathmetics, in conclusion I repeated what I talked about ..
Posted by: darya | Monday, June 06, 2011 at 14:01
Hello Simon I sat for the IELTS exam in May 2011, and I came across this question in "Listening" Question : Date of Birth ............... Instruction : Write No more than three words or a number for each answer From the recording : Fifteenth A third 1980 I was struggling with this question. Please advise how I should answer it. Thank you
Posted by: AnneMarie | Monday, June 06, 2011 at 15:00
Hi Darya and Nag, I think you both did the right thing - it was an "advantages/disadvantages" question, so you needed to discuss both sides. You also needed to decide which side you agree with more (Do you think the usefulness of memorisation outweighs its limitations? = Do you think there are more advantages than disadvantages?) Good luck with your results! ... Hi AnneMarie, They probably said "the fifteenth of the third 1980" but you should write: 15 March 1980 OR: 15th March 1980 OR: March 15 1980 etc...
Posted by: Simon | Monday, June 06, 2011 at 16:00
Hello Simon Thank you for your prompt reply. I would like to clarify further : Can I state the number "15" & "1980" at the same time when the instruction said "not more than one number"? Can I use this as an alternaive answer : 15/3/1980 or 15-3-1980 ? Appreciate your help and advice
Hi AnneMarie, Don't worry about writing more than one number. They would accept 15/3/1980 or 15-31980.
Thank you, Simon

Paying more money is the only possible motivation to make employees work harder and to increase their productivity. Do you agree? Give reasons and include relevant examples.
Posted by: cheap used hp computers | Tuesday, June 07, 2011 at 12:03
Dear Mr. Simon, When a question says"NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER" does that specifically mean that only one numeral may be used? For example, would writing '3 and 4' be wrong, but writing 'three and four' be correct? Could u pls clarify?
Posted by: Sara | Tuesday, June 07, 2011 at 13:54
Hi Sara, I've never had this problem with real exam papers or the Cambridge books. In other words, I've never seen that instruction with an answer that required two numbers. I suppose that if this DID happen, "3 and 4" would be technically wrong, but I still think it would be accepted. I don't think you will find this kind of confusion in the exam because questions are carefully written.
Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, June 07, 2011 at 18:20
Hi Simon, During the exam I was write all words in capital inculde Listening and Reading.For the Reading section has blank filling.I am worried the form of words is not as same as original it appears in the artical.Is that going to reduce my point? So worried.
Posted by: lisa | Wednesday, June 08, 2011 at 05:56
Hi Lisa, It's ok to use capitals in the listening and reading exams (it won't affect your score), but you shouldn't write your essays in capitals in the writing exam.
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, June 08, 2011 at 15:18
Thanks Simon, that's really a relief.
Posted by: Lisa | Wednesday, June 08, 2011 at 16:54
Writing Task 1 Canned Fruits Production Writing Task 2 We rely on newspapers to gain our knowledge in this modern society. Should the public trust journalists? What is your opinion. What are the qualities that are required to be a journalist. I think task 2 is quite difficult because I lack of ideas what to write.
Posted by: adrian | Thursday, June 09, 2011 at 03:05
Hi Simon, Thanks for replying, but actually there was this situation in one of the canadavisa tests, and the answer is marked as wrong when u write the two numerals; hence my question.And I would like to say that u r absolutely great, and i love ur lessons. Thanks.
Posted by: Sara | Friday, June 10, 2011 at 01:17
my question What are the differences of learning skill now a day and the past?
Posted by: satwant kaur | Friday, June 10, 2011 at 11:31
Hi Sara, I don't think the Canadavisa tests are 'official'. Hopefully you won't find that problem in your real test. Thanks for the compliments! ... Hi Satwant, Maybe you could talk about technology. An easy example is that most people now learn to drive a car rather than ride a horse.
Is it ok to start an essay with a quote? Say from T. S. Eliot.

Posted by: Sara | Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 11:16
Hi Sara, No, I don't recommend doing that. Quotations are memorised - they are not your own sentences.
Posted by: Simon | Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 23:39
Hi Simon, Your advice has been invaluable - I think you are...... I can't find a good enough adjective!Suffice it to say that you are a truly good person, in the true sense of the word.You also have a beautiful voice!
Posted by: Sara | Monday, June 13, 2011 at 09:41
Thanks Sara. That's very nice of you!

Alsalamo Alikom w rahmato Allah I Took ielets exam 2 days ago for writing t2 : every day many languages die out , some people think that it is better if there is fewer languages in the world r u agree or disagree (( for me the qustion was dificult becouse i haven't thought about it befor . speaking part 2 talk about shop where what do you like in this shop .... part 3 continue about shop the different between the shop in the past and now also the diferent between the shop in this country and your own country and something like that maa alsalama
Posted by: Om Layan | Monday, June 13, 2011 at 21:07
Hi Simon, another question: I've noticed that in the true/false/ng questions there's always one which has something to do with comparison. For example, "Bush flies are easier to control than buffalo flies". What's the best way to do this type, could you please let me know. Thanks a lot.
Hi Sara,
Yes, this is a common question type. The key is to focus on the comparison part (e.g. easier) and decide whether that is T, F or NG.
Thanks a lot Simon.

Hi simon, I will be taking the ielts here in manila this coming june 23 for speaking and june 25 for writing. I am so nervous :( Can you give me tips on how to handle this anxiety. I enrolled in a review center for the ielts but i still find it difficult to answer the reading exams. I practice my speaking and writing essays everyday but still, i'm scared. I need to have 7 in all subtests. I would appreciate a feedback coming from you. Thank you and God Bless!
Posted by: Anna | Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 06:14
hey anna, Even i will be taking my ielts on the same date and we both are sailing in the same boat.my exam will be in bristol.Just do not be scared and do your best.I Hope we both will be able to get 7.keep my fingers crossed.Goodluck. SIMON,your words will be highly appreciated.
Posted by: kani | Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 10:54
Hi Anna and Kani, It's normal to be worried before any exam, but you can only do your best. Try to focus on what you DO know rather than what you DON'T know, get a good night's sleep before the exam, and try to be confident. Best of luck to you both!
@kani, thank you friend! God Bless on your examination too. :D @simon, thank you so much! I will share my experience and the questions right after the exam. God Bless and Thank you again. :D
Posted by: Anna | Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 14:14
No problem Anna.
Posted by: Simon | Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 15:25
Riyadh, Speaking Where are you from? What do you do, work or study?
How do you study science? Do you still read science books? Do you find it hard to buy gifts for your family or friends? Describe your ideal house... Where is it locate? How is it going to be built? Who will live with you in that house? Describe the people who live in rural area. What are the differences between the houses in the past and the houses now? What are the difference between the houses in rural area and the city? How would the houses of today differ from the houses in the future? Which has the better quality of life, people in rural area or people in urban area?
Posted by: Regine | Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 16:23
Dear simon, just got my result and I've got my long waited all 7's dream come true. unbelievably I've got 9 in listening, reading and writing 7, speaking 7.5. Funny thing is my task 1 answer was near close to band 9 and due to lack of time management I wrote only 225 words for the task 2. since then I was worried that whether I get 7 or again 6.5 in writing, but luckily I've got 7 in writing as well. Thanks so much for the help simon, your website really helped me a lot. P.S. Sameer, thanks so much brother as you said I've got my result. I wish you the same for your exam. take care.
Posted by: Nag | Friday, June 17, 2011 at 19:13
hey nag congratulations for your such a good score.i will be taking ielts this week.Any last minute suggestions or tips from your end. It would be highly generous of you.
Posted by: kani | Monday, June 20, 2011 at 06:37
Fantastic scores Nag, well done!

Hi Simon, I am really struggling to get 7 in my IELTS academic writing skill.I gave my best shot this time but still i got 6.5.Am intending to take it next month.Can you please tell me what are the options available for correction of essay in this forum? My writing task this time was
Task1 1.A flow chart describing how cheese was made from the main ingredients? Task 2 It was about rote learning(Memorization)in today's education system.Discuss about the benefits and drawbacks.I forgot the exact question My answer format was 1.Introduction with theme sentence.I wrote that i would like to discuss the benefits as well as the drawbacks. 2.Paragraph 1 Disadvantages with example: 1.Does not retain for a long time,gave an eg. 2.Does not improve the knowledge 3.Brain's capacity to think and analyze diminish 3.Paragraph 3 Benefits with eg 1.To prepare for exams in short time 2.Memorize address for directions when you are lost 4.Conclusion To put in nutshell although there are drawbacks it is essential nowadays in order to succeed and achieve good scores. Could you please reply me regarding the essay correction facilities and feedback about my ideas for this essay? Thanks and regards, Vinu.
Posted by: Vinu | Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 12:11
Hi Vinu, Thanks for sharing your questions. Your essay structure looks fine. I'm afraid I can't offer full essay correction or feedback because too many people would send me their work if I did. Sorry I can't help with that, I just don't have time.
Hi Simon, Thanks a lot for your feedback..Do you provide any online courses for IELTS? Regards, Vinu.
Posted by: Vinu | Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 21:36
1) talk about your home town, what it is popular for, does the history mention about your home town 2) What do you like about the sea, what are the advantages and disadvantages of the sea, what do u like about it 3)talk about a hotel you went in to, where was it, how was it.( discus further more about the hotel, the food , the fascilities etc)
Posted by: Ilan | Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 11:29
Ielts Test 11.6.2010 (Saigon_Vietnam) 1.writing task 2 government should invest to the arts or the social facilities 2. Speaking Part 1. Talk about flowers, holiday,.. Part 2. Describe the building that you have worked or studied in. Part 3. Facilities for education.
Posted by: Binh | Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 14:09
Ielts Test 11.6.2011 (Saigon_Vietnam) 1.writing task 2 government should invest to the arts or the social facilities 2. Speaking Part 1. Talk about flowers, holiday,.. Part 2. Describe the building that you have worked or studied in. Part 3. Facilities for education
Posted by: Binh | Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 14:13
Hi Vinu, I'm afraid I don't do any online courses. I only have time for this site and my lessons in Manchester at the moment. ... Thanks for sharing llan and Binh.
June 23 Speaking Topics: -Describe your hometown. -Building What makes a building unique? (I can't remember the specific questions but it revolved around the buildings) -Wild animal
-Room that you like. -Are numbers important? ( Simon I read your topic about numbers and it helped me a lot. Thank you!)
Posted by: Aniikaa | Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 07:15
June 23 writing task 1: chart about students in full-time education in 5 countries. task 2: People nowadays are encouraged to throw away or replace everything they have with new and fashionable items. Do the disadvantages of throwaway society outweigh the advantages for economy? Simon, can you please tell me, is it ok if I wrote as follows: paragraph 1: throw-away culture - generates pollution, harm for environment paragraph 2: benefits to economy - incresed demand = increased production, income for country, better quality of life. and better reputation of country (as wealthier state)and example of Finland. conclution: my opinion of what is more important (environment or economy) Thank you and good luck everyone!
Posted by: ruth | Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 13:41
No problem Aniikaa. ... Hi Ruth, Your essay structure and ideas seem fine. Best of luck!
hello simon i wrote my exam on 23rd june and this was the writing topic. can you please give me a brief idea about this topic. i am bit worried. many thanx. Today people are encouraged to throw away and replace any goods that are not the latest model or latest fashion. Do the disadvantages of a throw away society out weigh any possible economic advantages?
Posted by: nisha | Friday, June 24, 2011 at 21:06
Hello, Simon I just took my IELTS exam on 23rd of June, it was my first time, so I was exciting during doing a test.Nevertheless, I believe I will obtain a desired score. By the way, your e-
book is very helpful. I then wrote my essay easily. Lastly,thank you very much for sharing the e-book. PS. here are the writing question that I took on the recently test, Task 1: The line graph illustrates the people visiting the cinema at least once a month in the particular country Task 2: Nowadays, the traditional food replaced by the fast foods. The negative for this action affected to family and society. to what extend do you agree or disagree?
Posted by: Chatirot | Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 12:03
I am just back from my test from Nepal. Reading was tough in today's test. In writing task 1 we are given to describe two line graph of police officers and Crimes. The topic of task 2 was " Early technological development helped people for their better life styles,recent development in technology cannot changes our live ever and after as compared to past development.To what extent do you agree or disagree ? God Please Help me on Reading Test. I have my speaking test at 9P.M. NST
Posted by: Bikram Kawan | Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 12:11
Hi Simon, I have completed my Speaking Test also. Most of the questions were around Traveling. Your Introduction. Do you work or study? Do you love what your doing at work? Do you prefer people or your work ? What kind of Movie you love when you were at child and why ? At Present what type of movie you love to watch.? which you prefer watching at home or going to cinema? Do you like gifts? What gift did you receive or gave last time? Do you prefer receiving or give gift and why ? (Two Minutes question ) //with whom you like to travel & why? //where did you met him/her? //Where you would like to travel.? Other questions are : What you learn by working in abroad? What you learn by traveling in abroad? Most question were regarding Traveling.
Posted by: Bikram Kawan | Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 16:36
Dear Simon, I did IELTS Test On Saturday 25-06-2011 which was held in the UK .
First of all, the exam was the most difficult test that I've ever seen. After exam, there were many students crying. In anyway, please find the questions as follows: Listening/ First section: conversation between Teacher of musical instruments and one of parent who wanted to register his son in her class. Gaps included ( Piano - guitar - Note Book ....etc ) Second section: Breif for new staff about ( Historical mining museum ) for descriping the feceilites and their duties . Gaps included ( Underground - Board - directions on Map) Third section : Academic Research. Fourth section : something about different kind of shells. Reading: Passage 1: (Ice Age) Passage 2: The relationship between plants and insects Passage 3: ???
Posted by: ahmed S | Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 00:31
follows::: Writing : Task 1: Tow lines chart , The first one about number of police officers in City A and City B form the period from 2000 unitl 2012. The second one, the number of ctimes in the same cities ovr the same period. Task 2 : Early technology developments helped ordinary people and changed their lives more than recent developments . to what extent do you agree or disagree ? Give examples ..... etc? ---------------------Please Mr. simon give us tips how to tackle the task 2 taking into account it is not clear enough.. All students agreed that Task 2 wasn't a straightforward statement. Reagrds, Ahmed
Posted by: ahmed S | Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 00:32
It is me Hassan, I was on the same exam as Ahmed in Bangor/ Wales. In writing task 2 there was 2 line charts one for the number of police officers in 2 major cities A&B and the second graph the number of crimes in the previous cities.
The speaking test was about a gift to a friend. I talked about mobile phone. With brespect to writing task 2 I wrote that it is true that earlier technology changed the life of ordinary people but modern technology has no less effect in making our life even better.Then I gave examples for both earlier and recent technology in separated paragraphs 2 and 3. The 3rd passage in reading test was very difficult about economic postgraduate researches and about 6-7 unclear studies by organisations. questions were about the aims of studies and whom address,and questions like complete the second part of the sentences. Thank you for your precious advices it were very helpful
Posted by: Hassan | Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 12:50


Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post. Test date: 25th June 2011(Seoul) [Writing] task 1: comparing subject(business, tourism, engineering and computer) preference according to gender between 2000 and 2008. They gave us two bar graphes. task 2: advertagees or disadvertages of advertising [Speaking] task 1: about housekeeping task 2: about small company taks 3: reasons for sucessing in business, change in industry environment in my country etc. Thank you and good luck with your test
Posted by: KJ Han | Monday, June 27, 2011 at 07:38
Hi Nisha, I would try to discuss both the positives and the negatives, and make it clear whether I think there are more of one than the other.
Positives could be cheaper goods, more jobs for people producing them etc. Negatives are waste, pollution etc. ... Thanks Chatirot, Bikram, Ahmed and Hassan. Best of luck to all of you!
Hi Ahmed, I looked at that question with my students. We decided that both early technologies (e.g. forms of transport like cars or trains, and certain medicines) and recent developments (Internet, new medical technologies) have been equally important in our lives. This allows you to write one main paragraph about each.
Thanks KJ.
Dear Simon, The question wasn't clear enough. Do you think that certain medicines are kind of technologies? Based on my understanding, it's medical or science developments. In my answers, I was comparing between the same stuff in diffrent periods. For instance, the technology in cars in the past compared with the technology which are introduced now in cars. What is your opinion? What is your definition of technology? I think cars , trains are inventions which contain many kind of technologies like MP3 , internet, wireless....etc.
Posted by: ahmed S | Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 19:41
CHEERS
Posted by: DJ_MIX | Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 13:58
DEAR SIMON,,can you help me my final exam on 16th,, but my big problem is writing ,, i have less time to exam,, please contact me dj_usmon91@mail.ru
Posted by: USMON | Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 14:09
Hi Ahmed, My dictionary says that technology is "the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes". We often use 'technology' in this broad sense, so transport and medicines are definitely included.
You don't have to compare the same technology in different periods - it's ok to do that, but the question doesn't ask you to. ... Hi Usmon, I'm afraid I can't help you individually. All of my best advice and materials are here on the website for you to use. Good luck on the 16th!
hello i have a question about the exam. i know that ielts provides the same date for all countries. so do their also give the same writing question reading and listening as well to each country? of different depending on area?
Posted by: Katya | Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 20:14
hi simon, if for ahmed question, if i completely disagree and give advantages of newer technoligies like internet in one paragraph and other recent technology like robots and communication gazets.how it would be? your advice would be much appreciated?
Posted by: kani | Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 12:11
Hi Katya, I think it's different depending on the area or time zone. Otherwise someone in Australia could phone a friend in the UK to tell them the questions. ... Hi Kani, That would be fine.
hi simon, Some say that public health is important and there should be more sports facilities. Others say that they have small impact on individuals. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Posted by: c.ronaldo | Friday, July 01, 2011 at 07:35
HI Simon, Talk about a program you saw on TV when you were a child that you didnt like, please say - What program it was, - What the content was,
- Why you disliked it and - What could have been done to make it better.
Posted by: Farrukh | Friday, July 01, 2011 at 07:48
hi simon, Talk about a place near water you visited in your childhood. Please say - Who did you go with? - When was it? - Where was it located? - What did you do there? - What did you like or dislike about this place? wait your answer, thanks
Posted by: lida | Friday, July 01, 2011 at 07:51
Hi Lida, This is easier than it seems - just talk about going to the beach on holiday, or visiting a city that has a river (e.g. I might use my description of London for this question, and just mention the river more).
Posted by: Simon | Friday, July 01, 2011 at 12:29
I'm glad I found this site... I'm due for IELTS exam on July 30, 2011. I'd like to expand my knowledge on several topics in Writing Task 2..... what kind of topics shall i focus?
Posted by: Eve Dancel | Saturday, July 02, 2011 at 20:10
Hi Eve, You can see a list of 24 common topics on the page linked below. When you get to the page, click on "EXAMPLE CHAPTER" to see the list. http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/ielts-ebook.html
Posted by: Simon | Saturday, July 02, 2011 at 22:04
I am glad to read this site! Thanks

Posted by: MD ABU WAYES | Thursday, July 07, 2011 at 14:02
speaking test part 1 about household works. which work you enjoy most? children should involve in household work or not? cue card describe an old person in your family?
part 3 it was about retire person and their life. writing task 1 it was two pie charts.it was easy writing task 2 it is right that university graduates should earn more than less well educated person.they should pay their full cost of education.to what extent you agree or disagree listening was easy too. reading passage 3 was little bit hard best of luck to all
Posted by: sania | Saturday, July 09, 2011 at 14:43
Thanks Sania. Good luck!

Posted by: Simon | Saturday, July 09, 2011 at 17:14
Hi Simon, My exam was on 09/07/2011 Academic London-Acton Listening1. part- registering as a new patient 3. part -filling table about researche on internet users ReadingPassage 1-Dinosaures Rex-T,F,NG,gaps filling Passage 2 -Money- finding information in paragraf Passage 3 -Childcare -gaps filling,information in paragraf WRITING TASK 2 The charts shows percentage of water used in five different sectors in Sydney 1997 and Australia 2007.Discribe main points and compare the information when relevant. 2 separate pie charts food factory,household use ,...... WRITTING TASK 2 It is right that university graduate should earn high salary compare to less-well educated people from comunity.But they should also pay full cost of their study. To which extent you agree or disagree? SPEAKING name ,what you do about swiming,clothing -what you like to wear ,fashion clothes ....
Posted by: Kubik | Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 03:55
Thanks Simon ...Great help..

Posted by: MD ABU WAYES | Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 17:11
Good Morning Sir Simon, Two day before i gave my exam in India,exam was not very diffcult. Task 1 comare two pie charts with 5 differnet sector over the period of 10 years. and task 2: well educated people should ear more than low well educated people. But they should spend more money on their eduction. Exten your view. agree or disgree. and speaking part 2: decribe any kind of book. why you like it? who you give it. etc.
Posted by: Arman | Monday, July 11, 2011 at 04:37
Hi everyone, I had taken my ielts on 25 June and it seemed my result should be out by now but i haven't got my result yet.so if anyone could help me in this. It would be highly generous of you.
Posted by: kani | Monday, July 11, 2011 at 11:08
wish i was acknowledged about this site before as reading the comments and contents here much helpful than few of my longer classes i had attended before up here my city..thanks Simon
Posted by: MD ABU WAYES | Monday, July 11, 2011 at 17:48
Thanks for sharing Saturday's questions. ... Kani, I think you should speak to the centre where you took the test. ... No problem MD ABU
Posted by: Simon | Monday, July 11, 2011 at 23:13
Writing Academic 9th July Task 1: two bar charts about the water usage in Sydney in 2005 Task 2: It is right for university graduates to recieve high salaries compared with less well-educated people. They should also pay the full cost of their education. Do you agree or disagree? Mr. Simon Do you have any ideas for this topic? Thank You very much for this greateful web site and especially for your effords.I enjoy with this site!!!!Thanks Sir))))))
Posted by: Mister X | Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 14:58
Hi Simon, Thanks for all your time and effort, it is really appreciated.
I had exam on 28th May got overall-8 ( Reading,Listening-8 each,Speaking-8.5, but Writing-6.5) I need your guidance for writing. Witing task-2 Some people think that teachers should be responsible for teaching students to judge what is right and wrong so that they can behave well. Others say that teachers should only teach students academic subjects. Discuss both views and give your opinion. And Task-1 : One chart with population in past and future , with negative percentages Such as -6%, -0.6%. I had no idea how to write this type of future table ,also, I found that time was really less to complete. Kindly advice me. Regards Anisha
Posted by: Anisha | Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 00:45
Hi Mister X, I looked at that topic with my students, so I'll put something on the website next week. ... Hi Anisha, For the task 2 question, you could say that teachers have to do both things. Write one main body paragraph about each e.g. 1) teachers are role models who should set standards for behaviour. 2) a teacher's job is to teach a subject, and to spend time preparing lessons etc. For the chart, just use the past tense for past years, and "will" or "is expected to be" for the future. Keep practising with the lessons here on the site, and I'm sure you'll improve.
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 17:48
Writing task 2 Write about the following topic: Differences between countries become less evident each year. Nowadays, all over the world people share the same fashions, advertising, brands, eating, and TV channels. To what extend disadvantages of this outweigh the advantages? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience. Write at least 250 words. Speaking Test: Part 1
1. Good afternoon. My name is _____________. Can you tell me your full name please? 2. Can I see your identification, please? Now Id like to ask you some questions about yourself. 3. Lets talk about what you do. Do you work or are you a student? 4. What do you like most about your job? 5. Lets talk about collecting things like CDs or stamp collecting. Do you collect anything? 6. Why you collect them? 7. What are people collect in your country? 8. Whats in future a person will be collecting? Part 2 Now Im going to give you a topic and Id like you to talk about it for one or two minutes. Before you talk, you will have one minute to think about what you will say. You can make some notes. Here is a paper and pencil for you to make some notes if you wish, and here is your topic. Describe a visit you have done to a member of your family. You should say: 1. Who was that person? 2. Why you visited him or her? 3. How long was the visit? And explain why this visit was particular to you. Part 3 I cannot remember exactly but it was about the following: Hospitality to foreign visitors in your country How you welcome a visitor to your house And some extra questions all were about visiting and guest. Sorry I forgot. I hope everyone get benefit from this post. remember me in your prays. Thanks to all. good luck.
Posted by: H. | Saturday, July 16, 2011 at 19:44
hi simon i hope you will be fine.i am going to have test on 30th july. but i am not quite sure about my speaking.could you show me the list of some possible Q-cards.so that i can practice on those.please,help me.
Posted by: satwant kaur | Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 05:04
Sorry I forgot. my exam was in the UK

Posted by: H. | Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 11:02
Yesterday T2
The development difference between contries decreases. nowadays, people watch same films, TV, fallow same fashion, sport and music. To what extend the disadvantages overwiegh the advantages? I am looking forward to hear how it can be analysed and what it means. T1 was a bar chart copared the consumption of 4 countries on road over 15 years. one with very high and very low , the next about half of the first and the third litl higher than the lowest but now remarkable changes over period, while other three should sbustaitial changes with ups and downs. The listening part was a real trap rather being a test.
Posted by: Ahamd | Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 19:31
I just took my exam on 16/07/11 and my question for task 2 was Advances in science and technology have made great changes to lives of ordinary people, but artists such as musicians, painters and writers are still highly valued. What can the arts tell us about life that science and technology cannot?
Posted by: sharma kanny | Monday, July 18, 2011 at 08:09
IELTS exam on 25 June 2011 Task 1. about photography Task 2. what are the causes of stress in peoples life & suggest on how to reduce these stresses Speaking Part 1 - about sports, flowers, hometown Part 2 - describe a child whom you know Part 3 - about family relationships, grandparents, Reading - More on matching type questions,
Posted by: rose42 | Monday, July 18, 2011 at 10:06
Thanks to everyone who shared their questions. ... Hi Satwant, Have a look through my speaking lessons on this site - there are several example tasks that you can practise.
I just took exam on 16th of July at Adelaide centre. I got task 2 on science and Art? In what ways arts like musicians, painters and writers can help people in their lives and science can't.
Posted by: kanny | Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 05:22
hi simon thanks for answering.the problem about my speaking is that i can not elaborate my Qcard.i get on what i have to speak.but,i speak just for 45 seconds.tell me the method through which i can improve.
Posted by: satwant kaur | Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 14:19
Thanks Kanny. ... Hi Satwant, Have a look at this lesson about adding details to make your answer longer: http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/01/ielts-speaking-add-detail.html
Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 15:43
Hi Simon I was just trying to do the essay given by Ahamd above on dated 17th of this month. But I found it hard . will you please explain that quetion is all about Globalisation or technology. Thanks
Posted by: kanny | Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 11:48
Hi Kanny, I think it's about the globalisation of culture. I'll try to do a lesson about it next week.
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 14:26
Hi Simon, This was the writng test on 16/07/2011 in Taiwan. It seems not to easily to write the opinons about this topic. Task 2 The advanced science and technology greatly value artists such as musicians painters and writers. What can artists do that scientists can not
Posted by: Kiki | Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 10:21
any tips on the general training ielts, especially in the writing section and reading
Posted by: Sunny | Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 19:45
Hi Sunny,
I'm afraid I don't teach the general paper, so don't have any tips for letter writing. The technique for reading is the same - look for 'keywords' in the passage that are similar to words in the questions. Sorry I can't help more.
Posted by: Simon | Friday, July 22, 2011 at 14:05
16th july INDIA bar chart Allocation of funds to transport and roads in italy ,uk ,usa ,_ _ _[sorry 4gt ti last country name] Differences between the countries are becoming less as poeople all over the world are following same fashion ,movies,adverts,etc To what extend the disadvantages of tis overwiegh its advantages? Reading passage 1 magnetic therapy, opinions, research and itz scientific validity passage 2 finding artefact underwater & methods of excavation passage 3 Kiore rats and research findings of different scientists Listening Part 1 Conversation b/n a lady and a man abt reparing tables ,clearing bushes and cleaning home part 2 Lecture of differnt persons from media [fill up] part 3 related to a drama by some russian artists [Choose the correct letter] part 4 Formation of a football club and its relevance to ppl in sm part of britan [fill up] LISTENING ws bit tough Speaking Wher u live in Do u have a spl room in ur home
City life Vs Countrylife Flowers-itz relevance to culture Talk abt a leisure centre u knw in ur area
Posted by: shyam | Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 00:08
Read articles from NGC, scientific Aerican,NPR Some sample reading articles http://www.npr.org/2011/07/22/138576199/ants-a-global-safari-with-a-cast-of-trillions http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=resistance-antibiotic-defeating-drugscombat-worrisome-germs http://www.npr.org/2011/07/23/138640834/todays-polar-bears-trace-ancestry-to-ireland http://news.sciencemag.org/oilspill/sea-floor.html these sites helped me a lot in improving reading + overall guidance and tips from ieltssimon.com Thanks Simon for maintaining a wonderful & informative website.
Posted by: shyam | Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 00:22
Thanks for sharing Shyam.

IELTS 2011 July 9th General Exam SRI LANKA Letter You are planning to go to work in other country and write a letter to one of your friends who are working in that country. Why you are looking a job in other country What kind of job you are planning to do Ask more information about the job industry Essay Some people believe that giving money to the children will create a negative result in their future for managing money Do you agree or disagree?
Interview Whats your full name? Are you working or studding? Do you enjoy the job? Why? Do you like birds? Why birds are important in our life? Why? Should people protect birds? Why? Where do you study? How you travel to school? Is that good school? Cue Card Describe a neighbor you know well Who is she/he How do you him/her, how long? Why you like him? Discussion Why we need neighbors? Is there any advantages & disadvantages? How long you meet them each other? Will you meet them during special occasions such as New Year? What social work does your neighbors? What are the advantages or disadvantages of keeping social group?
Posted by: Thara | Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 07:10
these are the recent speaking topics malaysia introduce yourself do u enjoy ur work do u enjoy working with others few questions about flowers cue card describe about dream house part 3 more into enironment problems and pollution in my country
Posted by: natasha | Friday, July 29, 2011 at 09:37
hi Simon I wrote my exam yesterday at UCD, Dublin the questions were: WRITING: Task 2: Some Businesses think that new employees who just completed their studies lack interpersonal skills like lack of ability to work as a member of team.
What are the causes of it and what measures can be taken to improve the interpersonal skills? SPEAKING: Part 1: 1) What is your full name? 2) How can I call you? 3) From where are you? 4) Are you a student or do you work? 5) Do you like your work? 6) Do you want to continue your work in future? 7) Describe your first school? 8) How you used to go to school? 9) Did you learn to make handicrafts in school? 10)Is your home town famous for handicrafts? Part: 2 (Cue - Card) Describe the shop you like to visit? You should say: - where it is? - what it is famous for? - how you went first time there? Part: 3 1) Do you recommend people to visit that shop? 2) Do you think people take shopping as one of the leisure activity? 3) Have you ever seen males shopping for their leisure? 4) Is there any difference between the shops of your home town and Dublin?
Posted by: Neha | Friday, July 29, 2011 at 22:42
Vietnam IETLS Academic writing task 2, 30 July 2011: Banning dangerous sports. Others think people should be free to choose sport activities. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Posted by: tortoise | Saturday, July 30, 2011 at 13:11
Australia - General Test July 30th, 2011:
Students should be taught how to manage their finances in high school as this is an important life skill. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Posted by: tina | Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 00:46
My IELTS questions: Hanoi, Vietnam August 30th 2011 Writing: - Task 1: Describe a bar chart - Task 2: Some people believe that the government should ban dangerous sporting activities while others think that people have the freedom do whatever sports they choose. Discuss both views and give your own opinion Speaking: - Part 1: Where are you from? Are you student or do you work? What do you want to do in the future? What do you love about your university? Teachers and people you study with, which one is more important? What do you do in your free time? What kinds of outdoor activities are popular in your city? What kinds of concerts are popular in your town? What is the latest concert you watched on TV? - Part 2: Describe a peaceful place you want to visit: Where is it? When did you visit it? What did you do? Why do you love it? - Part 3: How is the noise level in your city? Where does noise in urban areas come from? Do you think it is important to be alone sometimes? What is the importance of belong to a certain group? What are problem you could have if you go out together in big group?
Posted by: Tree | Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 07:45
30/07/2011 London Writing: Task 1: Describe a graph. Children's activities as a part of their bedtime routine in the United States(reading,brushing teeth,having bath,watching TV,eating).Age groups:13,4-6,7-9 Task 2: Some people think that lectures are not important way of education nowadays because technology has developed. To what extent do you agree?
Speaking: Where do you live at the moment? What do you like about the place you live? How long have you lived there? Let's talk about outdoor activities. Do you like outdoor activities?Why? Do you like flowers? Do flowers have any meaning in your country? Do you have festivals related to flowers in your country? Part 2: Describe a place near water/sea,lake,river/ you have been to when you were child. Whom did you go there with? Why did you like/dislike this place? Why it was interesting to you? When did you go there? Part 3: Do you think that it is important to learn the oceans and why? Do you think the oceans should be protected by international agreement? Do you think the environmental problems can affect the oceans?
Posted by: lara | Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 11:21
I passed the IELTS on 30th July in Eastbourne, UK. The writing tasks: 1. Bar chart. X ax: three children age ranges (1-3, 3-5, 5-7 years old)and 6 daily bedtime activities for each age: brushing teeth, watching TV, eating, reading,etc. Y axe: percentage of children doing each bedtime activity for each range of age. 2. Task 2: Technology nowadays permits students to learn without attending lectures. Are lectures still justify? To what extent do you agree or disagree? Speaking test, part 2: Think about a song of your childhood. Why do you like that song? When was the first time you listened to that song? Do your friends like that song? Speaking test, part 3: Do teenagers and adults enjoy the same kind of songs? What are the factors which make people like a song? In which occasions do people in your country sing together? Which kind of songs are suitable for children? Why? Regards, Pilar
Posted by: Pilar Gomez | Monday, August 01, 2011 at 09:11
I took the IELTS here in Manchester JULY 16, 2011, Im delighted to share that I have achieved the result I wanted. Writing task 2 Write about the following topic: Differences between countries become less evident each year. Nowadays, all over the world people share the same fashions, advertising, brands, eating, and TV channels. To what extend disadvantages of this outweigh the advantages? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience. Write at least 250 words. I vaguely remember the task 1 in writing but it was a lil bit easy... I was worried with my answer in Task 2, because my interpretation was wrong...But I was so Lucky and Blessed despite of my mistakes I still got my Speaking=7 and Overall= 6.5 (which I prayed hard for so Praise God for the miracle, it was answered! I received my result on Saturday 30-7-11) SPEAKING: Part 1: Do you like Flowers What about Art? are you good in drawing? Part 2 : Describe the oldest person you know Who is she/ How was she related to you/ Explain what was good about this person Part 3: About MONEY and RETIREMENT, Does old people in your country have a comfortable life after retirement? GOOD LUCK everyone... May you get the score you wanted to achieve like me... :) Now I can relax and enjoy my life again...Stress free... Thanks Simon for your great web page.... more power.
Posted by: saichee | Monday, August 01, 2011 at 18:02
Well done Saichee! That's great news.

Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, August 02, 2011 at 12:57
Hi guys, do u know listening and reading answer key about the exam on july 30th? Thanks a lot
Posted by: Alex | Friday, August 05, 2011 at 18:58
Some people believe that the government should ban dangerous sporting activities while others think that people have the freedom do whatever sports they choose. Discuss both views and give your own opinion
With the arrival of the new communicational technology and globalization, the very traditional types of sports have been changed: today the tendency among young generation is towards risky exercises played rarely in the past because of their hazards to sportsmen and society. Obviously, despite the arguments that people should be freed in their choices, it is states responsibility to prevent citizens well being through banning these sports. The fact is that people have the right to choose what kind of sports they play. The reason for this is the difference in individual interest and ability. It is clear that In addition to those who play to keep fit, a section of the population often try to meet challenges and prove their ability overcoming the life threatening events. Moreover, in the real life there are still instances that require human to be prepared for fighting against natural or artificial enemies in order to get rid of cruel king or leaders, for example. People should be quite ready to defend against criminals which increasing day by day, particularly muggers. At the same time, it cannot be denied that because of this not only the services will be used unnecessarily , but will lead to civil unrest, and therefore the government should banned unhealthy sports. If the number of traumas and injuries due to dangerous games are increased, more and more health services will be used that increase expenses of the already expensive hospitals. This , in fact, has negative impacts on running others public services such as educational and transport. In terms of crimes, who can guarantee that sports such as Taekwondo and Karate do not breed daily streets fighting? It therefore seems necessary to halt officially sports that face people health at risk, rather than labelling them as human rights, in my opinion.
Posted by: Amad | Saturday, August 06, 2011 at 22:48
Hi guys, On 11/08/11, I had my speaking test and the question were asked as follows. What's ur name? Where do u stay Say something about ur hometown Which flowers do u like most and why Say the different ways flowers are used in your country. In part 2 of exam they asked to discuss about recent news u had come across, who was involved in it and how do people respond. further, they asked how many types of newspapers are there in ur country are they important in ur life are national or international news inportant how do neews affect our lives
Posted by: Sateesh | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 15:59
Hello Sir, I have taken my test today on 13 August 2011 (Saturday). I am surprised to know that Writing Task 2 (Essay) and Reading Passages have come already in past IELTS test. MY QUESTION: Do the essays and reading passages repeat ? The same essay was given in 2006. -----------------------------------------------I have written the questions below. Writing Task 1: The graph show the number of workers for actual and predicted figures between 1985 to 2015 Number of workers (millions) with different levels of qualification ---------Writing Task 2: In the last century, the first man walking on the moon said: It is a big step for mankind. However, some people think it makes little difference to our daily lives. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Reading Passages Passage 1: Advertisement related passage. Passage 2: It was about Leaf-cutter ant & Lower attine ant Passage 3: Transit of Venus (About scientist calculating distance between the Earth and the Sun)
Posted by: Khan | Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 16:32
Hi Khan, Thanks for sharing. When I asked some of the IELTS bosses, they told me that the EXACT same questions are never repeated. The topic might be almost the same, but they make changes so that the test is always new and different. (This might not be true, but it's what they told us at an IELTS conference)
Posted by: Simon | Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 16:55
Thx khan you lessened my burden. I too gave exam today itself and thought to put up the questions in our site. Regards, Sateesh
Posted by: Sateesh | Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 17:36
Hi Simon, I've got a speaking test today, and in part 2, it asked me to describe a vehicle that you want to buy. Is it consider as a heavy topic?I didn't prepare anything for this so I just talked for about 1 minutes and I can't continue, althought part 1 and 3 I did it quite good, can I still get 6.5 or 7 band
Posted by: Havic | Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 03:10
13th August - General writing topics: Your friend is coming to your town and has asked to stay with you. Unfortunately, this is not possible. Write a letter to your friend and: -explain why they cannot stay - say how you feel about this - and suggest alternative accommodation Task 2 When children play team sports at school. they learn more than just the games themselves. What do students learn from playing team sports? How can this benefit their future lives?
Posted by: beth | Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 11:10
Hi to all... I am a Malaysian and sat for the IELTS exam on Aug 13 (Academic Module). In task 1, they gave a process diagram on how coal is used to produce electricity. In task 2, the question was "Some people think the main purpose of schools is to turn children into good citizens, and workers rather than to benefit them as individuals. To what extend do you agree or disagree with this statement."
Posted by: Baks | Monday, August 15, 2011 at 04:45
Hi Havic, I'm not sure what you mean by "heavy topic". "Describe a vehicle" is a normal part 2 topic. If you only spoke for one minute, that could affect your score, but it's still possible that you did well. It all depends on what you said in that minute and in the other 2 parts, especially in part 3. ... Thanks Beth and Baks!
Posted by: Simon | Monday, August 15, 2011 at 14:21
Dear Simon,
I am really grateful to you for your fabulous web site and invaluable advise which helped me to get 8.0 . I was trying to pass IELTS with minimum score of 7.0 in each module since last year. Never had problem in Listening and Reading. But every time either Writing or Speaking score was 6.5 and I didn't know how to improve it. I have tryed 4 times and I was very depressed because of this exam. It was my 5th attempt and today I got my result. My Listening and Reading scores were improved by 1.0 score and were 8.5. Writing 8.0 Speaking 7.0 Overall 8.0 While preparing for my IELTS exam I used to read your advise to students related their Writing and Speaking problems and I realised that I need to improve my vocabulary for higher score in all modules. So I started to study from vocabulary books like English Vocabulary in Use by Michael McCarthy and Felicity O'Dell (brilliant book to improve our vocabulary). And today I am very happy. I can't put my happiness in words. Thank you so much!!!
Posted by: lara | Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 10:33
Hi Lara, Thanks for sharing your news, and congratulations on getting such great scores! I'm really pleased that my advice helped.
Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 15:55
IELTS EXAM Task 1 13th August 2011 Table Number of workers in millions Qualifications Level.....1995...2005...2010...(2015) Non Qualifications.....9...8...5...(3.5) Low Qualifications.....5...4.5...5...(5) medium qualifications.....7...7.2...6.5...(7) Degree, Postgrad., or doctorate.....3...5...8...(13.5)
Posted by: ahmed S | Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 18:13
This is an exam applied in Mexico City. 13th August, 2011 **** Writing Task 1 A bar chart illustrating the percentages of the Internet use between males and females in 2008. This is the chart
http://www.ieltstestbooks.com/images/task1_graph.png Writing Task 2 Many people believe that individuals are fully responsible for solving environmental problems ; others believe that unless individuals take some actions the problem could not be solved. Discuss both views and give your opinion **** Listening 1. Phone talk, requesting moving and packing services 2. Two students talking about the experience of waking in a hotel 3. A guy explaining how to prevent fires 4. Lecture about improvements within a company *** Reading 1. Importance of studying History 2. Birds' intelligence 3. Energy generated by water *** Speaking Interview What is your full name? How do you prefer to be called? Do people believe in numbers in your country? What are the most important numbers that someone should remember? How do you remember numbers? Talk me about your hometown What kind of live performances does your hometown offer? Talk me about a recent concert that yo attended or watch on tv Cue Card Talk about an educational program. What the program is about? How do you find that programme? Why you like/dislike that programme?
Discussion Do you believe that people should watch that kind of programs? TV advertisement is really expensive, Why do you think that companies invest in this kind of ads? Do you think that advertising change children behaviour?
Posted by: aker | Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 21:04
I am from Australia. I took IELTS General-Training test . I am not able to produce 7 band in writing and reading. my maximum score was 6 band. can you able to give me some suggestion in General training, writing task 1 and 2, as well as reading. I was talking long time to find reasons for the question during the test. Less time stress myself which make me to rush up the answer.
Posted by: kavi | Friday, August 19, 2011 at 15:11
Hi Simon its Amit here I have a test today at MELBOURNE General training writing task 1 Local authority planning to build an airport in ur area and u r unhappy with this move. explain why u not happy what r the problems u may face and what would u suggest to local authority to do in 150 words. task 2 These days most of the young people get a one year job before they start studies either at a college or a university. what r the advantages or disadvantages of it explain with ur life experiences or examples in 250 words. I have done well as usual rest all depends on IELTS people and personal luck as well.
Posted by: Amit Goel | Saturday, August 20, 2011 at 10:53
I just had my test last Saturday (20.8.2011) in Msia. The speaking part: Part 1: What is your name? Work? Do you enjoy your work? Do you like your working environment or the people working with you? Part 2: Describe an adventurous person. Who/Why you like him/What make you like him Part 3: Discussion on independence. Children should give less freedom? Do you have less or more freedom during your childhood? Do you think freedom in children change since you are small?
Writing: WT1: A table shows the number of temporary migrant workers in 4 countries in 2003 and 2006 and the number of these workers per 1000 people in 2006. WT2: Some agree to have a police force carries guns, some may say it may brings violence. To what extent, do you agree or disgree?
Posted by: Goh | Sunday, August 21, 2011 at 14:54
Aug 20th 2011, S.Korea Task1 ;There was a table for the number of temporary migrant workers in different four countries(UK, USA, New zealand, Australia) in 1991 and 2001 and the proportion of these people per 1,000 in each country. Task2 ; Some people say that if a police force carries a gun, the levels of crimes would be decreased. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Part 1 -About your hometown. -About science class when you were a school student. Part 2 -Describe the oldest person you know who?, How do you know, what your feel when you meet or see the person Part 3 -About the elderly respect -Comparing between the meaning of respecting the elderly in the past and it in modern society -Are the elderly able to desrve to respect? -Who have responsibilities for looking after them? themselve? governments? or your familes? I hope these are all halpful for everyone who studies this priceless site and I always thank you for a great teacher, simon.
Posted by: KJ HAN | Monday, August 22, 2011 at 09:14
hi everybody i gave IELTS test on 20/08/2011 my writing topic was, Task-1...a chart was given displaying women positions held in two sectors viz.government and management in 5 different countries. Task-2... News Media has more influence these on people today..This is considered as negative. Do you agree or disagree ?
Speaking-Cue Card :decribe something you enjoyed to learn. What it was. How you learnt it. Why you enjoyed.
Posted by: Jess | Monday, August 22, 2011 at 12:19
Hi Kavi, The technique for the reading test is the same for both the general and the academic papers (even though the type of texts used is different). Go through my reading lessons to find all of my best advice and practice exercises. Writing task 2 is the same, so use my task 2 lessons on this site. Writing task 1 is different for general and academic. I'm afraid I don't teach lessons for general writing task 1, so you should probably look for a book or a different website that can help you with the letter writing task. Sorry I can't help more with that. ... Thanks to everyone who shared last weekend's questions.
Posted by: SImon | Monday, August 22, 2011 at 16:59
Hi simon, I had topic Task-2... News Media has more influence these on people today..This is considered as negative. Do you agree or disagree ? In 1st para:I mentioned news and channle modes of new& new has impact on our live. Body para 1:media -mainly bad news as aim proift becasue bad news sells as good news not ,bad news has negative impact to support idea para 2: good news vice versa: para:3 government to force media for good news para:4-parents encourage children to watch good news Conclusion-news in media doesnt mean -ve develepment but good news has +ve effect. Please can you tell me have I written as asked,what do you think about structure and idea. Thank(looking forward to hear from you before result)
Posted by: Tahir | Monday, August 22, 2011 at 18:04
I wonder if u can tell me please, how many answer should have to be correct to get 7 bands in listening and reading as diff website and books says differently. Thank
Posted by: TP | Monday, August 22, 2011 at 18:14
Hi Tahir,
My advice is normally to keep the structure more simple - just 2 main body paragraphs that develop 2 main ideas. Your ideas seem ok - it really depends how well you explained them. Let's wait and see what score you get. Good luck! ... Hi TP, The information in the lesson below is correct: http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2010/08/students-questions-readingscores.html
Thanks you very much Simon.I really appreciate your time and reply.I did knew about two para but when i finshed 2 para,my words were around 180 so I had to add another two para.to reach around 250 words + conclusion (around 30 words).all together 280 words.
Posted by: TAHIR | Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 00:04
hi, I gave ielts test on 20/08/2011 writing task-1...a chart showing positions held by women in government and management sector in 5 different countries. writing task-2...News mwdia has more influence on people today. it is considered as negative. Do you agree or diagree ? Speaking-Cue card...Describe something you enjoyed to learn.
Posted by: Jess | Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 10:55
Hi Simon, I sat for IELTS on 20/08/2011.My writing question was People think of that the news media have influential people's lives nowadays it is a negative development to what extent do you agree or disagree. Speaking part 2 An unusual activity you did it which you find interesting. what you did. when you did it. who was with you. why you find it interesting. I really find it difficulty in writing and speaking.Can you help me out.Last time i got Overall 7,Listening 7.5,Reading 7,Writing 7 and speaking 6.5.I hope you will help me to
clear the exam this time. Thank you

Posted by: Avarna | Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at 19:26
Hi Simon, I want to ask about Speaking part 2, the question is chosen by the examiner or is the same in one centre?
Posted by: Ha | Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 06:27
Hi Avarna, If you've already taken the test, I'm not sure how I can help. I think you just need to wait to see what score you get. Best of luck! ... Hi Ha, The examiner has about 10 speaking topics that he/she can choose from.
Posted by: Simon | Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 11:32
hello simon, i wrote my ielts exam today and i feel that i made a big blunder in my writing task 2. they gave queastion saying university education is useful for individual to get a better job. some think wider its better for both individual and society. i didnt see the question properly and wrote university education advantages and disadvantages. now plzz tell me whether my answer is completely wrong or to some extent is it right? what band will we get if we do so??
Posted by: preethi | Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 17:37
hellon, Preethi Did you attend the ielts in UK today? could you tell us the title of the reading part? thanks!
Posted by: Yang | Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 20:43
hi yang, i wrote my exam in india british council. reading test 1 is some thing related to managers role n part 2 is abt an ancient ship found n the scientists view on it part 3 abt why people get so much attached to some places n writers views on this. writing task 1 comparing two two maps which is abt an area in 1980 n 2000. speaking- they asked abt general introduction meaning of ur name importance of joint family and small family and finally abt different types of birds and their importance in ur tradition
Posted by: preethi | Friday, August 26, 2011 at 04:58
Hi Preethi, I'm afraid it will affect your score if you didn't answer the question properly. Your 'advantages of university' paragraph was probably fine, but I'm not sure whether the disadvantages were relevant. It's difficult to say how many marks you might have lost, but if you have to retake the test, please read the question more carefully.
Posted by: Simon | Friday, August 26, 2011 at 10:51
Hi Preethi, I thought u are in UK,i plan to attend the exam, so i want to know more about IELTS in UK. Thank you so much.
Posted by: yang | Friday, August 26, 2011 at 11:14
Dear Mr. Simon, I would like to inform you that my ielts socre has been released today by Eastbourne Center( www.sussexdowns.ac.uk ). I got 6.5 ( L:7.0 - R:5.5 - R: 6.0 - S: 6.5). Thank you very much for your great efforts. Over two months, I was preparing myself through your website and follow your advice. I have never seen teacher like you. Hopefully, You have a great zest in your life. Ahmed S
Posted by: ahmed S | Friday, August 26, 2011 at 13:03
Hi Simon, I am taking another test on next Saturday.So kindly give suggestions to improve my speaking.writing with topic my score is changing.If i have some idea about the topic then its fine.But that also depends. Regards Avarna
Posted by: Avarna | Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 11:56
Thanks Ahmed, and congratulations on getting those scores! ... Hi Avarna, It's difficult to improve your language in only one week, so just review what you have already studied, and try to be positive and confident on the day. Good luck!
Posted by: Simon | Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 15:51
Mr.Simon, Could please provide me the name of school that you teach in?
Posted by: ahmed S | Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 21:02
hi simon I have taken ielts exam on saturday writing topic CAUSES OF WATER SHORTAGE N WAT EFFORTS GOVT AND INDIVIDUAL CAN DO TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. I WROTE 1ST PARA INRODUCTION BY REPHARASING THE STATEMENT 2ND PARA OF CAUSES:-POPULATION,WASTAGE OF WATER,TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS.3RD PARA TALKING ABOUT INDUSTRIALISATION AND CONTAMINATION OF WATER ALONG WID SAYING THAT IN PAST PEOPLE HAD LIMITED USE OF WATER.4TH PARA GOVT CAN AWARE N ENFORCE LAWS.5TH PARA INDIVIDUAL AWARENESS N RESPONSIBILITY. HAVE I FOLLOWED A RIGHT PATTERN?PLS GUIDE ME
Posted by: RACHEL | Monday, August 29, 2011 at 06:01
Hi Ahmed, I don't work for a school. I do my own lessons in Manchester. For more information, click below: http://ielts-simon.com/manchester/ ... Hi Rachel, Your ideas seem fine. Personally I would just write 4 paragraphs: 1. Introduction 2. Causes of water shortages 3. Solutions (governments and individuals) 4. Conclusion However, your structure is fine too.
Simon one of my friend took ielts in australia on 27/08/11 and his topic was: In recent years people have started watching more overseas movies? WHY IS IT SO? SHOULD GOVERNMENT GIVE SOME FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO LOCAL CINEMA TO PRODUCE LOCAL FILMS? Will you plz tell the structure how can we make paragraph for this topic? Thanks & Regards
Posted by: kanny | Monday, August 29, 2011 at 12:24
Hi Kanny, It's an unusual question, but here's what I would write: 1. Introduction - introduce topic and give a very general answer to both questions. 2. Main Paragraph - explain why people watch overseas films (they are better, more exciting, come from countries with a bigger film industry. Give examples e.g. Hollywood films - more expensive production, special effects, famous actors etc.) 3. Main Paragraph - write that it would be a good idea to finance local cinema (encourage creativity, good for young people, jobs, culture, income for the local area etc.) 4. Conclusion - repeat/summarise main ideas. PS. You don't need to post your questions in 2 places - I can see all questions in one place.
Thanks alot for your great help.

