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IELTS

Essential
Guide

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Introduction
The International English Language Testing System
(IELTS) is the world’s most popular high stakes
English-language test, for study, work and migration, with
more than 3 million tests taken in the past year.

IELTS assesses all of your English skills - reading, writing,


listening and speaking - and is designed to reect real life
use of English - at study, at work, and at play.

The IELTS test is developed by some of the world’s leading


experts in language assessment. It has an excellent
international reputation, and is accepted by over 10,000
organisations worldwide, including schools, universities,
employers, immigration authorities and professional
bodies. IELTS is the most widely accepted English
language test that uses a one-on-one speaking test to
assess your English communication skills. This means that
you are assessed by having a real-life conversation with a
real person. This is the most effective and natural way of
testing your English conversational skills.

You can choose from two versions of the test - IELTS


Academic or IELTS General Training - depending on the
organisation you are applying to and your plans for the
future. Both versions of the test are made up of four parts -
Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. IELTS results
are graded on the unique IELTS 9-band scale.

IELTS Essential Guide 1


Index

Section
Introduction

IELTS Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking Test

Academic Practice Test 1 9

• Listening 10
• Reading 13
• Writing 19
• Speaking 21

General Training Reading And Writing Practice Test 1 23

• Reading 24
• Writing 28

Academic Practice Test 2 31

• Listening 32
• Reading 35
• Writing 40
• Speaking 42

General Training Reading And Writing Practice Test 2 43

• Reading 44
• Writing 49

Academic Practice Test 3 51

• Listening 52
• Reading 54
• Writing 58
• Speaking 60

Academic Practice Test 4 61

• Listening 62
• Reading 64
• Writing 69
• Speaking 71

Answer Keys 72

IELTS Essential Guide 3


Introduction to IELTS
LISTENING, READING, WRITING AND SPEAKING TEST

IELTS
LISTENING TEST
What to expect?

Format Marking

• The Listening module takes about 30 minutes to • One mark is given for each correct answer.
complete.
• Spelling is important. A spelling mistake counts as a
• At the end candidates are allowed 10 minutes to wrong answer.
transfer their answers to an answer sheet.
• Both American and British English spellings are
• The Listening module is the same for both the accepted but be consistent.
Academic and General Training versions of the test.
• A hyphenated word (e.g. absent-minded, ow-chart)
• There are 4 sections, each with 10 questions. counts as one word.

• Each section has one or more of the various task • Grammar is important: e.g. if you write a singular
types. noun instead of a plural noun, it counts as a wrong
answer.
• The test gets progressively more difcult.
• Write answers clearly. Illegible handwriting will
• All the instructions are printed on the question result in a wrong answer.
booklet.

Audio Recording

• You will hear a variety of accents e.g. British,


American, Australian.

• Answer the questions as you listen because the


recording is played only once.

• Some time is allowed during the recording to preview


the questions.

• Answers are in the same order as the information on


the recording.

• If you miss listening to the information for a particular


question, guess the answer because wrong answers
are not penalised.

4 IELTS Essential Guide


Introduction to IELTS
LISTENING, READING, WRITING AND SPEAKING TEST

IELTS
READING TEST
What to expect?

Format Marking

• The Reading module takes one hour to complete. • For both the Academic and General Training versions
of the test:
• At the end there is no extra time to transfer answers
to the answer sheet. ◦ One mark is given for each correct answer.
◦ Spelling is important. A spelling mistake counts as a
• The Reading module is different for the Academic wrong answer.
and General Training versions of the test. ◦ Grammar is important: e.g. writing a singular instead
of a plural noun counts as a wrong answer.
• Task types are the same for Academic and General ◦ Write answers clearly. Illegible handwriting counts
Training but the test format and content is a little as a wrong answer.
different. ◦ Answer the questions as you read and transfer to
the answer sheet immediately.
• For both the Academic and General Training versions ◦ IELTS accepts both American and British English
of the test: spelling but be consistent.
◦ There are 3 sections with a total of 40 questions in all. ◦ A hyphenated word (e.g. absent-minded, ow-chart)
◦ Each section has one or more of the various task counts as one word.
types.
◦ All the instructions are printed on the question
booklet.

Reading Strategies Overview: Reading Task Types

• Before you start, quickly look through the Task Type: Short-Answer Questions
whole test so you know what to expect. • Answer questions which relate to factual information
and detail.
• Time management is extremely important- do
not spend more than the recommended time (20 • Write answers in words or numbers on the answer
minutes) on each passage. Limit yourself to 1 sheet (e.g. ‘200’ or ‘two hundred’).
or 1 minutes at the most per question. If you don’t
have an answer, guess, and move on. Write your • You can use words from the text but sometimes you
answers directly onto the answer sheet - no extra time may have to rephrase the words/ phrases from the
is given for this. text or even use synonyms.

• Read carefully to make sure that the choice you • Read instructions carefully to nd out how many
have made is the right answer. words/numbers to use.

• Skim the passage to get an idea of what it is about. • If the answer is longer than the given word limit in the
rubric no mark will be awarded. (E.g. If the rubric says
• Scan the text to nd the specic information required “Write no more than 2 words” an answer containing
to answer the question. more than 2 words, will be marked as X).

• A hyphenated word counts as one word


(e.g.‘mother-in-law’ = one word).

• Not all the questions are in the same order as the


information in the text.

IELTS Essential Guide 5


Introduction to IELTS
LISTENING, READING, WRITING AND SPEAKING TEST

Scanning

For short-answer questions you need to scan for facts


and details. This means read every word but moving
your eyes quickly over the text just looking for the
relevant fact or details. You don’t need to understand
every word - just enough to answer the question.

The answer to ‘wh’ type questions are not often


numbers or proper nouns (starting with capital letter) so
they should be relatively easy to nd. Read the
questions rst so you know what to look for ( Is it a
number? A place? A name? etc.)

6 IELTS Essential Guide


Introduction to IELTS
LISTENING, READING, WRITING AND SPEAKING TEST

IELTS
WRITING TEST
What to expect?

Format Tips:

• The Writing module takes one hour to complete. Spend about 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes
on Task 2 for both the Academic and General
• The format is the same for both the Academic and Training Writing modules.
General Training versions of the test but the task
types are different.

• There are 2 tasks to complete: Task 1 and Task 2.

• The tasks are different for the Academic and General


Training versions of the test, as outlined in the table
below.

Training General Academic

Task 1 Letter Report


(150 Words)

Task 2 Essay Essay


(250 Words)

(In response to a point of view, argument, or problem)

• All instructions are printed on the question booklet.

Marking

• You are marked on four criteria:


◦ Task achievement (Task 1) / task response (Task 2)
◦ Coherence and cohesion
◦ Lexical resource
◦ Grammatical range and accuracy

IELTS Essential Guide 7


Introduction to IELTS
LISTENING, READING, WRITING AND SPEAKING TEST

IELTS
SPEAKING TEST
What to expect?

Format Marking

• The Speaking module lasts for 11 - 14 minutes, and • You are marked on four criteria:
consists of an introduction section plus three parts. ◦ Fluency and coherence
◦ Lexical resource (vocabulary)
• The Speaking module is the same for both the ◦ Grammar
Academic and General Training versions of the test. ◦ Pronunciation.

• The linguistic challenge of the test increases with


each part.
Tips:

Part Timing Content • Before the test starts, the examiner records a brief
introduction, including the date, the location of the
test, your name, and his / her name.

Introduction 30 seconds Name, Nationality, • Use this opportunity to relax and get used to the
ID check. examiner’s voice and diction.

• Give brief replies to the introduction and ID check


questions.
2 or 3 unrelated,
short, simple • Do not get upset or worried if the examiner stops
Part 1 : conversations about you from giving a long answer during the
Interview 4 - 5 mins your personal introduction section. This part is intended to be a
preferences or brief settling down time, and it is not the time for a
experiences long talk.

• Remember, this test is a conversation. It is


acceptable to use an informal speaking style. You
1 minute of preparation do not have to give formal, academic replies to all
time. 1 - 2 minute talk, the questions.
on a topic which draws
Part 2 : 3 - 4 mins on your personal
Long Turn experience. There may
be one or two follow-up
questions

A more detailed
Part 3 : 4 - 5 mins discussion related to
Discussion the topic of the long
turn in part 2.

8 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 1
Answer
Section Keys

• Listening 73

• Section 1 (Q.1 - 10) 10


• Section 2 (Q.11 - 20) 10
• Section 3 (Q.21 - 30) 11
• Section 4 (Q.31 - 40) 11

• Reading 73

• Section 1 (Q.1 - 13) 13


• Section 2 (Q.14 - 27) 15
• Section 3 (Q.28 - 40) 17

• Writing 74

• Task 1 19
• Task 2 20

• Speaking

• Part 1 21
• Part 2 21
• Part 3 21

IELTS Essential Guide 9


Academic Practice Test 1
LISTENING

Sports Super Centre


Listening Section 1
Questions 1 - 10

20m
50m Aquatic centre indoor
Questions 1 - 5 outdoor pool
pool

Complete the notes below. Double


A doors

Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER


B Turnstile
for each answer. C

Second-hand Bedroom Furniture for Sale D


E

Example Answer F
Number of items for sale: three
G

H
• Bedside Table
◦ Construction: wood Stairs to
mezzanine I
◦ Colour: 1 ……………….. level
◦ Drawers: two (in each table) Creche
◦ Handles made of 2 ………………..
◦ Height: 3 ………………..cm J
◦ Condition: 4 ……………….. Car park Reception
◦ Price: 5 ………………..(for both)

Questions 6–10 11. Bike racks ..........................


12. Male locker room ..........................
Complete the notes below. 13. Café ..........................
14. Administration ofce ..........................
Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER 15. Conference room ..........................
for each answer. 16. Sports medicine clinic ..........................
17. Pool shop ..........................
• Dressing Table
◦ Drawers: ve (two are 6…………....)
◦ Width: 7 ……………….. Questions 18
◦ Mirrors: three: one large, two small
(all 8………………..) Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
◦ Condition: good
◦ Price 9 ……………….. • The sports centre is open on public holidays from

• Seller’s details: A. 07:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m.


◦ Name: Carolyn Kline B. 05:00 a.m. to 07:00 p.m.
◦ Address:19 10 ……………….. Road C. 05:00 a.m. to 09:00 p.m.

Questions 19 and 20
Listening Section 2
Questions 11 - 20 Choose TWO letters, A - E.

• Which TWO services are covered by the


Questions 11 - 17 membership fee?

Label the plan below. A. Personal training


B. Swim squads
Write the correct letter, A - J, next to the location mentioned C. Child-minding
in questions 11 - 17. D. Programme design
E. Tennis lessons

10 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 1
LISTENING

Listening Section 3 Listening Section 4


Questions 21 - 30 Questions 31 - 40

Questions 21 - 25 Questions 31 - 33

Complete the notes below. Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
for each answer.
Part One- Checklist:
If soil is healthy, it is a 31 ………………… teeming with life
• Write an 21 ……………………. - keep it brief. such as worms, fungi and bacteria. If plants are grown in
• List relevant 22 ……………………. poor soil, they will lack 32 ………………… and human
• Have two academic advisors read over your health will suffer. Plants are nourished by organic matter,
23……………………. 33 ………………… and other essential elements which are
• Choose the journal you want to submit to. broken down by insects and other organisms in a
• Apply the journal’s 24 ……………………. to your synergistic relationship.
article.
• Sign the 25 …………………….
Questions 34 - 36

Questions 26 - 30 Label the diagram below.

Complete the ow-chart below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer. Layers of Soil

Part Two- Process:

Submit Check e-mail for


26 …………………. 27 ………………….
of submission • Decomposing Organic Matter
36 ………………….
• Eluviation

• 35 ..............................
28 ………………….…………

• Regolith

Acceptance or Conditional • 34 ..............................


29 …………………. acceptance or
Revise and
Resubmit

Revise and send


back with a
30 ………………….

IELTS Essential Guide 11


Academic Practice Test 1
LISTENING

Questions 37 - 40

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Problems:
• Erosion
• 37 …………………. from various sources including
chemical fertilizers

Farming Methods:

Conventional Organic

• monoculture • crop rotation


• synthetic fertiliser and • Covering crops
chemicals used for • Use of insects as natural
38 …………………. 40 ………………….
• Genetically- modied • Addition of manure and
seeds green waste
• Pesticide and fungicide
sprayed on crops after
picking
• No need for
documentation of
39 ………………….

12 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 1
READING

on. Because marine life of various types is often


Reading Section 1 travelling past, the embryo has evolved only to react to
signals that are characteristic of the respiratory
movements of potential predators such as sharks.
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1 - 13,
which are based on Reading Section 1 below.
F. Many people fear swimming in the ocean because of
Electro-Reception sharks. In some respects, this concern is well grounded
- humans are poorly equipped when it comes to
A. Open your eyes in sea water and it is difcult to see much electro-receptive defense mechanisms. Sharks,
more than a murky, bleary green colour. Sounds, too, are meanwhile, hunt with extraordinary precision. They
garbled and difcult to comprehend. Without specialised initially lock onto their prey through a keen sense of
equipment humans would be lost in these deep sea smell (two thirds of a shark’s brain is devoted entirely to
habitats, so how do sh make it seem so easy? Much of its olfactory organs). As the shark reaches proximity to
this is due to a biological phenomenon known as its prey, it tunes into electric signals that ensure a
electro-reception - the ability to perceive and act upon precise strike on its target; this sense is so strong that
electrical stimuli as part of the overall senses. This ability is the shark even attacks blind by letting its eyes recede
found only in aquatic or amphibious species because for protection.
water is an efcient conductor of electricity.

B. Electro-reception comes in two variants. While all animals G. Normally, when humans are attacked it is purely by
(including humans) generate electric signals, because accident. Since sharks cannot detect from
they are emitted by the nervous system, some animals electro-reception whether or not something will satisfy
have the ability - known as passive electro-reception - to their tastes, they tend to “try before they buy”, taking
receive and decode electric signals generated by other one or two bites and then assessing the results (our
animals in order to sense their location. sinewy muscle does not compare well with plumper,
softer prey such as seals). Repeat attacks are highly
likely once a human is bleeding, because; the force of
C. Other creatures can go further still, however. Animals with the electric eld is heightened by salt in the blood which
active electro-reception possess bodily organs that creates the perfect setting for a feeding frenzy. In areas
generate special electric signals on cue. These can be where shark attacks on humans are likely to occur,
used for mating signals and territorial displays as well as scientists are exploring ways to create articial
locating objects in the water. Active electro-receptors can electro-receptors that would disorient the sharks and
differentiate between the various resistances that their repel them from swimming beaches.
electrical currents encounter. This can help them identify
whether another creature is prey, predator or something
that is best left alone. H. There is much that we do not yet know concerning how
electro-reception functions. Although researchers have
Active electro-reception has a range of about one body documented how electro-reception alters hunting,
length - usually just enough to give its host time to get out defense and communication systems through
of the way or go in for the kill. observation, the exact neurological processes that
encode and decode this information are unclear.
Scientists are also exploring the role electro-reception
D. One fascinating use of active electro-reception - known as plays in navigation. Some have proposed that salt
the Jamming Avoidance Response mechanism - has water and magnetic elds from the Earth’s core may
been observed between members of some species interact to form electrical currents that sharks use for
known as the Weakly electric sh. When two such electric migratory purposes.
sh meet in the ocean using the same frequency, each sh
will then shift the frequency of its discharge so that they
are transmitting on different frequencies. Doing so Questions 1 - 6
prevents their electro-reception faculties from becoming
jammed. Long before citizens’ band radio users rst had to Reading Section 1 has eight paragraphs, A - H.
yell “Get off my frequency!” at hapless novices cluttering
the air waves, at least one species had found a way to Write the correct letters, A - H, in the spaces given for
peacefully and quickly resolve this type of dispute. questions 1 - 6.

• Which paragraph contains the following information?


E. Electro-reception can also play an important role in animal
defences. Rays are one such example. Young ray 1. How electro-reception can be used to help sh
embryos develop inside egg cases that are attached to the reproduce? ……………
sea bed. The embryos keep their tails in constant motion 2. A possible use for electro-reception that will benet
so as to pump water and allow them to breathe through humans. ……………
the egg’s casing. If the embryo’s electro-receptors detect 3. The term for the capacity which enables an animal
the presence of a predatory sh in the vicinity, however, to pick up but not send out electrical signals.
the embryo stops moving (and in so doing ceases ……………
transmitting electric currents) until the sh has moved

IELTS Essential Guide 13


Academic Practice Test 1
READING

4. Why only creatures that live in or near water have 12 ………………….………… Nevertheless, once a shark
electro-receptive abilities? …………… has bitten a human, a repeat attack is highly possible as
5. How electro-reception might help creatures nd their salt from the blood increases the intensity of the
way over long distances? …………… 13 ………………….…………
6. A description of how some sh can avoid disrupting
each other’s electric signals. ……………

9.
7.

8.

Questions 7 - 9

Label the diagram.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage


for each answer.

Write the answers for questions 7 - 9 in the space given.

• Shark’s 7 ………………….………… alert the young


ray to its presence.
• Embryo moves its 8 ………………….………… in
order to breathe.
• Embryo stops sending 9 ………………….…………
when a predator is close by.

Questions 10 - 13

Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the


passage for each answer.

Write the answers for questions 10 - 13 in the space given.