Posted by: kanny | Monday, August 29, 2011 at 13:17
27/08/11, Seoul, Korea -task 2: Films produced by foriegn countries are more popular than films that are locally produced. Why is it? and how about your think about governments should grant financial aids to the local films makers. -part 2: Describe the new that you watch or read recently. what is it? who are involved in? what your feel when you saw it? etc. thank you
Posted by: KJ HAN | Monday, August 29, 2011 at 16:33


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hi simon i am kashif , thanks for sent me email regarding ur new sehdule for classes on 10th of september . i already book my ielts exams on 15th and17th of september. i am very intrested to attend ur lesson on 10th sept. i just requested u that can i pay my lesson fee by cash when i will come to ur class on 10th sept. thanks
Posted by: kashif | Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 01:02
Hi Kashif, Just send me an email and we can arrange things.

Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 11:06
Perth, WA. Speaking test Task 1: My hometown and is it a city, village or town? What can you do in your hometown? Do you like your hometown. How do you think about online shopping? Can you trust them? Have you ever bought by online shopping? How do young children celebrate their birthday parties? How are birthdays important to them? Task 2: Talk about and interesting public place. Where is it located? What kind of people visit it? What interesting things you can do? Why is it interesting? Task 3: rules and regulations of public places? what criteria are necessary for public places? which sort of public places young people like to go? regarding a museum, which rules should visitors have to follow? Writing task 2 The qualities of a person to be successful in a real world cannot be learned from a university or similar academic institution. To what extent, do you agree or disagree? if they break laws, how would you give penalties?
Posted by: Sarah | Saturday, September 03, 2011 at 07:59
Perth WA: 3/09/2011 Speaking Test Task 1: Your hometown Do you like it? What can you do in your hometown? Do you trust online shopping? have you ever bought a thing from online shopping?
How do young kids celebrate their birthdays in your country? How are birthdays important to them? Task 2: an interesting public place where, who visit them,why it is interesting. Task 3: Rules and regulations regarding public places Writing task 2: The qualities of a person to be successful in a real world cannot be learned from a university or similar academic institution. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Posted by: Sandi | Saturday, September 03, 2011 at 08:25
Philippines Sept 2-3, 2011 Writing task 2 was about qualities of a person needed to become successful in life cannot be learned in academic institutions or universities. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Writing task 1 - Percentage of a drug company's total sales in year 2002-2008. Speaking was about myself, colors, my home task 2: describe a healthy person that you know. Task3 : why do people eat unhealthy food? Which do you think is safer food from home or shop? something like that :D :D :D
Posted by: ritz | Saturday, September 03, 2011 at 12:09
Hi Simon, Test Date Sep 3rd, 2011 Writing Task 2: Governments all over the world are spending so much money on artworks such as painting and sculpture in dispaying in public places. Do you think it is a good idea or bad idea. Speaking: Section One: 1. What is your full name? 2. How shall I call you? 3. Are you styding or working? 4. Do you like your job? Why? 5. Where do you come from?
6. What type of birds do you have in your city? 7. What usually people feel in your city when they see these birds? 8. What is the significance of birds in your culture? Section Two: What personality trait you have which makes you feel good? -- What personality trait. -- How it will effect you in your life. Section Three: 1. So what do you think what personality traits should people have to be successful? 2. What is happiness? 3. Do you think money is important to be happy? 4. Do sucessful people always get happiness? 5. You gave examples of eminent personalities. What about the layman common people? 6. Does achivement leads to happiness? 7. You gave examples please elaborte on that? 8. Do people should think positive? Why? 9. What personal traits are there in your culture? Simon:- May be i am forgetting all the questions and language correctly, but questions were related to the above topic only. Regards, Rocky
Posted by: Rocky | Monday, September 05, 2011 at 05:18
Hi Simon, I sat for IELTS test on Last Saturday.The test was ok i feel.But i doubt about my performance in speaking.Cue card was A family event you attended When was it where was it who was present Why you find it interesting Writing question was Task one bar graph population in millions both urban and rural in 2006 and also 2030,in few countries North America,South and central America,Europe,Asia and Africa. Task 2 Some people think that government should give assistance for all artists including poets,musicians,arts etcBut others argue that this kind of support is just a waste of money .Discuss both these views and give your opinion
Posted by: Avarna | Monday, September 05, 2011 at 11:59
hi simon,I recived IETLS result today,unfortunately I haven scored desired band.R-7,L6.5 speaking 6,month ago I scored 7.5 and writing 5.5 which is decreased by 1 band. I presonally think simply this reflecs how strict examiner were? Another important thing is I am in UK from last 3 years and working in GP surgery,where I have to communicat with patient everyday,in last 3 exam my speaking scores were minimum 7. Also I think Writing and speaking bands rely on examiner. I am not saying I am great with writing but atleast person who gave IETLS twoand half year ago without knowing what to write in exam and what exactly IELTS is,acheived 6 band at that time and almost after 3 year acheived 5.5 band. No disrespect or wrong attitude but IELTS is simply money making scheme from govt. Anyway not sure what to do further but I might go AMerica or will IELTS one more time. Please can you reply what your opinion over my thought. Thanks
Posted by: ABC | Monday, September 05, 2011 at 14:15
Thanks for sharing Sarah, Sandi, Ritz, Rocky and Avarna! You've given me some useful questions to share with my students and others who follow this site. Best of luck! ... Hi ABC, I'm sorry to hear that you didn't get the scores you needed. It's difficult for me to comment without seeing your writing paper or hearing what you said in the speaking test. It is possible that you had a strict examiner, but it might be that you are approaching the test in the wrong way. If you decide to take the test again, please find a teacher who can check your work and do some practice tests with you BEFORE you take the test then you will have a better idea of what your level is, and how you can improve. Remember, thousands of people are in the same position as you, and the exam is difficult for everyone. You will pass if you keep trying, but you might need a few lessons to help you with methods/techniques. Don't give up!
Posted by: Simon | Monday, September 05, 2011 at 19:53
Recent IELTS questions 0n 3 Sep. TASK 1 A bar chart that compares urban and rural populations in five regions of the world in 2006 and estimates the figures by 2030.
TASK2 Some people says that government should support artists of different arts e.g. filming, poets and painting; others argue that it is waste of public money. Discuss this topic and give your opinion. Speaking Your name Where are from? What are you doing? How noise is common where you live? How it affect people lives? How can you protect your household from the outdoor noise ? Task2 Describe a family photograph you love When is taken, where is taken, how do you feel about it and how it look ? TASK3 Why photograph are important? What will happen in the future are the current photography if different than the one in the past. Is it an art , when people take photos?
Posted by: Ahmad | Thursday, September 08, 2011 at 15:24
Please add exam questions for 15 and 17 th september 2011. Thanks

Posted by: TAHIR | Monday, September 19, 2011 at 10:03
Hello Simon, I took IELTS exam on this Saturday 17.09.11 in London. Listening was easy, unfortunately I cannot remember the topics. Reading was quiet difficult (in my opinion), 1st part - about butterfly's mimicry, 2nd - cannot remember, 3rd - passage about the theories of planets creation (the most difficult one). Writing 1: 2 bar charts which show how children in 2 age groups (5-10 and 10-15) go to school ( walking, car, bus, bicycle) in two years 1996 and 2006 in one European country. Writing 2: In some countries, it is decided to move industries and businesses out of large cities. Do you think it is good or bad development? Discuss advantages and disadvantages and give your view. Speaking: 1st part: your full name. Do you study or work? Why do you like you studies? Some questions about the importance of computers in my life. 2nd part: card : describe a good personality that you posses.
Why this personality is good How it helps you in your life 3rd part: questions related to personality and character Speaking part 3 was difficult, questions were weird, tough and repetitive.
Posted by: Olga | Monday, September 19, 2011 at 12:14
Thanks again to those of you who have shared your questions. It really helps!
Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 20:25
hi simon myself Rutu i have ielts exam after two days. could u please give me any tips in all four to get each 7. my last time score was R.6, W.6.5, L.7.5 and S.6.5
Posted by: Rutu Shukla | Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 13:07
Hi there, today i appeared in IELTS general listening module.dtail is as as under 1. What is your full name? 2. How shall I call you? 3. tell me something about your home. 4. what thing about it you like the most? 5. what part of house you like the most? 6. what king of weather do you like? Main Topic: what kind of quality in you, you like the most, does it help you in life..what change it bring in your life. (1) nature & Nurture of men and women (2) good qualities of men and women. (3)who is a successful individual in life.
Posted by: Asim Mahmood | Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 14:45
do you believe it is the right for a country to change its flag after citizens have fought and died under the existing flag hi simon i came across this question of writing task 2 and i think is difficult. can you please help me with few ideas
Posted by: niam | Friday, September 23, 2011 at 00:03
Hi Rutu, There isn't much you can do in only 2 days. Have a look at this advice: http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/05/ielts-advice-the-week-beforeyour-exam.html ... Thanks Asim.
... Hi Niam, I've never seen a question like that - maybe you got it from an unreliable book. I don't think you should worry about it. It's better to focus on common topics: http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/02/ielts-advice-you-need-ideasand-opinions.html
Posted by: Simon | Friday, September 23, 2011 at 10:09
Hi Simon, I just had my IELTS exam over the weekend in the Philippines. The questions were somewhat like this... Speaking Part 1 What's your name? Where do you live? What do you like about your house? What would you like to change in your house? Part 2 Talk about your neighbor How long have you met your neighbor? How many times do you see each other? What do you feel when you see your neighbor? Part 3 What is the importance of having good relationships with your neighbors? How does community seminars help the society? What do you use the computer for? What are the effects of too much use of the computer? Listening Section 1 A man booking a party reservation for a party Section 2 A woman and a man talking about a project layout Section 3 Wind power in Australia Section 4 Ships and shipping company Reading Passage 1 Museums and Exhibits Passage 2
Parental involvement in education Passage 3 Talent and Mozart Writing Task 1 Bar graph showing the expenditure of a country from 1995-2005 Task 2 The best way to prepare for the future is to invest in young people. How true do you think is this? What are the ways to spend resources on these young people? For task 2, I presented the essay like this: Introduction Body 1 - The importance of the youth and their impact today and in the future Body 2 - Ways to prepare the youth for the future through education (building of schools, more training and seminars, etc) Conclusion Is that an appropriate layout? I'm just really worried since this is my third time taking the exam and seriously, it's really stressing me out big time. I appreciate your reply Simon. Thanks!
Posted by: Zesty | Sunday, September 25, 2011 at 10:30
Hi Zesty, Don't worry! Your essay layout looks fine. Thanks for remembering and sharing your questions. Good luck!
Posted by: Simon | Monday, September 26, 2011 at 10:03
Hi Mr. Simon I found your website occidentally two weeks ago,and all your lessons give me a lot of help.Especially the writing structure. I took my third IELTS exams last weekend in Strasbourg in France.I have tried my best, but I made a lot of spelling mistakes in listening part, so I am very afraid about this part.Wish God bless me! Here is my test contents: Listening:1.telephone about introduction of three types of residences;2.experience of the Iron age life and how they built their houses;3.a tutor and a student talk about his survey;4.crocodile research Reading:1.importance of the park;2.man-made fibre;3.ability of baby
Posted by: Tieyuan | Monday, September 26, 2011 at 11:39
continue the questions 24/sept/2011 in France Writing: T1--flowchart about making fish can T2--learning a wide range of subjects or a narrow range in the secondary school, which is better in your opinion? Speaking: part 1--work or student?noisy? part 2--describe a city or town part 3--questions about problems in the city and village . Thanks a lot again,Simon,for your good advices about the test!
Posted by: Tieyuan | Monday, September 26, 2011 at 11:48
Hi everybody there! There are some questions from IELTS exam last Saturday, 24/09/11 in the UK. Speaking test: 1)General questions like where are you from, do you work or study etc. 2) Cue card: "Talk about journey that took longer than you expected. Please tell: When it was, where were you going, why did it take longer than was expected". Writting task 2 (Academic Module): In some countries students have a broad choice of subjects to study in secondary schools, whiles in others countries schools offer only 3 or 4 subjects. What education system is more appropriate in the modern world?
Posted by: Lena | Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 08:47
Thanks Tieyuan and Lena. Best of luck!

Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 09:22
Hi! Had my exam on 24 Sept in Kyiv, Ukraine! Writing was the same) T1 - flowchart about fish canning T2- learning general subjects or a narrow range in the secondary school, which is better in today's world in your opinion? Speaking: Cue card abt the change in your life And then lots of questions abt political, social changes in my country, abt people's attitude towards changes. Then questions abt noise etc
Posted by: Veronica | Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 15:47
Hi everyone I did the IELTS exam in wales on 24th of September. There were the same listening and writing questions as those were in ukraine and france on the 24th of september. I guess that there are unified questions in many countries on the same date.
Posted by: HASSAN | Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 22:36
hey Simon, Had my exam on 24th September 2011 in India. 23rd was speaking and 24th L/R/W test. General Test I'm expecting 36 score in Listening, 34 in Reading, not sure what the score will be in writing though confident about the content. My biggest flaw was speaking, i'm fluent but somehow was very nervous, which led me to falter during the short time. I need to get 7.0 in each band, will the examiner balance the score across different band. I'm desperate to get this through.
Posted by: Govind | Sunday, October 02, 2011 at 08:40
Thanks Veronica, Hassan and Govind. Good luck! ... Govind, The 4 parts are marked separately, and then the overall band is the average of the 4 parts.
Posted by: Simon | Sunday, October 02, 2011 at 15:40
I am writing on this page becaause i would like to meet someone to practive IELTS exercise together. I living in manchester.
Posted by: My name is Tiago | Sunday, October 02, 2011 at 18:59
Hi Tiago, please call me at 07999980215 and will make arrangement to study together. Ahmad
Posted by: Ahmad | Sunday, October 02, 2011 at 21:51
Oct.8,2011 Philippines My task 2 topic was about the increasing proportion of old people. And we were asked if this trend has more positive or negative effects to the society :D.
Posted by: Ritzchelle | Saturday, October 08, 2011 at 13:49
hi krunal here n just i complete my ielts. Speaking test: part-1 quesions about travelling
part:2 describe good friend of your. Part:3 relating to friendship writing task 2 some people think school should group pupils according to their academic ability, but other believe pupils with different abilities should be educated together. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Posted by: krunal chaudhary (ahmedabad-india) | Sunday, October 09, 2011 at 06:28
Hi Simon Thank you very much. Your website is so useful and I've learnt a lot from it. I sat the ielts exam in 24th Sep in Vietnam and I got 6.5 overall. These below are speaking and writing tests. Speaking: Park 1: 1.Tell me about your house/flat 2.How often do you use your computer? and What do you often use it for? 3.What things would you like to learn about computers? 4.What are popular kinds of food in Vietnam? Part 2: Describe a song Part 3: 1.What do you think people can learn from singing? 2.What do you think in the case one of your friend always sings in friend meetings although he/she sings very badly? 3.Do you think talent or practice is more important to sing well? 4.Why Australian people like singing in the front of others why Vietnamese people prefer to sing in a private room (karaoke)? Writing: Task 1: Bar chart illustrates the proportion of households' budge distributed among food, entertainment and clothes in 1990,1995 and 2000 Task 2: To invest in young generation is the best way to prepare for the future of a country.How do you think about that? What is the best way to invest in young generation?
Posted by: Lily | Sunday, October 09, 2011 at 18:18
Hi all, I've taken IELTS exam on last Saturday (8th Oct. 2011) in IDP Vietnam. This is the question for Writing as I can remember. 1. Task 1: The graphs show the distance people travelled by bus and rail in three countries in 1970,1990 and 2006. (Italian, Great Britain and Germany). (they give us 3 line paragraphs).
2. Task 2: "Population aging" is steadily increasing! Could positive problems be more than negative problems?
Posted by: Hannah. | Monday, October 10, 2011 at 04:00
Hi Simon, Great website, helped me a lot! I got academic 7 overall and I'm FREEEEEEEEEE again! Thanks a lot! Rita
Posted by: Rita Magyar | Monday, October 10, 2011 at 05:31
Hi Simon, What are your suggestions for the below mentioned topic, some people think school should group pupils according to their academic ability, but other believe pupils with different abilities should be educated together. Discuss both views and give your opinion. My view, Pupils with different abilities should be taught together, because, (1). Knowledge sharing between students (2). Student depression is minimal. Because, different activities for children. (not only theories but also music, sports, etc.. (3). Academic excellence is a one criteria that can be used as a measure of success of a school. moreover, it is not an indicator of student satisfaction.
Posted by: Dhanushka | Monday, October 10, 2011 at 07:05
Thanks for sharing your questions. ... Congratulations Rita! ... Hi Dhanushka, I've done a lesson about that topic: http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/02/ielts-writing-task-2-academicability-topic.html
Posted by: Simon | Monday, October 10, 2011 at 10:24
What is the meaning of DIFFERENT ABILITIES? Is it the pupils who perform well and perform bad?
Posted by: Dhanushka | Monday, October 10, 2011 at 10:35
Yes, that's right.

2011-10-08 Riga, Latvia WRITING TASK 1: to compare two bar charts about family spending in 1957 and 2007, infprmation was given in %. TASK 2: discuss both views and give yours about whether schools should choose pupils according to they academic performance or not. SPEAKING PART 1: General questions about where I was from, occupation; what holidays gives you; where would I like to go for an extensive time period. PART 2: Tell about expensive thing you would like to buy; how does it look like; why would you like to buy it ect. PART 3: About possessions and belongings. Do you often buy things online? Why do people like buying things? Why parents buy a lot of things for their children? is it good thing to do? Why children want new things? is it bad to be ambitious? is there any difference between nowadays and old times?(about recycling and reusing things)? How does it affect nature and environment? well that all I can remember.
Posted by: Anna | Monday, October 10, 2011 at 13:23
Hi Anna, What was your plan for writing task 2? Because, i don't agree with the explanation given by Simon with regard to DIFFERENT ABILITIES. What do you think?
Posted by: Dhanushka | Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 03:44
Hi Dhanushka, Can you explain what you don't agree with? Then we can help more.
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 10:58
Hi Simon, What i feel is that, different abilities means, people who are not weak but good in other activities, such as sports, music, etc.. Simon i may be wrong but this is what i feel.
Posted by: Dhanushka | Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 03:18
Hi Simon, I had exam in 8 October, in Astana, Kazakhstan Questions was the same as in Riga, Latvia Writing task 1 Bar graph compares weekly spending of one European family in 1957 and 2007. Writing task 2 Some people believe that pupils with abilities should study in special school while others disagree. discuss both sides. Tomorrow I will have speaking test, I believe that questions will be similar as Anna's
Posted by: Eldar | Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 06:17
Hi Dhanushka, Ok, I understand what the problem is now. Let's have a look at the question again: "Some people think schools should group pupils according to their academic ability, but others believe pupils with different abilities should be educated together." For the question above, I'm afraid your interpretation is wrong. This particular question is only about "academic ability" only. The important bit is the first half of the sentence because it establishes the idea that we are discussing how to group pupils for academic subjects. If you write about sports etc, you are going away from the topic. This is a common debate in the UK - should we put all children together, or should we put them in groups according to their 'ability' (e.g. how fast they learn, what grades they get, how much help from the teacher they need). You'll have to take my word for it that this is the correct interpretation of the question. ... Thanks Eldar, and good luck!
Posted by: Simon | Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 10:56
Hi Simon, Thanks for your explanation. Let's see how it goes. Thanks.
Posted by: Dhanushka | Friday, October 14, 2011 at 03:28
19/Oct/2011 speaking:
-name -tell me about the place you live -is it good to raise children in that place -do you exercise in order to get fit part 2 -person you know who is a good student -who/how/why ff.up questions: -is a good teacher becomes a factor for s good student+ -who is the best motivator for a student, teacher or parents+ -is it important to be an achiever - do you think becoming a street smart is due to being a good student or due to intelligence? hope this may help ****************** PS: simon, does it matter if I answered "yeah" or "yup" instead of "yes" ? thanks
Posted by: gwaps | Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 00:04
sorry, i forgot...speaking test was from Phils.

Posted by: gwaps | Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 00:05
Thanks Gwaps. It's ok to say "yeah", but "yup" is a bit too informal. It won't make a difference though it's just one word.
Posted by: Simon | Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 12:18
Hi Simon I did the IELTS exam today (20/10/11). The list. part 1 was asking about the place where different kinds of music events happened. L 2 was radio announcement about traffic problems trains, ferries... there was a name of help line (sea watch or see watch or seawatch)I'm not sure which one is corect but I wrote the first one. L3 about assignment for children discussed with tutor L4 a lecture explain the difference of behaviour in boys and girls only schools and in mixed schools R1 about autism and how noise affect children with autism
R2 was about libraries R3 about the origin of tribes EL-fenso in Fiji and how they migrated. I'm not sure about the names exactly Speak. about a leader Writing task 1- a line graph show percentages from 1960 to 2040 for three groups of different age groups 0-14, 15-64 and >65 in unknown country. task 2- In countries with high unemployment numbers, there is no need for pupils to study secondary education after prmary school as they are not going to find a job (maybe i'm not using the exact words).to what extent do you agree or disagree. Although The two writing topics were familiar I found it difficult to finish at time. the problem was like that: after the end of reading test my mind was still confused and the ideas were not organised and arranged anymore. Without any breaks the writing test followed the reading test. Eventhough I have a lot of vcabs related to the importance of education and university degrees, and to the work, I couldn't use them.I couldn't apply what I studied and prepared under exam pressure conditions and the limit of time. I tried to imitate your method of writing but it didn't work, it is vry difficult without practice. The prohibited easiness: it looks easy to understand but to apply it without your help is difficult. I'll try now to do more practice using your method because as you said knowing something doesn't mean that you can do it. Thank you for your help, I have one question: who usually marks the speaking test, the examiner who is asking the questions or it is corrected by other examiners.
Posted by: HASSAN | Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 22:42
Dear Simon, My poorest attempt gave me the required band. :]]]]]. Can't believe my self. This is how i got that. I did the exam 3 times, Attempt (1) L-8.5/R-8/W-6.5/S-7.0 Attempt (2) L-8.5/R-6.5/W-7.0/S-7.0 Attempt (3) L-8.0/R-7.5/W-7.0/S-7.5 I did academic and needed 7 in each and finally i did it. Today i got my results. Thanks for you comments and help. Still can't believe how i got 7 for writing.
Posted by: Dhanushka | Friday, October 21, 2011 at 03:51
Hi Hassan, I think you learnt a useful lesson from your exam: PRACTICE is the most important thing. It's not good enough to learn a method - you need to practise it until you can use it well. The speaking test is marked by the examiner who asked you the questions. Good luck! ...
Hi Dhanushka, Congratulations! If you keep trying and working hard, you pass in the end! Good luck with your future work or studies.
Posted by: Simon | Friday, October 21, 2011 at 10:25
2011-10-08 Hungary, Budapest AC WRITING TASK 1: to compare two bar charts about family spending in 1957 and 2007, information was given in %. TASK 2: discuss both views and give yours about whether schools should choose pupils according to they academic performance or not. SPEAKING: FIRST PART: Discussion about work and study. Working or studying? What is your job? Do you plan to learn a language? What language? Why? SECOND PART: Describe an open-air place, which is relaxing. Where? When? Why? Why it was important? THIRD PART: Stress in life... Is it stressful or not? Why it is? How younger and older people relax? What is the difference? Are sports help to relax? How? A wealthy person is more stressed or not? Simon: Thanks for the ebook, it helped a lot. Overall Band 7.5 Listening 7.5 Reading 8 Writing 6.5 Speaking 7 My requirements are (GM): L7.5, R6.5, W6.5, S6.5
Posted by: Peter | Friday, October 21, 2011 at 14:58
I took my test today in manchester. Writing task 1 was about two bar charts comparing percentage of male and female driving licence holders. Task 2 Technology has had effects on environment.Some people say that we should live a simple life in order to solve this problem.Others are of the idea that technology will solve the problem. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Posted by: Dr uzma | Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 18:04
Speaking part 1 was some general questions about handicrafts in my country,some questions about my home and some questions about myself. Part 2 cue card about a family event which I enjoyed Part 3 questions about the role of men and women in my country,some about family events some about bringing up of children.These are the questions which I remember.I was so stressed that I forgot the other questions.
Posted by: Dr uzma | Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 18:13
Hi Simon, I had same questions that Uzam had in her exam in manchester. I am not sure wether I have answered correctly. I mentioned industries cause environmental damage with de-biogradable packaging and increasing in numbers of new cars lead to increas in CO2 levels. I mentioned two reasons for enviornmental damages and views of two group of people, one argue that simply avoid food with packaging and avoid cars secong argue that industries sholud use environmentaly friendly material,and electric cars another solutions. I have concerend is that wether industries and cars are examples of technology. Are these ideas irrelevant to topics or fine. I have only concern about writing task -2 other parts were ok. Your E-book is fanastic I got one idea from your book otherwise I might have been stuck in exam.I read your book only once thats why couldnt express idea effectively. Can you please add topic for Media ( including bad news good news) in it. Few students had media topic. I recommend your e-book to students,specially those who are stuck on 6 or 6.5. Thanks TAHIR
Posted by: TAHIR | Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 09:18
Hi Simon, This topic in an IELTS exam recently in Hanoi, Vietnam seems very difficult for me. I am very much grateful if you work on it and give us some guidance. "In recent years, there has been growing interest in the relationship between inequality and personal achievement. Some people believe that individuals can achieve more egalitarian societies. Others believe that high levels of personal achievement are possible only if individuals are free to succeed or fail according to their individual merits. What is your view of the relationship between equality and personal success?" Regards, Lanni
Posted by: L | Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 14:58
Thanks Peter. I'm glad you liked the ebook. ... Thanks for sharing Dr. Uzma. ... Hi Tahir, I think your answer looks fine. Your examples of technology were good. I'll have a think about the media topic. Best of luck with your results. Let me know what scores you get. ... Hi Lanni, Yes, that does seem like a difficult question. Hopefully it won't appear again, but I'll try to do a lesson about it soon.
Thanks Simon, I am relaxed now, after your reply.definately I will post my scores. I will be lucky if I will get 7 in writing. TAHIR
Posted by: TAHIR | Monday, October 24, 2011 at 17:44
Hi Simon, If we are to score 8 for speaking, except for accurate grammar, what are the important factors? Is it,
Technical vocabulary? Complex structures? Relevance to the topic?

Hi Dhanushka, To get an 8, you need to: - express relevant, coherent answers with good fluency - use a wide range of vocabulary (NOT technical, just a good variety of vocabulary that is relevant to the questions) - speak clearly with good pronunciation (you don't need an English accent) Don't focus on grammar (complex structures), focus on answering the questions in a natural way. Focus on the ideas that you want to express.
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, October 26, 2011 at 11:06
thanks simon
dear all my friends,thanx for giving ur ielts exams quest and also some sugg,now i would like to ask some tips or clue for reading and some connecting word for writing,is there any one can help me,i am ielts student my exam is december,
Posted by: mohasin | Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 20:08
29/10/2011, Auckland, New Zealand. listening:1)whales 2)children nursery others, do not remember. reading:)ozkleen's shower power-australia's number one powder. 2)rollar coaster invention 3)children literature writing:diagram illustrating recycle paper manufacturing. and some people think that violent films and videogames have negative effects on people and should be banned. Others think that they are just relaxation sources. discuss both sides and give opinion.
Speaking:)intro what kind of child were you? childhood hobbies? 2) describe a moment when you were really angry? 3) do you think its important to be sensitive to others needs? - how people have changed these days and effects of these changes on them? -how can the negative emotions be tackled ? any ways of solving them?
Posted by: nav | Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 23:51
22/10/11 Melbourne Australia -Writing Task 1 Line graph (comparing 4 countries from 1950? to 2050) Task 2 People post inaccurate information on the Internet. Therefore, the information on the net is incorrect. To what extent do you agree or disagree? -Speaking Part2 The topic "the walk you take" -when do you do -where do you go -why do you like it or dislike Part3 -Do you go for a walk with someone? -Do you prefer walking alone or with someone? -Why do people take a walk? -Why walking is beneficial for our health? -Do you think too much walking might be harmful? -Which do you think people walk more in the city or country side? -Do you think walking may raise our awareness to the environment? How? I should have posted this earlier. I already forgot some details of the test. Good luck to everyone!
Posted by: His | Monday, October 31, 2011 at 01:49
Thanks for sharing guys!

Hi His, For me, writing task 2 seems too obscure. I'm not quite sure if I caught the key idea of the topic. Could you please explain in more detail or give brief description of what you've written on exam?
Posted by: Sergey | Tuesday, November 01, 2011 at 15:19
Hi Sergey I wrote the task2 as follow, P 1- introduction P 2- I agree that there is some inaccurate information. e.g.; Some people pretend to be a different person to manipulate others. Criminals use the internet to steal IDs and money by using fake information. Unintentionally, people post false contents. P 3-I argue that the internet provides useful and reliable information. e.g.: The Internet provides enormous amount of valuable information, which is reliable,e.g. Encyclopedia and on line dictionaries. We can get access to knowledge which are provided by experts in their fields. Instead of going to a library, we can do research effectively at home. P4-conclusion: We need to be aware that there are some misinformation on the net so we should be critical about the source of information. We should use trustworthy web sites and maximize our knowledge. I'm waiting for the result. Hopefully I will get score 7 in writing.
Posted by: His | Wednesday, November 02, 2011 at 00:37
Good ideas His. I hope you get the score you need!
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, November 02, 2011 at 08:34
Hi His, Thank you. Your ideas are relevant to the topic. I hope too that you get 7!
Posted by: Sergey | Wednesday, November 02, 2011 at 08:59
Hi Simon, What are the differences between Academic & General writing tasks? Do you think general writing task is easier than the academic? I think marking criteria doesn't change, but, how difficult it is to get a band of 7, compared to academic writing?
Posted by: Dhanushka | Thursday, November 03, 2011 at 02:45
Hi Dhanushka,
It's probably better if a student answers your question. It's difficult for me to say which is easier - I suppose it depends which you have practised more. The difference is in task 1: - academic = describe a graph, chart etc. - general = write a letter
Posted by: Simon | Thursday, November 03, 2011 at 11:31
Today's morning I took IELTS in Samara, Russia. Writing: Task 1. The graph which compares percentages of usage different electric devices in UK households in two years. Task 2. Once children start school, teachers have more influence on their development of social and intellectual skills than parents. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Speaking: 1. Your apartment? What you like/dislike? What's your favourite place in your apartment? 2. Cue card. Describe last sport event you attended or participated in. - What was it? - When was it? - What did you do during event? - What you like/dislike about it? 3. Peculiarities of sport preferences in your country? Also, somewhere in the middle of the speech (don't remember where exactly) I was asked about importance of building stuff by your hands (with examples from your life)
Posted by: Sergey | Saturday, November 05, 2011 at 14:45
hey this is exactly the same topic for writing what i have in my exam today in birmingham uk,however for speaking test in cue card section i have describe a situation that made me angry,and then some question about mobile phone and emotions,
Posted by: amran | Saturday, November 05, 2011 at 23:24
05/11/2011 - TURKEY Same questions above. But speaking was like this: -Are you a student or bla bla .. ? Why are you studying it? ...
Do you like dancing? What kind of dances does people do in your country? Do you think people have to learn how to dance? What kind of job would you like to do in the future? And something about it (I dont remember the details)
Posted by: anieanie | Sunday, November 06, 2011 at 21:18
hi simon, I got my results today and I scored band 8! I would like to thank you for helping through your site . It was very helpful and taught me a lot. thanks once again.
Posted by: nav | Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 22:09
Congrats Nav. What was your writing and speaking score and what did you speak on a situation when you were a little angry
Posted by: Kiran Makkar | Friday, November 11, 2011 at 13:45
Hi Nav, Fantastic score! I'm glad my lessons helped. Best of luck with whatever you plan to do next.
Posted by: Simon | Friday, November 11, 2011 at 16:12
hi kiran, my writing score was 7 and seaking was 8. I shared one of the worst experience of my school life, where i was betrayed by a best friend , whom i trusted very much... cheers!
Posted by: nav | Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 07:45
Thanks Nav. Best of luck for your future endeavours.

Posted by: Kiran Makkar | Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 08:51
Hello friends I would politely ask students that have their IELTS exam on Thursday, 17/11/2011. to post on this website some of the exam questions ASAP. I have my IELTS exam on Saturday, 19/11/2011 so I could have some advantages of this. Thanks for all
Posted by: Hassan | Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 12:11
Super fresh IELTS questions, 17 nov 2011 Task 1, about unemployment rates in the UK, the rest of Europe, and Japan.
Task 2, some people believe that newspapers are the best source of news. Others, however, think that the More effective to know about the news is thru other media. (not exact words but same idea)
Posted by: Agent_47 | Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 03:59
IELTS exan in malaysia- 17November 2011 Cue card: Describe a leader person that you admire in politic,business etc -what quality leader posses
Posted by: shasha | Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 04:27
Hi i did the IELTS exam today 17/11/2011 Writting p1 was about the percentage of unemployment people in the UK Japan and the Rest of Europe Writting p2 : people read newspapers to learn about the news while others believe learning the news is more effectively using other media Discuss and give your opinion
Posted by: Maya | Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 06:29
By the way i did it in Sydney Australia

agent_47,shasha,Maya regarding IELTS exam 17/11/2011 for writing - task 1. is it bar graph?line graph?pie chart? tq
Posted by: hamidah | Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 08:12
Line graph
Posted by: Agent_47 | Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 08:34
It was a line graph and japan had the lowest unemployed people(%) over the period (1993-2007)although it was increasing while for UK and Rest of Europe they had high unemployed people although it was deacreasing .
thanks a lot agent_47 & maya
Posted by: hamidah | Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 14:50
IELTS questions Academic 17th Nov India Academic Essay Although nowadays people are reading news through internet, newspapers still remain of value. Do you agree or disagree. Graph Column graph and a line graph on the percentage of population ( men and women) who smoke. Column graph was for 2004 among different age groups and line graph was from 1972 to 2004. IELTS questions General 17th Nov India Letter A letter of complaint to a company for repair or replacement of a broken machinery part. Essay The conditions of jobs have become stressful for workers. What can be done to reduce it.
Posted by: Kiran | Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 17:24
Thanks for all of you, friends for posting your exam questions. Hope that you all get the desired marks on all sections. Thank you Simon for helping us
Posted by: Hassan | Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 20:18
General training in Russia 11 November 2011 Writing: Task 1. You have started to attend the evening course and you are finding it difficult to attend all classes. Write to a principal and - Say what this course is - Why are you finding it difficult - What do you propose to do Task 2. In many countries more people are choosing to live alone than in the past. Say if it is a positive or negative development. Speaking Task 2. Describe the photograph you like. Say: - Who did take this photograph - Who/what is in this photograph - What event it was - Why do you like it
Posted by: Walt | Friday, November 18, 2011 at 05:09
Thanks for sharing guys!

Posted by: Simon | Friday, November 18, 2011 at 11:25
any one did exam in uk on 17th nov please sent task 2 and 1 question
Posted by: kashif | Friday, November 18, 2011 at 16:52
16.11 khartoum writing task 1:bar chart about smoking in different ages in males and females and line chart about smoking in males and females and their percentage according to population. task 2: news in internet but the majority still using newspapers as amain source for news.agree or disagree..
Posted by: shereen | Friday, November 18, 2011 at 18:16
Hey Simon and guests, Today the scores announced, i got band 6. It is amazing for me because; My english was terrible. I have had only "20 DAYS" to study IELTS. ielts-simon was my only source, and some dictionaries ofcourse. Thank you... thank you!!! i hope you get all the beauties you deserve in your life simon. BTW all i need was band 4. (thanx again!^^)
Posted by: anieanie | Friday, November 18, 2011 at 22:07
19 November 2011 - Malaysia WRITING Task 1-table & line graph about cinema visits in Australia between 1994-2002 Task 2-job satisfaction & permanent job.Discuss and give ur own opinion SPEAKING Part 1 -Meaning of happiness to you -Can money buy happiness Part 2 -character when u r childhood that u still remember Part 3 -Most popular of type of movie among children -what are the things that children can learn from the movie -how far children will believe about the movie that they watching Hopefully, these will help other candidates
Posted by: hamidah | Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 11:03
19.11.2011 stanbul TURKEY, AC WR T1: A table shows different types of households (percentages from one person to six or more people) in Great Britain in 1961 and 2001
WR T2: Some countries who are compete for international sports competitions built specialised sports facilities for a few top athletes, instead of to use of everyone. Do you think is it a negative or positive development. Speaking: Part 1:. about cars, can you drive? noises that you like, dislike. have you been in a noisiy place? Part 2: describe an old people who do you like to talk to. when did you see him/her first. what do you like to talk? what are his/her interesting sides?..(i couldn't use my time in a best way. i preapered a lot of things and 2 min finished quickly. i didn't have time for to answer last question :( wil i loose mark? rest of the test good. i think examiner enjoyed my answers, it was like to talk a friend) Part 3: about old people bla bla Thanks a lot for your webside Simon. It's very useful. I recommend it to all my friends. I studied for 5 weeks from your site and Cambridge books. I hope I could get a good score and will share with you :) You do a great job!
Posted by: hyptia | Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 19:38
Hi, Simon! Could you give an example answer for this question "What things make up a great photograph?"
Posted by: Walt | Monday, November 21, 2011 at 02:53
Hi Anieanie, Congratulations on getting the score you needed after only 20 days of work! Best of luck with whatever you plan to do next. ... Hi Hyptia, Thanks for recommending the site. Good luck! ... Hi Walt, I'd say that the most important thing is what the photo shows - people or places, memories of a special or happy moment etc. Of course, a photo could also be 'technically good' - a beautiful scene, captured with the right light, colour, composition.
Posted by: Simon | Monday, November 21, 2011 at 11:03
my exam will held next 26th November, please pray for me and for writing - task 1. is it bar graph?line graph?pie chart? what about your suggestions regarding this matter and regarding writing task-2?
Posted by: Habib | Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 05:30


Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post. Hi Habib, I'm afraid it's impossible for me to guess what the questions will be about. I wish you the best of luck!
Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 11:33
19 November 2011 - Sydney, Australia WRITING Task 1 Table and line graph about cinema attendance and frequency of cinema visits in Australia between 1994 and 2002. Task 2 Some people say job satisfaction is more important than job security. Others say you can not always enjoy what you do and having a permanent job is more important. Discuss both views and give your personal opinion. SPEAKING Part 1 what's your name? what do you want me to call you? where are you from? Are you studying or working? Do you enjoy it? what was your first school? what can you remember from your first school?
Cue Card Describe one of your good personality: What is it? Explain how you got this personality? Is there a downside in having this personality? do other people say you have this good personality as well? Why? Part 3 What is the impact of modern society on peoples characterstics? Is it a positive or negative impact? Do males and females have distinctive characterstics of their own? Hope this will be helpful.
Posted by: Net | Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 08:23
Hi, IELTS test last week 19-Nov-2011in Melbourne, My speaking topic(part-2) was: "Describe a job that can change the world in a good way". Writing task-1:was combination of a table and a line graph. I found it time consuming. Writing task-2:Discuss about Job security and job satisfaction and give your idea.
Posted by: Farib | Monday, November 28, 2011 at 04:51
Hey Farib, what were the cues beneath the speaking topic - describe a job that can change the world in a good way.
Posted by: Kiran | Monday, November 28, 2011 at 09:50
Hi, Writing task 1 held in 26 November 2011: http://i43.tinypic.com/2h67jax.png the layout is perfectly accurate, but the numbers are made up. and here is what i remember about question: The chart shown below shows different number of jobs in four sections in one of the tourism-related UK tourism area. Task 2: some people believe helping people through international aid organization is helpful when it's done by celebrities, however, some people clam that it can have negative effects on people and deduce the impact on society or something like that. I learn ALOT from your site simon (mostly writing & speaking), i already told my friends about your site. I can't thank you enough, but here is my knowledge about my exam. I hope that would help.
And guys, I wish to get 7 through this exam, (all depends on examiners now) so don't forget to wish me luck. ;)
Posted by: Ali | Monday, November 28, 2011 at 11:42
Oh I forgot about my speaking test. mine was: Describe a street you have visited and you like it. you should say: What is it Where is it Are there towers or offices in there What do you like about it i have forgotten the details because i took it 10 days ago. Thanks again
Posted by: Ali | Monday, November 28, 2011 at 11:47
Hi Simon, Can you give idea how to write on this essay. The rapid pace of development is damaging our environment. Some people say the answer is for all of us to lead a simpler life, but others say that technology can help solve our environmental problems. What do you think?
Posted by: Sitara | Monday, November 28, 2011 at 17:58
Hi Simon, Can you tell me how to write on this essay. The rapid pace of development is damaging our environment. Some people say the answer is for all of us to lead a simpler life, but others say that technology can help solve our environmental problems. What do you think? I shall be grateful.
Posted by: Sitara | Monday, November 28, 2011 at 18:35
Hi guys, I am just wondering if any of you have taken IELTS General Training recently (19/11 and 26/11 in particular). If so, could you please share your exam questions? Thanks a lot in advance and best of luck to you all!
Posted by: Krista | Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 05:54
Hi Ali, Thanks for sharing your questions. Best of luck!
... Hi Sitara, Maybe you could say that we could do both. Then you could write a paragraph about using technology (e.g. recycling systems, technologies to harness renewable energy like solar power, electric cars etc.), and another paragraph about leading a simpler life (more bicycles, not flying abroad on holiday, eating local food rather than food which has been transported across the world etc.) I hope this helps.
Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 20:08
Hi Simon, Got the result of my exam last 17 November. L: 8, R: 8.5, W: 6.5, S: 7, OBS: 7.5 I did not expect to have a grade like that cause I'm not that confident with my english. I got the grades I need, even higher because of your help. I don't know where to place this comment, you should have a testimonial page here in your website. :D Again, my many thanks and I'm really grateful to be one of your online students.
Posted by: Agent 47 | Thursday, December 01, 2011 at 06:50
Hi Agent 47, Those are really fantastic scores! Thanks for your positive feedback, and thanks for the idea about having a testimonial page - I'll have to do that!
Posted by: Simon | Friday, December 02, 2011 at 10:03
Thanks simon for your advices & information. It helps me a lot.

Posted by: hamidah | Saturday, December 03, 2011 at 08:45
Hi Simon, I learnt my score: l:6, r:6, w:6, s:5.5 overall:6. I need at least 6.5. So, hope for the next time... My writing was really terrible. Your writing method was very helpful for me. I was excepting 6.5 for writing I suppose that task1 reduced my score because I could not spend enough time to study for it. I see that 5 weeks aren't enough for band 7. By Simon! Good luck for everyone!
Posted by: hyptia | Saturday, December 03, 2011 at 19:30
I gave my General Test on December 3rd, 2011 in the US.Below are the questions. Writing Task 1...
"You are going on a holiday and your friend has agreed to stay in your apartment. Write a letter to your friend to: tell him about your apartment. Share some information about the apartment. give him some instructions. " Writing Task 2 .... "Some people think that the best way to keep fit is to join a gym or a health club. Others believe that everyday activities like walking or climbing stairs is equally effective. Discuss both views and give your opinions. " Speaking Test Part 1... What is your full name? Show your identification. Are you from a small town or a big city? Tell something about your city. Why do you like it? What do you like the most about your city? How are people in your city? How do you spend time in weekend? Do you think doing something different is in the weekend is important? Why? With whom do you prefer to spend weekends? Friends or Family? Why? What kind of get togethers do you have with your family? Speaking test part 2... A cue card about a city or a town you like to visit. Why do you like that city? When did you go there first? How often do you go there? With whom do you go there? Speaking test part 3.... Many people move to bigger cities from small towns/villages, what do you think the impact is on those villages? What should the government do to help the villages?
Posted by: Chirag Joshi | Sunday, December 04, 2011 at 16:31
No problem Hamidah. ...
Hi Hyptia, You did well, but you're right that you need to prepare for more than 5 weeks. Keep working hard and I'm sure you'll get band 7 eventually. ... Hi Chirag, Thanks for sharing your questions. You've got a great memory!
Posted by: Simon | Monday, December 05, 2011 at 11:45
hi i have recently had my ietls exam in London,the writing task 2 was about(south pole)some scientist and tourists can vist remote places environment such as south pole Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of this development?
Posted by: ammar | Tuesday, December 06, 2011 at 19:39
I have found the site at last not least after surfing and browsing for IELTS materials. The site is extremely fulfilled of resources. Thank to Mr. Simon Corcoran.
Posted by: Md. Kamal Hossain | Friday, December 09, 2011 at 17:18
Hi all.Wrote my exam on Sat 3 Dec.It was interesting,not difficult per say but time was a major factor
Posted by: Anastasia | Friday, December 09, 2011 at 19:28
The listening part was fairly ok.One must pay utmost attention while listening cos when your mind strays for a few seconds the answer would have been mentioned.The reading was slightly technical.For those writing soon keep your eyes on the clock and pace yourself.When i 30 minutes to go i was still on the first comprehension,i then had to buckle up in other to complete the rest.Same goes for the writing too,keep your eyes on the clock!!!The time really does fly.My speaking went very well.I am hoping for at least a band score of 8.0.:))Will report on my scores as soon as i have the results.Will also post the questions
Posted by: Anastasia | Friday, December 09, 2011 at 19:34
Writing, Msia, 10.12.11 Task 1: Line graph shows the monthly salary of japan and cost of two types of TVs (black n white and colours) Task 2: Human activity has negative influence on plant and animal species all over the world. Some may said that it is too late to take action. Some argue that effective action can be taken to solve the problem. Discuss both of the views and give your opinions.
Simon, for task 2, i wrote 1 content paragraph for the problem caused by human activity and impacts(rise of temperature causes loss of habitat for wildlife) and then 2 paragraphs for the solutions (enforce laws and impose fine, inculcate values of protecting environment in children and campaigns to raise awareness)...Am I answering the question? Thanks!
Posted by: Goh | Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 07:26
Hi simon I gave my IELTS exam on 22/10/11..my result was L 6.5, R 6.5, W 5, S 8...I needed overall 6.5 but no band less than 6.I was totally disapointed and upset after getting worst writing module result.I was lost and bewildered completely.But I became desperate to get at least 6 in writing.I started to search IELTS examiner intensevely via the Internet and fortunately I found you and your educative website.It's true that I was in dilemma whether I would opt ur startegies or follow my previous one.It was really difficult for me to ignore my previous writing method which I implanted to my head for about four months. I am a possibilist and bought your e-book on 17/11/11 though I was in a indecision.The irony is that I had no crdit card and almost broke.Later on,I borrowed 20 pounds with credit card support.Finally I sat for IELTS again on 26/11/11 and used one idea from ur e-book in writing.In this case, my IELTS result was L 7, R 6.5, W 6, S 7.It was a big relase and great privilege for me to have you, your e-book and your website with numerous advice.Thank your very much Simon for expanding your conduceive hands for us.
Posted by: Zillur Rahman ( New Zealand) | Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 02:22
Thanks Simon ! your doing a commendable job !! I took my test following a week's preparation and not to forget your writing task-1 tips were a great help.Thanks !! I want to share my exam experience , which was held in Edinburgh yesterday (10th Dec 2011 ). I want to share my exam experience Listening task 1: a form completion . A dialogue between a police inspector and a lady reporting a burglary at her residence. task 2: match the locations with activities a tourist guide reporting the sequence of tour. task 3: a table completion about a students discussion where they are planning their presentation on aircraft engine design . task 4: A lecture about child psychology comparison between current research and the past
READING task1: Choices in life and how it has an impact on happiness, then the two categories of people as in maximisers n satifiers . task 2: Tulips and its popularity in Holland the 17th century. task 3: Bitterness and how bitterness can be removed by usind AMD compounds..why bitterness is of special interest commercially. WRITING: task 1: A pie chart about water consumption in Australia by various sectors bar graph indicating the water usage for a typical household. task 2 : (I don't remember the exact words but in on the similar lines ) Richness is an important factor in helping people. to what extent to you agree or disagree. Speaking : a basic intro followed by a set of questions regarding 1) a newspaper or a magazine that i recently read? 2)what was in the paper that I liked? 3)how many people would agree about the same ? 4) how important in the newspaper in influencing peoples opinions? 5)how about other media? 1) what is the popular dish in your country 2) do you have your meals together
Posted by: Sana | Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 18:51
yesterday I gave my IELTS-speaking in Melbourne,Australia Here are some of the questions: Part - 1: what is your name? what r the rituals concerned with naming in your country? who names the child in your country? Describe the place you live? Do u want to change the place you live? what is happiness to you? Does money relate to happiness?
Part-2(Cue Card): Describe a story you heard in your childhood? -which character you like most? -Why do you like it? part 3 : what is the role of fiction characters in everyday life? -Do you think people's perception have changed in terms of fiction?
Posted by: viritha | Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 22:58
No problem Md. ... Good advice Anastasia. Best of luck! ... Hi Goh, I think I answered your question on Facebook. ... Hi Zillur, Thanks for your positive feedback. I pleased that the ebook helped you to get the score you needed. Well done and best wishes! ... Thanks for sharing your questions Sana and Viritha. Good luck!
This was my speaking test yesterday ,, God they sure asked a lot of questions.. Part 1 : What's your name ? what should I call you ? Where are you from ? Are you studying or wroking ? Do you like your name ? why ? And if you had the chance would you change it ?! In your country ,who names the child ? are there any special traditions for naming a child ? What is the importance of color when you choose to buy your things ? what colors do you like ? Do you like to wear dark or light colors ? what colors you would not use in your home ? As a child , did colors were of importance to you ?! Part 2 : Que Card : Describe a job that you think would make the wrold a better place .. you should say :
what is the job . what kind of people should do this job . how you know about it . Describe how it would make the world a better place.. Part 3 : Discussion : would you think about doing this job (( the one you described in part 2)) ? and Why ??! what are the jobs that keep the wrold a safer place to live in ? what are the characteristics of the people that should be doing these jobs ? why do some people take these jobs ? Do you think that those people should have higher incomes or salaries ? what kinds of industries harm our inviroment ? and how can it be fixed ? why is it so difficult for the government to make them shut down ? how industries can adapt or change their products ?!! umm.. i think that's it ..and let me tell you.. that was the longest 15 minuets of my life =D Hope i helped .. Good luck everyone :)
Posted by: Asma | Friday, December 16, 2011 at 07:04
17th December 2011. (In Vietnam) Listening: bank card, ecotourism, music festival, environment Reading: Africans ethnic groups, doodling, seperated education for gifted children Task 1 : table (number of kilometres travelled by passengers on 5 types of transport: air, bicycle, motorbike, bus, rail Task 2 : In some parts of the world, it is becoming increasingly popular to try to find out about the history of your family. Why do people do this? Is this a negative or positive development.
Posted by: Dung | Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 08:31
17 december in Istanbul at IDP Writing Task 1; there was a process of garden fertiliser illustrated in the 5 stages. Task 2; Some people believes that there should be less control over the design and construction of homes and office buildings? Give you opinion by disscussing advantages and disadvantages? Speaking Part 1 : What's your name ? what should I call you ? Where are you from ? Are you studying or wroking ? Do you like your name ? why ? And if you had the chance would you change it ?!
Did you learn any hand skill when you are at school? In your country ,who names the child ? are there any special traditions for naming a child ? Do you think it is good or bad for children to learn hand skills? Are there any differences between men and women? Part2; If you had a day off where would you go, what would you do, how would you feel about having a day off? Part 3; Some people work very long hours and are ambitious about earning money. Do you think time or money, which one is important? comparing to past what would you say about working hours?
Posted by: Emre | Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 19:54
Thanks Asma, Dung and Emre! Good luck!