Shark Attack

A shark is a very effective hunter. Firstly, it uses its


10 ………………….………… to smell its target. When the
shark gets close, it uses 11 ………………….…………to
guide it toward an accurate attack. Within the nal few feet
the shark rolls its eyes back into its head. Humans are not
popular food sources for most sharks due to their

14 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 1
READING

Another major concern is that when civic infrastructure


Reading Section 2 developments are undertaken in preparation for hosting the
Olympics, these benets accrue to a single metropolitan
centre (with the exception of some outlying areas that may
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14 - 27, get some revamped sport facilities). In countries with an
which are based on Reading Section 2 below. expensive land mass, this means vast swathes of the
population miss out entirely. Furthermore, since the
Fair Games international Olympic Committee favours prosperous
“global” centres (the United Kingdom was told, after three
For seventeen days every four years the world is briey failed bids from its provincial cities, that only London stood
arrested by the captivating, dizzying spectacle of athleticism, any real chance at winning), the improvement of public
ambition, pride and celebration on display at the Summer transport, roads and communication links tends to
Olympic Games. After the last weary spectators and concentrate in places already well-equipped with
competitors have returned home, however, host cities are world-class infrastructures. Perpetually by-passing minor
often left awash in high debts and costly infrastructure cities creates a cycle of disenfranchisement: these cities
maintenance. The staggering expenses involved in a never get an injection of capital, they fail to become rst-rate
successful Olympic bid are often assumed to be easily candidates, and they are constantly passed over in favour of
mitigated by tourist revenues and an increase in local more secure choices.
employment, but more often than not host cities are short
changed and their taxpayers for generations to come are left Finally, there is no guarantee that an Olympics will be a
settling the debt. popular success. The “feel good” factor that most
proponents of Olympic bids extol (and that was no doubt
Olympic extravagances begin with the application process. driving the 90 to 100 per cent approval rates of Parisians and
Bidding alone will set most cities back about $20 million, and Londoners for their cities’ respective 2012 bids) can be an
while ofcially bidding only takes two years (for cities that elusive phenomenon, and one that is tied to that nation’s
make the shortlist), most cities can expect to exhaust a standing on the medal tables. This ephemeral thrill cannot
decade working on their bid from the moment it is initiated to compare to the years of disruptive construction projects and
the announcement of voting results from International security fears that go into preparing for the Olympic Games,
Olympic Committee members. Aside from the nancial costs nor the decades of debt repayment that follow (Greece’s
of the bid alone, the process ties up real estate in prized preparation for Athens 2004 famously deterred tourists from
urban locations until the outcome is known. This can cost visiting the country due to widespread unease about
local economies millions of dollars of lost revenue from congestion and disruption).
private developers who could have made use of the land,
and can also mean that particular urban quarters lose their There are feasible alternatives to the bloat, extravagance
vitality due to the vacant lots. All of this can be for nothing if and wasteful spending that comes with the modern Olympic
a bidding city does not appease the whims of IOC members Games. One option is to designate a permanent host city
- private connections and opinions on government conduct that would be re-designed or built from scratch especially for
often hold sway (Chicago’s 2012 bid is thought to have been the task. Another is to extend the duration of the Olympics so
undercut by tensions over U.S. foreign policy). that it becomes a festival of several months. Local
businesses would enjoy the extra spending and congestion
Bidding costs do not compare, however, to the exorbitant would ease substantially as competitors and spectators
bills that come with hosting the Olympic Games themselves. come and go according to their specic interests. Neither the
As is typical with large-scale, one-off projects, budgeting for “Olympic City” nor the extended length options really get to
the Olympics is a notoriously formidable task. Los Angelinos the heart of the issue, however. Stripping away ritual and
have only recently nished paying off their budget-breaking decorum in favour of concentrating on athletic rivalry would
1984 Olympics; Montreal is still in debt for its 1976 Games be preferable.
(to add insult to injury, Canada is the only host country to
have failed to win a single gold medal during its own Failing that, the Olympics could simply be scrapped
Olympics). The tradition of runaway expenses has persisted altogether. International competition could still be
in recent years. London Olympics managers have admitted maintained through world championships in each discipline.
that their 2012 costs may increase ten times over their initial Most of these events are already held on non-Olympic years
projections, leaving tax payers 20 billion pounds in the red. anyway - the International Association of Athletics
Federations, for example, has run a biennial World Athletics
Hosting the Olympics is often understood to be an excellent Championship since 1983 after members decided that using
way to update a city’s sporting infrastructure. The extensive the Olympics for their championship was no longer
demands of Olympic sports include aquatic complexes, sufcient. Events of this nature keep world-class competition
equestrian circuits, shooting ranges, beach volleyball courts, alive without requiring Olympic-sized expenses.
and, of course, an 80,000 seat athletic stadium. Yet these
demands are typically only necessary to accommodate a
brief inux of athletes from around the world. Despite the
enthusiasm many populations initially have for the
development of world-class sporting complexes in their
home towns, these complexes typically fall into disuse after
the Olympic fervour has waned. Even Australia, home to one
of the world’s most sportive populations, has left its
taxpayers footing a $32 million-a-year bill for the
maintenance of vacant facilities.

IELTS Essential Guide 15


Academic Practice Test 1
READING

Questions 14 - 18 Questions 26 and 27

Match each sentence with the correct ending, A - K, Choose TWO letters, A - E.
below.
write the correct letters in spaces 26 and 27.
Write the correct letter, A - K, for questions 14 - 18 in the
space given. • Which TWO of the following does the author propose as
alternatives to the current Olympics?
14. Bids to become a host city……………
15. Personal relationships and political tensions 26. ……………
…………… 27. ……………
16. Cost estimates for the Olympic Games……………
A. The Olympics should be cancelled in favour of
17. Purpose-built sporting venues……………
individual competitions for each sport.
18. Urban developments associated with the
B. The Olympics should focus on ceremony rather
Olympics.……………
than competition.
C. The Olympics should be held in the same city every
time.
D. The Olympics should be held over a month rather
A. Often help smaller cities to develop basic
than seventeen days.
infrastructure.
E. The Olympics should be made smaller by getting
B. Tend to occur in areas where they are least
rid of unnecessary and unpopular sports.
needed.
C. Require protable companies to be put out
of business.
D. Are often never used again once the Games
are over.
E. Can take up to ten years to complete.
F. Also satisfy needs of local citizens for rst-rate
sports facilities.
G. Are usually only successful when it is from a
capital city.
H. Are closely related to how people feel
emotionally about the Olympics.
I. Are known for being very inaccurate.
J. Often underlie the decisions of International
Olympic Committee members.
K. Are holding back efforts to reform the Olympics.

Questions 19 - 25

Do the following statements agree with the information


given in Reading Section 2?

In the spaces 19 - 25, write

- TRUE if the statement agrees with the information


- FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
- NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

19. Residents of host cities have little use for the full
range of Olympic facilities …………….
20. Australians have still not paid for the construction of
Olympic sports facilities.……………
21. People far beyond the host city can expect to
benet from the improved infrastructure. ……………
22. It is difcult for small cities to win an Olympic bid.
23. When a city makes an Olympic bid, the majority of
its citizens usually want it to win.……………
24. Whether or not people enjoy hosting the Olympics
in their city depends on how athletes from their
country perform in the Olympic events. ……………
25. Fewer people than normal visited Greece during the
run up to the Athens Olympics.……………

16 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 1
READING

itself cannot occur.


Reading Section 3
Other possible routes have been offered, though. For Igor
Novikov, astrophysicist behind the 1980's theorem known as
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions the self-consistency principle, time travel is possible within
28 - 40, which are based on Reading Section 3 below. certain boundaries. Novikov argued that any event causing
a paradox would have zero probability. It would be possible,
Time Travel however, to “affect” rather than “change” historical outcomes
if travellers avoided all inconsistencies. Averting the sinking
Time travel took a small step away from science ction and of the Titanic, for example, would revoke any future
towards science recently when physicists discovered that imperative to stop it from sinking - it would be impossible.
sub-atomic particles known as neutrinos - progeny of the Saving selected passengers from the water and replacing
sun’s radioactive debris - can exceed the speed of light. The them with realistic corpses would not be impossible,
unassuming particle it is electrically neutral, small with a however, as the historical record would not be altered in any
“non-zero mass” and able to penetrate the human form way.
undetected is on its way to becoming a rock star of the
scientic world. A further possibility is that of parallel universes. Popularised
by Bryce Seligman DeWitt in the 1960s (from the seminal
Researchers from the European Organisation for Nuclear formulation of Hugh Everett), the many-worlds interpretation
Research (CERN) in Geneva sent the neutrinos hurtling holds that an alternative pathway for every conceivable
through an underground corridor towards their colleagues at occurrence actually exists. If we were to send someone
the Oscillation Project with Emulsion-Tracing Apparatus back in time, we might therefore expect never to see him
(OPERA) team 730 kilometres away in Gran Sasso, Italy. again - any alterations would divert that person down a new
The neutrinos arrived promptly - so promptly, in fact, that historical trajectory.
they triggered what scientists are calling the ‘unthinkable’ -
that everything they have learnt, known or taught stemming A nal hypothesis, one of unidentied provenance, re-routes
from the last one hundred years of the physics discipline itself quite efciently around the grandfather paradox.
may need to be reconsidered. Non-existence theory suggests exactly that - a person would
quite simply never exist if they altered their ancestry in ways
The issue at stake is a tiny segment of time - precisely sixty that obstructed their own birth. They would still exist in
nanoseconds (which is sixty billionths of a second). This is person upon returning to the present, but any chain
how much faster than the speed of light the neutrinos reactions associated with their actions would not be
managed to go in their underground travels and at a registered. Their “historical identity” would be gone.
consistent rate (15,000 neutrinos were sent over three
years). Even allowing for a margin of error of ten billionths of So, will humans one day step across the same boundary
a second, this stands as proof that it is possible to race that the neutrinos have? World - renowned astrophysicist
against light and win. The duration of the experiment also Stephen Hawking believes that once spaceships can
accounted for and ruled out any possible lunar effects or exceed the speed of light, humans could feasibly travel
tidal bulges in the earth’s crust. millions of years into the future in order to repopulate earth in
the event of a forthcoming apocalypse. This is because as
Nevertheless, there’s plenty of reason to remain skeptical. the spaceships accelerate into the future, time would slow
According to Harvard University science historian Peter down around them (Hawking concedes that bygone eras are
Galison, Einstein’s relativity theory has been “pushed harder off limits - this would violate the fundamental rule that cause
than any theory in the history of the physical sciences”. Yet comes before effect).
each prior challenge has come to no avail, and relativity has
so far refused to buckle. Hawking is therefore reserved yet optimistic. “Time travel
was once considered scientic heresy, and I used to avoid
So is time travel just around the corner? The prospect has talking about it for fear of being labelled a crank. These days
certainly been wrenched much closer to the realm of I’m not so cautious.”
possibility now that a major physical hurdle - the speed of
light - has been cleared. If particles can travel faster than
light, in theory, travelling back in time is possible. How
anyone harnesses that to some kind of helpful end is far
beyond the scope of any modern technologies, however,
and will be left to future generations to explore.

Certainly, any prospective time travellers may have to


overcome more physical and logical hurdles than merely
overtaking the speed of light. One such problem, posited by
René Barjavel in his 1943 text Le Voyageur Imprudent is the
so-called grandfather paradox. Barjavel theorised that, if it
were possible to go back in time, a time traveller could
potentially kill his own grandfather. If this were to happen,
however, the time traveller himself would not be born, which
is already known to be true. In other words, there is a
paradox in circumventing an already known future; time
travel is able to facilitate past actions that mean time travel

IELTS Essential Guide 17


Academic Practice Test 1
READING

Questions 28 - 33 Questions 40

Do the following statements agree with the information Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
given in Reading Section 3?
Circle the correct letter for the question 40.
In the spaces given for 28 - 33, write
• Stephen Hawking has stated that
- TRUE if the statement agrees with the information A. Human time travel is theoretically possible, but is
- FALSE if the statement contradicts the information unlikely to ever actually occur.
- NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this B. Human time travel might be possible, but only
moving backward in time.
28. It is unclear where neutrinos come from ………… C. Human time travel might be possible, but only
29. Neutrinos can pass through a person’s body without moving forward in time.
causing harm ………… D. All time travel is impossible.
30. It took scientists between 50-70 nanoseconds to
send the neutrinos from Geneva to Italy …………
31. Researchers accounted for effects the moon might
have had on the experiment …………
32. The theory of relativity has often been called into
question unsuccessfully …………
33. This experiment could soon lead to some practical
uses for time travel …………

Questions 34 - 39

Complete the table below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the


passage for each answer.

Write your answers for questions 34 - 39 in the space


given.

Original
theorist Theory Principle

René Grandfather Time travel would allow


Barjavel paradox for 34 ............... that
would actually make
time travel impossible.

Igor Self- It is only possible to alter


Novikov consistency history in ways that
principle result in no 35 ..............

Each possible event has


an 37 ..................., so a
time traveller changing
36 Many-worlds the past would simply
………… interpretation end up in a different
branch of history than
the one he left.

If a time traveller
Unknown 38 changed the past to
…………… prevent his future life,
he would not have a
39…………… as the
person never existed.

18 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 1
WRITING

Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph below shows the proportion of four different materials that were recycled from 1982 to 2010 in a particular country.

• Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where
relevant.

Recycling Rate for selected Materials: 1982 - 2010


90

80

70

60
Per cent

50

40
30

20 Paper and cardboard


Glass containers
10
Aluminium cans
0 Plastics
1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010

Write at least 150 words.

IELTS Essential Guide 19


Academic Practice Test 1
WRITING

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

• Learning English at school is often seen as more important than learning local languages. If these are not taught,
many are at risk of dying out.

In your opinion, is it important for everyone to learn English? Should we try to ensure the survival of local languages and, if
so, how?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

20 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 1
SPEAKING

Speaking Part 1 Speaking Part 3

Initial questions about name, where you live, work or Weddings and marriages in general
study and other personal topics.
• What is the best age for a person to get married?
Money • What kinds of things should young people do before
they get married? [Why?]
• Is money important? [Why / Why not?] • Do you think people should get married again if their
• Do people in your country save their money? rst marriage is not successful?
[Why / Why not?]
• What sort of things do young people spend their
money on? [Why?] Marriage and society
• How do you feel when you don't have enough money
to buy something you want? [Why?] • The roles of men and women are changing. How has
this impacted on how people view marriage in your
culture?
Food and Meals • The media often highlights celebrity marriages and
contracts that are agreed on before marriage. Is this
• What is your favourite meal, e.g. breakfast, lunch or a practical attitude towards marriage?
dinner? [Why?] • Changes in attitude to marriage and family
• How important do you think it is to have three meals a responsibilities have resulted in increasing single
day? [Why?] parent families. How will numbers of this impact on
• Who do you think enjoys cooking more, older or society in the future?
younger people? [Why?]
• Do you think more people will eat more micro waved
meals in the future? [Why / Why not?]

Speaking Part 2

Talk about a wedding you have been to.


You should talk about:

• Where it was?
• When it was?
• Who you met there?

and explain why this wedding was important for you.

You will be expected to talk on the topic for one to two


minutes. You will have one minute to think about what you
are going to say before you start talking. You can make
some notes to help you if you wish.

IELTS Essential Guide 21


General Training Reading
And Writing Practice Test 1

Answer
Section Keys

• Reading 75

• Section 1 (Q.1 - 14) 24


• Section 2 (Q.15 - 27) 25
• Section 3 (Q.28 - 40) 26

• Writing 75

• Task 1 28
• Task 2 28

IELTS Essential Guide 23


General Training Reading And Writing Practice Test 1
READING

1. As a volunteer, you will be helping students


Reading Section 1 individually …………….
Questions 1 - 14 2. You may smoke in the playground …………….
3. You cannot take any medicine while at the school
…………….
Questions 1 - 7 4. If you forget to sign the register, you won’t be insured
for accidents …………….
Read the text below and answer Questions 1 - 7. 5. The best way of communicating with teachers is in
writing …………….
Volunteers 6. You can choose your own hours of work …………….
Thank you for volunteering to work one-on-one with some of 7. The Coordinator keeps student attendance rolls
the students at our school who need extra help. …………….

Smoking Policy Questions 8 - 14


Smoking is prohibited by law in the classrooms and
anywhere on the school grounds. Read the text below and answer Questions 8 - 14

Safety and Health Camping in the Bush


Volunteers are responsible for their own personal safety and
should notify the school of any pre-existing medical Minimal Impact Bush Walking
conditions. Responsible campers observe minimal impact bush walking
practices. This is a code of ethics and behaviour aimed at
Prescription medicine and any other medications that you preserving the natural beauty of bush walking areas.
normally carry with you must be handed in to the school
nurse on arrival and collected on departure. If you require Planning
them, the nurse will dispense them to you in her ofce. Good planning is the key to safe and successful camping
trips. Obtaining a camping permit in advance of leaving to
Sign in camp out overnight in a national park is obligatory. Bookings
A signing in book is located at the ofce reception. Please are also compulsory for some parks. There could be limits
sign this register every time you come to the school. This is on group sizes in some parks. Occasionally campsites may
important for insurance purposes and emergency situations. be closed owing to bush-re danger or for other reasons.
After signing the book, collect a visitor’s badge from the Always obtain permission from the owner prior to crossing
ofce. This must be worn at all times when you are on the private property.
school premises. Remember to return the badge afterwards.
Equipment
Messages As well as your usual bush walking gear, you will need the
Teachers will communicate with volunteers via telephone, right equipment for camping. A fuel stove and fuel for
email or messages left at the ofce. Always ask for cooking is essential: not only is it safer, faster and cleaner;
messages. You may communicate with teachers in the but it is easier to use in wet weather. It is recommended that
same way - the preferred method is to leave a memo in the you pitch a freestanding tent which requires few pegs and
relevant teacher’s pigeonhole. These can be found at the therefore has less ecological impact. Take a sleeping mat, if
end of the corridor in the staffroom block. you have one, to put your sleeping bag on for a more
comfortable night’s sleep. You will also need a hand trowel to
Work Hours bury human waste - for proper sanitation and hygiene.
We understand that your time commitment is entirely
voluntary and therefore exible. If your personal schedule Campres
should change and this affects your availability, please The traditional campre actually causes a huge amount of
contact the Coordinator for Volunteers at the school on environmental damage. If you gather rewood, you are
extension 402; alternatively, you could drop in to her ofce removing the vital habitat of insects, reptiles, birds and small
situated in F block. mammals. When campres lead to bush-res, they create
enormous danger to native bush inhabitants and
Role of the Coordinator bush-walkers alike and result in destruction of the
The Coordinator is responsible for matching the volunteer environment. Under no circumstances should you light a re
tutors with students, organising tutorial rooms, ensuring in the bush.
student attendance and overseeing volunteer tutor training.
If you encounter any problems, contact her as above. Campsites
Erect your tent at an existing site if possible; otherwise try to
nd a spot where you won’t damage vegetation. Never cut
Do the following statements agree with the information branches or move rocks or disturb the soil unnecessarily.
given in the text on the previous page? Aim to leave your campsite as you found it or even cleaner.

In the space given for questions 1 - 7, write Rubbish


Remove all rubbish – take it out with you. Don’t attempt to
- TRUE if the statement agrees with the information burn or bury rubbish because this creates a re hazard
- FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
- NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

24 IELTS Essential Guide


General Training Reading And Writing Practice Test 1
READING

and/or disturbs the soil. Animals can dig up buried rubbish Public holidays:
and scatter it about. Never feed the local wildlife - remove a paid day off on a public holiday, except where reasonably
all food scraps as these disturb the natural nutrient balance requested to work. Employees working on public holidays
and can create weed problems. are entitled to 15% above their normal hourly rate.

Walk Safely Notice of termination:


Keep on the track. Wear footwear suitable for the terrain. 2 weeks’ notice of termination (3 weeks if the employee is
Take a map. more than 55 years old and has at least 2 years of continu -
ous service)

The passage refers to three ways in which campers Note:


should behave. The entitlements you receive will depend on whether you
are employed on a full-time, part-time or casual basis. If
• Classify the following behaviours as something that campers you work part-time, you should receive all the entitlements
of a full-time employee but on a pro-rata or proportional
A. must do basis. If you are a casual worker, you do not have rights to
B. may do any of the above entitlements or penalty payments. Casual
C. must not do workers have no guarantee of hours to be worked and they
do not have to be given advance notice of termination.

Write the correct letter A, B or C, in the space given for


questions 8 - 14 Do the following statements agree with the information
given in the text?
8. Get the landowner’s consent before walking across
his land ……………. In the spaces given for questions 15 - 21, write
9. Use a sleeping mat …………….
10. Make a campre in the bush ……………. - TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
11. Feed the birds ……………. - FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
12. Use a freestanding tent ……………. - NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
13. Dig a hole to bury rubbish in …………….
14. Get authorisation before setting out to camp 15. Part-time workers are entitled to a higher rate of
in a national park ……………. pay if they work more than their usual number of
hours per week …………….
16. Casual workers may be hired by the hour or by the
day …………….
Reading Section 2 17. A full-timer who takes a year off to have a baby can
Questions 15 - 27 return to the same employer …………….
18. A full-time worker needs a doctor’s note if he is
sick for 4 days in a row …………….
Questions 15 - 21 19. A full-time night-shift worker is entitled to 5 weeks’
paid holiday each year …………….
Read the text below and answer Questions 15 - 21. 20. Any workers over 55 are entitled to 3 weeks’ notice
of termination …………….
Conditions of Employment 21. Casual workers can be dismissed without notice
…………….
Weekly hours of work:
40 hours per week at the ordinary hourly rate of pay for
most full-time employees, plus reasonable additional hours Questions 22 - 27
(penalty rates apply). Part-time employees work a regular
number of hours and days each week, but fewer hours than The text on the next page has six sections, A - F.
full-time workers. Casual employees are employed on an
hourly or daily basis. Choose the correct heading for each section, A - F, from
the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i - x, in
Entitlements (full-time employees): the space given for questions 22 - 27.