Dear Simon, I just received my IELTS result; I got 7 which is very good for me. I came here to say thank you for all your effort by giving daily lessons on IELTS that are more than useful, not only for those who want to take the IELTS exam but also for everyone who is learning the language or even teaching the language. I tried to study and read everything was given on your website and followed your advice and as result I got the band I want from the first time. I feel like saying 'thank you' to you is not even enough. But you are really doing a great favor to the IELTS exam. I would like to share some of the questions that I have been given in the writing and speaking exams on the 3rd of December exam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Speaking: the examiner asked me the usual personal questions. Then, she asked about the difficulty of finding a job in my country. Also, there were some questions about noise, what sounds you like/dislike, do you think that the world is becoming more noisy. And questions on learning a foreign language; how many languages do you speak? Is there any language you would like to learn? What makes learning languages difficult?do you think speaking more than a language would help peope to find careers. In the second part: I have been given a small piece of paper with the question asking about adds. What advertisement you liked the most recently, where have you seen it, describe it and say why you like it. In the third part: which wad related to the previous parts. How adds affect people lifestyles in my country. Are there regulations on advertising in my country and say what are they? Writing: Task One. There was a only one table that shows and compares the number of women in the workforce and the percentage of women working as managers.
Task Two. Research has shown that overeating can be as harmful as smoking cigarettes. Therefore, some people reckon that advertising some kinds of food products should be banned. Do you agree or disagree? I hope this helps. Sahar I hope this helps. Sahar
Posted by: Sahar | Monday, December 19, 2011 at 14:34
Thanks for sharing your questions Sahar. I'm really pleased that my advice helped you to get the score you needed first time. That's a great achievement, so congratulations!
hi simon i am kashif tanoli , yours student from manchester. i did my exam on 1st of december , i got L 7.5, R7.5, W6,SP8.5, overall 7.5. i really disapponted because i need 7 in each band shall i go further recheck my writing. what is yours advice. thaks
Posted by: kashif tanoli | Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 21:05
Hello all!!!Got my results.L8.5 R9.0 W8.5 S8.5.Overall band score was 8.5!This was my first attempt so it's really awesome!!!I shared my experience on the 9th of Dec.I am yet to post the exam questions.I do promise to do that.It's slightly difficult remembering the speaking part.The band score you need is achievable,just keep practicing!I did all most of the Cambridge exercises Ielts 3,4,5,6,7,8.So keep on practicing,your dream score is certain.Welldone Simon,you are doing a really great job!!!And to all who post questions,Welldone also!You guys rock:)))))
Posted by: Anastasia | Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 10:37
Hi Kahif, I'm sorry to hear about your writing score - your other scores are fantastic. It's quite rare for students' scores to go up by a whole band (from 6 to 7). You can try getting a re-mark, but I can't guarantee that it will be successful. You might have to take the test again I'm afraid. Don't give up, you're nearly there! ... Congratulations Anastasia! Really amazing scores!
Posted by: Simon | Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 16:31
Hi,Anastasia Congratulations to your success!
Can I ask you that has <> really published? Is that from Cambridge ESOL? Where did you purchase it? I am in Australia. Thank you very much!
Posted by: Sunny | Friday, December 23, 2011 at 06:57
Hello Sunny!Not very sure if I understood your message.Are you asking about whether ielts 8 has been published?if you are then yes 'cos a friend downloaded it and I made use of it.Hope that helps!!And thanks for the congratulatory message!
Posted by: Anastasia | Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 01:14
Hi,Anatasia Thank you for your reply, you did answer my question. Thank you again!
Posted by: Sunny | Monday, December 26, 2011 at 06:16
I don't understand how i can work in order to achieve 7.5 band for writing section, I don't need just 7, I need 7.5 at least. What should i focus on to get 7.5? Anastasia: Congratulations:). Do you use English everyday, for example living in the UK?
Posted by: beatrix | Monday, December 26, 2011 at 21:32
Hello friends from Australia/Pacific, who have IELTS exam on the 7th of January 2012. Please, it would be of great help if you upload the writing questions in hours after the exam, so we in the UK can get advantage due the time lag between the two countries. Thank you
Posted by: Hassan | Monday, December 26, 2011 at 22:28
Hello Beatrix,i actually started living there barely 3 months ago:)But i use English everyday in my home country.You can achieve a band score of 7.5 in writing.What I did was to study a lot of corrected essays/essay examples in cambridge ielts 3,4,5,6,7,8.I also made sure i was well aware of the marking scheme used by ielts examiners.You could check out google search on 8.5 band scores and what is required.Another thing i did was study bar charts,pie charts,tables etc and got very good examples of what kinds of expressions to use in statistical data;that is lexical structure such that my task 1 essay sounded really technical,you wuld almost think a statistician wrote the essay.For the task 2 essay,i again spent time sourcing out appropriate linking phrases,slightly more complex words e.g corroborate,etc words like that i think conveys to the examiner that your vocabulary and understanding of English is stellar:))))))I also studied punctuation.Also i read up on topical issues like capital punishment,internet,green house gases,global warming,university education,terrorism,euro zone crisis,advertising,etc.I hope this helps:))))
Posted by: Anastasia | Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 15:51
Great advice Anastasia.
Beatrix, Try to follow Anastasia's advice. For band 7.5, my 3 main tips would be: 1) try to improve the quality and range of vocabulary you use to express your ideas. 2) Make sure your essays are well-organised. 3) Try to reduce the number of mistakes you make. Good luck!
Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 17:59
Hello simone,i would like to know the chances for the success of ielts remarks.as i wrote ielts 9 times ,and been frustrated all the times with writing score of 6.5.i am really worried with my last score which i wrote in bath (united kingdom) in dec 10 2011. my score was for listening: 8,reading :8 writing 6.5 and speaking :8.5 please tell me whether it worth trying a remark or better to appear again,please advice me about my chances for an appeal aganist my score
Posted by: RATHISH SASI | Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 19:22
Hi Rathish, It's impossible for me to say whether they will raise your score if you ask for a re-mark. I suppose you have nothing to lose by trying, but they might already have doublechecked your writing because you got such a high speaking score. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Posted by: Simon | Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 12:05
Dear Simon, I did the test on 10 Dec in Taiwan and my Writing Task 2 question was: "Human activities have negative effects on plant and animal species. Some people think it is too late to do anything about this problem. Others believe that effective measures can be taken to improve this situation. Discuss both views and give our opinion." I got an 8 for the writing module, and I believe this is largely credited to your excellent teaching. Many many thanks, Simon! Some of my friends did the test on 17 Dec, so I've also got their topic, which was extremely difficult: In some parts of the world, an increasing number of people are trying to find their family history. What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or negative development? I don't think I could possibly get an 8 writing that topic, and my friends and I all wonder if the examiners would take into account the difficulty of questions when they mark our essays. It would seem quite unfair if they don't, wouldn't it? We would really appreciate it if you could find time to answer this question, and I would like to thank you again for being such a good IELTS teacher! Happy new year!
Posted by: Yaoling | Friday, December 30, 2011 at 03:27
Hi Yaoling, First, congratulations on getting such a great writing score! I'm glad my lessons helped. I agree that it seems unfair that some topics are easier to write about than others. There is an element of luck in whether you get a topic that you feel comfortable with or not. I'll try to use the 'family history' question in a lesson soon. Happy new year to you too!
Posted by: Simon | Friday, December 30, 2011 at 16:27
Dear hassan, The writing tasks of Australia zone are different from the other zones.
Posted by: Kiran | Sunday, January 01, 2012 at 06:21
Hello BEATRIX, I don't know how to contact you personally,but it seems we're on the same boat...are you trying to enroll into the NHS system in UK?As a doctor ,to start the foundation programme I need to obtain 7.5 from each domain...it's going to be my 6th attempt.I have problem with writing because I score only 6.5 ,once band 7,it's my weak point but I don't give up.Even though my overall band 's 7.5 due to other exam parts,but I'm upset that I can't improve this one part of the exam...if you appear on the Internet,please contact me : mewa_bez_morza@gazeta.pl
Posted by: Kasia | Monday, January 02, 2012 at 00:23
Hello Anastasia! Can I ask you where exactly did you find these corrected essays on the Internet(for band 8.5 as you've mentioned)? Thanks Anastasia for sharing your tips and at the same time I'd like to thank Simon as always:)
Posted by: beatrix | Tuesday, January 03, 2012 at 14:58
Hi there. 16/12/2011 (Malaysia) Speaking: Part 1 -About your name -Why do you like your name -According to Your tradition, who give name to newborn baby in your family -Would you want to change your name
Part2 -Describe a famous person you saw on the news and what you want to say to him/her if you get to meet him/her. Part3 -What do you think about the news nowadays? -Why do you think people are more interested listening to entertainment news? -Do you agree that entertainment news are important? Writing Task 1: (I forgot) Writing task 2: Is it good or bad to know about family histories. I'm really glad I found this website. It helped me a lot. Thanks Simon!
Posted by: khadijah | Thursday, January 05, 2012 at 07:50
07/01/2012, Hi Simon L1 - Hiring an agency to move to new house + another part need electricitr service to check meters L2L3- Survey about teaching methods (math, PE..) L4-About essay and what information to conclude in each part of it(secton 1,2,3...) R2- the relation between studies about practice and its effect on brain in top genius people R1- museums and how they do advertisement and promote services beside their exhibition role (museology) R3- parents relation to school education and the effect on students W1 bar chart represent 4 sports in one European coutry over 20 years in the past W2- Some people see that University educaton is essential for successful life while others don't find this true. Discuss both views and give your opinion
Posted by: Hassan | Saturday, January 07, 2012 at 23:02
Hi Simon! Regarding your recommended books: Cambridge 3-8, I was wondering what's the exact band of the example essays written by examiners(they've mentioned that they are examples of very good answer only), because I need to learn only from band 7+. Can you also recommend some other books where I can find example essays of band 7+? Thank you Simon, I really appreciate your whole work and the help you give us here.
Posted by: beatrix | Sunday, January 08, 2012 at 14:47
Thanks Hassan. ...
Hi Beatrix, Any good answer written by an educated native speaker should be band 9 for these reasons: no grammar mistakes, good range of vocabulary, fully answers the question. I don't use any other books, but you can see several band 9 essays here on my site too.
Posted by: Simon | Sunday, January 08, 2012 at 16:08
Thank you for your answer:)

Posted by: beatrix | Sunday, January 08, 2012 at 16:15
Some people see that University educaton is essential for successful life while others don't find this true. Discuss both views and give your opinion please give us some idea
Posted by: Ashish shrestha | Monday, January 09, 2012 at 05:27
Hi Ashish, There are some ideas here: http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/04/ielts-writing-task-2-samplediscussion-essay.html