Parental leave:
up to 12 months’ unpaid leave for maternity, paternity and List of Headings
adoption related leave.
i. Written communication
Sick leave: ii. Clarity
up to 10 days’ paid sick leave per year; more than 4 iii. Style
continuous days requires a medical certicate. iv. Research
v. End of message
Annual leave: vi. One point per email
4 weeks’ paid leave per annum, plus an additional week for vii. Relevance
shift workers.

IELTS Essential Guide 25


General Training Reading And Writing Practice Test 1
READING

Reading Section 3
viii. Specify the response you want Questions 28 - 40
ix. The subject line
x. Internal emails
Read the text below and answer Questions 28 - 40.

Making the cut


22. Section A …………….
23. Section B ……………. When we talk about how lms convey meaning we tend to
24. Section C ……………. refer to acting, music, dialogue, props and narrative
25. Section D ……………. developments, but often forgotten is the visual essence of a
26. Section E ……………. lm itself, which is the cutting together of moving images -
27. Section F ……………. “motion pictures” - each one carefully tailored to meet a
particular need or purpose.

Writing Effective Emails Most lms and many important scenes within them open
with an establishing shot. Typically this shot precedes our
Follow these simple rules to make a positive impression introduction to the main characters by presenting us with the
and get an appropriate response. locale in which the scene’s action or dialogue is about to
occur. Occasionally, however, a director will use an
A. Like a headline in a newspaper: it should grab the establishing shot with another goal in mind. An opening view
recipient’s attention and specify what the message is of a thousand soldiers parading in synchronized fashion
about use a few well chosen words. If the email is one might have little to reveal about the lm’s geography, for
of a series e.g. a weekly newsletter, include the date in example, but it does inform the audience that ideas about
the subject line. Never leave it blank. discipline and conformity are likely to arise in the material
that follows. In this way, establishing shots can also
introduce a lm’s theme.
B. If you need to email someone about several different
issues, write a separate email for each subject. This After an establishing shot, most directors choose a long shot
allows the recipient to reply to each one individually in a in order to progress the narrative. This type of shot displays
timely manner. For instance, one subject might be dealt the entire human physique in relation to its surroundings,
with quickly while another could involve some research. and so it is ideal for bridging the narrative divide between
If you have several related points, put them all in the location and individual activity. A long shot is therefore often
same email but present each point in a numbered or used to centre on a pivotal character in the scene. A lm
bulleted paragraph. might begin with an establishing shot of bleak, snowy
mountains and then cut to a long shot of a lone skier, for
example, a sweeping panorama of a bustling metropolis
C. Your email should be clear and concise. Sentences could segue into a street view of someone entering a
should be short and to the point. The purpose of the building.
message should be outlined in the rst paragraph and
the body should contain all of the relevant information. From here the door is wide open for directors to choose
whichever shots will enhance the narration. Closeup shots
are popular in suspense sequences - a handgun being
D. Be sure to include a ‘call to action’ - a phone call or a loaded, a doorknob being turned, the startled expression of
follow-up appointment perhaps. To ensure a prompt someone freshly roused from sleep. Conning the visual
reply, incorporate your contact information - name, title, eld in this way adds to the viewer’s apprehension. Dramatic
company, phone/fax numbers or extensions, even your lms will probably want to emphasise character interaction.
business address if necessary. Even internal messages The third-person shot - in which a third of the frame consists
must have contact information. of a rear view of a person’s upper torso and head - can be
effectively utilised here. This shot encourages us to actually
slip into the persona of that character, and vicariously live
E. Emails, even internal ones, should not be too informal - through their experiences.
after all, they are written forms of communication. Use
your spell-check and avoid slang. A number of special purpose shots are used quite rarely -
once, if at all, in most lms. One such type is the money shot.
A money shot has no specic technical features or content,
F. Only use this technique for very short messages or but is typically the most expensive element of a lm’s
reminders where all the relevant information can t in the production values and comes with a cost massively
subject line. Write EOM at the end of the line to indicate disproportionate to its screen time (which may be limited to
that the recipient doesn’t have to open the email. just a brief glimpse). Because of its spectacular, extravagant
nature, however, the money shot is a major revenue
generator and is widely exploited for use in promotional
materials. Money shots are most popular amongst - but not
limited to - high visual impact genres such as action, war,
thriller and disaster lms.

But more affordable shots can also add an interesting twist

26 IELTS Essential Guide


General Training Reading And Writing Practice Test 1
READING

to the story. The Dutch tilt can depict a character in a state


of psychological unease by shooting them from a jaunty H. Third-person shot
angle. In this way they appear literally and metaphorically I. First-person shot
unbalanced. A trunk shot often shows a small group of J. Close-up
characters peering into the trunk of a vehicle. It is lmed
from a perspective within the trunk itself, although
frequently to avoid camera damage directors will simply
place a detached piece of trunk door in the corner of the Questions 34 - 37
frame. This shot was a favourite of Quentin Tarantino and
has been used in many crime and gangster lms, often as Answer the questions below:
a rst-person shot through the eyes of someone who is tied
up and lying inside the vehicle. A shot that has gained Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the
traction in avantgarde circles is the extreme closeup. This passage for each answer. Write your answers in the space
is when a single detail of the subject lls up the entire given for questions 34 - 37.
frame. Alfred Hitchcock famously used an extreme closeup
in ‘Psycho’, when he merged a shot of a shower drain into 34. Which TWO aspects of a story can be shown with
a view of a victim’s eye. It has also been used in Westerns an establishing shot? ..............................
to depict tension between duelling gunmen eyeing each 35. What does a long shot focus our attention on?
other up before a shoot out. ..............................
36. What do closeups restrict in order to make
Not all types of shots are used in order to enhance the audiences nervous? ..............................
narrative. Sometimes nancial restrictions or technical 37. What does a third-person shot place importance
limitations are a more pressing concern, especially for on? ..............................
low-budget lm makers. In the early murder mysteries of
the 1920s and 1930s, the American shot - which acquired
its name from French critics who referred to a “plan Questions 38 - 40
américain” - was used widely for its ability to present
complex dialogue scenes without alterations in camera Complete the summary below.
position. Using the American shot, directors have their cast
assemble in single le while discussing key plot points. The Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for
result is an efciently produced scene that conveys all each answer.
relevant information, but the trade off is a natural tone.
Because few people in real life would ever associate in Some shots are not used very often. Money shots have a
such an awkward manner, American shots tend to result in high 38 ..................... considering that they only last for a
a hammy, stiff feel to the production. few seconds. The money shot brings in a lot of money,
however, and is an important part of the lm’s
39 ......................Other, less expensive shots can still be
Questions 28 - 33 fascinating: a character can be made to seem
40 .....................in both mind and body when lmed with a
Look at the following descriptions (Questions 28 - 33) Dutch tilt, for instance.
and the list of terms below. Match each description
with the correct term, A - J.

Write the correct letter, A - J, in the space given for


questions 28 - 33.

28. A group of people, full length body shot …………….


29. Two people, only one facing camera, head and
shoulders shot …………….
30. Distance shot of central city, from the air
…………….
31. A single person, head and shoulders, off-centre
angle shot …………….
32 Lone pedestrian, walking a city street …………….
33 A aming bus, about to crash …………….

List of Terms

A. Trunk shot
B. Dutch tilt
C. Establishing shot
D. Money shot
E. American shot
F. Long shot
G. Extreme close-up

IELTS Essential Guide 27


General Training Reading And Writing Practice Test 1
WRITING

Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have lost an item of value on a train. Write a letter to the railway company. In your letter.

• Describe the item


• Explain where and when you left it
• Say what action you would like the company to take

Write at least 150 words.


You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Some people think that having a set retirement age (e.g. 65 years) for everybody, regardless of occupation, is unfair. They
believe that certain workers deserve to retire and receive a pension at an earlier age.

• Do you agree or disagree?


• Which types of workers do you think should benet from early retirement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

28 IELTS Essential Guide


General Training Reading And Writing Practice Test 1
WRITING

IELTS Essential Guide 29


Academic Practice Test 2
Answer
Section Keys

• Listening 77

• Section 1 (Q.1 - 10) 32


• Section 2 (Q.11 - 20) 32
• Section 3 (Q.21 - 30) 33
• Section 4 (Q.31 - 40) 33

• Reading 77

• Section 1 (Q.1 - 13) 35


• Section 2 (Q.14 - 26) 36
• Section 3 (Q.27 - 40) 37

• Writing 78

• Task 1 40
• Task 2 41

• Speaking

• Part 1 42
• Part 2 42
• Part 3 42

IELTS Essential Guide 31


Academic Practice Test 2
LISTENING

Listening Section 1 Admission


Questions 1 - 10 Venue Event Date Time Price

Questions 1 - 8
Gallery 1 Regional Art 4 March 11 a.m. to No
Complete the form below. exhibition - all - 10 April 4 p.m. charge
works for sale. 11.......
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
for each answer.

Horizon Hotel Gallery 2 12 ............ 10 March - 10 a.m. to No


of the 21st 4 April 3p.m. charge
Century” Mon,Wed,
Example Answer exhibition - Fri and
Guest Name: Sandra MacKay by students weekends

• Date of arrival: 1 …………… December


• Date of departure: 2 …………… December
Theatre 1 Shakespeare’s 5 March Daily at Adult
• Room number: 3 502 and ……………
Romeo and Juliet - 3 April 8 p.m. 13 $ .......
• Room rate: 4 $ ………………..
Senior
• Height: 5 Paid ……………
$ 20
• Receipt:
◦ In name of: 6 Zoe ……………
• Contact details: 7 ……………
◦ Address: Morning Town
The Shannon Keel 1 April 15......... $ 12.50
◦ Phone: 439 4829
14 .......... - folk/pop/ p.m.
• Booking number: 8 ……………
country

Questions 9 and 10

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C. The Class Act - 1 - 30 11 a.m. $ 14


Showroom 16 ............ music April Friday’s Concession
9. The room will be cleaned at around and cabaret only $ 12

A. 11:00 a.m.
B. 01:00 p.m.
C. 02:00 a.m Questions 17 and 18

10. Room service for dinner is available from Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

A. 06:00 p.m. to 02:00 a.m. 17. Michael’s home country is


B. 06:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
C. 09:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. A. Canada
B. Ireland
C. The U.S.A

Listening Section 2 18. Michael has been singing for


Questions 11 - 20
A. 15 years
B. 18 years
Questions 11 - 16 C. 20 years

Complete the table below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/ OR A NUMBER


for each answer.

32 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 2
LISTENING

Questions 19 and 20 Jan’s comments Steve’s comments

Complete the sentences below.

Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer. to ensure accuracy should be careful or
they may face
19. Michael’s father went ..................... to work. 29 ............................

20. Michael’s ..................... was also a singer, • The ‘free information’ • Browser companies
and was an inspiration for him. nature of the internet may solve the problem
has led to this by introducing a
problem 30 ............................
system
Listening Section 3
Questions 21 - 30

Questions 21 - 25 Listening Section 4


Questions 31 - 40
Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer. Questions 31 - 35

21. Jan suggests doing their joint ............................ on Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
copyright or IP law.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
22. Steve’s suggested topic is ............................
31. Which place has been termed ‘a living
23. A database may collect statistics on your date of birth, laboratory’?
income, legal history, previous jobs, ............................ or
health record. A. The Ross Sea
B. The Antarctic Sea
24. Inaccurate facts may be recorded by data company C. The Southern Ocean
............................ .
32. What is said to be the worst form of pollution
25. Incorrect information about a ............................ led to that shing boats might cause?
his unfair dismissal.
A. Rubbish dropped overboard
B. Fuel leaked overboard
Questions 26 - 30 C. Sewage leaked overboard

Complete the sentences below. 33. What was the country of registration of the
boat which was stuck in thick ice?
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
A. Korea
B. New Zealand
C. Russia
Jan’s comments Steve’s comments
34. In the case of the Sparta repair mission,
what does the speaker term ‘a miracle’?

• Search engines collect • Data collecting A. No shermen died


data by analysing companies want to B. The weather was not stormy
people’s internet collect extra data to C. An oil spill was avoided
26 …………………. expand business and
increase their 27 35. What does the term ‘total allowable catch’
............................ refer to?

• Getting consent could • Not legal in Europe to A. The amount any boat in the Antarctic can catch
be the main 28 make money from B. The amount all the legal boats can catch
…………………. in the using someone’s C. The amount all the boats (legal and illegal) can
presentation private details without catch
their direct consent

• Annoying to have to buy • People writing blogs


your own credit reports and Twitter comments

IELTS Essential Guide 33


Academic Practice Test 2
LISTENING

Questions 36 - 40

Complete the summary below

Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER


for each answer.

The Antarctic Toothsh

These are big sh, which live in freezing Antarctic waters at


depths of 200 to 2,000 metres. They have a life span of
roughly 36 ................... years, and develop only slowly.
Little is known about the early stages of life for this sh
including the kinds of37 ..................... that feed on the
young. Since 1996, the December-February shing season
has resulted in catches of about 100,000 sh per year -
although recent catches have declined because of 38
.................... . Industry spokesmen claim that the Antarctic
toothsh industry is 39 ................... but it has been
estimated that sh numbers in the Ross Sea have already
been reduced by at least a fth, if not more. A plea has
been made by several well-known marine scientists for a
40 ................... on catching sh in the Ross Sea.

34 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 2
READING

E. Why would Manet engage in such deceit?


Reading Section 1 Perhaps for that very reason: to depict two different
states of mind or emotion. Manet seems to be conveying
his understanding of the modern workplace, a place
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions from his perspective of alienation, where workers felt
1 - 13, which are based on Reading Section 1 below. torn from their ‘true’ selves and forced to assume an
articial working identity. What we see in the mirrored
A Bar at the folies reection is the barmaid’s working self, busy serving a
(Un bar aux folies) customer. The front-on view, however, bears witness to
how the barmaid truly feels at work: hopeless, adrift, and
A. One of the most critically renowned paintings of the alone.
19th-century modernist movement is the French painter
Edouard Manet’s masterwork, A Bar at the Folies. F. Ever since its debut at the Paris Salon of 1882, art
Originally belonging to the composer Emmanuel historians have produced reams of books and journal
Chabrier, it is now in the possession of The Courtauld articles disputing the positioning of the barmaid and
Gallery in London, where it has also become a favourite patron in A Bar at the Folies. Some have even
with the crowds. conducted staged representations of the painting in
order to ascertain whether Manet’s seemingly distorted
point of view might have been possible after all. Yet
B. The painting is set late at night in a nineteenth-century while academics are understandably drawn to the
Parisian nightclub. A barmaid stands alone behind her compositional enigma of the painting, the layperson is
bar, tted out in a black bodice that has a frilly white always likely to see the much simpler, more human story
neckline, and with a spray of owers sitting across her beneath. No doubt this is the way Manet would have
décolletage. She rests her hands on the bar and gazes wanted it.
out forlornly at a point just below the viewer, not quite
making eye contact. Also on the bar are some bottles of Questions 1 - 5
liquor and a bowl of oranges, but much of the activity in
the room takes place in the reection of a mirror behind Reading Section 1 has six paragraphs, A - F.
the barmaid. Through this mirror we see an auditorium,
bustling with blurred gures and faces: men in top hats, Write the correct letter, A - F, in the spaces given for
a woman examining the scene below her through questions 1 - 5.
binoculars, another in long gloves, even the feet of a
trapeze artist demonstrating acrobatic feats above his • Which paragraph contains the following information?
adoring crowd. In the foreground of the reection, a man 1. A description of how Manet created the painting
with a thick moustache is talking with the barmaid. …………….
2. Aspects of the painting that scholars are most
interested in …………….
C. Although the Folies (-Bergère) was an actual 3. The writer’s view of the idea that Manet wants
establishment in late nineteenth-century Paris, and the to communicate …………….
subject of the painting was a real barmaid who worked 4. Examples to show why the bar scene is unrealistic
there, Manet did not attempt to recapture every detail of …………….
the bar in his rendition. The painting was largely 5. A statement about the popularity of the painting
completed in a private studio belonging to the painter, …………….
where the barmaid posed with a number of bottles, and
this was then integrated with quick sketches the artist
made at the Folies itself. Questions 6 - 10

Answer the questions below.


D. Even more confounding than Manet’s relaxed attention
to detail, however, is the relationship in the painting Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the
between the activity in the mirrored reection and that passage for each answer. Write your answers in the space
which we see in the unreected foreground. In a similar given for questions 6 - 10.
vein to Diego Velazquez’ much earlier work Las
Meninas, Manet uses the mirror to toy with our ideas 6. Who was the rst owner of A Bar at the
about which details are true to life and which are not. In Folies?
the foreground, for example, the barmaid is positioned 7. What is the barmaid wearing?
upright, her face betraying an expression of lonely 8. Which room is seen at the back of the
detachment, yet in the mirrored reection she appears painting?
to be leaning forward and to the side, apparently 9. Who is performing for the audience?
engaging in conversation with her moustachioed 10. Where did most of the work on the painting take
customer. As a result of this, the customer’s stance is place?
also altered. In the mirror, he should be blocked from
view as a result of where the barmaid is standing, yet
Manet has re-positioned him to the side. The overall
impact on the viewer is one of a dreamlike dis-juncture
between reality and illusion.

IELTS Essential Guide 35


Academic Practice Test 2
READING

Questions 11 - 13 Miles Davis


Icon and iconoclast1
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A - F,
below. A. At the age of thirteen, Miles Davis was given his rst
trumpet, lessons were arranged with a local trumpet
Write the correct letter, A - F, in the space given for questions player, and a musical odyssey began. These early
11 - 13. lessons, paid for and supported by his father, had a
profound effect on shaping Davis’ signature sound.
11. Manet misrepresents the images in the mirror Whereas most trumpeters of the era favoured the use of
because he ........................ vibrato (a wobbly quiver in pitch inected in the
12. Manet felt modern workers were alienated because instrument’s tone), Davis was taught to play with a long,
they ........................ straight tone, a preference his instructor reportedly
13. Academics have re-constructed the painting in real drilled into the young trumpeter with a rap on the
life because they ........................ knuckles every time Davis began using vibrato. This
clear, distinctive style never left Davis. He continued
playing with it for the rest of his career, once remarking,
A. wanted to nd out if the painting’s perspective ‘If I can’t get that sound, I can’t play anything.’
was realistic
B. felt they had to work very hard at boring and B. Having graduated from high school in 1944, Davis
difcult jobs moved to New York City, where he continued his musical
C. wanted to understand the lives of ordinary education both in the clubs and in the classroom. His
people at the time enrolment in the prestigious Julliard School of Music
D. felt like they had to become different people was short-lived, however - he soon dropped out,
E. wanted to manipulate our sense of reality criticising what he perceived as an over-emphasis on
F. wanted to focus on the detail in the painting the classical European repertoire and a neglect of jazz.
Davis did later acknowledge, however, that this time at
the school was invaluable in terms of developing his
trumpet-playing technique and giving him a solid
grounding in music theory. Much of his early training
Reading Section 2 took place in the form of jam sessions and performances
in the clubs of 52nd Street, where he played alongside
Questions 14 - 19 both up-and-coming and established members of the
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions jazz pantheon such as Coleman Hawkins, Eddie
14 - 19, which are based on Reading Section 2 on the ‘Lockjaw’ Davis, and Thelonious Monk.
following pages. C. In the late 1940s, Davis collaborated with nine other
instrumentalists, including a French horn and a tuba
player, to produce The Birth of Cool, an album now
renowned for the inchoate sounds of what would later
Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A - F. become known as ‘cool’ jazz. In contrast to popular jazz
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A - F from the styles of the day, which featured rapid, rollicking beats,
list of headings below. Write the correct number, i - ix, in the shrieking vocals, and short, sharp horn blasts, Davis’
space given for questions 14 - 19. album was the forerunner of a different kind of sound -
thin, light horn-playing, hushed drums and a more
restrained, formal arrangement. Although it received
List of Headings little acclaim at the time (the liner notes to one of Davis’
later recordings call it a ‘spectacular failure’), in hindsight
i. A legacy is established The Birth of Cool has become recognised as a pivotal
ii. Formal education unhelpful moment in jazz history, cementing - alongside his 1958
iii. An education in two parts recording, Kind of Blue - Davis’ legacy as one of the
iv. Branching out in new directions most innovative musicians of his era.
v. Childhood and family life
vi. Change necessary to stay creative D. Though Davis’ trumpet playing may have sounded
vii. Conicted opinions over Davis’ earlier work effortless and breezy, this ease rarely carried over into
viii. Davis’ unique style of trumpet playing the rest of his life. The early 1950s, in particular, were a
ix. Personal and professional struggles time of great personal turmoil. After returning from a stint
in Paris, Davis suffered from prolonged depression,
which he attributed to the unravelling of a number of
14. Paragraph A ……………. relationships, including his romance with a French
15. Paragraph B ……………. actress and some musical partnerships that ruptured as
16. Paragraph C ……………. a result of creative disputes. Davis was also frustrated
17. Paragraph D ……………. by his perception that he had been overlooked by the
18. Paragraph E ……………. music critics, who were hailing the success of his
19. Paragraph F ……………. collaborators and descendants in the ‘cool’ tradition,
such as Gerry Mulligan and Dave Brubeck, but who
afforded him little credit for introducing the cool sound in
the rst place.

1
36 An iconoclast is somebody who challenges traditional beliefs or customs. IELTS Essential Guide
Academic Practice Test 2
READING

E. In the latter decades of his career, Davis broke out of Reading Section 3
exclusive jazz settings and began to diversify his output
across a range of musical styles. In the 1960s, he was
inuenced by early funk performers such as Sly and the You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions
Family Stone, which then expanded into the jazz-rock 27 - 40, which are based on Reading Section 3 below.
fusion genre - of which he was a frontrunner - in the
1970s. Electronic recording effects and electric A. In the early days of mountaineering, questions of safety,
instruments were incorporated into his sound. By the standards of practice, and environmental impact were
1980s, Davis was pushing the boundaries further, not widely considered. The sport gained traction
covering pop anthems such as Cyndi Lauper’s Time following the successful 1786 ascent of Mont Blanc, the
After Time and Michael Jackson’s Human Nature, highest peak in Western Europe, by two French
dabbling in hip hop, and even appearing in some mountaineers, Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel
movies. Paccard. This event established the beginning of
modern mountaineering, but the sole consideration over
the next hundred years was the success or failure of
F. Not everyone was supportive of Davis’ change of tune. climbers in reaching the summit and claiming the
Compared to the recordings of his early career, prestige of having made the rst ascent.
universally applauded as linchpins of the jazz oeuvre,
trumpeter Wynston Marsalis derided his fusion work as B. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, however,
being ‘not true jazz’, and pianist Bill Evans denounced developments in technology spurred debate regarding
the ‘corrupting inuence’ of record companies, noting climbing practices. Of particular concern in this era was
that rock and pop ‘draw wider audiences’. In the face of the introduction of pitons (metal spikes that climbers
this criticism, Davis remained deant, commenting that hammer into the rock face for leverage) and the use of
his earlier recordings were part of a moment in time that belaying2 techniques. A few, such as Italian climber
he had no ‘feel’ for any more. He rmly believed that Guido Ray, supported these methods as ways to render
remaining stylistically inert would have hampered his climbing less burdensome and more ‘acrobatic’. Others
ability to develop new ways of producing music. From felt that they were only of value as a safety net if all else
this perspective, Davis’ continual revamping of genre failed. Austrian Paul Preuss went so far as to eschew all
was not merely a rebellion, but an evolution, a articial aids, scaling astonishing heights using only his
necessary path that allowed him to release his full shoes and his bare hands. Albert Mummery, a well
musical potential. known British mountaineer and author who climbed the
European Alps, and, more famously, the Himalayas,
where he died at the age of 39 attempting a notoriously
Questions 20 - 26 difcult ascent, developed the notion of ‘fair means’ as a
kind of informal protocol by which the use of
Do the following statements agree with the views of the ‘walk-through’ guidebooks and equipment such as
writer in Reading Section 2? ladders and grappling hooks were discouraged.

In the space given for questions 20 - 26, write C. By the 1940s, bolts had begun to replace pitons as the
climber’s choice of equipment, and criticism surrounding
- TRUE if the statement agrees with the information their use was no less erce. In 1948, when two
- FALSE if the statement contradicts the information American climbers scaled Mount Brussels in the
- NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this Canadian Rockies using a small number of pitons and
bolts, climber Frank Smythe wrote of their efforts: ‘I still
20. Davis’ trumpet teacher wanted him to play regard Mount Brussels as unclimbed, and my feelings
with vibrato ……………. are no different from those I should have were I to hear
21. According to Davis, studying at Julliard that a helicopter had deposited its passenger on the
helped him to improve his musical abilities ………… summit of that mountain just so that he could boast that
22. Playing in jazz clubs in New York was the he had trodden an untrodden mountain top.’
best way to become famous …………….
23. The Birth of Cool featured music that was D. Climbing purists aside, it was not until the 1970s that the
faster and louder than most jazz at the general tide began to turn against bolting and pitons.
time ……………. The USA, and much of the western world, was waking
24. Davis’ personal troubles had a negative up to the damage it had been causing to the planet, and
effect on his trumpet playing ……………. environmentalist campaigns and new government
25. Davis felt that his contribution to cool jazz policies were becoming widespread. This new
had not been acknowledged ……………. awareness and sensitivity to environmental issues
26. Davis was a traditionalist who wanted to spilled over into the rock climbing community. As a
keep the jazz sound pure ……………. result, a stripped- down style of rock climbing known as
‘clean climbing’ became widely adopted. Clean climbing
helped preserve rock faces and, compared with older
approaches, it was much simpler to practise. This was
partly due to the hallmark of clean climbing – the use of
nuts - which were favoured over bolts because they
could be placed into the rock wall with one hand while
climbers maintained their grip on the rock with the other.

2
IELTS Essential Guide Fastening or controlling of a climber’s rope by wrapping it around a metal device or another person 37
Academic Practice Test 2
READING

Questions 27- 32
E. Not everyone embraced the clean climbing movement,
however. A decade later, debates over two more Reading Section 3 has eight paragraphs, A - H.
developments were erupting. The rst related to the
practice of chipping, in which climbers chip away pieces Write the correct letter, A - H, in the spaces given for
of rock in order to create tiny cracks in which to insert questions 27 - 32.
their ngers. The other major point of contention was a
process that involves setting bolts in reverse from the • Which paragraph contains the following information?
top of the climb down. Rappel bolting makes almost any 27. Examples of the impact of climbers on ecosystems
rock face climbable with relative ease, and as a result of …………….
this new technique, the sport has lost much of its risk 28. An account of how politics affected rock climbing
factor and sense of pioneering spirit; indeed, it has …………….
become more about muscle power and technical 29. A less dangerous alternative to climbing rock faces
mastery than a psychological trial of fearlessness under …………….
pressure. Because of this shift in focus, many amateur 30. A recommendation for better regulation …………….
climbers have ocked to indoor climbing gyms, where 31. A reference to a climber who did not use any tools
the risk of serious harm is negligible. or ropes for assistance …………….
32. Examples of different types of people who use the
outdoors for recreation …………….
F. Given the environmental damage rock climbing can
cause, this may be a positive outcome. It is ironic that Questions 33 - 39
most rock climbers and mountaineers love the outdoors
and have great respect for the majesty of nature and the Complete the ow chart.
impressive challenges she poses, but that in the pursuit
of their goals they inevitably trample sensitive Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the
vegetation, damaging and disturbing delicate ora and passage for each answer. Write your answers in spaces
lichens which grow on ledges and cliff faces. Two given for questions 33 - 39.
researchers from a Canadian university, Doug Larson
and Michelle McMillan, have found that rock faces that
are regularly climbed have lost up to 80% of the A rock climbing time line
coverage and diversity of native plant species. If that
were not bad enough, non-native species have also
been inadvertently introduced, having been carried in on Late 19th Century
climbers’ boots.
Some climbers discuss whether pitons and ropes
should only be considered 33 ......................
G. This leaves rock climbing with an uncertain future.
Climbers are not the only user group that wishes to
enjoy the wilderness - hikers, mountain bikers and
horseback riders visit the same areas, and more
34 .................. calls for guidelines based on
importantly, they are much better organised, with
unwritten rules which discourage climbing aids.
long-established lobby groups protecting their interests.
With increased pressure on limited natural resources, it
has been suggested that climbers put aside their
differences over the ethics of various climbing
techniques, and focus on the effect of their practices on 1940s
the environment and their relationship with other users New equipment becomes controversial. Frank
and landowners. Smythe says that Mt Brussels is effectively
35 .................... because of the techniques that
were used in order to scale the mountain.
H. In any event, there can be no doubt that the era of the
rock climber as a lone wolf or intrepid pioneer is over.
Like many other forms of recreation, rock climbing has
increasingly come under the fold of institutional efforts to 1970s
curb dangerous behaviour and properly manage our 36 .................... is more environmentally
natural environments. This may have spoiled the magic, friendly. 37 .................... are introduced as a
but it has also made the sport safer and more climbing aid.
sustainable, and governing bodies would do well to
consider heightening such efforts in the future.

1990s - till today


Climbers discuss the merits of new techniques
for making hand holds, and also of
38 ....................... Many say that climbing is now
a test of physical strength and 39 ....................,
rather than of courage.

38 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 2
READING

Questions 40

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Circle the correct letter in 40.

• Choose the most appropriate title for the reading


passage.

A. A history of rock climbing


B. Ethics and issues in rock climbing
C. Current trends in rock climbing
D. Sport climbers versus traditional climbers

IELTS Essential Guide 39


Academic Practice Test 2
WRITING

Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph shows the percentage of male and female academic staff members across the faculties of a major university in
2012.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Academic staff percentages in faculties, by gender, 2012

100

80 Female

Male
60

40

20

0
Arts Business Education Engineering Law Medicine Science

Write at least 150 words.

40 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 2
WRITING

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

• Solar energy is becoming more and more popular as a source of household energy in many countries
around the world.
• Why is this?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

IELTS Essential Guide 41


Academic Practice Test 2
SPEAKING

Speaking Part 1 Speaking Part 3

Initial questions about name, where you live, work or Photos in General
study and other personal topics.

Sports Centres than they used to?


• What kinds of photos do most people like to
• Are there a lot of sports centres where you live? keep or send to other people?
[Why / Why not?] • Do you think people should take lessons to
• Is it important to have sport centres near where learn how to take professional photos?
people live? [Why / Why not?]
• Are most people in your country more interested in Media and Photography
sports now than they were in the past? [Why / Why
not?] • What are some of the differences between a written
news story and a news story with photos?
Hotels • Is it a positive development that news stations ask
people to send in their own photos of news events as
• Do you often stay in hotels? [Why / Why not?] they are happening?
• Does your country have a lot of big hotels? [Why / • Has journalism changed since photos can be sent
Why not?] immediately from one side of the world to the other
• What sort of hotels are the most popular for business within minutes?
people? [Why?]
• Which would you prefer,small local hotels or big
international hotels? [Why?]

Speaking Part 2

Talk about someone you know who takes good


photos.

You should talk about:


• Who he/she is
• What he/she takes photos of
• What he/she does with his/her photos

And explain why you think he/she is a good


photographer.

You will be expected to talk about the topic for one to two
minutes. You will have one minute to think about what you
are going to say in advance. You can make some notes to
help you if you wish.

• Do you think people today take more photos

42 IELTS Essential Guide


General Training Reading
And Writing Practice Test 2
Answer
Section Keys

• Reading 79

• Section 1 (Q.1 - 14) 44


• Section 2 (Q.15 - 28) 45
• Section 3 (Q.29 - 40) 46

• Writing 79

• Task 1 49
• Task 2 49

IELTS Essential Guide 43


9
General Training Reading And Writing Practice Test 2
READING

2. The signal for evacuation will normally be


Reading Section 1 several.................... .
Questions 1 - 14 3. If possible, students should leave the building by
the .................... .
4. They then walk quickly to the .................... .
Questions 1 - 8 5. .................... will join the teachers and students in
the quad.
Read the text below and answer Questions 1 - 8. 6. Each class teacher will count up his or her students
and mark .................... .
Emergency Procedures 7. After the .................... , everyone may return to class.
Revised July 2011 THIS APPLIES TO ALL PERSONS ON 8. If there is an emergency at lunchtime, students
THE SCHOOL CAMPUS gather in the quad in .................... and wait for their
In cases of emergency (e.g. re), nd the nearest teacher teacher.
who will:
send a messenger at full speed to the Ofce OR inform
the Ofce via phone ext. 99. Questions 9 - 14

Procedure for Evacuation Read the texts below and answer Questions 9 - 14.

1. Warning of an emergency evacuation will be marked Community Education


by a number of short bell rings. (In the event of a
power failure, this may be a hand-held bell or siren.) Business Basics
2. All class work will cease immediately. Gain foundation knowledge for employment in an accounts
3. Students will leave their bags, books and other position with bookkeeping and business basics through to
possessions where they are. intermediate level; suitable for anyone requiring knowledge
4. Teachers will take the class rolls. from the ground up.
5. Classes will vacate the premises using the nearest
staircase. If these stairs are inaccessible, use the Code B/ED011
nearest alternative staircase. Do not use the lifts. Do 16th or 24th April 09:00 a.m. - 04:00 p.m.
not run. Cost $420
6. Each class, under the teacher’s supervision, will
move in a brisk, orderly fashion to the paved Bookkeeping
quadrangle area adjacent to the car park. This course will provide students with a comprehensive
7. All support staff will do the same. understanding of bookkeeping and a great deal of
8. The Marshalling Supervisor, Ms Randall, will be hands-on experience.
wearing a red cap and she will be waiting there with
the master timetable and staff list in her possession. Code B/ED020
9. Students assemble in the quad with their teacher at 19th April 09:00 a.m. - 02.30 p.m. (one session only so
the time of evacuation. The teacher will do a head advance bookings essential)
count and check the roll. Cost $ 250
10. Each teacher sends a student to the Supervisor to
report whether all students have been accounted for. New Enterprise Module
After checking, students will sit down (in the event of Understand company structures, tax rates, deductions,
rain or wet pavement they may remain standing). employer obligations, prot and loss statements, GST and
11. The Supervisor will inform the Ofce when all staff budgeting for tax.
and students have been accounted for.
12. All students, teaching staff and support personnel Code B/ED030
remain in the evacuation area until the All Clear 15th or 27th May 06:00 p.m. - 09:00 p.m.
signal is given. Cost $105
13. The All Clear will be a long bell ring or three blasts
on the siren. Social Networking - the Latest Marketing Tool
14. Students will return to class in an orderly manner This broad overview gives you the opportunity to analyse
under teacher guidance. what web technologies are available and how they can
15. In the event of an emergency occurring during benet your organisation.
lunch or breaks, students are to assemble in their
home-room groups in the quad and await their Code B/ED033
home-room teacher. 1st or 8th or 15th June 06:00 p.m. - 09:00 p.m.
Cost $95
Complete the sentence below.
Communication
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text Take the fear out of talking to large gatherings of people.
for each answer. Write your answers in the space given for Gain the public speaking experience that will empower you
questions 1 - 8. with better communication skills and condence.

1. In an emergency, a teacher will either phone Code B/ED401


the ofce or .................... . 12th or 13th or 14th July 06:00 p.m. - 09:00 p.m.
Cost $90

44 IELTS Essential Guide


General Training Reading and Writing Practice Test 2
READING

Questions 9 - 14 Benecial work Practices for the keyboard operator

Do the following statements agree with the information A. Sensible work practices are an important factor in the
given in the text? prevention of muscular fatigue; discomfort or pain in the
arms, neck, hands or back; or eye strain which can be
In the spaces given for questions 9 - 14, write associated with constant or regular work at a keyboard
and visual display unit (VDU).
- TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
- FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
- NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this B. It is vital that the employer pays attention to the physical
setting such as workplace design, the ofce
9. Business Basics is appropriate for beginners environment, and placement of monitors as well as the
.................... organisation of the work and individual work habits.
10. Book-keeping has no practical component Operators must be able to recognise work-related health
.................... problems and be given the opportunity to participate in
11. Book-keeping is intended for advanced students the management of these. Operators should take note
only .................... of and follow the preventive measures outlined below.
12. The New Enterprise Module can help your business
become more protable ....................
13. Social Networking focuses on a specic website to C. The typist must be comfortably accommodated in a
help your business succeed .................... chair that is adjustable for height with a back rest that is
14. The Communication class involves speaking in also easily adjustable both for angle and height. The
front of an audience .................... back rest and sitting ledge (with a curved edge) should
preferably be cloth-covered to avoid excessive
perspiration.
Reading Section 2
Questions 15 - 28 D. When the keyboard operator is working from a paper le
or manuscript, it should be at the same distance from
the eyes as the screen. The most convenient position
Questions 15 - 21 can be found by using some sort of holder. Individual
arrangement will vary according to whether the operator
The text on the next page has seven sections, A - G. spends more time looking at the VDU or the paper -
whichever the eyes are focused on for the majority of
Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of time should be put directly in front of the operator.
headings below.

Write the correct number, i - x, in boxes 15 - 21 on your E. While keying, it is advisable to have frequent but short
answer sheet. pauses of around thirty to sixty seconds to proofread.
When doing this, relax your hands. After you have been
keying for sixty minutes, you should have a ten minute
change of activity. During this spell it is important that
List of Headings you do not remain seated but stand up or walk around.
This period could be protably used to do ling or collect
i. How can reection problems be avoided? and deliver documents.
ii. How long should I work without a break?
iii. What if I experience any problems?
iv. When is the best time to do ling chores? F. Generally, the best position for a VDU is at right angles
v. What makes a good seat? to the window. If this is not possible then glare from the
vi. What are the common health problems? window can be controlled by blinds, curtains or movable
vii. What is the best kind of lighting to have? screens. Keep the face of the VDU vertical to avoid glare
viii. What are the roles of management and from overhead lighting.
workers?
ix. Why does a VDU create eye fatigue?
x. Where should I place the documents? G. Unsatisfactory work practices or working conditions may
result in aches or pain. Symptoms should be reported to
your supervisor early on so that the cause of the trouble
15. Section A .................... can be corrected and the operator should seek medical
16. Section B .................... attention.
17. Section C ....................
18. Section D ....................
19. Section E ....................
20. Section F ....................
21. Section G ....................

IELTS Essential Guide 45


General Training Reading and Writing Practice Test 2
READING

Questions 22 - 28 Questions 22 - 23

Read the texts below and answer Questions 22 - 28 Complete the text below.