Posted by: Simon | Monday, January 09, 2012 at 19:13
Hi guys. I am sitting the exam on the 21st in Australia, can any one post recent writing questions for me? Also, I have heard that writing questions in Australia zone is different from other zones, is that true? Does that mean that I wasted my time practicing writing questions that are not from Australia?
Posted by: Emma | Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 05:02
Hi Emma, Questions are different in different zones on the same day. Otherwise, people in Australia would be able to tell their friends in the UK what the questions are. However, you haven't wasted any time preparing - it's all good practice!
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 12:37
Speaking: explain a place in another country Where you would like to visit. Why? And what do you want to do there?
Posted by: Nassim From Canada | Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 05:29
7/1/2012 in perth
writing topic for task 1: bar chart on water consumption in four regions, Australia, Russian Federation, UK and America in three ifferent sector namely, household/domestic, agricuture and industrial in 2004. Task 2. should government of the country should invite large foreign company to boost economic growth, or support the local company. discuss and give your opinion. not exact words, something similar meaning
Posted by: Kai | Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 05:53
Could anyone post the exam questions of 12th and 14th Jan also. Thanks.
Posted by: Kiran | Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 06:54
Hi,everyone! Test on 14/01/2012 in Adelaide Australia Speaking Part1 what type of accommodation did you live when you were in your homecountry? Did you like your room? In the future, would you like to live in a house or apartment? Do you think newspapers is important in our lives, in what way? How often do you read newspapers? Do you read local newspaper more or national ones? In the future, do you think the value of newspapers will become less or more? Part 2.Describe something old kelpt in your family what it is where your family got it? Why do you do it? Part3- Usage of computer technology in museum is good or not? How young people think about modern technology? Should musemu charge? what the preferences of wemon and men in museum displays?
Posted by: Sunny | Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 13:01
Hi everyone. I had IELTS test on 14/01/2012 in Leeds, UK. here are the written task Task 1 Table below shows daily oil production in several african countries in the year 20002004. compare and bla bla.....(was relatively easy table to describe.) Task 2 Nowadays Young people increasingly admire media persons and sports stars even though they don't set a good example. Is it a positive or negative development?
Posted by: Khan | Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 13:03
Test on 14/01/12 Writing2 People nowadays put more emphasis on social skills. Some people believe that social skills are important in addition to good qualifications for job success. To what extent,do you agree or disagree? Writing1-Table The table below gives information about population over 60-year-old in six regions in 2000,and the predicted numbers of population over 60 in 2050.It also shows the world population over 60 in 2000 and 2050. Region 2000 2050 Africa 5% 12% North America 11% 26% Europe 22% 31% Asia 12% 28% Latin America 7% 18% Oceania 11% 22% Whole world 13% 24% *I could not remeber the exact numbers, but I am sure the trend is correct.For example, Europe has the largest population over 60,Africa has the smallest.Asia saw the quickest increse. Dear simon when I was writing this essay, what tense I should use troubled me most. For example, in my essay I wrote that Latin America,Oceania and whole world all experienced a 11% increase. I used past tense,is that right? If not, what tense should I use? In the future, can we have more tense practice in writing task1? Thanks a lot
Posted by: Sunny | Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 13:32
Thanks Khan and Sunny, Sunny, could you please give your wirtting topics? For me it would have been really difficult I wonder what you wrote. I followed, Simon's advice and googled. After googling I found this website, it has some good ideas. http://www.teenink.com/opinion/entertainment_celebrities/article/82342/Celebrities-andTheir-Influence/
Posted by: Kai | Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 13:39
Thanks Sunny.
I remeber reading somewhere in Simon's post about this kind of task 1, he advised to use past tense for past years and "is expected to rise or predicted to" kind of languange. I am not sure about the future tense. Waiting for his comment on this.
Posted by: Kai | Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 13:52
My exam question was this "Nowadays Young people increasingly admire media and sports stars even though some of them don't set a good example. In your opinion , is it a positive or negative development?" Can I use follow instead of admire? Basically I wrote the advantages and disadvantages of following media and sports stars and gave my opinion in a balance way. Could you pls let me know whether my approach was correct or not?
Posted by: Sharmin | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 01:54
Thanks for sharing your questions guys! ... Hi Sunny, Have a look at this lesson - the 7th bullet point mentions tenses: http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/09/ielts-writing-task-1-linegraphs.html ... Hi Sharmin, Yes, it's fine to use 'follow' in this context. If you made your opinion clear (that you think there are both positive and negative aspects of the development), your approach was good.
Hey guys, i just did my speaking test. Part 1 was questions on mobile phone and learning a new language; PArt 2 was to describe an animal that you can see in your country; Part 3 was some discussion questions on animals, e.g.should we protect wild animals? is the government doing enough to protect them? do animals make economic contribution? I think i kind of screwed it up, i kept my mouth busy but i found grammartical mistakes in all the sentences i can remember. i tried to apply Simon's tips, but when i was sitting face to face with the examiner, i forgot everything
Posted by: Emma | Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 07:18
Thanks Emma. I'm sure you did better than you think! Good luck.
Posted by: Simon | Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 15:43
I just had my speaking exam earlier today (Las Vegas, USA)... here's the question: Part1: -are you working or studying? -do you enjoy your work? -do you drive? what do you prefer being the driver or the passenger? -does your family have a car? -what kind of kid are you? -do you enjoy having kids in your home? Part2 -say something about a place that is popular and open to the public. -what is it -where is it -why is it popular Part3 -Can you give an example of a building that is open to the public? -what do you think about it's importance? -what kind of public building does the kids want to go to these days? i'll post my writing exam tomorrow.. Cheers!!!
Posted by: KZ | Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 00:59
The latest writing questions from Sydney Australia(21/01): part1: a bar chart showing the change in the place where people mostly accessed internet between 1998 and 2004 in the UK. Part 2: some people say that some urgent problems in modern societ can only be solved with international cooperation. to what extend do you agree or disagree?
Posted by: Emma | Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 03:36
Today I gave my IELTS General Test in Melbourne. The General Writing Task 1: A visit to Museum with an Elederly friend with difficulty walking. write a letter to manager when you visited , problem you had in museum and what suggestion would you like to give him ? Task 2: Is it good for student to be afraid of teacher or teacher should be friendly with student. Discuss both points and give your opinion? Speaking Question were: Section 1 1. Whats your full name? 2. In what kind of house do you live in?
3. Which room do you like in your house? 4. How ofter do you read newspaper? 5. Do you think newspaper will survive in future? 6. Describe why internet is better than TV? 7. TV or Internet which is good source of entertainment and why? 8. What kind of indoor game do you play? 9. Is it good to play indoor game? 10. Kids spend too much on video games do you think so? Section 2 Describe about any website you often visit? What it is, How often do you use it..... Section 3 Question were are related to internet but cant remember all.
Posted by: Karma | Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 08:50
I have written 2 paragraphs as per your stucture.I am nt sure about my points but tell me weather it is right and if its wrong then tell me some points.I nt sure that this essay would be like this but stiillll i try some people say that some urgent problems in modern societ can only be solved with international cooperation. to what extend do you agree or disagree? There are several reasons can be argued in favour of an international support to solve issues in the latest society.Firstly, the globalculture which can not be possible without mutual understanding of two nations in terms of economical advantage or respect of different calture and tradition.For example,nowadays,in some developing countries still unemployment is a crucial problem,as a result,financial aid and establishment of maltinational companies of wealthiest nations can not only boost economy but open the doors of success of a particular country. Secondly, in this modern era still in some nations, people are deprived from their basic rights because of their immigration status such as refugee so in that case foreign help and care are a vital to take a justified decision. There are,however some points are state that why an international assistance is not an essential at certain stages in todays society.Every nation has its own rules and constitutons to deal with different situations so government of particular county should be obliged to perform their oughts by themselves.Its is true that some poor countries have been suffering from critical situations such as natural calamities,overpopulation and unemployment which can be solved by recieveing less foreign help and more utilization of natural resources to create an image of self dependent nation.In this peresent scenario people are losing respect for their own culture,tradition and custom by accepting culture of host company so this problem can not be shorted out by intercontinental mutual aid.
Posted by: siya | Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 11:14
Thanks for sharing guys. I hope you get the scores you need! ... Hi Siya, You seem to have some good ideas, but you would benefit from asking someone to check your grammar in detail. I'm afraid I can't give this kind of detailed feedback - you really need to find a teacher who can give you proper help.
Posted by: Simon | Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 12:06
Hi guys, Had my test today.(London) It was my first time, was ok,but everything depends on the result. Reading: First reading easy, the other 2 were a bit difficult. Rt and left handedness A student reaserch on a parrot Listening: About a lady insuring her home appliances A map to find specific places A group reaserchers discussing their problems with their adviser About cotton and its growth Writing task 1. Bar chart showing the world total population in 4 countries, India,China,USA and Japan. Writing task 2: Pepole still value arts(musicinas, painters, writers) despite improvements in science and technology. Do u think arts are as important as science and technology? Speaking: Introduction General questions and place where I live and noise pollution. Hometown Place I once visited, describe it Life is better in cities or rural areas? Health and tranport facilities in rural areas in my country Hope it helps others. Thanks
Posted by: light | Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 21:43
Thanks You mean to say that some of my idea are wrong? can u tell me which are wrong and suggest some other points.I am trying to develop skiil to understand an essay topic perfectly as you know its very an important to get good band by only writing up to date answer. my paragarph stucture is right? It is good to read some other essays which you are writing on your site to enhance formation of sentences and vocublary.
Posted by: siya | Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 21:56
Writing Is it necesary for children to learn handwriting To what extent do you agree or disagree
Posted by: Rosario maguey | Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 17:34
i had the rest of my ielts exam yesterday and the WT2 question that i had was the same as rosario maguey's: Some people say that in our modern age it is unnecessary to teach children about the skills of handwriting. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Good luck!
Posted by: KZ | Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 19:23
Dear Rosario Where is this essay question from?

Posted by: Kiran | Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 19:24
Hi Simon I did another test on the 21st of January, London, West London College (The best place in the UK to do IELTS. I guess this is my last station in the IELTS journey, because I did very well in the four sections. The titles of the Reading tests were: 1- Minds of their own (talks about animals understanding for language and if they can express theirselves. One sientist did an experiment on parrot and the parrot could understand the difference of colours and even teach younger birds). 2- Left and right handedness (experiments to know why the majority of people are right handed, experiments on animals ad twins, surgical and using new imaging technology. 3- The origin of language( Theories that have been done on this issue and how the debate about this was banned for a long time by the french society. Another famous
scientist also did mistakes by saying that the origin of languge is from words. Finally the best theory that the writer was agree about it is that language developed in sentences and not from words). Writing task two: Pepole still value artists(musicians, painters, writers...) even we are now in the age of technology and science. Why do you think this happen? Are arts as important to people's life as science and technology? The Cue card was about something I learnt in childhood (cooking, riding bike, swimming....) I have a question about the listning test section one. There was a question asking about the length of insurance a woman wants to book. In the audio the speaker talked about 6, 12 months and 2 years. The correct answer was 2 years but in the instructions for the question it is stated that we should write only one word. I spent a lot of time thinking how to write 2 years in one word but didn't come to any answers. I was in two opinions if to write "2" only but I was afraid because they mentioned months so 2 is not exact enough. As a result I wrote 2 years against the instructions. Should I complain about this or there is a way to write 2 years in one word.
Posted by: Hassan | Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 21:29
Hassan, I also had a problem with this question in the listening section and I think when the man said they had 3 types of insurance and when he mentioned 12 months, the lady said " that would suit me". Again like Hassan, I was confused I think the answer was 12, because in the instructions it was stated that NO MORE THAN 0NE WORD OR A NUMBER. I did not write 12 or 2. Anyway lets leave every thing for the results inshallah. It was my first time and I was a bit nervous otherwise I think I did well notably in the writing and reading, but cant expect any band until I get the result inshallah.
Posted by: light | Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 23:01
Hi people, I also got the same questions as Hassan, in Armenia, 21 January,10.00. Concerning to the listening part, I wrote year, instead of 12 months
Posted by: Gor | Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 23:34
Thanks Light, Rosario and KZ. ... Hi Siya, Your ideas seem fine, but you made some grammar mistakes, and I can't see paragraph separations. I'm afraid I don't offer more detailed feedback or correction. If I did this, everyone would send me their essays. If you would like more help, see this link:
http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/10/essay-correction.html ... Hi Hassan, Thanks for sharing! I haven't seen the listening question you asked about, but maybe it said "one word AND/OR a number". In this case, a number and a word is fine. ... Hi Light and Gor, Hopefully it said "one word AND/OR a number". This is what it usually says. Good luck with your results!
Thank you Simon, this is the key solution one word AND/OR a number. This means that we can write two things, a word and a number together. When I get the results I'll post them absolutely to show others how helpful you were for me. Goodbye
Posted by: Hassan | Monday, January 23, 2012 at 20:21
hi Listening tips (from IELTS dos n don'ts class) your options here would be 12 black cats (two words and or a number) 12 cats (one word and or a number) black cats (no more then two words) cats (one word only) 12 (a number)
Posted by: A.batra | Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 12:09
No problem Hassan. ... Thanks A.batra. That sums it up well.

Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 12:46
Hi Simon What can be the points about this essay topic which some one posted it is necessary for children to learn about handwriting .to what extent do agree or disagree.
Posted by: Siya | Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 22:26
Here is an essay that I have written on the topic of Importance of handwriting A common opinion is that with the increasing role computers play in our society; handwriting is no longer an important skill to learn at an early age. Unfortunately this opinion is misguided. I firmly believe that handwriting is very important even in toda ys era of technology. A number of arguments surround my opinion. Handwriting is important because research shows that when children learn how to do it, they also learn how to express themselves. Handwriting is so much more than simply putting letters on a page; it is a key part of learning to communicate. Writing is almost as important as speaking, as a medium for communicating thought. For this reason it is said that "Writing is a secondary power of speech, and they who cannot write are in part dumb." Scrawls that cannot be read may be compared to talking that cannot be understood; and writing difficult to decipher, to stammering speech. Handwriting is also important because kids are required to use it daily in school from kindergarten on. Children who struggle with the mechanics of handwriting may have trouble taking notes or tests or completing their schoolwork. This can affect both their self-esteem and their attitude toward school. Good handwriting can mean better grades. Studies show that the same mediocre paper is graded much higher if the handwriting is neat and much lower if the writing is not. What is more, handwriting proficiency inspires confidence. The more children practice a skill such as handwriting, the stronger the motor pathways become until the skill becomes automatic. Once it's mastered, children can move on to focus on the subject, rather than worry about how to form letters. Furthermore, handwriting aids memory. For example, if a person writes a list or a note then loses it he is much more likely to remember what he wrote than if he just tried to memorize it. In summary, handwriting skills are very essential even today. Apart from being a tool of communication, it helps the brain develop, it can improve grades and confidence and also aids memory
Posted by: Kiran | Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 02:58
Hi Siya, I think Kiran has explained some good ideas in the essay above! Thanks for your help Kiran!
Posted by: Simon | Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 21:06
I have been following your website for quite some time now and have learnt a lot from you. Thanks to you for finding my ideas appropriate.
Posted by: Kiran | Friday, January 27, 2012 at 01:22
Hi, I had speaking test today and I want to share my questions.
part 1 introduce yourself where are you come from? do you like your hometown? why? Is it a good place for young people to live in? do you like dancing?why? what are transportaion means in your city? which one is more popular? why? part 2 describe a travel that you went when you were a child? where did you travel to? how did you go there? why it is important to you? part 3 how people travel to rural areas? are there any facilities in rural areas? do you think in future these areas wil be more easier to access? do people living in rural areas travel more or others who live in urban communities?
Posted by: sevda | Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 07:48
Hi Simon. hope you are doing well. I want to ask you a question. I got my result today and I got... Listening: 8.0 Reading: 7.5 Speaking: 8.0 Writing: 6.5 My question is should challenge the writing score and ask for a re-check? do think i stand a chance of getting a 7.0? Please advice. Thanks
Posted by: Khan | Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 10:06
No problem Kiran. ... Thanks for sharing Sevda. ... Hi Khan,
You certainly stand a chance. I can't guarantee anything, but it's possible that a re-mark would be successful. Good luck if you decide to try!

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Posted by: Sara | Friday, February 18, 2011 at 11:23

Hey are there anybody who takes exam on 10th march ?

Well done Azamat. I'm glad my phrases helped!

Posted by: shameen | Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 21:19

Thanks for sharing guys.

I'm taking it on this Saturday, in Kiev,so nervous too.=/

hey ...anybody got exam tomorrow? i have exam tomorrow in nepal

Posted by: simona | Friday, March 04, 2011 at 12:23

Posted by: georginacheung | Sunday, March 06, 2011 at 21:07

Hey Simon, I get it. Thank you for replying.

Simona, Thank you for sharing

Speaking part 2: Describe a friend who is a leader. Thanks, Katya

Posted by: Didem | Friday, March 18, 2011 at 07:41

Thanks Didem. I'm pleased to hear that you followed my advice!

Posted by: ara | Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 13:39

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Posted by: ahmed S | Wednesday, April 06, 2011 at 17:45

Thanks a lot for your answers!

Recent Exam Questions

Thanks a lot Simon! You're a very good teacher!

Posted by: burak | Sunday, May 01, 2011 at 04:56

I got it. thank you very much for your help

Posted by: Gopi | Saturday, May 07, 2011 at 20:33

Thanks a lot ,simon !

Hi Wenny, I think you are right.

Thanks Nag. You've got a good memory!

Posted by: Simon | Friday, June 03, 2011 at 13:34

Posted by: AnneMarie | Monday, June 06, 2011 at 16:22

Thank you, Simon

Thanks Simon, that's really a relief.

Posted by: Lisa | Wednesday, June 08, 2011 at 16:54

Is it ok to start an essay with a quote? Say from T. S. Eliot.

Posted by: Simon | Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 23:39

Thanks Sara. That's very nice of you!

Thanks a lot Simon.

Fantastic scores Nag, well done!

Posted by: Vinu | Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 21:36

Recent Exam Questions

I am glad to read this site! Thanks

Thanks Sania. Good luck!

Thanks Simon ...Great help..

Sorry I forgot. my exam was in the UK

Posted by: kanny | Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 05:22

Thanks for sharing Shyam.

Australia - General Test July 30th, 2011:

Well done Saichee! That's great news.

clear the exam this time. Thank you

Posted by: preethi | Friday, August 26, 2011 at 04:58

Thanks alot for your great help.

Recent Exam Questions

Hi Kashif, Just send me an email and we can arrange things.

Posted by: Sandi | Saturday, September 03, 2011 at 08:25

Posted by: Avarna | Monday, September 05, 2011 at 11:59

Please add exam questions for 15 and 17 th september 2011. Thanks

Thanks Tieyuan and Lena. Best of luck!

Posted by: HASSAN | Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 22:36

Posted by: Dhanushka | Monday, October 10, 2011 at 10:35

Yes, that's right.

sorry, i forgot...speaking test was from Phils.

Technical vocabulary? Complex structures? Relevance to the topic?

Thanks for sharing guys!