Workplace Dismissals Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text
for each answer. Write your answers in the spaces given
Before the dismissal for questions 22 - 23.
If an employer wants to dismiss an employee, there is a 22. If an employee receives a .................... , this means
process to be followed. Instances of minor misconduct and he will lose his job if his work does not get better.
poor performance must rst be addressed through some
preliminary steps. 23. If an employee does not accept the reasons for his
dismissal, a .................... can be arranged.
Firstly, you should be given an improvement note. This will
explain the problem, outline any necessary changes and Questions 24 - 28
offer some assistance in correcting the situation. Then, if
your employer does not think your performance has Look at the following descriptions (Questions 24 - 28)
improved, you may be given a written warning. The last step and the list of terms in the box below. Match each
is called a nal written warning which will inform you that you description with the correct term A - E.
will be dismissed unless there are improvements in
Write the appropriate letter A - E in the given spaces for
performance. If there is no improvement, your employer can
questions 24 - 28.
begin the dismissal procedure.
24. An employee is asked to leave work straight away
The dismissal procedure begins with a letter from the because he has done something really bad
employer setting out the charges made against the employee. ....................
The employee will be invited to a meeting to discuss these
accusations. If the employee denies the charges, he is given 25. An employee is pressured to leave his job unless
the opportunity to appear at a formal appeal hearing in front of he accepts conditions that are very different from
a different manager. After this, a decision is made as to those agreed to in the beginning ....................
whether the employee will be let go or not.
26. An employer gets rid of an employee without
Dismissals keeping to conditions in the contract ....................
Of the various types of dismissal, a fair dismissal is the best 27. The reason for an employee’s dismissal is not
kind if an employer wants an employee out of the workplace. considered good enough ....................
A fair dismissal is legally and contractually strong and it
means all the necessary procedures have been correctly 28. The reasons for an employee’s dismissal are
followed. In cases where an employee’s misconduct has acceptable by law and the terms of the employment
been very serious, however, an employer may not have to contract ....................
follow all of these procedures. If the employer can prove that
the employee’s behaviour was illegal, dangerous or severely A. Fair dismissal
wrong, the employee can be dismissed immediately: a B. Summary dismissal
procedure known as summary dismissal. C. Unfair dismissal
D. Wrongful dismissal
Sometimes a dismissal is not considered to have taken E. Constructive dismissal
place fairly. One of these types is wrongful dismissal and
involves a breach of contract by the employer. This could
involve dismissing an employee without notice or without
following proper disciplinary and dismissal procedures. Reading Section 3
Another type, unfair dismissal, is when an employee is Questions 29 - 40
sacked without good cause.

There is another kind of dismissal, known as constructive Read the texts below and answer Questions 29 - 40
dismissal, which is slightly peculiar because the employee is
not actually openly dismissed by the employer. In this case CALISTHENICS
the employee is forced into resigning by an employer who The world’s oldest form of resistance training
tries to make signicant changes to the original contract.
This could mean an employee might have to work night A. From the very rst cave-man to scale a tree or hang
shifts after originally signing on for day work, or he could be from a cliff-face, to the mighty armies of the
made to work in dangerous conditions. Greek-Roman empires and the gymnasiums of modern
American high schools, calisthenics has endured and
thrived because of its simplicity and utility. Unlike
strength training which involves weights, machines or
resistance bands, calisthenics uses only the body’s
own weight for physical development.

46 IELTS Essential Guide


General Training Reading and Writing Practice Test 2
READING

B. Calisthenics enters the historical record at around 480 tradition, the sole goal soon became an increase in
B.C., with Herodotus’ account of the Battle of muscle size. Body building icons, people such as Arnold
Thermopolylae. Herodotus reported that, prior to the Schwarzenegger and Sergio Oliva, were called mass
monsters because of their imposing physiques. Physical
battle, the god-king Xerxes sent a scout party to spy on
development of this nature was only attainable through
his Spartan enemies. The scouts informed Xerxes that
the use of anabolic steroids, synthetic hormones which
the Spartans, under the leadership of King Leonidas,
boosted muscle development while harming overall
were practicing some kind of bizarre, synchronised
health. These body builders also relied on free weights
movements akin to a tribal dance. Xerxes was greatly
and machines, which allowed them to target and bloat
amused. His own army was comprised of over 120,000
the size of individual muscles rather than develop a
men, while the Spartans had just 300. Leonidas was
naturally proportioned body. Calisthenics, with its
informed that he must retreat or face annihilation. The
emphasis on physical beauty and a balance in
Spartans did not retreat, however, and in the ensuing
proportions, had little to offer the mass monsters.
battle they managed to hold Xerxes’ enormous army at
bay for some time until reinforcements arrived. It turns
out their tribal dance was not a superstitious ritual but a
G. In this “bigger is better” climate, calisthenics was
form of calisthenics by which they were building
relegated to groups perceived to be vulnerable, such as
awe-inspiring physical strength and endurance.
women, people recuperating from injuries and school
students. Although some of the strongest and most
developed human beings ever to have lived acquired
C. The Greeks took calisthenics seriously not only as a
their abilities through the use of sophisticated
form of military discipline and strength, but also as an
calisthenics, a great deal of this knowledge was
artistic expression of movement and an aesthetically
discarded and the method was reduced to nothing more
ideal physique. Indeed, the term calisthenics itself is
than an easily accessible and readily available activity.
derived from the Greek words for beauty and strength.
Those who mastered the rudimentary skills of
We know from historical records and images from
calisthenics could expect to graduate to weight training
pottery, mosaics and sculptures of the period that the
rather than advanced calisthenics.
ancient Olympians took calisthenics training seriously.
They were greatly admired - and still are, today - for their
combination of athleticism and physical beauty. You may
have heard a friend whimsically sigh and mention that H. In recent years, however, tness trends have been
shifting back toward the use of calisthenics.
someone ‘has the body of a Greek god’. This expression
Bodybuilding approaches that promote excessive
has travelled through centuries and continents, and the
muscle development frequently lead to joint pain,
source of this envy and admiration is the calisthenics
injuries, unbalanced physiques and weak cardiovascular
method.
health. As a result, many of the newest and most popular
gyms and programmes emphasise calisthenics-based
methods instead. Modern practices often combine
D. Calisthenics experienced its second golden age in the
elements from a number of related traditions such as
1800s. This century saw the birth of gymnastics, an
yoga, Pilates, kettle-ball training, gymnastics and
organised sport that uses a range of bars, rings, vaulting
traditional Greco-Roman calisthenics. Many people are
horses and balancing beams to display physical
keen to recover the original Greek vision of physical
prowess. This period is also when the phenomena of
beauty and strength and harmony of the mind-body
strongmen developed. These were people of astounding
connection.
physical strength and development who forged nomadic
careers by demonstrating outlandish feats of strength to
stunned populations. Most of these men trained using
Questions 29 - 35
hand balancing and horizontal bars, as modern weight
machines had not yet been invented.
The text has eight paragraphs, A - H.

Which paragraph contains the following information?


E. In the 1950s, Angelo Siciliano - who went by the stage
name Charles Atlas - was crowned “The World’s Most
Write the correct letter, A - H, in the spaces given for
Perfectly Developed Man”. Atlas’s own approach
questions 29 - 35.
stemmed from traditional calisthenics, and through a
series of mail order comic books he taught these
29. The origin of the word ‘calisthenics’ ....................
methods to hundreds of thousands of children and
30. The last popular supporter of calisthenics ..............
young adults through the 1960s and 1970s. But Atlas
31. The rst use of calisthenics as a training method
was the last of a dying breed. The tides were turning,
....................
tness methods were drifting away from calisthenics,
32. A multidisciplinary approach to all-round health
and no widely-regarded proponent of the method would
....................
ever succeed him.
33. Reasons for the survival of calisthenics throughout
the ages ....................
34. The use of a medical substance to increase muscle
F. In the 1960s and 1970s calisthenics and the goal of
mass and strength ....................
functional strength combined with physical beauty was
35. A reference to travelling showmen who displayed
replaced by an emphasis on huge muscles at any cost.
their strength for audiences ....................
This became the sport of body building. Although body
building’s pioneers were drawn from the calisthenics

IELTS Essential Guide 47


General Training Reading and Writing Practice Test 2
READING

Questions 36 - 40

Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for


each answer. Write your answers in the spaces given for
questions 36 - 40.

During the sixties and seventies, attaining huge muscles


became more important than 36 .................... or having an
attractive-looking body. The rst people to take up this new
sport of body building had a background in calisthenics but
the most famous practitioners became known as
37....................on account of the impressive size of their
muscles. Drugs and mechanical devices were used to
develop individual muscles to a monstrous size.

Calisthenics then became the domain of ‘weaker’ people:


females, children and those recovering from 38 ....................
Much of the advanced knowledge about calisthenics was
lost and the method was subsequently downgraded to the
status of a simple, user-friendly activity. Once a person
became skilled at this, he would progress to 39 ...................
Currently a revival of calisthenics is under way as extreme
muscle building can harm the body leaving it sore, out of
balance, and in poor 40 ..................

48 IELTS Essential Guide


General Training Reading and Writing Practice Test 2
WRITING

Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have a problem with a neighbour.

Write a letter to your neighbour. In your letter


• Describe the problem
• Say how long it has been a problem
• Explain what action you want the neighbour to take

Write at least 150 words


You do not need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows: .

Dear .....................,

IELTS Essential Guide 49


General Training Reading and Writing Practice Test 2
WRITING

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

• It is generally accepted that exercise is good for children and teenagers. Therefore, physical education and
sport should be compulsory for all students in all schools.
• What do you think?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

50 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 3
Answer
Section Keys

• Listening 81

• Section 1 (Q.1 - 10) 52


• Section 2 (Q.11 - 20) 52
• Section 3 (Q.21 - 30) 52
• Section 4 (Q.31 - 40) 53

• Reading 81

• Section 1 (Q.1 - 13) 54


• Section 2 (Q.14 - 26) 55
• Section 3 (Q.27 - 40) 56

• Writing 82

• Task 1 58
• Task 2 59

• Speaking

• Part 1 60
• Part 2 60
• Part 2 60

IELTS Essential Guide 51


9
Academic Practice Test 3
LISTENING

Questions 17 - 20
Listening Section 1
Questions 1 - 10 Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER


Questions 1 - 8 for each answer.

Complete the form below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER Difcult parking in town at the weekend because of
for each answer. so many 17......................... Museum is closed on
18 .........................
New Password Recommended places to eat:
• 19......................... for Chinese food
• Pizzeria for Italian food
Example Answer Phone number for takeaway pizza - 20..................
Call taken by: Natasha

• Customer’s full name: Michael 1 ……………


• Date of birth: 27 March 1988 Listening Section 3
• Previous address: 319 2 …………… Questions 21 - 30
East Providence
• Phone number: 0492 48002
• Data allowance: 3 …………… Questions 21 - 25
• Current plan: 4 ……………
• Mother’s maiden name: 5 …………… Choose the correct letter A, B or C.
• First pet: 6 ……………
• New password sent on: 7 …………… 21. Why did Diana accept the offer from Gregory
• Extra services requested: New 8 …………… Associates?
Cancel 9 ……………
A. It covered her travel expenses.
10 …………… pack B. It was from a well-known company.
C. It was the only offer she received.

Listening Section 2 22. Joanne was disappointed because


Questions 11 - 20
A. she found the work routine repetitive.
B. the staff were not very helpful.
Questions 11 - 16 C. the work was not related to her studies.

Where can each of the following items be found? 23. What did Joanne like best about her internship?

Choose SIX answers from the box and write the correct A. Observing how the workplace operates
letter, A - I, next to questions 11 - 16. B. Being responsible for completing projects
C. Working closely with the project managers

Locations 24. What was hardest part of the internship?

A. on washing machine A. Combining it with her studies


B. in hallway cupboard B. Living on so little money
C. in hot water cupboard C. Working such long hours
D. next to back door
E. in bathroom 25. During the internship, Joanne
F. on top of television
G. in bedroom A. changed her mind about her career
H. under kitchen sink B. received a job offer from the company
I. above front door C. decided not to continue her studies

11. Alarm ……………


12. Garage key ……………
13. Laundry detergent ……………
14. Beach towels ……………
15. Bath towels ……………
16. Light bulbs ……………

52 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 3
LISTENING

Questions 26 - 30

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

How to apply for an internship

• Organise your 26 ......................... in advance


• Research a variety of companies
• Create a 27 ......................... of appropriate
positions
• 28 ......................... the applications for each
position
• 29 ......................... companies after one week
• Prepare for the interview
• 30 ......................... during the interview

Listening Section 4
Questions 31 - 40

Complete the notes below.

Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer

Development Studies

Development Studies attempts to understand:


• How societies change and progress over time
• What 31 ......................... help to make these
changes
Two approaches:
• Theoretical (understand how change occurs)
• Applied (examine 32 ......................... and how
they can be applied) Areas of focus:

Asia-Pacic region; urbanisation (including


employment and 33 .........................); migration;
trade.

You will develop the skills to:


• Understand key development issues in detail
• Gather data (both 34 ........................ and textual
data)
• Carefully 35 ......................... ndings
• 36 ......................... on a research project

Brief history of Development Studies:


• 1950s - The discipline emerges.
• 37 ......................... issues are the major
consideration.
• 1970s - Development studies became more
38 ......................... of the establishment.
Questions were raised about power,
environmental sustainability and 39
......................... issues.
• 1980s-today - National governments were no
longer as important. Growing interest in
small-scale practices such as remittances and
40 ......................... .

IELTS Essential Guide 53


Academic Practice Test 3
READING

CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland Fred Goodwin presided


Reading Section 1 over a 24-billion-pound loss at the bank just four years later.
Although retaining a 16 Million pound pension, to which he
was legally entitled, Goodwin had his knighthood annulled
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions as the Queen’s advisory panel deemed him ‘the chief
1 - 13, which are based on Reading Section 1 below. decision maker at the time’. Scandals such as these have
contributed to spirited debates regarding the role and
Knighthoods relevance of knighthoods in 21st-century society.
An ancient tradition

Knighthoods are one of the oldest and most prestigious Questions 1 - 6


forms of honouring individual citizens in the United Kingdom.
Although initially conferred upon members of the armed Do the following statements agree with the information
forces solely on the basis of their performance in combat, given in Reading Section 1?
the award now recognises all contributions to national life.
Some of the most notable knighthoods of recent times have In the spaces given for questions 1 - 6, write
been bestowed on musicians or entertainers such as Sir
Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney, and the elds of nance, - TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
industry and education are also represented. Citizens of - FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
non-Commonwealth1 countries are eligible for an ‘honorary’ - NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
knighthood for which they are not permitted to use the titles
‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’. Perceived to be a British tradition, the legacy
of knighthoods actually dates back to ancient Rome, from 1. The knighthood was rst awarded only for military
where it spread throughout a number of European countries service ……………
in the Middle Ages and acquired certain features. A would-be 2. Most knights now come from the arts and
knight had to undergo strict military instruction from a young entertainment industries ……………
age, which included spending time as an assistant (known 3. People from outside the Commonwealth cannot be
as an esquire) to an existing knight, and participating in awarded any type of knighthood ……………
battle. He had to learn how to equip his knight for battle, and 4. The knighthood began in Great Britain ……………
to help him with putting on the heavy and cumbersome 5. Esquires, or trainee knights, were usually related to
armour of the time. He was responsible for keeping this the knights they served ……………
armour in good condition, polishing and cleaning it. He also 6. An esquire needed money to buy his own equipment
had to demonstrate chivalrous behaviour such as ……………
generosity, selessness, fearlessness and skill in battle.
Finally, the potential knight also required the nancial means
to purchase horses, weapons and armour for himself, and Questions 7 - 10
then make himself available to serve the ruling monarch for
a minimum period each year. Complete the summary below.

In modern times, the process is very different. Instead of Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the
relying on formalised military training or political patronage, passage for each answer. Write your answers in the
a nominations system is used. This way, a person’s name spaces given for questions 7 - 10.
can be put forward for a knighthood by any institution such
as a school or business, or even just a fellow member of Knighthood Selection: Then and Now
society. After this, an advisory panel, acting on behalf of the
sovereign, deliberates and selects the future knights and The process of becoming a knight has changed over time.
dames from the pool of applications. Those selected are In the Middle Ages, people began training to become a
contacted discreetly before announcements are made to knight at 7 ..................... They had to show they were brave
ensure that they wish to accept the honour. and skilled ghters, were required to work for 8 .................
for part of the year. Today, potential recipients of the
In rare cases, knighthoods can be revoked through a knighthood are selected through9 ................................ A
process known as forfeiture. This most often occurs when nal decision is made by 10 .............................
the recipient is convicted of a criminal offense. Terry Lewis, a
police ofcer in Queensland, Australia, was stripped of his
knighthood after being implicated in a string of illegal Questions 11 - 13
activities that included accepting $700,000 worth of bribes
from bookmakers and casinos, and forging the signature of Which THREE of the following are reasons given in the text
an Australian politician on a police document in 1981. Lewis for people losing their knighthood? Choose THREE letters,
has repeatedly protested his innocence and suggested that A - F.
he was falsely accused of these crimes, but his appeals Write the correct letters in the spaces given for questions
failed in court. In a more serious incident, British art historian 11 - 13.
and intelligence ofcer Anthony Blunt lost his knighthood
after it was discovered that he was working as a double 11 .........................
agent and handing condential material over to the Soviet
12 .........................
Union. Knighthoods have also been forfeited for reasons of
incompetence rather than outright illegality or treason. 13 .........................
Having been knighted for ‘services to banking’ in 2004,
1
The Commonwealth is an international association consisting of the UK
54 together with states that were previously part of the British Empire and dependencies. IELTS Essential Guide
Academic Practice Test 3
READING

Though these tips may be a little too garden variety1 for


A. Punishing someone for a crime he or she did some, others have thought up more cunning twists on the
not commit human psyche. One such approach was developed by the
B. Using another person’s name on an crime writer Raymond Chandler, who built his strategy on a
important paper basic yet critical observation: procrastinators rarely sit about
C. Poor management of a company completely inactively, but rather tend to engage themselves
D. Wrongfully accepting pension payments in useful but less pressing tasks: vacuuming behind the bed,
E. Gambling on horse-racing or card games cleaning out the fridge, washing the windows and so on. The
F. Giving secret information to a foreign result is that they ‘cheat’ themselves into experiencing
government feelings of productivity and satisfaction that offer further
distraction from the original project. Chandler’s method,
which he successfully used to help himself write detective
stories, involves setting aside a period of time in which the
procrastinator may do one of two things: absolutely nothing
or work on the project that he or she wishes to complete.
Reading Section 2 Sitting still, without the satisfaction of busying himself with
less urgent tasks, Chandler slowly felt the itch of tedious
monotony sink in. Within ve or ten minutes, this itch had
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions become intolerable, and he felt compelled to begin writing
14 - 26, which are based on the passage below. his stories.

“Just do it!” Another procrastinator, professor of philosophy John Perry,


Or - the subtle art of procrastination developed his strategy against procrastination based on
essentially the same insight as Chandler’s that
Procrastination, a kind of chronic time-wasting, has long procrastinators are actually quite good at doing ‘marginally
been dismissed as an innocuous human foible. Researchers useful’ tasks, just not the tasks they really ought to be doing.
are now beginning a more sober examination of this He thus surmised that the enemy of successful task
practice, however, and there may be good reason for doing completion is not, in fact, that great engine of productive
so: twenty per cent of Americans now admit to suffering activity - procrastination itself - but rather how we order our
from procrastination, a fteen per cent jump from 1970. projects in the hierarchy of urgency. If a procrastinator needs
Researchers are bemused as to what explains this sharp to nish an assignment before 8 o’clock the following
rise in the gures, but there is no doubt that procrastination morning, for instance, he is likely to nd himself sharpening
is wreaking havoc on people’s lives. One side effect is pencils instead. ‘But if all the procrastinator had left to do
perhaps the most predictable: procrastination hampers was to sharpen some pencils,’ Perry observes, ‘no force on
academic and work commitments as sufferers fail to meet earth could get him to do it.’ The key to this approach is to
deadlines or achieve their goals. But there are other costs rank one’s priorities, then bump the most urgent tasks a little
too. In shifting burdens of responsibility onto others and further down and place at the top some potentially daunting
reneging on their promises, procrastinators undermine and important-sounding projects which are ultimately not all
relationships both in the workplace and in their private lives, that essential. If the student with the essay deadline can
all of which takes a toll on their well-being. In one study, convince himself he absolutely must reorganise his email
over the course of a semester, procrastinating university box, or nish reading that old, dusty novel he only got
students were noted to be suffering from notably weaker halfway through, then suddenly the essay deadline is going
immune systems, more gastrointestinal problems, and higher to seem a far superior option.
occurrences of insomnia than their non-procrastinating peers.
If the Ancient Greeks struggled with it, and all the life
Is there hope for procrastinators? Everyone admits it’s a coaches, counsellors and motivational speakers in the
difcult demon to beat, but a few self-styled procrastination modern world are unable to erase it from our existence
coaches have developed strategies to that end. Although either, it seems unlikely that procrastination will ever truly be
evidence for their efcacy is largely anecdotal at this stage, put to rest. As these procrastination gurus have shown,
some of these strategies at least offer promising avenues for however, the right strategies have the potential to minimise
future research. Career counsellor Amy Sykes focuses on the its impact - if you ever get around to using them.
basics. Firstly, she says, embrace peer pressure. Many weight
loss and self-help groups encourage individuals to hold
themselves accountable to a wider circle of their peers, and Questions 14 - 18
Sykes believes this social safety net can be harnessed just as
successfully by procrastinators. A change in perspective is Do the following statements agree with the information
also considered vital. ‘When we want people to do something given in Reading Section 2?
for us, we really sell it to them,’ Sykes observes. ‘But when we
need to do it ourselves, we focus on all the reasons we don’t In the spaces given for questions 14 - 18, write
want to.’ Instead, she argues, we should pique our own
interest and nd ways to make our important projects more - TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
attractive - by turning them into little competitions or - FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
fact-nding missions, for example. If all else fails, Sykes - NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
believes we must recompense ourselves for our troubles,
ideally with little treats upon nishing a task. ‘It doesn’t need to
be big,’ she says. ‘Pancakes, a hot bath, or an episode of your 14. Procrastination has always been recognised as a
favourite television show could all do the trick.’ serious problem ……………
1 Common, usual or ordinary
IELTS Essential Guide 55
Academic Practice Test 3
READING

15. The reason for the rise in procrastination is supermarket rather than stalking it through the jungle;
unknown …………… houses and high-rises shelter us at night instead of caves.
16. Students are the most likely group to But despite these changes, some very basic responses
procrastinate …………… linger on. The short, sharp feeling of heightened awareness
17. A range of health problems have been that sweeps through us when a stranger passes in a dark
linked to procrastination …………… alley is no different, physiologically speaking, from the
18. Most techniques to stop procrastination are sensation our ancestors experienced when they were
based on scientic study …………… walking through the bushes and heard a dry twig snap
nearby. It’s called the ‘ght or ight’ response, and it helps us
to identify dangerous situations and act decisively by, as the
Questions 19 - 25 name suggests, mustering our strength for a confrontation or
running away as fast as we can. This shift to survival mode
Look at the following statements (Questions 19 - 25) is often popularly described as a sudden unease, a sense
and the list of people below. Match each statement that a situation is ‘off’ or ‘not right’. However, the sense is
with the correct person, A, B or C. actually the outcome of an incredibly complex mind-body
process which involves the brain’s ‘fear centre’, the
Write the correct letter, A, B or C, in the spaces given for hypothalamus, advising the sympathetic nervous system
questions 19 - 25. and the adrenal-cortical system to work, at rst separately,
and then together, to blend a potent mix of hormones and
19. Doing housework is a common way of avoiding chemicals and secrete them into the bloodstream. Our
important work …………… heartbeat rises, along with our respiratory rate. Skin feels
20. Get support from other people …………… cold (hence the ‘shiver’ down the spine) as blood supply is
21. Make a list of boring tasks before important ones redirected to the larger muscles required for a physical
…………… confrontation or a hasty retreat. The ability to concentrate on
22. Look for ways to make the work more interesting issues of minor importance also suffers, as the brain tends to
…………… prioritise ‘big picture’ thinking at this time.
23. Lists are powerful tools for reducing procrastination
…………… Without this instinctive response, the human race would
24. Use boredom as motivation …………… never have survived, but at present it is often more of a
25. Use rewards when a task is completed …………… hindrance than a help. Although instances of physical
threats have decreased over the years, activation of the ght
or ight response has actually increased, largely in response
List of People to mental frustrations. This poses a problem, however,
A. Amy Sykes because the ght or ight mechanism functions most
B. Raymond Chandler helpfully as a response to something that can cause bodily
C. John Perry harm, such as a falling tree or a wild animal, rather than in
response to a fulminating boss, a trafc jam, or a spouse
who has not returned a phone call. During these instances of
mental distress, the physical manifestations of ght or ight,
Questions 26 such as an inability to think rationally and calmly, can
actually exacerbate the problem.
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
A similar case of an evolutionary development overstaying
its welcome is the example of ‘mind chatter’. Mind chatter is
• What is the writer’s conclusion? the ceaseless train of scattered thoughts and self-talk that
occupies our mind, ensuring we are always ‘switched on’,
A. Some procrastination-reducing strategies have had searching for danger and threats. This would have been a
proven success. boon for a solitary caveman on a three-hour hunting
B. Procrastination will never be completely eliminated. expedition, but in a modern world already overloaded with
C. Procrastinators should employ a life coach to help sensory input, it causes us to fret about non-existent
them. predicaments and occasionally needlessly triggers the ght
D. Most procrastinators want to learn how to be more or ight response.
efcient.
These twin forces, mind chatter and the ght or ight
response, have combined to wreak havoc on the modern
psyche and have led to a spike in what some studies have
Reading Section 3 suggested is a cause of up to eighty per cent of all illness
today: stress. Stress, erroneously considered by many to be
a mere feeling, is actually a physiological condition resulting
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions from a cumulative accrual of certain hormones in the body,
27 - 40, which are based on Reading Section 3 below. hormones that can help us in quick, sharp doses, but which
are toxic if they are not properly metabolised. Metabolism of
When evolution works against us these potentially toxic hormones relies on physical exertion,
which originally evolved as part of the ght or ight process -
Life has changed in just about every way since small tribes hormone release was usually followed by physical exertion
of hunter-gatherers roamed the earth armed with nothing (ghting or running), which returned the body to a state of
but spears and stone tools. We now buy our meat from the balance. In present day encounters, however, the vital

56 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 3
READING

element of physical exertion is missing: a resentful Questions 33 - 36


employee cannot punch his co-worker, for example, and a
frustrated driver is unable to simply ram his way through a Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
packed intersection.
Circle the correct letter in questions 33 - 36.
What can be done to restore the balance? Stress
researcher Neil F. Neimarck, perhaps not surprisingly, 33. When the ght or ight response is activated, it is
recommends physical exercise as one useful strategy. difcult to
Fortunately, the brain is not clever enough to realise that
this exercise is completely unrelated to the original stress A. increase breathing speed
stimulus, and in this way we can effectively ‘fool’ our bodies B. focus on small problems
into metabolising stress hormones by punching a boxing C. maintain body temperature
bag instead of the person who annoyed us in the rst place. D. run for long periods of time
Another option is the ‘relaxation response’, discovered by
Harvard cardiologist Herbert Benson. Benson found that 34. The ght or ight response is less useful today because
certain behaviours, such as deep breathing, meditation, modern individuals
and the repetition of simple, afrmative phrases, acted as
an antidote to mind chatter and the ght or ight responses, A. encounter fewer physical threats
calming the nervous system and inducing a relaxed state of B. can easily manage small daily difculties
mind and body instead. Integrating these methods into our C. are better at creative problem solving
lives will be important if the cycle of stress accumulation D. do not need to hunt dangerous animals
that is so endemic in modern Western society is to be
stopped. 35. One disadvantage of ‘mind chatter’ is that people may

A. talk too much and miss important information


Questions 27 - 32 B. spend too much time by themselves
C. become distracted from real threats
Complete the summary using the list of words, A - O, D. worry about problems that are not real
below.
36. The writer suggests stress is increasing because of
Write the correct letter, A - O, in the spaces given for
questions 27 - 32. A. a lack of physical release
B. an increase in the number of threats
The ght or ight response C. more health problems
D. the loss of some hormones
Modern man still has the 27 .................... that were needed
in his distant past in the jungle. One of these, the ‘ght or
ight response’, originally assisted humans to recognise Questions 37 - 40
28 .................... and take action. Today, this same
response manifests itself mostly as nothing more than a Do the following statements agree with the views of the
feeling of 29 ..................... It is the result of the hypothala- writer in Reading Section 3?
mus producing and releasing 30 .................... into the
blood, with subsequent rises in heart rate and breathing, In the spaces given for questions 37 - 40, write
and the sensation of a31 ................... in temperature as
the blood is diverted to other organs. Although 32 this - TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
.................... was once essential to human survival, it now - FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
occurs as a result of perceived rather than actual threat. - NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

37. Stress is an emotion ……………


List of People 38. Fights in the workplace are increasing ……………
39. In order to metabolise hormones, exercise must be
A. plan F. mixtures K. anxiety linked with the original cause of stress ……………
B. strengths G. instincts L. pressure 40. Saying positive words can reduce stress …………
C. substances H. threats M. drop
D. strangers I. powers N. problems
E. warmth J. systems O. rise

IELTS Essential Guide 57


Academic Practice Test 3
WRITING

Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The diagram below shows how a solar powered water pump works. Summarise the information by selecting
and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Solar panel
photovoltaic cells

DC power from panel


water tank

to village
Ground level
water level
bore pump

underground bore or well

58 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 3
READING

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Rising university fees and scarce employment prospects for graduates have led some people to say that
universities should not teach arts subjects, like philosophy and history, and only offer practical degree
courses that maximise chances of employment.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

IELTS Essential Guide 59


Academic Practice Test 3
SPEAKING

Speaking Part 1 Speaking Part 3

Initial questions about name, where you live, work or Making Decisions in General
study and other personal topics.
• What are some decisions that most people
Clothes need to make these days?
• Who do you think usually gives the best
• What do you like to wear when you are at home? advice in your culture?
[Why?] • What disadvantages are there when other
• What do people in your country like to wear to parties? people give you advice, when you have to
[Why?] make a decision?
• Do you like to try different kinds of fashion?
[Why / Why not?] Age and Decisions
• Do people in your country usually like to wear formal
or casual clothes? [Why?] • What are the important things that a teenager has to
make decisions about?
Good Manners • How can your age make a difference to the way you
approach decision making?
• Is it important to be polite in your country? • How are the kinds of decisions people make today
[Why / Why not?] different from those they made 50 years ago? [Why?]
• How do children learn good manners?
• Who do you think is usually more polite, older
or younger people? [Why?]
• Do you think more people are more polite at home
with family, or with people they don't know? [Why?]

Speaking Part 2

Talk about a decision you made that was difcult.


You should talk about:

• What it was?
• When you made it?
• Why it was difcult?

And explain how it has changed your life.

You will be expected to talk about the topic for one to two
minutes. You will have one minute to think about what you
are going to say in advance. You can make some notes to
help you if you wish.

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Academic Practice Test 4
Answer
Section Keys

• Listening 83

• Section 1 (Q.1 - 10) 62


• Section 2 (Q.11 - 20) 62
• Section 3 (Q.21 - 30) 63
• Section 4 (Q.31 - 40) 63

• Reading 83

• Section 1 (Q.1 - 13) 64


• Section 2 (Q.14 - 26) 65
• Section 3 (Q.27 - 40) 66

• Writing 84

• Task 1 69
• Task 2 70

• Speaking

• Part 1 71
• Part 2 71
• Part 3 71

IELTS Essential Guide 61


Academic Practice Test 4
LISTENING

Questions 7 - 10
Listening Section 1
Questions 1 - 10 Answer the questions below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER


Questions 1 - 6 for each answer.

Complete the ow-chart below. 7. How long does it take to process a transfer?
................................................
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER 8. How much does it cost to make each transfer
for each answer. from the Wesley bank? .................................................
9. What is the maximum amount of each transfer?
Making an International money transfer ........................................................
10. What is a security token?.............................................

Example
Step 1: Access (0) …………… (global payments)
systems. Listening Section 2
Log on to Wesley Bank Internet Banking Select Questions 11 - 20
‘Transfer Money’
Select ‘International Money Transfer‘ (under
International Services) Questions 11 - 17

Label the plan below.

Write the correct letter, A - I, next to questions 11 - 17.

Step 2: Click on ‘Payment Destination Plan for upgrade of Bayeld town centre
1..............................’
Scroll down and choose the place School

N A
W E
B

Road
Road
Swan
S

Step 3: D

Bay
C
Enter 2 ‘.............................. Details’ E
Name, address, phone number Main St
Mall

r
ente
mc
Swi
G Tavern
F
Step 4: ‘Transaction Details’ Select transaction,
savings or 3 .............................. account
Enter reason (e.g. medical care, 4 .....................)
H

Step 5: ‘Recipient Account Details’ Account 11. Supermarket .........


name and number (NB: complete the page 12. Park .........
within 5 .............................. hours) 13. Market .........
14. Ofce block .........
15. Gymnasium .......
16. Library .........
17. Council .........
Step 6: ‘Recipient Bank Details’
Name, branch, address
Questions 18 - 20

Complete the sentences below.

Step 7: ‘Conrmation Page’ Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Press Submit
Print receipt or write down Transaction 18. The key issue for residents is .....................
6 .............................. 19. The Council needs to buy suitable ..................... for
playgrounds.
20. The Council’s rst choice for controlling the movement
of vehicles on Swan Road is......................

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Academic Practice Test 4
LISTENING

Listening Section 3 Listening Section 4


Questions 21 - 29 Questions 30 - 39

Questions 26 - 29 Questions 30 - 33

Complete the notes below. Complete the summary below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Corporate Cultures
Environmental Effects of Pesticide Use

Studies by Quinn and Cameron propose:


“Competing Values Framework” Most pesticides are carried into other environments.
• Hierarchy Culture They travel along rivers or streams or are carried by
◦ obeys rules, 21 ......................., bureaucracy the 30 ........................ They can harm animals or
should remove their 31 ........................ causing starvation.
Pesticides that remain in the soil cause a decrease
◦ stable, structured environment
in the quality and number of 32 ..........................
◦ leaders use power, 22 ........................., and
Furthermore, 33 .......................... can be caused by
position to deal with employees
repeated use of pesticides over time.
◦ common among 23 .........................
organisations and large companies

• Market Culture
◦ values 24 ......................... with e.g. clients or Questions 34 - 39
suppliers to improve competitiveness
◦ this culture produces the best 25 ......................... Complete the table below.
(due to emphasis on competitiveness and
success) Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

• Clan Culture
◦ family-like Technique Procedure Comment
◦ focus on ‘doing things together’ leads to high
degree of worker 26.........................
◦ paternalistic, mentoring style of leadership
Handpicking Remove Effective and
◦ employee development
insects with low-cost; but
◦ company expects 27......................... from
gloves 34 .....................
workers, with similar ideas and shared goals
so not useful for
large farms
• Adhocracy Culture
◦ workers must be adaptable and accept
change
◦ focus on 28............ and innovation with quick
responses to outside factors 35 ............... Breed ‘good’ Risky due to
◦ dynamic and entrepreneurial leaders looking insects to 36 ..........................
for 29......................... attack pests outcomes
◦ employees encouraged to experiment with
new ideas
◦ might seem disorganised but inventive and
progressive Companion Use plants Low risk, but
planting with ability to additional plants
37 .................. compete for space
certain insects and soil nutrients

Crop rotation Change plant Unappealing for big


varieties after businesses
each harvest - as 39 .......................
insects must are reduced
38 ...............
to access food

IELTS Essential Guide 63


Academic Practice Test 4
READING

of dermatology, for instance, salicylic acid in the form of


Reading Section 1 skin cream is lauded for its function as an exfoliator,
brightening and enhancing the complexion. Because it
softens and dissolves keratin, a kind of ‘glue’ in the
Question 1 - 8 skin’s structure, salicylic acid is able to treat many
conditions in which the skin has suffered from an
Reading Section 1 has eight paragraphs, A - H. excessive accumulation or clogging of skin cells. These
conditions include acne, dermatitis, psoriasis and
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A - H from the folliculitis, all of which have proved remarkably resistant
list of headings below. Write the correct number, i - xi, in the to other treatments. As a further benet, salicylic acid
spaces given for questions 1 - 8. also has anti-inammatory properties and, as a result,
can soothe troubled skin where other medicines often
tend to exacerbate the problem.
List of Headings

i. Availability to the public C. Although it has a reputation as a ‘gentle’ chemical


ii. Use as a digestive aid compared to harsher alternatives, in high concentrations
iii. Risks of application to the skin and in some circumstances concentrations and in some
iv. Edible sources of salicylic acid circumstances salicylic acid creams can prove harmful,
v. Early popularity in Europe and very occasionally, even fatal. Highly concentrated
vi. Unwanted side effects of swallowing aspirin salicylic acid, particularly concentrations used for wart,
vii. Discovery and development corn or callus removal, can cause chemical burns if applied to
viii. Appropriate and inappropriate long-term uses skin for long periods of time. Hyper-pigmentation - a blotchy
ix. External uses of salicylic acid discolouration of skin tone - may also result in users who
x. Benets for plant life have darker skin and those who follow application with
xi. A remedy for sick children excessive exposure to ultraviolet light. Most
over-the-counter facial lotions are limited to a relatively
mild 2 - 3% concentration for this reason.

1. Paragraph A ……………
2. Paragraph B …………… D. Salicylic acid also has a number of other less widely
3. Paragraph C …………… known uses. Due to its antimicrobial properties, it is
4. Paragraph D …………… used in the formation of bismuth subsalicylate, the
5. Paragraph E …………… active ingredient in a number of popular remedies for
6. Paragraph F …………… upset stomachs and other intestinal problems. Some
7. Paragraph G …………… evidence suggests that salicylic acid destroys E.
8. Paragraph H …………… Colibacteria and consequently reduces symptoms of
diarrhoea and gastrointestinal distress in many
sufferers. Long-term use, however, is discouraged
Salicylic acid because an accumulation of bismuth subsalicylate in the
This natural powdery substance has helped to ease the body is toxic.
troubles of human life for centuries.

A. The benets of salicylic acid were rst documented in E. Salicylic acid in the form of aspirin tablets is commonly
the 5th century BC, when the Greek physician used to reduce fever, aches and pains and inammation
Hippocrates noted how powder derived from the bark of but when ingested, it can cause gastrointestinal ulcers,
the white willow tree (Salixalba) was capable of reducing stomach irritation or bleeding and other undesirable side
fevers and relieving pain. Surviving evidence suggests effects - an issue for many users of aspirin over the
that early civilisations across the Middle East and in years. Children seem to be particularly sensitive, with
North America also used willow bark for these purposes. epidemiological research demonstrating a connection
It was not until 1826, however, that the active between aspirin use in children suffering from a viral
component of willow bark was nally distilled and given illness and a damaging, and potentially fatal, condition
a name - salicin - by Johann Andreas Buchner, a known as Reye’s syndrome. As a result, the Food and
German pharmacologist at the University of Munich. A Drug Administration has recommended parents avoid
few years later, the process of isolation was perfected the use of aspirin for all feverish children and teenagers.
and the Italian chemist Raffaele Piria completed the
development of salicylic acid through a chemical
conversion. By the end of the nineteenth century, the F. Salicylic acid has many uses for humans and other
German company Bayer was successfully marketing animals, but several species of ora, too, rely on its
the drug as tablets under the Aspirin trademark, and it benets. It seems to protect against fungicidal and
quickly became a staple in the medicine chest of bacterial infections by acting as a signal for pathogenic
households in the Western world. invasion. It also acts as a kind of therapeutic agent by
playing a role in plant responses to abiotic, or external,
stresses, such as in situations of drought, excessive
B. Although salicylic acid is still used most widely in cold or heat and heavy metal toxicity.
over-the-counter painkiller tablets, over the years its
applications have broadened considerably. In the eld

64 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 4
READING

G. It is a naturally occurring substance in most fruits, Question 13


including berries, dates, raisins, kiwifruit, olives and
tomatoes. A few vegetables and also mushrooms and Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
almonds have a strong salicylic acid content. Some
herbs and spices, such as turmeric and curcumin, Circle the correct letter in 13.
possess so much of the substance that, according to
the Rowett Research Institute, a very spicy curry • What is the writer’s overall purpose in writing this article?
contains more salicylic acid than a dose of aspirin!
A. To outline uses and effects of salicylic acid in
various contexts
H. Some physicians recommend aspirin as a continuous B. To examine the key properties of salicylic acid and
medication in low dosages to provide a defense how it functions
against heart attacks, strokes and blood clot formation C. To show the benets of salicylic acid compared to
in some patients. Early results from studies show it other treatments
may even be effective in warding off certain types of D. To warn against the dangers of misusing salicylic
cancer. However, it is not suggested that healthy acid
people should start taking daily aspirin as a
prophylactic measure, as there are positive lifestyle
changes that can be made instead: quitting smoking,
consuming little or no alcohol, and maintaining a Reading Section 2
normal weight by eating a wholesome diet and getting
regular exercise. These adjustments to lifestyle may
not be effortless but in the long run are extremely You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions
benecial. If symptoms of withdrawal (from nicotine or 14 - 26, which are based on Reading Section 2 below.
caffeine, for example) are painful, you could take a
couple of aspirin to overcome the temporary
discomfort. Ada Lovelace
The rst computer programmer?

Questions 9 - 12 Augusta Ada King (now commonly known as Ada


Lovelace) was born on December 10, 1815, to the
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A - G, well-regarded poet Lord Byron and his wife Anne Byron.
below. Lord Byron, a restless man who had conceived other
children out of wedlock, left his wife in a bitter divorce just
Write the correct letter, A - G, in the spaces given for weeks after Ada’s birth. Following the separation he
questions 9 - 12. headed immediately to Europe, where he died in Greece
several years later, never having seen his daughter again.
9. Salicylic acid is used on the skin because it Anne Byron, forever averse to what she perceived as
…………… ‘dangerous’ poetic tendencies after her troubling
10. Some users of salicylic cream have problems experiences with her wayward former husband, began
because it …………… from an early age trying to prevent the young Ada from
11. Aspirin is used for stomach problems because it following too closely in her father’s footsteps. Some of
…………… Anne’s strategies were relatively draconian - Ada was not
12. Young people should not take Aspirin because it permitted, for example, to look at any portraits of her father
…………… until she reached adulthood at twenty years of age. But
others proved fortuitous. Attempting to nudge Ada away
A. can cause high temperatures and sore muscles from poetry, literature and other pursuits that she feared
B. is usually sold in high concentrations would encourage caprice and self-indulgence in her
C. kills germs inside the body daughter’s young mind, Anne instead focused Ada’s
D. may result in a serious disease or even death attention on areas of study that required more discipline
E. reduces the sticky effects of blocked up cells and sober calculation instead: music and mathematics. It
F. resists the progress of many diseases was through the latter that Ada found her calling, and
G. changes the colour of the skin eventually her place in the history books. Although it was
unusual for young women of her era to pursue
mathematics as a discipline, and Ada did not enjoy the
privilege of formal education, her position in society
allowed her access to some of the greatest minds of her
day. Among these tutors was Mary Somerville, a noted
mathematician and astronomer, whose legacy is continued
in the naming of women’s colleges around the world.
Another tutor, logician Augustus De Morgan, informed
Anne that her daughter had the potential to become ‘an
original mathematical investigator, perhaps of rst-rate
eminence’.

IELTS Essential Guide 65


Academic Practice Test 4
READING

It was through Somerville, however, that Ada was Questions 14 - 19


introduced to the researcher who would play the greatest
role in shaping her legacy: Charles Babbage, a professor Do the following statements agree with the information
of mathematics at Cambridge, was widely known for given in Reading Section 2?
having invented and developed the Difference Engine, a
calculating machine more advanced than any of its time. In In the spaces given for questions 14 - 19, write
1834, Babbage wanted to develop another, even more
sophisticated apparatus, an Analytical Engine. Although he - TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
enjoyed great prestige, being a founder of the Astronomical - FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
Society, and a member of international organisations - NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, his
sponsors were reluctant to support his Analytical Engine 14. Ada Lovelace was born after her father’s death
project, and for some time it appeared as if Babbage’s .....................
intentions would never be fullled. Assistance eventually 15. Ada was never allowed to see any images of Lord
came from the Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea, who Byron as a child .....................
produced a memoir documenting the Analytical Engine. The 16. Ada wanted to read books and poems as a child
memoir was published in French, however, and Babbage .....................
recruited Ada to help make it accessible to an
English-speaking 17. Ada did not go to school .....................
audience. Over a nine-month period during 1842 - 1843, Ada 18. Mary Somerville was a greater mathematician than
devoted herself to completing the work, eventually Augustus de Moran .....................
producing not only an English version of Menabrea’s work, 19. Ada met Charles Babbage at university
but a set of appendices longer than the original document .....................
itself. In these appendices, Ada wrote a detailed account, in
Section G, of how a sequence of Bernoulli numbers1 could
be calculated using the Analytical Engine. Although the Questions 20 - 24
Engine was never built, retrospective studies have
concluded that Ada’s calculations would have been correct Fill in the gaps in these sentences using NO MORE
had the Engine existed at the time. In addition to her THAN THREE WORDS from the passage.
mathematical accuracy, Ada’s other notes, some more
speculative, show an awareness of computing potential that Write your answers in the spaces given for questions
went beyond mere number crunching. Ada anticipated 20 - 24.
advances, such as computer generated music, which would
not be fully realised until a century and a half later. For these 20. Babbage did not receive any help for his Analytical
contributions, Ada has been dubbed the ‘rst computer Engine from .....................
programmer’. Not everyone is convinced that Ada deserves 21. Ada translated Menabrea’s work and created a
this title, however. Some historians have suggested that Ada .................... for him.
functioned more as an editor or compiler rather than as a 22. Long before its time, Ada predicted the
mathematician in her own right. These critics note that, development of .................... .
although published under her name, the algorithms had 23. Ada’s .................... suggests that the work she did
been completed by Babbage several years earlier, and that for Menabrea was not completely original.
her correspondence with Babbage indicates that Ada relied 24. Ada’s biographer felt that she had a .................... of
a great deal on his guidance and authority in composing her the future of computer science.
appendices, while making only minor corrections herself.
Other historians defend her role. According to Benjamin
Woolley, Ada’s biographer, says Ada’s great contribution lies Questions 25 - 26
in her discussion of the implications of Babbage’s work and
her conceptual vision of what computing might become. In Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
accomplishing this, Woolley suggests, Ada ‘rose above the
technical minutiae of Babbage's extraordinary invention’ and Circle the correct letter in 25 and 26.
revealed its ‘true grandeur’. For his part, Babbage always
insisted that Ada’s work, while the product of an extensive 25. What is the best summary of Ada Lovelace?
dialogue between them, was entirely her own.
A. She was an original mathematician.
Disputes aside, Ada’s legacy in both computing and the B. She was a pioneer in women’s education.
wider popular imagination is now rmly established. The C. She was a visionary thinker.
British Computer Society now awards a medal bearing her D. She was a famous woman in her time.
name, and the United States Department of Defense has
named a computer language, Ada, in her honour. In addition, 26. What is the writer’s purpose in Reading Passage 2?
a number of organisations, inspired by the example she set,
also exist to foster the development of women in the elds of A. to examine scholars’ conicting views surrounding
computing, science and technology. Ada’s work
B. to introduce Ada and her signicant achievements
C. to provide a general overview of Ada’s life
D. to explain how Ada invented the rst computer

1
Bernoulli numbers (named after Swiss mathematician Jakob Bernoulli) are the sequence of rational numbers;
66 extremely important in number theory and analysis and the subject of the rst computer program. IELTS Essential Guide
Academic Practice Test 4
READING

Reading Section 3 source of food for Maori tribes people when they began
to settle in New Zealand around AD 1200. These settlers
quickly drove the moa to extinction, and with it went the
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions primary food supply of the Haast’s eagle. This enormous
27 - 40, which are based on Reading Section 3 below. predator then faced a scarcity of food. Undoubtedly, the
horror stories of human encounters with the eagle in
HAAST’S EAGLE Maori legend are true to some extent; if the Haast’s
‘Tiger of the skies’ eagle could take down a two hundred kilogram moa,
some Maori tribesmen would have fallen prey to its
A. As a result of being separated for tens of millions of massive claws at some point. The occasional human
years from other mainland ecosystems such as Australia victim was insufcient to sustain the dietary
or continental Asia, the biota of New Zealand evolved to requirements of a creature its size, however, and when
include some of the most unique plants and animals on the moa disappeared, the Haast’s eagle soon followed.
earth. Until the arrival of humans and their associated
introduced species, such as rats and dogs, New Zealand
was not home to a single ground mammal, and this E. Mythology surrounding the existence of the Haast’s
encouraged bird-life to prevail. Another common feature eagle has been passed down through Maori tradition for
of island ecosystems, whereby some species centuries, but due to a lack of physical evidence (only
signicantly outgrow their mainland relatives, also three full skeletons have ever been recovered), much
occurred in New Zealand. From these twin forces - the about this bird remains a mystery. Artists have depicted
dominance of birds, and the tendency toward larger body the plumage of the Haast’s eagle in different ways; for
sizes in island ecosystems - emerged one of the most example, some see it as more of a muted brown, in line
formidable ying predators known on earth: the Haast’s with other large forest eagles still in existence today,
eagle. whereas others envision it displaying extravagant hues
of green, red and purple. All of this is speculation,
however; recovered bones and further DNA evidence
B. The largest known eagle ever documented, this can tell us about the genealogy of the Haast’s eagle and
fearsome creature weighed up to fteen kilograms and its size and skeletal structure, but the colour of its
sported wings spanning two to three metres in diameter. feathers, along with many other specications, will
Although this wingspan is comparatively small (the forever be guesswork.
Wandering Albatross and Andean Condor, for instance,
each have wing spans in excess of three metres), the
Haast’s eagle possessed a much larger body mass to F. It is difcult to say whether the demise of the Haast’s
wing ratio. While stubbier wings made the eagle ill-suited eagle was tragic or fortuitous. No doubt the sight of this
to prolonged ight, they did enable the Haast’s eagle to majestic bird swooping down from its perch at eighty
nimbly and swiftly manoeuvre its large frame around kilometres per hour would have been an awe-inspiring
trees, which would have been vital for pursuing prey sight, and it is easy to see why some early Maori settlers
through New Zealand’s dense forest and scrubland. exalted the eagle in their imaginations as some kind of
‘Bird God’. If it were still around, however, there is no
doubt that hiking, camping or even just taking a leisurely
C. The most impressive aspect of the bird’s anatomy, stroll through the woods in New Zealand would be a far
however, was its enormous talons. At almost 23 more dangerous activity. With a force of impact powerful
centimetres in length, these are comparable to those of enough to knock an adult male unconscious, many
some wild cats and have justiably earned the Haast’s people would never know what had hit them.
eagle the nickname ‘Tiger of the Skies’. With these
talons the eagle would attack its prey in the only way it
knew how - grasping the animal’s pelvis with one talon
while crushing its skull with the other in a strike that,
according to New Zealand researcher Richard is akin to
that of a 15 kilogram concrete block dropping from an
eight-storey building. This force was enough to bring
down very large animals, and indeed the Haast’s eagle
preyed primarily on the moa - a clumsy, ightless bird
nearly fteen times its size. Once immobilised, a large
catch could feed the eagle over several days. With no
other large predators, the Haast’s eagle could afford to
take its time with the carcass of its prey until ready to
return to the hunt.

D. This leads to an important question: How did such a


ferocious predator fall from the top of the food chain and
rapidly become extinct around AD 1500? The answer is
that, like many other extinct animals, the Haast’s eagle
could not diversify its behaviours and adapt to changing
circumstances quickly enough to survive. Moa, an easy
source of prey for the eagle, were likewise an easy

IELTS Essential Guide 67


Academic Practice Test 4
READING

Questions 27- 34 Questions 38 - 39


Reading Section 3 has six paragraphs, A - F. Choose TWO letters, A - E.
Write the correct letter, A - F, in the spaces given for • Which TWO of the following are given as reasons why the
questions 27 - 34. A letter can be repeated if required. Haast’s eagle died out very quickly? Write the correct letters
in spaces 38 and 39
• Which paragraph contains the following information?
38. .........................
27. A description of how the Haast’s eagle attacked its 39. .........................
prey .......................
28. A discussion about whether the Haast’s Eagle A. The rst settlers ate all the moa.
killed humans ....................... B. The eagle was hunted by the rst settlers.
29. An explanation of how the body proportions of the C. The eagle could not survive by eating people.
Haast’s eagle made it an efcient hunter ....................... D. The settlers destroyed the eagle’s habitat.
....................... E. The eagle ew slowly and was easily caught.
30. The mental image that the Maori people had of the
Haast’s eagle .......................
31. Facts about the early ecology of New Zealand Questions 40
.......................
32. Conicting views on the appearance of the Haast’s Choose the best answer. Circle the correct letter, A - D,
eagle ....................... in 40.
33. A comparison between the Haast’s eagle and other
birds ....................... • Which of the following is NOT the author’s opinion?
34. An explanation of why the Haast’s eagle could eat
its kills slowly ....................... A. If the Haast’s eagle had not died out it would have
attacked people.
B. It is sad that the Haast’s eagle died out because it
Questions 35 and 36 was beautiful.
C. We can understand why the rst settlers worshipped
Choose TWO letters, A - E. the Haast’s eagle.
D. The Maori people should have preserved the Haast’s
• Which TWO of the following are given as reasons why the eagle.
Haast’s eagle originally evolved? write the correct letters in
spaces 35 and 36

35. .........................
36. .........................

A. New Zealand has many unusual birds and plants.


B. New Zealand had no natural bird predators.
C. New Zealand has no native mammals.
D. New Zealand settlers brought other creatures with
them.
E. New Zealand is an isolated island.

Questions 37

Choose the best answer and circle the correct letter A-D

• Which of the following is NOT true?

A. The Haast’s eagle could only y for short distances.


B. The Haast’s eagle was adapted to ying through
forests.
C. The Haast’s eagle’s wings were shorter than other
large birds.
D. The Haast’s eagle had small but very efcient claws.

68 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 4
WRITING

Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The pie chart below shows where energy is used in a typical Australian household, and the table shows the
amount of electricity used according to the number of occupants. Summarise the information by selecting
and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Household energy use in Australia Amount of electricity used in a typical


Australian home

16%
Other Appliances* 38% Number of people Electricity used:
Heating and in the house Kilowatt hours (kWh) per year
3% Cooling
Stand by
Power
4% 1 5,000 - 6,500
Cooking

7%
2 6,000 - 8,500
Lighting

7%
Fridges and 3 7,500 - 10,000
Freezers
25%
Water Heating
6 or more 12,000 - 16,000
*clothes and dish washers, entertainment and small appliances e.g. toaster, hairdryer, iron.

Write at least 150 words.

IELTS Essential Guide 69


Academic Practice Test 4
WRITING

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Most people accept that we now live in a globalised world but not everyone agrees that this is benecial.
To what extent is globalisation a positive or negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

70 IELTS Essential Guide


Academic Practice Test 4
SPEAKING

Speaking Part 1 Speaking Part 3

Initial questions about name, where you live, work or Age and meeting people
study and other personal topics.
• Where do young adults and teenagers usually meet
Computers their friends?
• How has the Internet changed the way that people
• Are there a lot of computer shops where you live? have relationships with each other?
[Why / Why not?] • Do older people enjoy meeting new people as much
• What do most people in your family use a computer as the younger generation does? [Why?]
for?
• Do you think people spend too much time using
computers in your country? Globalisation and relationships
• What are the most popular computer programmes
that people use in your country? [Why?] • Increasing number of people today are forming
relationships on social network sites.
Children Why might this happen?
• It is often said that we live in a global village.
• Do you enjoy spending time with children? How true is this really?
[Why / Why not?] • Some people fear that globalisation will result
• What sort of activities do children enjoy doing? [Why?] in societies becoming increasingly similar. Is this an
• Do you think children often enjoy stories that advantage or a disadvantage?
have animals? [Why?]
• Do you think cities are a good place to bring up
children? [Why / Why not?]

Speaking Part 2

Talk about someone you met who was


interesting. You should talk about:

• Where he/she was


• who he/she was
• what you did together

And explain why you think this person was interesting.

You will be expected to talk about the topic for one to two
minutes. You will have one minute to think about what you
are going to say in advance. You can make some notes to
help you if you wish.

71 IELTS Essential Guide


Answer Keys

Section
Academic Practice Test 1

- Listening 73
- Reading 73
- Writing 74

General Training Reading And Writing Practice Test 1

- Reading 75
- Writing 75

Academic Practice Test 2

- Listening 77
- Reading 77
- Writing 78

General Training Reading And Writing Practice Test 2

- Reading 79
- Writing 79

Academic Practice Test 3

- Listening 81
- Reading 81
- Writing 82

Academic Practice Test 4

- Listening 83
- Reading 83
- Writing 84

IELTS Essential Guide 72


ANSWER KEYS

Academic answers for Practice Test 1 Academic answers for Practice Test 1
Listening Reading

Section 1 Each question correctly answered scores 1 mark.


1. cream Correct spelling is needed in all answers.
2. brass
3. 65 / sixty-ve Section 1
4. perfect 1. C
5. £30 / 30 pounds / thirty pounds 2. G
6. deep 3. B
7. 1.25 metres / 1.25 m 4. A
8. adjustable 5. H
9. £50 / 50 pounds / fty pounds 6. D
10. Domain 7. respiratory movements/signals
8. tail
9. electric currents
Section 2 10. olfactory organs
11. J 11. electric signals
12. I 12. sinewy muscle
13. F 13. electric eld
14. H
15. B
16. C Section 2
17. A 14. E
18. A 15. J
19 and 20. D or E (in either order) 16. I
17. D
18. B
Section 3 19. TRUE
21. abstract 20. NOT GIVEN
22. key words / keywords 21. FALSE
23. nal draft 22. TRUE
24. style guide 23. NOT GIVEN
25. copyright form 24. TRUE
26. (the) manuscript 25. TRUE
27. conrmation 26 and 27. A or C (in either order)
28. Peer review
29. rejection
30. cover letter Section 3
28. FALSE
29. NOT GIVEN
Section 4 30. NOT GIVEN
31. living entity 31. TRUE
32. nutrients 32. TRUE
33. minerals 33. FALSE
34. Bedrock 34. past-actions
35. Subsoil 35. inconsistencies
36. Topsoil 36. Hugh Everett
37. Pollution 37. alternative path-way
38. pest control 38. Non-existence theory
39. production practices 39. historical identity
40. predators 40. C

IELTS Essential Guide 73


ANSWER KEYS

local languages and the teaching of English are


Academic answers for Practice Test 1 mutually-reinforcing developments. In this way, the
Writing local language serves as the bedrock for learning
English, rather than being an obstacle in need of
removal. Local languages should be taught at school.
Task 1 Employment for those who speak English as well as
one local language.
The chart shows the percentages of paper and
cardboard, glass containers, aluminium cans and I think it is important for everyone to learn English but I
plastics that were recycled in one country between feel it is unnecessary to frame learning English and
1982 and 2010. keeping local languages alive as conicting
possibilities. Each goal supports the other. We should
In 1982, about 65% of paper and cardboard was focus on how best to develop both English and local
recycled. This gure uctuated before rising steeply to languages in particular local contexts.
reach a peak of 80% in 1994. From then on, however, it
decreased steadily to a level of 70% in 2010. 285 Words.

In 1982, half of all glass containers were recycled; after


dipping to a low of 40% in 1990, the glass recycling rate
gradually increased to 60% by 2010. Aluminium cans
were rst recycled in 1986, starting at about 5%, but
this gure climbed rapidly over 25 years and by 2010 it
had reached 45%. Recycling of plastics, on the other
hand, was not introduced until 1990 and, although the
growth in this category was also constant, it was very
slow, rising from about 2% to around 8% over the
period.

Overall, the proportion of paper and cardboard that was


recycled was the highest of the four classes of material,
but this category experienced a decline after 1994,
whereas there was a continuing upward trend in the
recycling of the other materials.

194 Words.

Task 2

English is a gateway to the world and no one should be


deprived of the opportunities that arise for those with a
strong command of the English language. This does
not mean that local languages are dispensable,
however. They have an important role to play in
supporting education, including English language
education.

People who insist on prioritising local languages are


often those who can speak uent English themselves.
Advocates of minority languages need to be uent in
English in order to research their eld and support the
cause at international conferences. In doing so,
however, they are also demonstrating why English is so
important.

Learning English allows people to gain knowledge,


communicate with society, further themselves as
individuals and have a global impact. It is unfair to
willingly dispossess people of this ability in order to
preserve tradition. But this does not mean local
languages can be forgotten or downplayed. People are
more likely to succeed – not just at learning English, but
in employment and education generally – if they are
immersed in a community rich in history and tradition.
Local dialects are a part of this tradition. Efforts to
regenerate and celebrate indigenous cultures in recent
decades have demonstrated that the preservation of

74 IELTS Essential Guide


ANSWER KEYS

General Training Answers for General Training Answers for


Reading and Writing Practice Test 1 Reading and Writing Practice Test 1
Reading Writing

Task 1
Each question correctly answered scores 1 mark.
Correct spelling is needed in all answers. Dear Sir or Madam,

Section 1 I am writing to report the loss of a valuable personal


1. TRUE item on one of your trains.
2. FALSE
3. FALSE The item is a small black leather wallet with the brand
4. NOT GIVEN name ‘Urban Limit’ embossed on the front. Inside was
5. TRUE a library card, a credit card, a swipe card for the gym, a
6. TRUE student I.D. card and my driver’s licence – all in my
7. NOT GIVEN name. There was also a little cash: about $ 25 in all.
8. A
9. B I must have lost the wallet between 4.15 pm and 4.30
10. C pm while travelling southbound on the Wyndham Line
11. C on Friday afternoon (15 May). If I recall correctly, I was
12. B in the second carriage sitting near the front.
13. C
14. A Could you please let me know if a wallet of this
description has been found? My phone number is
099 304 2442. If you have it, please keep it in a safe
Section 2 place and I will make arrangements to collect it at your
15. NOT GIVEN earliest convenience.
16. TRUE
17. TRUE Thank you.
18. FALSE
19. TRUE Yours faithfully,
20. FALSE
21. TRUE Joe Black
22. ix
23. vi 154 Words.
24. ii
25. viii
26. iii
27. v Task 2

Many governments set an arbitrary retirement age


Section 3 (such as sixty-ve), but some people are physically
28. E worn out or mentally exhausted well before they reach
29. H this age. While some people believe the set age is
30. C reasonable, others think it should be more exible with
31. B exemptions for certain workers. In my opinion, a xed
32. F retirement age is actually best for everybody because it
33. D is the easiest and fairest arrangement, but I think a
34. Locale (and) theme (in either order; both required tribunal could be established to decide whether
for one mark) individual workers deserve to receive a pension at an
35. (a) pivotal character / individual activity earlier age.
36. (the) visual eld
37. Character interaction Before the new economy, when most people had a
38. cost single occupation for life, it would have made a lot of
39. promotional materials sense to allow some manual labourers or people
40. unbalanced working in psychologically stressful roles to retire
earlier. Today, however, so many people change jobs
and shift between industries every few years that it is
difcult to make these distinctions.

An ideal middle ground would be to have a set


retirement age for everybody, but to create a tribunal
that could hear individual cases. A sixty year old who
had been a miner for forty years could get an early
pension, for example, whereas someone of the same

IELTS Essential Guide 75


ANSWER KEYS

age whohad spent only eight years mining in his


twenties would not.

Two types of workers would benet from early


retirement. First are those who work in tough, physically
demanding conditions such as construction workers,
coal miners and welders. The others are workers in high
stress positions where sound judgement is crucial for
public safety. Emergency medical practitioners and air
trafc control operators are two such examples.

With people’s working lives differing on an individual


basis, it is difcult to classify them into large groups and
distribute pensions accordingly. Nevertheless, many
individuals still deserve an early pension and in some
cases our well-being may depend on giving it to them.

306 Words.

76 IELTS Essential Guide


ANSWER KEYS

Academic answers for Practice Test 2 Academic answers for Practice Test 2
Listening Reading

Section 1 Each question correctly answered scores 1 mark.


1. 18(th) Correct spelling is needed in all answers.
2. 25(th)/Christmas Day
3. 702 Section 1
4. 165 1. C
5. in cash 2. F
6. Reed 3. E
7. 14 South Street/14 South St 4. D
8. AQ459 5. A
9. A 6. Emmanuel Chabrier
10. B 7. A black bodice
8. An auditorium
9. A trapeze artist
Section 2 10. A private studio / Manet’s private studio
11. weekdays 11. E
12. Issues 12. D
13. 40 13. A
14. Basement/basement
15. 9.15
16. classical Section 2
17. B 14. viii
18. C 15. iii
19. abroad 16. i
20. sister 17. ix
18. iv
Section 3 19. vi
21. presentation/assignment 20. NO
22. digital privacy 21. YES
23. credit rating 22. NOT GIVEN
24. employees 23. NO
25. sales manager 24. NOT GIVEN
26. (search) habits 25. YES
27. protability/prots 26. NO
28. recommendation
29. legal action
30. tracking protection Section 3
27. F
28. D
Section 4 29. E
31. A 30. H
32. B 31. B
33. C 32. G
34. C 33. a safety net
35. B 34. Albert Mummery
36. 50/fty 35. unclimbed
37. predators 36. Clean climbing
38. overshing/over-shing 37. Nuts
39. sustainable 38. rappel bolting
40. ban 39. technical mastery
40. B

IELTS Essential Guide 77


ANSWER KEYS

as it does not work at night. Power from daytime


Academic answers for Practice Test 2 sunshine must be stored in large batteries. In addition,
Writing the panels tend to be big and cumbersome. A major
drawback for some is that the initial purchase and
installation of the equipment is costly.
Task 1
In my view, the benets of a clean, quiet, renewable,
The bar chart shows the proportion of men and women eco-friendly source of energy far outweigh the
who taught in seven different faculties of a particular drawbacks, provided that there is sufcient sunlight
university in 2012. available to make this source of power feasible.

There was a large gender disparity in some faculties: 343 Words.


engineering was dominated by male academics
whereas education had the highest percentage of
female academics. Notably, 85% of the engineering
teachers were male and only 15% female. Three
quarters of the academic staff in education were
women, with just 25% males. However, other faculties
were more balanced in their composition. In medicine,
gender representation was almost equal, while in arts
subjects slightly more than half the academics were
female (55%). It is interesting to note that business and
science had the same proportions of men and women,
with 65% male to 35% female academics in those
faculties. Law had a slightly higher percentage of
women at 40%.

Although the faculties of engineering, business,


science and law were still primarily male- dominated in
2012, women made up half the faculty of medicine and
were predominant in education and arts.

160 Words.

Task 2

Solar power as a source of domestic household energy


is becoming more desirable because many individuals
and governments are concerned that burning fossil
fuels adds carbon to the atmosphere and thus
accelerates global warming and climate change.
Others feel that nuclear power is potentially unsafe,
and do not like its associated pollution from radioactive
waste. Therefore, many researchers and consumers
have looked at alternative sources of energy and have
found that solar power has many benets and few
drawbacks.

The main advantage of solar energy is that after the


initial installation, it is entirely free and renewable, and
there are no extra costs involved in producing the
energy. Solar energy is silent and environmentally
friendly as well - it does not destroy or poison the
ecosystem. This is because the raw material; sunshine,
does not need to be extracted or rened, so there are
no pollutants or toxic residue produced.

Another major advantage is that it is produced where it


is needed so there is no energy wasted on and
maintenance of the new technology for solar panels,
which are consequently becoming less expensive,
more available and much more efcient.

The greatest drawback of solar power is that it is totally


reliant on sunlight, which is not always constant. In fact,
there are some regions where it may not be practicable,

78 IELTS Essential Guide


ANSWER KEYS

General Training Answers for General Training Answers for


Reading and Writing Practice Test 2 Reading and Writing Practice Test 2
Reading Writing

Section 1 Task 1
1. send a messenger
2. short bell rings Dear Mr Jackson,
3. nearest staircase/stairs
4. (paved) quadrangle (area)/quad I am writing to you to see what can be done about the
5. (all) support staff/personnel large tree at the front of your house. The tree leans over
6. the (class) roll my side of the fence which divides our properties. It is
7. all clear (signal) not just a nuisance but also a danger. It drops a large
8. (their) home-room groups amount of debris on my roof and these leaves and
9. TRUE twigs block the downpipes. During the last heavy
10. FALSE rainfall my house leaked as a result. My worst fear is
11. NOT GIVEN that in a storm the tree might fall down, damaging my
12. NOT GIVEN house and possibly injuring my family.
13. FALSE
14. TRUE The tree has been a problem for over ten years and I
have talked to you about it before but the tree has now
reached such a height that I urge you to take action
Section 2 immediately. I think you should have the tree removed.
15. vi An alternative course of action would be to prune the
16. viii tree to fence level, but I think it would die anyway if you
17. v did this.
18. x
19. ii I hope the problem can be resolved soon.
20. i
21. iii Yours sincerely,
22. nal written warning
23. formal appeal hearing Joel Baker
24. B
25. E 173 Words.
26. D
27. C
28. A Task 2

Section 3 Exercise is important throughout life for all age groups


29. C in order to maintain both physical health and mental
30. E wellbeing. Making sports instruction and physical
31. B education mandatory for all able-bodied school
32. H students is a good idea, because it establishes
33. A benecial exercise habits and enhances other aspects
34. F of their lives.
35. D
36. functional strength Sport is a great source of lessons for life. It teaches us
37. mass monsters to take nothing for granted and to treat others with
38. injuries respect. The smug individual or overcondent team is
39. weight training always vulnerable and may be beaten by an opponent
40. cardiovascular health with less obvious skill but more tenacity and
determination. Sport teaches us how to behave, or how
not to behave, in defeat. Maintaining composure in the
face of disappointment is a life skill well worth
mastering, as is the ability to recover quickly after
setbacks. Sport teaches us concentration, discipline
and a good work ethic (essential for academic
achievement as well). It is only by training hard, staying
focused and exercising self-control that we attain
success. We learn a lot about competition but sport
teaches us restraint, too: we need to keep a cool head
in the midst of intense pressure to have a chance of
winning. To be calm and composed under pressure is
an enormous advantage at exam time.

Team sports also teach us how to work as a team.

IELTS Essential Guide 79


ANSWER KEYS

Being a ‘team player’ is rated very highly by employers and


knowing how to interact and cooperate with others
prepares us not only for the workplace but for the rest of
our social lives.

To conclude, sport denitely has a place in the school


curriculum, because students will become t and active,
improve their attitude to study and learn many important
life skills. For these reasons, all students who are
physically able should be required to participate in physical
education in addition to their academic subjects.

305 Words.

80 IELTS Essential Guide


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Academic answers for Practice Test 3 Academic answers for Practice Test 3
Listening Reading

Section 1 Each question correctly answered scores 1 mark.


1. Simmons Correct spelling is needed in all answers.
2. Ocean Drive
3. Unlimited Section 1
4. 24 Month 1. TRUE
5. White 2. NOT GIVEN
6. goldsh 3. FALSE
7. 30 June/30th June/June 30/June 30th 4. FALSE
8. cable 5. NOT GIVEN
9. home phone 6. TRUE
10. Security 7. a young age
8. the ruling monarch
9. a nominations system
Section 2 10. an advisory panel
11. D 11. B
12. B 12. C
13. H 13. F
14. A
15. C
16. G Section 2
17. tourists 14. FALSE
18. Monday(s) 15. TRUE
19. Happy Dragon 16. NOT GIVEN
20. 3231190 17. TRUE
18. FALSE
Section 3 19. B
21. B 20. A
22. C 21. C
23. A 22. A
24. B 23. C
25. A 24. B
26. Documents 25. A
27. Shortlist 26. B
28. Tailor
29. Call
30. Ask questions Section 3
27. G
28. H
Section 4 29. K
31. actions 30. C
32. policies 31. M
33. housing 32. J
34. statistics 33. B
35. evaluate 34. A
36. Cooperate 35. D
37. Economic 36. A
38. critical 37. NO
39. gender 38. NOT GIVEN
40. tiny loans 39. NO
40. YES

IELTS Essential Guide 81


ANSWER KEYS

In short, I wholeheartedly disagree with the statement


that arts subjects should not be taught. I suggest that
Academic answers for Practice Test 3 every student should have instruction in philosophy,
Writing history or other arts subjects, even if they elect to major
in the sciences, because learning critical thinking skills,
and developing a wide background knowledge, will
Task 1 benet them enormously in later life. In addition to this
general training, we need specialist graduates in arts
The diagram demonstrates how a solar powered water subjects to make their contribution to a well-rounded
pump is used to supply water for a village. There are society.
three main components to the system: a solar panel, an
underground bore or well with a water pump inside it, 307 Words.
and a tank for holding the water after it has been
pumped up from the underground source.

The rst part of the process involves collecting sunlight


to power the pump. A solar panel consisting of
photo-voltaic cells is mounted, facing the sun, on a
raised pole well above the ground. DC electricity is
collected when the panel is exposed to sunlight. This
DC current travels from the panel to power a water
pump, which is suspended below the water level inside
an underground well or bore. The DC power is used to
pump water from the well into an outlet pipe which runs
from the pump up the well through the bore cap and
into the top of a water tank which is situated on the
ground nearby. The water then runs in a pipe to a
village, where it provides fresh water to the residents.

186 Words.

Task 2

Students spend a great deal of time and money on


tertiary study; therefore, vocational subjects would be a
better investment in terms of immediate job opportunities.
However, not everyone has an aptitudescience, for
engineering or medicine, and there is a need for
graduates with expertise gained from arts courses.

In subjects such as philosophy, students learn a


valuable set of skills. They become active thinkers who
learn how to solve problems, rather than passive
learners who memorise facts and other people’s ideas.
Philosophy students become procient at critical and
moral thinking, argumentation and debate. The ability
to examine and analyse topical issues or challenge the
status quo is very important. After all, someone needs
to question the results or indeed the usefulness of
scientic research, the politician’s assertions, and
historical events and assumptions in general. What is
more, scandals in business and government
emphasise the need for ethics in the corporate and
public domain.

The sciences and business are clearly very important


for our community, and those who have talent should,
of course, pursue a university degree and a career in
those elds. If, however, they also have training in logic
and analytical thinking or a broad general knowledge
from studying arts subjects, they are more likely to be
able to solve problems, create initiatives, identify bias
and avoid major pitfalls as they progress through their
careers.

82 IELTS Essential Guide


ANSWER KEYS

Academic answers for Practice Test 4 Academic answers for Practice Test 4
Listening Reading

Section 1 Each question correctly answered scores 1 mark.


1. Country Correct spelling is needed in all answers.
2. (your) Personal
3. business
4. school fees Section 1
5. 48 / forty eight 1. vii
6. Reference Number / reference number 2. ix
7. 3/three days 3. iii
8. $30/30 dollars/thirty dollars 4. ii
9. $10,000/ten thousand dollars 5. vi
10. special code 6. x
7. iv
8. viii
Section 2 9. E
11. G 10. G
12. H 11. C
13. E 12. D
14. C 13. A
15. A
16. F
17. B Section 2
18. public transport/public transportation 14. FALSE
19. sites 15. TRUE
20. trafc lights 16. NOT GIVEN
17. TRUE
Section 3 18. NOT GIVEN
21. regulations 19. NOT GIVEN
22. status 20. his sponsors
23. government 21. set of appendices
24. external relationships 22. computer-generated music
25. nancial results 23. correspondence (with Babbage)
26. satisfaction/collaboration 24. conceptual vision
27. loyalty 25. C
28. exibility 26. B
29. growth opportunities

Section 3
Section 4 27. C
30. wind 28. D
31. food source 29. B
32. organisms 30. F
33. pest resistance 31. A
34. time-consuming 32. E
35. Biological control 33. B
36. unpredictable 34. C
37. repel 35. C and E or E and C
38. migrate 36. C and E or E and C
39. prots 37. D
38. A and C or C and A
39. A and C or C and A
40. D

IELTS Essential Guide 83


ANSWER KEYS

that started in the USA, it affects nancial crisis that


Academic answers for Practice Test 4 started in the USA, it affects the whole world. Similarly,
Writing when a virus emerges in one region of the world, it
spreads rapidly, threatening worldwide health.

Task 1 Globalisation affects culture and language, too; minority


languages are dying out because of the necessity of
The pie chart illustrates the proportion of energy learning English for international business, and
consumed by different appliances in an average indigenous cultures are being rejected in favour of a
Australian home. In general, the pie chart shows that dominant, often USA-based, culture. Finally, levels of
temperature control, both for heating and cooling, is the pollution are rising as countries strive for economic
major user, followed by water heating, and the table growth and a competitive edge in the global market. In
shows that energy consumed per capita drops as conclusion, globalisation is a double-edged sword that
household size increases. has created jobs and promoted international cooperation
but has led to cultural losses, more environmental
Heating and cooling devices account for almost 40% of damage, increased health risks and exposure to
total energy, and water heating consumes a quarter of economic crises. However, our world will continue to
total household power. Other appliances, such as shrink as technology expands, and we need to accept
dishwashers, televisions and smaller items, make up globalisation as a fact of life in the 21st century.
16% of energy consumption. Slightly less than half that
amount (7%) is used for both refrigeration and lighting. 307 Words.
Standby power comprises a remarkable 3% compared
with stoves, ovens and other cooking equipment that
expend only 4% of household energy.

The table shows that a single person’s electricity usage


is 5,000 to 6,500 Kw per annum, whereas two people
use a similar amount or not much more. A three-person
Australian household typically uses about the same as
two people (6,000–8,000) or perhaps up to 10,000 Kw.
Six people or more living in the same house have only
double the consumption of a two- person household.

In summary, all forms of heating and cooling - air


temperature, water, refrigeration and cooking - are major
consumers of energy in Australian houses, and it is more
economical to live in a larger household.

222 Words.

Task 2

Globalisation is here to stay, driven by advances in


information technology and resulting in scientic,
technological and economic progress and increased
international trade and investment. It has had
wide-ranging positive and negative effects on
employment and economic development, scientic
research, language and culture, and the environment.

One positive result of globalisation is the global


distribution of labour. It is now much easier to move to
other countries to nd work, and this leads to better
employment prospects for individuals and to more diverse
workplaces. In addition, capital and industrial resources
have migrated to developing countries, thus providing
local jobs and boosting local economies. It has also
resulted in greater contact between different cultures, as
travel has become relatively safer and less expensive
than it used to be. Ease of communication has
encouraged an unprecedented level of global scientic
research and cooperation, and a subsequent explosion of
knowledge and information.

A downside of this global economy is that when a


catastrophe occurs, as in the recent global nancial crisis

84 IELTS Essential Guide


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